Author Archive

Posted on December 22, 2011 - by Dawn Ford

No-Bake Christmas

We’re breaking tradition this year. Not because we want to, but because we have lost two dear loved ones this year. John’s grandpa Leo and my mother Lois were a large part of our lives that will forever leave an empty spot that cannot be filled for either of us. However, life continues to move on and we along with it.

So this year I vowed not to let the sadness of my heart affect my holiday spirit. Shortly after Thanksgiving (which is still quite early for me) the tree was up and decorated along with the snowmen and angels I put in every spare inch I could find to put them. My presents are bought, wrapped and under the tree. Along with my own decorations this year I have included ones from Grandpa and Mom. I’m comforted to have something from both of them in places of honor amongst my own collections.

The only thing I could not make myself do this year was bake cookies. I had every intention to. I watched Martha Stewart to get inspired, but I just could not get the mixer in hand. You see every year for I cannot remember how long I have taken tins and trays of Christmas goodies to my mother and to grandpa to enjoy. They were the first ones I would think of when measuring, mixing, and baking different kinds of confections.  I knew it would brighten their days and bring a smile to their faces.

So, it’s a no-bake Christmas for me. It’s just not the same without them. Luckily for us we have John’s mother’s family who always get together and we brought home a tray of cookies and a baggie of peanut butter fudge (for John). I did buy a ginger bread kit for my youngest son Colton and I to put together this weekend.

A special thank you to Judith Miller who welcomed Lorna and me into her home Wednesday and Thursday for a special visit. It was a blessed day of sunshine and clear Kansas skies. We drug Judy out for a bit of shopping and an after supper drive to look at Christmas lights. It was wonderful to spend time with friends so dear.

And although it’s a no-bake kind of holiday for me there has been plenty to be thankful for. I am so glad for the time I’ve shared with loved ones past and present. I’m especially grateful to God for the progress my brother Todd has made since his heart attack. There is no appreciation for the sunshine if there is no rain to contrast it with.

May God bless you all this Christmas Season.

 

Posted on December 9, 2011 - by Dawn Ford

Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star

Twinkle, twinkle, little star. How I wonder where you are. Up above the world so high, like a diamond in the sky.

I sang this song as a child while staring at the sky and counting the gems in the sky. I still study the sky in wonder and mutter the same lyrics. It’s a simple children’s song with a complex spiritual meaning.

Have you ever stopped to wonder how the stars found their place and why they shine so bright? The North Star shone bright for a season a long time ago. It was over 2000 years ago that some wise men saw a star and wondered the same thing. Why did it shine so bright? Where did it come from? They set off across the land to find the answers to that question. The star they followed became known as the North Star.

The thing about the North Star, aka Star of Bethlehem or scientifically aka Polaris, is that it seems to stay in one place while the whole northern sky moves around it. Although it is not the brightest star that shines, it’s actually the 50^th brightest star in our sky, it is bright enough to be seen even when the full moon obscures a good deal of its competition. And best of all, it is part of a two constellations even those who don’t like astrology will know-the big and little dipper.

The North Star, which the big dipper revolves around, also guided the slaves toward freedom by using it to light their way. Sailors set sail and guided their ships by it. Wise men saw its rising and followed it right to the King of Kings and there they bowed down and worshiped Him.

The same star was hung by the hands of that child, and every star along with it. Put into place, for a purpose, to rule over seasons and guide lost souls in the dark of night. How amazing is it that those hands planned the star and its place long before He drew a human breath?  Only an omnipotent God could create such an idea.

Twinkle, twinkle, little star.

 

Posted on November 25, 2011 - by Dawn Ford

Winter Fresh Teen Reads

When the snow goes flying by my window, I pull out a good book to help me escape the winter doldrums. Last year I bought at a second hand store the Twilight series and read the whole thing just to see what all the fuss was about. In spite of the controversy, I enjoyed all but the last in the series, Breaking Dawn, but am looking forward to seeing how it plays out on the screen.

This year I have three good YA reads to help you pass the time when the snow is high and the temps are low.

