Posts Tagged ‘Faith’

Posted on April 10, 2012 - by Shannon Vannatter

Great Lines

I’m celebrating Drop Everything and Read day by sharing some favorite lines from recent reads:

From Buffalo Gal by Mary Connealy:

Posted on March 27, 2012 - by Shannon Vannatter

Adonai – Lord, Master

Lord and Master make me think of servants and slaves. In Bible times, the Masters lorded over their servants and slaves. What’s the difference in a servant and a slave? A servant served willingly. A slave was owned.

God longs to be our Lord and Master, but not the type of Master to Lord over us. We aren’t His slaves. We’re His servants. We are to serve Him. And as Christians, we should be willing to serve.

The last two books I’ve written, I had tight deadlines. Every word was like pulling teeth. Meeting my wordcount and deadline was a challenge. I turned both books in on time. At the moment, I don’t have any newly contracted books. I don’t have anything I have to write by a certain time. That freedom has been daunting. I’ve dabbled on four different books, but can’t seem to focus on any of them.

I’ve sent my agent this three chapters and proposal and that three chapters and proposal to see what she thinks might interest a publisher. She told me what she thought of each book, but since we’re submitting to a new publisher, she thought I should pick one and finish it.

Which one? I love them all, want to work on them all. I’m excited about them all.

Last week, I took off from writing for spring break. I prayed to my Lord and Master for focus and direction. Midweek, the fog began to clear. I was only thinking and plotting one book. The book that had always had problems. The book where I knew there was a plot issue, but I couldn’t figure out what it was. The next day, my agent e-mailed with her perception of the very book I’d been zoned in on. And she pointed out clearly what the problem was. Everything fell into place. Today, I’m focused and I fixed the problem. The book makes more sense. I like the characters better.

So what if I’d prayed to my Lord and Master about the last two books instead of plodding through on my own? When I took my petition to Him, I was better able to serve in writing the book He wants me to write. I hate when I get so deadline weary and become such a slave to my computer that I forget that.

When God is our Lord and Master, He wants it all–from the smallest worry or discomfort to the large issues and trials that seem like they might break us. With Adonai, we can withstand the strongest storms and tribulations. When we try to do it on our own, molehills turn into mountains.

Who is He to you? Is He your Lord and Master? Is He your co-pilot or your pilot? Do you ever forget to give it all to Him and try to trudge through on your own?

Posted on December 13, 2011 - by JerriLynn

In the Quiet of the Night

In contemplating Christmas and what it means to me, I’ve found it difficult to get past the hustle and bustle of the commercial side of things. It’s easy to get pulled into all of the shopping and cooking and decorating that seem to go along with the season.

But in those quiet moments, when I take the time to think about the true meaning of Christmas, I find something deeper, something more. It’s not just about the birth of Jesus, the Christ.

If you want to get right down to it, the birth of Jesus was in the early Spring months according to historians. But even that isn’t what’s important.

The story of Christmas, the meaning of the holiday, is all about the strength of convictions. Mary, Joseph, and the people who supported them had to live during a difficult time by the strength of their convictions. They believed in a God that few trusted with a trust that surpassed rational explanation.

Late a night, when the house is quiet and the hustle and bustle of the season isn’t overwhelming, this is the message that I hold on to. I’m thankful for the birth of the Christ, but I’m warmed by the thought that a young girl would believe in her God so much that she would be willing to risk her life to trust His word.

I’m warmed by the thought that a man trusted his God so much that he would believe a story that would defy rational thought. And I’m strengthened by the thought there was a community their God enough to support these kids that were living by faith.

In today’s world, there are few examples of faith and trust that are stong enough to sustain the kind of faith and trust that these people exhibited. And in the quiet of the night, when I have time to think of all that’s happening in my own world and the world around me, the thought that Jospeh, Mary, and their community had so much more going against them…well, that’s enough to make me stop and consider what I’m facing.

It’s enough to make me forget about the prefect presents and a holiday dinner that will wow the socks off all my guests. It’s even enough for me to look at the struggles going on in my own life and around me and say “Thank you, God.”

For sending people before me to make the hard sacrifices. For sending people before me to create an example of how true faith is lived.

And in the quiet of the night, as I sit in front of a tree, decorated with lights and ornaments, I find that my faith and my trust is increased by the faith and trust that a young couple and their supporters had in a God that loved enough to trust them with the most precious gift ever given.

