Thursday, November 28, 2013

Thanksgiving



This is the time of year that friends and family gather together to share their love, good food, and the things that they are thankful for in their lives.  So I thought I would take this time and space to tell you the things that I am thankful for.
            I am thankful that I had a failed marriage, without those hard times I would not have found God.  
            I am thankful that I had two wonderful daughters that have grown into beautiful Christian woman and have given me beautiful grandchildren.
           I am thankful that for the last 36 years that God has been the leader in my life.       
           I am glad I had good parents who did the best they could for me with what they had.  They taught me how to be polite and the morally right and wrong things to do.         
          I am thankful that I had a wonderful church family that helped support my children and I during those years when I had a hard time handling it as a single parent.  When I thought there was no reason for me to be in worship service because the girls were wiggling or crying and I was not able to get anything out of the lesson, someone would reach over and hug me or take one of the girls out for a break.
          I am thankful for the people who listened to me when I was trying to make a decision in life and didn’t have a spouse to discuss it with. 
          I am thankful for the women who taught (mentored) me by example not by criticizing me. 
          I am thankful God stayed with me and never turned His back on me.  
          I am thankful God brought me to SC or I never would have met Doug.  
          I am thankful that God has been here for me through my surgeries and my cancer diagnosis. 
          I am thankful for where I am right now in my life, although sometimes life gets hard, I know that He is with me always and I can face anything that comes my way.

What are you thankful for?

Wednesday, November 20, 2013

So Excited

The writers conference was wonderful.   I learned so much from some very talented people.  I had the opportunity to learn from some published authors, and was able to get information from an agent.  What more could a potential author ask for.

Keep your eyes out for some new information coming from the American Christian Writers, and the new chapter here in Anderson, the American Fiction Christian Writers.

Also, just want you to know I have three books that I am working on.

1 - Purity through Christ (for teenage girls)
2 - 101 Last Meals "Before You Start Your Diet"
3 - An unnamed novel based on a woman named Stella.

Also, I will be starting a Newsletter for the ladies at Taylors church of Christ in January.

Looking forward to all these opportunities that God is opening the doors for me to develope myself so I can share his word.

Praise God!
Lillian

Friday, November 15, 2013

Just a Beginner

As you can tell from my blog, I am new to this blogging thing.  I may even start tweeting... Oh no!!!  So I wanted to let you know that tonight I am going to be having dinner with two published authors of Christian romance novels.  I am so excited to have taken the steps to join a group of writers who have Christ first in their writing, then a good story.

I look forward to learning a lot this evening and tomorrow during our seminar and workshops.  Finally feeling like I am on a path to where I want to be with some of my writings.

Praises to God!!
Lillian

Monday, November 11, 2013

Mentoring each other



Mentoring, Teaching, Learning, Helping; however you would like to describe it, we need to study on this and work on this.  
I think sometimes when we hear this word it kind of turns us off.  I don’t want to be responsible for someone else.  There are days I have a hard time being responsible for myself!  We already have so many people to answer to; our husbands, our children, our parents, our friends, the congregation, the community I live in, my boss, my co-workers, and mostly God.  So now you want me to consider adding another person to the list?  I just don’t think I can do that.  I just don’t have the time.  I UNDERSTAND COMPLETELY, NEITHER DO I!!  But what if I tell you that you don’t have to add another person to the list; the person you can mentor is already on that list.  Let me suggest to you that there is someone close to you that you see regularly that needs to be mentored.
 God tells us (the older women) in Timothy to teach the younger woman.  Well I am a little upset over that because I just figured out that I am the older woman.  I don’t mind mentoring someone, but that means I have to really think about how I respond to things a little differently.  I still want to be the younger woman who can make those mistakes and get away with them because I am young and still have time to grow up. 
But we all grow up and we continue to mature (hopefully), at least in years we mature and age.  Have I grown up as a Christian?  Have I matured as much as I should have?  It doesn’t matter if the answer is yes or no, because we can start from today.  If you didn’t, well then start now, if you did, well good for you, keep going, you are now more equipped to help someone else.
Did you ever think of mentoring up?  My definition of mentoring up is that you mentor someone who is older than you.  What, you say?  Wouldn’t that be disrespectful?  God tells us to respect our elders, true, but what if someone who is older than you becomes a new Christian, even if you are younger than them you can help teach them, which is mentoring.  Or possibly a sister in Christ, falls in her faith due to life circumstances that she just wasn’t prepared to deal with, she may be older than you, but you may be stronger right now in your life and you can help lift her up and help find her way back to Christ.  There may also be situations where a mature Christian woman is very strong in her faith and has always thought a certain way about something (for this scenario let’s assume it is a salvation issue), you have been taught something different about this subject.  It would be appropriate and correct for you to discuss this with her.  Now I said discuss, not walk up to her and tell her she is wrong.  You might want to ask to have coffee with you and ask her how she came to believe that and to show you scripture so you can question your own reasoning.  Hopefully by comparing scripture and getting to know each other better you can find the true answer to the issue.  This is teaching, mentoring, and leading. 
How about mentoring across?  Someone who is your age, your maturity level and or spiritual level.  There is nothing better than good Bible study time with another woman.  You can open up and talk on a level that maybe your husband, father, preacher, elder or whoever just couldn’t understand how you express yourself.  You have so much in common sometimes that you assume that the both of you think the same about everything.  Try to bring up some really interesting Bible facts and stories and see if you are both on the same thought process.  You might be surprised and learn something new yourself.
Then of course there is the mentoring down.  Teaching someone who is younger than you.  Someone who is less experienced in Bible concepts and stories.  Someone who needs encouragement in doing the right thing, this may be in just setting a good example.  Slowly teaching with actions instead of rules and speeches on a subject.  Remember actions speak louder than words, this is always true. 
One of the best ways to get to know someone and where they are in their walk with Christ than working with them on a project.  Is there somebody you would like to know better, but don’t know where to start?  Invite them to help you with a project, either at home, or something within the congregation.  By having the time with them, and doing something, it is easier to discuss things and learn about each other.  Open up to people, they aren’t that much different than you underneath it all.

All Praises to God!
Lillian

Tuesday, November 5, 2013

Welcome!!

Hi everyone and welcome to my brand new blog.  I am looking forward to sharing my thoughts and dreams with you.  I love a good healthy discussion on God's word and look forward to comments concerning my blogs.  Depending on the day will depend on what I am writing about.

Please follow me and see what you think.