You’re in a bookstore. A cover reaches out its hands and grabs you. (Yes, of course metaphorically, we’re not doing a Stephen King thing here.)
How long before you decide to buy it or put it down and keep looking? Before reading further, think about it. Got it?
Last week I was at the ACFW conference (American Christian Fiction Writers) and I bumped into my friend, literary agent Steve Laube. I commented on a long ago talk I heard him give where he demonstrated how long the typical shopper takes before deciding if a book is right for them or not. He said stats hadn’t changed.
The length of time frame surprised then (before I was published) and depresses me now.
Twenty. Not minutes. Seconds. That’s it. The average shopper looks at the front cover, turns it over and reads the back cover, then opens the book and read a few lines. That’s it.
Books we authors have taken sometimes years to write are given twenty seconds of consideration by the typical potential customer. That’s why the cover and back cover copy are so critical—cause people do judge a book by its cover.
How ‘bout you? How long do you take? And do you take longer when shopping on line?
The most powerful messages are often those simply spoken from the heart…
I saw this video for Mary’s new book and it was so real, so powerful… I just had to share it.
Many of the posts recently are about reading, so I’ll jump in and mention what I’m reading. I have several shelves of books in the garage (although gave away half of them when I moved in my present home, which is almost impossible for me to do). I’m still giving some away because our church hosts Queen for a Day each October for about 100 needy women in which they try to meet their needs with anything from toothpaste to clothing. What I do is donate books.
In my office I have an entire wall-length closet with shelves of books. Most of there are written by my writer/friends and I can’t bear to give those away. I give away duplicates, some of my own, and those I get through book clubs. The women love these because they can’t afford to buy books, computers, or kindles, etc. This is the only way I can feel comfortable parting with my books.
Now, reading them is a different matter. I make a habit to read about an hour before going to bed at night. Other than that, my reading is limited to mentoring the work of my students through the Christian Writers Guild. And I judge many contests and read the works of both beginners and published writers.
And then there are the books of my Novel Retreat faculty that I try to read. My most difficult reading is my own books as I’m writing them. Takes a while for the story to take shape and be enjoyable.
But one reading time I don’t want to give up and that’s my morning Devotional time. I try to read in order to deepen my faith, understand God’s word better, just spend time with him but inevitably the reading and the meditation time results in my getting story ideas or the answer to the problem faced my characters. My latest novel has the theme of the verse from the Bible that says, “the truth shall make you free.”
Don’t you just love it when another writer’s work, and God’s word, speaks to you about a particular time in your life when you needed just that? I’m so grateful to Christian writers. I love teaching and mentoring writers so they have the joy of reaching out to others in their stories.
And yes, that’s definitely a way to bring up the Novel Retreat that’s coming up October 14-17 here in the mountains of North Carolina. Our faculty is made up of established authors (Ray Blackston, Lynette Eason, Mark Mynheir, Deborah Raney, Ken Raney, Ramona Richards, Janet Roller, and Ann Tatlock) who have that desire to teach, influence, and motivate other writers to reach their dreams, not just read all those great books but to write them. Come join us!
Ridgecrestconferencecenter.org/event/novelist or contact me at yvonnelehman3@gmail.com
It’s been a peculiar reading year for me. Although I’ve enjoyed reviewing new releases on my website, my life-changing reads this year aren’t from 2012. Not even close. Of course the Bible is a daily read and a life-changer, but I thought I would share the two books I not only devoured, but am highlighting nearly every sentence and visiting Amazon to purchase for others.
From Amazon: This book has one purpose: to fuel your passion for the secret place with God. Divided into 52 short chapters, it can serve as a companion to your devotional life. It will help defuse struggles related to the secret place and inspire you to develop a personal connection with God.
I stopped counting at how many times I’ve bought this book for someone else. I took months to read this one because every sentence had a nugget for me to hold onto. I can’t even give a breakdown of the chapters because I loaned my book out, and when I get it back, I plan to read again. I can’t say enough about this book.
A Tale of Three Kings: A Study in Brokenness. I’m not always able to participate in our local Sunday School class, so I went to the library to grab this book by Gene Edwards. My very used copy is from 1980 I believe, and I see there is a 1992 and 2011 re-print.
From Amazon:
From the Back Cover
“What do you do when someone throws a spear at you?” Light, clarity, and comfort for the brokenhearted. To the many Christians who have experienced pain, loss, and heartache at the hands of other believers, this compelling tale based on the biblical figures of David, Saul, and Absalom offers comfort, healing, and hope.
