A Catalyst for God's Blessing

My 4-year-old computer gave up on me this past Friday.  Actually, the ac adapter port finally stopped working.  It could have been a disaster.  But let me tell you how cool God is . . .

I had seen it coming for months.  I played musical wall plugs, trying to find a spot that would help the adapter port to work.  I wiggled and jiggled the cord for minutes at a time, trying to get power to start flowing before the battery ran out.  I prayed over it, and gave my fears and worries to God.  I prepared myself to return to the dark ages of pen and paper, and borrow a friend's computer to continue my blog posts.

Doomsday finally came this past Friday.  Old Betsy's adapter port was just too loose to conduct any more power.  The battery was at 30%.  And here's where God shows off.

I hadn't seen my flash drive since our move last November, but God had brought it to hubby's attention when he was cleaning the day before.  Hubby knew exactly where it was, and so I was spared a heart attack.

When I checked my bank account, I had income I wasn't expecting. And the difference was exactly enough for the brand new ASUS laptop I'm typing from right now. :-)

God put a strong check in my spirit to upload my manuscript files into my email as well as my flash drive.  I'm soooooooo glad I listened to Him -- excuse me while I PRAISE JESUS! -- when my battery was gone and I was uploading the files from my flash drive onto my new computer, my manuscript files were empty.  :-O  I came so close to losing months of work on The Back of Beyond and For the Sake of One Lost.  (I've been putting off the need for an external hard drive because I only have three manuscripts, but this experience has changed my mind!)

Isn't God just awesome????  I certainly think so!

So there you have it -- what looked like a writer's worst nightmare come true was actually a catalyst for God's blessing.  I hope that my little testimony of God's faithfulness will encourage you to trust Him for your every need, and view potential disasters in your life as an opportunity for God to show off and bless you.

Disclaimer: blessings aren't always in material form. :-)

Sweet Saturday Sample

Another cut scene of For the Sake of One Lost.  Enjoy!

*******************************************************

“That’s my slave you’re sitting on!” Djadao's sandals crunched the sand scattered across the pavement, punctuating Pearl's frantic cries for help.  “By the gods, you were trying to steal her from me!”

“I prefer the word ‘rescue’.”

“Well, if it isn’t Helmsman Bradley Trey of the Classis Alexandrina, dressed up like an Egyptian!”  Djadao laughed and hooked his hands on padded hips.  “What are you doing in these parts?  Spying for your prefect?  I shall petition him and make you pay for your audacity.”

Trey shifted to pin Pearl’s arms and better restrict her movements.  “There’s no need to bring the prefect into this.  I’m willing to pay you for her.” A hot blast of wind peppered him with sand, and his wig shielded his eyes.

Djadao wiped his face and snorted.  “Now that you’ve been caught!  She’s not for sale.”

“Name your price.”  He moved Pearl’s wrists to one hand and fumbled with a cloth pouch at his waist. She was strong for a girl. He forced her arms down to her backside, trying to keep from hurting her.

“I plan to sell this girl to your prefect for ten gold aurei!  Hardly within a helmsman’s budget.”

Trey put the pouch between his teeth and used his free hand to draw several gold coins from it.  “You said ten gold aurei?”

The fat man’s beady eyes sparkled at the sight of the gold.  “Give me twenty and she’s yours.  It is fitting, yes?  You pay double the price for the pain you have caused me!”

“Twenty it is, then," Trey mumbled through his clenched teeth, tossing the coins in the sand between them. A goat bleated.

Djadao frowned.  “What is the girl to you that you’re willing to pay so much for her?  Did you know that she has red hair?”  He reached for Pearl’s wig.

Trey caught his hand, letting the purse drop from his mouth.  “Yes, I know that she has red hair.”

Djadao grunted and snatched his hand back.  “Red-haired people are evil because they are favored by Set.  Aren’t you afraid that she may be a witch or a devil worshipper?”

“No, I’m not.  That’s Egyptian superstition, and as you so cleverly deduced, I am not an Egyptian.”

