Be Still…and Let Your Nail Polish Dry

~~Suzie's note: this post is longer than usual because we have not just one, but four special guests~~

Writing can be a lonely business, but when four Christian writers came together to write a book of devotions, they became much more than on-line friends.

Though they hadn’t each met, these ladies were well acquainted before they set out to write this book. Andrea Boeshaar was once a literary agent who represented Sandra D. Bricker and Loree Lough. Andrea and Debby Mayne co-authored a Christmas novella. Sandy and Debby were writer buddies. But friendship doesn’t necessarily lead to writing a book together. At least not for most writers.

Ladies, welcome. I'm so glad you're here today. Tell us how the idea for this book came about?

ANDREA: I was at the nail salon getting a manicure, and had to wait a pesky 6 minutes for my fingernails to dry. I felt so impatient. SIX WHOLE MINUTES I had to wait! Then I recalled the Bible passage in which God tells us, "Be still and know that I am God." And I thought, I need to be still...and let my nail polish dry. So I guess you might say it was a God-thing!

SANDIE: When Andrea called and told me the idea she’d had, I didn’t realize she was thinking about inviting me to join her. I just bubbled up and said, “You’ve got to write that! What a killer idea!”

DEBBY: One morning I woke up, put on a pot of coffee, checked my e-mail, saw Andrea's message about her fabulous devotional idea. By the time the coffee finished brewing, I'd agreed to join Andrea and Sandie in the proposal. Her enthusiasm for the project was infectious. I didn't expect anything to come of it because it sounded like too much fun. The fun factor was what kicked me into gear to work on the proposal. I wanted to do this, even if it didn't sell.

LOREE: I’ve contributed to a couple dozen devotionals, and found myself uplifted by the spiritual themes. This one, however, is wonderfully unique because it’s written especially for busy Christian women who are struggling to juggle faith, family and work in a world that sorely needs more God in it, not less!

So, Andrea, what made you decide to make this a multi-author project?

ANDREA: I contacted Sandie with the idea because I love her comedic, sassy writing voice, and I knew if Sandie liked the idea it was probably a good one. She did, and we asked Debby to join us, and then Sandie recruited Loree. We've all worked together in one capacity or another, and we thought teaming up for this project would make it just perfect!

I know co-authoring a book can sometimes be difficult. What was it like for four people writing together?

ANDREA: Actually, I was a bit miffed at first because the other 3 women stormed ahead and handed in their devotions while I was still in the middle of writing mine. I had hoped we would work more closely together on each one. But after I had handed in my 23 devotions, the copy editor said she couldn't believe how well they fit together! Another God-thing.

SANDIE: It was a little intimidating for me at first, but I’m a pretty organized person. HEY! No comments from the peanut gallery! So I made up an Excel spreadsheet and listed the verses I was planning to use. Then I passed it around to the other ladies, and we worked together to make sure everyone had their choices without overlaps. That was really the hardest part, as it turned out.

DEBBY: After we chose our verses, we did our thing – each of us with a different process. My daughter and her husband needed me to come help them since they were about to have their first child. Due to complications after the birth, all three of them went back to the hospital, while I had the pleasure of staying in their house with their lonely dog and cat. With Cody the yellow lab at my feet and Haley the cat in the windowsill watching the first snow of the year, I sat at the kitchen table and wrote about half of my devotions over the next week and a half.

LOREE: With every keystroke, I felt intense pressure to create something extra-special, something not only uplifting, but enjoyable. Partly, because we promised our readers short, prayerful essays that would improve their walk with the Lord. And partly, because we’re donating part of the proceeds to the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund (OCRF). We hope sales will help them stop that silent killer before it takes the life of even one more mother, sister, daughter, or friend!

I understand that since writing this book, the four of you were finally able to meet face-to-face. I can only imagine what a joy that must have been.

SANDIE: After all these years, we met for the first time at the ACFW conference in Denver this September. I was such a dork, and I cried like a girl.

ANDREA: It was like being reunited with your best high school friends ever! We laughed. We talked. We shared our hearts on different subjects.

LOREE: Hearing their voices on the phone has been wonderful. Reading their articles and novels, well that’s been terrific, too. E-mailing back and forth? I’ve loved it! But nothing can compare to being in the same place at the same time, where we could look into one another’s eyes.

