I hope you’re having a marvelous Valentine’s Day, savoring every piece of endorphine-loaded chocolate as much as I am. (The dark kind is healthy, you know.) I’ve been to three kids’ Valentine’s parties today — refueling on sugar and parent gossip like everyone else — and now it’s pure joy to sit down a minute and focus my mind on books.

Books I LOVE!

Really, I’ve been waiting for the perfect time to tell you all about one of my favorite mom-lit series — as it turns out, my waiting had a purpose because the author herself agreed to come visit for an interview. Tracey Bateman is here!

Have you read any of her books yet? If you haven’t, you’ll love them. You’ll love her. And you’ll definitely love her main character in this mom-lit series, Claire Everett.

These are the books that drive my husband crazy when I’m reading next to him because I laugh out loud at least twice every page. The books are so FUNNY — and don’t we moms need something to laugh about at the end of one of THOSE days?

Yet the novels are not just fun and fluffy — Claire is growing in her relationship with Christ, and you will too, as you read how she handles things. Like the author herself, Claire is a writer and mother of four — so her life is pretty chaotic as she tries to balance career and family.

Here’s a brief excerpt from the first book, Leave it to Claire.

In this scene, Claire is dropping off her popular teenage daughter at the high school where she will be cheerleading:

I see her group of followers pointing at me and whispering among themselves. Okay, they’re probably looking and admiring her, and most likely haven’t noticed me, but when you have the kind of self-esteem I have, laughing kids translate to “laughing at me” kids. That’s the way I feel if anyone is cracking a joke anywhere in the vicinity, and I’m not in on it.

It’s something I’ve dealt with since I was a kid. Full of myself one second, down on myself the next. I probably need therapy. I hear Dr. Phil has a diet book out now. Maybe I should read it and kill two birds with one stone. Get my head and behind shrunk for one low price of $19.99.

HA! Every time I read that last sentence, I have to laugh. I keep my Claire trilogy in a prominent spot on my bookshelf — and whenever I begin to take myself and life too seriously, I read a few lines.

Tracey Bateman is an award-winning author of more than sixteen books and lives in Missouri with her husband and four children. She’s been a member of American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW) since the early months of its inception and served as President for nearly two years.

As author of several romance novels, Tracey has been a long-time favorite among Heartsong club members. In 2005, she was voted the club’s fourth favorite author!

If you love Kristin Billerbeck’s California style chick-lit, you’ll adore Bateman’s midwest-based books for moms. Tracey has over 600,000 books in print.

Who is Claire Everett? How did you come up with a character like her?

I like to think she’s everywoman, but that’s a little far reaching, even for someone who dreams as much as I do. But inside of her are all the insecurities of body image, motherhood, career.

Okay, I’ll just admit it. She’s a heckuva lot like me and pretty much has all of my angst. 🙂

What’s going on in her life in these books?

She’s trying to connect with her kids, trying to lose a few pounds (aren’t we always?) Trying to keep her feet on the ground and grow in her relationship with God.

The catalyst is when she is forced to stop working for a few weeks due to carpal tunnel. Time to face herself and the mess she’s in.

When you started the series, did you have any idea how you’d end it, or did you sort of let Claire take over and decide for herself?

I pretty much let her do her thing. It was just too much fun from day to day waiting to see what she would do or say.

Was it hard to finish up the Claire trilogy, or were you ready to move on to something else?

I was ready. I had another series contracted with the same publisher to do chicklit — The Drama Queens — and I love it. Although I wouldn’t mind doing one more and let her get pregnant AND juggle the rest of her life. That would be fun.

What are you working on now?

Book two in the Drama Queens series. The first one, Catch a Rising Star, releases in July.

I can’t wait to read it! Tracey, I love your sense of fun throughout the Claire books, yet you bring us back to the reality that God’s in control, no matter how much our lives seem to be spinning into chaos. How do you keep your own faith strong?

I don’t always. I have weak, weak days when all I want to do is lay on the couch and watch Lifetime movies. My faith always wavers when I have PMS. 🙂

The root stays buried in the soil, though. I’m learning that my emotions are not always reflecting what I know about who I am in Christ.

I give myself permission to be weak because I know that when I’m weak God is strong. It’s why I choose to write about real women who would love to be perfect, but who are simply not. Because as much as I’d love to be together even fifty percent of the time, the fact is I’m usually sitting around in my PJs, or yoga pants, hair a mess, frustrated because I am late on yet another project.

But this is the life God’s given me. Four fun, fabulous, CRAZY funny kids, three dogs, a guy who adores me even though I don’t deserve it, and the kind of schedule that doesn’t allow for housework AND Lifetime. And I mean a girl has to relax SOMETIMES. Right?

Thank God for chocolate and Pizza.

Ah … yes. Thank God for chocolate and pizza. And I’ll add one more thing I can’t live without — funny books! Like yours. Thank you so much for making me laugh out loud and forget my stress by escaping into the hilarious life of Claire Everett.