“May the gods overlook your arrogance.”

“And your greed.” Trey retrieved his purse.

The Scarlet Pimpernel: A Book Review

I love the story of The Scarlet Pimpernel.  I've seen both movies -- the one starring Leslie Howard, and the one starring Anthony Andrews, and I'll admit that the latter is my favorite.  Naturally, I had to read the orginal book that inspired these great movies, and I'm surprised it took me this long to do it.

The Scarlet Pimpernel was written by Baroness Emmuska Orczy, and was published in 1905.  The writing style and narritive language is late nineteeth century, and the author uses third-person omniscient POV as was popular at that time.  As a teenager, I was reading Charles Dickens and William Shakespeare for fun as well as school, so the different culture of the novel didn't keep me from enjoying it. 



Anthony Andrews & Jane Seymour, 1982 remake of "The Scarlet Pimpernel"

During the dark bloody days of the French Revolution, French aristocrats place their hope for survival in the smuggling escapades of an brave Englishman known simply as "the Scarlet Pimpernel" due to the red, star-shaped flower always found on his correspondence.

Lady Marguerite Blakney is unhappy in her marriage to Sir Percy, the richest man in England.  She married Sir Percy because he seemed to love her during their courtship, and is bitterly disappointed to discover that not only is he a dull, slow-witted fop, but he's ceased to love her.  Agent Chauvelin, representing the new French Republic, seeks out Marguerite in England and gives her an ultimatium: help him learn the identity of the Scarlet Pimpernel, or he will send her beloved brother to the guillotine for evidence of his involvement with the Republic's elusive enemy.

I loved getting into Marguerite's head.  In the movies, you know she and Sir Percy are unhappy due to their misunderstandings, but its hard to get the full effect of the characters' thoughts and feelings through their expressions and dialouge.  The book brings you into Marguerite's mind and lets you experience her disappointment and loneliness, and then her desperation to save her husband and atone for her betrayal.  I really, really loved that.



Leslie Howard & Merle Oberon, 1934 "The Scarlet Pimpernel"

There is a little anti-semitism in the last couple of chapters.  I assume the author was simply showing the mind of a Frenchman in the late 18th century and wasn't hinting at her own sentiments.  I was also disappointed that the Scarlet Pimpernel and his men weren't shown to have any other reason to smuggle the French aristocrats into England but for the sport of it.  Really?  The book could have done without these details.  I'll also mention that the word "d***" is used, but spelled differently.

The scene where Sir Percy and Marguerite are talking on the steps of their mansion was awesome!  I could feel the romantic tension.  Their pride keeping them apart. :-)  Definately my favorite scene, although the ending was great too.  Can you believe I actually fell for the Scarlet Pimpernel's disguise right along with Chauvelin?

I'll give it 4 stars.  If you can enjoy a novel written in the style of the late nineteenth century, and like a good humor-filled adventure, you'll enjoy this forerunner of the disguised superhero.  The kindle version is currently free at Amazon here.

Longing For Eternity

I'm always reaching for something I don't have.  When I was a child, it was a home that I didn't have to move away from.  As a teenager, it was romance and love.  Now that I'm older and spoiled rotten by a wonderful husband and son, it's pettier stuff, like a house of my own.  Getting back into jeans I wore as an eighteen-year-old.  Wanting to publish my books and turn my nose up at a 9 to 5 job.  I'm sure you can relate.  (Come on.  Don't throw me under the bus.  You know what I'm talking about.)  So what's wrong with us?  Why can't we be satisfied with what we have?