DEBBY: There wasn't a moment of silence as we instantly fell into a comfortable camaraderie, like high school kids who hung out every day. Based on the looks we got from others, I'm sure we were quite a spectacle, but that's okay. We had a blast.

There’s a wide variety of devotionals in the book, and I’ve picked favorites from each one of you. They range from the simple pleasure of eating chocolate, to the ability to trust God in the face of cancer. Do you have a favorite devotional from the book?

ANDREA: I do. My devotional called Awesome God was really special to write. It's written in first person, present tense, and it tells the story of how God rode alongside me in my van during a horrible snowstorm. I was on my way home from work and I really panicked when I realized that I might not make it home safely.

DEBBY: By nature, I'm a worrier, so of all my devotions, I like Chicken Little because it reminds me to trust God to be in control of my life. I'm working hard at not thinking the sky is falling and accepting that what seems to be a disaster just might be an acorn plunking me on the head to get my attention.

SANDIE: I think my favorite is The Character of True Love. It was the first time I’d ever written about my cancer experience. I wrote about how my very best friend at that time just couldn’t handle the idea of going through cancer with me, and she walked right out of my life. It was so devastating, but at the same time the Lord brought Loree Lough deeper into my life to counsel me, encourage me, let me cry and vent. We really grew closer during that period, didn’t we, Loree?

LOREE: We certainly did! I came terrifyingly close to losing one of my dearest and most beloved friends when she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. The Almighty performed a glorious miracle and saved Sandie, and we should probably say that it’s in her honor that I and my co-authors are happy to contribute a generous portion of our personal proceeds to the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund.

Friendship is a great thing, isn’t it? I know the four of you were close before, especially after you went through cancer, Sandie. Did working on this book together draw you closer to one another?

SANDIE: The friendships I have in my life are everything to me. I don't really have much family left, and none in the immediate vicinity, so the Lord has done what His word says He will do: He has "set the solitary into families." He's created a family for me, so I think I'm far more grateful because of that. These three women are each so special and unique, and each of them plays such an important part in my life. But yes, doing this book together solidified our relationships in a really profound way. There was always a sort of spiritual "touch" on the book, and I think bringing us together the way it did was a big part of that.

What did you learn about yourself, God, or each other while writing this book?

ANDREA: I learned that Sandie, Loree, and Debby are true friends of mine. We work exceptionally well together and because we genuinely love the Lord and want to please Him, we can all be very pleased with our Be Still... devotional because He's in it!

SANDIE: For me, it was a double blessing. … Hey, isn’t that the name of one of Debby’s books? … Anyway, it was a great writing experience, but it also allowed me to thrive in this community of women. I mean my co-authors, of course, but also the many women who have come to the Be Still... blog and told about their own cancer stories, or encouraged and thanked me for telling my own.

DEBBY: I learned a lot. First, I learned that I can write devotions. Second, I got to know my co-authors really well and discovered some things about them that will make us friends for life. I dug deep to come up with ideas other women can relate to, and when I looked in the Bible for relatable verses, I realized He has given us answers to everything we ever need to know.

LOREE: I learned that our Father loves us deeply and completely, and that He wants to be intimately involved in our lives, from the daily minutia like errand-running to life-altering things like cancer…and that He roundly approves of fellowship—the official in church kind and the type that made this warm and spirit-filled devotional possible.

From the cover art to the pages inside, this book is beautifully written. Summerside Press did a fantastic job of designing this book. Did you have any idea it would be so well done?

SANDIE: We had a very special editor on this project named Connie Troyer. Connie played a huge part in the design of the book, and she shared it with us as it went along. We were all so excited when we saw the layout, but you know what, Suzie? There's just NOTHING like holding it in your hands and seeing it in person. If you could have seen the phone lines buzzing between the four of us the day we received our authors' copies! We were like little kids on Christmas morning.

I love the way each devotional starts with a scripture and ends with a heart-felt prayer. As I was reading this book, one notion struck me repeatedly. Each of these women let down their guard and revealed a level of vulnerability I don’t often see in devotionals. There’s so much truth in this book. And, as an added bonus, they’re no longer just names on the cover of a book. I feel like I know each one of them. Not only is this book a must-read, it would make a perfect Christmas gift.