Christian leaders and directors of religious movements throughout the world have recommended this simple, powerful, and beautiful story to their members and staff.
You will want to join the thousands who have been profoundly touched by this incomparable story.
I love a good in-your-face book, but not to throw it at someone else and command them to read it, but for me to absorb the truths and change for the better. There is nothing worse than being wounded by a church. I’ve been there. I ate this book up. It’s a short read, but a transforming one.
Are there any books on your list that aren’t recent releases? Images from Amazon
I am constantly amazed by renewal. After the fire that so deeply impacted my community and me personally, I’m seeing signs of life where no life looked possible. Green shoots and leaves thrusting up through blackened ground. I see crews who worked to stop disaster, now tenderly working to restore order. Helicopters that ceaselessly dropped bucket after bucket of water on flames too difficult to reach on foot now drop straw and wood chips on barren ground to hold back the rains that–please God–may come. Building back what was torn down.
Some days ago, my mom had a catastrophic failure of her septic system. At 81 and weighing about that, she had no strength to deal with it, so I went in for the initial inspection–I’ll save you the details and suffice it to say, I never need to experience that again. Did I mention she’s a “saver”? I called in the emergency troops, who were likewise amazed by the scope of the project. We have since learned that every affected part, walls, flooring etc. contains asbestos, so it’s like that scene in E.T. with the space suits and plastic.
I brought my mom to my house the first night where she insisted, “Surely she’d be home by morning. She had so much to do at home.” I assured her there was nothing she could do, since this would not require a mop, but a construction crew. Her gloom was palpable. But after feeding her a mouse sized dinner, I called her outside to the balcony to see something. For the next minutes, we witnessed an Oscar worthy performance in the sky, a cloud show of heavenly beauty.
I said, “Isn’t God amazing. He’s continuously showing off.”
She looked at me and said, “It sure puts my sewer problem in perspective.”
At first I thought, “Honey, you didn’t see your sewer problem.” But then I realized she was absolutely right. I could get that business taken care of, but could I make a cloud and light it up so spectacularly that thousands stood with their faces to heaven and exclaimed in awe and wonder? What glory.
When you visit your local bookstore and browse the books, what are you looking for? What catches your attention—the author’s name, the cover art, or the back of the book blurb that tells you what the story is about.
Then if everything is right—the cover and the blurb intrigue you—do you open the book and read the first few pages to see if you’re hooked?
What about when you browse the books online at Amazon or Barnes and Nobles? Is the cover still important? Do you read the back cover copy and look at the reviews too?
Something new that I’ve been doing is downloading a free sample of the book. Then if I’m hooked by the time the free reading is over, I’ll most definitely buy.
The pressure is even greater now for authors to hook readers within the first few pages. But there have been many books I’ve greatly enjoyed because I’ve pushed through the slow opening to be rewarded with a spectacular ending.
I’ve asked so many questions in this post because in this changing publishing world I have no answers. I’m curious about the changes in the way we decide what book we will buy.
My daughter is an Amazon Vine Reviewer, meaning she’s earned the spot by reading and reviewing a great number of books. Every once in a while she receives a note from an author—usually short and sweet, thanking her for her review. One author recently quoted her favorite line from the review, complimenting her writing.
However, after giving a 2 star review, another author’s response was . . . well, not so complimentary. Though awarding it only 2 stars, my daughter still mentioned several positive qualities about the book and explained why she was disappointed. It was an honest, justified opinion from one reader.
But the author publicly responded, both negatively and defensively. After pointing out that her review didn’t match the other reviews of those who obviously loved his book, he went on to “explain” that not everyone likes a sappy book and that perhaps she ought to look elsewhere for her happiness.
Ouch! I’m sorry, but that response was both personal and unjustified, particularly in view of the fact that she never called his book “sappy.” She said that the cover and title promised a light tone, but the content turned out to be more serious so she wanted to mention this aspect as a tip to future readers.
Okay, I admit being offended on my daughter’s behalf. But everyone is entitled to his or her own opinion. No author should expect to please everyone, since we’re all so different. I would also guess if a book has only positive reviews then not enough people are reading and/or reviewing it. The best thing to do with a negative review is to chalk it up to taste, and thank God we’re all different.
But here’s the bottom line. I simply don’t understand why an author would sabotage himself this way. Attacking reviewers—i.e. readers—isn’t exactly the best way to attract more readers. My daughter actually owns another book by this author, which she has now placed in her giveaway pile without reading it. Did I mention she’s a Vine reviewer? That’s one less review he’ll get, and with the negative residue from this experience not only will I not be interested in his books, but neither will others, if they read the author’s public defense and attack. It simply makes no sense for an author to do this.