Photo by "floato"

This is what I think: in our own unique little ways, we're simply longing for eternity in heaven with God.  Think about it.  We want beautiful homes filled with treasures and things that please us and scream our personalities.  Jesus said that He was preparing a place for us in heaven.  (John 14: 2-3)  Do you like gold?  In heaven, they pave the roads with that stuff.  (Rev. 21:21)  So why drool over a beautiful house or bathroom you saw on Pinterest when God is your architect and contractor?  (I've heard He's an exceptional carpenter, too. ;-)  Houses and belongings in this life will disappoint us when they break and become imperfect, but our homes in heaven will never be destroyed.  (Matt. 6:19-20)

We want to have the perfect body without exercising or watching what we eat.  Guess what.  Your dreams come true in heaven.  Finally, you will be able to eat and never gain a pound.  (Luke 24: 42-43)  Don't get carried away though, gluttony is frowned upon.  Oh, and there's no need for anti-wrinkle cream or acne medication.  You'll have perfect skin and look twenty-five (ever seen the Sandlot?) "for-ev-vur."  (Phil. 3: 21)  Not to mention all the cool stuff you'll be able to do like appear and disappear in different places.  (John 20:19, 26; Luke 24: 31)

We Americans especially place a high priority on pursing the "American Dream".  We want to enjoy the work we do for a living.  6 AM in a cold car bites.  And just say no to micro-managing bosses and uncooperative co-workers.  Really that's not the half of it, because if everyone stopped expecting you to do your job along with everyone else's, maybe you wouldn't be so stressed out all the time.  You want to quit, but money makes the world go round, right?  Not in heaven.  No more 6 AM and hours wasted in bumper-to-bumper traffic.  No more working for money.  No more difficult bosses and co-workers.  But don't think you're going to be floating on clouds and playing golden harps -- you will have a job.  I don't know the details, but the Bible does say that we will be priests and kings in His kingdom (Ex. 19:6; Rev. 1:6; 5:10) and that we will judge angels.  (1 Cor. 6:3)  I heard you gulp.  Don't be afraid of the awesome responsibilities that mental image conjures up.  God hires based on our faithfulness with the talents/resources we have in this life, not our qualifications.  (Matt. 25: 14-30; Luke 19: 11-26)

Personally, I'm hoping that God will let me write books for Him, even if its just for Him.  Forget Thomas Nelson, people -- I'm setting my sights on God as my publisher and reader.  Now that is my idea of a writer's paradise! :-)

So how about you?  What ambitions and knickknacks are veiling your own longing for eternity?

God Loves Your Story

As a writer, I've always appreciated the idea that my life is like a story that God is writing for His pleasure and glory.  There are devotionals and books out there that drive this point home beautifully, and I regret that I haven't read any of them.  But last night, in the middle of prayer, I was caught off guard.

Gwen, I love your story, even more than you love Trey and Pearl's.

  

 Those of you who know me, know that I LOVE the story of Trey and Pearl.  Their story is my favorite of the ones I've written and attempted to write, and I doubt that I will ever write another that could knock them from their place in my heart.  In the moments following the startling thought, I remembered how I delighted in every chapter, word and punctuation mark of that manuscript.

I fashioned Pearl and Trey the way I wanted them, right down to their odd quirks and habits.  I still smile when I talk about them.  I spent countless hours just thinking about the plot, brainstorming for circumstances that would help my characters grow, and propel the story toward the beautiful ending I wanted for them.  Maybe from Pearl and Trey's perspective, my plot twists and turns seemed cruel and unreasonable, but I lovingly allowed every hardship and tragedy for a reason.  In fact, if they could pop out of the book, hold those pages in their hands and see their story the way I see it, they wouldn't feel so abandoned, forgotten, and unloved in chapers one, eleven, and eighteen.  I cried with them when they were hurting.  I cheered them on as they found the courage to choose God's will over their own.  I rejoiced in their successes.  My heart leaped and sighed when they finally got the happy ending that just didn't seem possible.

That message wasn't just for me.  It's for you too.  God loves your life story a thousand times more than you love your favorite manuscript, book or movie.  You're His precious creation.  He gave His life for you, and He's eagerly anticipating your happy ending -- the moment when You arrive in heaven and feel His arms around you.

"And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns." Philippians 1:6

Picture by http://www.getoutthebox.org found at http://spiritualinspiration.tumblr.com/post/9667657753/www-getoutthebox-org