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When You Hit the Wall of Discouragement
by Steve Laube
I recently received the following question from a client (an award winning author):
Is it common for an author to hit a wall of discouragement? To feel as though they're working so hard for so little? To question why they're doing this?
Unfortunately it is quite common. Doesn't mean it aches any less. Sort of like getting old…everyone does and it aches, but it is a common …
Why I Read
Writers write for many reasons. Therapy. Self-realization. Compulsion. Etc. But professional writers, those who are published with regularity, find an intersection between why they write and why their readers read. Sure, sometimes that intersection is at the corner of “I’m brilliant” and “Everyone loves everything I write.” But more often, we start not with our own need to express ourselves but …
A 40+ Day Musical Experience
I’ve been making an annual musical journey during the pre-Easter Lenten season. I wrote about a couple of those before (here and here). I thought it might be fun to reveal this year’s version. Since mid-February, the only music I’ve listened to in the car or while on a plane has been the collected works of Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741). While most of us are familiar with his …
He Is Risen!
He is risen indeed! “Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain. We are even found to be misrepresenting God, because we …
Maundy Thursday
Today is Maundy Thursday. As you feel led, visit this passage regarding the Last Supper and meditate upon it. I can never read this passage without thinking about how often I have disappointed Christ. And no matter how much I deny it, no matter how much I wish I were perfect, I am not. I will wretchedly and miserably betray Him again. And yet He forgives. I am nothing without Him. O Lamb of God, …
It Was a Year
You thought everything would be “normal” by now, didn’t you? There’s a scene in the Mel Brooks classic film Young Frankenstein, in which Dr. Frankenstein (“Fronk-en-shteen”) discovers the brain his assistant supplied for the doctor’s grand experiment came from “Abby Someone.” “Abby who?” the doctor asks. “Abby … Normal,” comes the answer. That’s where we are, living in “Abby Normal” times. In …
Taking a Break
No new posts for the next two weeks. We all are taking a short break for the holidays. Back in the saddle starting January 10!
God’s Timing vs. Ours
With Christmas coming soon, we pause to remember what happened a couple thousand years ago. Of course, we know the whole story. The King of heaven was born, lived and died, resurrected and returned to the Father where he came from, all over a period of about 33 years. We can read a lot about his life, family, teachings, friends, followers, and foes in the pages of Scripture. But if we had a …
Christmas Blessings to All Our Readers
The Christmas season is a lovely time to bless and remember our blog community, to let you know how much your thoughtful comments have brought insight and pleasure over the years. Thank you for being part of our community. I pray that this next week of Advent is blessed as we all await in glorious anticipation to celebrate the anniversary of the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. I pray …