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Blessings,
Connie
Friday, March 20, 2009
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
For the Love of Homemade Vegetable Soup
Do you remember the dreaded homemade veggie soup when you were a kid? I sure do. As soon as I saw my mother emptying the fridge of all the leftover veggies and tossing them into one big pot, I knew what I and my four siblings were in for. (And this almost always followed a dinner of a large pot roast from the night before.)
In the midst of the whining, I'd pick out and gobble up the beef, green beans and the corn, but then I'd stare cross-eyed at the rest of the mess for an hour, fighting the next bite. My brothers and sister were just as bad as me. And yes, you guessed it, now we love the stuff! Go figger.
Last week something divinely comical happened, in regards to this soup. I gave a speech to a bunch of sweet little ladies and I began it with this cute joke: "A Sunday School Teacher asked little Johnny; "Now, Johnny, tell me the truth, do you say prayers before eating?"
"No ma'am," little Johnny replied, “I don't have to. My mom is a good cook .”
I immediately followed that introduction with a statement that my mom is a good cook, too. I went on to describe how she makes the best homemade vegetable soup ever, but back when I was a kid I didn't like it at all. As a matter of fact, I knew I was called to be a missionary when I was only 8 years old. One day, while pouting over a bowl of that stuff and listening to mt mother's reminder of how: “You should be grateful to have that soup. There are starving children in India who would love to be eating it right now,” I got a bright idea.
I found a shoebox, put my bowl of soup in it, wrote “INDIA” on the outside, taped it shut and stuck it in our mailbox!
Yep - I was destined to become a missionary. (But so far, not overseas.)
When my mom called a few days ago and asked how my speech went, I told her it went well, and then I proceeded to share my veggie soup tale.
She couldn't stop laughing.
Yes, it was funny, but not that funny.
Finally, when she came up for air, she told me why she was laughing so hard. It seems the same day as my speech, and even the same hour of it, she was eating some homemade vegging soup. And, she had my niece and her 2 young children over for lunch. And...not only did my niece gobble up her soup, but her 2 kids gobbled it up, too. They even asked their mom to ask great grandma how to make it so they could have it again soon.
Go figger.
In the midst of the whining, I'd pick out and gobble up the beef, green beans and the corn, but then I'd stare cross-eyed at the rest of the mess for an hour, fighting the next bite. My brothers and sister were just as bad as me. And yes, you guessed it, now we love the stuff! Go figger.
Last week something divinely comical happened, in regards to this soup. I gave a speech to a bunch of sweet little ladies and I began it with this cute joke: "A Sunday School Teacher asked little Johnny; "Now, Johnny, tell me the truth, do you say prayers before eating?"
"No ma'am," little Johnny replied, “I don't have to. My mom is a good cook .”
I immediately followed that introduction with a statement that my mom is a good cook, too. I went on to describe how she makes the best homemade vegetable soup ever, but back when I was a kid I didn't like it at all. As a matter of fact, I knew I was called to be a missionary when I was only 8 years old. One day, while pouting over a bowl of that stuff and listening to mt mother's reminder of how: “You should be grateful to have that soup. There are starving children in India who would love to be eating it right now,” I got a bright idea.
I found a shoebox, put my bowl of soup in it, wrote “INDIA” on the outside, taped it shut and stuck it in our mailbox!
Yep - I was destined to become a missionary. (But so far, not overseas.)
When my mom called a few days ago and asked how my speech went, I told her it went well, and then I proceeded to share my veggie soup tale.
She couldn't stop laughing.
Yes, it was funny, but not that funny.
Finally, when she came up for air, she told me why she was laughing so hard. It seems the same day as my speech, and even the same hour of it, she was eating some homemade vegging soup. And, she had my niece and her 2 young children over for lunch. And...not only did my niece gobble up her soup, but her 2 kids gobbled it up, too. They even asked their mom to ask great grandma how to make it so they could have it again soon.
Go figger.