I’ll be giving away a copy of Be Still, so if you’d like to be entered in the drawing, leave a comment or question for our guests, along with your e-mail address by 6 pm PST tomorrow (Sunday) night.

For a review and giveaway of Sandie’s newest fiction release, Love Finds You in Holiday, Florida, visit my personal blog at http://suzieswritingplace.blogspot.com.

Be sure and visit the Be Still group blog at http://bestilldevos.blogspot.com, and the authors’ websites: www.AndreaBoeshaar.com; www.SandraDBricker.com; www.LoreeLough.com; www.DebbyMayne.com.

Pictured from top to bottom: Andrea Boeshaar; Loree Lough; Debby Mayne; and Sandra D. Bricker.

Cleopatra and the Christian Woman

Prior to writing this blog, my knowledge of Cleopatra was pretty limited. Besides the fact that Shakespeare wrote a play about her and that she liked to sit on a barge, really, what else did I need to know?

That's a rhetorical question.

Tons have been written and said about the Egyptian Queen. Philosopher Blaise Pascal wrote, "Cleopatra's nose, had it been shorter, the whole face of the world would have been changed."

As I did my research, I learned a sad truth: Cleopatra VII Thea Philopator broke the Ten Commandments more times than any of us have probably contemplated. See how many you can find in these facts:

~She became the Pharaoh of the Ptolemaic Dynasty after succeeded Ptolemy XII Neos Dionysos (Auletes). As the last Queen and last Pharoah of Egypt, she reigned for 21 years, from 51 BC to 30 BC, during which time she had her sister killed. Following Cleopatra's death, Egypt became a Roman province.

~She died in 30 BC, when she was only 39 years old. She committed suicide and used an asp (an Egyptian cobra snake) for the purpose.

~As mistress of Julius Caesar, she gave birth to one son. While Mark Antony was married to another woman, he married Cleopatra. They had three children. During her marriages to her brothers, she had no children.

~Contrary to the popular belief, she was perhaps not very beautiful. Coins dating back to her time depict a woman with a hooked nose and masculine features. Yet she was a very intelligent woman, with oodles of charisma and amazing powers of persuasion.

~Cleopatra was not an Egyptian. Rather, she was a Macedonian Greek who descended from Ptolemy I, a Greek general of Alexander the Great. Ptolemy I became the king of Egypt following the death of Alexander.

~In the entire 300-year old Ptolemaic dynasty, Cleopatra was the only Pharaoh who could speak Egyptian. In fact, she was the master of nine languages.

While I like the idea of sitting on a barge, drinking lattes while my servants take turns fanning me and bringing me grapes and other luscious fruits, the grim reality is I don't have much in common with Cleopatra other than she died when she was 39 and I am currently 39. Her suicide, apparently, resulted from her grief in learning of Marc Antony's death.

Hello.

I love my husband, yet were he to die, I'm not about to hug a snake.

So that makes me think that Cleopatra must had a self-absorbed life. That can only explain to me why she'd walk out on her four children by committing suicide, although maybe she had no idea how to be a mother. Maybe she spent so much time seducing men and climbing the ruling ladder that she never realized her children needed a mother. Maybe she had no idea how to be a mother because she never really had a mother to mother her.

Earlier this week I was talking to my 10th grade son about dating. See, we have a family policy of "no dating until you're out of high school." Even my 1st grader heards the rule. Now I'm sure some readers are thinking, "Gina, you are wacky. What's wrong with letting your children date? After all, they need to learn how to date because dating is good for their social developement."

Hmm. I don't think I spelled development correctly. Yep. The second spelling is right.

As my son once wrote in his English journal, "Dating in high school is a waste of time, emotions, and money."

Anyhoo, in the conversation with my son earlier this week, I told him about my friend Kari and how she'd ignore us while she had a boyfriend, only to hang out with us when the relationship ended. For weeks all we'd hear is complains about her ex. Until she discovered a new love. They'd hook up and we'd be dumped again. My friend Katrina once said, "I feel like she uses us to keep her company until she finds a new boyfriend."

One of the difficulties in being a parent is helping our children understand we have rules for their protection, not just to make their lives miserable.

