Here in the Midwest, we are in for a change. October is the month of color. While you’re waiting for all the beautiful colors outside, why not create your own colorful masterpieces inside?
Let’s take a look at today’s First Friday Freebie –
Several years ago a new trend took hold – adult (or advanced) coloring books. Some doctors even started recommending them for people who needed to de-stress. Rather than chunky drawings or cartoon-like pictures, these contained trailing florals, word art and any number of other intricate designs that adults could spend time relaxing with as they let their mind focus on the beauty and their creative choices rather than the cares of this world. You can settle into cozy fall days with this “Amazing Grace” coloring book. It’s full of beautiful pages meant to inspire such as the one at the right in the photo. Grab some colored pencils or markers and create some art to frame, give away, or just keep in the book to admire.
To enter to win the “Amazing Grace” coloring book, all you need to do is “Leave a Comment” on this post, saying, “Color my October!” You’ll need to leave your comment before midnight TONIGHT, October 4th, 2024.
NOTE: An occasional problem occurs with subscribers not receiving confirmation emails. Should this happen, email me at barb@midweststoryteller.com so that I can report it and have the issue resolved.
If you are new to Midwest Storyteller and haven’t subscribed, you’ll need to do that before entering to win. Head to the right sidebar or use the menu to navigate to the “Contact” page where you can fill in your email address and then watch for your confirmation email. You’re not officially subscribed until you confirm by email.
You’ll find plenty to smile about on my “Life with Smuffy” and “Laugh!” pages. Fall is a great time to curl up with a good book, but since mine isn’t released yet, you might win this freebie and be able to color while you wait. Check out the latest updates on my “Morgan’s Landing” book series here. Fall is also a great time to try a great recipe from my “Food Freedom” page.
Remember to be sure to share the content you enjoy here on your social media such as Facebook, Instagram and “X”. If you save things on Pinterest like I do, hover over the photo and “pin it”. Help me get the word out!
On the “Freebies”page, you can see what readers have been winning every month.
A winner will be chosen at random from those subscribers who enter before midnight tonight, October 4th, by leaving a comment which says, “Color my October!”
For the complete First Friday Freebie rules, click here.
May your days ahead be filled with sunshine, rustling leaves and the laughter of children playing in them!
We’re due for cooler temperatures starting tomorrow and you know what that means – It’ll be blue jeans weather. You can inch toward that fashion statement with today’s First Friday Freebie.
Let’s take a look –
These denim cross earrings feature are exactly that – made of denim. They’re so lightweight, yet keep their shape. That makes them so easy to wear. I’m not sure why I’m on an earring kick lately as far as freebies go, but they just caught my eye. The overall length is 3 ¼ inches from the top of the hook. The cross itself measures 2 7/8 inches. They are by Accessory Connection and a great find from Factory Connection.
To enter to win the denim cross earrings, all you need to do is “Leave a Comment” on this post, saying, “I’m stepping into fall!” You’ll need to leave your comment before midnight TONIGHT, September 6th, 2024.
NOTE: An occasional problem occurs with subscribers not receiving confirmation emails. Should this happen, email me at barb@midweststoryteller.com so that I can report it and have the issue resolved.
If you are new to Midwest Storyteller and haven’t subscribed, you’ll need to do that before entering to win. Head to the right sidebar or use the menu to navigate to the “Contact” page where you can fill in your email address and then watch for your confirmation email. You’re not officially subscribed until you confirm by email.
You’ll find plenty to smile about on my “Life with Smuffy” and “Laugh!” pages. Fall is a great time to curl up with a good book and my first novel is coming soon. Check out the latest updates on that here. While you wait for the official release of the first book in the “Morgan’s Landing series, you can try a great recipe from my “Food Freedom” page.
Remember to be sure to share the content you enjoy here on your social media such as Facebook, Instagram and “X”. If you save things on Pinterest like I do, hover over the photo and “pin it”. Help me get the word out!
