Tony and I laughed until we cried

Note: Have not forgotten the fear post, just don't have time to blog it properly.

Saturday, we're getting ready to go to the grocery store, Publix, and Tony is standing at the sink washing out tupperware bowls.

I was eating a slice of cheese and notice he's wearing a faded grey Palm Bay High football t-shirt, his navy plaid pajama pants, white socks and his leather slip on, slide shoes.

Hum. "Are you wearing those pants to Publix?"

"Yeah, unless you can give me 27 reasons why not."

"Well," I say in a low voice, chewing cheese. "You look like a Grandpa."

"So, I'm old enough to be a grandpa."

"You'll embarrass your wife."

"What else you got?"

I tear off another piece of cheese and still in a low, slow voice say, "They're... flood... waters."

Tony looks up. "Actually, that's the best reason you've given so far."

I start laughing. He adds, "I don't mind not being fashionable, but I don't want to look like dork."

I laugh even harder.

"Flashbacks from '70s young teen insecurites," Tony says. "Wasn't it the worst to wear flood waters?"

He's laughing, I'm laying on the counter, laughing so hard I can't breath, eyes watering. Tony goes into the bedroom and changes into jeans.

I laughed all the way to Publix. We ran into several people we know, one we hadn't seen in a dozen years. Tony looked quite dapper in his ankle covering jeans.

Maybe you had to be there. But the combination of me saying, "they're flood waters," and Tony reacting like we would've in seventh grade was just too, too funny.

Sue-weet Caroline

Done, done, done. Doing the happy dance! I finished Sweet Caroline today. Fifteen hours in my chair. But I did it. Took about an hour break at 9 p.m.

Now to edit. It needs some fixing. But, writing to the end let me know how I wanted to tie things together so I know what to fix, what to add or change. Very. Good.

I wrote 7,500 words today.

Since February first, I've written probably sixty thousand new words. But, I knew the story based on the other iterations of the story. So, don't be too impressed.

I am hard at it for eleven more days, then it's due and I'll turn it in. It's a good story. I like it a lot. I made cried writing a closing scene with her brother.

Love story twist at the end. This is the first time I've written a book open to a sequel. I usually launch the heroine on a journey and sorta tie it up at the end.

This book ends with Caroline launching into something new and a few story questions are open for speculation.

God is so very good. He helped, as always.

I love my job!

More on overcoming fear tomorrow.

Overcoming Fear & Anxiety - Part 1

As a kid, fear wasn't an issue with me. We moved around as my dad attended school and while I was shy on the first day of a new school or meeting new friends, I was never afraid.

Fear was only an issue after watching the Wizard of Oz. I'd be in my room under the covers imagining the witch showing up in my room.

I'm sorry, but let's be honest. The Wizard of Oz is stupid movie to show a kid.

So, fear-in-general, not part of my genetic make. But "it" came calling.

The first time I felt anxious fear I was twelve. I woke up in the night feeling weird, odd, condemn, afraid of losing control or doing something horribly sinful.

Overwhelmed with negative thoughts and feelings, I did the only thing I knew to do, throw the covers over my head and pray.

Interesting to note this "attack" came in the dark, dark of night, not the light of day.

My parents were a tad older than the folks being caught up in the Jesus Movement, but they were impacted by the move of God in the mid '60s and early '70s. My dad had learned about "overcoming by the blood of the Lamb" and so he taught us to pray the blood of Jesus as protection.

I prayed such a prayer, hiding under the covers that weird night. But this battle was not about hiding from something in the room, like the wicked witch of the west, this battle came from within. I didn't understand it. But at twelve, I understood to fight it.

Thirty some years away from that first moment of fear/anxiety, I guess some of it might have been hormonal, but the prescription for overcoming was the same as any problem.

Jesus.

In today's modern Christian mind-set we go about with a PC view of our enemy, the devil. "Oh, I'm saved, he won't bother me."

Hello? If not you, then who? The heathens he already has in his grasp. No, dear ones, he doesn't fight fair, and as lovers of Jesus, we have a BIG OLE TARGET on our backs.

