How are you? Have you had a good week so far? I’m starting to get used to this once-a-week blog routine, though I’ve enjoyed catching up with a few of you through email. Thank you so much for taking the time to write!

What a joy it is to reconnect with old friends — and new friends too! 🙂

Well, I made it to our second Beth Moore Bible study meeting — barely. I straggled in a few minutes late, so I missed the fellowship time. Our group meets upstairs from the preschool, so at least half the women in the room also have their hands full with preschoolers. As I entered the room, my mind was scattered in a million different directions.

I sat down next to our youth pastor’s wife, wondering if she would notice I had the word “X-RAY” scribbled across the back of my hand. This was to remind me NOT TO FORGET to pick up my son’s x-rays from the hospital in the 20-minute break between Bible study and the end of morning preschool. I didn’t want to have to take a 2-year-old down to radiology, but we needed those x-rays for his afternoon doctor appointment. (He dislocated his thumb playing football — not fun.)

At first, my body was there — but my mind wasn’t. But gradually, our discussion pulled me in, and I felt like a lost and thirsty traveler, stopping in for a cool drink. We talked about integrity, stemming from the week’s homework about Daniel. We learned the Latin word for “integrity” literally means “entire.” Beth Moore writes, “The lifeblood of integrity is becoming the same person no matter where we are — no matter who’s around.” We discussed how only Jesus Christ is perfect, yet we are to strive to be more like Him on a daily basis.

Our homework for week one of this study focused on Daniel being taken captive to Babylon. For the first time, I saw this from his mother’s point of view. How devastating! Her beloved teenage son was carted off 900 miles from Jerusalem to Babylon, along with several other outstanding young Hebrew men. Babylon is modern-day Baghdad.

Loss of Identity
What shocked me while reading through the lessons is that Daniel and his fellow captives were forced to undergo a radical loss of identity. Their very names were changed — from names that glorified God to names that worshiped the false gods of Babylon.

Daniel means “God is my judge.” His name was changed to Belteshazzar, which means “Bel will protect.” Hananiah means “Yah has been gracious,” yet his name become Shadrach, meaning “inspired by Aku.” You get the picture. These precious sons of Israel were torn from their homeland, their families, and everything they believed in.

Yet Daniel becomes our hero, our inspiration! He resolves not to defile himself with the king’s food, and is allowed to do this because of his tact in approaching his superiors. The video lesson focused on Daniel’s interpretation of King Nebuchadnezzar’s dream. It was so interesting to study this ancient history, learning about the rise and fall of four world empires (Babylonian, Medo-Persian, Grecian, and Roman).

Modern-day Babylon
We’re surrounded by a culture that is hostile to our faith. Beth Moore’s teaching reminded us we must be like Daniel and stand strong. She encouraged us to exercise the muscle of restraint. If Daniel could say no to the king’s rich foods, what can we say no to? What pulls us away from following God? What do we struggle with?

Beth says she will give up “rich meats” during the first six weeks of the study. I wondered how I could exercise the muscle of restraint more — and I realized my major struggle is with SUGAR! I let myself get slack over the summer, and I ate like I was 16 again — which I’m NOT.

I’ve noticed how my energy drops so drastically when I eat sugar or anything processed with white flour. So this is what I’m going to work on — getting stronger in the area of eating more healthy.

Connecting Hearts
Here are the verses we’re trying to memorize during this study, Daniel 2:20-23. Beth encouraged us to write them on separate notecards and try to learn a little more each day. I’m putting these verses over my kitchen sink, where I spend a good portion of my day. Just reading these verses makes me so excited about what God is doing in my life — and in yours too. I’m praying for you!

Praise be to the name of God for ever and ever;
wisdom and power are his.

I thank and praise you, O God of my fathers:
You have given me wisdom and power,
you have made known to me what we asked of you,
you have made known to us the dream of the king.