On the “Freebies”page, you can see what readers have been winning every month.
A winner will be chosen at random from those subscribers who enter before midnight tonight, September 6th, by leaving a comment which says, “I’m stepping into fall!”
For the complete First Friday Freebie rules, click here.
Enjoy these beautiful days ahead. May your fall be colorful, peaceful and blessed!
I may have given my readers the impression that nothing much is happening, so I thought it might be time for an update. It will be the first of many, because things are hopping in my publishing and production world.
Here we are in September, pretending it is fall while waiting for the real thing. I was so excited and relieved last week to send in to my publisher the painstaking edit I’ve been working on for the second book in my “Morgan’s Landing” historical fiction series. That certainly lifted a load of stress from my shoulders. It has been one of the big factors in my not providing you with more content here as it has been top priority other than taking care of Lil’ Snookie and Fruity Pebbles.
Meanwhile, the first book in the series is on its way to you! Artists are working on the final cover as we speak and I am expecting an email with some line edits. As soon as I approve those, the book goes to print with a projected release date in October. The photo above does not reflect the eventual book cover in any way other than the fact that it was taken in the location and era that the fictional town of Morgan’s Landing is patterned after.
In related news, you may recall my earlier announcement concerning a screenplay for “Morgan’s Landing”. If you missed it, you can click here to see the announcement and brief video. This has been quite the adventure for me and it isn’t over yet. It’s a bit like a road trip – you just don’t know how long it will take or where you’ll end up. I have learned so much during the process and thought you might want to join me on the journey. We are now entering a new phase.
I continually see the fingerprints of God all over “Morgan’s Landing”. In the first place, I literally went to bed one night and dreamed this story, so I can’t help but feel that it was gifted to me. Writing and editing did take a long time, but there was something about this story that kept pushing me forward. I knew that if a publisher took the time to read it that it would be published. I determined to do what I could to make that happen and make it a success, but my dreams for the books hadn’t taken me further than that.
Then, several months ago, the Lord saw fit to take the book in an entirely new direction when I had an unexpected opportunity to sit down and discuss the story in person with award winning Hollywood screenwriter, Alan Roth. To my delight, he asked to read the book which, of course, wasn’t even out yet. After reviewing the manuscript, he told me that he felt it had merit as series and that he would like to write the screenplay. We began working on the pilot episode in April and finished it in July. I have truly enjoyed working with Alan as we met regularly via Zoom to go over each and every page of script.
Now, the finished pilot is on the market! Seven or eight studios (ones you would be familiar with) have been approached and now we wait. Some have already agreed to appointments to consider the project and one has already met in person with the screenwriter, responded favorably, and asked for the book in addition to the screenplay, which is a great step forward.
As I stated earlier – what an adventure! The feeling I get when I think of my project going into the hands of a studio is somewhat like I imagine I might have if, having tossed my baby up in the air, I had to fold my arms and trust a total stranger to catch it before it hit the ground!
Keep an eye out for more updates. Soon the publisher will release an author’s interview as well as sneak preview of the actual cover. I’ll soon be a guest on the Inspired Writer Collective podcast and I’ll post links to that as well. Of course, when I know the book’s official release date, you’ll be the first to know! Following the release, there will be book signing events and I hope to see you there.
If you have a story in you, and I’m pretty sure you do, my best advice is DON’T WAIT! The road ahead of you will be a long one and it is best to start now.
Leave a comment and tell me what is stirring in your heart and mind to write. It may be fiction or it may be a true story that you can’t bear the thought of being lost to the ages. I know I have one of those and I hope to have the time to start on it soon.
As we’re entering into September, it’s time to meet the winner of my First Friday Freebie for the month of August. If you take a moment to check out the First Friday Freebie Rules at the link below, you’ll find out how simple it is to enter to win. This is a special monthly gift for my email subscribers only.
Let’s meet –
Shirley from Boonville, Missouri.
