New Year—New Possibilities

It's getting a little late in the month to greet someone with well wishes for the new year. But I'm going to do it anyway. "Happy New Year, everyone!"

There is something invigorating about starting a new year, and in this case a new decade. It's an opportunity to re-calibrate and start fresh. It gives us a chance to set new goals, toss out unproductive habits and dream new dreams.

For me, 2020 began with a long-hoped-for surprise. Here's part of the back story to the surprise:

When my novel The Soldier Who Killed a King was released in July of 2017, I was urged to get as

many book reviews as possible. The goal was to get 50 Amazon reviews by New Year, 2018.

"Magical things happen when you hit 50!" I was told. "The Amazon algorithms start working in your favour when you hit 50."

Do you have any idea how difficult it is to get Amazon.com reviews? Especially when you live in Canada? This is tough slogging. If you ask twenty people to post a short review, you may get one person who actually follows through. Also, Amazon.ca reviews do not appear on Amazon.com. The two sites operate independently.

Needless to say I didn't get my 50 reviews by New Year, 2018, or New Year, 2019 for that matter. But the numbers were creeping higher. By July 2019 I was at 49. Every week or two I would check if there was a change. Nothing moved. I was frozen at 49.

When 2020 dawned, I finally hit 50 reviews on Amazon.com. So did the magic kick in at 50? It took a few days, but it did kick in. About a week later, my review count shot up from 50 to 59 on Amazon.com, and from 36 to 46 on Amazon.ca.

So am I still looking for book reviews? Absolutely. It's a new year and a new decade. It's time for some new dreams. How about a bestseller in 2020?

In the new online book selling model the real power belongs to the reviewers. That reviewer could be you.

What about your goals and dreams for 2020? Do you have some? Feel free to share in the comments below.


David Kitz is the chair of The Word Guild
Visit his website at https://davidkitz.ca/

What are the chances?

 We celebrated Epiphany last Sunday and our Christmas tree is put away. A few last decorations remain in our home—a couple of door wreaths that are as much winter as they are about Christmas, and a string of Christmas cards across the picture window inside our living room. I leave those a little longer to remind me of the special moments of the holidays, including time with family, and the reason we celebrate.

At our Toastmasters meeting this week, the Table Topics Master asked his impromptu questions and the last one was “What is your favourite holiday tradition?” I sat there thinking about it for a brief moment then put up my hand and was called forward to give my short speech that I composed on the spot.

I spoke about Christmas Eve service being my favourite tradition, after all I’ve been part of it for many years, many times singing in choir, sometimes helping my children with their violin preparations, and then many times too, sitting there and soaking in the atmosphere. As I write this post, I remember, too, the Christmas that tears rolled down my cheeks because a friend had died only two days before. The tears were there because I missed her, and I felt that my prayers for her had gone unnoticed by God. I had prayed that she might have another chance with the transplant, but it was not to be. I was sad. There had been a small sign while we held our lit candles that Christmas Eve, as we sang Silent Night, that assured me she was in heaven. I talked with her husband afterwards about that moment that was so hard to put into words.

But I didn’t speak of that Christmas Eve in my impromptu speech. What I did talk about was the beauty of the carols, the music, the flowers and candles and being surrounded by friends who also loved that same person we came to celebrate. In that Google building workplace, I didn’t name Jesus, but I’d said I was a Christian by practice. And I spoke of the feeling of calm and peace at the end of a year that might have been challenging or painful in many respects, but here was calm and peace. That was how I ended my short one-minute speech.

This morning as I prepare my heart for the good-bye service of a friend’s mother, I got this line in my head. What are the chances? And I started writing.

And so I might ask, what if that calm and peacefulness could last much longer? What if more people who struggle with feelings of being alone or lost, what if they could feel that same calm and peace in the middle of their challenges? Even if it’s an oasis they could move to in their minds, as I did on Christmas Eve, that would see them through? What are the chances? What do you picture there?

 

https://www.carolynwilker.ca/about/

Keep Quiet and Let God Carry On by Rose McCormick Brandon

If I had to reduce 2019 to one lesson learned it would be this: Keep quiet, pray, and wait for God to work.

I wanted badly to say something to fix a situation. Wise sage that I am, I composed more than one approach in my mind. I prayed. What message did the Lord have for me? Keep quiet. Pray only. This important message should be shouted in capitals.

Psalm 27:14 says, “Be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.” 

It takes courage to keep quiet. And patience to wait for God to answer our prayers. I like the old word for patience – longsuffering – that word encapsulates how difficult it is to exercise patience.

When we interfere with God’s work we end up saying things we shouldn’t and things we can’t take back. We cause hurt feelings and divisions that in some cases take decades to heal.

With the ability to express ourselves instantly in a few keystrokes, discretion and waiting for God, has taken a beating. Every day we observe people fired up over a disagreement. Like soldiers with guns cocked, they shoot off a tweet, an email or a Facebook post. It’s not uncommon for people to discover within a few minutes that the event that fuelled their rage happened a decade ago, or perhaps not at all. Seldom does the blasting writer have all the details.

