How's this for a speed bump?

Yesterday, I was away from home when a midwest summer storm welled up and ate my computer with its claws of lightning! I am working from my laptop now and will have to rebuild too many files to think about right now. Overwhelming though it is, I am thankful my book was saved to a flash drive. Now if I can just find anything with my publisher's email addresses printed on it, I might be another step back into the game.

There is a very real fight in the spirit realm (see Ephesians chapter 6). I have yet to pour my heart out on the page entitled "The Main Thing" but it is there where I intend to emphasize the importance of a relationship with God before attempting to tackle your own healing letter. It is the most significant element in gaining healing from writing such a letter. God is the source of my strength when trials such as the loss of a computer come up in my life. Just as He can transform a life, He can transform a situation. I was just reading in Isaiah today where God says He will vindicate the righteous against their enemy. He didn't say He would restore to them all their material possessions and return things back to the way they had been before. He simply said he will fight on your behalf and you will live a victorious life when you are in the Lord's army and He is on your side. "He will Restore to you the years the locust has eaten." He didn't say He restores the "stuff the locust has eaten." It's the "years" God is concerned about, the reputations, the missed opportunities, the big picture beyond the "stuff".

Keep believing and praying,
Lisa

Wait!

This whole "Wait on the Lord" thing can be such a mystery in the faith, don't you think? I mean, if we're waiting, does that always mean we're waiting on the Lord since everything happens in His time? Well, lest we get into deep theological diversion and away from my purpose of this post..... I am now waiting till next Tuesday at noon when I will call in my corrections. We are also apparently having trouble getting a couple things sent through the email. The very end, just before publication, is a perfect opportunity for the spiritual warfare to intensify, so I covet prayers for a smooth and God-glorifying ride over the speed-bumps and for potential speed-bumps to be removed. Thank you!

In Holy riptide,
Lisa

The galley has arrived!

I received my second galley copy yesterday and will make final changes this week. When that process is finished -- hopefully by next week -- they will send it to the cover designer, which shouldn't take long. Then it's off to the printing press!

It came to my attention last night that tomorrow is the 2-year anniversary of the day I began putting on paper my ideas that evolved into this book. It began with a stack of notecards in a little black recipe box. Then I sorted the cards and noticed different themes that eventually fell under one subject heading of "Healing Letters". The book took off from there and in a matter of 5 months I had a full manuscript to work with and revise. Next to parenthood and biblical counseling, writing this book has stretched me beyond comprehension and grown me in one surprising, amazing way after another.

Yesterday, I met with the leader of our church's DC4K program and we had a very productive brainstorming session about how to integrate Healing Letters into a station. We caught the vision so now we can pray about it and share it with the other "safe keepers" in our group. I think we'll try it out for a semester and change it around until we come up with something solid for a booklet. Then we'll share it with other churches through the DC4K program. It's exciting to see the possibilities of the children's version coming into light.

Exploring Options

While I'm waiting, I'm exploring my options locally to help Healing Letters reach more people. I was driving around the other day getting my little boy to sleep and saw a sign for a ministry that had piqued my interest once before by a very obscure mention of it. It's called Mercy Ministries and is found at www.mercyministries.com. I have not yet contacted them, but I would be very interested in attending their informational luncheon this month, and perhaps setting up a workshop to introduce the concept to the young ladies who are residents there. It seems like a very worthwhile ministry that God is blessing.

There are of course other pots on the stove, but this is the latest. I have so many ideas spinning in my head, I should charge admission on account of it being as harried as an amusement park (and often quite entertaining too).

In the mean time, I am waiting to hear back from Advantage to know if my galley is in the mail yet. Hopefully I will receive the galley even before the reply. :)

From the desk of Karyn J.

Lisa,
Your book will be in our catalog for the fall and all the stores will receive one of those. Your galley copy should be going in the mail this week. I will check on that. Going to the convention is a good thing but not an essential thing. We will get your book out and in all the stores on their computers. We are getting down to the end. Hang in there.

Karyn

And then...

Now that convention week is over, I will be contacting the publisher and pushing for direction and a new time frame. I hope to post again by the end of the week. Today was my husband's holiday vacation day so I did not do book work today.

One idea that is in the brainstorm funnel is making the concept of Healing Letters into a station for our DC4K program. That stands for Divorce Care for Kids (registered trademark). Please be praying for the Lord's direction on this pursuit as it is yet in its infancy.