Our precious friend Janet Perez Eckles will be traveling to Bolivia on a mission trip and is requesting prayer support as well as financial support.
Janet will be leaving July 11 and returning July 28, visiting cities in Peru and Bolivia. She will go by herself but not alone because, with white cane in hand, she will be accompanied by the Holy Spirit. Her mission is to spread the light of Jesus to churches, women’s prisons,rehab centers, schools and any places the Lord takes her. She humbly asks for your prayers for God’s favor during this trip as many places are unfamiliar and risky. And she invites you to go with her through your tax-deductible financial support. Here are more details in this two-minute video.
If you would like to donate you may do so through
South Orlando Baptish Church
11513 South Orange Blossom Trail
Orlando, Fl 32837
Or you can email Janet at Janet@inspirationforyou.com
If you are praying for her and this trip, I am sure Janet would be delighted to receive an encouraging email.
Biographies are obviously popular, we see a new celebrity promoting their book nearly every month. It’s human nature to want to get inside another person’s head, to understand what makes them tick.
The first biography I remember reading wasNicholas and Alexandra: An Intimate Account of the Last Romanovs and the Fall of Imperial Russia, a little light summer reading for a high school kid. I was fascinated with Russian society and drank in every detail of this doomed couple. Since then, I’ve read a number of other biographies, but as I write this, I am realizing that almost all of them were on political figures. I guess that makes sense, though, considering my love of history and desire to learn from the past to make better choices in the future.
Recently, though, I read The Soul of it All, the memoir of singer/songwriter Michael Bolton. I’ve been a fan for many years and knew a bit about his struggle to achieve the success he has, but this book gave me a new appreciation for his dedication to his passion. It is admirable Mr. Bolton was so candid about his struggles.
I love writing, and when I’m in the zone on a book I feel freer than anywhere else. Even when I’m not actually writing the zone can continue as the world I am creating takes over my brain. I love that feeling, but I don’t know if I could give up all the security I have achieved through my day job to focus solely on my writing. Mr. Bolton faced eviction and hunger more than once pursuing his passion. How often do we encounter someone with that kind of drive and confidence in their abilities? Too often I hear stories on the news or even in the office of people complaining about life not being fair, that they deserve more than they have. I’ve even been guilty of this myself, but this book was a good reminder that hard work is truly the key to success. I plan to keep the book near my writing area to help me remember good things do come to those who persevere and, of course, to make me smile at the sight of one of my favorite artists.
Just for fun, is there someone you would like to read a biography on that doesn’t have one out yet? Share their name and why in comments and you could be the winner of a pre-order of my upcoming release Jessie
Welcome to the ‘sneak peek” portal for my newest novel Jessie.
After nearly two years of intensive research, writing and rewriting, I am pleased to announce Jessie will be available on July 20 in honor of the 45th anniversary of the first moon landing. Pre-orders are now available at a special price of $1.99 a savings of 60% through Smashwords.com, Barnes and Noble and iTunes. Kindle users will be able to purchase through Smashwords.
Nature, tide pools and technology merge in this coming of age tale set amongst countdowns and confrontations.
What does that mean? A whole raft of people could tell you, but many more could not. Why? Because I’m saved, is jargon. So what is jargon? It’s a code, a language. It’s quick, it’s easy, and everybody in our circle knows what we’re talking about. That’s fine as long as we don’t mind excluding people who aren’t in the know.
What’s up? Are you working hard? How do you like this weather? Those are okay to start a conversation at the beginning of a chance meeting when there’s not much chance of having a real talk, but specific questions and answers are more
. Here’s a couple of examples: “I remember that the last time we talked you were working on a great project. What stage are you in now? For a traveler, you can’t do better than, “When is your next trip and where are you going?” If we’re creative, we’ll hear much better stories, and possibly be inspired with something exciting to write about.
What lines of jargon are we familiar with? We know religious jargon, and writing jargon. Then we have our music specialties and historical references, maybe you speak politics or sports or entertainment or cooking. It might be fun to watch our own statements and ferret out things that others will not understand. I don’t know texting, computer, or game jargon, so I’m not the best at communicating with young people and some of the things I say such as, “You’ve got the cart before the horse,” are incomprehensible and weird to them. They are not only jargon, but they are clichéd, and archaic. I hope to root them out of my vocabulary, someday, but until then perhaps I can be more careful about when and where I use them.
Have you ever been to a doctor that told you precisely what you wanted to know in words that you could easily understand? If you have, you’ve been to a good doctor, who knows how to communicate without using medical jargon. He is especially valuable if he doesn’t take a superior attitude and judge you for not knowing.
So what do I mean when I say, I’m saved? Here’s a short explanation. It means that Jesus died on the cross for me because I was too busy ignoring Him and His Father to bother connecting with them. He had to get my attention. He got it in an act of atonement that will never be forgotten. Then he rose powerfully from death, and now because I asked Him to take over my life I’m being healed and living a freer and more abundant life than I could ever have imagined. Because he cast his cloak of righteousness over me, and He is no longer aware of my self-life, Jesus looks upon me as holy and perfect. Maybe I should just say, I’m saved, but what good would that do? What’s the point of saying anything at all if people can’t understand what I’m talking about? If I’m a Christian, I’m a teacher. If I’m a writer, I’m a teacher. Teachers must, by definition, be able to truly communicate.
