My Favorite Post For July...

Here are my five personal favorite post I did for this month... Thanks to all who followed me this month and left kind words here and on Facebook. Really means a lot :-) July was pretty fun.

25 Facts You May of May Not Know About Me

http://realmofhearts.blogspot.com/2012/07/25-facts-you-may-or-may-not-know-about.html

Day 198: Ask For What You Desire

http://realmofhearts.blogspot.com/2012/07/day-198-ask-for-what-you-desire.html

Day 201: Free Indeed

http://realmofhearts.blogspot.com/2012/07/day-201-free-indeed.html

Day 206: The Real Secret to Happiness

http://realmofhearts.blogspot.com/2012/07/day-206-real-secret-to-happiness.html

Day 207: Healing of Harms

http://realmofhearts.blogspot.com/2012/07/day-207-healing-of-harms.html

What were your favorites this month? (All post can easily be found on the right hand sidebar) See you all tomorrow. Have a blessed August and a wonderful end of summer... I can't believe it!

My Favorite Blog/Website of July...

Today I would like to share one of my favorite blog/website's. I will be doing this every month on the second to last day.( I relize I'm doing this on the last day of this month. I had a mix up with yesterdays post.) Here were my favorite site(s) for January,  February,  March, April,  May, and June

I really want you to visit the sites I share and I'll be doing this at the end of every month...


This months favorite blog/website is...

Average Amanda 

http://averageamanda.blogspot.com/

It's a fun blog about the young talented author Amanda Davis's life. It's updated every morning... check it out and be sure to leave her a comment.

Giveaway4 Winner...

I would like to congratulate Noah Arsenault for wining  my last giveaway for July! By the luck of the draw Noah won. The odds were ever in your favor. ;-)

Thanks to everyone who entered and did the writing challenge... I love reading all the wonderful talent from you all.

Thanks to everyone that joined in and supported me this month. I appreciate you all and had a ton of fun!

Next month I might do giveaways too, but we'll have to wait and see... (My computer needs to stay alive)

Day 210: His Strength...

I will strength you, yes I will help you. I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. 

~ Isaiah 41:10

Whatever the circumstances, whatever the call, whatever the duty, whatever the price, whatever the sacrifice... God's strength will be your strength in your hour of need. ~Billy Graham

(Beautifully said Mr.Graham! My computer is still dying... I was not able to fix it like I thought I could. The good news... I did not make it worse. I will continue to write for as long as I can. Hopefully a new or fixed computer will come soon.)

Update, Giveaway4, and Writing Challenge...

WARNING: My computer might be kicking the bucket! Not joking :( I might be going underground, unintentionally for a little while. I thought Blogger had messed up on me this morning when I tried posting this post... I think it's my computer instead. So, if I disappear you'll now know why... as long as this post makes it up. 

ALSO I'm still doing my Friday giveaway today... I just might not get back to you right away on it. Please be patient with me if you decide to join in. I have sort of an idea of what it is and perhaps will fix it. But I might epically fail and really kill it :-/

Today I'm doing my special Friday. Something I did every Friday of this month. Today is my last giveaway for this month. Will I continue to do this next month?... we’ll just have to wait and see. I'm also sharing a little "very" little snippet/teaser of my book, The Realm of Hearts...  Please DO NOT copy in any way.  Below I also have a writing challenge, which I will do every Friday. What do you say?

This Fridays giveaway is... a free 9x12 colored character drawing of your choice (as long as it fits into my art guidelines) It will be done within three weeks. I'm almost done with my first giveaway that was a drawing (Thank you Philip Nelson, for being so patient) Starting a new job, I don't have nearly as much free time, plus I want to give you something nicely done :-)

Please leave your name and email address (unless you have given it to me before) in the comment section below this post to enter. That's all you have to do... pretty easy :-) You have today and tomorrow by midnight to enter. Only one entry per person... other family members can enter for you too.

If you don’t want to give away your email address to the world, please feel free to write me at ryanheart89(at)comcast(dot)net (You still have to give it to me, in order to win the prize. I promise I will not sell, trade, or give it away to anyone else. Hehe) Just leave a comment below this post letting me know that you did that.

Also for those of you that have won past giveaways please feel free to enter again in the new giveaways. The rule is only one entry for each giveaway.

 Here is a snippet of my book The Realm of Hearts.  

Sadly I can't open my book's file at this moment... If I do fix my computer, I'll come back and edit a snippet in... Don't worry I have my book saved in many different ways :-)

Writing Challenge! Below I have two photos to choose from to write a scene, poem, or song. Write whatever inspires you in photo One, Two, or Both.  Feel free to share something you have already written or something new entirely... It must relate to one of the photos below though :-) That's the only rule for this challenge. I'm amazed I was able to paste photos :D

 Photo Challenge One

 Photo Challenge Two

 Are you going to take the writing challenge?
Feel free to write your version in the comments below.

AND don't forget to leave a little comment with your email to enter this week's GIVEAWAY.
Winner will be announced Sunday... hopefully.

Day 208: Slow To Anger, Abounding In Mercy And Love...

Verse 15 is my favorite in this psalm...

Psalm 86

A Prayer of David.

¹ Incline Your ear, O Lord, and answer me, for I am poor and distressed, needy and desiring.

² Preserve my life, for I am godly and dedicated; O my God, save Your servant, for I trust in You [leaning and believing on You, committing all and confidently looking to You, without fear or doubt].

