God Cares For YOU...

I've been on a Consecrated Fast all week for things I have before the Lord: I don't tend to share my personal business to this degree, but I'm sharing this because God reached out to me (via a complete stranger) to let me know He Heard me (which I already knew He had, but it's human nature to desire confirmations... 

I had appointments today and afterwards decided to grocery shop as church is tomorrow. Lo and behold, I failed to take pain medicine with me (which I never forget) and got caught out there. My pain level was off the charts and my perspiration matched it! I literally looked like I was being rained on. At this point, I'm scooting my legs along, versus making steps (which was way too painful). This lady, who I had seen near the frozen food about 25 min. prior, caught up with me--on the other side of the store--and told me the Lord told her to locate and give me a Message. She said she wasn't sure if I was even still in the store or if she'd remember what I looked like, but she found me and did recognize me.  I was sure the message was going to be something concerning my "health" as she had to have noticed I was in grave discomfort. This messenger fooled me, and I realized quickly, she REALLY WAS sent by God. The Message was: How very much God loves me (she emphasized this over and over again). NOTE: Accept God told her, this lady couldn't have known if I was saved or not as we had no prior conversation. She said God isn't through with me; she said I may think that He is, but He isn't. Not at all. She said, He still has work for me to do! She said, not to concern myself with what other people opinion of me is; Keep my eyes on God (which I do, Day and Night...when most people are sleep, actually). And, other things she said to me from God.

Since I gave my life to the Lord at 17, God has sent people to me from time to time just this way with various messages of encouragement throughout my life: Times when I felt like He had totally forgotten me! I haven't felt that way in years; More spiritually mature than that now, but there was a time! 

It could be tomorrow, 5 years from now, 10 years from now, before He sends someone else, but what I know and I know for sure, my Father is Dependable. I can ALWAYS DEPEND ON HIM! And, as my oldest son says, It's good to know that you're on God's Radar! 

People, be blessed and be encourage, for He has NO respect of person. He knows what plans He has for YOU as well! God once told me STRAIGHT FROM HEAVEN (in His Voice), "There's NOTHING going on in your life that I'm not FULLY AWARE OF!" That was about 30 years ago, when I was putting some groceries away and wasn't thinking any spiritual thoughts whatsoever at the time. He just started talking to me, out of the blue. I've never forgotten it, or what He said. When things have gotten rough, I've always returned to what He said to me, and it's like someone throwing me a raft when I feel like I'm drowning! I've heard Him quite a few times since then (verbally), but that time is the most significant to me! Like I said, God has NO RESPECT OF PERSON! He's Thinking about YOU right now!

David says in the bible in the Psalms: Who am I that He is mindful of Me? God is ALWAYS thinking about YOU! Just thought you should know that. Be blessed!

A Learning Curve...

Like I said before, there was a time if you were a writer you wrote your book and assisted in promoting it and prayed the sells hit the roof! Now, it's media and multimedia and blogging and youtube and book trailers (I've only known about them for a few months, believe it or not)...it's all so overwhelming! Writing...I can do that in my sleep! The greatest compliment I ever received (did I tell you this already?) is when I was accused (via my son's 4th grade teacher) of plagiarizing something I had helped him to write for a school project. Even when I gave in and told teacher that I helped him, she still insisted I had to have gotten it out of a book, and she was going to find the copy of the book I got it from to prove it! Needless to say, she never found that book! On one hand she was insulting my intelligence in insisting that I couldn't have written that well in the first place; on the other hand, it was a compliment because it was my very first hand at fiction. She had given the children a scenario whereas a young girl dressed in red (or was it white) was sitting at a bus stop (supposedly waiting for the bus) and the children (including my son) had to take it from there. This, of course, was a class assignment. It only had to be 2 to 3 pages long. Well, my son and I did it together: I asked him where was the girl going? Did she miss the bus? Was there a seat on the bus for her to sit down? Was the bus late? Did it come at all? The kind of questions that would get him thinking. And, the next thing you knew, we had a story! She gave him a B because she insisted he (even with my help) couldn't have made the story up! My point is, telling stories comes easy for me, but I didn't know it until that assignment. Until then, I had only written non-fiction; although, I loved reading fiction books.
       Finally, I've stepped out and am ready to do something with this fiction and the world has changed on me! I've been trying to edit for 3 months! Normally, that would have taken me 2 to 3 weeks, but having to stop and blog and stop and tweet and stop and add to Facebook and stop and respond to people writing me...by the time I finish all that, I'm exhausted and the editing gets an hour in and I'm calling it a day! My kids (who don't write and don't understand how it works now, either) are saying, Leave Twitter alone until you finish, but then you lose your following and have to start all over again. You ignore Facebook and in a few days they want to know...who are you?
       An assistant would solve that problem but who can afford one? Amanda Hocking, for sure. But, I'm not there, yet. Because I will hire one as soon as I am. I have 2 hands and 10 fingers...and I sure haven't learned how to type with my toes, yet!
       The thing is (truth time) people are hungry for interaction...any kind, any way they can get it. Parents ignore children, children are bored out of their minds...everyone is looking for that new wave of interaction, even if it's behind a keyboard. Words of encouragement. Words of kindness. A sort of media holding of the hands! We're human and we yearn for the human touch...even if it's behind the glare of a computer or smart phone screen!
       That's why I've named my Publishing Company, A Soft Place To Fall. I know it's a mouth full and not at all, a typical name, but it's what people need and it's what my books will offer when one reads them. Comfort, Hope, Care...Possibilities! And, no...it won't be all fun and games between the pages, but there will always be light at the end of the tunnel: There will always be a Soft Place To Fall.
       Yep, this great grandma has had to face and achieve a learning curving and I'm still going around that bend (sometimes a bit slow), but I've met a community of wonderful people that will help me to get where I'm going, just like I'll help the next person to get where they're going. If we all keep that shoulder strong and firm, we'll always BE that soft place to fall ON...or at least, to LEAN on. That's been my learning curve..realizing that in all this, I'm NOT alone! And, neither are you! So, come on...take my hand...Let's go around this next curve together!