From what I've read about Cleopatra, she lived in a culture where she had no rules, no boundaries, no moral code. No right and wrong. Her life was a case study of "do whatever makes you happy."

Why is it that folks who always do what makes them happy don't seem to stay happy?

Gotta get that next fix.
Gotta climb that mountain.
Gotta lose five more pounds.

Ever wonder what we're teaching our daughters when we moan, "Uggh, I need to lose some weight, I'm so fat"?

Just a month ago, a lady from church was sharing about the Weight Watchers program she recently started. 99/100 people would look at the woman and say, "She's a size 8. She doesn't need to be doing Weight Watchers."

While I wisely kept my mouth shut, I couldn't help wondering what she was teaching her daughters about physical acceptance. If my 5'5" mom who weighs 135 is on a diet because she's "fat," then I'd better go on a diet too.

Funny thing (or maybe sad) is that of the women I talk to/hang with, the ones who focus most on weight AREN'T the overweight ones. Why is that? If you can't be happy at the weight you weigh now or with the face/body you have now, what makes you think weighing 10 lbs less or having a bit of plastic surgery is going to make you happy? There will ALWAYS be another 5 lbs you can lose. There will ALWAYS be another woman skinnier, prettier, sexier than you. And if you're concerned about that woman, odds are your daughter is going to learn from you that she needs to be concerned about that woman too.

Despite all the grand love affairs Cleopatra had, the renown she gained, the mark in history she made, in the end, some other woman raised her three youngest children.

That to me, makes Cleopatra a failure.


Non-Serious Question of the Day: What children's tv show/cartoon should be permanently banished from all airwaves/internet/world existance?

Serious Question of the Day: What did you hear one of your children say (or see written) that made you realize you'd give yourself a Good Housekeeping star for teaching him/her?

Award-winning, best-selling author Julie Lessman

My name is Julie Lessman … and I am a romance addict.

However, I might add, Margaret Mitchell bears the blame. The moment Scarlett seared Rhett with a look on the winding staircase of Twelve Oaks, I was a goner, my brain irrevocably branded with the burning desire for romance. God help me, I was only twelve at the time when some innocent, unsuspecting person put a copy of Gone With the Wind in my hand. I swear to this day that the binding not only burned my fingers, but it seared my life forever.

You see, when I read that novel at the age of twelve, I was swept away into the world of romance for the very first time. It captured me like no other book had done, and I immediately set out to write (along with thousands of other love-struck young girls, I’m sure), what I hoped would be “the great American novel.” Obviously my dreams of grandeur didn’t go anywhere, but I did write 150 single-spaced pages of a story that became the basis (some forty years later!) for my debut novel, A Passion Most Pure. Today, I like to think that not only are Margaret Mitchell’s fingerprints are all over me in my religious devotion to passion, but God’s as well—merging my passion for romance with my passion for Him.

And speaking of religiously devoted, I may well be one of the few GWTW fans whose obsession became a habit—a religious habit, that is, of the “nun” variety. Although I had read the book at the age of twelve (and reread it a gazillion times since then), I never saw the movie until I turned sixteen. Way back then (we won’t go into how far back that was), Gone With the Wind was only re-released every seven years. So when I found out that a theatre in my city was sponsoring a free premiere to all the local religious and clergy, I actually dressed up as a nun to go. One of my friends had a sister in the convent who loaned us novice habits, and off we went! I sat there mesmerized, shoving free popcorn into my mouth as I watched the emotional tug-o-war between Rhett and Scarlett. It was one of the most thrilling times of my teens … until we ran into the nuns from our high school! I must have looked pretty convincing in the novice garb, though, because one of our nuns started talking to me about a vocation. Are you kidding? A nun who writes romance? Uh, no!

Why would a book like Gone With the Wind impact me so? Romance, pure and simple. Yes, Scarlett was selfish, but what drew me was the pull she had over Rhett—a man who wanted her but couldn’t have her. To me, seeing a strong, male type like Rhett Butler “who wasn’t the marrying kind” give in and marry her because he loved her and wanted to cherish her, spoke volumes to me. Even as a little girl, I sensed that was what romance was all about—finding a man who couldn’t do without you and to whom you were the most important woman in the world. It wasn’t until I became a born-again Christian at the age of 23 that I learned it was a foreshadow of how God sees romance in Ephesians 5:25: "Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her."