Judy Christie’s Wreath, a Novel, is a wonderful surprise I found at conference this year. Although Lorna grabbed the first book out of Judy’s box, I managed to get ahold of one before they disappeared from the book store. If you haven’t read it or gotten it for the young girl on your list, you will want to. It is a story of finding love and overcoming circumstance with a huge dose of God’s providence throughout:

From the back cover of Wreath: Wreath’s finishing high school by day…and living in a junkyard by night. Sixteen-year-old Wreath Willis’s mother has died, leaving her alone and determined to pursue the good life. To get started, Wreath makes one of her tried and true lists. “Find a place to live. Buy cheap food. Finish high school. Get a job. Go to college.” Then she adds: “Avoid notice”—because Wreath is pretty sure most people won’t understand a teenager living alone. In a junkyard. But it’s hard to go unnoticed when life puts unexpected people in her path, all misfits in their own ways. There’s Law, the cute boy at the state park: Julia, her disillusioned teacher: and Faye, the boss who relies on Wreath’s creativity to turn a dying business around. Complications increase when her past fears catch up with her, and the people around Wreath grow a little too suspicious about her secrets.

I found Wendy Delsol’s Stork during a book signing. I read it and just finished reading the second book in her series, Frost, this week on my Nook. They are both good YA reads which I enjoyed greatly. A fantasy made out of Icelandic legends, it was refreshingly different. The second book in the series was as good as the first and Wendy’s  take on Hans Christian Andersen’s The Snow Queen, a Norse mythology inspired story, is rich and magical. Best yet, the stories take place in Brenda’s backyard in Minnesota.

From the back cover of Stork: Moving from L.A. to Norse Falls, Minnesota, Katla Leblanc expected local fashion to be frozen in time. What she didn’t expect was an induction into the Icelandic Stork Society, an ancient order of women charged with a unique mystical duty. As if that weren’t enough, she’s also dealing with her parents’ divorce and the social aftermath of a bad date with the football start Wade. Katla, however, isn’t one to sit on her designer-jean-clad behind, and soon she’s assigned the fashion column for the school paper and making new friends. Things would be looking up if it weren’t for editor in chief Jack. Even though they argue every time they meet, Katla is inexplicably drawn to him. Will she be able to unravel the mystery surrounding Jack? Folktales collide with reality as one teenage girl finds herself tail-feathers deep in small-town life.

 

Posted on November 11, 2011 - by Dawn Ford

Dear Dawn Letter

Dear Dawn,

You will not learn all of life’s lessons the first time around. Here are a few tips that will help you along the way and maybe save you some grief:

1. You’re not the only one. You may feel alone in your lot in life but you aren’t. Everybody has insecurities and issues in their life they don’t want anyone to know about. You don’t have to feel isolated or ashamed about it. Someday you will realize that what makes you different is a strength, not a weakness.
2. Never say never. God has a funny way of turning the tables on you when you put a finite reality to what will or will not happen to you in life, and most of the time He humbles you out of your stubborn ideas or beliefs. Don’t be so cocky.
3. Listen to that small voice inside your head that tells you something is amiss. There is and you should be concerned about it. Quit ignoring that voice or second guessing yourself. Stop a moment and look at what’s going on to see what it is that isn’t right. Then do what you can to make the situation better. If you learn to hone this ability earlier you may be able to save yourself and many others much pain along life’s way.
4. Wake up to the world around you and pay more attention to the details. Your head is always in the clouds, pull it out of the fog once in awhile so you can experience life as it’s happening instead of trying to avoid it so much. Although your travels inside your own little world spark off your love of creating stories in your mind, don’t hide yourself away so much. Life and time pass by too quickly to waste them.
5. Learn to love food more. You’re going to marry someone who enjoys it and life will be richer if you can be more open to trying new things. And quit skipping meals, it will end up giving you an ulcer. Take better care of yourself.
6. Work on your communication skills. This will come in handy later in life when you actually want to be around others and you are incredibly uncomfortable in social arenas. You need to be able to put a couple of sentences together that make sense when you are nervous and talking with others. You won’t feel like such a ding-dong if you do.
7. Hand the camera over to someone else and get in the pictures yourself. You are always the one taking the pictures because you hate pictures of yourself but that means you don’t have a visual record of yourself throughout time. Get pictures of yourself more while youth is your friend, you won’t regret you did.
8. Kiss the boy. You know the one. Just one kiss before he is taken from this world early and you wish you had before it was too late. It’s just a kiss. And he was your first real crush.
9. On a lighter note, buy smaller eyeglasses before you take your senior pictures. Even though they were the fad of the day and you really liked the style you will never live them down. I’m not kidding.
10. And last, don’t go to that Pat Benatar concert. You want to be friends with the popular girls and you think it will make you look cool. You will find more suitable friends and you live to regret your actions. Just. Say. No.

