Am I In His Will Or Mine?

Do you ever ask yourself that question? Every once in a while I have to test myself and my motives in this rat race called being an author. Am I right in the center of His will, or have I veered off onto my own course?

One way I check myself is to return to my original calling. When I began writing, I told God that I would write His messages even if it was meant to touch only one person. That means I can't get caught up in numbers. I've had people ask me how many books I've sold. Honestly, I can't say with any kind of accuracy. I think that's a good thing. If I make my writing ministry about the bottom line, I think my message will suffer.

Another way I personally check myself is to evaluate what has priority. I promised God that He would be first. Many people know one way I keep myself accountable is to start with reading His Word each morning. I force myself not to check email or Facebook. This is a way to prove my loyalty is to the Lord not to what I am doing.

Prayer is a big indicator, too. I pray as I'm writing that the message will be clear. I pray when I submit a manuscript that this is the place to send it. I pray when I sign a contract that God will direct the editing. I pray as the release date gets closer that God will prepare those readers who need my book's message to be in a place to get the book.

I study my guiding verses for my ministry.

"Mortals make elaborate plans, but God has the last word. Humans are satisfied with whatever looks good; God probes for what is good. Put God in charge of your work, then what you've planned will take place." Proverbs 16:1-3

These verses remind me to put God in charge of my work, because He has the overall plan. I, in my humanness, will settle for what looks good. God wants to give me what He has purposed.

Can I share with you? God's ways will blow your mind. I can't believe that I signed a contract for my fourth book. I can't believe I will be teaching at a writing conference. And, right now, God has me writing a manuscript about four women who followed their own course but found no joy even though in the eyes of the world they are successful.

Precious reader, what has God called you to do? Don't be discouraged if everything hasn't panned out yet. Put God in charge and wait for His timing. Stay in His will. He will bring about His purpose in your life.
 

Raise Them Up In The Way They Should Go

Do you know that scripture that talks about raising up our children in the right way - God's way - and when they are grown, they will not depart from it?

Through twelve years of homeschooling my daughter, there were times when I wondered what in the world I had gotten myself into. The two of us are so much alike that we can definitely butt heads. But, through much prayer, God allowed us to find a way to homeschool successfully.

Now, my daughter has begun college through Liberty University Online. I'm proud of what she has accomplished so far during her first six weeks. It is a little strange not to be her teacher anymore, but I am happy to see the continuation of a Christian-based education.

I especially love to see her in action, passing on godly lessons to her Wednesday night choir groups and her Sunday school class. Her calling is to teach children about God and prepare them for a relationship with Him through Jesus Christ. Her heart feels such an urgency to help parents train up their children in God's way.

Here she is teaching about the armor of God, specifically the belt of truth.

Here are all her kids with their belts.


Thank You, God, for the opportunity to educate my daughter in Your ways. May she never depart from it.

New Release from Clare Revell

Check out Clare's new release from Pelican Book Group.

Friday's Child is a man obsessed...

MI-5 agent Patrick Page is on the trail of a drug smuggler. He doesn't have time to revisit his past when he reconnects with the girl who got away--his girlfriend from college working at a library. He's more than surprised to see sweet Elle singing on stage when he slips into a nightclub to gain intel on the club's owner.  Why is she working two jobs? Why is she using an alias?  Is she somehow involved?  And is her involvement with his suspect merely a business relation or is there more to their partnership?

Elle has a secret she doesn't want Patrick to know. His daughter.  She'd turned custody over to her parents, but now she wants to be a mother not just a sister. But her own mother can't seem to let go neither has she forgiven Elle for her past.  So Elle works two jobs and supports them both. Her one light is her music. The career she abandoned, and her boss has promised to make her a star. But now with Patrick back in her life she's questioning her choices. And is he interested in her, or does he have some hidden agenda? Does Patrick have a secret too? 

extract:

Patrick turned his attention to the people gyrating on the dance floor. They were all so young, either that or he was showing his age. Enough of the old. You already had this conversation with yourself once today. He sipped his drink, the music reverberating within him. Glancing around, he spied a table to one side. Grabbing a handful of peanuts, he crossed over to it and sat down. Hopefully this Lisa would start singing soon, before the bass did serious damage to his ears.

He caught a glimpse of a woman making her way to the small stage. Her long white dress, split to mid-thigh, glowed in the blue lighting, her features and very feminine curves enhanced by it. Her brown hair hung almost to her waist. She looked older than the teens bopping to the latest dance hits on the floor. If he had to guess, he’d say around his age. What is this fascination with age? Sooner I am out of here the better.

The dance music stopped. As the woman sat on the stool near the center of the stage and picked up the guitar, Patrick’s heart stopped. Lisa Bellamy was none other than Eleanor Harrison, his former girlfriend and the dowdy librarian from earlier. Was she really as good as Liam said she was?

In which case, why was she a librarian? Something didn’t add up.

Wow, but she looks cute in that outfit. So much better than the librarian getup… Then he quickly caught himself. He was working and until proved otherwise, he had to assume that no one was above suspicion of wrong doing. 

This was the center of the operation. 

It was this bar that the drugs were coming in and out of, as well as the money. On the surface, things looked fine. The place turned a tidy profit, and nothing had come to light during the routine police and health and safety checks. All the employee checks as far as he knew were fine.

But the intel he’d received from Scotland pointed to something far deeper. And if Elle worked here, she could be involved. 

You can purchase your copy here:
http://pelicanbookgroup.com/ec/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=37_46&products_id=487&zenid=a14bfeb709558fa8425a264cffaaa759

Happy Birthday to Prism Book Group!

This is a birthday party/blog hop - a kind of progressive dinner style soiree.

I am thrilled to be a part of the Prism family through being an author and an acquisitions editor.