He will harass us, discourage us, fight us, oppress us.

He's a clever enemy. He doesn't come at us full on in warfare gear. We'd recognize him. He comes at us in whispers. Subtly, through words, feelings, emotions. Lies we believe, even words we speak over ourselves. Through words spoken over us. And yes, the sins of our fathers and mothers.

But be can and will overcome. But we must fight.

So, my next encounter with fear happened about seven years later ...

New Hampshire Weddings is in the House

Got my "hot off the press" copy of New Hampshire Weddings in the mail today. The cover is beautiful. Check it out.

This is a compilation of the three Lambert books I wrote for Heartsong Presents. Straight up, good, romance.

Blurb: Three New Hampshire women find their lives are lacking pace, family and direction.

Buy today! ;)

What's In Your Wagon?

Tony and I were talking about "cleaning house" and this verse from Isaiah 5:18 .

"Woe to those who drag iniquity with the cords of falsehood, And sin as if with cart ropes..."

The Message reads, "Woe to you who use lies to sell evil."

Our society is permeated with lies selling evil. Abortion, homosexuality, pornography, fornication, lust, jealousy, gossip, even issues like racism and hate crimes have the truth overshadowed by lies.

But let's talk about our personal sin wagon. Do you pull around sin with you like it's your toy red wagon? Is it your company? Friend?

The rest of the Isaiah verse says "You say, "What's God waiting for? Let him get a move on so we can see it. Whatever The Holy of Israel has cooked up, we'd like to check it out."

We've lost sight of the hierarchy. God is in control. WE submit to Him. He doesn't answer to us.

YET to those who are His, He LONGS for a partnership. "Let us RUN together."

Can we ask of God? Yes. Can we carry around our sin and demand He prove Himself to us? No.

We call evil good in this country. Given to excuses and reasons other than humbly pursuing the heart of God.

Listen, I've been there! Struggled. Hurt. I know the power of fear and anxiety. But this I know and have seen proven in my life - GOD is bigger. God saves. God heals. God delivers.

Sorry, but I accept nothing else. He is true. Men are liars.

We have to cut the cords of our sin wagon - dump the jealousy, gossip, hating, envy, strife, drunkenness, selfish ambition.

Are we weak? Yes! Do we stumbles? Yes. But we don't dare hook ourselves to a sin wagon and drag it around calling it good.

Let God's love and power set us free. There is SO much more to Him than our weak hearts are willing to believe.

But I'm going to go as far as I can. Be abandoned. How about you?

Meet Christine Lynxwiler & Promise Me Always

Thirty-five-year-old widow Allie Richards has always dreamed of having her own landscaping business. After losing her job, Allie's Pinky Promise girlfriends convince her to enter Shady Grove's Beautiful Town Landscaping Competition.

The prize? The town's landscaping and maintenance contract.

But there's a hitch. Every move Allie's ragtag crew makes will be featured in the reality segment of a local TV show.

Armed with only a green thumb and a motley crew of helpers, does Allie have any chance of surviving the hype and making her dream a reality? Daniel Montgomery, the man behind the camera, is after more than just a story.

Will he be satisfied with anything less than Allie's heart?

YYY

Christine Lynxwiler considers herself hugely blessed to be a wife and mom who lives the crazy writer life in the foothills of the beautiful Ozark Mountains in her home state of Arkansas. Her latest release Promise Me Always is the first in the Pinky Promise Sisterhood series from Barbour. When Christine isn’t writing, she and her family enjoy kayaking on the nearby river or relaxing together with good books. If you'd like to know Christine better, drop by her website sometime and check out her new release info or latest blog entry.

Rachel here: I loved this book by Christine Lynxwiler. She writes fun, enjoyable, heartwarming characters and stories that reflect the human struggle to know God more.

Chris is also humble enough not to mention she's a three time American Christian Fiction Writer's Book of The Year in novella and short contemporary categories.