Posted on December 6, 2011 - by Shannon Vannatter

The Best Laid Plans

Our Christmas season is even more stressful and hectic than usual this year. My husband is transitioning from bi-vocational pastor to full time pastor. This transition affects our finances, our lifestyle, and his mental peace. It’s scary to put your finances in the control of a hundred people. Christians are just people. Humans. Our finances are in the control of a hundred humans. Yes, I earn a little with my books now, but publishing is very inconsistent. My income would get us on food stamps fast.

This was our plan. We had some spendable money in savings. Grant needed time off after leaving the dental lab where he’s been a technician for 26 years. We planned for him to have two weeks between his last day at the lab and his first day at the church. Two weeks with spendable money. At the time, since Heartsong Presents was ending in December, I didn’t have any deadlines. We were going to relax, spend some time together, and enjoy ourselves.

We planned a trip to Texas for Thanksgiving. In Rodeo Dust, my hero’s ranch is in Aubrey and he rodeos at the Fort Worth Stockyards. We decided to stop in both places for book signings. It was perfect timing since Aubrey was having Christmas on Main—a festival with booths, crafts, and lots of people milling about. Aubrey’s city secretary got all excited and put my signing in several newspapers. It was during the day, so I could be at Fort Worth that night. Then we’d go on to San Antonio to see family. We wouldn’t have to worry about funds and we’d do some Christmas shopping when we got back.

Reality turned into a mixture of good and bad:

• Heartsong Presents extended the line.
• My car went kaput. The bill $1200.00.
• The booksigning in Fort Worth didn’t come together.
• Grant ended up with three checkless weeks off instead of two.

I’d cried over my two seemingly dead books, so miraculously having them resurrected was a blessing. Suddenly, I had a deadline, plus edits. But I had to work during Grant’s time off.

Our spendable money had dwindled. At least we had the money to get my car fixed, but we had to limp to Aubrey since it had already been in several newspapers that I was coming. We couldn’t afford to go on to San Antonio.

In the two weeks after we got back, we couldn’t Christmas shop or even eat out much.

How it turned out:

It was an awesome day in Aubrey. Nancy Downes, the city secretary had outdone herself with a 4′ by 8′ poster of me and the book. It was much bigger than it looks in the picture. The people treated me like royalty. My signing was in Moms on Main, the restaurant where my characters eat after church in books 2 and 3 of the rodeo series. I got to eat a yummy Philly Cheese Steak sandwich there and see where the peanut festival is held, which is in all three books.

For Rodeo Dust, I’d written blindly, since I’d never been to Aubrey, so Nancy critiqued my scenes to make sure I had Aubrey right. It was great meeting her and the Murrays who own Moms. They bought 30 copies of Rodeo Dust to sell in their restaurant and a small Christian bookstore bought copies also. In the end, I sold 58 books, some at full price and some for resale.

Though I sold books, the trip cost way more than I made. But the research was priceless. Actually being in Aubrey was so worth the trip. I can capture so much more for book 2 and 3 since I’ve actually been there. The Christmas tree decorated with American flags at the top of this post was in Moms. It’s definitely going in book 3.

The family member we were going to see in San Antonio ended up in the hospital during the very time we’d planned to be there for our visit. It would have been nice to be with her in the hospital, but it wouldn’t have been a very good visit. She’s fine, but still tired and sore, so having company would have been an added stress once she got home.

My contact from the Stockyards e-mailed me the week we got back. She’s missed my e-mail, but said I was welcome any time. Oh the irony.

We spent the two and a half weeks after the Texas trip with me working and Grant bored. But every year, our son gets a week out at Thanksgiving. With Grant off work, we got to share it as a family this year. And I worked after they were in bed at night, so I enjoyed the week with them both.

An added bonus, Saturday was the annual Christmas parade where we live. Our church always enters a float.

In 2009, our huge, 8′ by 16′ King James Bible won second place. In 2010, our blue lit city of Bethlehem won 1^st place. This year, we had a live nativity in blue lights on one end. An empty cross, Roman soldiers and mourners in the middle with red spotlights. Then a red carpet leading up golden stairs guarded by sword wielding angels at the foot of the throne where Jesus sat. We won first place again. Our prayer is always that we touched souls with our message. The banner along the side of the float said, “Believest thou this?”