I feel honored to be able to unveil the cover for Brave New Century for the first time right here on my blog. This book will release in November. My co-authors and I want to entice you to be on the look-out for this historical romance collection.

My next order of business is to share a cake recipe. This recipe is famous at my church, made and brought by Rebecca.

Rebecca's Chocolate Cake
2 c. plain flour             2 eggs, beaten
2 c. sugar                    1 c. water
1/2 c. oil                     1 stick butter
1 stick butter               4 T. cocoa
4 T. cocoa                  6 T. milk
1 tsp. vanilla                1 box confectioners sugar
1 tsp. soda
1/2 c. buttermilk
Put flour and sugar in large mixer bowl. Begin to mix, with mixer. In small saucepan, bring 1 cup water, 4 T. cocoa, 1/2 cup oil to a boil. Pour over sugar and flour, continue mixing. Add vanilla, soda, buttermilk, eggs, mix well. Bake 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes. Icing: Bring 1 stick butter, 4 T. cocoa, 6 T. milk to a boil. Pour over confectioners sugar, mix well. Pour over cake.

This cake is a chocolate lover's delight!

Now for the gifts - what's a birthday party without gifts?
Enter to win a $100 gift card below.

a Rafflecopter giveaway



Follow the blog hop by starting with a link in the Link List.

It's A Birthday Party!

Take a sneak peek at a birthday celebration. Just click the link below. Check back right here for more birthday fun this weekend!

http://prismbookgroup.com/blog/

First Review for BE THE BLESSING

The first review has shown up for my release, BE THE BLESSING.

Thank you, Julie Arduini, for your review. If you've been trying to decide about purchasing the book, read this review for a little more information.

Please check it out at Julie's place at this link:

http://juliearduini.com/2013/09/14/book-review-blessing-paula-mowery/

BE THE BLESSING And Chocolate

Not sure I could have planned this if I tried, but my new release, BE THE BLESSING, comes out Friday which coincides with International Chocolate Day. Two of my favorite things - chocolate and a book.

Grab your favorite chocolate treat and settle in to read Addy's continuing story on your e-reader.

"We all wonder why bad things happen to good people. Can God use even the worst events in our lives to help us feed the world around us?Be the Blessing skillfully provides both food for thought and food for discussion." -- Lisa Wingate, national best-selling author of The Sea Glass Sisters and The Prayer Box.

Blurb: Addy Townsend hadn’t strolled with Conrad or had a vision in five years. Now Conrad has returned to challenge her to be a blessing to those around her. The Holy Spirit begins to nudge her into service in new ways and she follows.

But when she is blindsided with personal problems, can Addy learn to be a willing vessel even in times of struggle and suffering?

Find BE THE BLESSING at www.pelicanbookgroup.com or at other e-book sellers starting Friday, September 13th. 

Available on Amazon at this link: http://www.amazon.com/Be-the-Blessing-ebook/dp/B00F5HS8WK/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1379072456&sr=1-1&keywords=Be+The+Blessing

Wonderful Weirdos Day/Sept.9th

Do you love this special day? I mean really, who knew we had a day for those of us weird people?

As a Christian, however, I'm really commanded to be weird. Now, don't start writing me comments about the absence of the word weird in the Bible. I know the word doesn't appear there, but it could.

Read these scriptures:

"Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind." Romans 12:2a

"And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of God." 1 Corinthians 6:11

"Therefore come out from them and be separate, says the Lord." 2 Corinthians 6:17

The first scripture speaks of not conforming to this world. Thus, as Christians, we are to be different than what is the normally accepted behavior of the world. A word that is used in the definition of weird is eccentric. The meaning of this word? Deviating from a usual or accepted pattern.

The second verse comes after a long list of sins that are common to those who are not of the kingdom of God. The verse begins by stating that all of these things or sins were what we once were, but now we are saved through Jesus. Christians are to be sanctified which means made holy, made free from sin, or set apart to sacred use or duty. To be holy means to have a divine quality.

The third verse is prefaced by God's warning not to be linked with unbelievers. Christians are to be separate meaning to keep apart, disconnected, and detached. We come away from the world - totally detach from its ways.

Weird is defined as of strange or extraordinary character - unearthly.

Weirdo is a person who is extraordinarily strange or eccentric - oddball.

So, you tell me, Christian, should we be weirdoes? My verdict is yes.

Let's celebrate this day and be wonderful weirdos for Christ. Who's with me?

What Kind of Crowd Do You Run With?

This week in my One Year Bible as well as in my Sunday School study, Job has been the focal topic. I have often studied about this man's life from the perspective of suffering and God's presence in the midst. But, another thought came to my mind as I read through this story once again - the topic of friends.

When poor Job lost everything, three friends showed up. At first they just sat on the ash heap with him. But, when they started to speak their opinions, everything went sour. They didn't support him at all. They accused him of having done evil and prompted him to repent. These friends wouldn't listen when Job tried to explain that he had done nothing evil.

Have you been there? Have you experienced a trial only to have your friends be the first ones to blame or run away?

I believe we can learn a couple of lessons from Job's friends.

First, be careful when picking your friends. Your close friends should be Christians who are striving to be a godly influence in your life. They should build you up, not tear you down. They should want the best for you and exhibit a godly wisdom. They should never make you doubt God but point you to Him.

Second, be the kind of friend you want. In other words, you work to gain God's wisdom, so you can offer godly advice. Always think the best of your friends. Build them up. Never distract them from focusing on God.

Examine your crowd. Are you "running" with the right friends? Are you being a true Christian friend?

I remember my mamaw saying: "The trouble you meet is directly related to the company you keep." Food for thought.

Thank You, God for Christian friends. Help me be a good one.