You’re welcome!

You can read more about Tracey’s books and humor on her website, which includes a blog. Her Claire trilogy includes Leave it to Claire, Claire Knows Best, and I Love Claire.

Recently, in the blogosphere, there was a discussion, a very good discussion, about whether or not meditating on scripture is “New Age.” The blog post referred to an article by Keri Wyatt Kent in the popular magazine, Today’s Christian Woman.

I read the article, Fresh Air, in the magazine when it came to my house, and I thought it was great. It encouraged me to hold on to certain words, certain phrases from the Bible and meditate on them throughout the day. This is so important for us women, especially us moms who are being watched nearly every second by the little souls God has put into our homes to disciple.

So I was surprised at some of the things that were said about this article, and especially surprised at some of the comments by bloggers who didn’t take the time to read Keri’s article to understand her full meaning.

Well, we must be careful not to use our blogs as a place to gossip. In Matthew 18:15, it says “If your brother sins against you, go and show him his fault, just between the two of you. But if he will not listen, take one or two others along, so that every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.”

What this means is — if you have a problem with someone, you need to go to that person individually to discuss it. In the 21st century this means if you don’t like something someone says or writes, it’s not a good idea to go blog about them and get your readers to turn against them as well. For one thing, misunderstandings ABOUND when we read words instead of seeing the speaker say them in person. (Body language and voice intonation account for a huge percentage of communication).

Keri Wyatt Kent is a fine Christian woman, a mother who has given her life to the Lord, and who uses her gifts of speaking and writing to lead women to a closer walk with Jesus. You can write her personally from her website.

She was a guest on my blog last April. I read her entire book, Listen: Finding God in the Story of Your Life and reviewed it for CWO Book Buzz here. You can read our interview here.

She is NOT a New Ager — she’s not leading people into a cult. She’s leading them into a deeper love of Scripture through meditating on God’s Word. Keri has often encouraged me as a weary mom with her inspiring articles in the magazine MOPS publishes, MomSense.

In case you didn’t click over to read the complete article, here’s what Keri says about the practice of listening:

Christians have prayed and listened to Scripture through a practice called Lectio Divina (Latin for “Sacred Word”) for centuries. You read a passage slowly several times, spending time in silence between readings, letting the words sink into your soul as you listen for the one word or phrase that touches you most deeply.

Lectio Divina is a way to meditate on Scripture by listening and then responding—breathing in God’s Word, breathing out a prayer. Traditionally, this practice includes four parts: reading, meditation, prayer, and contemplation. Deep listening to Scripture requires a focus on God’s words rather than ours. In Lectio Divina, I listen to what God wants to say just to me through the text. I’m open to listening not just to general truth that’s applicable to everyone, but for specific truth that applies to my unique circumstances.

In this practice, I read a short passage. For a month or more one summer, I kept going back to Psalm 27, reading a few verses at a time. I found myself drawn to verses 3-5, so for several days, I returned to that short section. I read it slowly, noticing how often I found myself drawn to the word “dwell.” What did it mean for me to “dwell in the house of the Lord” (vs. 4)? Did I really believe I was “safe in his dwelling”? How could I truly dwell in his presence?

These verses became a love letter from God to me, an invitation to deeper intimacy with him …

She later continues to explain the practice of “breath prayer:”

Psalm 1:2 exhorts us to meditate on God’s Word, to delight in it. Unlike Eastern meditation practices, which focus on emptying the mind, a breath prayer is a way of filling your mind—but filling it with God alone.

I ask you, is there anything unbiblical about this? David meditated on scripture throughout the psalms. If I had more time and were not taking care of sick children, I’d look up many verses in the Bible where God’s people meditated on the Word, including Jesus, who was constantly meditating on scripture.

This morning where I live, it’s cold and rainy. My voice is hoarse, and I keep coughing from this nagging cold that has swept through our whole family (three kids still sick).

My two oldest daughters were slow to get up for school, complaining about this and that. My 1st grader couldn’t find her favorite shoes, and we spent 20 minutes running around the house looking for them, until we at last found them in our downstairs bathroom.

All during this time, I had a verse in my head: “Choose you this day whom ye will serve … but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD” (Joshua 24:15). We know this is when Joshua is talking to the Israelites, giving them the choice to serve the Almighty God or to wander off and choose the false gods of the Amorites, in whose land they were settling.

My mind dwelt on the word, “CHOOSE.” Every second, I had a choice. Will I lash out in wrath at my daughter for being careless and whiny? Every part of me wanted to scream, “If you’d put your shoes in your closet where they belong, they wouldn’t be lost! Quit your whining!”

Instead, I kept my voice soft and my tones encouraging. I found another pair of shoes for her and put these on her feet tenderly while we kept up our search.

