Thoughtful Thursdays
Musings on faith, family, & fiction
Though a novelist by trade, one of the trademarks of my books is the spiritual depth and exploration I includes as my characters work through what it really means to walk out their faith. Faith, in fact, is one of the things I like to ponder most. In these once-a-week articles, I gets thoughtful at the crossroads of faith, family, and fiction.
Thoughtful About . . . Sacrifices and Blessings
Last week we wrapped up the Bible study we'd been doing on Sacred Parenting--and the last session was on how parenting is all about sacrificial love, which teaches us what it is. A crucial step in the Christian faith, which is built on sacrifice. It was a great study,...
Thoughtful About . . . Quite a Week!
It's been a crazy-busy week (aren't they all?), and I wanted to take today to regroup, draw your attention to some things, and...well, frankly, go teach the canal class at my kids' homeschool group. 😉 First of all, I want to announce the launch of the website for...
Thoughtful About . . . God, Science, and Agendas
There seems to be an idea today (okay, for quite a while), that faith and science are at war. I’ve heard scientists say only fools believe in God as the Bible paints him. But what concerns me more is that lately, from every direction, I’ve been bombarded with...
Thoughtful About . . . My Boy
Today is one of those milestones (so forgive me for posting my "thoughtful" post a day early, LOL). My baby turned 7. My youngest, my little guy. Proving yet again that time marches ever onward. So as is my tradition, I figure I'll take time out of my normal scheduled...
Thoughtful About . . . What Matters
I can't tell you how many times I've heard it: "Everything you do, do it for the glory of God." A beautiful sentiment, right? But it always left me going, "Yes! But...how?" How do you change a diaper for the glory of God? How do you cook dinner for the glory of God?...
Thoughtful About . . . Being Good
Be good. It's a familiar refrain, one we probably say to our children a gazillion times. Whenever we send them off to a friend's house, or on those days when The Sibling Wars are especially fierce. It's understood that there are the good things to do and the bad. That...
Thoughtful About . . . Purifying Ourselves
This week, my husband went to a friend's Bible study to see about helping them with recordings. Then the next day we went to our Bible study with other young parents. Then the next day, we went to church. And those three days in a row, using three different...
Thoughtful About . . . Being Deliberate
I often, like many others, pray for a word for the new year as the old one draws to a close. Unlike most people I know who do this, I don't generally get my word before the year begins, LOL. Instead, mine seems to come the first time I go to church in the new year....
Thoughtful About . . . Santa Claus and Giving
I admit it. Readily. I have occasionally had issue with the Santa question. I have friends who never introduced the concept, and part of me always wished I had put my foot down on it too. Because I never really introduced it. I just let it creep in. Whenever my kids...
Thoughtful About . . . The Real Spirit of Christmas
A couple weeks ago, my kids said something that got me thinking. We were in the van, heading somewhere or another, talking about how Christmas is coming soon. Rowyn asked what day of the week it was on, and Xoe said, "Thursday. Hey, that means that in a couple years,...
Thoughtful About . . . Greater Works Than These
“Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father." John 14:12 I had quite a few verses of Scripture that I kept in mind while writing A Soft Breath of...
Thoughtful About . . . Stolen Blessings
It was probably 20 years ago, though I don't remember the exact date. I was just a kid, at home in my safe little world. But we had friends who had gone into missions. The whole family, gone for months at a time, off spreading the good news. This time, it was to...
Thoughtful About . . . My Girl
It's Xoë's birthday. That means cinnamon rolls and homemade macaroni, and a day off school (woo hoo!). It means presents and pink and laughter and fun. And a mommy who solemnly swears to stay off her computer most of the day. Of course, Xoë isn't up yet, so here I am....
Thoughtful About . . . Fame and Fortune (Or Not)
When I was a kid, I had big dreams. And this idea that writers lived on mansion on hilltops. I thought that surely, surely fame and fortune awaited me down that road. That I'd be a household name. That people would squeal with excitement when they met me. That I'd be...
Thoughtful About . . . Everyday Crazy
Autumn...always crazy around here I can't tell you how many times I've said or written the words, "Sorry, this month has been crazy." I think I probably utter/type it at least once a month. Because, let's face it, life is crazy. It's always crazy. And though I always...
Thoughtful About . . . Being a Johnny
This past weekend, I was in Annapolis. Strolling old, familiar streets, laughing with old, familiar friends. Striding across rain-dampened grass that I've darted over many a time, struggling to keep a book-laden bag on my shoulder. It was homecoming weekend at St....
