Something Good Will Come Out Of It--He Promises

"God will not permit any troubles to come upon us, unless He has a specific plan by which great blessing can come out of the difficulty."

~Peter Marshall

    Things happen in life. Bad things. Frightening things. Things that rock people's lives. It's bound to happen at least once to everybody.
    Maybe you're going through some difficulty right now. Maybe you're stressed about the way life is. Maybe there's something terrifying you. Or maybe you've just experienced a huge loss. It's hard--especially when death is involved.
    But the amazing (and very relieving) thing is: God promises us that He won't let this happen without bringing a blessing from it. He promises that something good will come out of whatever tragedy you undergo.
    This is such a wonderful thing to know--such a wonderful thing to be true. That when God allows a sorrow, He births a joy through it. And He promises that it will be worth it.
    Haven't you found that to be true?

Hey, Don't Blame Me--The Character Said It!

 

"You can't blame a writer for what the characters say."

~Truman Capote

    Ha! I actually laughed when I read this quote. It's so true and such an awesome thing about writing!
    You can say nearly anything through your characters without being blamed--because hey, you never said that, (insert character name here) did.
    This gives you the chance to use some of those witty comebacks you thought of ten minutes after a certain conversation, a point you wish you brought up during a debate, something you wish you had the guts to say when you were talking to that person, a sense of humor that none of your friends or family members get.
    Isn't it awesome? :)

Psalm 118:24

"This is the day which the LORD has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it."

Psalm 118:24

    Okay, so how many people have heard the worship song with these lyrics?  I have--a number of times. But I wonder how many mornings we actually wake up and say, "God made this day, so I'm gonna be happy while going through it."
    Honestly, I almost never do that. But I think it would be the best way to start a new day--joyful and aware that God tailor made it and planned it out. It would make things seem more awesome, don't you think?
   So let's give it a try tomorrow morning! What do you say? :)

SLAM!

 

 

    Sometimes we see this opportunity, and it's so incredibly awesome. It's like an open door that leads into an awesome adventure or a great job, and we are 100% sure that God wants us to grab onto it. So we run at the door . . .
    And then, SLAM! The door is shut and locked tightly.
    And then we're like, "What? I was so sure God wanted me to do this."
    Sometimes God says no to what seems to be a great opportunity--and it can be a shock. But we need to remember that our Father does know best, and He wants the best for us. And as someone once said: when God closes a door, He opens a window.
    Maybe a door's been shut in your life. A really, really, really cool looking door. Don't worry about it. Since God said no to that, it means He's got something even better planned, a window of opportunity that you'll love even more. :D
    Anyone ever had an experience like that before? :)

Creativity = Fun Intelligence

 

 

 

"Creativity is intelligence having fun."

~Albert Einstein

    Man, how many times have I forgotten this. Sometimes writing just sounds like so much work, like a chore . . . but that's not right. When we writers write, we're using our brains to create something--which is no little task--but as we write, we're supposed to be having fun! Writing shouldn't be a chore--it's supposed to be a fun adventure, something we enjoy doing.
    It's true. When we do sit down and finally start writing, it is fun. :)

3 Out Of 10,000

"God is always doing 10,000 things in your life, and you may be aware of three of them."

~John Piper

    Sometimes life is hard--really hard. Sometimes it's so dull and so uneventful that you wish something would get hard. And sometimes things are so awesome, you feel so on fire, that you think things can't get better.
    But really, we don't see the whole picture. We don't see everything that God is up to. We only see problems, when God has His solution, the wonderful resolution. We can only see long, dreary times ahead, but there's really an upcoming storm and/or adventure approaching. We see time flying by, but God's got a great future coming to us.
    Truly, we only see a little piece of the puzzle, a few glances at an amazing plan for us--and the awesome thing is: that's okay! We don't have to know about everything that's happening. We just have to trust God, knowing that He's doing great and wonderful things. :)

Psalm 119:73

 

 

"Your hands have made me and fashioned me; give me understanding, that I may learn Your commandments."

Psalm 119: 73

    I really like this verse because it reminds me that God is the one who makes us--like, hand makes us intricately. Who makes me and everyone else unique--there's only one of each of us. And this verse also vocalizes the wise desire to have understanding--not to become a smart know-it-all, but to know God better and get closer to Him. What a great desire to have. :)
    Well, have a great week, blog world! :D

What Makes A Writer A Writer

 

"A writer is a writer not because she writes well and easily, that she has amazing talent, or because everything she does is golden. A writer is a writer because, even when there is no hope, even when nothing you do shows any sign of promise, you keep writing anyway."

~Junot Diaz (Winner of 2008 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction)

    Wow. This quote is so right and so real to me. Because let's face it, every single writer has writer's block at least once when writing a manuscript--and sometimes when we reread what we just wrote it looks like it's the worst writing ever. But this quote reminds me that NOBODY has the "golden touch" in writing. We just write, write more, write harder, and never give up--and eventually, we find ourselves with a real masterpiece of fiction.
    Awesome, right? What do you think? :)

Jeremiah 29:11

 

  

"I know this thoughts I think towards you, thoughts of peace and not of evil to give you a future and a hope."

Jeremiah 29:11

    This is one of my favorite verses ever. Ever.
    They're words straight from God's mouth, and they're so loving and kind. God actually thinks about us--a huge deal in itself considering the billions of things He does every second--and the thoughts He thinks of us aren't disappointed or disgusted. God's not shaking His head thinking, "When will s/he ever get it right? I'm tired of reminding him/her not to do that." No! When God thinks of us, He's at peace, happy with us, planning a wonderful future for us and giving us hope.
    It's simply wonderful, isn't it? :)

Fear Not, All Day, Every Day

 

    Wow! I just heard the coolest thing: the phrase "Fear not" appears in the Bible 365 times.
    365. That's how many days are in a year!(Just stating the obvious :)) It's like God is telling us that we need to "fear not" and have courage every day. How awesome is that?

That Easy And That Hard

"This is how you do it: you sit down at the keyboard and you put one word after the other until it's done. It's that easy, and that hard."

~Neil Gaiman

     Easy said, very difficultly done.
     It's true that sitting down and typing is necessary to get anything done--and it's so hard to actually do it! Admittedly, it can be painful. When we write, we're pouring out our thoughts, our creativity, our energy. Writing can be draining.
    But it's totally worth it in the long run. When you start writing those first few words, they start rolling out, and soon enough you've got a paragraph done, a page, a chapter. In a matter of time, you'll have half a novel done, and eventually a whole one.
    One word at a time. When you're writing a certain amount of words each day, it builds up--a lot. And it is awesome to look back and see how much you've written. :)

1 Thessalonicans 4:16

 

"Rejoice always."

1 Thessalonicans 4:16

    I was pleasantly surprised to find this Bible verse. It's short, easy to remember, and so wonderful!
    Sometimes, admittedly, I forget that God wants us to be happy. That God Himself is joyful, and that His joy is to be our strength. I love verses like this that remind me of how wonderful God wants our lives to be.