When I realized I had forgotten to pack lunches, the words came again to my mind, “Choose whom you will serve.” This means, will I live for Jesus and offer a sacrifice of praise with my lips? Or will I live for me and scream out, “OH NO! I forgot the lunches! Why can’t you kids pack your own lunches?” Blah blah blah.

The choice came. I packed their lunches quickly, without complaint. I CHOSE God’s way because I’d hidden His Word in my heart — through meditating on a single verse when I desperately needed it most.

I’m not writing all this to make myself look good — because I have the choice right now to go have fun and read some blogs or get off the computer and go wash the breakfast dishes that are stacked in the sink. Yet another choice, and guess what I know I must do? Without complaining!

I’m reading the Bible through this year chronologically, so I’m reading huge passages that make me feel like I’m reading a novel. But the Bible is not a novel. Hebrews 4:12 says, “For the Word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” MY HEART. My achy-breaky evil old heart.

This Word is living in me, breathing fire in me, helping me to slay the dragons of my emotions (anger, bitterness, depression) that have had a hold on me during my hormonally wacky child-bearing years (yes, a whole decade of feeling this way!).

As I read through the comments in a follow-up post I’m more impressed than ever with two women of God: Carol Moxley and Ann Voskamp. Their comments were written using wisely chosen words, demonstrating a love of Truth — but above all, a love of God’s people. (Oh, how I wish I had the gift of writing like these two women of faith!)

Ann has taught me so much about being thankful through her gentle, quiet spirit — and I’ve had to realize how awful my attitudes have been over the years. She has made the Bible come alive for me through her living, active faith. And I admire Carol for her ability to discern good from evil and to have the courage to stand up for what is right.

I’m not there yet — I’m still a mess, still a work in progress, making mistakes every second. But I love these women of faith, for what they continue to teach me. And I will CHOOSE today, this very second to serve the Lord. Which means getting off the computer and getting out my Windex, thanking God that I have a home to clean and a family to care for.

That’s my choice for today. What’s yours?

[Edit: Catez Stevens of AllThings2all in New Zealand has an extremely thoughtful post on this topic. In fact, she wrote Keri Wyatt Kent with her questions, and posted Keri’s reply, which clears up many misunderstandings. Please go read her post, Transcendental Meditation & Prayer: A Short Discussion with Keri Wyatt Kent.]

Yesterday, my fifth-grade son asked if he could spend the night with one of his classmates Friday night. “It’s his birthday,” he told me. “And he’s invited all the boys in the class.”

A few years ago, I would have told him no, we don’t do spend-the-night parties. That’s what my husband and I had decided when the future was hypothetical, and we imagined all sorts of nightmarish things for our precious little boy.

Well, we’ve changed our thinking. That’s part of parenting — not being legalistic about things. Instead of making rules that can’t be broken, you have to pray about everything, and pray that you’ll be obedient to God.

He goes to a Christian school this year, and there are four boys in his class. We know all the families of these boys; we cheered on the sidelines together for flag football, and now we’re cheering on the sidelines together for Upward basketball. We know where they go to church; we’ve visited their homes.

So I told him yes — but that doesn’t mean I won’t pray about it. The main concern I have is materialism. We are STILL the only family around who doesn’t own a single video game. My husband doesn’t see the point in having kids stare at flashy pictures on a TV screen that will make them long to sit inside instead of going outdoors to play basketball or run around in the fresh air.

This morning, I told my son, “We wouldn’t let you go to __’s house if we didn’t know his family well.”

“Why not?” he asked me.

“Because, well, they might let you watch a movie that wouldn’t be good for your mind. Like something that’s rated R.”

“What does rated R mean?”

“It’s something that could be violent,” I explained. “Or something that could have adult stuff in it that’s not good for you. The Bible tells us to think on those things that are excellent, things that are pure.”

Here’s where I see the hugest difference in public school and even our homeschool (the way we did it). At their private Christian school, they’re memorizing HUGE passages of scripture in the lovely King James version of the Bible. They say these scriptures every day out loud, in unision, over and over again. There’s something to be said for being with a group of people when you repeat scriptures out loud together.

“That sounds like what we learned in Philippians 4:8,” he said. And he quoted this to me, verbatim, after breakfast, while he dribbled a basketball in the kitchen.

Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.

Thank you Lord that our children are going to a good Christian school this year! They’re encouraging even me to search the Scriptures and find YOU, find YOUR best plan for our family. Please continue to protect their minds and hearts so they can enjoy a few more years of the innocence of childhood. And then give them the weapons they will need to fight the Good Fight in the years to come.

I tell ya, there’s Power in the Word!

P.S. In case our kids’ grandparents are reading this, thank you, thank you, thank you! You’re impacting the next generation through blessing your grandchildren with the gift of Christian education! We couldn’t do it without you unless I went to work outside of the home!