If you're looking for a wonderful winter read for curling up by the fire or to escape the gray days, pick up Promise Me Always!

Charlie

I go to McDonalds in the morning as part of my pre work routine. Sometimes I just run in and out with a Diet Coke. Lately, I go in and sit with my a Diet Coke and read my Bible.

Today, I saw the cashier from Walgreens eating an Egg McMuffin and drinking coffee. Hum, I thought, I wonder...

I have a character in Sweet Caroline who worked up to his dying day at the age of eighty. Now I know there are plenty of active, healthy eighty year olds, but I doubted how many could or would work forty hours or more a week.

Then, I met Charlie. The Walgreens cashier.

I approached him. "Can I ask you a question?"

He nods.

"How old are you?"

"Eighty-five."

I smile. "Very cool."

Charlie has worked all his life. To this day, he works forty hours a week. Served in Europe during WW2.

Perhaps he might be a friend of my character, Jones McDermott.

Love One Another

In light of things going on in the world, I have to speak out. A little, anyway. Big surprise, eh?

There are some, in the name of religion, spreading hate and killing. In this country, we've hamstrung ourselves with the weak and flighty concept of "politically correct."

We can't objectively criticize anyone except white men, big business and Christians. Even to protect our nation.

But any religion that spouts death and hatred to those who disagree with them is not in my book, a religion, and should be challenged. I'm not saying to hate those people in return, where's the good in that? I'm saying challenge it!

Here's what John, the friend of Jesus wrote:

"He who says he is in the light, and hates his brother, is in darkness until now. He who loves his brother abides in the light, and there is no cause for stumbling in him. But he who hates his brother is in darkness and walks in darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes."

Hate produces darkness. Hating people, other religions, other nations put the hater in darkness. If you hate, check your darkness meter.

Christians are accused of hating because we oppose abortion or sexual sin - homosexuality, adultery , fornication - or the government taking more and more of our money, or censuring our voice and rights.

Are there religious idiots who claim to be Christians holding up hate signs. Yes. And I say if Jesus were physically among them, He'd rebuke them.

Jesus hates religiousness. He calls us to love one another, BUT to speak the truth.

When the woman was caught in adultery and thrown at His feet about to be stoned, Jesus challenged her religious, bigoted accusers. He said, "First guy with no sin, throw the first stone."

None could.

To the woman He said, "Go, SIN no more." He didn't condemn her, require punishment like lashes, but He called out her sin.

We still have to lovingly call out sin. How will people be free if we don't call out sin? If I gossip, someone should call me on it.

I'll close with these words from John, Jesus' friend.

"No one has seen God at any time; if we love one another, God abides in us, and His love is perfected in us."

He Makes Me Laugh

My husband is many wonderful things. I especially like that he makes me laugh.

Today, I was in the kitchen making a sandwich and singing part of a Keith Urban song.

Take your cat / and leave my sweater

Tony responds in his Red-the-cat voice. "Why don't you want the cat?" As if on queue, our orange tabby cruises around the corner toward me.

Oh my gosh, I laughed and laughed and laughed.

Still makes me laugh.

Tagged by Cindy Woodsmall

Author Cindy Woodsmall tagged me to name six weird things about myself and then to tag six others.

I hate these things, but love Cindy, so here goes.

1. I like Diet Cokes from McDonald's.
2. I'd rather email than talk on the phone.
3. I take a lot of baths.
4. Donny Osmond was my teen idol.
5. People magazine jumps into my cart while shopping.
6. For Christmas, we have to have lots of presents to open since it's just Tony and me. Nothing that plugs into the kitchen or sucks dirt is allow.

I tag Tracey, Susie, Chris, Candice, my sister, Beka, Kristy and Pam.

Go Colts!

Peace out.

Rain, Rain, Write, Write

This is my life these days.

Rain, rain.

Write, edit, write, rewrite, edit.

Time, time is ticking by and I can feel an explosion inside. ;)

Thanks to those who called to check on us after the tornadoes the other day. And for letting us know there were tornadoes. Clueless, here.