³ Be merciful and gracious to me, O Lord, for to You do I cry all the day.

⁴ Make me, Your servant, to rejoice, O Lord, for to You do I lift myself up.

⁵ For You, O Lord, are good, and ready to forgive [our trespasses, sending them away, letting them go completely and forever]; and You are abundant in mercy and loving-kindness to all those who call upon You.

⁶ Give ear, O Lord, to my prayer; and listen to the cry of my supplications.

⁷ In the day of my trouble I will call on You, for You will answer me.

⁸ There is none like unto You among the gods, O Lord, neither are their works like unto Yours.

⁹ All nations whom You have made shall come and fall down before You, O Lord; and they shall glorify Your name.

¹⁰ For You are great and work wonders! You alone are God.

¹¹ Teach me Your way, O Lord, that I may walk and live in Your truth; direct and unite my heart [solely, reverently] to fear and honor Your name.

¹² I will confess and praise You, O Lord my God, with my whole (united) heart; and I will glorify Your name forevermore.

¹³ For great is Your mercy and loving-kindness toward me; and You have delivered me from the depths of Sheol [from the exceeding depths of affliction].

¹⁴ O God, the proud and insolent are risen against me; a rabble of violent and ruthless men has sought and demanded my life, and they have not set You before them.

¹⁵ But You, O Lord, are a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in mercy and loving-kindness and truth.

¹⁶ O turn to me and have mercy and be gracious to me; grant strength (might and inflexibility to temptation) to Your servant and save the son of Your handmaiden.

¹⁷ Show me a sign of [Your evident] goodwill and favor, that those who hate me may see it and be put to shame, because You, Lord, [will show Your approval of me when You] help and comfort me.

Day 207: Healing of Harms ...

For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts. ~Isaiah 55:9

When we begin praying for others, we soon discover that it is easy to become discouraged at the results, which seem frustratingly slow and uneven. This is because we are entering the strange mix of divine influence and human autonomy. God never compels...
His way is like the rain and the snow that gently fall to the earth, disappearing into the ground as they nourish it. When the time is right, up springs new life. No manipulation, no control; perfect freedom, perfect liberty. 
~ Richard Foster


So many of my prayers have seemed to not been answered the way I have prayed. Healing never came, yet something beautiful in return always did. God never compels... His ways are NOT forceful. They are gentle and loving, like the softness of rain and the smooth fall of snow.

Sometimes we get so impatient. Sometimes things throw us for a loop and we wonder, "What are you thinking God?" Sometimes we forget...

With the latest heartache of the tragic shooting in Aurora Colorado, it's hard to see something good out of it. Why did this happen? So much pain. So much sorrow. Yet, God, our amazing, loving, caring God, is bringing a light into this darkness. Below I have a very touching story of one of the victim's in this shooting. It brought tears to my eyes and amazed me with God's hand over this beautiful woman. If you feel lead, please pray for her. 

We need to remember that God knows all our life stories and His plan is BIGGER than we can even imagine. None of us are smaller than the other. We just have different stories and all of His stories for us are beautiful, even when tragedy strikes...

For we are God’s [own] handiwork (His workmanship), [recreated in Christ Jesus, [born anew] that we may do those good works which God predestined (planned beforehand) for us [taking paths which He prepared ahead of time], that we should walk in them [living the good life which He prearranged and made ready for us to live]. ~Ephesians 2:10
 

A Miracle Inside the Aurora Shooting: 
One Victims Story

http://bstrait.wordpress.com/2012/07/22/a-miracle-inside-the-the-aurora-shooting-one-victims-story/

Day 206: The Real Secret To Happiness...

I read this beautiful post today and had to share. May you be greatly blessed by it... beautifully written Becky, thank you. Also enjoy the song afterwards, I think it fits nicely.

The Real Secret To Happiness

http://rebeccaluellamiller.wordpress.com/2012/07/24/the-real-secret-to-happiness/

(Remember to pause my purple music box, located on the right sidebar.... below My Blog Archive. The bottom middle button will pause it)

Day 205: Daily Blessing...

Daily Blessing: May God help you renew your mind and redeem your words. May you refuse thoughts that weaken you, thoughts that take your eyes off of God. May you instead, embrace thoughts that are true based on God's great love for you. May you refuse to speak about your life apart from faith. May you, instead embrace faith, speak life, and choose life every single moment of every single day. Sleep well tonight. ~Susie Larson

Day 204: Giveaway3 Winner...

I would like to congratulate Adele Hajicek for wining last weeks giveaway!

Thanks to everyone who entered and did the writing challenge... I can't pick a winner for that, because they all were so beautifully done. Really touched my heart!

Fridays and Saturdays seems to be a dead day for my blog, so I’m trying to get more people to visit those days. My giveaways will be different every Friday. So don’t forget to visit me on those days and enter ;-) Past winners can enter again. I'll also be doing a writing Challenge and sharing small snippets of my book The Realm of Hearts.

Day 203: He Will Sustain You...

  Favorite verse for today... it just spoke to me :-) Maybe it will speak something special to you too...

Cast your burden on the Lord [releasing the weight of it] and He will sustain you; He will never allow the [consistently] righteous to be moved (made to slip, fall, or fail). ~Psalm 55:22

Giveaway3, Writing Challenge, and a Snippet of My Book TROH...

