Saturday, July 13, 2013

Feeling and Focus Devotion




Feeling and Focus Devotion

By Susan Marlene Kinney

July 13, 2013

 
He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of men’s hearts…I Corinthians 4:5 

Novels offer us a small foretaste of what will come for our eternity. Those ugly motives of the antagonist and those deep dark struggles of the protagonist simmer between the pages and draw our eyes. We wonder why.

Serial killers and entrepreneurs all have motive shoving them in the back, telling them to get moving…because they care. Or maybe they are pushing the envelope because they want to feel something. And readers want to know why. Why this struggle? Will the characters make it and how? Sometimes it is a matter of why would they want to? Searching, we are always searching for how to survive and succeed.

Proverbs 16:1-2 To man belong the plans of the heart, but from the Lord comes the reply of the tongue. All a man’s ways seem innocent to him, but motives are weighed by the Lord…And so here comes that huge conflict, that neck dangling, knee dropping event that has us hanging on by a thread to each page. What matters to our character snares our hearts because somewhere deep inside we have some degree of the same struggle…or we might in the future and we’d better be prepared….

Emotions stir and simmer at the very thought…

Look to the rock from which you were cut and to the quarry from which you were hewn. Isaiah 51:1 b   

Family histories, nationalities, political unrest, poverty, wealth all play a part in shaping and influencing the path our feet tread. But not always to the degree we might expect. And there’s always that niggling doubt about everything having to be thus or so. Somehow somewhere someone sticks their toe over the boundary and dares to defy that black barred cage of predictability.  They step out into uncertainty and become a hero or at least they will struggle and try. That is heroic in itself. We all want the courage to face and stave off our enemies and opposition…but if we put ourselves ‘out there’ will it be worth it? Will we be foolish or strong enough or too weak? What will those coming after us think? What tragedies in our past reduce us to quiver and quake and hide?

 Or grow?

My heart is stirred by a noble theme as I recite my verses for the King; my tongue is the pen of a skillful writer. Psalms 45:1

Tuesday, July 9, 2013





Greetings all! Yes, I know this photo has absolutely nothing to do with the announcement except it is where I will be writing the lesson for this meeting. My sister made the exquisite doily, which I draped over the computer screen. Just thought you might want to know that! There is a photo at the end of this announcement which does have something to do with us Pens of Praisers!
Go on...sneak a peek!!

PENS OF PRAISE

Christian Writers Group

Next meeting…

Saturday, July 13th  ~  10:00 am – 12:00 pm
at
Faith Church

2201  42nd Street, Manitowoc, WI  54220

§   Faith Church is located next to Festival Foods

§   Not far from the Manitowoc exit off Interstate 43

§    

The teaching for July is called “Feelings and Focus” prepared by Susan Kinney. If you wish to share a short selection that inspired strong emotion I invite you to bring it with you.

Our prompt for July is…

 “A box of surprises.”

Also, you are invited to bring a short five minute sample of your own work in progress. We support a safe and friendly environment. This is not required to attend the meeting.

We may share a book report on a novel or a “how to” for writing!

 Warning you may end up loving to write!

Remember to visit a local shop or bring your coffee or cappuccino with you.

Let us know if you’re attending so we can save a seat just for you.

If you have questions or concerns let us know by leaving a comment.

We look forward to seeing you there! May God bless you richly and always as you write for His glory!

PENS OF PRAISE

https://mail.google.com/mail/images/cleardot.gif

 
Our very own Kathy has brought the goodies for so many of our meetings!! Thank you Kathy
we adore you and your goodies!!

Saturday, July 6, 2013

Disney World Epcot - Experience and Advice





 


 

Have you visited a place where dreams come true? We did! My husband, youngest daughter, two grandsons and I flew to Florida for a trip we will never forget. We chose to visit Epcot first. We adults were amazed with the colorful and attractive sights of Canada, United Kingdom, France and Morocco. The countries’ vibrant shops and restaurants tucked in around the lake were an absolute delight to visit, at least for some of us. The boys were not “feeling it”. They wanted fast rides and water slides galore but instead got stuck with us oldsters, who were quite content with Kodak moments, listening to accents from sales people originally from those countries they represented, and walking slowly along as each area unfolded into the next.  We didn’t visit every country that first night. It had already been a long day and we didn’t want to tax our youthful charge’s patience!  

A Word of Advice: First impressions are so very hard to conquer if they are negative.  So, if you’re bringing your children or grandchildren, consider stopping in at the “fun” side of Epcot first. Even though our fourteen and nine year old companions did enjoy Spaceship Earth, Mission :SPACE, and other entertainment they continued to think negatively of Epcot. Epcot and the countries were synonymous! We weren’t able to visit The Sum of All Thrills or Test Track, which I’m sure would have made a great hit. June 16th, our arrival day, was our daughter’s birthday as well as Father’s Day. We ate at Nine Dragons Restaurant. The atmosphere was nice and the service friendly. We were okay with the food. We did notice that most of the restaurants offered limited choices for their dinners.

On the whole it was very hot and humid. We oldsters were from Wisconsin where the temperature hadn’t popped out of the 60’s and our humidity hardly competed with those Florida numbers. We found it very helpful to use battery operated fans to help us tolerate the temperatures. Vanessa, our daughter, bought me a fan which became community property belonging to anyone who asked for it first! I found the heat to be a grace-tester, which unfortunately exposed many people who were not “passing the test” so to speak. Remember any vacation is supposed to foster great memories and funny moments shared in love. Prepare yourself to make kind and loving comments when your flesh would rather rail. Determine how you will win over negativity and grouchiness! You will be so glad you did. And so will everyone who would have otherwise had to listen to you. We did purchase a couple of fans with a squirt bottle attached. I believe they were around $17.00 or so. Also, rain slickers are more expensive there, but they do have the Disney Logo on it. You alone must decide what is most important. I heard someone complaining in the crowd about Wal-Mart’s rain-slickers were $3.00 when one of the Disney stores offered them for $8.00. Keep hydrated, drink water. Oh, water is $2.50 or $3.50 per bottle. My husband wanted to stay for thirteen days, which we did. Disney’s Hopper (better prices to get into all the parks.) is designed for a ten day trip. If I were to plan this again I would urge my husband to stay for the ten days and leave on the eleventh day instead of staying for thirteen. All in all the service was friendly, considerate, and provided abundantly. If you want to be well taken care of and spoiled – Disney is the trip for you….and it isn’t just for young kids. Us old kids had a great time too!

More bits and pieces about our Disney experience to come….in a few days or so!