With love,

Me

 

Posted on October 28, 2011 - by Dawn Ford

Conflict-The Heat Is On

Miriam Webster defines conflict as “the opposition of persons or forces that gives rise to the dramatic action in a drama or fiction.”

Conflict is two-fold. There’s internal conflict and external conflict.

Internal conflict happens within the mind of the characters, normally the hero/heroine whose point of view you use in your writing. A struggle against right or wrong, one’s feelings and beliefs, or having to choose between two solutions to a problem. All of these are emotional distress which happen in the mind of your character. I’ve heard it explained as ‘man vs. himself’.

External conflict comes from outside forces getting in the way of the characters path, desires, or goals. This would be more of a ‘man vs. nature’ or ‘man vs. man’. Anything that happens outside of the mind of the character which hinders their path, desires, or goal is an external conflict.

Here’s an example, let’s see how many conflicts you can locate in the following fictional scenario from one of my manuscripts:

Adriana tells her parents at the last minute she needs something for a school project and begs her father to take her into town so she can get the supplies. She has a driver’s permit and her father allows her drive into town, even though it’s getting dark. The storm that had been predicted to go south of their little town heads off course and sweeps across the highway they take into town. Adriana is in a hurry and doesn’t heed her father’s warnings to slow down. In the downpour a drunken driver runs a light, hits their car, killing the father but sparing the girl who is only moderately injured. The loss overwhelms the girl and she becomes mad at a God who would allow this to happen. Adriana also blames herself for what happened and sees her withdrawn mother’s pain and anger as another burden of guilt. She begins to act out and take risks as she runs from the memories and her mother, all the while trying not to look too closely at herself  because she cannot face what she’s done or the person she is becoming.

Did you find the all the conflicts? Here’s mine:

External Conflict:                                                                   Internal Conflict:

1. School project that is due.                                       1. Procrastination
2. Time of day                                                           2. Stubbornness
3. Storm blows in, becomes a downpour.                      3. Over confidence
4. Girl’s age/inexperience                                             4. Hurt/Pain/Loss
5. Traffic light.                                                           5.  Guilt
6. Drunken driver hits their car.                                    6.  Anger at God
7. Father is killed.                                                       7. Rebellion

And that’s where I begin to turn the heat up. You see, this scenario isn’t even in my manuscript. It happens three years prior to my first chapter. But it’s this scenario that brings my protagonist on her path to where my story begins. Even in the planning stage I already have conflict, both internal and external and I don’t have any words down yet.

All three of the man vs. self/nature/man have been used as well.

Every page should have some conflict on it. Shannon Vannatter showed me a couple of years ago how to highlight the various parts of my manuscript and find the tension on every page-whether internal or external. If I didn’t have any ‘pink’ on that page I knew I had to add something somewhere.

The trick to conflict, though, is to give your characters a chance to rest and have a happy moment in between some of the drama. It gives the next crisis that needed smack in your face flavor because you’ve just sighed a breath of release when Wham! here you go again. Don’t be afraid to turn the heat up just a tad.

 

Posted on October 14, 2011 - by Dawn Ford

Victory Over The Shadow of the Valley of Death

If anyone would know about valleys and death, it was a well known shepherd boy named David.

A shepherd boy, you laugh? What dangers could a shepherd boy have endured? The shepherds of the Old Testament would move their sheep from place to place, often having to travel narrow ravines which were fraught with danger. The fall would be fatal, the predators were everywhere, the danger real. The shepherd’s job wasn’t just a walk in the meadow.

Many in David’s day scoffed at his lack of stature and at his youth. However, when David travels to visit his brothers in the Valley of Elah, he is not intimidated. This valley is where the Isrealite army had been delayed and intimidated by their enemy, the Philistines, and one in particular, Goliath.

Now, David’s brothers had no faith in him. Saul needed something, anything, to overcome the bully who came out day after day yelling insults and daring the Isrealite army to come up against him. Each solider of God’s army ran the other direction. Each one.