As an author myself, I rarely read my own reviews. The good ones puff up my head and the bad ones deflate it. That might sound like I’ll walk around balanced, but the truth is I’d rather just go along on an even keel than all that up and down. But if I did read my reviews, this whole experience has convinced me not to respond.
I will say getting a positive note from an author really pleases her, so that might be a good idea… But what about you? If you’re an author, do you respond to reviews? If you’re a reviewer, do you want an author to respond?
I moan and groan a lot about having to travel so much, but I shouldn’t. Not only does it show an ungrateful attitude, but it fails to recognize two important (and very positive) points: 1) My speaking invitations/engagements are obviously on the uptick or I wouldn’t be flying across the country ever couple of weeks; 2) My expanded travel schedule usually affords me more reading-for-pleasure time.
I’ve been an avid reader for as long as I can remember, and from the time I was a child I was a pro at snatching even five spare minutes to get at least a few more pages read and digested. No doubt that passion and priority for reading helped drive me to try my hand at writing things for other people to read.
That’s where the problem started. Like most new writers, I went into this venture naively believing that the rest of my life would remain relatively untouched by it. Boy, was I wrong! Whether you write fulltime or part-time, the entire pursuit quickly turns into overtime. Before you know it, every moment is spent researching, writing, rewriting, editing, marketing… Well, you get the picture. And you know what happens? Reading for pleasure quickly falls through the cracks.
I know. I never thought it would happen either. But it did. I now have to discipline myself to squeeze pleasure-reading time into my ridiculous schedule. And so we come back to travel time. Most of my trips consist of hurry-up-to-get-to-the-airport-on-time-to-get-through-security and then waiting at the gate for my flight to be called. You’d be amazed how much you can read during that time! And, of course, how better to pass the actual flight time than to devour several more chapters while zipping through the clouds on the way to your next destination!
I recently ran across an online contest where entrants were supposed to submit photos of their favorite reading spots. I don’t know that airports and airplanes are my favorite reading spots, but they certainly are turning out to be the most workable for me.
How about you? Do you have a favorite reading spot—or maybe just one where you know you can escape from the hustle and bustle of everyday life, even for a few minutes, to indulge in your beloved pastime of reading? If so, I’d love to hear about it!
One word and so many different meanings. Love is a word that can be cheapened and tossed around glibly. I don’t love pizza like I love my husband.
So when I say, “I love you,” what does that mean? Love you like pizza?
Sometimes our words don’t mean much. I’m not posting to criticize our words. But it’s easy to clap a friend on the back and say, “Love ya,” and go on our way.
Check out 1 John 3:18. My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth.
We can say I love you by what we do. The people in our lives, I’ve discovered, pass through so quickly sometimes. The younger we are, we think that our current situation will last forever. But then you wake up one day, and months or even years have passed. And so people move along as well. Either they leave this life, or leave our lives and move away, or people get too busy and grow apart.
I think back to the times I’ve told a friend I loved them, or assumed they “just knew.” Lately I’ve realized how it’s more important to do simple acts of love, those unexpected little things that will show someone that I love them. Not just telling them “love ya,” or figuring they already understood that.
What would mean something special to someone you love? A card or letter? An afternoon together? A cup of coffee, made just the way they like it? A verse you read, that you know they’d appreciate? A listening ear?
Deliberate demonstrations of love might make someone uncomfortable, though. When we acknowledge how truly important someone is to us, they may be embarrassed. But maybe it’s exactly what they needed.
My new promise to myself: no more regrets, no more holding back, no more thinking, “Oh, they already know I love them.”
And then my second thought was, Why am I so afraid to be without a book? Isn’t that kind of freaky weird? Does that mean I have some sort of psychological problem? Why is being without a book such an awful thing for me?
Because seriously, nothing annoys me more than being stuck waiting somewhere without a book to read. I have thanked God from the bottom of my heart a few times when I was able to read a book on my iPhone.
Why is having a book with me at all times so important to me? Am I somehow dependent on it? What’s going on with that?
What do you guys think? And no quips from the peanut gallery about the status of my sanity …
One of my first memories was as a pre-schooler before there was pre-school. I took a stack of hardcover books from the upstairs shelf and waited outside for a school bus that had no plan to pick me up. It wasn’t time, I wasn’t old enough. And I was devastated.