The desire to get others to think as we do and to act as we do is strong. We see ourselves as wise and others who think differently as fools. 

Correcting people is risky business. Few are holy enough (or kind enough) to pull it off.

In 2020, I want to become more proficient in the practice of discretion. It doesn’t mean I can’t have opinions, but my opinions, and the way I express them, must not push people away from God, or insult them.

The situation I wanted to remedy in an instant took God about a year and a half to fix. Often I struggled to keep a lid on my words. The Lord planned it that way to give me much-needed experience in waiting on Him.

I have a long way to go and much to learn in following Christ. I expect Him to teach me more about waiting in 2020. 

Rose McCormick Brandon writes about personal experiences, her faith and the children who came to Canada as immigrants, the British Home Children. She contributes to publications in Canada, the U.S. and Australia and is the author of Promises of Home - Stories of Canada's British Home Children and One Good Word Makes all the Difference. Find her faith writings at her blog, Listening to my Hair Grow. 

CHOOSING TO LOVE – THE INTERRUPTED LIFE XII by Eleanor Shepherd

           

At the beginning of a new year, it seems appropriate to share with you the story of a friend who chose to use the unhappy interruption in her life to enter into a whole new phase of life, trusting God to guide her in what was to her an unknown way. 

            My friend, Michelle married her high-school sweetheart when she was barely in her twenties. They were both part of our church youth group and there seemed no solid reason why their relationship would not survive the passage of the years. This proved true for 30 years and their successfully raising three sons. One unexpected day Steve, her husband, left abandoning their relationship because of his unhappiness. 

            Michelle was aware of his unhappiness but had not shared the concerns with any one other than their family doctor and the marriage counsellor. When Steve did leave, the doctor said to her that she had done all she could do and now was the time to ask herself, “What do you want?” He also said that it was the one thing her husband could change by his leaving. She was a casualty of his unhappiness. 

            Fortunately, Michelle took his advice seriously but still had to deal with the reality of

her situation. Naturally, she felt anguish and betrayal and sadness for their sons. She never expressed real anger as such, although many of her friends did. She knew that basically Steve was a good man and it was very hard for him to take this decision so she could not be angry. Nevertheless she experienced a great deal of sadness and she prayed that he would find his way back to the Lord.

             It was the culmination of what they both knew would probably come one day. For Michelle it was almost a relief when it happened even though she could still hardly believe he would actually leave. However he said that if he stayed he would die and there was no arguing with that. They had both been living with his unhappiness for several years even though they had some good times too. They had long periods of silence when they were together because Michelle was too afraid to ask questions. Steve was so caught up in his personal misery and unable to love or respond to her.

            At the time that Steve left, two of their sons were still at home with Michelle and they were able to support and help each other through the sadness. Even now twenty years later, her heart still breaks when she thinks how devastated they were. It has had long-term effects on both of them with relationships and they still find it difficult to talk about this interruption in their lives. 

            Their father, Steve has since passed away, and Michelle is grateful to God that He gave them time to spend with their dad in the hospital after his heart attack, even though he never regained consciousness. They were able to say things they wanted to say and all three boys spoke well of their dad at his funeral.  

            

Along with her sons, Michelle had her mother and sister and many, many friends to help her through the dark period. She was blessed to be able to visit good friends in Kingston, Nova Scotia and Vancouver over the first few months following his leaving and that helped greatly in her healing.

            As Michelle began to intentionally put into practice the advice of her doctor, a new life began for her. She was able to get a part-time job at local clothing store and joined a professional choir that fall. Shortly afterward God opened up a wonderful opportunity to use her gifts for ministry in the field of Corrections for prison inmates. She was trained to facilitate the program “Keychange” which involves one-on-one sessions with inmates helping them to find ‘a new key for their life’ using appropriate music. She later trained as a Chaplain with the Salvation Army. This fit well with facilitating the Keychange program. She was able to minister to both inmates and correctional staff. Four years ago she was ordained with The Community Christian Fellowship Church of Canada and can now officiate at weddings and funerals for staff members and others in the community.   

            When a devastating interruption confronted her life, Michelle worked through her pain, choosing to pursue new fulfillment by discovering how she could make a difference in the lives of others.  

Word Guild Award
2018

Word Guild Award
2009

Word Guild Award
2011 

Eleanor Shepherd from Pointe Claire, Quebec has more than 100 articles published in Canada, France, the U.S.A., Belgium, Switzerland and New Zealand. Thirty years with The Salvation Army in Canada and France including ministry in Africa, Europe, Haiti and the Caribbean furnished material for her Award winning book, More Questions than Answers, Sharing Faith by Listening as well as her Award winning stories in Hot Apple Cider and Christmas with Hot Apple Cider. She co-authored with her husband Glen the Bible Study book Why? Families. As well as writing, she conducts workshops on listening skills and prayer. Eleanor recently retired from being the pastor of an English speaking congregation in Montreal with The Salvaton Army. She is currently pursuing studies to become a Prayer Companion.