But David knew. He understood. A faith I have only come to experience in bits and pieces, he lived. This is what he tells his King in I Samuel 17, “Your servant has been keeping his father’s sheep. When a lion or a bear came and carried off a sheep from the flock, I went after it, struck it and rescued the sheep from its mouth. When it turned on me, I seized it by its hair, struck it and killed it. Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear; the uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them because he has defied the armies of the living God. The Lord who rescued me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will rescue me from the hand of this Philistine.”

Confident? Yeah. Afraid of defeat? No. He knew his God would walk beside him in that valley and give him everything he needed to overcome the enemy.

We have many enemies in life. Bad choices, rejection, illness, pain, suffering, and the greatest of all is death. In the 23 Psalm this same David states, “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.”

It doesn’t state IF I walk through the valley, it states THOUGH I walk through the valley. None of us escapes the dangers of the valleys in our life. Bills. Layoffs. Divorce. Cancer. Chronic pain or illness. Death. These possibilities shadow our lives in fear of what may be or what already is. We may not know how we’re going to get through that dark valley, or if we will make it out. But if we have the Great Shepherd with us, we know we can be comforted. He is there to rescue us just as he was for David. The great news is that Jesus has already won victory over the enemy who held death as his biggest threat. He nailed it to the cross.

It was no coincidence the army’s were placed where they were and the valley was where David faced off with Goliath. It was no coincidence David wrote of the valley of the shadow of death in his Psalm. There was a shadow over the valley of Elah that day and Satan thought he had the advantage over God’s army.

The difference between the shepherd boy David and the Isrealite soldiers (and King Saul) is that he believed. It’s as simple as that. He believed God would get him through whatever he had to go through. And David loved his God, enough to stand up for him when no one else would or could. It gave him the strength to go up against giants in his life and claim victory.

 

Posted on September 28, 2011 - by Dawn Ford

Oh The Places You’ll Go

My first ACFW conference I, along with Lorna found ourselves  in Minneapolis, Minnesota, where we met Marlene Garand. I learned how to keep my readers Up All Night  in Suspense with Terry Blackstock. I also Talked Dialogue with Donita K. Paul in a more than he said, she said class. Lastly I learned many police procedures from Mark Mynheir, who was nice enough to answer questions that next year by email. Angela Hunt was our Keynote Speaker and I have her book, The Tale of Three Trees, signed by her in my now growing collection of autographed books by Christian authors.

Biggest lesson learned: Boy, do I have a lot to learn. The best part, how inspired I felt and how great everyone was, even though I’m sure I looked like a deer caught in the headlights. Oh, and I adore Marlene’s French Canadian accent.

My second ACFW conference was in Denver, Colorado and Shannon came along for the ride with Lorna and me. (We also all roomed together, another perk of going with friends!) Jim and Tracie Peterson taught me the Foundational Basics in their class. Virginia Smith showed me how to draft a Story that Sparkled, and Jeff Gerke helped me to Build a Plot Out Of Character. Debbie Macomber was our Keynote speaker.

Biggest lesson learned: I can do this if I keep trying. The best part was Shannon’s stories in the car ride to and from conference. Shannon’s a natural story-teller.

Conference number three saw me riding out to Indianapolis, Indiana with Shari Barr, Cathy Richmond and, of course, Lorna. Shannon, Kim, Regina, Brenda and Linda met us there, and man, what a blast! Besides rooming with Kim, Lorna and Regina (did I snore?) I found out how to develop metaphors and symbols in my writing with Rachel Hauck. Kaye Dacus helped me to Find My Voice, and Jenny B. Jones proved today’s world isn’t Sweet Valley High for Today’s Teen and YA market. Tim Downs was our Keynote Speaker.

Biggest lesson learned, do not walk down the stairs of a hotel all dressed up and wearing heels if you haven’t tested the doors for their open-ability. The best part was the pajama party in the room (and how funny Jenny B. Jones is!).

This year, at conference number four, it was five of us riding down to St. Louis, Missouri, in Lorna’s van. Cathy Richmond joined us first and we picked  up Shari Barr and Judith Miller along the way. There I learned from Julie Lessman and Ruth Axtell that A Kiss Is NOT Just a Kiss, and boy, they are not kidding around. Kristen Heitzman topped it off with her Nitty Gritty Point of View. I skipped out on class with some unknown assailants and visited the St. Louis Arch which, by the way, was a block away from our hotel.