Shirley is modeling the sunflower earrings she just won and the more I see them on her the more I want a pair just like them.
Shirley was one of my very first email subscribers. She consistently enters to win and therefore she has had her name drawn more than once! She did have to comment as directed in the freebie post on the day it arrived in her inbox. I require this tiny bit of effort each month in order to prevent spam and make sure you’re on your toes and paying attention.
I send freebies anywhere in the continental U. S., so don’t think you’re too far away to enter.
If you’d like to see other past winners and their gifts check it out hereon my Freebies! page.
You can see the original First Friday Freebie offer for the one Shirley won here.
If you’re reading this and haven’t become an email subscriber yet, please do that today. Hopefully, my freebies, not to mention the stories, recipes and other great content, have enticed you to do that.
NOTE: Subscribe with an email you intend to keep and check the week after the drawings. This is my only means of notifying winners. If it isn’t up to date, you may not get your gift!
We live in a life filled with gadgets and you’ll find that this blog can have a different appearance depending on whether you are on your computer, tablet or smartphone. You can easily navigate in the menu under “CONTACT”, fill in your email and hit “SUBSCRIBE”. Confirm your subscription when the email arrives. If you’ve don’t receive a confirmation email, please email me at barb@midweststoryteller.com – it seems that from time to time, a subscription will get “stuck”.
Subscribers get an email reminder each time there’s something new – like when there’s a FREEBIE on the First Friday of every month. You’ll also receive encouragement, healthy recipes, short stories, lots of laughs and updates on the books I write.
Again, comment as directed on the post that offers the Freebie and you’ll be entered to win.
Freebies enable me to reach more people. I need you to help me share all the fun with your friends and family. When you share on MeWe, Facebook, Instagram, X, Pinterest, you’ll give them the opportunity to subscribe and win also. Subscribing is free. Freebies are free.
On September 6th, you’ll see the new Freebie. Enter to win that day. A winner is chosen at random from those subscribers who enter before midnight. Then, check your email in the days following.
Smartphone reminders help.
Take a moment make yourself familiar with the complete Freebie Rules by clicking HERE.
Subscribers, be ready to enter to win on Friday, September 6th, 2024.
Smuffy always says that this time of year brings him into a seasonal shift even if the weather doesn’t have that hint of autumn crispness quite yet. Thoughts of his pioneer ancestors fill his mind and he gets the urge to meander through forests and read the diaries of Lewis and Clark. I’m sure Lil’ Snookie will want to spend as many days playing at the park as he can possibly manage. What thoughts inspire you in the month of September? Leave a comment. We might get some interesting answers to that!
I know I have readers all over the place, but if you’re in the Midwest or somewhere like it, these are the dog days of summer. I’ve often wondered about this weird phrase and discovered that it’s been in use for centuries and has astrological origins that have something to do with the Dog Star bringing uncomfortable heat and suffering on humans but even more so on dogs that seemed to run a much higher risk of going mad from it. I was surprised at this elaborate explanation. All my life I had pictured nothing more than our farm dogs, using the sense God gave them, crawling under cars, trucks and machinery to roll in the cool fine dust and nap until the sun went down.
If you are so blessed as to have air conditioning, and I hope you are, you don’t have to go out and lie under your car when the temperatures are nudging themselves toward triple digits and the air is so thick with humidity you can chew it. You can stay inside and get online to your favorite blog and enter to win a First Friday Freebie in cool comfort.
This month’s Freebie is just the thing for August and into September. Let’s take a look –
These wooden drop earrings feature a laser cut sunflower inside a teardrop loop. The overall length is 3 ½ inches from the top of the hook. I really like the look of them “as is” because they are raw wood, but I couldn’t help but think that it wouldn’t take much more than a steady hand for someone to take a bit of colored stain on a small brush and tint those petals gold and possibly the rims of the teardrops green. Just a thought. They are by Accessory Connection and a great find from Factory Connection.