Our horizon isn’t any less hectic. Grant went to the church today for his first week as full time pastor. I still have half a book to write by January 16^th. I’m trying to get the first draft done by the 20^th when our son gets out of school for Christmas break.

• Tonight is our church association pastors and wives dinner.
• Tomorrow night is our ladie’s prayer group Christmas party.
• Wednesday night is church.
• Thursday night, we’re loading up in the church van to drive 45 miles and see a live nativity and city of Bethlehem.
• Friday, my family is going to see Trans-Siberian Orchestra’s Christmas concert. Our 7 year tradition.
• Saturday, my guys are going with the church to Branson to see The Miracle of Christmas. I’m going 45 miles to a book signing I’d already committed to before the church trip came up.

So things aren’t perfect in Arkansas this year. But life is good. We’ve prayed for Grant to go full time at the church for several years and never dreamed it would happen this soon. I have two more books coming out in 2012. We should have more family time since Grant only has one job. And in the end, we have to put our finances, stresses, and peace on God’s shoulders and trust Him to handle it all for us.

Posted on November 8, 2011 - by Shannon Vannatter

A Letter to My Teenage Self from Shannon

Dear Teenage Shannon,

Be yourself. Stop trying to mimic others. They’re not any cooler than you are, so stop feeling bad about yourself. God made you the individual you are. 

Don’t worry so much about what others think of you. Your audience is an audience of one. It only matters what God thinks of you.

You don’t have to dress immodestly to get the boys’ attention. They’ll notice, no matter what you wear. And if it takes immodest clothing to attract him, he’s not the kind of boy you need. (Your parents won’t allow it anyway, thank goodness.)

Stop being embarrassed by your parents. Some day, you’ll be in their shoes and realize how wise they are. And how much they love you. 

Start an exercise program now. That way, it’s second nature and when you’re older, it will already be part of your routine.

Don’t go to cosmetology school. You’ll only waste your parents’ money and get stuck doing your mother’s hair for life. Hairdressing isn’t glamorous. It’s hard, nasty, and exhausting. Stick with your first instinct: computers.

Even better—they’re books. Those stories in your head that you never know what to do with. Don’t wait until you’re thirty-three to figure that out. 

The move to rural Arkansas. Stop fighting it. Embrace your new home. You’ll grow to love it, never, ever want to live anywhere near a city again, and meet the love of your life there.

In fact, you’ve already met him. That new boy that lights your fire–the rumors are true–but be patient, God is working on him.

Pay more attention to young boys. Someday you’ll have one. The things he does and dirt he can find will astound you. 

Always remember. No matter what happens or what life throws at you, you’ve got Jesus to get you through.

Posted on October 11, 2011 - by Shannon Vannatter

He Leadeth Me Beside the Still Waters

Facts about sheep: 

• They consume ½ to 4 gallons of water per day, depending on the weather and content of water in their food.
• They have trouble with depth perception.
• Rushing water frightens them.
• Because of their wool, they are poor swimmers.
• They prefer to drink still water.
• They require pure water.

This part of the 23^rd Psalm is four-fold to me:

• We’re to follow God just as the shepherd is to lead and the sheep.  

Let go and let God. But instead, we try to take control, handle decisions, and navigate the U-turns life throws at us. We blaze our own trail instead of following the shepherd. If we wander, He seeks us until we are restored into fellowship with Him. 

• God will provide for his flock just as the shepherd waters the sheep.

The shepherd leads the sheep where they can drink safely. God will never lead where He can’t provide for us. He understands our limitations as the shepherd understands the sheep’s weaknesses. He loves us as we are and provides for us.

• He’ll calm our turbulent waters just as the shepherd calms the sheep’s fears.

All we have to do is turn our worries over to Him. He can handle it all. His shoulders are much bigger than ours. But we keep taking our problems back and trying to handle them on our own.

• We are to drink of His Holy Spirit just as the sheep require pure water.

Sheep must drink pure water to stave off disease, just as our thirsty soul can only be fully satisfied when our spiritual thirst is quenched by God. He will provide eternal water and if we drink of it, we’ll never thirst again.

What’s your take on the still waters? Anything I missed?