Years later I was in high school, a candidate for the National Honor Society. It was the first round of eligibility and I knew it was a long-shot. Still, I dressed better than normal in case my name was called. It wasn’t, and one girl whose name was called couldn’t resist pointing out how I was all dressed up with nowhere to go. Although I was inducted the following fall, it was hard to come to terms that spring that it wasn’t my time.
Then, as a young adult, a chorus of voices sang the same song regarding my future. There was a young man that everyone thought would make a great spouse because we had Christ in common. I was new enough in faith I wasn’t sure up from down, so I went along with the chorus. As you can guess, that relationship and our future was a figment of imagination. Marriage? It wasn’t time, and I’m so glad. Because the man God chose for me was worth waiting for.
With all those waits, you’d think I’d be okay when I face another delay.
Yet, here I am. The first hour after school let out for the summer I broke my wrist. The right one I use to write. I wore a splint to my elbow, three casts, a velcro brace, and therapy to learn the bone started to heal in the wrong direction. Now there are bones stacked on each other, and that means surgery. I thought my healing would be done by now, and instead, I’m starting all over. It clearly isn’t time for me to move on.
That means my writing takes a hit. My plans were to be done editing my first contemporary romance and be moving forward. It isn’t time. At this time I’m able to write a little bit, and critique the submissions I receive from the groups I’m in. I can whine about how it isn’t fair, and I confess, I have, but what good does it do?
I believe everything has purpose, and my God doesn’t make mistakes. He has reasons for giving me this schedule, situations, and setbacks. I remember being frustrated because my toddler and I were late for a meeting and I had to pull over and fix his car seat. We were already late, but I knew I had to fix it. Turns out, the very time I pulled over a deer ran out in front of highway traffic I would have been in the middle of. Instead of being in the accident, I just missed it.
God knows what He’s doing.
When it isn’t my time, it’s still God’s.
And I’m okay with that.
How about you? How do you handle delays? Are you experiencing anything that you realize isn’t time yet?
This lady will be celebrating her 89th birthday in a month. Unfortunately, she also fell and broke her hip last Wednesday. We were horrified at the time, because she’s Mel’s mother, and she has Alzheimer’s. Conventional wisdom is that when someone her age falls and breaks a hip, it’s a death sentence, but we have high hopes that she’s going to recover and return to the care center where they are experts with Alzheimer’s and dementia. She’s happy there, she has lots of friends, her mind is constantly stimulated.
After our initial concern for her life, we began to worry about her mind. When someone with Alzheimer’s or dementia (as my own mother had until she passed away earlier this year), has general anesthesia, it can destroy more brain cells and greatly worsen her mind. This was what happened to my mother last summer. Had we realized this then, we would have asked the anesthesiologist for a spinal block instead of general. The surgery my mother had took her mind and she was never the same. She couldn’t even read or work her word puzzles afterward. So when it came time for Mel’s mother to have her surgery, he met her surgeon in the wee hours of the morning and instructed him to give a spinal block. If you remember nothing else about this blog, please remember this: if you or an older loved one need surgery, spinal block can spare so much of the brain, because the brain is not placed into a deep sleep. The brain is barely affected.
The surgeon did as Mel asked, and when his mother opened her eyes, she started to read! She looked at words that had been written on the white board on her wall, and when they stood her up–YES, they stood her up merely hours after her hip ball had been replaced by stainless steel!–she started reading the words written on the building across the street outside her window. She’s been reading ever since. The next time we visited her, I took her a large print Reader’s Digest magazine, and she already had her Bible. Oh, the power of the written word! Not only can it inspire us, change our lives, give us direction, entertain us, but it can literally save our minds. SAVE them.
When my mother learned that she was in the early stages if dementia several years ago, she started working on word puzzle books. She always had one in her hand. She also read constantly. I believe she prolonged the good years by protecting her brain as much as she could by exercising it with words. When she stopped reading and lost her ability to understand words, I knew it was only a matter of time before she lost everything, but she prolonged the good years by using words.
Of course, as a writer, I’m bound to believe in the power of words, but my belief has been affirmed by the experiences I’ve had in the past few years. Never give up your reading skills. They will enrich the last years of your life, and possibly prolong them.
Spiritual abuse in the church?… The answer is…Absolutely! As a certified biblical counselor, I have counseled many who have suffered this phenomenon. And as a Christian sitting under the authority of several different Christian leaders, I have personally witnessed this subtle yet real manipulation of Scripture to control and dominate others for one’s own exaltation and/or revenge.
