tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-78733375663505222882024-03-14T08:47:46.347-04:00Out of the BoatLiving Where Fear and Faith CollideLynn Huggins Blackburnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08428025001385738854noreply@blogger.comBlogger380125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7873337566350522288.post-40506138554654916792017-09-22T10:30:00.000-04:002018-04-24T01:57:53.621-04:00New Website!I've moved! <br /><br />You'll be automatically taken to my new website momentarily. If you don't find yourself redirected within 5 seconds, click here to visit me at my new website <a href="http://lynnhblackburn.com/">LynnHBlackburn.com</a>.<br />
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</div>Lynn Huggins Blackburnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08428025001385738854noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7873337566350522288.post-44829039015868520832017-09-12T08:29:00.002-04:002017-09-12T12:28:17.675-04:00Grace in the Storm<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5So0nijDq_U8cvxZIbnb7XTiQdw6LP1onrWPaFzfm174foDVHXuaJHSeQJjxwLVmthjrAisHW1ecfBCijs4kVK6aJOjoLXaApCKUgc70fZdTMp-k4oR85kqA6a86Mo0AqocqyphXhFA1K/s1600/Grace+in+the+Storm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="800" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5So0nijDq_U8cvxZIbnb7XTiQdw6LP1onrWPaFzfm174foDVHXuaJHSeQJjxwLVmthjrAisHW1ecfBCijs4kVK6aJOjoLXaApCKUgc70fZdTMp-k4oR85kqA6a86Mo0AqocqyphXhFA1K/s320/Grace+in+the+Storm.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I'm sitting inside a warm, dry house. <b>We never lost power, but thanks to Hurricane Irma, yesterday was the windiest day I have ever experienced. </b>As far as I can tell, the worst thing that has happened to us is that we lost one tree in the backyard . . . and the stray cat that adopted us a year or so ago might think she is an indoor/outdoor cat now after we brought her inside to protect her from falling debris. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>But all you have to do is turn the TV on and you can see that there is so much devastation all around us. </b>Storms of different kinds are all over the place. Harvey in Texas. Irma all over the Caribbean and the Southeast. Western states are on fire and have been for months but it isn't making national news. They are losing homes and acres and acres of precious natural lands. Earthquakes in Mexico. And that's just some of what's happening in North America. There's a whole big world out there, and we aren't the only ones being hit and hit hard.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Your storm may not have anything to do with the weather or natural disasters. It may be the illness of a loved one, a marriage in crisis. A child on a devastating path. Financial woes that never let up. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>If you feel like you have nothing left, I want to share something with you that God showed me this week as I watched the hurricane coverage.</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Have you seen the videos/images of the water being sucked out of the bays and away from islands? The first one I saw was video from the Bahamas and when it first popped up on my Facebook feed, I couldn't figure out what I was seeing. But then it happened again and again as Irma made her way to the US. The Tampa Bay event received quite a bit of news coverage. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFFdazjsOpzi_p6id4XtsG2cMHOIE8xuyeTCsFSRZRnKarw1mHC8RexGrXrBaFodP6WQoJiLVllPb9e8kFL1BuAuAMGaJ8eM50Oz29hyphenhyphenM4i_8PvPJpJo3z8KFdfkKnpl5ICBgPZ-WM-ymM/s1600/desert-1285129_1920.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFFdazjsOpzi_p6id4XtsG2cMHOIE8xuyeTCsFSRZRnKarw1mHC8RexGrXrBaFodP6WQoJiLVllPb9e8kFL1BuAuAMGaJ8eM50Oz29hyphenhyphenM4i_8PvPJpJo3z8KFdfkKnpl5ICBgPZ-WM-ymM/s320/desert-1285129_1920.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">In case you didn't see it, it turns out that as the storm comes by, it literally sucks the ocean away from the shore. People can walk around on ground that used to be the bay because the water is g-o-n-e. It's absolutely fascinating and awe-inspiring to think of the natural phenomenon that is taking place.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">As the storm passes, the water will return and things will return to “normal” - but during the storm <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K8IdRSx42e0">Tampa Bay was empty</a>. Dry. The reporters and people they interviewed kept going on about how they’d never seen anything like it. I certainly hadn't. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>It turns out that it takes a very big and powerful storm to do this.</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I watched, completely fascinated, but then as He so often does, I felt that stirring in my spirit and God showed me something.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>He isn't surprised by this at all. He knows this happens in nature and He knows this happens in our lives. </b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">We all have a certain tolerance for a “reasonable” amount of storm activity. We all get up and go about our day with various small storms - maybe even tropical force or Category 1 storms - brewing around us.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">But the BIG storms quite literally suck us dry. We have nothing left to give because all our energy has been taken up by this powerful storm. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">And yet we beat ourselves up over it. We say horrible things to ourselves and feel extraordinary amounts of guilt because we’re so tired and so empty, <b>but God is not seeing it that way. </b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">He sees our dry bays. He sees the empty shorelines. He knows the category 5 level storms we are facing and <b>He is not sitting there wondering why we can’t get our act together and deal with it because *HE KNOWS* what has happened.</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Others may not see it. They may not understand it. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>But God knows. God sees. He is still 100% in control. </b></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirvM2Kxm6oLBuw18Pi69D8dOuhQycmNd-N5gouenD6gJC2JILhI_CXwyS6saJDD1w_TkVhirRJbFpi65NLAW1-o1yzjtPzoYfFM3pAujPxPOPq5_mrJtShxwNFGlOzKK5qm-bQb1FiTk6C/s1600/jetty-1503595_1920.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirvM2Kxm6oLBuw18Pi69D8dOuhQycmNd-N5gouenD6gJC2JILhI_CXwyS6saJDD1w_TkVhirRJbFpi65NLAW1-o1yzjtPzoYfFM3pAujPxPOPq5_mrJtShxwNFGlOzKK5qm-bQb1FiTk6C/s320/jetty-1503595_1920.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">If you're walking around every day like those crazy reporters, hunched over in the wind just trying not to get blown away, my prayer for you (and for me) is that we will relax in the grace God has shown us. That we will rest in the knowledge that He is not expecting more of us that we can give. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">In his time, the water will return to the bay. The waves will again lap along the shore. The storm will pass. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Be kind to yourselves friends. </b>Give yourself and those going through huge storms around you the same grace He gives. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Grace and peace,</span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Lynn</span></i><br />
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Click to Tweet:</span><i style="font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', serif;"> </i></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="http://ctt.ec/wa10X">Powerful storms and dried up oceans. What God showed me about his #grace during #Irma.</a></span></span></div>
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</div>Lynn Huggins Blackburnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08428025001385738854noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7873337566350522288.post-58528764389642688222017-09-07T10:33:00.001-04:002017-09-07T10:33:52.375-04:00Every Writer Needs a Team<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxyCl1cXDXNI2CLA_Iro7wnhj121DCaGWUZak0CzjflsVZeRaoV7KvD0KmkZNu2Fu0tKecgCYAku2XZrnfAIfWsqZutIS5gWVP_HL5pxa7WHzpcRHQ2RnG9CjwwLO-0sC_07CvrZY5OCtQ/s1600/images-2-2.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="320" data-original-width="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxyCl1cXDXNI2CLA_Iro7wnhj121DCaGWUZak0CzjflsVZeRaoV7KvD0KmkZNu2Fu0tKecgCYAku2XZrnfAIfWsqZutIS5gWVP_HL5pxa7WHzpcRHQ2RnG9CjwwLO-0sC_07CvrZY5OCtQ/s1600/images-2-2.jpeg" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #4d5355; font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 18px;">Last month, I shared what I learned from the book </span><a href="https://angeladuckworth.com/" style="color: #7f9198; font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: rgb(190, 200, 204) 0px 0px 3px; text-transform: uppercase;"><i>Grit—The Power of Passion and Perseverance</i></a><span style="color: #4d5355; font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 18px;"> by Dr. Angela Duckworth and how it applies to the writing life. If you haven’t read that one, you might want to pop over there first and read the post, </span><a href="http://thewriteconversation.blogspot.com/2017/08/a-book-to-help-writers-persevere.html" style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 18px;">A Book to Help Writers Persevere</a><span style="color: #4d5355; font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 18px;">. I’ll wait.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #4d5355; font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 18px;"><br />Done? Good. Glad you’re back. :)<br /><br />That post was already way too long, so I saved something to share with you this month.<br /><br />In <i>Grit</i>, there are multiple anecdotes about elite swimmers—what makes them so good, what separates the champions from the talented, that kind of thing.<br /><br />Near the end of the book the author shares an interview with a man who has studied elite swimmers for three decades. After affirming the author’s thoughts on how important grit is he said, “But I left out the most important thing. The real way to become a great swimmer is to join a great team.”</span><br style="color: #4d5355; font-family: Arsenal, sans-serif; font-size: 18px;" /><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="more" style="color: #4d5355; font-family: Arsenal, sans-serif; font-size: 18px;"></a><br style="color: #4d5355; font-family: Arsenal, sans-serif; font-size: 18px;" /><span style="color: #4d5355; font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 18px;">When I read that line I stopped and took a picture of the paragraph so I’d have it in my phone. Because while I don’t doubt it’s true for elite swimmers, I know from first-hand experience—it’s true for writers, too.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #4d5355; font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: medium;">It's the first Thursday of the month so I'm over at <a href="http://thewriteconversation.blogspot.com/2017/09/every-writer-needs-team.html">The Write Conversation</a>. I'd love for you to pop over and read the rest of the post. :) </span></div>
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</div>Lynn Huggins Blackburnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08428025001385738854noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7873337566350522288.post-23551898426395750962017-09-02T14:53:00.000-04:002017-09-08T11:36:15.294-04:00What I Learned in August<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCN7lbhtGCH2eFYAlkotVe_xsWQHLDRQtYg4GgmO9eCv9p0zv45AjJJrf9p4LkM0PjHN0_L-xcRh27WoTSIEqYrYzOB3g9i6KuBLMVOY9dkeLMhtoOxK7OC1P1oR8uSzS83uKJFhPOtsba/s1600/WhatILearnedinAugust.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCN7lbhtGCH2eFYAlkotVe_xsWQHLDRQtYg4GgmO9eCv9p0zv45AjJJrf9p4LkM0PjHN0_L-xcRh27WoTSIEqYrYzOB3g9i6KuBLMVOY9dkeLMhtoOxK7OC1P1oR8uSzS83uKJFhPOtsba/s320/WhatILearnedinAugust.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">It’s been too long since I did a “What I Learned” post, so this month it’s really more of a “What I’ve Learned in 2017” rather than just in August. :) </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>1. I need to be in a Bible study</b>, even if it means doing it on my own. When I started homeschooling both boys I had to give up my Bible study group at church and I’ve missed it. I did a study on the book of Jonah this summer and it rocked my world. I didn’t make it to a single meeting of the group that was doing it, but it was still life changing and I need to do that kind of thing more often. I haven’t nailed down what I’m doing this fall because my FB feed was full of suggestions! But I’ll be choosing something soon. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>2. Apple watches are A.MAZ.ING.</b> I was the biggest skeptic when they came out. Why on earth does anyone need to check their email on their wrist? But then I discovered how handy it is to be able to glance at it and decide if a text or call is worth stopping what I’m doing. Now, I can leave my phone on the kitchen counter all day and not be worried about missing an important call from Emma’s school. I’ve worn it every day since I got it. It actually helps me NOT have my phone in my hands all the time, and that’s a big deal to me.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhukK7W_ighyphenhyphen36JSxUA9ug9ebuVLQZVNTPCUXWLAEjO02HqOHRnPwydriHPdvYJy-Hc71E8LRmSgc7ytCTdJ2VBxffBqOduQ3HltqIkSCqmYBs7_vjG6dXf6s3tc3dkIoWvFs2aSsoMH39C/s1600/smart-watch-821563_1920.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhukK7W_ighyphenhyphen36JSxUA9ug9ebuVLQZVNTPCUXWLAEjO02HqOHRnPwydriHPdvYJy-Hc71E8LRmSgc7ytCTdJ2VBxffBqOduQ3HltqIkSCqmYBs7_vjG6dXf6s3tc3dkIoWvFs2aSsoMH39C/s320/smart-watch-821563_1920.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>3. Teaching is fun. </b>It’s exhausting, too. This applies to homeschooling, but I’m talking about teaching adults about writing. :) I’ve had the opportunity to teach at a couple of conferences this year, as well as an all-day Scrivener workshop. I’m surprised by how much I enjoy it. I get to co-teach a workshop at the ACFW (American Christian Fiction Writers) conference later this month and then another Scrivener class later in the fall. I’m really looking forward to both. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>4. “Out with the old, in with the new” is something I should try more often. </b>After fifteen years of looking at the same bedding, we bit the bullet and got a new bed, furniture, and bedding for our bedroom. I know for some of you this is something that happens every few years and you cannot imagine looking at the same stuff for a decade and a half, but I naturally resist change of any kind and it shows up in weird places—like re-doing rooms. My husband resists spending money, which also shows up in weird places like re-doing rooms. Between the two of us, we can shut down a room makeover in a hurry. :) </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">We still need to paint and get curtains, a few pictures, etc. But the difference is amazing. It reflects our style and our sensibilities and is a restful place to be. Which is what bedrooms are supposed to be like, right? </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">It was a lot of work—a lot of hours spent shopping, re-organizing, and using Allen wrenches on furniture that came in boxes. And there were a few times when I wondered if it would be worth it. But it totally was. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>5. Early morning exercise is awesome.</b> I claim I hate it. Because I do. Except I don’t. I’m coming to terms with the fact that the 5:30 a.m. class is the best one for me. My entire day goes better when I get it knocked out first thing. Also, I workout at a CrossFit box with no A/C. It’s summertime in the south so it’s already hot and muggy at 5:30 a.m. By 4 p.m. no one in their right mind should be doing burpees and box jumps. I have lots of friends who do, but for me it’s worth the 5 a.m. wakeup call to get it over with before the sun comes up. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I’d love to know what you’ve learned lately. Are there any fun “life hacks” you’ve recently discovered? Let’s talk about them in the comments.</span></div>