Posted on August 31, 2010 - by Shannon Vannatter

More Than I Can Imagine

My life has been so blessed. A perfect childhood with loving, nurturing parents. The saving grace of Jesus Christ. A wonderful, supportive, Godly husband. A son who at age eight already knows Jesus, and more about the Bible than I do. A growing church with a church family who loves us. A writing career. People reading the stories God placed on my heart. Readers who take the time to let me know they enjoyed my book. But even with all this, I look forward to an even better life. This is my shortest post ever, but I can’t think of a better way to say it, than to share this video. Can you imagine?

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0xwzItqYmII

 

Posted on July 15, 2010 - by Regina

FAITH AND GREEN PAINT

We’ve lived in our nearly-100-year-old house for over 8 years. In that time we’ve made plans, we’ve done major improvements, and contemplated tearing our hair out. We have a new kitchen and bath as of Spring 2009, we’ve painted all the bedrooms and redone the other bathroom and office. There is new plumbing and new electrical throughout the house. Last week we had new porch lights installed.

But this week we’re tackling what we’ve put off for eight years. Painting the living room, dining room, and “parlor.”

Why have we put it off? Because we couldn’t decide what color to paint these rooms. We had a general idea, but then would second-guess ourselves. There are minor cracks in the walls and on the ceiling. Do we do major repairs, or simply spackle and treat them as the lines of character that they are? Do we paint the ceiling a color, or stick with the safe choice – white?

Last weekend, we decided to go for it. We’ve been taking leaps of faith all summer, and my husband decided that since he has some time right now, it was going to happen. So we went to get paint chips. We pored over them like we would vacation brochures. We eliminated the “orangey” ones, and decided that, yes, green would be good on the walls, and a goldy-tan on the beamed ceilings. We came up with a plan, and as I type, my husband is putting a coat of green on the walls. That wasn’t so hard, was it?

Why do some of us have such a hard time coming up with a plan and sticking to it? Yes, I really am asking, and I’ve blogged about planning before. It seems that, in my life, every time I think I have a plan, something comes along to derail it. I try to tell myself that God has THAT MUCH confidence in me. After all, HE has a plan, and it must be a good one. He even tells us He has a plan:

For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Jeremiah 29:11

My writing plan looked good a year ago. I was getting close to writing “the end” on my first manuscript. I’d allowed my internal editor too much leeway, and finally had to make myself just write. So after finally achieving “the end,” I started back through it. I edited. Then I learned about that pesky “passive voice,” and “show, don’t tell.” I edited again. And again.

My plan, six months ago? Finish editing and final in a contest. Then go on to book two, finish the draft and an outline for book three before ACFW. At ACFW make an appointment with an agent and sell my little heart out.

So where am I? Where is MY plan? Nowhere. I didn’t final in a contest. I haven’t touched book two, or even plotted in the least, book three.

This summer has been trying on many levels, and my faith has been stretched to the breaking point many times. I know, in my head, that God has a plan, “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” Romans 8:28. In my heart, however, I’ve been in survival mode. Writing has simply not come. Blogging is the only thing that keeps me writing.

One thing that keeps me going, and gives me glimpses of hope, is seeing that paint go up on the walls. It’s like I mentioned in a blog a little while ago, credited to my best friend – when you don’t know what to do, do the NEXT RIGHT THING. We don’t have the plan, God does. He loves us. He cares for us. He understands when our faith is small, because he knows us better than we know ourselves.

Thank you, God, for having a plan. And for pretty green paint.

Posted on July 14, 2010 - by Brenda Anderson

I Can Do This!

I can do this!

Terror sprints in my heart as I grip the plastic sides of the water slide and watch water gush downward and spiral out of sight. I peek behind myself and scowling faces glare back.

Just go.

I gulp in a breath, hold it, and then leap onto the slide. The water pulls me downward, dragging me around hairpin corners. Okay, relax. This is rather fun. I release my breath and then my eyes grow wide and my mouth drops open. A tunnel rushes toward me and I gulp for air. Blackness surrounds me. Chlorinated water claws at my face, my lungs, my eyes, and spurts up my nose. I choke on the water and, for an eternal second, I can’t breathe.

Then I’m pushed into blinding daylight. Panic still shakes in my bones as the slide twists and circles then vaults me into a pool. Again, water engulfs me and I grasp my way toward air.