What I learned: not to try to fit my square peg into the round whole of one-size-fits-all writing, and not to feel guilty or odd about writing what I feel God has placed on my heart. The best part was meeting more authors I admire and re-acquainting myself with old friends.

Does it seem like I have grown? I surely have from that naïve, overwhelmed person who went to Minneapolis and could  barely remember a person I met there due to brain overload. Each year I remember more ACFW Memebers, understand more about the publishing houses and the agents.

Now, if I could just decipher my own handwriting on these notebooks… Anyone buy the CD’s? I can’t read a thing  that I wrote in class!

 

Posted on September 14, 2011 - by Dawn Ford

Laughter Therapy

I have to admit that raising three boys has been a challenge at times. I’m woefully outnumbered when it comes to being a female in an all male house. However, as we all know, children can bring into our lives amazing moments that are more precious than gold. When the boys were younger and after we had purchased an 8mm camcorder, our family caught on tape many cute moments that I look back on now and treasure.

There was the one where my husband John, oldest son Austin, and youngest son Colton were all out mowing the lawn together. Colton had a plastic Dollar Store mower, but he was quite serious as he followed both his dad and brother around like a shadow. Or the one where the boys and our nieces Nichol and Heather made up their own soap opera and Colton comes around the corner wearing his older brothers shorts, which were far too long for his little legs. Or the one where both Austin and Dylan taped themselves while acting out a super hero story during a camp out in the garage on John’s old boat. I never knew how much I would miss these moments until Austin and Dylan were gone.

For the laughter therapy of the day I want to share with you one small clip from when my youngest son was two years old. Colton got ahold of one of my cappuccino scoops and used it in a creative attack on his oldest brother Austin. (Take into account I am an amateur, but I hope you get a chuckle.)

Video.

Remember to love deep, laugh hard, and enjoy the small things in life.

 

 

Posted on August 31, 2011 - by Dawn Ford

Down Home With Mary Connealy

With her newest release from Bethany House fresh off the press, Mary Connealy is anything but Out of Control. She is honestly one of the most down home, together, funny women I know. And only a few others can actually admit to knowing her as personally as I, having spent some time behind bars at the Squirrel Cage Jail with her.

It is, therefore, my distinct honor to welcome a dear friend and an inspiration to me, Mary Connealy.

Me: Mary, what author attracted you as a young reader that may have influenced you as a writer?

Mary: When I think back on all the books I loved, the ones I remember most vividly are The Black Stallion books by Walter Farley. Those are the ones I remember thinking I was reading sheer talent. The way he drew me into those horse races, his skill at making me part of the action. He is a huge influence, just because I know it can be done, even if I’m not sure how.

Me: The majority of your writing has been within the western romance genre. What is it that started you out writing the strong cowgirl characters that you are known for?

Mary: I wrote for ten years before I got my first book published. At the end of those ten years, when that first contract came, I had twenty finished books on my computer. That’s twenty finished full length adult novels. I also had quite a few children’s and YA novels written. The adult novels were mostly all romance but they ran the gamut within that genre. Contemporary, historical, sweet, suspense. The westerns are what sold. It’s really that simple. And I love writing them and living on a ranch allows me to bring a lot of authenticity to the books. So it was just finally me learning enough and (finding) the right publisher at the right time and I became an author of Romantic Comedy with Cowboys.

Me: Being an author usually means there is research of certain aspects of your story. What has been your favorite research subject or place and why?

Mary: The book that is releasing right now, Out of Control, is set in a fictionalized Carlsbad Cavern. This is a story I’ve wanted to tell for years. I’ve had this (and a zillion other) stories in my head. I wanted to set a book in a terrifying and staggeringly beautiful cavern and try to capture the thrill of fear, the danger and the lure of the wonders I saw in a long ago trip to Carlsbad Cavern.

Me: Having just read Out of Control, I can say you did a great job of bringing out the beauty and wonder of the caverns and calderas enough to make me want to go out and explore myself.

Me: Which story, from your own books, was your favorite to write?

Mary: Hard question. And a little mean hearted too. I have a tremendous love for Petticoat Ranch and it’s been the foundation of six books now, the characters in that first novel. I am truly and deeply in love with Belle Tanner from The Husband Tree. I just found out it’s a finalist for a Carol Award. That woman, feisty Belle Tanner is a character type I love, the independent, tough lady rancher. Every book she’s been in, when she walks into a scene, I’m just having a wild amount of fun. I just finished book three in The Kincaid Brides. Out of Control is book one in that series. I’m have had so much fun writing that book, tying all the stories up. Book two is In Too Deep. Book three is Over the Edge. I loved writing those books.

