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Celebrating Change
After eight years of blogging, I have had an epiphany. I like sharing other people’s stories. Even more than my own. Last year in a short time frame (April to December) I had over seventy-eight people share their story. That’s why I turned DevotionalDiva.com into an online magazine. For you and for those who have yet to share their story. New people energize me. Every time I get an email from someone, asking to share their story I get a jilt. My blood starts pumping–and I am truly alive. My missions statement is Hebrews 10:24. My desire is to spur you forward. Celebrating The Switch. I decided what better way…
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10 Tips Online Dating
[Disclaimer from Renee] – Since I have tried and failed at online dating–including a date where the guy literally tried to get me to sleep with him –I wanted to paint not only a positive but godly view of online dating. That doesn’t mean that eHarmony is the ONLY place to meet a future spouse or that Christian Mingle is correct in their advertising slogan “Find God’s Match For You.” It’s up to you and God to figure out if online dating is right for you. Please welcome my friend Julie as she shares her success story. [Guest Post by Julie Anne Wilson] – 10 Tips Online Dating There are…
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Hey Christian Girl
Just because you’re single doesn’t mean you’re alone. Shocking, I know. Let’s re-read that first sentence again–but this time say it out loud until you believe it! I want to let you in on a little secret: after a year of marriage I can say with full confidence I now have less time for friendships. My favorite February 14th was the one where I got together with a group my girlfriends. There were about eight of us. Some knew each other, and some didn’t. Some were single and happy and some–like me–weren’t. I don’t even remember the movie we saw, but I remember sitting at Panera Bread beforehand chick chatting…
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On Dating: My Parents Don't Approve
[Monthly Columnists – Wendy van Eyck] My parents don’t approve of my boyfriend. I’m not the best person to write dating advice because I didn’t go on my first date till I was 26. And then I broke up with him four weeks later. I’m not the kind of person who plays games with peoples feelings but I didn’t know what else to do when my parents didn’t approve of my first boyfriend. As a young teen, I’d decided that dating for the sake of gaining a long list of boyfriends just wasn’t me. I settled that there were two boxes that needed to be ticked in my mind before…
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Two NEW Books
Announcing Forgiving Others, Forgiving Me book cover and my fourth book, Loves Me Not: Heartbreak & Healing God’s Way. I can’t believe I’ve been working on Forgiving Others, Forgiving Me for over ten years. It’s been through four re-writes and two publishers, and the Jerry B. Jenkins Christian Writer’s Guild when I was 19. I remember when my friend in DTS (discipleship training program), Ericka said, “God told me to tell you to write your second book on suffering.” And when my previous publisher contracted it–I thought “thank you God!” When they canceled it, the verse I got was from Isaiah 43:19, which says “See! I am doing a NEW…
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On Health & Body: Get Back Up!
[Monthly Columnist – Jaimie Bowman] – It’s that time of year again – the mid-January to February slump after New Year’s resolutions were made. According to About.com,the second most popular New Year’s Resolution was to “Fit in Fitness.” The third most popular was to “Tame the Bulge.” However, by now, most of us have driven through Taco Bell on that way-too-short lunch break, or found that hidden stash of Christmas candy that we thought we threw away. And who can skip that bowl of ice cream during an episode of Downton Abbey or The Bachelor? As if! Every day, and with every decision we make, we are moving towards our health…
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On Anxiety: Why I Overeat
As long as I can remember I’ve had anxiety, which is why I overeat. In Junior High, my parents took me to doctor after doctor and they all agreed–I had hypoglycemia. The solution was to carry around extra snacks or protein with me to stabilize my blood sugar when it dipped. The problem was it dipped often. No matter how much food I ate I was always hungry. Day after day, I prayed to God and asked him to stop my hunger. When eating higher amounts of food didn’t work–I became even more anxious. I was afraid to eat because I didn’t want to get fat. Even as a young…
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On Writing: Interview with Jeff Goins
I wasn’t going to post this week since I started working on my fourth manuscript, but was delighted to hear from Jeff Goins. This month’s series on writing was all about helping new authors learn to Start Writing Now #StartWritingNow. Also, if you missed the series, I posted an easy way to view all of them on Pinterest. I hope this month’s series has been encouraging–and I wanted to say thanks again to all those who contributed. You are a blessing to me. Here is my recent interview with Jeff Goins on the subject of writing. “What would you say are the five most important tips to starting a writing…
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On Writing: Can You Still Pay The Rent (and Utilities)?
[Guest Post by Allison Vesterfelt] – A few years ago I quit my job because I wanted to write a book. A book. I write it that way because that’s how I saw it in my mind. So much drama, so much mystery. Writing a book (you have to say it that way if you want to understand) was going to be the best thing I had ever done in my life. Quitting my job happened because someone asked me this question: “What would you do with your life if you didn’t have to worry about money?” My answer to the question was, obviously, that I would travel across the country…
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How to Start Journaling
Here are a few tips on how to start journaling daily. First, watch the video and then read the tips! 1. Start with, “Dear God” instead of “Dear Journal” or “Dear Diary.” As I said in the video, life is busy and there isn’t a lot of time to write fluffy things or draw hearts and rainbows in your journal. Use your journal instead to be intentional during your quiet time or devotional time with God. 2. Journaling Brings Healing I didn’t start out to be a writer or published author. In fact, I wanted to be a high school math teacher (algebra). It’s kind of cool to look back…