Today I'm doing my special Friday. Something I'm going to try to do every Friday of this month. Remember I said I was going to do giveaways in the month of July? Well today is my third giveaway. I'm also sharing a little "very" little snippet/teaser of my book, The Realm of Hearts...  Please DO NOT copy in any way.  Below I also have a writing challenge, which I would like to do every Friday too. What do you say?

This Fridays giveaway is... a paperback copy of The Song of Unmaking by D. Barkley Briggs. It's book Three to the epic young adult series The Legends of Karac Tor.
Please leave your name and email address in the comment section below this post to enter. That's all you have to do... pretty easy :-) You have today and tomorrow by midnight to enter. Only one entry per person... other family members can enter for you too.

Also for those of you that have won past giveaways please feel free to enter again in the new giveaways. The rule is only one entry for each giveaway.

Here is a snippet of my book The Realm of Hearts.  

Over a large hill, above the castle grounds, he had found what he had so dread. Falling to his knees in front of a tall carved stone, he shook his head in disbelief.

“I’m so sorry,” he sobbed, laying his hands on top of the tombstone. “I did not know. How, oh how could I’ve not of known?”

“The Queen was a good person.” a soft voice whispered behind him.

“Yes– she was.” he turned and looked up at the voice, surprised to have someone out here with him, but more surprised over seeing who it was.

(NO part of this may be copied, printed, or stored on an electronic devise for any reason without written permission from the author.)
I did say it was a very small snippet :-)  I might not be able to give too many more snippets in fear of giving too much away. Forgive me if I have any *cough* grammar mistakes... (I know those commas aren't right) I'm always learning the proper ways and I HATE commas!
 
I wrote this scene in the middle of the night with no music... just pure quietness. Most of my book has been written this way.

Writing Challenge! Below I have two photos to choose from to write a scene, poem, or song. Write whatever inspires you in photo One, Two, or Both.  Feel free to share something you have already written or something new entirely... It must relate to one of the photos below though :-) That's the only rule for this challenge.

 Photo Challenge One

 Photo Challenge Two

Are you going to take the writing challenge?

Feel free to write your version in the comments below. 
AND don't forget to leave a little comment with your email to enter this week's GIVEAWAY. 
Winner will be announced Sunday.

Day 201: Free Indeed...

Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty (emancipation from bondage, freedom). 

~ 2 Corinthians 3:17

Whenever I want to get a good worship I listen to these talented singers... Shane and Shane. Every song I have ever heard from them, my heart is lifted up. Today I listened to their song Liberty and a section of the song really touched me. 

"For freedom You set me free
And yes, I am free indeed
You rewrote my name
And shackled my shame
You opened my eyes to see
I am free"

We are truly free indeed! Doesn't that amaze you? I have a hard time fathoming it and really putting it into words... I can't sum it up. For freedom You set me free and yes, I am free indeed. Every day we have a reason to celebrate. Every day! Sometimes we forget that we are free in this crazy world and that all of us have been given this ultimate gift.

Open your eyes my friends and keep them wide open in this wonderful awe of Freedom...

In [this] freedom Christ has made us free [and completely liberated us]; stand fast then, and do not be hampered and held ensnared and submit again to a yoke of slavery [which you have once put off]. ~Galatians 5:1

 (Remember to pause my purple music box, located on the right sidebar.... below My Blog Archive. The bottom middle button will pause it)



Above is the story behind this beautiful song. Below is the full song. Enjoy and be blessed~
(Remember to pause my purple music box, located on the right sidebar.... below My Blog Archive. The bottom middle button will pause it)

Wow 200!...

I've made it to 200 days! Can you believe it? I honesty didn't think I would stay to this resolution of posting everyday for a year, but so far, for 200 days, I have. Only 165 more to go. I'm well over half way through my resolution.

Truly thank you to all that have lovingly followed me on this adventure... even to those that don't leave a comment. I know you are there and I hope my words and post have blessed you. :-)


I'm on this adventure, the greatest one of all, of learning more about the Gracious One and less about me. I hope you are enjoying the ride too ;-)

My mom found this beautiful prayer for blogger's. It's what I truly want to live by here on my blog... what I'm seeking. Of course I want to tell you about me, but most importantly I want that "me" to be about "Him". To God be all the glory.

 (I do not have permission to copy and paste this here on my blog, so you'll have to follow the link. The website is pretty awesome, so I promise it's worth it!)

A Blogger's Prayer

  http://www.aholyexperience.com/a-bloggers-prayer/

I have one question for you today... 

What "Christian" topic would you like me to post about? 

Anything on your mind? :-)

Please feel free to share.

Day 199: Smoothie Anyone?...

 Do you like smoothies? How about peaches? Yum!
Check out my friends awesome refreshing peach drink smoothie recipe...

 Smoothie Day!

http://impossiblewriter.wordpress.com/2012/07/15/smoothie-day/

Day 198: Ask For What You Desire...

Keep on asking and it will be given you; keep on seeking and you will find; keep on knocking [reverently] and [the door] will be opened to you. 

~ Matthew 7:7

Recently I started a new job. I've been sort of looking for one for the last year and I kinda gave up. I live in small town and jobs aren't so freely available. Also I was dreading a new job, due to the way my last one ended. Just a BIG disappointment. In a sad way I didn't want to work with others and go through so much crazy drama that seems to follow us everywhere. I missed the good feeling of doing something. Work in the long run is rewarding and getting paid is an extra plus. My bank account is pretty poor. Thank God I still live at home and have wonderful parents.