Me: I do love Julia from your current novel, but I have to say Belle Tanner is my favorite of yours from your book the Husband Tree. You had to have carved her right out of steel.

Me: What characteristics of your own to you transfer into your characters?

Mary: I don’t really think I’m writing books about myself. I think, instead, I’m writing about how I’d like to be. I’m a pretty quiet person. Pathologically non-confrontational. An island of calm in the tempestuous seas of life (or I avoid trouble by hiding under my desk, whatever). So I write tough, sassy women to let off some steam maybe.

Me: I can attest to that fact. Since I am resident troublemaker of our area’s writers group, it is my job to add some spice to our trips. I have to admit I had more fun wearing the Abraham Lincoln hat to lunch than everyone else who had to sit with me. Just think of it as inspiration for your ornery characters. You do make strong female characters seem easy to create, Mary. I know first hand they aren’t.

Me: Being a Christian who writes inspirational novels, what is it you want people to take home from reading Out of Control?

Mary: My main goal when I write a book is to be entertaining, to tell a story in the most fun way I can manage. I think there is a particularly strong Christian message in Out of Control but that’s not always my goal. I want the faith to be there, to be the foundation, but for me it’s story first, last, always. What Christian fiction does for me is allows me to write my stories without the almost required sex and profanity and immorality that is pervasive in most secular fiction. Being forbidden to do something I would never do, is fantastic. Within those restrictions of Christian fiction, I find complete freedom.

Personal information about Mary: Mary lives on a ranch in Nebraska with her husband Ivan. She has been a stay at home mother for 27 years and raised four girls who have grown into wonderful women. She is blessed to have 2 spectacular grandchildren who are more fun than a human being should be allowed to have.

A GED instructor by day, and writer by night, Out of Control is Mary’s twentieth book. Even though she states she is surprised to continue selling books, this interviewer can be counted among her many fans and is not surprised she has been a Christy award finalist, a Rita award finalist, and a Carol award winner.

Be sure to buy Mary’s newest book, Out of Control. You can find a list of Mary’s books  here,  or visit her blogs here, here, and here.

 

Posted on August 17, 2011 - by Dawn Ford

Imagine

Imagine with me if you will a place of golden streets and a crystal sea. Your house has been built, but not by hands, and is ready for you. There is no day, there is no night, time has no hold here. A glorious place where there is no pain, no suffering. The entry fee is hefty, but it’s already been paid for you, if you have persevered and believed.

Don’t be standing next to me because I will be dancing. Not the sideline at a school dance kind of bopping to the music, but an all out, arms swinging, legs kicking, doing flips kind of dancing. Tears run down my face as I’m laughing and crying all at the same time. Everlasting praises on my lips, thankful to my toes, joy spewing out of me kind of celebration. And the greatest thing is that I will not grow weary from it. I can only  imagine what it will be like, but this is how I imagine it will be, and there’s only one song that for me really epitomizes this.

So without further adieu, here is my favorite inspirational song that gives me goosebumps every time I listen to it and I end up blubber bawling before it’s finished:

MercyMe and “I Can Only Imagine”

I can only imagine what it will be like, when I walk by Your side.

I can only imagine what my eyes will see, when Your face is before me.

I can only imagine. Yeah!

Surrounded by Your glory, what will my heart feel?

Will I dance for you Jesus? Or in awe of You be still?

Will I stand in Your presence? Or to my knees will I fall?

Will I sing ‘Hallelujah!’? Will I be able to speak at all?

I can only imagine. I can only imagine.

I can only imagine when that day comes, and I find myself standing in the Son.

I can only imagine when all I will do is forever, forever worship you.

I can only imagine. Yeah! I can only imagine.

Surrounded by Your glory, what will my heart feel?

Will I dance for you Jesus? Or in awe of You be still?

Will I stand in Your presence? Or to my knees will I fall?

Will I sing ‘Hallelujah!’? Will I be able to speak at all?

I can only imagine. Yeah! I can only imagine. (repeat the chorus)

Listen to MercyMe here.

I can’t wait until that day. But I’m warning you when we get there, you may need to give me some room.

What do you imagine it will be like?