Living in the Present Tense by Rose McCormick Brandon

Some day everything will come together; all the stray ends of our imperfect lives will be gathered and tied into an elegant bow. So we wait . . . for perfection, for health, for money.
We defer joy.
A woman once described a day when all the stars of her scattered life seemed to align. The sun shone. She walked to a beautiful park hand-in-hand with her only grandson. They sat on a bench, ate hot dogs, played soccer, chatted with neighbours, then strolled back home to snuggle up together with a book.  "For a few hours my world was perfect. If only every day could be like that," she said.
If only . . . so many days are ruled by that phrase. If only my child would call me. If only my husband would find a good job. If only I'd fall in love with Mr. Right. If only I had a child. If only my body would cooperate with my mind. A life lived in the "if onlies" can't find joy in the present.
Finding joy in the present means accepting present imperfections - little things like messes, unpainted walls, dreary weather and big things like unemployment, sickness, pain, divorce. Joy won't wait. It doesn't dwell in the past or wait for us in the future. It lives in the present - as God does.
When asked, "who are you?" the Father answered I AM. And Jesus carried that message into His ministry.

"Hereafter the Son of Man will sit on the right hand of the power of God.”

 Then they all said, “Are You then the Son of God?”

So Jesus said to them, “You rightly say that I am.” Luke 22:69-70

 

Are you living in the I AM of God, in His present? Each day is a joy gift from God; joy can't sit on the back burner, it's a today experience.

Lord, thank you that today you and I are at peace because you have forgiven my sins. And that peace brings me joy. My circumstances will never attain perfection but my friendship with you is perfect. And that gives me deep, heart-warming joy, holy joy, present joy.

***

Rose McCormick Brandon is the author of four books, including One Good Word Makes all the Difference and Promises of Home - Stories of Canada's British Home Children. Visit her website at: writingfromtheheart.webs.com and read her blogs Promises of Home and Listening to my Hair Grow.

Worried About Money? God Knows the Way Through -- Gibson

“When you choose your vocation,” I often told our children, “pick something you’d get up and do every day, whether or not you get paid!” I’ve lived that philosophy, writing and speaking far more for love than money for over two decades, writing full-time for the last dozen.

The climate for writers has always been “overcast, with sporadic showers.” Freelancing fees have increased little since the 1970’s. And unless your name is Rick Warren, Max Lucado, or JK Rowlings, among very few others, to be a profitable writer these days one must either be employed by a media outlet, an entrepreneur, an expert in social media marketing, or a panting, self-promoting, pain in the nether-regions.

I know some writers who manage all of the above.

But this particular author has never had the business sense to coax a living wage from writing. Altogether, my words have likely garnered only a few years of equivalent full-time wages. Every time I’ve tried to push past that, I’ve lost my love of the craft and my creativity.

Nevertheless, like most of my readers, my husband and I have a mortgage that needs regular feeding, a car that guzzles gas, and a table that looks best decorated with food. His vocation provided most of that.

But when the pirates of West Nile neurological disease invaded our little boat in the summer of 2007, one of the things they stole from my husband was his ability to put in regular hours at any kind of consistent job. Though he is able to do many remarkable things, his lack of stamina and energy have persisted—along with other, more severe, long-term effects of the disease.

God has not, however, released me from my commitment to write. Instead, he has provided for the Preacher and me. In almost three years (and long before) God has seen to it we have never lacked for anything. He’s done that through many means—disability insurance, speaking engagements, book and article sales, the amazing generosity of those who believe in our ministry of writing and speaking, and a previous (and very fine) job for me as a magazine editor for three fascinating seasons, a job that ended with the downturn of the economy.

We’ve had humbling moments. Hours. Days, days. Once, very recently, I (flapping about in worry like a windsock in the breeze) rushed out—without Divine permission—and took an entirely unsuitable job. I quit immediately after my first and only shift, disappointing many others who had hoped for a keeper.

A mistake is an opportunity to learn, they say. I learned again that simple trust is always the best option when faced with a fiery furnace, whether the furnace is stoked with fear or unpredictable circumstances. And that God always knows best.

Leave the writing life? Not yet. God keeps providing more life to write about!

Are you worried about finances? God knows the way through. Trust. Listen. Follow. And let him direct.

Kathleen Gibson
www.kathleengibson.ca

Time and Money

Coming to this new place on the web, I feel I should introduce myself. My name is Carolyne Aarsen. I write fiction for Warner Faith, Guideposts and Love Inspired Steeple Hill. I'm starting a new year and a new book with new intentions as befits the calendar rolling over to another year. It feels like a fresh start in many ways. I'm also continuing an experiment I ventured on last year in January - no-buy month. A month of no discretionary spending. At all. After the orgy that can be Christmas spending, I find I need to retreat and regroup and analyze what I spend my money on and how. This year I'm doing it with a couple of other writing friends and it has been an interesting journey so far. I'm hoping the self-discipline exercised during no-buy month will spill over into my writing life. I don't always spend my money wisely, I know I don't always 'spend' my time wisely either. Putting words on the page in the isolation of my office with no one standing over me to check my progress is a constant struggle. Now that I have satellite internet, the struggle and temptations have increased. So this month is giving me a chance to look at both. And to find a way to use both the money and the time God has blessed me with in a stewardly fashion. I'm blogging about it on my other blog. Stop by if you want to follow the progress.

Carolyne
A Few Words in the Wind
Visit my website