Every week I receive a wonderful parenting tip from Trish Berg. She’s the author of a soon-to-be released book called The Great American Supper Swap. If you’d like to receive a free weekly parenting tip, check out her website to see where you can sign up!

Top 3 Valentine’s Day Tips for Kids

1. Homemade Cards — Instead of spending a fortune on store bought Valentine’s Day cards for your kids to hand out in school, go to the Family Fun Magazine website for simple hand made card ideas, including printable designs your kids can color. All it costs you is the white paper and some crayons – and you’ll gain time spent with your kids, and more giggles than you can imagine!

2. Pink Heart Shaped Pancakes — Use Bisquick or your favorite pancake recipe, and add 3 drops of red food coloring to make the batter pink. To make heart shaped pancakes, you can either: 1) Cook regular round ones on the griddle then cut them into a heart before serving them, or 2) pour the batter into a squeeze bottle (such as a clean chocolate syrup container) and shape the hearts one lobe at a time. (They’re really just a V shape, which spreads out into a heart on the griddle.)

3. Hidden Love Notes — Write 3 love notes to each of your children on cute heart shaped paper. One each write something like, “I love you because…you care for others and always lend a hand.” Hide the loves notes through out your house. After dinner, let your kids hunt around for their love notes. When all are found, sit at the dinner table and have each child read his notes aloud to the whole family! Then share a sweet treat for dessert and watch them all smile!

Top 3 Valentine’s Day Tips for Moms and Dads

1. Dinner on a Dime — Eating out at a nice restaurant is so expensive for moms and dads, factor in paying a babysitter and you could go broke! So, instead, try this neat tip. Feed your kids a simple meal (like pizza) early that evening, around 5, and then put them to bed at 7 or 8. Make your husband’s favorite meal for two, and after the kids are in bed, have a late night candle lit dinner.

2. Top 10 List — Make up your own top ten list for your husband, listing the top 10 reasons you love him. After the kids are in bed, share your list and watch him melt.

3. Love Notes — Write several love notes to your husband. Spray each with a dab of your favorite perfume. Then leave them in places you know he will be on Valentine’s Day like on the seat of his car or on his desk at work. You can even enlist the help of some of his co-workers to deliver some to him for you! When he comes home, I guarantee he’ll be smiling!

Send your great ideas and tips to help moms simplify motherhood to Trish at trish@trishberg.com, and maybe they’ll be in Trish’s next Tip of the Week!

Be sure to check out all the FREE stuff, tips, recipes and more at Trish Berg’s website, where every mom goes to simplify motherhood!

There’s a good discussion today over at Shannon’s blog about great books for Christian parents. She recommended several of her favorites for moms-to-be, as well as new parents. And the list continues to grow in the comment section — so here’s a good link to check out!

If you’re expecting your first baby, your mailbox is going to be bombarded with free magazines, sent by advertisers. I didn’t realize this at the time — it was over ten years ago for me — but very few of those magazines (if any) will have any Bibilical content.

Although you can find plenty of wise pregnancy and parenting advice in secular magazines, watch out for the subtle moral advice that might creep in. Specifically, you’ll see articles that make you feel like you’re not in charge: your child is. Although I don’t have teenagers yet, I know what will happen if I let my children decide everything now — how will they respect me when I suddenly decide I want to be in charge?

If you’re looking for a monthly magazine that offers sound Biblical advice from professional writers, please consider subscribing to HomeLife Magazine or ParentLife Magazine. I’ve never been disappointed with the articles in these magazines — and you can visit Lifeway and see the other resources available (for singles, parents of teens, mature adults, etc.)

ParentLife is a great resource for moms-to-be all the way to moms of kids through age 12. I’m thankful my church orders several copies and hands them out to us busy parents!

If you’re the parent of a teen who uses MySpace, do you know what’s really going on? I read this great article in Today’s Christian Woman called A Mom’s Guide to MySpace that I urge you to read.

We’re not there yet — but I can tell you right now, I’m so glad there are already pioneer parents going before me writing magazine articles and books about this topic.

Also, Stacy of Active Christian Media has launched a new site called Being Safe Online. I urge you to go visit her site and scroll down a bit. She’s very up to date and aware of threats that are out there.

Please be careful about what you put online. You may think it’s fun to post pictures of your precious children and share intimate details of your family life — but don’t forget that you’re sharing with potential predators as well as your blogging friends and family.

Also, if you think you blog anonymously because you only use your first name, remember it only takes one link from another blogger who knows your first and last name — and you’re not anonymous anymore.

I hope you’ll check out Being Safe Online.

For those of you reading your Bible chronologically this year like me, are we in about the same spot? This morning, the Israelites crossed the Red Sea in my reading. Amazing.

It’s funny what jumps out at you each time you read the Bible through. Now that I’m a parent, I’m viewing this experience from a parent’s point of view. I remember the first time I read the Bible through was in the fifth grade, in a competition with my school friend, Marti. (If you can do it, then I can too. And you have to PROMISE not to skip even a single word. OK?)