My break from my full time job of three and an half years was truly something good for me. I learned new things. My book grew in size. Enjoyed (very much) time with my mom (still do). Yet I started to miss out on meeting others and the world.

I was growing a little (very tiny) bored at home (I truly LOVE my home) and I was so tired of hearing over and over if I had a job from old friends and people I knew. We are so noisy and hard on each other. I do have a life!

My dear mom said I should be praying for God to lead me to something. I prayed a little for it, but not with all my heart... remember the dread I felt. Recently I finally begin to ask God to bring something that would be good for me. Something that wouldn't hurt my heart like my last job did. Something that wouldn't take up my life and take away certain things I found I really liked with my free time. I asked this with all my heart.

Shortly a few days after praying these prayers my sister's good friend out of the blue mentioned a job for me... I wasn't expecting an answer that fast.

Last week I had my first four days with it and I LOVED it. In a way this job is sort of a dream job. Not at all what I'm doing, but how easy and truly fun it is. Plus the pay is pretty dang nice. I'm meeting really nice people. I don't work with other employees very much... so NO drama! The employees I have met and my boss are really, really nice. Especially my boss. I still have plenty of free time and time with my mom and crazy puppy Wyatt ... I need to write a new post about him.

I guess my point for the day is.  Sometimes you have to ask in order for what you want (as long as it's good) to come your way. We forget that even though God knows what's in our heart, our desires, and wants, that He likes to be talked to.

Day 197: Giveaway2 Winner...

I would like to congratulate Brian McBride for wining last weeks giveaway!

Thanks to everyone who entered and did the writing challenge... I can't pick a winner for that, because they were too nicely done and I crave more ;-)

Fridays and Saturdays seems to be a dead day for my blog, so I’m trying to get more people to visit those days. My giveaways will be different every Friday. So don’t forget to visit me on those days and enter ;-) Past winners can enter again. I'll also be doing a writing Challenge and small snippets of my book The Realm of Hearts.

Day 196: Give Thanks...

 It is a good and delightful thing to give thanks to the Lord, to sing praises [with musical accompaniment] to Your name, O Most High. ~Psalm 92:1

 Have you thanked God today?

There is so much to be thankful for... everyday. The air you breath, the sun that shines above you, and the Great Love that He has for you....
Give thanks to anything that comes to you mind and heart, He truly cares to hear those words.

(Remember to pause my purple music box, located on the right sidebar.... below My Blog Archive. The bottom middle button will pause it)

Giveaway2, Writing Challenge, and a Snippet of My Book TROH...

Today I'm doing something special. Something I'm going to try to do every Friday of this month. Remember I said I was going to do giveaways in the month of July? Well today is my second giveaway. I'm also sharing a little "very" little snippet/teaser of my book, The Realm of Hearts...  Please DO NOT copy in any way.  Below I also have a writing challenge, which I would like to do every Friday too. What do you say?

This Fridays giveaway is... a hardback copy of The Curse of The Spider King by Christopher Hopper and Wayne Thomas Batson. It's book One to the epic young adult series The Berinfell Prophecies.
Please leave your name and email address in the comment section below this post to enter. That's all you have to do... pretty easy :-) You have today and tomorrow by midnight to enter. Only one entry per person... other family members can enter for you too. I highly doubt I will have that many entries though.
FYI this book is truly wonderful and a great one to share with your friends. Book Two is already out and book Three is coming out at the end of this summer.

Here is a snippet of my book The Realm of Hearts. This is one with my main villain...

Morning’s glory had begun to shine in the thick forest. It poured through the branches of the tall pine trees, cascading its soft glow upon the ground. The birds started to rise from their sleep, singing a gentle song, waking all that still slept.

Deer skipped out of the bushes, making their ways down towards the stream that freely flowed. Peacefully they drank. A loud crunch came from behind them, they tilted their long elegant ears towards it. Another crunch came, making them lift and turn their heads to see a tall man dressed  in a deep purple cloak coming towards them. The deer scattered as he came closer, disappearing into the forest.

His hair was the color of the sun and his eyes were a deep blue, his face was somewhat kind and pleasant, yet something deep down was very different. The wild flowers that laid everywhere wilted; as he passed by them, every tree he touched would slowly turn black, losing their vibrant shades of green as if they were burning from the inside out, and the butterflies that flew so freely in this beautiful forest fled from him. Who was this man? He danced around as if he loved what was happening, smiling the whole time.

(NO part of this may be copied, printed, or stored on an electronic devise for any reason without written permission from the author.)

I did say it was a very small snippet :-) Forgive me if I have any *cough* grammar mistakes... I'm always learning the proper ways. I promise to share more snippets in the near future. Bigger and much better ones!
 
I wrote this scene in the middle of the night with no music... just pure quietness. Below I have a song that might inspire you with today's writing challenge A short scene with your villain. Feel free to share something you have already written or something new entirely.

(Remember to pause my purple music box, located on the right sidebar.... below My Blog Archive. The bottom middle button will pause it)

Are you going to take the writing challenge?

Feel free to write your version in the comments below. 
AND don't forget to leave a little comment with your email to enter this week's GIVEAWAY. 
Winner will be announced Sunday.

