Quit Driving from the Back Seat

It's easy to love God isn't it. I mean, somebody sent their ONLY son to die in your place. He took away all your sins the moment you confessed them and asked for forgiveness. He spends time in heaven looking out for you, counting the hairs on your head, orchestrating plans to make sure the vehicle that should have hit you today passes by just a split second before you step onto the street. I mean, how could you not love a God like that, right?

Loving him is easy. But can you trust him? If you love to be in control of your own life like me, then you probably have a big problem trusting God, just like I do. It's not that I don't trust him in general, It's exercising that trust and then letting him take control of the vehicle of my life that's the issue. I find myself doing some back seat driving. Telling him where and when to turn, telling him that he's driving too slowly and getting angry when he tells me that I we have to stop some place when all I really wanna do is go further, faster.

I'm sure many of you would agree with me that a relationship will never work without trust. No matter how much love there is floating around in there, if there's no trust, two people can drive each other crazy! (remember Marcus and Angie in "Why Did I Get Married?")

Well, my encouragement to both of us is this: Learn to trust the one you love, he's already saved your life, so obviously he has your best interest at heart. Quit driving from the back seat. Let Him do his thing. He knows where to go and how to get there. Let Him do his thing!

Joana James - Author of Nightmare at Emerald High & Alana and Alyssa's Secret

Five years ago today...

Five years ago on January 17, 2007 I was wheeled into an operating room, strapped to a table and cut open. My doctors were afraid that they would have to remove my left kidney completely. Six weeks before that, I learned that I was born with a defect in my kidney that meant it never drained completely.  My doctors didn't find it until I was 23 years old so for 23 years my kidney was racked with infections that threatened to render it useless.

As I reflect on the last 5 years, I am extremely thankful to still be here. Part of that journey felt like an uphill battle but I'm still alive and I'm still kicking! I still have two kidneys even though I am still struggling with constant infections. I can do things that many people can't. I still dance full time, I still sing for hours on end at my church. I still work hard, study hard and play hard. And I owe every minute of my life to my heavenly father. The going was rough sometimes and many times through the years I felt like God would never heal me. But the fact that I'm still here is testament to his goodness.

So as I pass this small milestone I just had to say thank you publicly to my heavenly father for keeping me. Now, five years later, I've published two books and I'm slowly making progress and fulfilling some of the things I've always wanted to.

For that, I will be eternally grateful.

Joana James - Author of Nightmare at Emerald High & Alana and Alyssa's Secret

The Ford Page 99 Test of Rise from the Ashes

Ford Madox Ford, novelist, poet and editor, said, "Open the book to page ninety-nine and read, and the quality of the whole will be revealed to you."

So what do you think about page 99 of Rise from the Ashes?

Here's a short excerpt of the page
"Alyssa felt guilty for her mother's death but she told no one. She'd attended her funeral but she barely remembered what transpired there. She realised then, that she was now alone in the world. There was no body else on the planet directly related to her and that notion scared her. For now, all she had to rely on, was the kindness of strangers; one who had turned into her best friend and the other, the love of her life."

In the End I WIN!

This is a Short piece that just kinda came to me.

So sue me for wanting to be successful.

Or better yet, thrash me for desiring life not filled with misery.

Condemn me for needing to feel loved.

Maybe you’d even want to hang me, for deciding not to be a pawn in your evil game.

I know you hate me for setting standards that you can’t reach.

So maybe you should just try to hang me and get it over with.

But wait, my fate is NOT in your hands.

My destiny you CANNOT hinder.

The plans for my life are greater than you can ever imagine.

Whether you try to sue me, thrash me, condemn me, or hang me,

The plans of my God will still go unhindered.

Didn’t you hear, greater is he that is in me, than he that is in you!

Didn’t you hear, No weapon that you form against me can win!

Didn’t you hear, His plans for me are plans of peace!

Didn’t you hear, He’s already written my book,

I decided to sneak a peek at the last chapter,

And guess what, world, in the end I WIN! 

1000 words a day

Sometimes it can be really difficult to balance a busy life with a passion or a hobby. Few of us are lucky enough to turn our hobbies into careers so for those of us who haven't a day job is the best way to keep clothes on our backs and a roof over our head. We get older, our priorities change and before you know it, we've forgotten our passion. So how do we get to do what we like to do and still have time for other things?

Obviously my passion is writing and for many years I had absolutely no time for it. Until I discovered that it took me only about an hour to come up with 1000 meaningful words. So I set a goal, a reasonable one, write 1000 words each day. I stuck to it as best as I could, there were days when I barely got one word in, but I'd make up for it when I could. Before long, I had two stories good enough to be published. And publish I did! Here's the proof http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005JTP7OG!

Writing is still just a hobby, and certainly shouldn't quit my day job just yet, but I've found time in my busy schedule for my passion and I'm still writing 1000 words a day.