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</div>Lynn Huggins Blackburnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08428025001385738854noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7873337566350522288.post-27914740961560077882017-08-17T21:02:00.000-04:002017-08-17T21:02:38.752-04:00#Authorlife<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipB5unDwZPmrQwmxI7F8RqFi83adxgREIDx7SPoLRMs0CLTnvfqCdyYHGxV5ogeRqo6f45JhisfBg6HjWD1sUwaOmaXSYvW7zlDFIg_q5IBX3bSAoaWpwowiAld3oZiU4u9hgtGFb0sVjr/s1600/%2523Authorlife.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="800" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipB5unDwZPmrQwmxI7F8RqFi83adxgREIDx7SPoLRMs0CLTnvfqCdyYHGxV5ogeRqo6f45JhisfBg6HjWD1sUwaOmaXSYvW7zlDFIg_q5IBX3bSAoaWpwowiAld3oZiU4u9hgtGFb0sVjr/s320/%2523Authorlife.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Every so often I want to give you a little "peek behind the curtain" of my #authorlife. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Here are just a few things that are going on right now. </b></span></div>
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<li><span style="color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue'; font-size: large;">Last Saturday I taught an all-day class on Scrivener - a writing software that I love. But wow - all day. It's a lot of talking, even for someone who talks as much as I do! I've made a mental note to be sure to plan to eat out after teaching this class in the future! And maybe to plan to sleep in the next day, too!</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #454545; font-family: Helvetica Neue;">Even though <b style="font-style: italic;">Beneath the Surface</b></span><span style="color: #454545; font-family: Helvetica Neue;"> - Book 1 of the Dive Team Investigations series - doesn't release until March 2018, this week started with some emails about promotional materials for the book - things like postcards, bookmarks, and social media images. I'm super excited to see what sorts of things the team at Revell comes up with! <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi77Uno52m37HKirGCl1FqcN6IR12yLWu-uyJzxUiSd0fv7fp-Od-vb_64QfLUbAx8RwD7vHkjGpW9ybPUylcfVAJa0bddPQX4qWsrVTwBGiTx66zKuyFv-X39EZ6TadcKdjz_wOQOyd4u4/s1600/Blackburn_BeneathSurface.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1036" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi77Uno52m37HKirGCl1FqcN6IR12yLWu-uyJzxUiSd0fv7fp-Od-vb_64QfLUbAx8RwD7vHkjGpW9ybPUylcfVAJa0bddPQX4qWsrVTwBGiTx66zKuyFv-X39EZ6TadcKdjz_wOQOyd4u4/s320/Blackburn_BeneathSurface.jpg" width="207" /></a></td></tr>
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<li><span style="color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue'; font-size: large;">Then the edits for</span><b style="color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue';"><i><span style="font-size: large;"> Beneath the Surface</span></i></b><span style="color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue'; font-size: large;"> hit my inbox (Yes, the Darth Vader theme music is appropriate here - you're humming it now, aren't you? Excellent). The edits are due back to the editor on the 29th. Yikes!</span></li>
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<li><span style="color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue'; font-size: large;">At the end of the edits there's this lovely little spot for me to provide the "teaser" for Book 2 in the Dive Team Investigations series. This would be the same Book 2 I am currently writing and that is due to my editor in early December. :) </span></li>
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<li><span style="color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue'; font-size: large;">Now, my brain can't decide if it wants to work on the revisions for <i>Beneath the Surface</i>, or rework the first chapter of Book 2, or just ignore all that and work on a proposal for a completely different book that is half-written and just needs to be finished and turned in! (Yes, for those of you wondering, this is Max and Sara's story).</span></li>
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<li><span style="color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue'; font-size: large;">This week I also got invitations to attend two different publisher dinners - at the same time - while at the ACFW conference in September and I had to choose which one I would go to (because sadly - no clone). And yes, getting invited to a dinner with a publisher makes me want to pinch myself!</span></li>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQsKubloWhSobFln9Lw4CSZdJljznL8hC8Bne8CcOL_sK8v1lbrgUvrsgTJ8ocNonUkXnHk8vjc2bvwA_Gu9m1Q_TlxsrK0NiHDPjc0gZM-urvgMQWFOF00_yWKUeiJxa4Q7zTUYgPlIix/s1600/background-957469_1280.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="905" data-original-width="1280" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQsKubloWhSobFln9Lw4CSZdJljznL8hC8Bne8CcOL_sK8v1lbrgUvrsgTJ8ocNonUkXnHk8vjc2bvwA_Gu9m1Q_TlxsrK0NiHDPjc0gZM-urvgMQWFOF00_yWKUeiJxa4Q7zTUYgPlIix/s320/background-957469_1280.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<li><span style="color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue'; font-size: large;">I also had the privilege of sitting down with a White Collar Crimes investigator who is going to help me bring my hero for Book 2 to life (the fictional hero's name is Adam Campbell and he looks like Ryan Reynolds). He answered a ton of questions, showed me a real credit card skimmer they'd taken out of a gas pump, and was super patient. This kind of research is one of my very favorite things about being an author. </span></li>
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<li><span style="color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue'; font-size: large;">I'm in the process of developing a new website so I'm making decisions on that stuff, too. And by developing, I mean I've hired an A.MAZ.ING website developer and she sends me ideas and I try to make decisions without hurting her feelings and she tells me not to worry about her feelings because she is awesome (but I still worry).</span></li>
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<li><span style="color: #454545; font-family: Helvetica Neue; font-size: large;">If you've been following along on social media (and if you haven't - why not?) you already know that this week was also the big "Lynn gets an office" week around here. So instead of writing, I've been painting and sanding sheetrock and cutting boards and loving the fact that my kids get to work with my Dad (who can build anything - really). More pictures and a big "reveal" will happen eventually. For now, I'm still dusting. Everything. It's everywhere. Dust is evil. (And before anyone comments - No, I did not have on safety goggles. No, my hands were not actually anywhere near that blade despite what the picture might look like. Yes, I was being careful. For the cut I needed to make, that actually was the safest way to do it. I try to take good care of my fingers. They are rather important for writers! And yes, I do like power tools.) </span></li>
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<li><span style="color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue'; font-size: large;">Oh, and did I mention we've already started back to school with my homeschoolers and my precious Emma is d-y-i-n-g for school to start which won't happen until next week? </span></li>
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<span style="color: #454545; font-family: Helvetica Neue; font-size: large;"><b>Whew! I'm tired just reading all that.</b> And believe it or not, I left stuff off the list. All sorts of things that are part of life and don't have anything even remotely to do with writing, but are still super important. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #454545; font-family: Helvetica Neue; font-size: large;"><b>If you're so inclined, I would appreciate your prayers. </b>Especially over the next few weeks as I juggle multiple projects and a lot of life craziness. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #454545; font-family: Helvetica Neue; font-size: large;">And if you have any burning questions about writing and publication, share them in the comments and I'll try to answer them soon. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #454545; font-family: Helvetica Neue; font-size: large;">Grace & peace,</span></div>
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</div>Lynn Huggins Blackburnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08428025001385738854noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7873337566350522288.post-89075645284793452592017-07-13T05:00:00.000-04:002017-07-13T05:00:21.601-04:00The Budget War<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Hi Everyone!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I have a treat for you today. Andrea Merrell is an incredibly talented author and editor. Her new book, <b><i>Marriage: Make It or Break It</i></b> released this summer.</span><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvWv0dU-g8H8qqmK5YthnJP8hLFkS_G6IzDynytaY95MZb5Ro-qbfr7nZ2Y7rusY4zGs7wIPs6cSqKdiEYh2g5AKYcVzpnlXzDq1AAC2_oWtRmM1Lz0z7MU8a7duvPnvp7i9Wt_y1cp0Oy/s1600/Andrea+Merrell+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvWv0dU-g8H8qqmK5YthnJP8hLFkS_G6IzDynytaY95MZb5Ro-qbfr7nZ2Y7rusY4zGs7wIPs6cSqKdiEYh2g5AKYcVzpnlXzDq1AAC2_oWtRmM1Lz0z7MU8a7duvPnvp7i9Wt_y1cp0Oy/s320/Andrea+Merrell+2.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.399999618530273px;">Some say marriage is a dying institution. Others say, “Stop the bus and let me get off.” But Andrea Merrell—after forty-plus years of marriage—believes this God-ordained institution is one of His greatest gifts to men and women. <i>Marriage: Make It or Break It</i> is a result of </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.399999618530273px;">keen observation, years of studying God's Word, and a lifetime of trial and error</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.399999618530273px;">. With her signature dash of humor, she takes a candid look at attitudes and behavior that can make or break a relationship, the difference in how men and women think and approach life, and the importance of honest communication. You’ll find danger signs, roadblocks to bypass, and Scriptures to personalize and pray on a daily basis. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.399999618530273px;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This journey won’t be perfect, and the road is guaranteed to be full of potholes. But if you’re ready to learn a few truths that will make marriage strong—and a lot of things that will destroy it—buckle your seat belt and let’s get this bus moving.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I'm thrilled to welcome Andrea to Out of the Boat today!</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Who then is that
faithful and wise steward?<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Luke 12:42 NKJV<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“You want
us to do <i>what</i>? You’ve got to be
kidding!”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">That was
my response when my husband first suggested we live on a budget. We were barely
getting by, our paychecks spent before we ever saw them. The thought of taking
our meager income and slicing and dicing it into categories seemed ridiculous.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">After
many discussions about this new financial strategy, I finally relented. I was
willing to give it a try, if only to prove it wouldn’t work. When I sat down
with my checkbook, calculator, and notebook—stretching a few dollars into
categories such as tithe, housing, utilities, food, insurance, car, and
miscellaneous—the numbers were comical.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“This is
crazy,” I said. “We’re in worse shape than ever.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">My
husband just smiled that <i>knowing</i>
smile of his. “Be patient. It may take a few weeks to get us on track, but
we’ll be better off.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Better
off? <i>Right.</i> Be patient? <i>Easy for him to say. </i>How was I supposed
to pad those pages and pay our bills at the same time? I balked. I complained.
I wrung my hands. Then I did what I should have done in the first place—I
prayed. <i>Lord, if this is the right thing
for us, please show me what to do.<o:p></o:p></i></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It’s
amazing what God will do when we invite Him to get involved in our <i>stuff</i>. In less than a month, the balance
in our checkbook went from less than $100 to over $1,000. Our bills were all
paid on time, our other needs met, and there was even money left over toward
the next month’s expenses. We could also see exactly where our money was going,
eliminating a lot of waste.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD4BjwAvCQPnReRHQexI9DZjMAx9wwpKw5C9P3Rkyi1cH76zwe5hxG1OZBj7HCi6p1agOyoXekaHvJEREpPpwGlZe6ddaqRVJYd7uYBsfa1oLmyLfA3A78LkhuaBQyPQDwEikXVHetxCp7/s1600/Marriage+cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="500" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD4BjwAvCQPnReRHQexI9DZjMAx9wwpKw5C9P3Rkyi1cH76zwe5hxG1OZBj7HCi6p1agOyoXekaHvJEREpPpwGlZe6ddaqRVJYd7uYBsfa1oLmyLfA3A78LkhuaBQyPQDwEikXVHetxCp7/s320/Marriage+cover.jpg" width="213" /></span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">What appeared
to be financial bondage actually turned out to be financial freedom. For the
first time in our lives, we didn’t have to wonder where the money would come
from. In a very short time, my categories were full, and I even added savings
and vacation. My years of worry over having enough money to survive had come to
an end—thanks to God and my wise husband.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It’s been
over thirty years since I created that notebook, and I still use it to this
day. In fact, I can’t imagine <i>not</i>
being on a budget, especially in this crazy economy. It has provided tremendous peace of mind.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">If you’re
in a hard place financially, living paycheck to paycheck, give budgeting a try.