Here’s what I read this morning:

“CLOUD SEPARATES FORCES. Then the angel of God, who had been traveling in front of Israel’s army, withdrew and went behind them. The pillar of cloud also moved from in front and stood behind them, coming between the armies of Egypt and Israel. Throughout the night the cloud brought darkness to the one side and light to the other side; so neither went near the other all night long” (Exodus 14:19, 20 NIV).

OK, now take this from a Hebrew parent’s point of view. Can you even IMAGINE the millions of questions these poor Hebrew mamas and daddies were having to answer?

Mama, where are we going?
What’s that cloud thing?
What’s that fire thing?
Who is God?
Why is God a fire?
Why does God look like a cloud?
I’m hungry. When are we going to eat?
Is Daddy going to work today to make bricks?
Do I have to go help get straw today?
Why are we camping?
Can I go play?
Why is the cloud behind us now?
Are we there yet?
Are we going home?
I’m cold. I’m hot. I’m scared.
I need to go potty. Where can I go?
I forgot something back home. Can I go get it?
Why are the Egyptians chasing us?
Are they going to make us go home?
Are they going to hurt us?
I’m SCARED!
Who is God again?
Who is Moses?
Why are we following Moses?
Can you tell me the story about the frogs again?
And the gnats? Ooohh….and the water turning to blood?
Remember that hail? That was scary, wasn’t it?
Why did we have to leave so fast?

So you get the picture. I’m sure glad it’s not ME having to answer all those questions. Although I get plenty from my own little crew. Reading about the plagues in Exodus this year also brought out something new for me. I realized for the first time that the plagues weren’t just to convince Pharaoh to let the Israelites go — the plagues also built the faith of Moses, who was transformed into a leader.

That’s what my job is today as a mom — to build the faith of my children. No gnats or frogs required, thank you.

I wrote yesterday about how I’ve been praying about which books I should read and review this year, and how I felt led to read Across the China Sky by C. Hope Flinchbaugh.

As I began to read it, I knew there was something unique about this writer — sure enough, I later discovered that Flinchbaugh was a finalist in the 2003 Christy Awards in the First Novel category. Her writing is spectacular, and I felt like every time I picked up the book, I traveled to China. Part of the story takes place in a Chinese orphanage in Shanghai, and part takes place in the countryside, giving me a taste of both city and rural living in China.

You can read an excerpt from the book here. This novel made it very clear to me how powerful fiction can be for drawing in readers so that an author’s message can come through clearly. Although I probably wouldn’t pick up a non-fiction book right now to read about a dangerous cult in China, this novel made me aware of this terrible problem.

It’s such a joy to be able to introduce C. Hope Flinchbaugh to you via this interview! I thank the good people at Bethany House for making this connection for us.

Across the China Sky is such an intriguing title. Can you tell us what your book is about?

Across the China Sky is a novel based on the true testimonies of Chinese Christian leaders that I interviewed in China — leaders who were deceived and kidnapped by the Eastern Lightning cult. Across the China Sky follows the relationship of an engaged Chinese couple who struggle to keep their love alive while being separated and persecuted for their faith.

What inspired you to write this novel?

Several years ago I had the opportunity to go to China to interview some Chinese House Church leaders who were kidnapped by the Eastern Lightning cult. These Christian leaders were devastated by the kidnapping, and they begged me to tell their stories to “President Bush.”

I wasn’t exactly scheduled to have lunch with our president that month, so I wrote their story in my novel, Across the China Sky.

I was stunned to learn about the Eastern Lightning cult, and I was so thankful you included an actual letter from a Chinese pastor in the back of your book. Can you tell about this group? Are they still active?

Yes. The Eastern Lightning cult is a vicious group that seeks to kidnap Christians and brainwash them into believing that Jesus has already returned to the earth, and this time He’s come in the form of a woman who lives in China.

They base their beliefs on Matthew 24:27, which says, “For as the lightning comes from the east and flashes to the west, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.” Their belief is that Jesus was the Western Christ. Now the EASTERN Jesus has returned to the earth, and he is a Chinese woman who is to be worshiped as God.

How does the cult operate?

Eastern Lightning cult members do not walk up to Christians and ask them to join their club. They are very subtle and deceiving. They have decided that instead of finding new converts in China, they would rather deceive and then convert the main Christian leaders. They hope that if they can convert church pastors in China, these will in turn tell all their churches to convert to Eastern Lightning.

To do this, an Eastern Lightning cult member will go to an underground church and pretend to become converted. They will be baptized, sing the songs, read the Scriptures, and even testify about what great things Jesus did for them. They gain the trust of the pastors and evangelists and then lure them away with the promise of bringing them some great blessing.