We started our new Beth Moore Bible study at church last week, and I’m so excited. At last, I’ve found a new direction for this blog, something I’ve prayed about all summer. Instead of popping in daily to chat like I’ve done the past two years, my plan now is to write a weekly devotional reflecting on what I’ve learned. I hope you’ll join the journey with me!

We’re studying Daniel. If you’ve gone through this before, what did you think? If you’d like to join me here through watching the DVD and studying on your own, that would be great. Let’s go!

Looking Back
In my early 20s, I went to live in Japan to teach English. I worked for a Japanese Christian church and stayed with a Japanese family my first year there.

After living overseas for about six months, I began to wonder what my next step should be. Did God want me to spend the rest of my life in Japan, as a single career missionary and teacher? If so, why did I have such a strong desire to get married and have children? Did He want me to come home and work or go back to school?

As I began to pray deeply about this matter, a certain school came into my mind. I sent off for information about this school, a Bible college near my home state, which offered several programs for graduate students. (This is before we could research online!)

When the packet from the school arrived, I tore open the manila envelope and gazed longingly at the glossy pictures inside. Young men and women sitting under trees, Bibles open, intensely studying the Word of God. My heart beat faster thinking how wonderful it would be to delve into Hebrew and Greek, gaining a greater understanding of the Bible’s original languages. I couldn’t imagine anything more exciting than going to this school!

Yet when I looked into the cost of tuition, I didn’t see how I could pay for it. I didn’t want to ask my parents for money, and I didn’t feel like I had anything unique to offer to apply for a scholarship. I was just one of thousands of confused 20-somethings, wondering what the next step of my life should be.

So instead of applying to this Bible college, I decided to stay in Japan another year and work on saving money. I shifted my schedule around, allowing me to take on a few higher-paying teaching jobs, and I visited a Japanese university that offered an Asian studies program for foreign students.

Based on my application and interview, this school offered me a teaching assistantship so my tuition was paid for. It was an incredible opportunity. God allowed me to go to school – just like I’d prayed for! But instead of studying the Bible on an American campus, I was studying Japanese culture, art, history, and language at a university in Japan.

Taking the Next Step
By the time I felt sure God was leading me back to the U.S. I was engaged to be married in a few months (another long story.) Our first year of marriage, I attended graduate school full-time (along with my husband), and I worked two jobs to help pay for it – writing articles for the campus newspaper and working in marketing for the university publisher.

Years later, I’m at LAST able to study the Bible intensely like I’ve always dreamed of. Instead of sitting under trees on a gorgeous campus in my early 20s, I’m now in my late 30s, a busy mother and wife, studying on my kitchen table and in a classroom at church. I watch my teacher on video, a dynamic Texan woman who makes me laugh and cry with her powerful testimony.

Instead of serving God on an overseas mission field, here I am, blogging away. Some of you are reading this on a computer thousands of miles from me. Hello! Bonjour! Konnichiwa! Guten Tag! Within the walls of my own home, I have five little souls who hear me share the excitement daily. Lord willing, I want to raise a new generation of Daniels!

Everyone says you get out of Bible study what you put into it. This would be a very shallow experience if I only went to the meetings, sat through the videos, then did nothing on my own. What makes this study so rich is the one-on-one time I spend with the Holy Spirit, as I encounter Him, my Teacher, in my individual devotional time.

In the introduction to Daniel, Beth Moore says, “If The Patriarchs was a camel ride, this one … is a rocket ride — with the windows open.” She later writes, “The wind of the Holy Spirit blows so hard through some of these scriptures, you may have to re-fix your hair.”

Ready to Blast Off!
Years and years have gone by since I first prayed, “Lord, please open the doors for me to study Your Word!” The past decade I’ve spent bearing and nursing children has consumed me and kept me so physically exhausted, I’ve had to prop my eyelids open to study.

And to be honest, I’ve never made it through a whole Beth Moore study intact – I’ve always gotten overwhelmed with the busy-ness of life, sick children who’ve kept me at home and away from the fellowship, and distractions.