It might be difficult in the beginning, but the benefits will be well worth the
effort. </span><span style="font-family: Cambria;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="_Hlk484429067"><span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt;">Andrea Merrell is an associate editor with
Christian Devotions Ministries and Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas. She
is also a professional freelance editor and was a finalist for the 2016 Editor
of the Year Award at BRMCWC. She teaches workshops at writers’ conferences and
has been published in numerous anthologies and online venues. Andrea is a
graduate of Christian Communicators and a finalist in the 2015 USA Best Book
Awards. She is the author of </span></a><a href="http://amzn.to/1HlRLmy"><span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt;">Murder of a Manuscript</span></a><span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt;"> and<i> </i></span><a href="http://amzn.to/1BFOhK9"><span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt;">Praying for the Prodigal</span></a><span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt;">. Her newest book, </span><a href="http://amzn.to/2qxucJ7"><span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt;">Marriage: Make It or Break It</span></a><span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt;">, is now available on </span><a href="http://amzn.to/2qxucJ7"><span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt;">Amazon</span></a><span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt;">. For more information visit </span><a href="http://www.andreamerrell.com/"><span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt;">www.AndreaMerrell.com</span></a><span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt;"> or </span><a href="http://www.thewriteediting.com/"><span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt;">www.TheWriteEditing.com</span></a><span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt;">. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--EndFragment--></div>
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</div>Lynn Huggins Blackburnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08428025001385738854noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7873337566350522288.post-67100411111940759932017-07-06T08:37:00.000-04:002017-07-06T08:37:20.136-04:00The Unglamorous Life of a Writer<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeulZWnmYS0fwCmCBQlX2xC-qjXAzwLI4ZXsAbCKaUAkgM71F4k_-Tq9GXZNwrbmFJMDMyuQpO1KQeVslhLsC-9NoKdW4KraALCqqE_eRqDJnF7NQqjG117o8Vy8FSESKbS48SHfVA1kPb/s1600/The+Unglamorous+Life+of+a+Writer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="800" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeulZWnmYS0fwCmCBQlX2xC-qjXAzwLI4ZXsAbCKaUAkgM71F4k_-Tq9GXZNwrbmFJMDMyuQpO1KQeVslhLsC-9NoKdW4KraALCqqE_eRqDJnF7NQqjG117o8Vy8FSESKbS48SHfVA1kPb/s320/The+Unglamorous+Life+of+a+Writer.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">If you’ve hung around the writing world for long, you’ve heard it before . . . <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<li style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">Being a published author does not magically fix all your problems.</span></li>
<li style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">Being a published author does not mean you’ll spend your days fending off random fans when you’re buying groceries.</span></li>
<li style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">Being a published author does not mean you’ll spend your days in a lovely office overlooking a serene pastoral setting as you churn out novel after novel.</span><span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"> </span></li>
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<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"><b>But . . . </b>come on. It has to help. Right? It has to be more good than bad. At least when you get “The Call” or reach new writing milestones, there will be parties and well-wishes and celebratory balloons falling from the ceiling. Right?</span></div>
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="more" style="color: #4d5355; font-family: Arsenal, sans-serif; font-size: 18px;"></a><span style="color: #4d5355; font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 18px;"><o:p></o:p></span><br style="color: #4d5355; font-family: Arsenal, sans-serif; font-size: 18px;" /><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: #4d5355; font-family: Arsenal, sans-serif; font-size: 18px;">
<b><span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">Well . . .</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">I did hear one story where an author went to check in for a flight and the ticket clerk looked at her license, and then looked at her, and then <b>promptly bumped her to First Class</b> after telling her that she reads everything she writes. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"><b>So, it happens! </b>But my highly (un)scientific research has revealed that these kinds of events happen about as often as a <a href="https://www.greatamericaneclipse.com/future/" style="color: #7f9198; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: rgb(190, 200, 204) 0px 0px 3px; text-transform: uppercase;">total solar eclipse traverses the entire country</a>. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">In the interest of bringing you the true side of the publishing life, here are a few representative samples of the real, (un)glamorous lives of published authors.</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: #4d5355; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://thewriteconversation.blogspot.com/2017/07/the-unglamorous-life-of-writer.html"><i>It's the first Thursday of the month so as always, I'm over at The Write Conversation. Click on over to read the rest of the story! </i></a></span></b></div>
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</div>Lynn Huggins Blackburnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08428025001385738854noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7873337566350522288.post-15489354473642123152017-06-17T16:05:00.000-04:002017-06-17T16:05:04.065-04:00The First Blank Page<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ-arbcz3MH-151UmGgp7rLr6ht5hYDvK6Waq_m1Q9RNmHLzxsZsJiQtMyN2m84b78qBwLwyLPRjoaR56NKAAl_9lRCAzdxPcqOuYQcoxD415ab2pLOMl-jrwSmKUisX2k6V4JsOegg8OA/s1600/You+might+not+write+well+every+day%252C+but+you+can+always+edit+a+bad+page.+You+can%2527t+edit+a+blank+page.+Jodi+Picoult.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="800" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ-arbcz3MH-151UmGgp7rLr6ht5hYDvK6Waq_m1Q9RNmHLzxsZsJiQtMyN2m84b78qBwLwyLPRjoaR56NKAAl_9lRCAzdxPcqOuYQcoxD415ab2pLOMl-jrwSmKUisX2k6V4JsOegg8OA/s320/You+might+not+write+well+every+day%252C+but+you+can+always+edit+a+bad+page.+You+can%2527t+edit+a+blank+page.+Jodi+Picoult.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>I'm starting a new book today. </b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Oh, I've been working on it for weeks, but today is the first time I'm taking the ideas and brainstorming and plots and characters and putting them on the page.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Today, I'm turning these characters loose and letting them come alive - and hanging on for the ride they will take me on. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Everyone approaches their writing a little bit differently. No writer has exactly the same method as another. For me, staring at the very first blank page is humbling. And terrifying. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>So before I put a word on the screen, I offered all of it up to the One I write for</b>. I recommitted myself, my words, my stories, and my characters to Him. I asked Him to use all of it - every word - for His Glory and to fulfill His purposes. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I prayed for my readers, my publisher, my editors, my brainstorming buddies, and my sources. I prayed for endurance and focus and I asked for an outpouring of creativity from the Creator. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL4oj_LmUj4-TIOy78jXWr6ityQqDKVHc3TIWmfWwOXcxw0DaEVV11qgftxJmQ2FYZW56GsRqHQmvUyGAxkJ6mjcZ0qJoVwJHy1KL4ckSR_6dn5Vxnw0vW2_NYbQGWrcBE-6qcOuM2MwXz/s1600/The+LORD+will+fulfill+His+purposes+for+me_+do+not+forsake+the+work+of+your+hands.+Psalm+138_8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="512" data-original-width="1024" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL4oj_LmUj4-TIOy78jXWr6ityQqDKVHc3TIWmfWwOXcxw0DaEVV11qgftxJmQ2FYZW56GsRqHQmvUyGAxkJ6mjcZ0qJoVwJHy1KL4ckSR_6dn5Vxnw0vW2_NYbQGWrcBE-6qcOuM2MwXz/s320/The+LORD+will+fulfill+His+purposes+for+me_+do+not+forsake+the+work+of+your+hands.+Psalm+138_8.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>And now, I ask you, to join me.</b> Every stage of a book has it's own issues, but for a recovering perfectionist like me, the beginning is fraught with challenges. Would you pray specifically over the next couple of weeks that a solid foundation will be laid for this story? </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">In addition, there is a very difficult topic at the heart of this book. The research I've done and continue to do is hard. </span><b style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I covet your prayers as I dig deep into a very real and present evil in our communities. </b><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">There are things you can't "un-know" and whether this story changes anyone else, writing it absolutely will change me.</span><b style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> I pray it does. </b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>This book is due in early December</b> which means I want to finish it by the end of September so I have a couple of months to do the revisions before it goes to my editor. So when I'm not running kids to camps and swimming pools and football fields, I'll be working on this story. What are your plans for this summer? How can I pray for you? I'd love to hear about it in the comments. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Grace & peace,</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Lynn</span></div>
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</div>Lynn Huggins Blackburnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08428025001385738854noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7873337566350522288.post-16137864158079067012017-06-05T09:35:00.001-04:002017-06-05T09:35:33.121-04:00Hidden Legacy Fun!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZvEUkpiNGKeKKxaKw3S414NDe632uHWAmP9Vx37KkQEVNJ_BjxxkoOazdbHP-tobeZE0Fo0SiUoFI5rLmUCrmmIPowPdp3EYyLQaGHL_mGgQp1MN3Yhb5IPH4kLEW-JJtfB5oY8mlHLwe/s1600/9780373457137.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1011" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZvEUkpiNGKeKKxaKw3S414NDe632uHWAmP9Vx37KkQEVNJ_BjxxkoOazdbHP-tobeZE0Fo0SiUoFI5rLmUCrmmIPowPdp3EYyLQaGHL_mGgQp1MN3Yhb5IPH4kLEW-JJtfB5oY8mlHLwe/s320/9780373457137.jpg" width="202" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">There's a lot going on in the <b><i>Hidden Legacy</i></b> world this week! Paperback copies have been flying off the shelf in my local Walmart. If you spot it in a store, I'd LOVE for you to take a picture and send it to me! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Tuesday (paperback release day!) I'll be participating in a <a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/1128870380572149/?acontext=%7B%22source%22%3A5%2C%22page_id_source%22%3A1508120545907435%2C%22action_history%22%3A[%7B%22surface%22%3A%22page%22%2C%22mechanism%22%3A%22main_list%22%2C%22extra_data%22%3A%22%7B%5C%22page_id%5C%22%3A1508120545907435%2C%5C%22tour_id%5C%22%3Anull%7D%22%7D]%2C%22has_source%22%3Atrue%7D">Facebook party with fifteen Love Inspired authors. </a></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJhYoWIFNjXe0J43tPVBYH8_PP9uVpWA5xaWI3BEPzqmHY1Quhp_Powq3lQGKMVn0qttssmwLRXfdSFupDndPVd5Q7YlK_7mfbP-WJiJTpRAwkd7zn0RPG5qsWrsccCOA_KBcAjR_FeAtZ/s1600/18238008_722126597969315_3474483448969433060_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="996" data-original-width="1500" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJhYoWIFNjXe0J43tPVBYH8_PP9uVpWA5xaWI3BEPzqmHY1Quhp_Powq3lQGKMVn0qttssmwLRXfdSFupDndPVd5Q7YlK_7mfbP-WJiJTpRAwkd7zn0RPG5qsWrsccCOA_KBcAjR_FeAtZ/s320/18238008_722126597969315_3474483448969433060_o.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I'll be chatting from 5:30-5:45 p.m. and we'll be talking about my hometown, the wonder that is Hot Dog World (yes, it is a real place and it's fabulous!) and what it was like to bring the secondary characters from <b><i>Covert Justice</i></b> to life in <b><i>Hidden Legacy</i></b>. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">If you've never participated in one of these parties, you've really should stop by! It's a great way to meet authors and have a chance to win free books! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Over on <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/">Goodreads</a> I'm having a giveaway! </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I'd love for you to enter to win one of two copies of <b><i>Hidden Legacy</i></b>!</span><br />
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<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/" target="_new">Goodreads</a> Book Giveaway
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/32905279"><img alt="Hidden Legacy by Lynn Huggins Blackburn" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1496300402l/32905279.jpg" title="Hidden Legacy by Lynn Huggins Blackburn" width="100" /></a>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/32905279">Hidden Legacy</a>
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by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/10631390.Lynn_Huggins_Blackburn" style="text-decoration: none;">Lynn Huggins Blackburn</a>
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Giveaway ends June 12, 2017.<br />
See the <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/show/239394" style="text-decoration: none;">giveaway details</a>
at Goodreads.