Now I am not saying that Rhett Butler typified the kind of love Christ had in mind, but he wanted Scarlett so badly, he was willing to give of himself to get her. No other woman alive could do that to him, only her. Now to me, that’s romance in the most heart-pounding sense of the word—to be cherished, loved and desired by a man who would sacrifice himself to claim you as his own.

Sound familiar? Think about it—the romantic love between a man and a woman is a mere shadow of the love, passion and desire that God has for each of us. And if you don’t believe me, take a stroll through the “Song of Solomon” sometime—a love letter to Israel and mankind from a God who wanted each of us so badly, He was willing to sacrifice His Son. When it comes to romance, there’s no question that God wrote the book—and for me, it’s a true bestseller that always guarantees a happy ending.

Feel free to leave a comment to be entered into a Daughters of Boston giveaway where you can win a signed copy of your choice of one of the three books in the series, A Passion Most Pure, A Passion Redeemed or A Passion Denied. Good luck!

Hugs,

Julie

Julie Lessman is an award-winning author whose tagline of “Passion With a Purpose” underscores her white-hot passion for both God and romance. Winner of the 2009 ACFW Debut Author of the Year, Julie is also the recipient of 13 Romance Writers of America awards and resides in Missouri with her husband and their golden retriever. She is the author of The Daughters of Boston series, which includes A Passion Most Pure, A Passion Redeemed, and A Passion Denied. You can contact Julie through her website at http://www.julielessman.com/.

Book 3, A Passion Denied, is the story of Faith and Charity’s little sister, Lizzie, a shy bookworm who dreams of a fairy-tale romance. It unfolds a man’s dark past and a young girl’s shattered dreams … and the God who redeems it all.

Elizabeth O’Connor is the little sister John always longed for. With a fire for God in his belly, he has been her spiritual mentor since she was thirteen, sharing her love of literature and her thirst for God. But when his gangly protégé blossoms into a beautiful young woman bent on loving him, he refuses to act on the attraction he feels. His past won’t let him go there. Unfortunately, “Lizzie” won’t let him go anywhere else … until his dark and shocking secrets push her away.

Welcome Shawn Grady

Good Morning Everyone,
I am excited to introduce you to our guest today. Say hello to novelist Shawn Grady. I want Shawn to share some things with us about his writing life and what interests him, so PLEASE ask questions. It’s not everyday that we get to quiz a fire fighter, and paramedic who is a Christian and an author.

His debut novel, Through the Fire, came out earlier this year and is burning up the shelves. Shawn has kindly offered to give away a copy of his book to one of our guests today.


You can find out even more about Shawn at http://www.shawngradybooks.com/


I met Shawn in James Scott Bell’s mentoring class at Mt. Hermon in the spring of 2007.

Mount Hermon 2007. Here I am with my mentoring group led by the amazing James Scott Bell who is in the middle of this pack. From left to right is: Jenn, Shawn, me, Michael, JSB, Katie (Rachel and Jill#2 in the front), Barbara, Katie and Jim. A fantastic learning experience with a wonderful group of writers.

GENRE FUN
Shawn and I used to have great fun on-line asking questions related to our differing genres. It’s a great way to close the divide and learn more about another author’s genre. I'd say something like, "What does every gentleman in the Regency wear around his neck?" Then he'd have to go look it up and get back to me. Then Shawn would ask me something like, "What does every fireman carry into a fire?" I'd have to go look it up. Shawn’s a great sport and an awesome writer.

ALTER EGO

We’ve been posting about different personas who we think of as our
alter egos and I’m sure we could all come up with more than one.
Let me put you on the spot, Shawn, and ask you who one person might
be that you consider and alter ego? Details please.

I think I'd like to be Zorro. I remember watching the show as a kid and wearing a mask that my mom made. It was a rectangular piece ofdark corderoy with two eye holes cut in it and a string of yarn. I'd pretend I would escape from the jail the bad guys put me in andgo all over the house writing "Z's" on everything with a sword.

GOOD NEWS ARRIVES
Can you share a little bit about your experience with Bethany House, Shawn, and when you got the call?

