BELIEVING IN THE GOODNESSThis post was previously published back in 2016. It’s still timely for today, so I thought it needed to be revisited. Hope it blesses you! Ever have one of those days when everything you've worked hard for seems to be falling apart? Like you're nothing but a big stinking failure? And everything you touch doesn't turn to gold, but rather mud? Failure. I think that is based on a FEAR that we aren't good enough. Aren't worth having good things happen to us. We've made bad choices. We've charged ahead in our lives, wrapped up in trying to succeed, into making a living, in simply surviving. And all our spinning and toil results in nothing but a pile of straw.  When I was researching places to put Madison Creek, I found this one little town called Ludington which is located right on Lake Michigan. Perfect! During one of our family trips up there, I used some of my time researching coastal towns. When I reached Ludington, I wasn't disappointed. Wow! We also stopped in Muskegon, Holland, and a few other places in that area before heading up near the top of the mitten where Mr. Castle’s family lives. Ludington captured my heart and was exactly what I pictured Madison Creek someday being. The people there are friendly and the B&B owners often meet together and help each other out which I loved hearing about.  If you've read my Madison Creek books, you'll know Haley moved from Texas up to the arctic land of Michigan. Not that it's always cold up there. There are about three months of warmth. Most of the time. Even in the summer, the temps can dip into the low 40s and that's just not right. At all. Which is why I sent Haley Madison up north. Because I always have a blast when I do go up there. (In the summers) And I thought she would, too. Although, I’ve visited in July and had to borrow a winter coat. True story. 
This first week didn't start off as I'd hoped, but read on to see how things went as the story gained traction, despite life's little interruptions.
This past month, I've been gearing up to start writing Reborn of Ashes Book 3 of the Phoenix Province Trilogy. I've been trying to write this story, but life and other circumstances have kept me from getting started.
And then, here comes my favorite writerly event of the year... TheNaNoWriMo challenge. Yes, 50,000 words in one month. Not just any month, either. It's Thanksgiving and the start of the holiday season month! NaNoWriMo, an acronym short for “National Novel Writing Month,” is an online platform, as well as a challenge taking place in November, for aspiring writers to take on and belt out a 50,000-word novel within a whole month! According to its site, NaNoWriMo is “a website, a community, a wildly ambitious writing event – and so much more!” 
In the White Road Chronicles, one of the first human characters Alyra comes upon is a farm boy name Jerin who lives in the town of Yarholm. Jerin has a big problem. Or rather, his problems are small little things, but there are a lot of them and they can be quite vicious when angered. Yes, I'm talking about the invasion of okbolds that have overrun his town and nearly taken it over.
This is the final installment of this Effective Prayer series. I hope you’ve gained a little inspiration and insight that will help strengthen your prayer life. I can’t express enough how life-changing it has been since I've begun to take my prayers more seriously. Between collecting prayers that I can read over and over, and gathering scriptures that I can use against the enemy’s lies, even when I’m down, I’m not down for long. Such as this morning. Over the past week, I’ve been feeling a little down and sluggish. I knew that I’ve been letting my emotions get the better of me. So, yesterday, I paused a moment and asked the Lord what it was that is dragging me down. Paul encourages us to run our races unhindered. Toss aside anything that drags you down. Run with perseverance. Right?  Well, this morning, I was able to work out what lies were hindering my walk and stopping me from living the abundant life that God promises us.
"And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray to stand in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. ... But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.” Matthew 6:6 I believe that since the movie The War Room, prayer closets have become more of a thing. However, I’ve found that having a designated place to meet with God, helps me to avoid all the pitfalls and distractions I often encounter when I settle down to pray. If you want to help your mind and heart get focused and down to business, having a place to do that is a great way to start.  |
Author InfoJackie Castle is an author, artist and dreamer. She lives in Texas with her husband, two grown children and her dog, Banjo. She looks for the extraordinary in the ordinary in everything she experiences. Archives
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