They promised Brother Chen and all his main leaders (34 of them) a biblical seminary training. The leaders were excited to have the biblical training, but in the end they found out it was all a lie and they’d been kidnapped by a vicious cult that tried to brainwash them.

Brother Chen (not his real name) said, “Let our stumbling be the warning for the future of the church in the rest of the world. May brothers and sisters be alert and watchful, to guard against and resist the schemes of cults and heresies, and to walk in the truth of the Lord.”

I understand this is your second novel. How does your first novel, Daughter of China, relate to this one?

Daughter of China is a novel based on true stories of the persecuted Christians in China and the intense persecution of Chinese women and their daughters due to the one-child policy in China. If you want to peek into a state-run orphanage that is not a showcase orphanage for tourists, read this book.

Your second novel made me more keenly aware of the agonies Chinese women must go through when they aren’t allowed to keep a second baby. It broke my heart and made me realize if I were Chinese, I would only be able to keep my oldest son. How did you become so interested in China?

As a child, I sat in on classes when my mother taught inner city children stories from Child Evangelism Fellowship about missionaries from various countries. China always struck my interest. As a teen, my father handed me books about great Chinese missionaries such as Hudson Taylor, John and Betty Stam, Adoniram Judson, and Watchman Nee.

How did you become interested in the topic of Chinese orphans?

My interest in the orphans began when I saw two documentaries on television, each depicting the dying rooms in China’s state-run orphanages. Videotapes do not lie.

I saw babies lying in a room left to die—they looked like so many scattered rugs on a hard floor. I looked at my second child, a one-year-old baby girl, and realized she would not be with me had I given birth to her in China. I knew then that I had to do something to help these orphans.

I researched the Chinese orphanages by doing interviews with people who had been to China. After one look at Human Rights Watch Asia’s report on Chinese orphanages, called Death by Default, I knew I had to write the book. The lame boy in my first book is named Zhu, after a little one in the Death by Default book. Zhu died of starvation while the workers around him ate three meals a day.

Daughter of China has inspired a number of couples to adopt children in China—it doesn’t get any more rewarding than that.

Who are your sources of inspiration?

The great scientist Isaac Newton was asked in his old age how he accomplished so much in his life. Newton answered, “If I have seen further than anyone else, it is because I have stood on the shoulders of giants.”

My giant was my dad — my biological and spiritual father, a mentor, friend, and great evangelist at heart. He personally led thousands of inner city children and teenagers to the Lord through his chalk art evangelism.

When I was a child, he drew chalk pictures at camp meetings, inner city parking lots, street corners, and churches. I sang and played the guitar or piano as he drew, bringing squeals of delight from children as he changed the lights above the picture to yellow, blue, and red, revealing in the end a “hidden picture” under a black light.

My dad and I went to China in October 2002 and met with the leaders together.

Do you know what he did? He fasted meals and gave away every penny he had to the leaders who were still brokenhearted from their recent kidnapping experiences — leaders who needed a gray-haired pastor to love them and tell them it was going to be okay. My dad did that — and they respected him.

Dad drew chalk pictures for Chinese children, put coins into the cups of beggars we saw on the street, and taught in underground seminaries. He died in June 2006, and would you believe, I am still standing on his shoulders? You can see a picture of the two of us together on my website.

That is a wonderful picture of you and your father. What a blessing that you were able to be with him in China. Thank you so much for writing this book and for sharing your insights into the persecuted church in China. I hope to be able to visit there someday.

For now, the very least I can do is pray for my brothers and sisters who are there, struggling to keep their faith strong.

Hope Flinchbaugh is an author, freelance writer, and homeschooling mom from Pennsylvania. Daughter of China received a Catherine Marshall Christy Award of Excellence in 2003. Hope’s nonfiction book, Spiritually Parenting Your Preschooler, was released in August 2003. She’s also a contributor to Soul Matters, a series released in bookstores and Sam’s Clubs in 2005.

There are so many exciting things happening at my local church. We have a new music minister AND a new youth pastor breathing new life into our fellowship. The worship services are SO inspiring. I sit with my husband and three older kids, while our two younger ones are in the nursery — and it’s the highlight of my week.

Our new youth minister and his wife have preschool kids so they’ve joined our Sunday school class of other tired, worn-out parents who need a break. We laugh a lot, but we’re actually learning and growing as well — and I can’t thank God enough for this good church fellowship.

This past Sunday, our youth minister was telling us there’s a dynamic movement of the Holy Spirit among college students. “We started a new small group last week, ” he said. “And we had 40 kids show up. I couldn’t believe the hunger among these kids for all things spiritual.”

As he talked, I was thinking, I’ve got to tell him about that great Louie Giglio book I read a while back. What was it, something about worship?

So I googled it and found my review at Christian Book Previews. The book is called Wired: For a Life of Worship, by Louie Giglio (with Stuart Hall). This is an incredible book that includes a 30-day personal worship journey through the Psalms. Oh how I wish I’d had great material like this when I was in high school.