The Bethany House team has been fantastic to work with. In January of 2008 we got word of the three book deal and were ecstatic. We invited both sets of parents over for dinner and told them the news. It was a great celebration.

In the fall of 2008 I had the opportunity to go back to Minneapolis and visit Bethany House. They're still in the same building they've been in for the past fifty years, so it was really neat to go there and to feel welcomed into an established family with a long history in publishing. They used to have an in-house oil painter who did all their cover designs, and some of those original oil paintings are still hanging on walls there. The team there was really great to me and I am so happy to be working with them.


WRITING THE STORIES
How do you get your writing done?

Typically I'll go to the library or a coffeehouse, or both, so that I'm out of the house and focused to accomplish the word goal we've set for the week. Somedays it is more difficult than others,
depending on how many calls I may have run at the firehouse if I worked the night before. My wife is a huge support and we really work together to establish an effective schedule so we can ensure we're putting our time together and as a family first.

MOOKIE HEAD?
You have a yellow lab at your home. Can you fill us in on some information about that doggie?
Marlette! We love her. We call her Lettie, or Mookie Head. Or dozens of other names. They come spontaneously. The other day I called her Mook-a-naut. She's fun, and for the most part really well trained. But she has a voracious appetite that will occasionally drive her to sneak food when we're out of the house. She is showing the wisdom of 2 1/2 years though in that she's at least learned not to eat the bag along with the food inside of it. She actually has over a hundred fans now on her facebook page:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Reno-Nevada-USA/Marlette-Water-Monkey-
Mookie-Head/152636381026

What's your next book about, Shawn?The next book is also an emergency suspense with a romantic subplot. It's called Tomorrow We Die and focuses on a Reno paramedic who feels like he's chasing the Angel of Death. More info can be found at shawngradybooks.com/novels

Okay everyone. This is your chance to ask questions. Don't be shy. And remember that you are elgible to win a copy of, "Through the Fire."

That's Dolley, with an "e"

I covet the gift of hospitality. The ability to tangibly meet natural needs for food, clothing, and shelter in such a way that the person or persons being served feel honored and valued. And to do it without looking like you're trying, that's really a gift!

Hospitality has never been a strength for me. I'm too introverted, too self-conscious, and maybe just plain too selfish to be good at it. If I have overnight guests, I don't sleep. If people come over for supper, I freak out before they arrive and collapse in exhaustion when they leave.

So when I read about First Lady Dolley Madison, I'm especially awed by the way she took a "woman's gift," one that's often overlooked or ignored, and used it to make a mark on history.

Born to settlers John and Mary Payne in North Carolina on May 20, 1768, Dolley Payne grew up under the strict discipline of the Society of Friends, also known as the Quakers. As was the norm for women in that era, she received no formal education. In 1790 she married John Todd, Jr., a Philadelphia lawyer and fellow Quaker.

By this time in the nation's history, Philadelphia was operating as the nation's capitol, and Dolley became involved in various social functions. It's as though she found her niche, her place, in the process of entertaining. After the untimely death of her husband and one young son to yellow fever in 1893, she continued to participate in the social functions of Philadelphia.

At one of these events, family friend and New York senator Aaron Burr introduced Dolley to the man credited as "the architect of the Constitution," Representative James Madison of Virginia. Madison was 43, Dolley was 26. The couple were soon engaged, and exchanged vows in 1794. Because Madison was an Episcopalian, Dolley was ostracized from the church of her childhood for marrying outside her denomination. She became an Episcopalian like her husband, and laid aside the somber clothing and customs of her upbringing.

When Thomas Jefferson was elected president, he asked Madison to become his Secretary of State. While in Washington, Dolley found a need and filled it. The bachelor president needed a woman to organize and orchestrate the social functions required of a national leader. He asked Dolley to serve as hostess, and she fell quite naturally into the role.

It's said that her charm, grace, and extraordinary ability to remember names and faces were responsible for quelling the tensions often present in political meetings. Her extroverted personality brought life and cheer to the bachelor administration. Her gift didn't go unnoticed, and by the end of her first eight years in Washington, Dolley had claimed the place of social queen of the nation's capitol. When her husband was elected to the presidency in 1808, her actions as First Lady set a precedent other First Ladies have sought to follow ever since. Her widespread popularity as a hostess was held at least partly responsible for Madison's re-election to a second term in office.