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<a class="goodreadsGiveawayWidgetEnterLink" href="https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/enter_choose_address/239394">Enter Giveaway</a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I've been overwhelmed by the positive response to <b><i>Hidden Legacy</i></b>! Thank you all!!</span><div class="blogger-post-footer"><script expr:src='"http://feeds.feedburner.com/~s/blogspot/gwnBbX?i=" + data:post.url' type="text/javascript" charset="utf-8"></script>
</div>Lynn Huggins Blackburnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08428025001385738854noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7873337566350522288.post-44203699497760035832017-06-01T21:37:00.003-04:002017-06-01T21:37:48.358-04:00Hidden Legacy is here!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg69I8ofBDp-7eFDBwIsePPILcFWK4tPr0wh6E-8EATbOiBPscrVUamE61nt0LH4ZktjyDgfmiu0Iu8E47xuzMQWK2UqQPCPQO1ssdKKkZh5RtOn2e5e99xUYuISyjux777hFXcbIFG1KQN/s1600/HL_ReleaseDay.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="800" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg69I8ofBDp-7eFDBwIsePPILcFWK4tPr0wh6E-8EATbOiBPscrVUamE61nt0LH4ZktjyDgfmiu0Iu8E47xuzMQWK2UqQPCPQO1ssdKKkZh5RtOn2e5e99xUYuISyjux777hFXcbIFG1KQN/s640/HL_ReleaseDay.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">The e-book versions of <b><i>Hidden Legacy</i></b> released today! The paperback version doesn't officially release until June 6th, but it has been spotted in my local Walmart. Maybe it's in a store near you! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">If you haven't read <b><i>Covert Justice</i></b>, then I can't wait for you to meet Caroline Harrison and Detective Jason Drake.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">If you *have* read <b><i>Covert Justice</i></b>, then you'll enjoy getting to know Caroline better :) . . . and yes, you'll get to spend a little bit more time with Heidi, Blake, Max, and Sara. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">If you spot <b><i>Hidden Legacy</i></b> in the store, I'd love for you to share a photo with me on social media and be sure to tag me!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">And did you know the best way to show an author some love is to leave a review on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, ChristianBook.com, Goodreads, or anywhere books are reviewed? Well, it is. :) </span></div>
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</div>Lynn Huggins Blackburnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08428025001385738854noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7873337566350522288.post-88432596362181274092017-06-01T15:14:00.000-04:002017-06-01T15:14:10.703-04:00First-Timer to Faculty <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">When I started writing for <a href="http://thewriteconversation.blogspot.com/2017/06/from-first-timer-to-faculty-unique-look.html">The Write Conversation</a> in 2010, I had just attended my very first conference—the <a href="http://www.blueridgeconference.com/">Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference. </a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">In the years since, I’ve gone from conference newbie to conference regular to published author to . . . conference faculty. This year I’ll be serving on the faculty of three different conferences ranging from small and intimate to huge.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">I consider myself to be a faculty newbie so I thought it might be fun to pull back the curtain on the faculty experience.</span></b><br /><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="more"></a><b><span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Here are a few things you should know about the faculty of many of the conferences you’re attending . . .</span></span></div>
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<b><span style="color: #4d5355; font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: medium;">As always, I'm guest posting over at <a href="http://thewriteconversation.blogspot.com/2017/06/from-first-timer-to-faculty-unique-look.html">The Write Conversation</a> today. Click on over to read the rest of the post!</span></b></div>
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</div>Lynn Huggins Blackburnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08428025001385738854noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7873337566350522288.post-17150373445379948982017-04-06T09:08:00.002-04:002017-04-06T09:08:48.288-04:00The Write Conversation <a href="http://www.thewriteconversation.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://ediemelson.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/EM_contributor-btn-e1490742030129.png" /></a><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://thewriteconversation.blogspot.com/">The Write Conversation</a> has been recognized by <a href="http://www.writersdigest.com/">Writer's Digest</a> as one of the top <b>101 Best Writing Websites</b>!!! It is an absolute privilege to a be a monthly contributor to The Write Conversation. I've been posting on the first Thursday of the month since 2010 and the posts I share there are some of my favorite things I write each month.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Crazy congratulations to the writing genius behind The Write Conversation, Edie Melson. And a huge THANK YOU to Edie for allowing me to be a small part of this amazing online community!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Here's a snippet of <a href="http://thewriteconversation.blogspot.com/2017/04/dont-overlook-valuable-writing.html">this month's post!</a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Don't Overlook Valuable Writing Connections</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://thewriteconversation.blogspot.com/2017/03/9-things-i-wish-id-known-at-beginning.html?showComment=1488480968995#c1180736260558100782" style="color: #7f9198; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: rgb(190, 200, 204) 0px 0px 3px;" target="_blank">Last month I wrote about some of the things I wish I’d known when my writing journey began</a><span style="color: #4d5355; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 18px;">. Today, I want to share something else that may be beneficial, whether you’ve only dipped your toes in the writing waters or have been swimming along for a while now.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Here it is . . .<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">In my humble opinion, your fellow writers are at least as important and in many cases are more important to your success than any agent or editor.</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Now hear me out on this. I have the BEST agent. BEST. There is no way I would be where I am today without her. I have been privileged to work with AMAZING editors. The kind of editors who tell you half the story works and half of it doesn’t and you wind up being so glad you listened to them. There are a couple of awards on my mantle that would NOT be there without my editor.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">So don’t anyone read this and think I’m saying that editors and agents aren’t important. They are. In fact, they are often referred to as the gatekeepers of the industry. Which is true. And that’s why it makes sense that writers often feel the opportunity to pitch to a particular agent or editor is the holy grail. The key to their publishing success.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">And, in some cases, it is. But . . . not always.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">*****</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>I'd love for you to come over to <a href="http://thewriteconversation.blogspot.com/2017/04/dont-overlook-valuable-writing.html">The Write Conversation</a> to read the rest of the story!</i></span></div>
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</div>Lynn Huggins Blackburnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08428025001385738854noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7873337566350522288.post-84515915569843932152017-04-05T18:00:00.000-04:002017-04-05T18:00:00.184-04:00Exciting Book News<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I know things have been pretty quiet over here on the blog. But I promise, I haven't been being lazy. I've been writing every spare minute of the day because....I have just signed a 3-Book Contract with Revell! The first book, <b><i>Beneath the Surface</i></b>, is due to my editor on April 30 and will release Spring 2018. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I've known about this for a couple of months and keeping it a secret has been killing me! I am overwhelmed with gratitude for this amazing opportunity and I covet your prayers as I jump into this new adventure!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">There will be much more news in the days and weeks ahead, so stay tuned.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">And if you want to get all the news FIRST, be sure to <a href="http://eepurl.com/bjbuKb">sign up for my newsletter</a>. Newsletter subscribers get first dibs on everything, from the latest publishing news to book giveaways. </span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The contract!</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4LtutnWY0G4rVlD6aaVJZk3igiHwO-4xOd-3xyktjz-tdxfgtFRqEQNPN-qxUi0RKOJv5hO8RbNXS5yx9rMAL1wK_WS1ZeQ3XuhlpqLStWj8hLv5AkvUNE2JWXKM5ghyphenhyphenBEoYuNdoN0AKf/s1600/ContractSigning2-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4LtutnWY0G4rVlD6aaVJZk3igiHwO-4xOd-3xyktjz-tdxfgtFRqEQNPN-qxUi0RKOJv5hO8RbNXS5yx9rMAL1wK_WS1ZeQ3XuhlpqLStWj8hLv5AkvUNE2JWXKM5ghyphenhyphenBEoYuNdoN0AKf/s320/ContractSigning2-2.jpg" width="236" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2c6zQTEj56JRVHBwAGYMwerf89aEln8IPM9XBsNW_aTKGODX-pP85LSZ9lufL6PELqJTpknmY4Y5I1zlkcTseK82t6SlGBVg798Z8qiN-nV-J_fVSBWCFu6t4GnA-Sr514ev9NGwPnVfl/s1600/ContractSigning1-3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2c6zQTEj56JRVHBwAGYMwerf89aEln8IPM9XBsNW_aTKGODX-pP85LSZ9lufL6PELqJTpknmY4Y5I1zlkcTseK82t6SlGBVg798Z8qiN-nV-J_fVSBWCFu6t4GnA-Sr514ev9NGwPnVfl/s320/ContractSigning1-3.jpg" width="218" /></a></div>
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</div>Lynn Huggins Blackburnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08428025001385738854noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7873337566350522288.post-17838020030192094332017-03-04T14:17:00.000-05:002017-03-04T14:17:26.144-05:009 Things I Wish I'd Known at the Beginning of My Writing Journey<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="color: #4d5355; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 18px;">Over the past few weeks, I’ve been thinking a lot about my early years as a writer. </span><span style="color: #4d5355; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 18px;">I had no idea what I was doing and I was so eager to learn. I took courses and went to critique groups and attended conferences, all in an effort to figure out how to do this writing thing right. </span><span style="color: #4d5355; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 18px;">And do you know what I remember most about that time?</span><div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Being confused.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">There are so many different books, different authors, different opinions.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Here are a few…</span></div>
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<li style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Outlines are a must. Outlines are evil.</span></li>
<li style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Read everything. Don’t read much at all.</span></li>
<li style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Write in the morning. Write at night.</span></li>
<li style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Write every day. Write 1000 words a day. Write 2 hours a day. Write at the same time every day.</span></li>
<li style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Edit as you go. Finish your first draft before you revise a word.</span></li>
<li style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Use Scrivener. Only use Word.</span></li>
<li style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Critique groups are a must. Critique groups are a waste of time.</span></li>
<li style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Join ten different professional organizations. Don’t join any.</span></li>
<li style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Get an agent. Don’t get an agent.</span></li>
<li style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Traditional! Indie!</span></li>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Are you confused yet?</b> I know I certainly was. As a card carrying member of the Perfectionistic People Pleasers Club, all the different opinions made it very hard for me to figure out what *my* writing process was. I was terribly afraid that someone was going to find out how I was doing it and they were going to tell me that I was doing it ALL wrong.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #4d5355; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><i>You can read the rest of this post over at <a href="http://thewriteconversation.blogspot.com/2017/03/9-things-i-wish-id-known-at-beginning.html">The Write Conversation</a>. I hope you'll click over and join the conversation! </i></span></div>
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</div>Lynn Huggins Blackburnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08428025001385738854noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7873337566350522288.post-50262507604785601002017-02-03T23:05:00.000-05:002017-02-03T23:05:22.327-05:00Hidden Legacy Cover Reveal!<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Just wanted to pop in here to share the latest writing news...</span><div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My June release has a cover!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Readers of <b><i>Covert Justice</i></b> know Caroline as Blake Harrison's younger sister, and many have been asking for her story. I can't wait for new readers to meet Caroline Harrison and her long-lost best friend (and not-so-secret high school crush), Detective Jason Drake.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Here's the back cover blurb:</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Arriving home with the baby she's adopting, Caroline Harrison finds her house vandalized…and an intruder intent on shooting her. She's saved when police sirens approach, but all signs point to the little boy as the true target—and the assailant won't give up. Now she has to rely on Detective Jason Drake, the man who once broke her heart, to figure out why someone's after her soon-to-be adoptive son. Reunited after thirteen years apart, Jason can't help but hope their love might be rekindled, but Caroline and her son's safety come first. Because if he wants a chance at a future—and a family—with them, they have to outrun a hit man.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #333333;">So....What do you think? </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #333333;"><b><i>Hidden Legacy</i></b> will hit store shelves in June, but opportunities to win free copies will start popping up as early as April. And all the major online retailers already have it up for preorder. </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">As always, the BEST way to keep up-to-date is to sign up for my newsletter. I make sure newsletter subscribers get the best info first. (They got an email yesterday with the cover reveal and lots of behind-the-scenes info). <a href="http://lynnhugginsblackburn.us10.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=72aacf4c5fe382228bca94444&id=7480993f9c">You can sign up here. </a></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Grace and peace,</span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Lynn</span></div>
