Pens of Praise and Porschea the Perfect Pooch

 

Our very own Deborah Ann Erdmann who this year published "The Inside Scoop on God"

had a tussle with the wind and rain on her way into our Pens writers meeting! Thanks for comming Deborah! You kind of remind me of the flying nun show! (That show

was a really long time ago.)

 

Kathy Leist made the most wonderful pumpkin and dessert and chocolate

cookies! And she sighned up to make next months treats also! You rock Kathy!!

Thanks a million!

 

Porschea the perfect puppy had to taste the water on top of the table

after she played in the leaves! Cooler weather brings out all kinds of energy and curiousity

in our girl.

 

 

Dad is almost done with the fencing and Porschea is ready to run around the

yard chain free! Let's hope Zoey will realize the puppy will be loose!

 

 

That's all for now everyone. I've got to get back to writing the Great American Novel!!

Porschea has a part in this book and I'm eager to finish the story. It's been

fun writing her antics into the story. Weaving her puppy tricks and

irrestable personality into the plot!

 



 

Vices & Virtues & Life In The Mix

Devotions for Pens of Praise

October 13^th 2012

By Susan Marlene Kinney

 

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 5:3

 

Any form of the word ‘blessings’ may be thought of as vague, wispy, and unidentifiable. But if you stop and consider the intimacy this word implies, you’ll find abundant depth of meaning. These blessings come from the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. His fingers fragrant with myrrh and oil strengthen us spiritually and emotionally with every kind of  provision. He embraces our hearts with acceptance and love.

Webster’s Encyclopedic  Dictionary says this about the word blessed:  Supremely blessed, fortunate, well off: --blessed happy (x ier)

Breaking down each VIP word enlightened me and cheered my heart:

Supreme – 1. highest in rank or authority; paramount; chief   2. Of the highest quality, degree, character, importance etc.

Blessed- 1. Consecrated: sacred; holy; sanctified   3. Divinely or supremely favored; fortunate to be blessed    4.blissfully happy or contented

Fortunate- 1. Having good fortune; receiving good from uncertain or unexpected sources’ favorably  2. Auspicious…made prosperous or happy…etc.

 

How thrilling to realize that when we suffer despair, becoming acutely aware of our colossal need for the Father, we will be blessed. Not with superficial and short-lived niceties either. He begins tipping the pitcher, which overflows with pure unadulterated blessings too numerous to measure.

 

In Psalms 81:10 the Lord says, Open wide your mouth and I will fill it. Our Father God knows just the right words to say! The kinds of words that melt my heart and cause me to hope.  He does not just speak and then duck out of town. He stays with us through thick and thin. He is faithful. Even when we focus on pain and the what-ifs life tosses our way and we do not see Him.

Aren’t our greatest obstacles our own mindsets and misunderstandings when we seek the Lord? Truly, aren’t fears, distractions, and intrusions allowed to interfere because of our own wandering hearts?  When we chose selfishness instead of generosity, or fear over courage or judgment rather than acceptance, we are setting ourselves up for yet another rocky ride…sometimes in a slick looking vehicle fashioned by pride.

He looks at us with the eyes of love and sees you and me as important, set apart. His thoughts toward us are like the sands of the sea, innumerable, yet holy, and sacred. Our Father, so generous, forgiving, and loving favors us with His eye upon us. We receive good from his certain though unexpected sources so our spirit will  prosper. We can experience His fullness of joy in the light of eternity. We will be walking on streets of gold. For sure, our attention will be blessed with far greater measure, the blissful awareness of Our Father’s Love.

Forever!

 

Etouffee - Shrimp Variety

 

 

My husband and I usually try to cook a great meal during the weekend. He is marvalous for sniffing out a great recipe. Last week Cal was hungry for the Cajun Cuisine called Etouffee and am I ever glad he was! 

 

This Recipe serves four to six hungry table talkers!

 

1/4 cup peanut oil (we used extra virgin olive oil)

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1 lg onion

2 celery sticks

1 green bell pepper, cored, seeded , and corsely chopped

3 garlic cloves, finely chopped (we used a garlic press from Pampered Chief)

1 tablespoon minced thyme

2 teaspoons salt

2 cups fish or vegtable stock. (We used chicken broth)

1 1/2 pounds medium shrimp bite size is best so cut them in small peices.

