Open doors

I have the highest respect for bloggers who can keep their readers up to date on all that goes on at conference. I've been home for four days and still trying to catch up on my sleep!

Even though I'm a few days late, I am bursting with news of the doors God has opened to me. First of all, I am now on faculty for both Marlene's Colorado Christian and Greater Philadelphia Christian Writer's Conferences. It is surely the hand of God that has brought about this honor! He sure has led me down a different path than I envisioned. I pictured myself writing historical novels set in the 19th century. Now, here I am editing a children's magazine!

This venture has led me to contact with two other special people, Cindy Sproles and Eddie Jones, who host Christiandevotions.US, a Christian devotional site. They have launched a kids devotional site, and most recently, a teen site as well. DevoFest is in the planning stages for next June, an event that will instruct young people from all over the country about writing. I have been invited to pitch ideas to teach at this event.

I had numerous opportunities to network with editors of other magazines and pitch ideas for articles. Again, God takes us down new paths of exploration all the time. I was "never" going to write short work. I was "never" going to write non-fiction I was too committed to my novel to even think of it! Funny how God can change our minds when we open our hearts to His will.

I'm not sure what it is about me and conferences, but my rewarding experiences always seem to culminate in some form of disaster on the trip home. This time, another conferee on faculty and I had to prey on Marlene's good graces for a ride to the airport after our arranged ride forgot us. My flight was placed in a holding pattern over Dallas due to thunder storms. Actually, that wasn't such a bad thing for me. I'm one of those weird people who loves to fly in "turbulence".

The disaster hit when I got to my final destination airport with a two hour drive ahead of me. It was late, I was tired, and construction barred every route I was familiar with. Frustrated and frightened on a lonely road where my headlights reflected an infinite line of orange barrels, I pulled off and prayed for help. God provided it in the form of two young men who took pity on this disoriented old lady and led me to the Interstate.

I was so relieved to finally find myself navigating a road I knew! It broke my heart to discover, however, that I managed to record over the discussion a faculty member and I had about the manuscript a collaborator and I have been working on! After I dried my tears, I realized that I had witnessed the work of the enemy. He does his best to discourage us, make us stumble, and eventually give up.

More exciting news with Written World Communications. Stop by within the next couple of days and you'll hear all about it!

Thanks for reading my blog.