To enter to win the wooden sunflower earrings, all you need to do is “Leave a Comment” on this post, saying, “Spread a little sunshine!” You’ll need to leave your comment before midnight TONIGHT, August 2nd, 2024.
NOTE: An occasional problem occurs with subscribers not receiving confirmation emails. Should this happen, email me at barb@midweststoryteller.com so that I can report it and have the issue resolved.
If you are new to Midwest Storyteller and haven’t subscribed, you’ll need to do that before entering to win. Head to the right sidebar or use the menu to navigate to the “Contact” page where you can fill in your email address and then watch for your confirmation email. You’re not officially subscribed until you confirm by email.
You’ll find plenty to smile about on my “Life with Smuffy” and “Laugh!” pages. Summertime is a great time to read about Smuffy’s river adventures. Try a great recipe from my “Food Freedom” page.
Remember to be sure to share the content you enjoy here on your social media such as Facebook, Instagram and “X”. If you save things on Pinterest like I do, hover over the photo and “pin it”. Help me get the word out!
On the “Freebies”page, you can see what readers have been winning every month.
A winner will be chosen at random from those subscribers who enter before midnight tonight, June 7th, by leaving a comment which says, “Spread a little sunshine!”
For the complete First Friday Freebie rules, click here.
I don’t know how your summer is going, but I have given up on being outdoors much for now and am using the heat as my best excuse to stay at my desk and write. The first book in my “Morgan’s Landing” series is coming soon and I am deep in the process of editing the sequel so I can get it to the publisher. I’ll keep you posted on that as well as the screenplay, which is now finished. Poor Smuffy is out in the miserable heat every day working on a number of projects.
Stay cool. Enjoy indoor and outdoor activities. Some great ideas can be found in my last post here. As my mother always said, “Come January, we’ll be wishing for this!”
I fully disclose that as a Certified Lifestyle CoachI do, at times, receive monetary compensation as such. See The Fine Print on the “About Me” page of this blog.
I am OVER THE MOON about Denise’s results and couldn’t wait to share them with you! This is another story from one of the members of my weekly group coaching sessions. Denise is an example of what happens when you make changes in your life and see the victory. We talk about those victories our members see on the scale and that’s great because losing excess body fat is so important. But those non-scale victories can be the ones you really want to shout about.
Denise is not someone special who got abnormal results that are not achievable for someone like you. She learned how to fuel her body and it changed her life. Your body is fearfully and wonderfully made and you can learn to treat it as it was designed to be treated.
Feel free to contact me about private coaching or if you are local, join us in person. We meet weekly. It’s a joy for me to think that I had a part in Denise’s journey to success and that I may be able to help you, too!
Time to meet the winner of my First Friday Freebie for the month of June. I enjoy giving away a little something special every month and though it’s not cars or jewels, I hope it does bring you something to look forward to and a reason to share Midwest Storyteller with your friends and family.
Let’s meet –
Liz from Boonville, Missouri.
You can see that although the First Friday Freebie recommends staying home – Liz didn’t. Since she’s local, I caught up with her out shopping and took this photo.
For Liz, it was as simple as entering to win on the first Friday of the month and waiting to see if her name was drawn as the winner. She did have to comment as directed in the freebie post that day. I require this tiny bit of effort each month in order to prevent spam and make sure you’re on your toes and paying attention.
I send freebies anywhere in the continental U. S., so don’t think you’re too far away to enter.
As long as you’re an email subscriber, you can comment as directed on my post on the first Friday of each month. That is all any subscriber needs to do to enter to win. If you’d like to see other past winners and their gifts check it out hereon my Freebies! page.
You can see the original First Friday Freebie offer for the one Liz won here.
If you’re reading this and haven’t become an email subscriber yet, please do that today. Hopefully, my freebies, not to mention the stories, recipes and other great content, have enticed you to do that.