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</div>Lynn Huggins Blackburnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08428025001385738854noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7873337566350522288.post-70259959366063286412017-01-17T21:55:00.002-05:002017-01-17T21:55:30.558-05:00Deep Work by Cal Newport<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I always have a blog post up over at The Write Conversation on the first Thursday of the month. </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I do NOT always remember to cross post it here. Yikes!</span><div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Starting off this new year, I'm sharing my thoughts about a book called <i>Deep Work</i> by Cal Newport. It's a fascinating book and one that I think would be interesting for writers and non-writers. My husband is reading it now. :) </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2016 was a great year. <b><i>Covert Justice </i></b>won a couple of amazing awards and I'm still smiling about them. Then I sold my next book to Love Inspired Suspense and that pretty much summed up the rest of the year! I was very busy with the revisions for <b><i>Hidden Legacy</i></b>, which will release in June! I'm hoping to have a cover reveal for all of you soon. (I've seen the first version of it and I love it!) </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2016 was also a crazy year for me. Juggling homeschooling the boys, Emma's unique needs, being a wife, mother, friend, sister, daughter, and author...it's a lot! I know many of you can relate. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Deep Work</i> has been instrumental in helping me redefine my work habits as 2017 begins. And so far, implementing some of his strategies is paying off.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Here's a teaser of what I had to say over at <a href="http://thewriteconversation.blogspot.com/2017/01/finding-writing-focus-after-distracted.html">The Write Conversation</a>...</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Finding Writing Focus after a Distracted Year</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It’s a new year and if you’re anything like me, what worked in 2014 and 2015 did not work so well in 2016. You’d love to be more productive in 2017. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I know for myself, I have to find a better way to do things or I’m going to be in really big trouble. This realization has been growing for a few months and it hit hard during the holidays.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So I did what I usually do when I want to learn something.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I went to the library.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I picked up a book called </span><b style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i><a href="http://calnewport.com/books/deep-work/">Deep Work</a></i></b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> by Cal Newport and I’m not going to sugarcoat this…it isn’t for everyone. Some people will not like his suggestions. Some people will not like the way he digs into the science and the metrics and the business-side of things. (Personally? My little nerdy, engineering, geeky self loved it.)</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">But with a subtitle like, “Rules for focused success in a distracted world” you can bet that it IS for a lot of people, including a lot of writers. <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I know—knew before I read <b><i><a href="http://calnewport.com/books/deep-work/">Deep Work</a></i></b>—that something is going on in my brain that makes it very hard for me to concentrate on anything—good or bad, easy or hard—for more than a little while before I need a distraction of some sort. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">And here’s the thing—I don’t have time for that mess. When I get time to write, I need to be able to write. I don’t have time for quizzes about which Harry Potter character I am (there’s a hint for you in this post) or how OCD I am (I bet you can guess that one, too) but that doesn’t mean I won’t catch myself burning up precious creative time with junk like that. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Don’t get me wrong—there’s nothing inherently wrong with a Facebook quiz and that <a href="https://mobunited.wordpress.com/2016/12/28/leia-organa-a-critical-obituary/" style="color: #721818; text-decoration: none;">obituary for Leia Organa was brilliant</a>—but what is wrong is when I feel almost helpless to stop myself from frittering away valuable time on something that is virtually meaningless.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I can’t be the only one who feels like her brain has turned on her. (Right?)<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>You can read the rest of the post <a href="http://thewriteconversation.blogspot.com/2017/01/finding-writing-focus-after-distracted.html">here</a>. </i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #281c11; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14.850000381469727px;">Thanks to those of you who have checked in on me. I promise that my "What I Learned ..." posts will be back starting this month, as well as all the fun stuff leading up to the release of <i>Hidden Legacy</i>. </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #281c11; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14.850000381469727px;">I'm so looking forward to all the 2017 holds!</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #281c11; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14.850000381469727px;">Grace and peace,</span></span></div>
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<i><span style="color: #281c11; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14.850000381469727px;">Lynn</span></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">P.S. In case you're interested, here are some of my posts from The Write Conversation from the end of 2016...</span></div>
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<a href="http://thewriteconversation.blogspot.com/2016/12/every-good-endeavor-book-for-writers.html" style="color: #281c11; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.850000381469727px;">Every Good Endeavor by Tim Keller</a><span style="color: #281c11; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14.850000381469727px;"> - not a writing book, but so important for everyone who has ever wondered if their work matters</span></span></div>
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<a href="http://thewriteconversation.blogspot.com/2016/11/a-great-book-for-writers-chunky-method.html">The Chunky Method Handbook by Allie Pleiter</a> - great book for writers</div>
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<a href="http://thewriteconversation.blogspot.com/2016/10/the-story-of-witha-book-for-all.html">The Story of With by Allen Arnold</a> - seriously, everyone needs to read this book</div>
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<a href="http://thewriteconversation.blogspot.com/2016/09/one-writers-first-experience-at-acfw.html">My Impressions of the ACFW Conference</a> - this was my very first time attending ACFW and it was amazing</div>
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</div>Lynn Huggins Blackburnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08428025001385738854noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7873337566350522288.post-65210597391133438182016-09-27T15:07:00.001-04:002016-09-27T15:07:55.019-04:00Jesus and the Beanstalk by Lori Roeleveld<div align="left" style="line-height: normal;">
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<strong><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I've been hearing about this book for a while now. Heard it wasn't like anything else out there. Heard it wasn't going to be "for everybody." </span></strong><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>Once I finally got my hands on it, I understood.</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>It is NOT like any thing I've ever read. It's part Christian living, but not like what you think of when you hear "Christian living." It's part devotional, but not like what you think of when you hear "devotional."</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>It is other.</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>Which is appropriate, because overcoming giants? Living a fruitful life? That requires something OTHER.</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>You don't need me to tell me you that. You already know. You already know that the usual stuff isn't going to cut it. And that's why you need to read this book. </b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>Lori is not interested in patting you on the back and telling you a fluffy story. This is a grown up story for grown ups fighting grown up giants in grown up battles.</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>If you're looking for a book full of platitudes that will make you feel better, this book isn't for you. If you're happy remaining childish in your faith, then you should pass.</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>But it you want to take your childLIKE faith and put some muscle on it? </b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>If you want to explore what virtue looks like in this day and age?</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>If you want to learn how to use Biblical knowledge in battle?</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>If you have issues with self-control (um, ouch), know you aren't always as steadfast as you should be, get a little nervous about "godliness," struggle with how to juggle affection and confrontation, and suspect that there is something missing in the way you love...then </b><i>Jesus and the Beanstalk </i><b>could be the very thing you didn't even realize you were looking for.</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>I know. Some of you are getting a little antsy. This sounds a lot like to-dos and those of us who consider ourselves to be recovering legalists tend to have a knee-jerk reaction to anyone telling us we NEED to do ANYTHING other than trust in Jesus.</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>Relax.</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>This book is not about condemnation. </b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>This book is not about doing more or pulling yourself up by your own bootstraps.</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>It IS about putting on the whole armor of God. </b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>It IS about growing in our understanding of Scripture.</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>It IS about seeking holiness and righteousness.</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>It IS about Biblical sanctification. </b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: century gothic, itc avant garde, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>It is OTHER.</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>And it can help you live a life that will point others to Jesus and the extraordinary, better-than-any-fairytale life He offers.</b></span><br />
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<strong>About the book:</strong> <em><br /><strong><br /></strong></em></div>
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<em>Jesus and the Beanstalk: Overcoming Your Giants and Living a Fruitful Life</em> (Abingdon Press, September 2016)<br />
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<strong>What if a fairy tale and ten Bible verses could free you to live an effective, fruitful life in Christ?</strong><br />
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We live in unsettling, challenging times. Everywhere we look, we see giant problems: giant obstacles to sharing faith, giant barriers to peaceful lives, giant strongholds of fear. But what if you knew eight small secrets to unlocking a strength big enough to overcome whatever obstacle life may bring?</div>
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Using allegory and a bit of humor, <em>Jesus and the Beanstalk</em>explores a passage in 2 Peter 1 to uncover eight truths that will help you unleash a larger-than-life faith:<br />
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-Faith</div>
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-Goodness</div>
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-Knowledge</div>
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-Self-control</div>
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-Perseverance</div>
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-Godliness</div>
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-Affection for others</div>
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-Love</div>
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In this creative, refreshing perspective on spiritual growth, you will discover an unyielding strength when you tap the power of a God who is stronger than any beanstalk and bigger than your biggest giants.<br />
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<strong>Purchase a copy:</strong> <a alt="http://bit.ly/2dcnopJ" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001Wc0Up3_fq0aV6U9iQ4JGXgZSZqZv7WqFUmI_vXK2tQYdEiuFN76MdJIF_JeNjMJCLtr-Ij2Knzwsi7dAAbeqa7iE8Dyy3oVcSHq0h9Oi7Hw9YwiR1I97l1W_nFP59rr8jvYmRQohdbEA9tyLxHYlu98DIAQ36MjEzSh_TGaOraI=&c=lYpG-5NoUaznqffu8gR1BZfDAUIiiWKsNatKgZ2DcG84EufFXeeVGg==&ch=McLV5JoAbNYDDdZQrsHw4083WL0f-DUYDyMJEX6lZoiKrXasov4CgQ==" linktype="1" shape="rect" style="color: #6ba3a6;" target="_blank" track="on">http://bit.ly/2dcnopJ</a><br />
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<div align="left" style="font-family: 'Century Gothic', 'ITC Avant Garde', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; line-height: normal;">
<strong>About the author:</strong></div>
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<strong><img align="right" border="0" height="210" hspace="5" name="ACCOUNT.IMAGE.1226" src="https://files.constantcontact.com/d06cdd88001/88a5530c-4ac9-4748-bf5b-84f7eae6e48a.jpg" vspace="5" width="158" /></strong></div>
<strong>
Lori Stanley Roeleveld</strong> is the author of <em>Running from a Crazy Man (and other adventures traveling with Jesus)</em> and <em>Red Pen Redemption</em>. Her blog, <a href="http://loriroeleveld.com/">LoriRoeleveld.com</a>, was voted Top 100 Christian Blogs by <a href="http://redeeminggod.com/">RedeemingGod.com</a> and has enjoyed over 1.5 million views. Lori lives in Hope Valley, RI.</div>
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</div>Lynn Huggins Blackburnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08428025001385738854noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7873337566350522288.post-87874043869892574952016-09-15T06:00:00.000-04:002016-09-15T06:00:28.671-04:00God Calls Everyone to Care, But . . .<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieBMXyVu7F0zV812VzSJZfQGKGc-Mz84og1RfxIQzuK8wyK0_OCrH11qjs67XCD68IagAZuZke0Ol6VI9i_zuw5MkJ9cmGuN8fz0Fe4wHTn7Wk8bLdnrIVJbGNPB2OCXQDNpuxDjUh6uJO/s1600/gettyimages-591717242_custom-f98328fcdb082ecc3bee9051d117dcdfb523e988-s700-c85.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieBMXyVu7F0zV812VzSJZfQGKGc-Mz84og1RfxIQzuK8wyK0_OCrH11qjs67XCD68IagAZuZke0Ol6VI9i_zuw5MkJ9cmGuN8fz0Fe4wHTn7Wk8bLdnrIVJbGNPB2OCXQDNpuxDjUh6uJO/s320/gettyimages-591717242_custom-f98328fcdb082ecc3bee9051d117dcdfb523e988-s700-c85.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The <a href="http://www.preemptivelove.org/what_is_aleppo_syria_civil_war">image flooded social media and I couldn’t look away</a>. A little boy covered in dust, dazed, alone, having been pulled from the rubble of a building. A little boy who could have been my Drew. Same size. Same age.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">What if that had been Drew?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">What if that was our life?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">My questions bubbled into lament. <b>Why, God? How can You stand it? </b>How can You let it go on? And how can You tolerate those of us who go on about our lives as if there is nothing seriously messed up about our world?</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I sobbed. I raged. I begged God to show me what I could do. </span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I know He calls average moms to extraordinary work. They visit a slum, a quarry, a certain street, and nothing is ever the same. They begin ministries that save thousands of lives from slavery and starvation. I could do that, too.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>I was willing.</b> As a teenager I was ready to go anywhere. Learn any language. Take any risk to spread the gospel. I was standing on my tiptoes in the dugout, ready to take my place in the lineup. But I never got the call. Not for that, anyway.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I went to college. Got married. Got a good job. Had a daughter, then a son. I started writing, and we had another son, and then the writing took off and I got published! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">And then God led our family to homeschool the boys. Homeschooling! I did NOT see that coming but, okay. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I continue to homeschool and write and God has continued to bless those pursuits, but as I sat there bawling my eyes out over a very real child halfway around the world, I had to ask . . . What about the <i>big</i> stuff, God? What can I <i>do</i>?