Day 194: His Grace, Our Weakness...

 

But He said to me, My grace (My favor and loving-kindness and mercy) is enough for you [sufficient against any danger and enables you to bear the trouble manfully]; for My strength and power are made perfect (fulfilled and completed) and show themselves most effective in [your] weakness. Therefore, I will all the more gladly glory in my weaknesses and infirmities, that the strength and power of Christ (the Messiah) may rest (yes, may pitch a tent over and dwell) upon me! ~2 Corinthians 12:9

Humbling ourselves before our Creator and asking for help, advice, strength...is not a sign of weakness. It is a sign of strength in Him. In this world where so much is demanded of us, there is only ONE true God...One Beautiful Savior who knows who you really are and loves you so very much.

Day 193: Broken Dreams...

When we share our dreams with God, He wont laugh, or discourage us, or not be for us. As a matter of fact, God will take our dreams more seriously than we do. He will ask more of us than we ask of ourselves, or even think is possible to do. He will return to us more than we could ever imagine or hope for ourselves. ~Oh how He loves us ♥
 
 Now to Him Who, by (in consequence of) the [action of His] power that is at work within us, is able to [carry out His purpose and] do superabundantly, far over and above all that we [dare] ask or think [infinitely beyond our highest prayers, desires, thoughts, hopes, or dreams]—

To Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations forever and ever. Amen (so be it).

~Ephesians 3:20-21 (AMP)

Day 192: When The Stars Burn Down...

 A new favorite song of mine. Be blessed~

(Remember to pause my purple music box, located on the right sidebar.... below My Blog Archive. The bottom middle button will pause it)
 

25 Facts You May or May Not Know About Me....

Today I would like to share 25 facts you may or may not know about me. It’s a fun thing I saw on another friends blog. Please feel free to do the same and let me know if you do.

1. I was born in Rota Spain. Yes, I have American citizenship, but I also have Spanish. I’m a dueler ;-)

2. I was tongue tied to the age of three. Basically my tongue was tethered to the floor of my mouth and I couldn’t lift it up.I had years of speech therapy. I still say certain blends a little funny at times.

3. I was a Marine Brat for the first eleven years of my life. My daddy was a marine.

4. I use to despise reading. Never had trouble reading, just was bored by it. It wasn’t until I  was twelve years old when I started to get crazy into books.

5. I have over two-hundred model horses. Mostly Breyers. I could of actually bought a real horse. :D You don’t have to feed these though. YES I am horse crazy.

6. The first time I really felt God was when I was six. I went with a school friend to a vacation Bible school. I remember looking around a beautiful stained glass church, singing When the Saints Come Marching In, and I just had an overwhelming sense He had to be real.

7. When Lord of the Rings came out, I fell in love with archery. My parents surprised me and bought my first bow Christmas of 2004. That was also the year I had the worst dye job EVER. No, I was not trying to look like Legolas!

8. In elementary I was crazy about bugs. I constantly brought my mom home fun little creepers. I especially loved dragonflies and grasshoppers. I was kinda fearless over them and wanted to be an entomologist. (One who studies Bugs)

9.When I was born I had to wear a brace for the first few months of my life because I had congenital hip dysplasia. (squared hip joints)

10. I have been to ten states in the U.S. (Everywhere in California, Oregon, Nevada, Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, up and down Texas, Philadelphia, New Jersey, and New York, when I was a baby.)

11. I have never broken a bone, but I have had stitches five times and knocked out two teeth.

12. The first time I read The Chronicles of Narnia was when I was fifteen. My family never knew about them, so I never had them when I was younger. A neighbor friend gave it to me and told me I would love it... she was right.

13. I started my book The Realm of Hearts in 2002, but didn’t really write it until 2007. Before I really just drew a bunch of pictures about it. Three drawing pads full to be exact.

14. I went on my first missionary trip in the summer of 2004. YWAM SST Tyler Texas. Two weeks in Texas and one in Mexico. It was truly life changing for me. We went to a really poor area in Mexico, where people lived in cardboard boxes. I was a clown and did fun plays for the children.

15. The first cd I personally bought was Josh Groban... I have told you I’m not normal... right? ;-)

16. Growing up I was aloud to watch Rugrats, but was not aloud to watch Sesame Street. I never knew who Elmo was, until my baby cousin became addicted to him. Haha, yeah that’s sad.

17. I am not a fan of Twilight and Harry Potter. I actually never have read them, nor will I ever. I’m not really into popular things. I did enjoy The Hunger Games though.

18. I’ve never had a hamster, bird, or a gerbil, but I did have pet rats. NOT the wild kinds mind you. They are pretty awesome pets! Smart and very clean, just don’t live very long.

19. I use to be terrified of dinosaurs after seeing Jurassic Park when I was eight. (I know I’m not the only kid who saw it at that age) I still have nightmares about it.

20. My favorite candy and always has been is Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups. The best ones are the ones that come out during Easter and Christmas. I stock up on the egg and tree shape ones. They have about an inch of awesome peanut butter in them. YUM

21. I went to public school up to the fourth grade, from there on out I was home-schooled. No I was not a bad kid, nor dumb. My mom just felt like it was the right thing to do, due to how crazy the world was getting... Columbine shooting, was a real shocker!