In the revealing book, The Subtle Power of Spiritual Abuse, the authors Johnson & VanVonderen break the silence on an abuse within the church that leaves Christians feeling “used”, manipulated and/or shamed.
To quote the authors, “Spiritual abuse can occur when a leader uses his or her spiritual position to control or dominate another person. It often involves overriding the feelings and opinions of another, without regard to what will result in the other person’s state of living, emotions or spiritual well-being. In this application, power is used to bolster the position or needs of a leader, over and above the one who comes to them in need.” The end result is the leader sends the message that the other person’s spirituality is “defective”. Instead of bringing life and restoration, he brings shame and condemnation, destroying spiritual passion and life within the believer who has come to him in need or that he is using whether intentionally or not intentionally for his own need to feel spiritually superior. Sometimes the leader desires to extract his pound of flesh on one whom he has felt threatened by or whom he perceives has disrespected him in some way.
When studying the gospels, it is clear that part of Jesus’ mission was to expose an abusive system. We will look at “Brood of Vipers” (Matthew 12) in the next post. Consider “Brood of Vipers” (Matthew 12) and Matthew 7:15 . This is eye opening, so please listen closely. Notice in the gospel accounts these four things about those Jesus had confrontations with concerning spiritual abuse, as pointed out by Johnson & VanVonderen:
His confrontations landed on those who saw themselves as God’s official spokespersons – the most religious, the best performers. They had more Scripture memorized than any one. They set the standard for everyone else.
Jesus broke the religious rules by confronting those in authority out loud. How many pastors will not allow for congregants to share their feelings and opinions with them or to confront them about their error today? Hopefully this is not the case in the church you belong.
Jesus was treated as the problem because He said there was a problem.
Before His (Jesus’) persecution, people rushed to Him because His message offered hope and rest.
Now let’s take a deeper look at Matthew 7:15, “Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves.” Notice the term “ravenous wolves” is being used in the same passage in which Jesus speaks about the wide and narrow gates by which people enter in search of inner life. Most Christians hear sermons on this text that define “entering by the wide gate” as following the ways of the “world” – that is, going to worldly movies, bars, etc. Entering by the narrow gate is said to mean reading the Bible, going to church, etc. In other words, the two gates are reduced to lists of what to do or not to do. But if we put aside our previous teaching and we look at the context, it clearly is teaching something different.
Johnson & VanVonderen point the error in interpretation out like this, “Jesus was talking about false prophets—those who looked like they represented God but spoke falsely. Like the true prophets, those prophets stood in front of a wide gate marked “Find Life Here”, but this was the gate of religious performance and self-effort, and there was no life on the other side, just toil and weariness. True prophets stand in front of a narrow gate—the one that says “Come to Me, all who labor…” you can only fit through this gate if you drop all of your works baggage and come through alone. On the other side you find heavenly rest. If you try to go through with your perfect attendance, or any of your own righteousness, you simply won’t fit. Jesus is the NARROW GATE.”
Does the law, performance according to some leader’s standards, doing it right, looking good or trying hard make up the gate where we find life? The answer is NO! Jesus is warning us in these passages that those who are leading people to this gate ARE THE RAVENOUS WOLVES. They look like sheep and appear to be the safest, most righteous and even have an exterior appearance of grace, but they are leading people down the wrong path. Listen, Jesus PLUS anything is NOT JESUS!
It’s worse than this, however, In Matthew 10:6, Jesus sends the disciples to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. Where are the lost sheep? They are in the house. Then in verse 16 He gives the warning, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves.” Take note: Where are the wolves? They are in the house.
We also Paul concerned about the wolves in the house. A concerned Paul while preparing to leave Ephesus, says in Acts 20, I know that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; and from among your own selves men will arise.” You see, when the leader, Paul, leaves he is concerned that the one who will rise up in their midst to lead will be a wolf who will destroy the flock. He is concerned of the damage he will do to their spiritual walk. This is what he is talking about. Pastors, leaders who are twisting the Scripture and using the twisted Scripture for their own purposes.
The most chilling part of this scenario is the words “in sheep’s clothing.” Most Christians are taught by the leaders that this is a sheep that comes in and mingles with them who is really a wolf there to eat them and destroy their spiritual walk. This is a convenient teaching as it gives the leader an excuse for when he abuses his position of authority with an individual in the flock. He can say, “I am trying to protect the flock.” How many of you have heard that type of statement? Sadly, the answer is too many.