Will you pray for me? I’m starting out with such dreams of completing all the homework and attending every session for the next 12 weeks. My life is so hectic right now — yet I don’t want to give up on this!

Connecting Hearts
What are you going through now? Are you able to get some Bible study in, somehow, someway? Ask God to open up your schedule so that you can. You’ll impact every person who comes into contact with you. This is truly exciting!

Lord, as moms, we’re busy women. We’re tired! We can’t get up early like we want to because we were up late last night feeding the baby or nursing the sick. We wake up in the morning and face mountains of laundry and piles of dishes. Our to-do list includes everything but spending time with you. Help us, Lord! Give us energy and time. Deepen our joy and longing to spend time with you. Amen.

I can’t believe this is my first time posting in three months. How are you? Is anyone there? I’ve missed this place — and you people.

I hope you had a great summer.

Our schools started back last Friday — so we’re slowly adjusting to our new schedule. But preschool here doesn’t begin until after Labor Day (early September), so my posting will still be light for a while.

Although I don’t have kids swinging from the chandeliers, I do have them jumping on my back while I write … which can be hazardous to my productivity.

Yesterday, I actually found myself belting this command: “Stop it! You may NOT swing on the pantry doorknob!” Several times throughout the day, I had to reassure my four-year-old that he’s from earth — not Mars (as his older sister told him.) And yes, he can wear his dinosaur costume when we pick up his brother at football practice, but he can’t wear his Storm Trooper mask in the grocery store — because he KNOWS it makes his baby sister cry. (And no light sabers in the car!)

I do have so much I want to tell you about our summer — but it’s not over yet!

My current most exciting piece of news is that I SAW and HEARD Beth Moore speak in person at Women of Faith last weekend. WOW!!

I really considered quitting blogging until I heard Beth Moore — but she got me so fired up again.

A group of moms at my church will be starting her Daniel study in three weeks — and how in the world can I dig that much into the Word without sharing it here? Every single person who has done that study has told me the same thing: “It changed my life.”

Well! I do miss writing here — but blogging is like eating chocolate for me. I can only indulge in small bites, or it becomes an addiction. My plan is to try to limit myself to posting twice a week, and only when my children are at school.

For now, I hope you’ll check out the new August issue of Christian Women Online — especially if you’re a fan of Mandisa! My last Book Buzz column is here — I’ve thoroughly enjoyed my stint as a reviewer and wish I could do it forever, but someone new will be taking this over — and I pray she’ll be as blessed as I have been. (My shelves overflow!)

For all of you writing parents out there, I hope you’ll check out my “Parent Muse” column at Spirit-Led Writer on how to find time to write while surrounded by kids. I’ve also been posting monthly over at Writer … Interrupted, and my latest tip encourages parent writers to pen a letter to someone who needs a bit of a boost. You can read it here.

I’m off …

(And in case you see a woman in the grocery store followed by a light saber-wielding dinosaur in a Storm Trooper mask asking if he’s from Mars … um, that would be me.)

If you enjoy keeping up with current book news, I’ve compiled a short list of good sites that offer reviews.

Please feel free to add your site or blog to the comments if you frequently review Christian books or other types of inspirational media.

All of the following sites are ones I highly recommend:

Active Christian Media
Books for Moms
CBA Marketplace
Christian Book Previews
Christian Children’s Book Review
Christian Fiction Blog Alliance
Christian Women Online
Faithful Reader
Kidsread
The Midwest Book Review
Novel Journey
Novel Reviews
Publishers Weekly
The Parrot’s Perch
The Writing Life
Title Trakk

I wish you all a safe and happy summer, filled with joy — and great books! Let’s get back in touch in the fall.

Blessings,
Heather

This summer, I have high hopes of attacking some organizing projects that I just haven’t made time for this year.

For one, my kids’ school papers need to be pared down and filed away. I’m bad about wanting to keep everything — but really, we can’t! My plans are to let them do this themselves, saving only their best papers into a three-ring binder. I try to remember it’s the “process” not the “product” that matters, especially when we’re going through hundreds of fill-in-the-blank worksheets.