22. In the fall of 2008 I met two of my favorite authors. Wayne Thomas Batson and Christopher Hopper. I consider it one of my greatest highlights.

23. Two years ago I did a five-hour spelunking adventure with my crazy sister. It was kinda "Hell on Earth" for me, but I don’t regret doing it. Just won’t do it again.

24. I dream of adventure, just not like the one above. ;-)

25. I genuinely enjoy people. I ache to better change others lives and show them God's glorious love. That's why I took up the challenge of blogging every day for a year. I truly hope my words have blessed somebody. To God be all the glory~

Day 190: Giveaway Winner And Dragon Skin...

I would like to congratulate Philip for wining my first giveaway!

Fridays and Saturdays seems to be a dead day for my blog, so I’m trying to get more people to visit those days. My giveaways will be different every Friday. So don’t forget to visit me on those days and enter. ;-) I also plan on doing a writing Challenge and snippets of my book The Realm of Hearts.

Here is a beautiful post that a friend of mine did. Fits well with my giveaway prize ;-) For all you Narnia fans you'll love this post... worth the time to read! So thought provoking Nichole.

--->Reflections on The Chronicles of Narnia: Dragon Skin<---

Day 189: He Will Not...

If you come to Him, He will not cast you out; John 6:37
If you trust in His mercy, He will not condemn you; Romans 8:1
If you are His child, He will not abandon you as your Father; Psalm 94:14
If you lean upon Him, He will not pull away; Matthew 11:28
If you call upon Him, He will not turn a deaf ear; Psalm 50:15
If you drink from Him, He will not leave you thirsty; John 7:37-38
If you ask Him for bread, He will not give you a stone; Matthew 7:9-11
If you receive of Him, He will not leave you empty; Psalm 23:5
If you dine with Him, He will not ignore you; Revelation 3:20
If you walk with Him, He will not lead you to a dead end; Psalm 16:11
If you depend upon Him, He will not forget about you; Isaiah 49:15
If you seek Him, He will not forsake you; Psalm 9:10
If you do His will, He will not do you wrong; Psalm 84:11
If you stand with Him, He will not let you fall; Psalm 41:2

If you trust in Him, He will not allow His faithfulness to fail. Psalm 89:33

Giveaway, Writing Challenge, and a Snippet of My Book TROH...

Today I'm doing something special. Something I'm going to try to do every Friday of this month. Remember I said I was going to do giveaways in the month of July? Well today will be my first giveaway. I'm also sharing a little "very" little snippet/teaser of my book, The Realm of Hearts... please know that it still needs editing and probably a little rewriting. Please DO NOT copy in any way.  I also have a writing challenge, which I would like to do every Friday too. What do you say?

Riley shook his head, “I fear you have killed us all.”

“What little faith you have, my friend.” Paige looked forward as Starfire flew into the courtyard. It’s body sparkled with a rainbow of fire. Black as night, yet bright as a star. With a swishing swoop it landed solidly upon the cobbled ground.

“A dragon. We are truly doomed.” Riley turned towards the others and ordered them to flee back into the forest. As he turned back to grab Paige, he stood stunned at the sight before him.

Paige was face to face with the beast and held a smile across her face.

Riley cringed over the thought of seeing her being eaten by this hideous beast. There was no way to save her. He had greatly failed his mission. Why was she so foolish?

Starfire took in a deep breath and blew out blue icy wind, that surrounded Paige's body. Paige’s long golden hair flew around her in a tangled mess...

I did say it was a very small snippet :-) I know not a very grand one either... forgive me if I have any *cough* grammar mistakes... I'm always learning the proper ways. I promise to share more snippets in the near future. Bigger and much better ones!

Okay for the giveaway! My giveaway is a small picture of a dragon (done by me) in whatever color you want and will be mailed to you within a week. How to enter... just leave a comment with your email address. You have today and tomorrow by midnight to enter. Only one entry per person... other family members can enter for you too... I highly doubt I will have that many entries though.Winner will be announced Sunday. I know not a huge prize, but something kinda fun :D

Here's a song that inspired me while I was writing my teaser up above and is today's writing challenge... Do not base your story/scene on the photo, just the song...

(Remember to pause my purple music box, located on the right sidebar.... below My Blog Archive. The bottom middle button will pause it)

So what kind of scene would you write from this song?

Feel free to write your version in the comments below. 
AND don't forget to leave a little comment with your email to enter the GIVEAWAY.

Day 187: A Psalm Of Safety...

I read this psalm yesterday and was really touched by it, I hope you are too. I think this will be a new favorite psalm of mine.

He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall remain stable and fixed under the shadow of the Almighty [Whose power no foe can withstand].

I will say of the Lord, He is my Refuge and my Fortress, my God; on Him I lean and rely, and in Him I [confidently] trust!

For [then] He will deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the deadly pestilence.

[Then] He will cover you with His pinions, and under His wings shall you trust and find refuge; His truth and His faithfulness are a shield and a buckler.

You shall not be afraid of the terror of the night, nor of the arrow (the evil plots and slanders of the wicked) that flies by day,

Nor of the pestilence that stalks in darkness, nor of the destruction and sudden death that surprise and lay waste at noonday.

A thousand may fall at your side, and ten thousand at your right hand, but it shall not come near you.

Only a spectator shall you be [yourself inaccessible in the secret place of the Most High] as you witness the reward of the wicked.