NOTE: Subscribe with an email you intend to keep and check the week after the drawings. This is my only means of notifying winners. If it isn’t up to date, you may not get your gift!
We live in a life filled with gadgets and you’ll find that this blog can have a different appearance depending on whether you are on your computer, tablet or smartphone. You can easily navigate in the menu under “CONTACT”, fill in your email and hit “SUBSCRIBE”. Confirm your subscription when the email arrives. If you’ve don’t receive a confirmation email, please email me at barb@midweststoryteller.com – it seems that from time to time, a subscription will get “stuck”.
Subscribers get an email reminder each time there’s something new – like when there’s a FREEBIE on the First Friday of every month.
Again, comment as directed on the post that offers the Freebie and you’ll be entered to win.
Freebies enable me to reach more people. I need you to help me share all the fun with your friends and family. When you share on MeWe, Facebook, Instagram, X, Pinterest, you’ll give them the opportunity to subscribe and win also. Subscribing is free. Freebies are free.
On August 2nd, you’ll see the new Freebie. Enter to win that day. A winner is chosen at random from those subscribers who enter before midnight. Then, check your email in the days following.
Smartphone reminders help.
Take a moment make yourself familiar with the complete Freebie Rules by clicking HERE.
Subscribers, be ready to enter to win on Friday, August 2nd, 2024.
We’ve been in the grip of summer heat here, with temperatures around 97 degrees. The leftovers of Hurricane Beryl are keeping us wet, wet, wet. Though it is one bad hair day after another around here lately, we are blessed. I can enjoy Lil’ Snookie and Fruity Pebbles in any weather! What’s your summer been like? Leave a comment and tell me how you’re spending your days.
This announcement has taken a bit for a couple of reasons. We can ignore the obvious one because, as you may have noticed, I can be a bit slow. I have a “perfect” excuse this time because I’ve been busy welcoming my new baby granddaughter into the world. Helping out and snuggling does take time and as they say – somebody’s gotta do it. Lil’ Snookie is as smitten with his baby sister as his Grandpa Smuffy and I are.
May’s First Friday Freebie also had to journey west to the winner – Jan in Greeley, Colorado. After that, Jan decided to surprise her daughter with it and here she is, showing it off alongside her other bracelet.
Re-gifting is wonderful when it brings a smile like you see here. Jan tells me that her daughter was tickled with the gift and that it brightened her day.
I hope you enjoy your freebies whenever you win and if you give them away to bless someone and show a little love – well, that’s why I give them in the first place!
This is certainly stating the obvious, but Jan was able to win because she entered to win. Her name was drawn at random after she commented on the freebie post as directed in the post. I do have to ask you to go to a tiny bit of effort each month in order to prevent spam and make sure you’re on your toes and paying attention.
I send freebies anywhere in the continental U. S., so don’t think you’re too far away to enter.
As long as you’re an email subscriber, you can comment as directed on my post on the first Friday of each month. That is all any subscriber needs to do to enter to win. If you’d like to see other past winners and their gifts check it out hereon my Freebies! page.
You can see the original First Friday Freebie offer for the one Jan wonhere.
If you’re reading this and haven’t become an email subscriber yet, please do that today. Hopefully, my freebies, not to mention the stories, recipes and other great content, have enticed you to do that.
NOTE: Subscribe with an email you intend to keep and check the week after the drawings. This is my only means of notifying winners. If it isn’t up to date, you may not get your gift!
Computers, tablets, smartphones – they each give this blog a different appearance, but you can easily find the subscription area in the menu under “CONTACT”. Confirm your subscription when the email arrives. If you’ve don’t receive a confirmation email, please email me at barb@midweststoryteller.com – it seems that from time to time, a subscription will get “stuck”.
Subscribers get an email reminder each time there’s something new – like when there’s a FREEBIE on the First Friday of every month.
Again, comment as directed on the post that offers the Freebie and you’ll be entered to win.