5 dashes of Tobasco sauce or more to taste

Freshly ground black pepper to taste 

My husband added in:

•  Cayenne Pepper  and Tony Chachere's Original Creole Seasonings to taste.

Serve with your favorite cooked rice in the middle of the bowl. 

 

Heat oil in large heavy saucepan on medium until hot and moving. Add flour and whisk until well blended. Reduce heat to around medium-low.

 

Add bell pepper, onion, celery, and garlic then cook over low heat and stir constantly for around five minutes. When vegtables are soft and flour mixture is brown stir in the salt and thyme. stir constantly for 30 seconds or more.

 

Whisk in sause until smooth. Reduce heat until simmering. Then continue to simmer for another 15 minutes.

 

We decided it was simular to his Gumbo recipe but definatly faster and easer to make. So worth the time! Let me know if you try this meal out and how you like it.

 





PENS OF PRAISE OCTOBER 13, 2012

PENS OF PRAISEChristian Writers Group

Next meeting…

Saturday, October 13th  ~  10:00 am – 12:00 pm

Faith Church

2201  42^nd Street, Manitowoc, WI  54220

§   Faith Church is located next to Festival Foods

§   Not far from the Manitowoc exit off Interstate 43

§    

The teaching for October is called “Premise What Good Is It & How to Make One” Taught by Susan Kinney

Our prompt for October is…

 Write a recommendation for a book you enjoyed or felt useful.

Also, you are invited to bring a short five minute sample of you own work in progress if you so desire to share it in a safe 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!

 

Remember - visit a local shop and 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 call Becky McLafferty at (920)758-9196 or e-mail her at mclafferty@lakefield.net or call Susan Kinney at (920)242-3631 or e-mail her at                      cal-suek@charter.net or susanmarlenekinney@gmail.com.

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

 

FIRE The Great Awakenings by Bill Bright & Jack Cavanaugh

“Fire”

The Great Awakening Series 1740 - 1741

FIRE, one of The Great Awakenings series, 1740 - 1741 by Bill Bright and Jack Cavanaugh is an excellent read. In the beginning I felt as though I were standing side by side fictional character Josiah Rush when he viewed  his hometown of Havenhill, Connecticut from a lofty granite perch. This story captures one man’s courageous journey when facing his devastated past. Josiah struggles are heart wrenching as he refuses to allow the stigma of human judgment to dictate his present and future. Criticisms and judgments had so completely hampered his past. I appreciate Josiah's humanness, his strength, struggles, and awkward embarrassing moments. This second book of The Great Awakenings series holds a special place on my book shelf. If you give it a try I'm sure it will hold a special place on yours also.

This Howard publication is a must read for adventurous souls not afraid of a richly written story line that taps into the very struggles of living a life attempting to emerge unfettered by criticism and judgments of past mistakes.

 

THIS IS A HIGHLY RECOMENDED READ!

 



GREEN LAKE CHRISTIAN WRITER'S CONFERENCE AUGUST 2012

I attended Green Lake Christian Writer’s Conference  in August. What an awesome experience! No matter if an individual loves to write poetry, articles, devotions, or novels, direction and encouragement and training is provided by writers of the same genre. Everyone seemed to enjoy the connections made with other s who love the experience of putting ink on pages!

I give a thumbs up to those who work so hard to provide this experience and instruction so entwined with encouragement. I was fortunate to have Cynthia Ruchti for an instructor. She leads the class with gentleness, encouragement, and skill as an editor though she is a published writer herself. I was thrilled to see the improvement that each writer in our class experienced because of her instruction and the gentle suggestions from the classmates. Throughout the week, memorable devotions, songs of worship, and humor in many forms were shared. If you have a desire to learn, write and seek publication then Green Lake Christian Writer’s Conference is for you! Hope to see you there next August.

PENS OF PRAISE

Homework for our September meeting!! Fun fun!!

Everyone attending is invited to enjoy a special homework assignment–one of my favorite challenges we tackled in the past. Find a passage from a book you’ve read. Maybe you can seek a favorite classic, which is compelling but telling. Take that telling and show us how “show don’t tell” can improve that work of fiction!