Her dinner parties were lavish affairs and an invitation to one of her parties, or her Wednesday night receptions, were highly desired among diplomats, politicians, and citizens. The White House, under Dolley's hand, was an open house, made gracious and welcoming by Dolley's gracious personality and generosity.

In 1814, when British soldiers marched on Washington and the First Family was forced to evacuate the White House, Dolley rescued a priceless portrait of George Washington, some state papers, and the red curtains she'd helped make before she fled. The Brits burned the White House that night, and everything in it except the treasures Dolley escaped with.

She continued to entertain into the last days of her life, even after Madison's death (they were married 42 years). When her son from her first marriage mismanaged the family property, she was forced to sell everything. She simply moved back to Washington and continued to be a vibrant part of the social whirl up until her death in 1849.

Nothing, it seems, could quench Dolley's zest for living and love of people. She had numerous opportunities to become disappointed, discouraged, and bitter. But she maintained her joie de vivre. How? I believe it's because she continually gave herself to her gift - hospitality - and by letting that God-given gift pour through her, she kept herself full of life and joy even in the midst of difficult times.

I've gotten better about the practice of hospitality over the years, but it will probably never come "naturally" to me. I'm a bit more "Dolly Madison" (open a box of Zingers and hide behind it during the party) than I am Dolley Madison, hostess extraordinaire. But I have other gifts, and when I yield to them and let them flow, not for my benefit but for others, I step over into a place of peace and joy that's above and beyond what I could ask or think.

My gifts - my passions - are a fountain of the life of God in my soul. Have you found yours?

(for more information on Dolley Madison, see here, or here, or here...)

Molly and Me

Who is that, you say? Well, lean near and I will tell you a story. A long time ago (perhaps 1929) a very intelligent woman wrote a fascinating tale about a dashing young man who many thought silly and pompous. But there are some that know better than that, and some would say they knew all along that he was too smart by far, and just covering up his real self so as to assist many. That man, in a long about way, could be considered a relative of sorts if the reader prefer. So be it, a relative from even further back, perhaps around 1792. That man, as I was saying, was no other but the famously known Sir Percy Blakeney.

What’s that you say? You never heard of ‘im? Why he’s the Scarlet Pimpernel. You know, the one that saved all those French aristocrats, from Mam’zelle Guillotine. A very brave lad, but I digress. It’s me that you want to know about, and rightly so, for I am the female strategist on par with Sir Percy, I do say, but get very little credit for it being the softer, gentler sex, but by no means the weaker in the workings of the mind.

I know what they say about me, though I pretend I don’t care. What is it they say, you ask? Well, let’s not be dense. It’s right there in the first paragraph of, The Ninescore Mystery.

“Well, you know, some say she is the daughter of a duke, others that she was born in the gutter, and that the handle has been soldered on to her name in order to give her style and influence.”

I’ll not be defending myself because I need no defense. I’m known as Lady Molly. I am a detective in charge of the Female Department of Scotland Yard. Is it my fault that Percy got all the attention?




Okay. It’s me, Jill Nutter here.




Molly of Scotland Yard is my alter ego. Why? Because she was a woman doing a very rare thing in her day and ahead of her time thanks to both Percy’s and Molly’s creator, the awesome, Baroness Emmuska Orczy.





Sherlock Holmes would have been proud to call Molly sister.





I’ve always been a detective at heart. I love exploring peoples problems and why they do the things they do. Maybe that's how I ended up studying psychology and social work, but it's literary detecting I love best. We writer types are literary word solvers as we piece together our stories one word at a time. It’s a constant mystery we unravel as we piece together our stories and search for the right word, phrase, character, conflict, etc. Every writer must be a detective. Researching and reasoning out why our characters do what they do.

I also try to detect how God is working in my life. I look for clues and try to connect with God and what He wants me to do. That often leeds to the need for prayer. Now Molly of Scotland Yard, while trying to solve the Ninescore Mystery may have stopped into Canterbury Cathedral to pray as she and her collegue Mary went tramping around the countryside.




Molly will return with interesting intuitions as she solves one crime after another. I hope you will continue to detect right along with me as you solve mysteries in your own life and in the books you love.