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Crickets.</b> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">(You know how it is when your kids have really ticked you off and you don’t speak so you can avoid saying something you’ll regret? Yeah…this silence may have been a much holier version of that…read on).</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMkxnXIMCrJzOmh2s1Em8yXOJ9D5a9rXU7n6xnTdaQmuqCaI88gxZbzvybrFUxclNANRQa63HuvJb83D5jI4c1gAYyPcXrxTVIMa66ciMO8JsxmsysMtuRFSPU7M4RZxvZHiJxc_tpDqMv/s1600/baseball-player-673416_1280.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMkxnXIMCrJzOmh2s1Em8yXOJ9D5a9rXU7n6xnTdaQmuqCaI88gxZbzvybrFUxclNANRQa63HuvJb83D5jI4c1gAYyPcXrxTVIMa66ciMO8JsxmsysMtuRFSPU7M4RZxvZHiJxc_tpDqMv/s320/baseball-player-673416_1280.jpg" width="220" /></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>I slept that night with the prayer of, “Even so, come quickly Lord Jesus,” on my lips.</b> In the days that followed I wrestled with the relative ease of my life. I live in a nice house in a safe part of town. I live in a part of the country where my faith is rarely questioned, much less mocked. I homeschool two of my three children. That’s about the most radical thing I do, and where I live, it’s not that radical. I write inspirational romantic suspense. My stories have a message of faith, and at some point there will be some nasty reviews about them because of that, but so far I’ve suffered nothing that could be called persecution for my faith.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">But I would risk all of that if God would just put me in the game!</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">God let me wrestle with why He has put me here, doing what are relatively easy things for the Kingdom, when I am so willing to do more . . . until He’d had enough. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>That’s when He pierced me with this...</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“<i>What makes you think I love your neighbors any less than those people around the world? When did you decide the people in your city didn’t need to hear about me? Or that the people who read your books don’t need to hear the Truth in exactly the way you’re telling it? Have you forgotten who I AM? </i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i><br /></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>What makes you think I don’t already have you doing something *big* - or it could be big if you’d quit worrying about why I haven’t moved you to the Middle East and start focusing on the ministry you have in your own home and on your own doorstep. What could you do for My Kingdom if you cried as much over the lost, broken and hurting in your own sphere of influence as you are over that child?” #Dropsmic</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i></i><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I’ve been living with that reprimand for a while now and I’ve realized something.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">God calls everyone to care, but God doesn’t call everyone to go. At least not the way we usually define "go."</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Sometimes He calls us to stay. To stay in our nice subdivisions and be bold about our faith. To stay in our comfortable churches and use them as the launching pad for reaching our communities. To stay in our jobs and be a light to our coworkers. To exhibit God’s love on the soccer field and in the rehearsal hall. Sometimes he calls us to stay in the house writing a book and to trust Him that it will somehow play a role in the larger Story He is writing. </span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">He calls us to stay put and to be intentional about entering into what He is already doing. Right where we are.</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This isn’t a call to stick our head in the sand and pretend that evil doesn’t exist. </span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Staying put doesn’t mean staying oblivious and staying put doesn't mean we don't cry out to God on behalf of our broken world. It doesn't even mean that we don't continue ask Him what He would have us do.</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">But if He tells us to stay, we need to remember that <i>wherever</i> we are called to be—it matters. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We can be sure God has important work for us to do. What might He do through us if we realized that as far as He’s concerned, we all have a big role to play? That no location or ministry trumps another? That whether we are serving in Africa, Aleppo, Alabama, or the Annual Company Softball Tournament, if we are being obedient to His call, then our work has eternal significance?</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">He has called all of us to extraordinary work. </span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I don’t know about you, but I need to get busy.</span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Colossians 4:17b - See that you fulfill the ministry that you have received in the Lord. (ESV)</span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I’d love for you to leave a comment and share how and where God is using you, and how you are joining Him in His work whether it’s in your own home or around the world. </span></div>
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</div>Lynn Huggins Blackburnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08428025001385738854noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7873337566350522288.post-53206404063098340082016-09-08T04:00:00.000-04:002016-09-08T04:00:14.242-04:00Turns Out I'm Just Like Gideon<div style="line-height: normal;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEJkrFDXum-NbSofPKsdR8R_ZUB5c0pIt0Zhx67nLDCXHoMGkVoaIfPFPMKqWYNt4IYas-RmH3gyr4xTSOIgUtX9zoarXFYAxHOdFRk9YeGvZ15awd_r_7gNhDKFjOFxq0F3yvwj5GZDxP/s1600/CarolScreenShot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEJkrFDXum-NbSofPKsdR8R_ZUB5c0pIt0Zhx67nLDCXHoMGkVoaIfPFPMKqWYNt4IYas-RmH3gyr4xTSOIgUtX9zoarXFYAxHOdFRk9YeGvZ15awd_r_7gNhDKFjOFxq0F3yvwj5GZDxP/s320/CarolScreenShot.jpg" width="320" /></a><b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I don’t like talking about this. </span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It feels like bragging. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I’d much rather let someone else share the good news while I nod, smile, say thank you, and we all move on.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">How do you tell people you won an award (or, um, two) without it sounding cocky or prideful?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I don’t know.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><i>Covert Justice</i></b> won the 2016 Carol Award for Short Novel and a few months ago it won the 2016 Selah Award for Mystery and Suspense.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Why was that so hard to say? </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">t’s ridiculous really. Especially since my #1 love language is Words of Affirmation. I crave approval the way a kid craves sugar. But even when other people talk about it, it makes me uncomfortable. I appreciate it, but I don’t know what do with it.</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So I’ve been talking to my heavenly Father about it. About why He’s chosen to give me such lovely affirmations and about why I’m simultaneously ecstatic and embarrassed by them.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">don’t have a definitive answer. I may never get one. But this weekend, I got a glimpse, a snippet, a clue into what’s going on.</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Turns out, I’m just like Gideon. </span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Two fleeces. Two awards.</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Gulp.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAVFn81bQ37_FjaZo08NlXpAWvCgIhaQCroILppJ-zghUDZRBTmQp4GNQ7RcSHsVsoxv9sYp84yscJ3K2oBbVDthuLgyY0o5_RscTH8hFcUw5eYYVvyzn-VAviaTPBzDEbmALI2YgqTLEU/s1600/fleece-1524448_1920.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAVFn81bQ37_FjaZo08NlXpAWvCgIhaQCroILppJ-zghUDZRBTmQp4GNQ7RcSHsVsoxv9sYp84yscJ3K2oBbVDthuLgyY0o5_RscTH8hFcUw5eYYVvyzn-VAviaTPBzDEbmALI2YgqTLEU/s320/fleece-1524448_1920.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">You know the story, right? God calls Gideon to a work he doesn’t think he can do, so Gideon asks God to prove it. To prove to Gideon that all of this hasn’t been in his imagination and that He will be with him in battle. </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Instead of God turning Gideon into a little pile of Gideon dust, God agrees to the test! One night, the fleece is wet and the ground is dry, and still Gideon doesn’t quite believe. The next night, the fleece is dry and the ground is wet. Boom.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>I didn’t ask God for a fleece, but I might as well have. </b>He knows my heart. Knows my fears and insecurities. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Now, I have to wonder if when I sit down to write a new story and am overcome with panic that someone’s going to figure out that I.AM.A.FRAUD.—does God want to grab my face in His holy hands and turn it around until I see those two awards sitting on the mantle? </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The two awards for a book that I didn’t think I could write. </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">For a book that His fingerprints are all over. </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">For a book that has opened up opportunities for me that I never could have imagined.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">s He waiting for me to finally believe?</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Not to believe that I can do anything, but that He can do everything. </span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Not to think that I have any reason to boast, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, but to understand that I have every reason to shout from the rooftops how awesome He is, and to cheerfully and with a peaceful heart move forward into the battle He’s calling me to fight. </span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Is He wondering just how much He is going to have to do to convince me?</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I wish I could tell you that this realization has left me raring to charge into the fray. That my fingers are twitching with the possibilities. That I’m thrilled to find out how God is going to show up in this next chapter.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">But the truth is, I’m still afraid. </span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">My mouth is dry, my chest is tight. My fear of failure is off the charts.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>So I do what I always do. I try to figure it out. </b>I work myself half to death this week and I get caught up. I get caught up on the laundry, the housework, the bills, the school schedule.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">And I kid you not…five minutes after I think, “Okay. I’m going to survive this. This is going to work,” I get an email that sends me right back into panic mode.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It’s a good email. A positive one. But it contains marching orders. There’s more to do.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>And once more, I wonder why God picked me for this and then I think about Gideon. </b>He figured it out. He gathered his army—and God sent most of them home. We all know why—so no one would ever be able to say he’d won in his own strength. </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The battle is the Lord’s. He will win it. And anyone watching, anyone listening to the story as it’s told later, will have no choice but to say, </span><b style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“God did that.”</b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So this is where I am. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2iuqdnZf4MlaeWxrr0T9sUkgvAl_RRznu5uSkPqMfeItF9jEazelMNAJvxSPkOeEnJuPj1Ckm3lyKrvwKwjQFfnbSk8CbzqKjNIz816a3JCLJqy658OchNUjkJ3ZYV3nMxsGRMAHmcp67/s1600/He+who+calls+you+is+faithful%253B+he+will+surely+do+it..png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2iuqdnZf4MlaeWxrr0T9sUkgvAl_RRznu5uSkPqMfeItF9jEazelMNAJvxSPkOeEnJuPj1Ckm3lyKrvwKwjQFfnbSk8CbzqKjNIz816a3JCLJqy658OchNUjkJ3ZYV3nMxsGRMAHmcp67/s320/He+who+calls+you+is+faithful%253B+he+will+surely+do+it..png" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>I’m marching into battle armed with a few words and a few ideas and a whole lot of questions.</b> I am terrified, but I know that anything good that has ever happened or ever will happen is because of Him. I am clinging to these words from Thessalonians… <b>“<i>He who calls you is faithful; He will surely do it.</i>” </b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">If you want to know how you can best support my writing, pray that I will stay close to Jesus and that I will rely on Him to do what only He can.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">He’s amazing and when I’m not hyperventilating, I really am excited to see what He’s going to do next.</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Thank you for joining me on this wild adventure with Christ.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Grace and peace,</span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Lynn</span></i></div>
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</div>Lynn Huggins Blackburnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08428025001385738854noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7873337566350522288.post-11390155495356007672016-08-31T14:35:00.000-04:002016-08-31T15:26:54.851-04:00What I Learned in August<div style="line-height: normal; text-indent: 18px;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdyGZb-wBPTQOE7-ATDkwNPX8AQPjZvzVA35P0JSzhwfd1zEFI463xfibBYbUO3ZEGGa20g2G0s3YaeznujZ7BqBuLU4Ce9jNGXI6NMYvnvAwzpUoDO2ELHntrfLEtGfOa2qi-2blgfNZJ/s1600/WhatILearnedinAugust.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdyGZb-wBPTQOE7-ATDkwNPX8AQPjZvzVA35P0JSzhwfd1zEFI463xfibBYbUO3ZEGGa20g2G0s3YaeznujZ7BqBuLU4Ce9jNGXI6NMYvnvAwzpUoDO2ELHntrfLEtGfOa2qi-2blgfNZJ/s320/WhatILearnedinAugust.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">It’s that time again. August was a wild ride and the stuff I learned this month? </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Pretty random. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>1. The Olympics are my favorite. </b>Oh my word. I get lost in the backstories of the athletes, the drama of the competition, the rivalries. Love me some rivalries. You have medals? I want you to win more. You don’t have medals? I want you to finally win one! </span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh31C5dL7AUwZF8DpyQSWmwkCQWytYNJLdMKAd1CdG0QGBtW_khAFePjcL2uEyGYo7z-RwzRTkZtz1LGXdA75h7HQMmBKcKuSaCRGdveLn3pP2ZBKTVhO0adU0XgX1GD9eaq4EM3eKiXifp/s1600/rio-1585738_1920.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="141" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh31C5dL7AUwZF8DpyQSWmwkCQWytYNJLdMKAd1CdG0QGBtW_khAFePjcL2uEyGYo7z-RwzRTkZtz1LGXdA75h7HQMmBKcKuSaCRGdveLn3pP2ZBKTVhO0adU0XgX1GD9eaq4EM3eKiXifp/s200/rio-1585738_1920.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I will cheer for the USA as long as we are in the fight, and if we aren’t, I’ll pick some other country to cheer for. And my reasons for choosing are as logical as wanting to see the home country win or as random as having issues with the color of someone’s uniform. I love it. I stay up late to watch even though I know I could Google it to find out who won. But where’s the fun in that?! I know some people who just don’t care about the Olympics, but I am not one of those people. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>2. The <a href="http://www.instantpot.com/">InstantPot</a> rocks.</b> I got mine a few weeks ago when they lowered the price on Amazon Prime day. I’m still figuring it out, but I love it. Boiled eggs - perfection. They peeled so easily, I might actually be able to make some pretty deviled eggs now. Roasts in 70 minutes. Frozen chicken breasts become shredded chicken in under 30 minutes. I have dreams of meal planning and always being prepared when dinner time rolls around but I have yet to see them come true. The InstantPot is a lifesaver for someone like me</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>3. <a href="http://www.lularoe.com/">Lularoe</a> for the win. </b>Have you heard of this stuff? Leggings that are as soft as butter. Shirts that actually hang down long enough to cover your rear when you are wearing those leggings because—say it with me—LEGGINGS ARE NOT PANTS. My sister got me hooked on LLR and I now own several (cough, cough) pairs of leggings and a few (or, you know, 6) shirts. They are so comfortable. Seriously the most perfect outfit for a homeschooling, writer mom who needs to be able to run outside and throw the football one minute and then snuggle up with her laptop in the next. These are actual clothes—and they look like clothes—but they are as comfy as pajamas. What more could a girl want?