Freebies enable me to reach more people. I need you to help me share all the fun with your friends and family. When you share on MeWe, Facebook, Instagram, X, Pinterest, you’ll give them the opportunity to subscribe and win also. Subscribing is free. Freebies are free.
I’ll announce June’s winner soon and coming up on July 5th, you’ll see the new Freebie. Enter to win that day. A winner is chosen at random from those subscribers who enter before midnight. Then, check your email in the days following.
Smartphone reminders help.
Take a moment make yourself familiar with the complete Freebie Rules by clicking HERE.
Subscribers, be ready to enter to win on Friday, July 5th, 2024.
May was such a blessing here. We had beautiful weather. The rain gave us a burst of green grass and showy flowers. For us, the Lord topped off all these blessings with a brand new baby fresh from Heaven. Now summer has set in and it is hot, sticky and outside chores are feeling very much like chores. Leave a comment and tell me what you’re doing to keep cool.
Even if it isn’t officially summer, June always seems to bring on the summer attitude along with activities. It is officially, however, First Friday Freebie Day here at Midwest Storyteller and if you are an email subscriber, you might just win if you try. If you’re not a subscriber – hop to it!
For many of us, summer is just one blur of activity and we are rarely at home. For others, this frantic pace gets to be a bit too much as the temperatures soar and we’d just as soon be lazy in the hazy, crazy days of summer. Though I love spending my fair share of time at the park with Lil’ Snookie or out doing other things, I have to admit that I’m drawn to staying home more lately, mostly due to the fact that Smuffy has beautified and screened in my porch to such a degree that the idea of relaxing out there with a glass of Lime Sillies is getting to be addictive!
If you feel the same, then this First Friday Freebie is for you –
This simple piece of décor by Sign of the Times expresses the desire “Let’s Stay HOME” in black and white. The framed portion measures six inches square. Since the frame is about one inch in depth, it can easily be a shelf sitter if you prefer not to hang it by the wooden beaded hanger at the top.
To enter to win the Let’s Stay Home décor, all you need to do is “Leave a Comment” on this post, saying, “Home is where my heart is!” You’ll need to leave your comment before midnight TONIGHT, June 7th, 2024.
NOTE: An occasional problem occurs with subscribers not receiving confirmation emails. Should this happen, email me at barb@midweststoryteller.com so that I can report it and have the issue resolved.
If you are new to Midwest Storyteller and haven’t subscribed, you’ll need to do that before entering to win. Head to the right sidebar or use the menu to navigate to the “Contact” page where you can fill in your email address and then watch for your confirmation email. You’re not officially subscribed until you confirm by email.
If you haven’t kept up with things here at Midwest Storyteller lately, then you may not know that I’m a grandma again! For a bit on that see Waiting is Hard and you’ll also get some encouragement if you are finding yourself in a difficult waiting season.
Remember to be sure to share the things you enjoy on your social media such as Facebook, Instagram if you save things on Pinterest like I do, hover over the photo and “pin it”. Help me get the word out!
On the “Freebies”page, you can see what readers have been winning every month.
A winner will be chosen at random from those subscribers who enter before midnight tonight, June 7th, by leaving a comment which says, “Home is where my heart is!”
For the complete First Friday Freebie rules, click here.
Enjoy June. Go fishing. Have a picnic. Play in the park. Or, just stay home!
It seems we’ve been waiting for so many things in our lives. The item at the top of our list has finally arrived. Pookie and her hubby have just welcomed a new baby girl which means that Lil’ Snookie now has a baby sister! Oh, the anticipation!
From the minute Lil’ Snookie knew there was a tiny baby in Mama’s tummy, he declared that he would have a sister, she would look like him and that he would call her Fruity Pebbles. Though his mommy and daddy might have preferred to wait and be surprised on the big day, his insistence that he would have a sister caused them to open the sealed envelope the doctor had given them just in case they had to explain to him that sometimes God thinks you need a brother.