Because you have made the Lord your refuge, and the Most High your dwelling place,

 There shall no evil befall you, nor any plague or calamity come near your tent.

For He will give His angels [especial] charge over you to accompany and defend and preserve you in all your ways [of obedience and service].

They shall bear you up on their hands, lest you dash your foot against a stone.

You shall tread upon the lion and adder; the young lion and the serpent shall you trample underfoot.

Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore will I deliver him; I will set him on high, because he knows and understands My name [has a personal knowledge of My mercy, love, and kindness—trusts and relies on Me, knowing I will never forsake him, no, never].

He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him.

With long life will I satisfy him and show him My salvation.

Day 186: Daily Strength For Daily Needs...

May you be strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might, for all endurance and patience, with joy giving thanks to the Father. ~Colossians 1:11-12

My favorite devotional books are the older ones, like Mrs. Cowman’s Streams in the Desert and Springs in the Valley. Dr. A. B. Simpson has a volume with 365 installments entitled Day of Heaven and Earth. My favorite devotionalist is Mary W. Tilestion, who put together the classic Daily Strength for Daily Needs. Just the title of the latter volume encourages me. That’s what we need— daily strength for daily needs. Our energy gives out, and we often discover that our physical strength is interwoven with our emotional and spiritual enthusiasm. The distresses, disappointments, and conflicts of life sap us both inwardly and outwardly. Here’s what the Lord has to say about daily strength for daily needs.
May you be strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might,... strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man... May... your strength last as long as you live.
Be strengthened by the Lord and by His vast strength...
Take hold of My strength...
The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in Him, and I am helped. Therefore my heart rejoices, and I praise Him with my song...
The Lord gives His people strength; the Lord blesses His people with peace...
Youths my faint and grow weary, and young men stumble and fall, but those who trust in the Lord will renew their strength.

This is from My All in All by Robert J. Morgan. (Really good book)

Day 185: Freedom...

 Happy 4th to you all and may freedom always ring true. What is something that you are grateful for your freedom? What does freedom mean to you?


This is a really good and very thought provoking post... worth reading! "July 4th, we celebrate independence. But be careful with your freedom..."

Independence Day 2012 and the Dangers of Freedom

Day 184: You Are More...

One reason we doubt God’s love is that we have an adversary who uses every little offense to accuse us of being good-for-nothings. But your advocate Jesus Christ is more powerful than your adversary. He has cancelled the debt of your sins past, present, and future. No matter what you do or how you fail, God has no reason not to love you and accept you completely." Dr. Neil T. Anderson

The Psalmist David describes how God knows each one of us intimately: "O Lord, you have searched me and known me. You know my sitting down and my rising up; You understand my thoughts afar off. You comprehend my path and my lying down, and are acquainted with all my ways.(Psalms 139:1-3) Not only are we wonderfully made, but because of Christ's death on the Cross, we can also be wonderfully restored to a right relationship with God. "If anyone is in Christ, He is a new creation... All this is from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ (2 Cor. 5:17-18) NIV. We all are unique, of God's loving design. Be Blessed~

DawnSinger by Janalyn Voigt...

Today I would like to share with you all a book that recently came out called DawnSinger by Janalyn Voigt.... I've been really looking forward to it!

Here is little teaser on what's it's about:

The High Queen is dying... At the royal summons, Shae mounts a wingabeast and soars through the air to the high hold of Faeraven, where all is not as it seems. Visions warn her of danger, and a dark soul touches hers in the night. When she encounters an attractive but disturbing musician, her wayward heart awakens. But then there is Kai, a guardian of Faeraven and of Shae. Secrets bind him to her, and her safety lies at the center of every decision he makes. On a desperate journey fraught with peril and the unknown, they battle warlike garns, waevens, ferocious raptors, and the wraiths of their own regrets. Yet, they must endure the campaign long enough to release the DawnKing—and the salvation he offers—into a divided land. To prevail, each must learn that sometimes victory comes only through surrender.

 Interview with the author

(Please know that I did not take this interview, but was given permission to use it. I must say it's a good one!)


Question (1) Your book reveals a variety of issues to do with freedom. One is the sacrifice of freedom. Can you think of an example from your own life of a time when you had to put something you loved aside for the greater good, so others could experience a greater freedom?

Answer: In our world today we tend to focus on rights rather than responsibilities. And yet, living a life of honor sometimes requires sacrificing what we want for the greater good. It’s almost a foreign concept in our world today but on a gut level, we still understand nobility. Shae’s struggle to accept her calling mirrors the decision each believer makes. Freedom is never truly free, especially when we win it for others.
On a personal level, I had to surrender my ideas about my writing and even my desire to live a normal life in order to write DawnSinger. In many ways, Shae’s journey is my own.

Question (2) DawnSinger adeptly addresses the issue of prejudice. What example from your own life caused you to have these enlightened insights?

Answer: My father was a half-breed Native American who was orphaned and on his own at fourteen. Besides the dislike of prejudice he gave me through the stories he told about his life (and sometimes what he didn’t say), I’ve always had an innate sense of fairness. I seem to have inherited my father’s mantle.

Question (3) Prejudice stands in the way of unity. What other issues keep us from living in unity, and how can addressing these issues expand the Kingdom of God?