Here’s what the book jacket says:

Athlete or musician, quiet or “the life of the party”—you are unique. There is no one like you on the planet. But your life has a common thread that is true of all people: you are wired for worship. Not just any worship, but for that of your Creator! That’s what this book is about—discovering your purpose and learning how to fulfill it.

Geared for teenagers and college students, Wired is designed with pages that teach, challenge, and connect as you dig into Scripture and learn about your created purpose. This interactive student edition of The Air I Breathe includes a thirty-day worship experience as a guided personal journey that discloses the depth of God’s character and how to know Him more intimately. Ideal for use in small groups, an accompanying leader’s guide is also available.

Giglio writes:
“I love teenagers. In fact, while writing this, I’m on my way to spend four days with more than 1500 of them at camp! My passion to see young people awaken to a lifestyle of worship that goes far beyond singing songs, coupled with the need for small-group material, stimulated the idea for Wired. I want to equip youth workers with a resource that can be used in small groups, large Bible studies, or Sunday school classes. I pray that Wired will encourage teens everywhere to a lifestyle that reflects God’s greatness to the world.”

You can read my review of the book here.

The exciting thing is — I later discovered in our church newsletter that our youth pastor is TEACHING this book on Sunday nights starting next week!!

If you are older than any teenagers in your church (ha! most of us, huh?) then you could easily lead a small group of teens using this book. It brings the Bible to life — it’s explosively relevant and fresh.

Sometimes, I get down and worried about what an awful, scary place our world has become, and I almost hyperventilate imagining what it will be like when I have a houseful of teenagers. Then I decide we must think positive and strengthen ourselves even more for the BATTLEFIELD of our children’s minds and hearts.

Materials like WIRED give us the tools we need to empower our kids to fight back. I think this book would also be great for college kids to mentor high school kids.

I have to add here that I heard Louie Giglio speak in person when I was in my early 20s at Metro Bible Study in Atlanta, Georgia. I was at a season in my life when I was out of college, working, and a tad bit bored (OK, VERY bored). I bought a tape of Louie Giglio’s speech and listened to it over and over. And I told myself life is too short to be miserable and bored — maybe God wants me to do something more interesting.

So I packed that tape in my suitcase and hopped on a plane bound for Tokyo. This is something I can’t do now — but I can definitely mentor younger people who can.

How about you? Is God speaking to your heart about mentoring the next generation? If today’s teens can keep their minds, hearts, and bodies pure NOW … just think what they’ll be accomplishing 20 years from now when they’re raising their own families.

If you’re a writing parent, the time you have to write is more precious than gold. You need to write; God has given you talent and a calling, yet does it ever seem like an impossible dream that your words will be published?

Today, we’re visited by a PROLIFIC, talented young mom, who has written a million books. OK, not a million, but Tricia Goyer is one of the most amazingly busy writers I know. We had a book giveaway here in November, and one of you won a free signed copy of Tricia’s newest non-fiction book for parents, Generation NeXT Parenting.

Tricia is extremely active in the blogosphere, giving away her words to encourage and uplift all of her readers. Her personal blog is called It’s a Real Life, but she also encourages aspiring writers at her Writer Quotes blog which contains favorite quotes and Tricia’s thoughts on them.

She’s a member of the Christian Authors Network (CAN) where she blogs about marketing for writers. She’s a regular contributor to Girls, God, and the Good Life, along with several other authors who specialize in writing for teen girls. You can also read her encouragement for writing parents at Writer … Interrupted.

Since Tricia also writes historical novels, she contributes to Favorite PASTimes, where several writers explore insights on writing, reading, viewing and researching historical fiction. And there’s more! Her website, Unforgettable Stories of WW II is another place Tricia Goyer shares her passion for World War II memories. She has interviewed many veterans to help research her historical novels.

Welcome to Mom 2 Mom Connection, Tricia! Can you tell us how you got started in writing?

Thanks for having me!

I started writing in 1994. I was 22-years-old and pregnant with my THIRD child, no joke! A friend at church wanted to become a writer and this struck a chord with me. I didn’t think it was something real people could do.

Cindy Martinusen and I attended our first writer’s conference in 1994. A few years (and many rejections) later, I started writing articles. Then I worked on book projects . . . and soon they were getting published too.

I basically attended conferences, read books on writing, and taught myself by trial and error.

How did you make time in your day for writing during those early years? What kept you going?

I used to have a wonderful schedule. Oooo, I long for those days!

Anyway, every afternoon, I had “writing time.” My little kids knew they had to entertain themselves. Since I had three kids in five years, they played well together . . . and I wrote.

Small successes kept me going. Some of my first stories were published in small papers, and I made $10 for the whole story. It didn’t matter . . . I was published.

What was your first book about?