Well, sister it was! At various times in the week following the big news, Big Brother would look up from whatever toy or activity he was engaged with, catch my eye and with a knowing smile, softly say, “I was right, Grandma.”
And then we waited. At times the months seemed to fly by and at other times it seemed that Fruity Pebbles was taking her own sweet time. Overall, it was a fun type of wait (except for Mama in those last few weeks).
Little did we know that Lil’ Snookie was in for a different type of wait and this time it would not be fun. Though he knew and seemed to understand that Mama and Daddy would go to the hospital so the doctor could help bring Fruity Pebbles out into the world and he would be having a sleepover at our house, something just didn’t seem right about the whole thing in his little heart. Though he visited every day, an extended hospital stay proved to be agonizing. This type of waiting hurt.
Do we thrive in times of waiting? Fruity Pebbles certainly did, as was proved by her robust size and appetite when she arrived. And, by the way, she does look just like her brother.
I once heard the Bible teacher Joyce Meyer say that we may as well get used to waiting on God because we are going to spend the greater part of our lives doing it. I have found this to be true, but I’m not sure it makes it any easier.
When people hear that my book series is coming out soon and that a screenplay for a series is being written based on it, many of them say something to the effect that I’m becoming an overnight success. Overnight? Hardly. I have had to wait on myself to finish a rough draft, tediously gone through edits, waited for appointments and opportunities to meet with agents and publishers, waited for them to review my manuscripts, waited for replies, waited for contracts. Now I’m waiting again for the final edit and cover art to be completed while I work on another edit of the next book in the series. This last decade has hardly seemed overnight to me.
Through the years I’ve waited, as many of you have, for answers to prayers whether they’ve concerned health, relationships or finances. I can’t say that any of those waits have been fun. Waiting is not something you learn to do and become so proficient at that it ceases to be a disrupting factor in your life. Waiting is something that you just do. The only thing you learn is how to trust God and try not to get on other people’s nerves while you’re doing it.
Once the text message arrived that Mama and Daddy were on the way home (accompanied by a photo of Fruity Pebbles all fastened up in her car seat), Lil’ Snookie knew the time was near. Soon he would be joined by the ones he loved most so that they could all go home and be a family together and there would be no more tears. He took up his post at the window to watch for that familiar vehicle to pull into the driveway and waited with an extra dose of hope.
He left his post by the window a time or two out of sheer frustration and rolled around on the sofa for a bit while he asked me how many more minutes it would be. I’d give my best estimate and he would return to his post and do the only thing he could – wait. We are like that, aren’t we, when we sense that our hopes are on the verge of being fulfilled?
In the difficult waiting times, I lean on Scriptures like these –
Isaiah 64:4: “Since ancient times no one has heard, no ear has perceived, no eye has seen any God besides you, who acts on behalf of those who wait for him.”
Habakkuk 2:3: “For still the vision awaits its time; it hastens to the end—it will not lie. If it seems slow, wait for it; it will surely come; it will not delay.”
Lamentations 3:25-26: “The Lord is good to those who wait for him, to the soul that seeks him. It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord.”
The last several months have offered Smuffy and me several instances in which we had no choice but to pray and wait and somehow make the choice to thrive in the waiting. God has been faithful and He has seen us through.
There is no escaping the fact that there are more waiting times ahead. Some come unexpectedly and some you can see coming a mile away. I know full well that, short or long, there will be a wait once this screenplay is finished and studios begin to look at it.
Stress can be a necessary and good thing in our lives. It can also be a killer. Check out Part 1 and Part 2 of how to Fire Yourself and Re-hire Yourself by surrendering guilt so that the demands that you put on yourself and allow others to put on you can become more reasonable!
Don’t forget to share this with friends and family on your social media. Someone might be waiting for a bit of encouragement in their journey.
How about you? Do you struggle through the long, hard waiting times? Leave a comment and let me know what it is that sees you through and gives you hope.