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
"Toto, We're Not in Kansas Anymore"
I just returned to the midwest from Florida yesterday - what a shock. Going there was like a scene from the old version of the Wizard of Oz when the color suddenly comes on and everything is breathtakingly beautiful. Flowers, warm breezes and sand - on my! On the return trip, the pilot announced in balmy Orlando that the temperature in Ohio was all of...12 degrees. Ugh! My hubby and I tried to convince each other that it was good to be home, and it is always great to be back in your own bed with your favorite pillow; but our frigid winters are starting to get to me. To help ease the pain he bought me some fresh-cut flowers. It helped, but there was no way he could purchase the warm air and sand to go with it.
Now for some good news - the Christian publishing industry seems to be standing its own, or at least the publishers that were at the conference said they were planning on publishing the same number of titles this year. With the downturn in the economy I was concerned how it might affect the numbers of new books. But it was mentioned that the medium of the traditional published book seems to be changing, with the onset of the popular Kindle that's out now. However, that doesn't affect writers and how we write.
All-in-all it was a good conference, but then, how could it not be? Warm breezes and bright smiles were thoroughly enjoyed by all. And lest we forget, the common reason that each one of us were there - to learn more about the craft of how to spread the written Word - is always a joyful experience. One of the editors reminded us that Christian book conferences have only been around for a couple decades. God is rising up new writers to get the Word out in these last days. What an awesome time to be alive!
Praying you answer His call,
Connie
Now for some good news - the Christian publishing industry seems to be standing its own, or at least the publishers that were at the conference said they were planning on publishing the same number of titles this year. With the downturn in the economy I was concerned how it might affect the numbers of new books. But it was mentioned that the medium of the traditional published book seems to be changing, with the onset of the popular Kindle that's out now. However, that doesn't affect writers and how we write.
All-in-all it was a good conference, but then, how could it not be? Warm breezes and bright smiles were thoroughly enjoyed by all. And lest we forget, the common reason that each one of us were there - to learn more about the craft of how to spread the written Word - is always a joyful experience. One of the editors reminded us that Christian book conferences have only been around for a couple decades. God is rising up new writers to get the Word out in these last days. What an awesome time to be alive!
Praying you answer His call,
Connie
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Holding Hands with Jesus
I'm knee-deep in conference preparations again. Each time I get ready for one I am amazed anew at how much work is involved (and I'm not even teaching at this one!). Creating the proposals, one-sheets and query letters, and getting them ready for scrutinization is a lot of writing. Still, like other attendees, I want to get the most bang for my buck, so I try to have a variety of materials ready. Of course I gear them toward the publishing houses who I want to represent me, but I also try to prepare for those "chance" meetings with editors who aren't necessarily on my list.
But what I seem to struggle with most is, anxiety. I begin stressing over the connections weeks before the conference: the flight connections, the luggage connections, the rental car connections, the conference location connection, and especially the editor connections.
Thankfully though, God gets my attention way before I leave my house, and reminds me that He is the great Connector. And oftentimes He even uses another writer to remind me. Whew! The burden is instantly lifted and placed on the shoulders of the One who is big enough to handle it. And it stays lifted, as long as I remember to turn to Him.
The bottom line is, I have saturated this conference in prayer. I belive God has led me to attend it, therefore He will see me through it. Period. I will get there when I am supposed to. I will meet those editors whom He wants me to meet. And lest I forget, He also wants me to be available to be used by Him to bless other attendees, especially those writers who have never been to a conference and who have no idea what to expect.
Just another lesson in the "it's not all about me" saga. God sees the big picture and He knows how situations in life are going to turn out, even before they begin. My part is to keep my hand in His hand and trust Him. Every time I remember to keep God and His Kingdom plans first, my needs are not only met, but are usually surpassed -and in more ways than I could ever imagine.
Keeping my hand in the hand of the Author of the greatest book ever,
Connie
But what I seem to struggle with most is, anxiety. I begin stressing over the connections weeks before the conference: the flight connections, the luggage connections, the rental car connections, the conference location connection, and especially the editor connections.
