By Mary Hill
What a challenging and quick week I have had. My 10 things are rolling off my fingertips quickly.
1. Poetry and inspiration — I have a great week of reading other blogs and posts. I even took a time to reminisce about summer while reading Considerings special poems on the Well Tempered Bards. Really lovely.
2. Zoe is featured too in poems about bacon and the Andy Griffith show. Down at the Country store was bitter sweet.
3. Zoe and Lizzi are taking part in OctPoWriMo 2014. I am going to join up now too.
4. If you have been following me this week, you know that I have successfully completed the first week of Nester’ s Write 31 Days challenge. As part of the challenge, I have been writing poems based on words that I find in my Bible’s concordance. 
5. I feel like the challenge is drawing me closer to God. With each poem, I discover something deeper that radiates in my soul. Here is a link to my page featuring each days’ poems.
6. Reflections on love — A fellow blogger talked about feeling lost in church in her post Why Does Church Break My Heart. It really resonated with me. The picture of her crying, feeling lost after leaving church today hit me hard. I was there too six years ago. Now, however, church to me has become a sanctuary and a weekly praise and worship time. I see people’s lives changing and hear songs of joy each week.
I commented that my prayer for her is that she find a church full of God’s love and spirit. I am so blessed right now because our church has altar calls where practically the whole church piles up on the altar praying, crying, and worshipping. God is so real and His Spirit is so thick, people are coming to know and accept Jesus every week. We had two women accept Him today.
This young man sung the altar call, and church members came forward celebrating the changes God has made in their lives. His testimony is so poignant. At 16, he was selling drugs; now, he is going to Bible study classes and sings for the Lord. He has even been invited to sing in other churches in our state.
I have a confession to make. I write in church. I know, I know I should be listening to the singing and preaching, right? But if you are a Christian writer you know that writing becomes worship. The pen flows and the words sing up off the page toward heaven. Sometimes, I write and cry at the same time.
7. I also had another major victory this week. I found a little dog last Friday on the highway. I brought him home and tried to find his owners and connected with a family who wanted him too. Mid-week, however, I received terrible news. The family couldn’t keep him because he was too aggressive with their toddler. I was scared we would have to turn him over to the pound. I kept posting his picture on various animal group Facebook pages in our area and we found his mommy. They were reunited. I love a happy ending.
8. Upcoming learning opportunities. I have some great opportunities this week. Blogelina is hosting blogging classes starting every Tuesday all month long. Another will be on memoir writing, Writing Women’s Lives.
9. Then I will be attending Allume at the end of the month. I know I have not told you guys much about this yet (sarcasm). I am so excited and to think this is happening in my backyard. I don’t have to fly anywhere. As the conference gets closer, the nerves get higher. I have got to get those business cards done.
10. In preparation for the conference, I finally completed my media kit. Well, almost. I have to add some readership statistics like page views and unique users or readers. I am stumped, but trying to figure it out. If you have time, please check it out and give me feedback. I would especially appreciate if you let me know of any typos. Thanks so much.
I am so thankful for so much. I am especially thankful that God loves me and I am His. You can have that same relationship with Him too. Just say a simple prayer of acceptance and He will come into your life and bless you beyond imagination. If you need to know more, please don’t hesitate to comment in the form below. I would love to pray for you.
Contributing to these hops:
Congrats on getting your media kit finished!
Write where you are inspired. I use to write and draw in church. I heard the sermon and enjoyed the singing, but my hands needed to write.
Love this post! I love what you shared about your church. My husband and I are currently in the midst of finding a church and it can be very hard. Loved just reading how you feel about your church. Hopefully we will find ours soon. Also, thank you for the inspiration yet again to work on my media kit. I’m not sure why I’m so lazy about it, but I need to get it done!
When I listen to speakers, with a pen and paper in hand, often I will have ideas come to my mind on what I can do to apply the principles in my own life. I don’t think it’s bad at all to write in church!
What a happy ending for that little dog and his person! 🙂
Glad I’m not the only one who writes in church! Ideas come to me in the middle of my husband’s sermons! Inspiration can strike at the weirdest places!
I’ve almost done the the 31 day challenge for two years now, but didn’t. Maybe next year.