I survive, but won’t ever choose to take that path again. At least, not alone.

That sounds a lot like life, doesn’t it? An adventure that looked like fun until we stepped onto it and discovered the turns and darkness along the way.

Think about how often you’ve faced life challenges:

Going off to college …

Getting married …

Having children …

Sending those children off to college …

Writing a novel …

At first glance, you envision an exciting ride. You get in line and can’t wait to dive into this adrenaline-laced adventure. What could possibly go wrong?

Oh, pretty much everything.

Now, imagine going on that venture alone, without your belief that God sits beside you on that twisting life ride, without trusting Him to carry you through the dark tunnels that are certain to come, without faith to know that He’ll lift you up out of those waters that overwhelm you.

That really sounds frightening, doesn’t it?

I’ll admit, my faith resembles Thomas’s more than Peter’s or Job’s. I can’t imagine stepping into a fiery furnace like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, or a lion’s den like Daniel. I read through Hebrews 11 and am in awe of the faith of the Old Testament heroes and what verses 39 and 40 say about their belief: “These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised. God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect.” Now, that’s unsinkable faith.

But, even with my minuscule faith, and with fear pounding in my heart as I stand on life’s precipice and look down at the rushing waters of new ventures, I know to clasp on to God’s hand. These coming adventures will most likely have their dark moments, and they’ll have twists and curves I’m not expecting. There may even be times when I sink below the surface and forget He’s there. I may struggle for breath and think I won’t survive the trial, but God never lets go of me.

When that water slide ride is finally over, I’ll be able to look back and see that He was with me all along.

With His help, I can do anything.

“I can do everything through him who gives me strength.” Philippians 4:13

~~~~~~~~

The musician in me can’t resist throwing in a couple of links to favorite songs performed by groups who truly get what faith is all about:

• Kutless has a powerful song out called, What Faith Can Do. The lyrics really encourage me to hold onto my faith.
• And here’s an oldie but goodie, Where There is Faith by 4Him.  You’ve got to love the mullet.

Posted on July 13, 2010 - by JerriLynn

I’m Not Unsinkable

“Unsinkable Faith” brings to mind images of water, Jesus and His disciples in a boat, or Jonah in the belly of a whale.  But that’s not what came to mind when I saw this topic.  Instead, I immediately thought of Job.  Talk about a man with completely unsinkable faith!  And God knew that.  So he allowed Job to be tested – a LOT!

Job withstood all of the trials that were thrown at him, and during it all his faith remained unsinkable.  That is the kind of faith that I want to have.  But if I’m being completely honest, having that kind of faith scares the daylights out of me.  It requires something I struggle with day in and day out – trust.

Trust is one of those hard-to-explain concepts.  It means believing that something or someone will behave or react exactly the way they promise to, without any specific proof of that behavior.  It’s faith that promises will be kept. And the whole concept gets a little skitchy when it comes to Christianity because we have the Bible as proof that God carries out his promises.

But I’m human, and as much as I would like to believe that the Bible is true and have faith in concepts that I can’t really see or completely understand, my human nature takes over at time.  Like Job, I consciously give my problems to God. “It’s yours.  I’ve made such a mess of it, surely you can do better.” But that’s where my similarities to Job end.

After I give that problem over, I can’t just trust that God will take care of it.  I worry over it.  I monitor the situation, and the instant that it seems to me that God isn’t handling it the way *I* want it handled, I grab that problem back.  “Maybe you better let me handle this one.  You don’t fully understand my thought process here.”

On the other hand, Job handed it over and let it go.  And in the end, he reaped great rewards for his faithfulness.  He just had to go through an earthly version of Hell to get there.  But he trusted his God and had faith that God would not allow anything to happen to him that didn’t have specific purpose.  No matter how bad it got, he maintained unsinkable faith.

Job is my hero.  To use a sports analogy, he kept his eyes on the prize.  I want to do that.  I want to be like that.  And when I start to slip, Job is the character that I look to as an example of how Christians should trust.  Over time, that trust gets easier.  Over time, God provides the little proofs that Christians need to help them build trust.  And over time, I’ve come to realize that God is unsinkable.  I can still be sunk.  If I let go, if I take my eyes off God, and when I think I have the strength to do it on my own–that’s when I sink.  But as long as I hold on to God, nothing can push me under or pull me down.