</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEuFtuZilmg-C1J4wCxZvTkmsA6H9o-UrueYcIb046MWXjITU3lDp9-mckfNBCHfCfyvSWgVUzeYOL0lvegE5xs9i2PssfWgbn0VEVlACvjQZ3ERjF0qwcYR72R0o1932UpgbqnT5ye1XD/s1600/dollar-926397_1920.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="83" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEuFtuZilmg-C1J4wCxZvTkmsA6H9o-UrueYcIb046MWXjITU3lDp9-mckfNBCHfCfyvSWgVUzeYOL0lvegE5xs9i2PssfWgbn0VEVlACvjQZ3ERjF0qwcYR72R0o1932UpgbqnT5ye1XD/s200/dollar-926397_1920.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>4. Always travel with $1 bills. </b>Let me explain. I rarely have cash. When I do, it’s because I just hit an ATM. So I have $20s. $20s work just fine until you need some smaller bills. Say to tip the bellman at the fancy hotel you just showed up in. But you only have $20s. And he’s nice and friendly and he got your key card to work for you but $20? I’m generally a big tipper, but I can’t go $20. So instead you turn as red as your laptop cover and mumble how you don’t have anything to tip him with but could you please get his name and hunt him down later? And you can tell he totally doesn’t believe you will, and then you spend the next 3 days trying to locate him in the lobby of the hotel. Lesson learned. Keep some $1s and $5s handy. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">BTW—I found him. His name was Kevin and he was awesome and I was right. He didn’t believe me. We ended up having a lovely chat and he told me people say that all the time and then never follow through. So if you don’t heed my advice and fail to have small bills handy, promise the bellman a tip and then make good. It just might open up an opportunity to share a teensy bit of the Gospel with him and who knows what God might do with that? </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWZOCr0AhpgJwaAc567xdKTsVRNBk22vyWRAFYLQW6Ghl-OiQ_w-rhUHMRV1flPxjfx7WRSWype0X5qElVCCaNmnmFPOz0DoSuoC9nosC9kHOIRL_A789Gxw9tCAZZImKE1uXbBsd-mEB9/s1600/LynnandLynetteCarolAwards.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWZOCr0AhpgJwaAc567xdKTsVRNBk22vyWRAFYLQW6Ghl-OiQ_w-rhUHMRV1flPxjfx7WRSWype0X5qElVCCaNmnmFPOz0DoSuoC9nosC9kHOIRL_A789Gxw9tCAZZImKE1uXbBsd-mEB9/s320/LynnandLynetteCarolAwards.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me with Lynette Eason after the Carol Awards!</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>5. Listen to your mentors. </b>Someday I'm going to talk more about this, but for now, here's what I've learned. If God has been gracious to you and put mentors in your life, when they tell you you "must" do something? You should probably do it. I'm not going to say always, because humans are fallible and it's possible they could be wrong. But if you have two mentors who gang up on you and INSIST you take a certain course of action? Yeah. Probably better just say, "Yes, ma'am" and do it. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIZagCxHSWY3AN5qt21p1B-sywzfHWJKTTgHKV1G_7yUKd3X9WLhyEId7_3zk5aGb7MNGDwArKQshUzxpcuU7UxE8Dkqx2uceZvsK8wqfMgVhHFPyw6BOWh7KFhXtKmEm-hzLARwuDJbf9/s1600/CarolScreenShot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIZagCxHSWY3AN5qt21p1B-sywzfHWJKTTgHKV1G_7yUKd3X9WLhyEId7_3zk5aGb7MNGDwArKQshUzxpcuU7UxE8Dkqx2uceZvsK8wqfMgVhHFPyw6BOWh7KFhXtKmEm-hzLARwuDJbf9/s200/CarolScreenShot.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The screen shot that left me stunned.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">In my case, two of my mentors (<a href="http://www.lynetteeason.com/">Lynette Eason</a> and <a href="http://www.ediemelson.com/">Edie Melson</a>) ganged up on me last March and insisted I enter a couple of contests. Contests I had NO PLANS to enter. None. I said things like, "It's a waste of time and money for me to enter." They refused to listen. And now they walk around with big heads saying, "I told you so." :) </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBvBVYQpEnK6wa16VWJqAAYxJ77aWhevuachudZ3wQOnOp-DXwGB9Cnd3GPV6-R9gt7OXROzh5IC4iz_FRf28xrjH9sr-ExJk8ZPxavvq55jMJogzRE1fzgOAQX3qnxHmmKK4BchrxwpU0/s1600/LynnAndEdieCarolGala.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBvBVYQpEnK6wa16VWJqAAYxJ77aWhevuachudZ3wQOnOp-DXwGB9Cnd3GPV6-R9gt7OXROzh5IC4iz_FRf28xrjH9sr-ExJk8ZPxavvq55jMJogzRE1fzgOAQX3qnxHmmKK4BchrxwpU0/s320/LynnAndEdieCarolGala.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me with Edie at the ACFW Gala.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>6. Sometimes obedience is fun. </b>Edie shared that little nugget with me a few weeks ago when I was being all angsty about winning awards. Recognition and awards are awesome. Really and truly awesome. But I struggle with it. I don’t want to be prideful—and I know how fast my sinful heart can go there. But I also don’t want to be ungrateful. As another dear friend (and frequent deliverer of spiritual Gibbs’ slaps), <a href="http://www.loriroeleveld.com/">Lori Roeleveld</a> reminded me, these awards are gifts from God. Gifts from my very good Father. And as a parent, how would I feel if I gave my children a gift and they said, “It’s nice, but I didn’t really want it?” So I’m trying to stay close to Jesus and enjoy the gifts He’s giving. And trying to remember that while sometimes God does ask us to do hard things, sometimes, obedience is fun. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">So what about you? Did you discover something awesome in August? Share it with us in the comments!</span></div>
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</div>Lynn Huggins Blackburnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08428025001385738854noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7873337566350522288.post-36744552953915842892016-07-29T16:05:00.000-04:002016-07-29T16:07:22.249-04:00What I Learned in July<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibtp-pmQz3xpo1g5zC9zVUpoqbLNvG3b5w_pkxhgvmJcTUraDna4ntBtWGgKkfadlwZ97CcX_L5nZOi69TnGbQdVYkxSVwoAyP1subGfnIfs2VrfZVgsJO8Ju0UjK_ryY9D6lhJpoYyiW2/s1600/WhatILearnedinJuly.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibtp-pmQz3xpo1g5zC9zVUpoqbLNvG3b5w_pkxhgvmJcTUraDna4ntBtWGgKkfadlwZ97CcX_L5nZOi69TnGbQdVYkxSVwoAyP1subGfnIfs2VrfZVgsJO8Ju0UjK_ryY9D6lhJpoYyiW2/s320/WhatILearnedinJuly.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">How is it possibly already the end of July? How? </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Anyway - it's been a C-R-A-Z-Y month, but here are a few things I learned in July.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Dollywood has an amazing guest assistance program.</b> If you travel with a child with any sort of disability, you know how difficult it can be to face long lines, loud crowds, and staring patrons. We spent two days at Dollywood this month and we were very impressed by their attention and care for their guests with disabilities. A quick stop at the ride accessibility office provided us with a card that gave us easy (and fast) access to all the rides, as well as a phone number we could call if we needed anything, or wanted access to Dollywood's new calming room. The Calming Room was fabulous. Thirty minutes of peace, quiet, books, comfy places to sit, and a break from the crowds. It was just what our girl needed to get through the rest of the day. Who am I kidding…it didn't hurt me, either!</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6wGDydUHvE7bePJibp8uXkkxD8TTwTKlvlm4gOS6ebpY3RYCCU-Lb5VHynszcrt1hQ7_asLPgnzFZ8YvQ1JSMXsrHEywcMYQPaNz-5B8HwQESZvJ7lSXX39WbRfYU_lNSM_ncovMcE97Z/s1600/IMG_2067.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6wGDydUHvE7bePJibp8uXkkxD8TTwTKlvlm4gOS6ebpY3RYCCU-Lb5VHynszcrt1hQ7_asLPgnzFZ8YvQ1JSMXsrHEywcMYQPaNz-5B8HwQESZvJ7lSXX39WbRfYU_lNSM_ncovMcE97Z/s320/IMG_2067.JPG" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Trader Joe’s Dark Chocolate Cacao Nibs are amazing.</b> They are my new favorite writing snack. They are tiny, it doesn't take much for me to feel like I've had enough (unlike milk chocolate which I can eat in large quanities and still want more), and they have the crunch from the cacao nib that makes them simply delightful. I'm a fan!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Lavender Oil is the BEST thing for burns. </b>I promise I'm not going to turn into an essential oil evangelist, but despite my original skepticism toward them I have been blown away by how well Lavender Oil works on sunburns and kitchen burns (which I have a LOT of experience with). Our youngest managed to get a pretty bad burn after a day at the lake. I slathered him in some coconut oil that I mixed with the lavender. No complaints, no drama, and next morning, no redness. Even my husband was amazed. I keep Lavender in my kitchen for when I splatter myself with grease or attempt to reach into the oven and burn myself on the rack (don't ask). It works every time. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><a href="http://againstallgrain.com/2012/07/24/creamy-chocolate-avocado-smoothie/">Chocolate Avocado Smoothie</a> </b>- I can't call this health food because people have checked the calorie/sugar counts and shared them in the comments (just look), but this is way better for me than a milkshake, and it satisfies my sweet tooth. Even better, my kids hate it. :) Probably because of </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">the flax seed, or maybe it's because I don't use as much honey as called for so it's not super sweet. Regardless, I don't have to share! </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1tNDp-B6-aZRtildKvJ5R8p7_8pJAvQuXMFW9VRWTm-StYHU0K9QwR0U0B5TL_VBqqV6uIWsm4prm13rzCygETfzquuZmxpYMsAayBIZzTVBQMKqdCxkuVhwAwL_SVh7qiVMQlp3VugSg/s1600/IMG_2090.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1tNDp-B6-aZRtildKvJ5R8p7_8pJAvQuXMFW9VRWTm-StYHU0K9QwR0U0B5TL_VBqqV6uIWsm4prm13rzCygETfzquuZmxpYMsAayBIZzTVBQMKqdCxkuVhwAwL_SVh7qiVMQlp3VugSg/s320/IMG_2090.JPG" width="240" /></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Buy the big pot. </b>I have several recipes that are part of our regular meal rotation. I make them often, and I usually double the recipe and freeze whatever is left to save myself some time and trouble later. The problem has been that I haven't had a big enough pot to double the recipe without having to divvy it up into multiple pots or deal with lots of spillovers. I finally broke down and bought a BIG pot. WHY did I wait to do this? It made meal prep so much more enjoyable and cleanup so much easier. Take my advice…by the big pot. </span></div>
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</div>Lynn Huggins Blackburnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08428025001385738854noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7873337566350522288.post-48025312045779844362016-07-15T09:00:00.000-04:002016-07-15T09:00:00.698-04:00ACFW Pre-Conference Mix and Mingle<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnd4pLeEjcb35LqXN5h92C-ryGhlKnuhwdJMoqOnY1tUPlgNKB6Uif0TvdcRV7OnTxo5HG-5z2p2Kbxg5yqSbiqJ7ifeHuRR_Q8nOXuHKaUfgFbTbPoR5bETynOFlNfdaXBZgZjNcSPUIA/s1600/IMG_6139-768x644.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnd4pLeEjcb35LqXN5h92C-ryGhlKnuhwdJMoqOnY1tUPlgNKB6Uif0TvdcRV7OnTxo5HG-5z2p2Kbxg5yqSbiqJ7ifeHuRR_Q8nOXuHKaUfgFbTbPoR5bETynOFlNfdaXBZgZjNcSPUIA/s320/IMG_6139-768x644.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">In late August, I’m headed to my very first <a href="http://www.acfw.com/">ACFW (American Christian Fiction Writers) Conference</a>. I am so excited! </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><a href="http://www.laurietomlinson.com/2016-conference-mixer/">Laurie Tomlinson</a> is hosting a super fun “mix and mingle” link up on her website for conference attendees to get to know each other prior to the big event. The rules are simple…you answer the questions she has listed and then link your post on her blog. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>So here goes…</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Name:</b> Lynn Blackburn (I write as Lynn Huggins Blackburn, but that is a mouthful).</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Location:</b> Simpsonville, SC</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>What you write/tagline/trademark:</b> Romantic Suspense</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglbXTb3keOmYoTbtwRv4fY8_wD-AzUdTPkUH6PGbERFuGOcKp0tfvl4uL90mGf1k8GbQReuX1qktc9eZbLy5bl18Y-LxVErLxQ5TzSgUrPUKA0rK9al6ATTDNWbOGnl20cnxcZ0Xkmyk-i/s1600/CovertJusticeFrontCover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglbXTb3keOmYoTbtwRv4fY8_wD-AzUdTPkUH6PGbERFuGOcKp0tfvl4uL90mGf1k8GbQReuX1qktc9eZbLy5bl18Y-LxVErLxQ5TzSgUrPUKA0rK9al6ATTDNWbOGnl20cnxcZ0Xkmyk-i/s320/CovertJusticeFrontCover.jpg" width="202" /></a><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Place in the book world:</b> My debut novel, <b><i>Covert Justice</i></b>, is a Carol finalist in the Short Novel category! I'm represented by the fabulous Tamela Hancock Murray of the Steve Laube Agency. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>On a scale of hugger to 10-foot-pole, please rate your personal space:</b> Did you see my maiden name? I’m all for the hugs. :) </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Something VERY serious: How do you take your Starbucks? </b>During the summer, I’ll take it iced. Cream only. I love the Flat White anytime, but at Christmas I’m all about the Chestnut Praline Latte. Decaf. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>The unique talking points that will get you going for hours:</b> Clemson Tigers football, Bullet Journals, Homeschooling, Special Needs parenting, Hamilton, NCIS.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga1PpSpDQSrxS3tbA2UhNkJuTrblOmEBF4rL6KAKjdYOn9-phafJ_SeXuX60yibn8KVqTF5vH14JyNZdZsgLg8DGkYf0C-OupXTOItt-Swh4Dat5N4rMD3y9-xWK3FVIUD8LbgFRzaxBqt/s1600/IMG_4520.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga1PpSpDQSrxS3tbA2UhNkJuTrblOmEBF4rL6KAKjdYOn9-phafJ_SeXuX60yibn8KVqTF5vH14JyNZdZsgLg8DGkYf0C-OupXTOItt-Swh4Dat5N4rMD3y9-xWK3FVIUD8LbgFRzaxBqt/s320/IMG_4520.jpg" width="228" /></a><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Loved ones at home you’ll be missing:</b> My husband, 13-year-old daughter, almost 8-year-old son, and 5(and a half!)-year-old son. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Conference goals we can pray for?</b> I’m mostly coming to learn and network, but I will also be pitching a new romantic suspense series. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Anything we can celebrate with you?</b> My debut novel won the Selah Award (Mystery/Suspense category) at the <a href="http://www.brmcwc.com/">Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference</a> and I’m still hyperventilating!</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>One or two ways we can help you build your platform? </b>You can f<a href="https://twitter.com/LynnHBlackburn">ollow me on Twitter</a> and <a href="http://eepurl.com/bjbuKb">sign up for my newsletter here</a>!</span></div>