Answer: Prejudice comes in many forms, and it’s not always about skin color. We can become so focused on our will and our way within the Body of Christ that we limit what God can accomplish through us. Christ is the only door through which we can be saved. That is the unifying statement for all denominations. If we focus on that together, we can overcome a dark world with the light of unity.

Question (4) Tell us about your calling to write and how your journey as a writer went in a different direction or detours than what you initially expected.

Answer: My Tales of Faeraven series, of which DawnSinger is book one, began as a story to entertain my little girl during a drive. For the main character of my story, I twisted the name of her doll, Cinda, and came up with "Syl Marinda," a half-breed princess in a divided land.  Long after my daughter had forgotten that first story, the world of Elderland took shape in my mind. I could picture its trees, creatures, and landscapes. As time passed, the characters deepened and grew, and so did the struggles of the alliance of Faeraven, a group of kingdoms unified under a High Queen in Elderland. Through several attempts, I tried to record the story as it unfolded for me, but I kept backing up in time because much of the history in the story demanded to be told.  Syl Marinda doesn't even enter the scene until close to the end of WayFarer, book two in the series. She is the heroine of DawnKing, book three.

I had quite a story lodged in my mind, but I needed to grow as a writer before I could do it justice. I gleaned magazine credits, but I seemed unable to take the next step into becoming a published novelist. I needed to let go of my own vision of how my writing career would play out. It took my receiving a series of disappointments and turning away from writing for a number of years for me to do that. When I returned, I prayed about what I should write, and the answer popped into my head almost immediately: DawnSinger, the first novel of the series I'd abandoned all those years ago. Although I abandoned my writing dream, Tales of Faeraven and its people never left me. If anything they matured as I did, becoming more complex. I now knew them well.

A little over a year after I began writing DawnSinger, I signed a contract with a small press that later decided not to publish my book. That was devastating, but I saw God’s hand in it. I needed to see that I wouldn't turn away from writing ever again. I signed with Harbourlight just a few months later. I lost a contract for one novel but received a two-book contract and found an agent in a single day. Barbara Scott of Wordserve Literary agreed to negotiate my contract and to represent me.

Question (5) What word of encouragement can you give our listeners as they seek to live out their own purpose? How might they discover an even deeper sense of freedom as they operate in their strengths and giftedness?

Answer: Live the right dream. It's hard enough to do what you were called to in this life, let alone something you weren't. This is a soap-box passion of mine. So many of us never examine our lives. A person can be successful at the wrong thing because it doesn't matter so there's no fear of the risks. But that's not really living. When we step out of the comfort zone and risk what matters to us most, then our dreams can come true.  What that looks like for each of us is different, and that's the beauty of it.

Question (6) You mention it’s often necessary to change your perspective to be ready to enjoy true freedom. Tell us about that.

Answer: Inherent in human nature is the desire to matter. And yet, the approval of man is only what we think we need to fill a spiritual vacancy. Pleasing man is like eating honey. If we take a little, it brightens the eyes, but eating too much makes us sick. God’s approval never hurts us. Understanding these things opens our hearts to humility, which expresses itself in service.

Question (7) One final issue to often get in the way of true freedom is our own fears. Can you share an example of how you’ve had to deal with your fears in order to enjoy a greater freedom?

Answer: When the lights went out in a Bible study I attended, I was forced to confront my lifelong fear of the dark. It didn’t leave me right away but took constant prayer and reliance on the Scriptures. Stepping up to become a published novelist has been a similar process. It sometimes feels like I’m on a tightrope, but I’ve learned to put one foot in front of the other and never look down. 

Question (8) For our listeners who aren’t familiar with Christian fantasy or speculative fiction, please explain the genre and how it’s useful in communicating God’s truths to this generation.

Answer: Jesus told parables, stories that taught specific points. Similarly, allegorical Christian fantasy expresses spiritual truths with symbolism. Through books like those in the Harry Potter and Hunger Games series the publishing world has gained the attention of youth in particular through fantasy. And yet, some secular books in the fantasy genre present a warped idea of morality and of God. Christian fantasy and speculative fiction counters this with gospel truths.  
Janalyn Voigt’s epic fantasy trilogy, Tales of Faeraven, starting with DawnSinger, is published by Harbourlight Books. Janalyn also writes in the western romance genre. She is represented by Barbara Scott of Wordserve Literary. Her nonfiction publication credits include Focus on the Family, Scripture Press (now David C. Cook) and Pentecostal Evangel. She serves as a literary judge for several national contests and is an active book reviewer. Her memberships include ACFW and NCWA. Janalyn lives in a quiet corner of the Pacific Northwest, where she discovers worlds of adventure in the great outdoors.

CREATING WORLDS OF BEAUTY AND DANGER
Website: http://janalynvoigt.com
Creative Worlds: http://janalynvoigt.com/blog

Check out the wonderful book trailer...

(Remember to pause my purple music box, located on the right sidebar.... below My Blog Archive. The bottom middle button will pause it)

If this books sound good to you and if you intend to purchase DawnSinger from Amazon, please wait to do so until July 3rd. Purchasing on this day will help to gain visibility in Amazon's search rankings.

Here is the amazon link to purchase in paperback (sorry no hardbacks) ...http://www.amazon.com/DawnSinger-Janalyn-Voigt-paperback

Here is the amazon Kindle link to purchase (if you fancy e-book reading)  http://www.amazon.com/DawnSinger-Tales-of-Faeraven-ebook