Thoughtful About . . . Seashells
Last week, my family had the joy of vacationing in Hatteras, on the southern tip of the Outer Banks of North Carolina, as far south as one can go before needing a ferry to continue. We basked in the sun. We played in the waves. We relaxed. And we collected seashells....
Thoughtful About . . . Reading as an Editor
I admit it--I don't read for pleasure as much as I used to. Mostly because during the school year, I spend so many hours a day reading to my kids, writing, and editing that by the end of the day, my eyes and brain say, "Nope, we're done. Stare at the television or go...
Thoughtful About . . . Random Things
This marked our first full week of homeschool. And I admit it--I haven't adjusted yet. I'm still a wee bit frazzled by how much long it's taking us this year (so far--hopefully it'll streamline a bit), and what that means in terms of time to do other things. So I...
Thoughtful About . . . Being 32
It's my birthday! And yes, I claim my age. I'm 32. Not 29-for-the-4rd-time. Just plain ol' 32. Okay, okay, so I was still 31 when this picture was taken... but it's recent. That'll just have to do. The funny thing is, I still feel like one of the "super young"...
Thoughtful About . . . Are We Slaves?
I've come across it in several places lately. Usually from women. Women who are tired, stressed-out, spread thin, and either at or "recovered from" their breaking points. Women who give and give and give. And who have reached the point where they're now saying, "Tend...
Thoughtful About . . . Bad Guys
One of the lessons I heard taught in one of the first writing classes I took at my very first conference touched on bad guys--and how a writer's job is to look inside them and find a redeeming quality to make them three-dimensional. Good advice. Except sometimes, in a...
Thoughtful About . . . A Year
Well, I've done it. I finished my read-the-Bible-in-a-year program. A smidgeon late, I grant you--those weeks of working on the old house happened to fall during a stretch with looooong assignments that I could never finish, so I got behind. But I finished my...
Thoughtful About . . . Right and Wrong
There is absolute Right. There is absolute Wrong. I believe this, absolutely. There are things we should never, ever do, and things we always should. There is sin. There are consequences. There is righteousness. Then there's the gray. Sometimes it blurs up against the...
Thoughtful About . . . Ah, Memories
First of all, don't forget that there's a giveaway going on for a copy of Circle of Spies! Hop over to Colonial Quills and enter! http://bit.ly/CQCoS ~*~ One of my grinning-est moments while cleaning out the closets and whatnot at our old house was when I stumbled...
Thoughtful About . . . Lightning
A couple weeks ago, my hubby showed me a video of a truck driving along a street. From the open fields on the other side of it, I'd guess it to be in the Midwest. Truck's just driving along, when wham! A fork of lightning comes searing down and hits the truck. Not the...
Thoughtful About . . . Relief (and a Winner!)
First off, big congrats to the winner of my Fashion Find Challenge! Angi Griffis Angi gets to lay claim to all those awesome books, and her entry from Sunday was the one Random.org selected. Now on with today. Or, er, I guess I'm talking about yesterday, LOL....
Thoughtful About . . . In His Eyes
Reality and our minds' eyes very rarely agree. Depending on the type of person we are--and the situation--we tend to see things in extremes. As either terrible or grand, though it's really somewhere in between. Right now we're doing some remodeling of our old house....
Thoughtful About . . . Cleaning Out
Last fall, we moved. But we moved in a rush, to a smaller house that was given to us by my hubby's grandfather. We had a lot of work to do on the old one, so were in no rush to sell. We took what we needed right away...and then the bad weather closed in. It was not a...
Thoughtful About . . . Our Place
Children on a Path Outside a Thatched Cottageby Helen Allingham, late 19th century With the first round of edits wrapped up on A Soft Breath of Wind, I moved on this week to my first round of edits on The Lost Heiress. (Lots of editing going on around here!) There are...
Thoughtful About . . . The Hard Way
I don't often post purely writing-related articles on my blog, and I'll try to make this one not just that, too, since I know only a few of you are writers. But as I'm revising and editing A Soft Breath of Wind, I keep thinking about some of the decisions I made in...
Thoughtful About . . . The End (Again)
I reached a major milestone on Sunday--I finished my book, for the, er... (one...two...three) fourth time. And I'm talking the fourth total, complete, toss out every scene previously written and start from scratch rewrite. It's a pretty awesome feeling to finish a...
Thoughtful About . . . Busy Weeks
Happy May Day! I remember this week last year. It wasn't meant to be a busy one. But it turned into it. I'd been sick the week before--like, flu. We'd traveled to Annapolis for the weekend and had a lovely time with friends. I was well enough to do that, but still...