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</div>Lynn Huggins Blackburnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08428025001385738854noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7873337566350522288.post-26937523206619116502016-07-14T11:35:00.001-04:002016-07-14T11:35:57.803-04:00My Rules for the Rest of my Summer Vacation<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6xjFND39CFU2tEwZI8jDd_1KnHMnSHkN65FhXKVyEnVv_T4_G1te4kqoc8Gm1HgSpjw-alF04fK019mWDmgXmLSWcQWN3iDm_XggrNyYepevyVuH-LQEvW4fkyVic_mqQdFcvT5sBEWGN/s1600/pencils-924965_1920.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="242" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6xjFND39CFU2tEwZI8jDd_1KnHMnSHkN65FhXKVyEnVv_T4_G1te4kqoc8Gm1HgSpjw-alF04fK019mWDmgXmLSWcQWN3iDm_XggrNyYepevyVuH-LQEvW4fkyVic_mqQdFcvT5sBEWGN/s320/pencils-924965_1920.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As a kid the main advantage I could see to summer vacation was the virtually unlimited reading time it provided. But by July, I was ready for routines, new textbooks, and bouquets of freshly sharpened pencils.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Fast forward a few years, and I’m still not the biggest fan of summer vacation. </b>I appreciate the break from the routine, while simultaneously craving the return of it. I love the potential of a slower pace to our days, but find myself fighting the tendency to fill them to the brim with activity. I enjoy hanging out at the pool or the lake with friends, but dread the laundry that follows. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>I want my kids to look back on their summers with delight. </b>Lightning bugs. Popsicles. Staying up late. Sleeping in (although one of mine may NEVER sleep past 6:15…sigh). But I also want to reclaim some of the joy of summers for myself. I want to read more. Write more. Play more. Stress less.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>How does a 42-year-old wife, mom of three, author, homeschoo</b></span><b style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">ling kind of mom actually do this?</b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Honestly, I have no idea. But I know that it's the middle of July and while I do have a few truly good things to show for the past few weeks, I can see a disturbing trend. One that involves me spending too much time on my phone and not enough time with my nose in a book. Too much time performing tasks and not nearly enough time playing games. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I do have things I need to accomplish over the next 6 weeks, but I’m thinking there has to be a way to cross off some big to-do list items AND roll into September (it’s really mid-August but I’m in denial) feeling refreshed and ready to tackle a new school year.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>I know for myself that a BIG part of my problem is screen time. </b>This is tricky for me, because the whole “writing thing” kind of requires screen time. But you know what it doesn’t require? Facebook. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I love Facebook, but I’ve come to realize that my social media time has gotten out of hand.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7XW__9xt7njxGNH4EYzvAewXK4fndQrJIEuKDA_wYYtwdyGFqpoDa4mG87gLaKd2ZrN-XlTKXWqXLurVb1Q-LrZ2eKhBus6xMF_8qRjHNu-1Cu9cQwxOjsDhoKf7LGh5tbm6rwmiBMUjJ/s1600/facebook-1183710_1280.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7XW__9xt7njxGNH4EYzvAewXK4fndQrJIEuKDA_wYYtwdyGFqpoDa4mG87gLaKd2ZrN-XlTKXWqXLurVb1Q-LrZ2eKhBus6xMF_8qRjHNu-1Cu9cQwxOjsDhoKf7LGh5tbm6rwmiBMUjJ/s320/facebook-1183710_1280.png" width="166" /></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>So I’ve decided to run a little experiment and I’m telling you about it in order to keep myself accountable.</b> You may have seen this handy little sheet that has made the rounds on Pinterest and Facebook where the kids in the house have a list of things they have to do every day before they get any screen time. (Yes, I do appreciate the irony here). Anyway, I’ve made a few modifications for myself and my life and I’m going to give it a shot for a few weeks and see if I can tell a difference.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Here are my Rules for the rest of my Summer Vacation (Rules apply when I'm at home. There are NO rules when I'm at the lake or in the mountains!) -- </b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>Before you start surfing Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, or Instagram for non-work related matters you must:</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">** Spend some time in the Word.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">** Make your bed.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">** Hydrate—this means WATER not coffee—not that I won’t also have coffee!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">** CrossFit (unless it’s an intentional rest day - I can’t hit the box 7 days a week).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">** Read for thirty minutes - for fun, not heavy reading.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">** Write for thirty minutes.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">** Clean a room (ha - like this even needs to be on the list).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">** Tackle one “project” for thirty minutes.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">** Do one load of laundry (sigh).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">** Play with the kids—go to the pool, throw the football, shoot some hoops, read a book, draw with chalk pastels (I’m terrible at it but the kids like it), color.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">** Make contact with a friend—write a letter (imagine!), text, call.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">If the whole day happens and I never open my Facebook page and don’t find any cool pins on Pinterest? I think I’d be okay with that. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>I’m curious how you handle screen time - not for your kids, but for yourself?</b> If you have any awesome tips or tricks, a funny story or an inspiring one, please share!</span></div>
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</div>Lynn Huggins Blackburnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08428025001385738854noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7873337566350522288.post-14039825318789397302016-07-07T07:58:00.000-04:002016-07-07T07:58:59.569-04:00When You Want to be Somewhere Else with your Writing<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQpktsKVwE4g7q7JoRVSmZC4DUQWNcQx-vEMOqpiCQ8J6hjxmM9c-hOypwIQ3djj6KgQyCNWzUCvcsiEG-gDyG3xPbqTT_2Iyiz_Sy4QlU2rAoZoirnta3cY-ASYH4aTeuFHkFwwUsf9_o/s1600/sad-217252_1280.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQpktsKVwE4g7q7JoRVSmZC4DUQWNcQx-vEMOqpiCQ8J6hjxmM9c-hOypwIQ3djj6KgQyCNWzUCvcsiEG-gDyG3xPbqTT_2Iyiz_Sy4QlU2rAoZoirnta3cY-ASYH4aTeuFHkFwwUsf9_o/s320/sad-217252_1280.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Not my son, but an accurate representation of his gloominess!</td></tr>
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<b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I felt so sorry for him.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">My youngest son was surveying the scene on his first morning of day camp—and he was not impressed. Kids were running around playing with hula hoops, bouncy balls, Legos, Crayons, and board games. It was a kids’ paradise in there, but the mutinous expression on his face refused to budge.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">He’d been okay an hour earlier. He was excited about this new opportunity, until we dropped his older brother off at a different day camp. One for kids a bit older. One with cheering counselors, multiple inflatables, and a climbing tower.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">From the minute we climbed out of the van, my little guy was in full revolt. He dragged his feet, he pouted, he glared at everyone we encountered. He wanted to go home and not go to his camp at all.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As I stood at the back of the room and watched him try to come to terms with his reality, my heart broke. There was so much awesomeness in front of him, but he couldn’t see it because <b>He Wanted to be Somewhere Else.<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Maybe you can relate?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHd1wSQFuG_TKTLkGNuNRlCilLu7bpDvfPDnKflEwWckA1fsjWAWNi4_gk11W8b1jICnAM5bkPRyc6huS60lLhm0yHnK5SQxD-lC078Dt_6E-uDJnpVrm_U1gV2HkZJHwLTuurF2bPBFhq/s1600/home-office-336373_1280.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; color: #721818; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-decoration: none;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHd1wSQFuG_TKTLkGNuNRlCilLu7bpDvfPDnKflEwWckA1fsjWAWNi4_gk11W8b1jICnAM5bkPRyc6huS60lLhm0yHnK5SQxD-lC078Dt_6E-uDJnpVrm_U1gV2HkZJHwLTuurF2bPBFhq/s320/home-office-336373_1280.jpg" style="border: none; position: relative;" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Your blog is getting great attention, but you don’t want to be a blogger. You want to be a speaker.</span></div>
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<li style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">An editor is interested in your devotional, but no one will take an interest in your historical.</span></li>
<li style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">You’ve found success with freelance work, but now you don’t have time for your epic fantasy.</span></li>
<li style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Your poetry has won awards, but no one will look at the Bible study you’ve poured your heart into.</span></li>
<li style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Or maybe you’ve been published with a small press, but you yearn to be affiliated with one of the big houses.</span></li>
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<b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">You Want to be Somewhere Else.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><span style="color: #281c11;"><span style="font-size: 15px;"><i><a href="http://thewriteconversation.blogspot.com/2016/07/when-you-want-to-be-somewhere-else-with.html">It's the first Thursday of the month so I'm posting over at The Write Conversation...click on over to read more...</a></i></span></span></b></span></div>
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</div>Lynn Huggins Blackburnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08428025001385738854noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7873337566350522288.post-35582561134803314202016-06-30T17:10:00.001-04:002016-06-30T17:10:52.905-04:00What I Learned in June<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkRmbL1dQiqCd-U1esqKLwFFDQ5AY0XsAg-t0DzFRLqJrUZcNrn1Kax4f5vgOYEBNl_u0u1QltPPQmSgXMNUDuLTGfgrMQOjh1-zdO6QMFzsMqcw7n038itbpEFrwwrXowGERRDc0FnumJ/s1600/whatilearnedinJune.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkRmbL1dQiqCd-U1esqKLwFFDQ5AY0XsAg-t0DzFRLqJrUZcNrn1Kax4f5vgOYEBNl_u0u1QltPPQmSgXMNUDuLTGfgrMQOjh1-zdO6QMFzsMqcw7n038itbpEFrwwrXowGERRDc0FnumJ/s320/whatilearnedinJune.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>I really enjoy taking a few minutes to think back over my month and share a few of the things I’ve learned. (This idea is from both <a href="http://emilypfreeman.com/blog/">Emily P. Freeman</a> and <a href="http://www.modernmrsdarcy.com/">Modern Mrs. Darcy</a>). </i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Here goes:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>1. I am incapable of being calm when surprised with good news.</b> (Or . . . I *will* make a goober out of myself when something awesome happens). </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUTekGAMPZQXkf91Z9M8P7Hiy9gTq5t4x4rxjgz_Q_O52Of0dTMVs9VANp1IgykX6GAFn1gsVnyuHR70prectn6ECO_aF19mvR1v2JKsyRhm6NrkHKi-CnF8XoFj5r5CbzGlrmmUyFIZT7/s1600/kuwait-252613_1920.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUTekGAMPZQXkf91Z9M8P7Hiy9gTq5t4x4rxjgz_Q_O52Of0dTMVs9VANp1IgykX6GAFn1gsVnyuHR70prectn6ECO_aF19mvR1v2JKsyRhm6NrkHKi-CnF8XoFj5r5CbzGlrmmUyFIZT7/s200/kuwait-252613_1920.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">On June 17<span style="line-height: normal;"><sup>th</sup></span>, my phone rang and even though I didn’t recognize the number, I answered it. When the voice on the other end of the line said, “This is Casey Herringshaw . . . ” Well, honestly, I don’t exactly know what she said after that because there was only one reason for her to be calling me and I couldn’t quite let myself believe that it was possible until she confirmed she was calling to tell me that <b><i>Covert Justice</i></b> was a finalist in the <a href="http://www.acfw.com/carol">Short Novel category of the Carol Awards</a>. I don’t actually know what I said after that, but there was a lot of laughing (I’m calling it laughing…Casey might call it maniacal giggling). Other that that, it’s pretty much a blur—although that might have been because of my tears of joy. I generally try to act like a professional, but I must say, it was way more fun to enjoy the good news. Which leads me to the next thing I learned…</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx4nTNB5Hp_NwoQs8MUc35cfQtIjUYYXIMmZ0Bi5T1Kxk7eew5nnys-7H5WncfIPcQ2Wzl9Bf5cMY4qLbCRUjgJTPtVynnkvaufCV1h9c7kNgjzAoDLxomYkKsQkzoftlI3JhIfnjq8XcU/s1600/top-secret-1076813_1920.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="229" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx4nTNB5Hp_NwoQs8MUc35cfQtIjUYYXIMmZ0Bi5T1Kxk7eew5nnys-7H5WncfIPcQ2Wzl9Bf5cMY4qLbCRUjgJTPtVynnkvaufCV1h9c7kNgjzAoDLxomYkKsQkzoftlI3JhIfnjq8XcU/s320/top-secret-1076813_1920.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>2. It is REALLY hard to keep good news a secret! </b>I had to wait 10 days before I could tell anyone about the Carol final. It was *killing* me! I wanted to ask my friends if they had finaled (and quite a few of them did!) and I wanted to share it with the world. But I kept my mouth zipped up tight (no small feat for me) and waited not-so-patiently for the announcement on the 27<span style="line-height: normal;"><sup>th</sup></span>. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>3. Good news in one area will not fix the rest of your life—or even fix that part of your life. </b>I had one of my most challenging writing weeks - ever - in the space between finding out about the Carol final and being able to talk about the Carol final. Awards are awesome and fun, but they don’t actually make it any easier to write your stories, and I don’t know of a single one that will do your laundry. (If there is an award that comes with a laundry service, please someone let me know because I want to win that one bad). Life goes on. The plot line that was kicking your rear an hour before you get a “call” will still be making you crazy an hour later. The dishes still need to be done. The bills still have to be paid. People will still cut you off in traffic. It’s a very bizarre thing to be simultaneously joyful and despondent, but it is possible. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2rJBV-YnsI_Rm3CpobzFUyZWBnT0yCB_eb-W4uQOzQhOwqBhqfzmtQma2-wlzmhdNsguko4MgXEQpD65YOJb6G2Qvqx-ymgzpIhZO9vmmbt9tYeSLJ-DHor77RmYn-vrkzsSc23vhP08c/s1600/bible-450298_1920.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2rJBV-YnsI_Rm3CpobzFUyZWBnT0yCB_eb-W4uQOzQhOwqBhqfzmtQma2-wlzmhdNsguko4MgXEQpD65YOJb6G2Qvqx-ymgzpIhZO9vmmbt9tYeSLJ-DHor77RmYn-vrkzsSc23vhP08c/s320/bible-450298_1920.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>4. I love to read the Psalms in the summer.</b> I run to the Psalms when I am frustrated and frazzled, and summers are challenging for our family. Children who thrive on routine can struggle mightily in the free-wheeling, carefree days of summer, and that makes it hard on this mama. Without being consciously aware of what I was doing, I just turned to Psalm 1 and started reading . . . and realized I’ve done this before. My Bible is marked up in pens, pencils, and all sort of random notations, but there is nowhere that I can remember what I was feeling when I highlighted a particular passage as when I re-read the Psalms. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>5. The best way to wean yourself off caffeine is S-L-O-W-L-Y. </b>I’ve gone cold turkey before and paid the price. In June, I took a slower approach and cut way back on my caffeine. I still had a few migraines, but it wasn’t anything like before. Now, I’m avoiding caffeine in most things except my morning coffee, and even there, I’m drinking less and going with a half-caff approach. I’ve even skipped it entirely several times with no drama. I sleep better and don’t crash so much in the afternoon, and more importantly, don’t get the jittery feeling I had been experiencing far too often before I made the switch. And speaking of coffee…</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7SZemGjQTAfyONPWsUYSRRSVdjoPph86yl4zgukOG54cMaN6lJrbpM31oaBfMlbqhaSUO-KKWHCSml__KK_UsyNi8dVg0t03pQt74C5jBwrbTHSNrkuS1x_JjP4YWcIqfdfMiOWVaw0nz/s1600/coffee-983955_1920.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="202" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7SZemGjQTAfyONPWsUYSRRSVdjoPph86yl4zgukOG54cMaN6lJrbpM31oaBfMlbqhaSUO-KKWHCSml__KK_UsyNi8dVg0t03pQt74C5jBwrbTHSNrkuS1x_JjP4YWcIqfdfMiOWVaw0nz/s320/coffee-983955_1920.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>6. Some things are worth the calories. </b>I drank my coffee black for a while, but I just didn’t love it the way I had before. And yes, I could give it up entirely I suppose—maybe try to switch to tea—but I’ve decided that some things are worth the calories. I drink my coffee with a splash (or two) of half & half. I enjoy every sip. I sit on my deck with the Psalms and I get my head on straight before I dive into the morning. Life is too short to say “no” to everything under the sun just because it might be a tiny bit better for you. Some things are worth saying “yes” to for the simple reason that they bring delight to your day. Cream in my coffee is one of those things. </span></div>
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</div>Lynn Huggins Blackburnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08428025001385738854noreply@blogger.com0