Question: Who is your favorite detective from any time period? OR What is your favorite mystery?

The Purple Lady

We've all said it. If not to ourselves or someone else, we've said it to God when He asks us to do something beyond our comfort zone.
"But I'm just a ______________."  
 Go ahead, fill in the blank: mom, wife, daughter, sister, employee, supervisor, nursery worker, music minister, youth leader, pastor's wife, churchgoer, believer.

Whoops! Back it up. You'd never say that! You'd never discount your faith in Christ by saying "I'm just a believer," but that's what we do every time we underestimate the part we play in the kingdom of God. And yes, all those roles listed above, and many, many more I didn't mention, are our roles in His kingdom.

In Acts 16, Paul has a vision of a man from Macedonia (present-day Greece) begging Paul to come and help them. The next morning Paul and his companions packed up and took off for Macedonia.

They sailed across the Aegean Sea from Troas, with layovers in Samothrace and Neapolis. From there they traveled to Philippi, a Roman colony and "the leading city of that district of Macedonia."
I imagine they settled into a hotel, or an inn, and waited for further instructions. Or another vision. The Bible just says "they stayed there a few days." Sight-seeing, maybe? 

On the Sabbath, Paul and his companions head outside the city gate to the river, where "they expected to find a place of prayer." Either this was their further instruction or they were simply trying to find a place to attend church in Philippi.

There's a group of women gathered at the river. Worshipers of God, seekers of truth, who've come together to pray. A Greek businesswoman named Lydia has joined the group. We're not told if Lydia is married, widowed, or if she has children. We know from scripture that she is "a dealer in purple" and a homeowner.

Purple was a kind of fabric dye, and also referred to the textiles dyed with it. This dye was made from a kind of mollusk (marine snail). When the mollusk's soft body was crushed and exposed to the sun and air, its yellow bodily fluids turned a bright color, ranging from blue to crimson. This fluid was used as a fabric dye. Because collecting this dye was a painstaking (and pretty gross) process, purple was highly valued. The fabric was sold to the Jews for dying the tassels on the corners of their prayer shawls, Babylonians for use in their temples, and to the Romans for their imperial robes.

Maybe Lydia heard about the God of the Jews during a business transaction with a prayer shawl maker. Anyway, here's this thoroughly modern Gentile woman, busy with her career and her household, taking time to gather at the river with a bunch of other women to pray, to seek God.


Was it their prayers that triggered Paul's Macedonia call? It's hard to say. What we do know is Paul and Silas (and presumably Luke) wandered into this little women's prayer group outside the gates of Philippi. When they began to share the gospel of Christ with these Gentile women, the Lord opened Lydia's heart to respond to Paul's message.
Do you suppose Paul was surprised that his first Macedonian convert was a woman?

Lydia and her whole household (servants, immediate and extended family, and possibly her employees) were baptized into Christ. Afterward, she sort of demands that Paul and Silas come stay at her house. I get the impression Lydia had the kind of personality that could sell ice to Eskimos.

Later, after Paul and Silas had been imprisoned and miraculously released, they went straight to Lydia's house before they moved on out of the area. By this time a church had formed in Philippi that met in Lydia's home.
The entire book of Philippians is written to the church that grew out of one woman's response to the message she heard on the banks of a river during a prayer meeting.

"Oh, but I'm not like Lydia."
Really?

You responded to a message. You stepped up to the plate and said, "I believe." Many of you have gone on to offer hospitality and service to your family, friends, and church families. The things you do in response to the message of Christ - whether it's to change a diaper in the nursery, endure a dozen teenagers having a sleepover in your living room, copying the church bulletin, managing your home, or bringing up children in the admonition of the Lord - is a vital part of the kingdom of God just as Lydia's response on the banks of that river outside Philippi was in her time.

You've probably heard the "When I am an old woman, I shall wear purple," poem by Jenny Joseph. (If not, visit here to read the whole thing.)

I, for one, am not going to wait until I'm old to wear purple. I'm going to wear purple and think of Lydia. I will seek truth, worship God, and listen for the unction of the Holy Spirit. And then I'll be bold to step out in faith, believing that my obedience will have an impact on the kingdom of God. I encourage you to do the same.

"Whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him."                                                                  Colossians 3:17 NIV