Thoughtful About . . . Freedom
This is a repost of a guest blog I had up on a friend's blog at the beginning of the month, but in case you didn't make it over there to read it... Free Indeed "You have prayed for forgiveness from your sins. Have you prayed for freedom from their bonds? . . . Never...
Thoughtful About . . . Dedication
So I'm working now on the rewrite of the book I wrote at age 12-13. And as I'm writing, I pause (as I do at some point in every book) and wonder to whom I'll dedicate it. But with this one, it wasn't much of a question. Photo by Bangin When I was 13, still working on...
Thoughtful About . . . Scaring the Normals
So glad I got to share yesterday about how I've finally, after 19 years, sold the first book I ever wrote. Okay, so it's a little different than it was back then...which is why I'm plowing my way through a complete rewrite. As of this time last week, I was a little...
Thoughtful About . . . Our Best
Yesterday I read the book of Malachi. Right off the bat, I learned that historians aren't sure if Malachi is a name, or the equivalent of signing something "Anonymous"--it means "the messenger of God." So it could have been a pen name--pretty interesting for this...
Thoughtful About . . . Trials and Temptations
I figure I'll just keep posting thoughts from my Bible study. 😉 Worked well for me last week, LOL. This week, the study of James led us into a discussion on temptation. It's worth noting up front that the root of temptation is tempt, and the root of attempt is also...
Thoughtful About . . . the Joy
Last week the small Bible study group I belong to began a study focused around James. I've always loved this little book of the Bible, so I was pretty happy to learn that's what we would be studying. My hubby's leading us this time, and I know he has always loved...
Thoughtful About . . . Being a Writer (and Zombies)
Yesterday a friend of mine emailed. She's as editor but has recently been trying to find representation for a children's book, with the goal of publication. Now, I know very little about writing kids books, so I haven't been a whole lot of help. But in her email last...
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Thoughtful About . . . The Wisdom of Daniel
You know one of the things I'm really enjoying about my current Bible-in-a-Year reading? I'm doing it in my Chronological Bible. So I'm not reading it in the traditional order, but rather according to the timeline. I'm reading Daniel, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and a few...
Thoughtful About . . . A New Faith
The Vision of Ezekiel by Francisco Collantes, 1630 In my year-long read-through of the chronological Bible, I've been covering the Babylonian exile. Interesting in many ways to me, given that I've already written one book set not so long after that (Jewel of Persia)...
Thoughtful About . . . the Sabbath
A Wet Sunday Morning by Edmund Blair Leighton I am a Sabbath keeper. I don't talk about it much online because, well, it doesn't come up a whole lot. But it's something I make sure those I work with know, since they're unlikely to have their questions answered...
Thoughtful About . . . Distance
I've been writing for a long time. As in, a long time. I finished my first novel at age 13. My second at 16. Then six more by the time I was 21. That's a lot of words on the page. A lot of plot. A lot of characters to come to love. And I always had the goal of getting...
Thoughtful About . . . Prayer
by Jean-François Millet Angelus, 1859 Prayer. It's one of those things that believers know we need. It's communion. It's supplication. It's worship. It's crucial. Vital. And hard for me to find the time to engage in. That sounds awful, and is awful. But it's true, and...
Thoughtful About . . . 1,000 Posts
Yesterday marked my 1,000th published post on Writing Roseanna. Happily, my chosen post for the day was a fun one, LOL. Apparently I'm not the only one in the world so intrigued by book covers and the process of making them. 😉 I was debating what to do to celebrate...
Thoughtful About . . . Trusting, This New Year
I know, I know, I'm a day late. 😉 But since that free novella went live yesterday, I had to feature it on the 1st. So I'll get thoughtful today on the day designated for it instead. Well, here we are. In 2014. Xoe made sure I put up the new calendar at the first...
Thoughtful About . . . Competitive Spirits and Discouragement
Yesterday I had the honor of being a guest-poster on the Steve Laube Agency blog, at the invitation of my agent. A few of us did a series together on different discouragements writers face--others tackled a lot of the "big" things like chronic pain and this...
Thoughtful About . . . Broken Places
I just read a book. Technically I was editing it, but mostly I was soaking it in. Always such a pleasant surprise when I can do that. When I can let a book engage not just my mind but my heart. And sometimes my soul. My Mother's Chamomile is a WhiteFire title, coming...
Thoughtful About . . . My God
In reading through the Old Testament again, I keep noticing something I noted first several years ago. So often, God reveals His power to the world, and not just to the Israelites. He demonstrates his majesty to people great and small from all the nations. I love...