It is true that the destruction Jesus and Paul are talking about is done within the flock, BUT it is done by FALSE SHEPHERDS, not FALSE SHEEP. It is the false shepherds – wolves – that we are to keep watch that they do not devour their flock in order to get their sheep’s clothing. In other words, it is the leader of the church who is leading entire flocks of sheep down the path of destruction. Not a sheep in the flock of the Shepherd Sheep. It is the shepherd himself, the leader who is overseeing the flock whom Jesus is warning us to beware of. He is the one who has the position of influence that if used wrongly can destroy others. Jesus and Paul warn the sheep to beware of these false leaders, the pharisaic leaders, the leaders who are in a position of authority, leading them astray with their false doctrines and/or their abusive use of their position of authority as they use it to to lift and edify themselves by beating up one or more in their flock with Scripture and church discipline.
The sheep need to stand up and hold their leaders (the Shepherds) accountable. To allow them to run wild is not doing them or the church a favor and it does not bring glory to Christ. But sadly, few will do it. Most are afraid to confront them. Many are afraid they will lose favor with them. Some are concerned about their personal interests that may be affected so they allow wrong to be done. Ignoring the abuse usually results in its increase. Perhaps the next time, it is one of those sheep who ignore the abuse who find themselves being abused.
Read Ezekiel 22:25, 27. Again, Jesus warned in Matthew 7:15, “Beware of the false prophets,” – wolves are in the house and some of them are in CHARGE.
Most times symptoms of spiritual abuse or abuse of spiritual authority are able to be seen by others. Feel free to share situations you have experienced, seen, or heard of, or any input you might have on this topic.
Does the end of summer mean the end of the “beach read” season? I wondered about that when my daughter recently left for a brief vacation and instead of taking along the meatier, more literary novel our book club was reading at the time, she chose two other books that offered lighter fare. “The book club selection isn’t a beach read,” was her explanation.
Perhaps seasonal reading habits are why I was so thrilled when I saw the cover on my latest book, Bees In The Butterfly Garden. It released earlier this summer and offered a definitely warm-weather look to it with the butterflies, summery gown and lightweight gloves the model wore. The look matched the season, and I was thrilled! I like reading books where the season in the story matches the season I’m in at the time.
Also along that line of seasonal reading, our book club has a history of choosing a mystery or suspense novel in October, to go along with the Halloween theme. And with my family, we usually take a few evenings to read choice sections out of Dickens’ classic A Christmas Carol some time during the holiday season.
Still, at least for me, if a beach read means a happier, escapist book that’s a quick-read, then I’m in for that kind of book any time of the year!
A few of my favorite beach reads:
What Alice Forgot, by Liane Moriarty
Lilies in Moonlight, by Allison Pittman
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, by Mary Ann Shaffer
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime, by Mark Haddon
I’ve wanted a dirt bike since I was five. Okay, maybe not five—it was more like three.
Growing up, I knew it wouldn’t ever happen.
No way.
Not while I lived with my parents. My mom was not a fan of the two-wheeled neck breakers. I was strictly forbidden from ever getting on a motorcycle. It was a non-negotiable.
(No, I won’t mention the time during high school I jumped on friend’s street bike and screamed past my mom who just happened to be traveling the same road going the opposite direction. Dinner was not fun that night. Nor breakfast the next morning, etc, etc.)
But five years ago I did something about that dream that kept flitting around my heart; I bought dirt bikes for my sons and me.
We’ve all wiped out and gotten hurt multiple times.
My son, Micah from this past weekend
I’ve hurt myself—badly.
The bikes take work to maintain.
Is it worth it? Are you kidding? They’ve given us eternal memories that are gold. The first time Taylor and Micah rode out in front of me I couldn’t stop a massive grin from bursting out on my face. It was so fun. So freeing. So full of life.
It was just a small dream. To ride dirt bikes with my sons. But it came true because I stopped putting it off and took action. And when Micah said it was the best gift I’d ever given Taylor and him, I smiled that big goofy grin again.
What’s yours? That little dream you’ve been meaning to do for years. That dream that won’t go away.
That dream that whispers to you just before you go to sleep.
If you’re reading this post, you’re a lover of stories that take you away to other worlds. So what’s the story you need to step into that is your own?
Buy the bikes, write that novel, go on the trip, ask the girl out, start that restaurant … the Spirit put that desire inside you for a reason; it might be time to set it free.
s it over and reads the back cover, then opens the book and read a few lines. That’s it.
Christians Read 