Telling Example: She walked down the road angrily.

Showing Example: Terry beat her feet against the gravel on her way to my house, her face darkening into a purple hue I’d never seen before.

Add who, what, where, when, why & how. Also add see, feel, touch, taste, hear, and that incredible sixth sense if you can. You will see a wonderful change take place under your skillful pen. Plus you will revisit a classic!! Yes a classic!!

During the meeting we will take a list of clichés and add fresh touches to those dry and familiar words. Writing fresh has its own rewards! 

Our next meeting…

Saturday September 8^th., 10:00 am – 12:00 pm

at

Faith Church

2201  42^nd Street, Manitowoc, WI  54220

§   Faith Church is located next to Festival Foods

§   Not far from the Manitowoc exit off Interstate 43

§    

We hope to see you there so that we can play with words together.

You are welcome to bring coffee, tea, or something cold to drink for yourself. If you have a work of fiction you need feedback for, do bring it along. We allow everyone a short reading time. We are a safe place for you to share your words.

Poetry, short story, memoir, or novel writing etc. are welcome.

LOVE ON A DIME BY CARA LYNN JAMES

Love on a Dime by Cara Lynn James

I highly recommend this Ladies of Summerhill novel. The setting takes place in opulent mansions from Newport, Rhode Island during 1899. It is delicious to travel back to such a time and place in society as this. Her protagonist Lilly has a secret and the author skillfully kept my attention and admiration as the main character grew and dealt with challenging situations that arose. Cara’s characters are interesting and well rounded. The setting intriguing. What fun to see society’s to-do’s and not to-do’s scramble before my eyes on the printed page from the safety of my living room chair. Cara Lynn James has my attention. I find myself jumping to purchase her works of fiction. I invite you to pick up a Cara Lynn James book and enjoy slipping into another time and place without the messy business of trying to figure out time travel. As I said before this book is…

HIGHLY RECDOMENDED

Caral Lynn James always has a way of making me smile when I’m walking through an adventure with her characters and even when I turn the last page…I’m still smiling..but wanting the next novel in hand.

Check Out This Blog! Chris Loehmer's Dino Chronicles

Greetings all!

I wanted to point out a very nice blog that I visit quite often. Chris Loehmer’s blog called Dino’s Chronicles has a touch of everything.

http://chrisloehmer.blogspot.com/

If you are interested in vacation spots, history, dogs, sewing, missions…well you get the picture. I LOVE her devotionals also. Do yourself a favor and take a peek at Chris’s blog, which is more refreshing then an all day nap, a half hour laugh, and maybe a cappuccino…well – hum Dino’s Chronicles/cappuccino…Dino’s Chronicles/chappuccino….Dino’s Chronicles/cappuccino

Okay you decide!! Maybe let me know what you think!!

Cheating...

I just uploaded over 400 photos from my camera and skipped the part when I'm supposed to place a title on the file name.  Multitasking is not always the best activity to accomplish when shifting photoes from your camera to your computer. I'm thankful that Gina Jensen from Everything.Photos will be fixing me up and helping me organize my batch of very unorganized photoes!! Ho hum. The new program I'm purchasing from her will be ready for sale in September. 

Can I wait that long!!!

I've been so busy living life and taking - that many photos - that I've not blogged for a while. I have so many events to share...Now I'm not sure I will find the photos from those events anytime soon. I've got a word count to attend to for the American Christian Fictian Writers (ACFW) NovelTrack. Just 10,000 this month. I did make my 20,000 goal last month. I'm sure that is because my youngest daughter had my grandsons stay at her house over night for that week and a half. Because of her hospitality I was able to write in the mornings.  Also I wish to thank all of you who have prayed for me for God's inspiration and for me to have what I need to write such as: time, ideas, focus...God is good!!

Well, I'm off to take care of my word count for the day. I wish you more organization and a ballance of thrills and peace to warm your day. Oh the photo above is one I took of my precious Lake Michigan. It was one of the million photos I look at this morning, while trying to find the current photos.

Blessings to you from Sue

Gina M. Jensen is a Photographer & Photo Consultant. Check out her web page

http://web.mac.com/gnamrei/Site/everything.photos.html