My first non-fiction book was Life Interrupted: The Scoop on Being a Young Mom. And let me tell you it is amazing — a gift from God — that I could offer any type of advice to others. At one time my life was such a mess.

I suppose I was able to write this book because I’d been a teen mom. I started mentoring teen moms because I could understand. I had a heart for their struggles. Yet, my life was transformed as I made good choices — just one tiny step after another. This book is all about helping teen moms do just that.

How did you get into writing novels? What has been the best thing about becoming a novelist?

When I first started writing, my goal was to write novels. I wrote articles and other non-fiction to build up credits under my name. (Then I discovered I liked it. Go figure!)

I had about six unfinished novels on my hard drive when I visited Europe with friends in 2003. There I came upon a story from WWII I knew I had to write.

It’s the true story about 23 American soldiers opening the gates to Gusen and Mauthausen concentration camps and freeing 25,000 prisoners. It’s also a story about a Nazi wife caring for the people her husband was once bent on destroying. Writing that novel led to more stories, more veterans to interview, more novels. And the rest — as they say — is history.

I’m sure it must be so interesting to interview WWII veterans! You now have a new book out for Gen-X parents. Who is a Gen-X parent?

Gen Xers are those born between 1961-1981 . . . or another way to think of it is that if your teen years somehow touched the 80s, then you are one of us. My book is called Generation NeXt Parenting.

Why did you feel a passion for writing to this group?

I wanted to write for this group because our parenting is SO different than the parenting that has gone before us. The issues we face are waaaaay different than the ones our moms faced.

Also, our growing up years deeply affected how we parent. For example, since we grew up with Missing Children on the side of our milk cartons, we have a lot of fears concerning our kids. And since many of us had a latch-key existence, while both parents worked, we (as a generation) try to overcompensate with our kids.

We want to give our kids all, yet we get overwhelmed. My book is to offer hope . . . and help — not as an expert, but as someone who is in the same boat and understands.

What are the strengths and weaknesses of this generation of parenting?

Our strengths are:
Dads are more involved than ever.
We have a “family first” mentality.
We have more resources than those who’ve gone before us.
We are willing to sacrifice for our kids.

Yet here are some weaknesses:
We have too many opportunities and often overextend ourselves and our kids.
We want to give our kids everything we didn’t have.
We live in a have-it-all, have-have-it-now world.
We are flooded with all types of media, and get overwhelmed.

How can we overcome our weaknesses and depend on God more?

In the book, I have tons of little tips on how we can seek God’s help in these many areas, but overall we need to realize two things:

1. God placed us as parents in this time in history for a purpose.
2. He can strength us and give us wisdom for our task.

Do you have any advice for today’s moms?

My number one piece of advice is: Seek God. Pray, asking Him to change your heart. Follow Him in obedience to the small things He asks you to do.

My day goes 100% better when I realize it’s all not up to me. What a concept!

Tricia, you’re involved in several blogging communities. How did you get interested in blogging?

I blog because I have the heart of a teacher. Anything I learn, know, believe, I want to SHARE. I can’t just ponder it. I have to write about it. I suppose that is how truth becomes concrete to me, by writing it out.

Also, I blog because I LOVE feedback. Seeing COMMENTS are one of my favorite things.

That’s a Gen X trait too, by the way. We want the gold star. We want instant feedback and a pat on the back. Comments on blogs give me that feedback. Is that crazy, or what?!

Ha! I can relate to that trait. What do you enjoy most about being a mom who is also a writer?

I LOVE that I can be home with my kids. Since we homeschool, we spend most of every day together.

I LOVE that I can schedule my own time. I can work around dentist appointments, basketball practice, and stop in the middle of the day to play Xbox if I want to.

I LOVE when my writing benefits my family. For example, we get many free books. My kids have been with me to interview WWII veterans (what an opportunity!). I review curriculum, which I get for free. I’ve even gotten my family backstage passes to the Newsboys because of a writing friend. THAT is when my kids thought I’d “made it.”

How old are your kids?

My kids are 17, 14, and 12 now. We homeschool and all three play basketball. (Go Crusaders!) My oldest son, Cory, is also taking college classes. (He’s a Junior and gets both high school and college credits.) My daughter, Leslie, loves singing and playing the piano. My son, Nathan, thinks hanging out and playing with his friends is the coolest thing on earth.

We’re also in the process of adopting a baby girl from China . . . which we’ll most likely have by Winter 2007.

Wow. I hope things go smoothly with your adoption. I’m sure you’ll find much to share about that experience. Thanks for visiting with us here and for passing along your wisdom and encouragement!

Tricia Goyer was named Mount Hermon Christian Writers Conference “Writer of the Year” in 2003. She was a finalist for the Gold Medallion Book Award and she also won ACFW’s “Book of the Year” for Long Historial Romance in 2005 and 2006. You can learn more about her at Tricia’s Loft.