Thankfully though, God gets my attention way before I leave my house, and reminds me that He is the great Connector. And oftentimes He even uses another writer to remind me. Whew! The burden is instantly lifted and placed on the shoulders of the One who is big enough to handle it. And it stays lifted, as long as I remember to turn to Him.
The bottom line is, I have saturated this conference in prayer. I belive God has led me to attend it, therefore He will see me through it. Period. I will get there when I am supposed to. I will meet those editors whom He wants me to meet. And lest I forget, He also wants me to be available to be used by Him to bless other attendees, especially those writers who have never been to a conference and who have no idea what to expect.
Just another lesson in the "it's not all about me" saga. God sees the big picture and He knows how situations in life are going to turn out, even before they begin. My part is to keep my hand in His hand and trust Him. Every time I remember to keep God and His Kingdom plans first, my needs are not only met, but are usually surpassed -and in more ways than I could ever imagine.
Keeping my hand in the hand of the Author of the greatest book ever,
Connie
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Looking Back - to Look Ahead
I don't have to tell you, but it's here again. Another year.
For me, before I can move ahead and look forward to the new year, I first have to look back. At the risk of sounding like one of those "old folks" who seem to constantly talk about how fast time is flying, suffice it to say that this year was the quickest yet. It was full of a lot of good stuff, and of course, some bad. God blessed us with a beautiful granddaughter, Elaina Sophia, but sadly, God chose to take my brother, Gary, home. While I fully believe it is not "sad" for my brother (I feel confident that he is in heaven and finally at peace), the circle of us five siblings has been broken. There is something about that missing link that is causing the rest of us to cherish each other more, I think. And oddly, Gary passed the day after my birthday - the day after I had been wondering which one of us would go first...
As the new year dawns upon the horizon, what new lives will enter - and what lives will pass on? Are we cherishing our loved ones like we should, realizing it could be our last day with them? More importantly, are we looking in the mirror and asking ourselves, "if I died today would I have accomplished the plan that God had for my life?" And on the heel of that question is the question to top all questions: "If I died today, where would I spend eternity?"
This year I am resolving to live my life with eternity in mind. I hope to stick to the lifelong habit of seeking God first every day, and asking Him what His agenda for me is. Then, after making a daily list, keep it before me and check it throughout the day - knowing God can, and most likely will, change it. Some of my best blessings from 2008 were a result of "spur of the moment" nudges I received from the Lord to do, to go, or to speak to someone. I want to become more in tune to the Holy Spirit and make myself constantly available to be a blessing to others, especially my loved ones.
Here's to a new year in Christ,
Connie
For me, before I can move ahead and look forward to the new year, I first have to look back. At the risk of sounding like one of those "old folks" who seem to constantly talk about how fast time is flying, suffice it to say that this year was the quickest yet. It was full of a lot of good stuff, and of course, some bad. God blessed us with a beautiful granddaughter, Elaina Sophia, but sadly, God chose to take my brother, Gary, home. While I fully believe it is not "sad" for my brother (I feel confident that he is in heaven and finally at peace), the circle of us five siblings has been broken. There is something about that missing link that is causing the rest of us to cherish each other more, I think. And oddly, Gary passed the day after my birthday - the day after I had been wondering which one of us would go first...
As the new year dawns upon the horizon, what new lives will enter - and what lives will pass on? Are we cherishing our loved ones like we should, realizing it could be our last day with them? More importantly, are we looking in the mirror and asking ourselves, "if I died today would I have accomplished the plan that God had for my life?" And on the heel of that question is the question to top all questions: "If I died today, where would I spend eternity?"
This year I am resolving to live my life with eternity in mind. I hope to stick to the lifelong habit of seeking God first every day, and asking Him what His agenda for me is. Then, after making a daily list, keep it before me and check it throughout the day - knowing God can, and most likely will, change it. Some of my best blessings from 2008 were a result of "spur of the moment" nudges I received from the Lord to do, to go, or to speak to someone. I want to become more in tune to the Holy Spirit and make myself constantly available to be a blessing to others, especially my loved ones.
Here's to a new year in Christ,
Connie
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