Artwork and creative writing are special reminders of this school year, though, and I do want to keep some of it. These years seem to be flying by when I take them as a whole.

An author of a new series of organizing books recently contacted me about her mini-books for parents who’d like to get more organized. Her name is Beverly Coggins, and she’s a professional organizer with a special desire to help artistic, creative people — who may also struggle with being naturally organized.

Check out her site if you need some organizing inspiration!

Another project I’d really like to get done is to organize my photos — both digital and print — and Tasra Dawson has some great ideas for that.

I’m also hoping to be more involved this year in our summer garden. This is a task I usually leave up to my husband because I didn’t grow up learning how to plant a vegetable garden.

Yet I’ve learned that nothing tastes quite as good as a warm, ripe tomato from your very own vine. It’s really the best way to get your kids to eat vegetables!

When we start harvesting our summer vegetables, I want to be more organized about what we do with the extra produce. This year, I’d like to at least try blanching and freezing our extra tomatoes to use for soups and sauces. I don’t know that I’m ready for canning — yet — but freezing seems simple enough, if I’ll take the time to do it!

How about you? Do you have any organizing goals for this summer?

It’s hard to believe, but school will be out soon. While I love having my kids home more, I also know I’ll go crazy if we don’t have any plans. The phrase, “Mom, I’m bored,” strikes terror in my heart. So I’ve signed them up for a few camps.

My Mom Taxi will be on the go as I transport children to dance camp, art camp, overnight Christian camp, VBS, and grandma camp. We’ll also become regulars at the library’s mid-week storytime, when the summer reading program kicks into full swing.

And with our sweltering Georgia summers, I’ll be around water as much as possible. For our family, this means we buy a three-month family pass to the city pool — and we never turn down invitations from friends who bravely invite us to swim at their private pools.

During all this summer planning, I let myself daydream for a minute. Wouldn’t it be nice if there were a summer camp for moms? Ah … Mommy Camp. What would that be like?

First of all, we wouldn’t have to do anything if we didn’t want to. This is a camp where all activities are optional. If we’re totally exhausted, we can keep the curtains closed and just sleep in. Of course, the rooms are luxurious, with whirlpool tubs and the softest sheets imaginable.

After a day or two of sleeping in (interrupted only by room service bringing us gourmet meals), we might be recovered a bit. We’d then begin to dine together on a balcony overlooking the sea and mountains. Soft breezes would gently flow around us, keeping us cool. The balmy salt air would moisturize our skin, so that we’d begin to look and feel like teenagers again.

We’d meet together a few times to listen to a motivational speaker tell us how wonderful we moms (and grandmoms) are, how difficult yet important the role of mothering is, and how much the next generation is blessed by us. After that, we’d be set free to do whatever we wanted.

Some of us would change into hiking clothes and trek up the mountain, led by an entertaining guide who regales us with witty stories about our natural surroundings. Others of us would change into swimsuits and grab the novel we never have time to read and go lie out in the sun by the sea. We’d alternate between sleeping and reading — with no worries about keeping our eye on small, wandering children.

Later in the afternoon, a private fitness coach would meet with us and give us an individual workout, targeting our problem areas. Then we would be offered a full spa treatment — including body massage, facial, pedicure, and anything else we liked.

At some point during this camp, which lasts at least two weeks, we’d receive a complete makeover: new hairstyle, makeup, and an entire wardrobe!

To ensure that we had plenty of time to relax, we would only check email or answer our cell phones once a day, for an hour or less. Everyone would KNOW that Mommy is at Mommy Camp and needs some time to rest.

Oh yes, and this camp would be completely free of charge! It would be paid for by advertisers who provide us with the food, spa treatments, and makeovers — hoping that we’ll enjoy their products so much we’ll tell others about them. (No pressure, of course.)

Would you care to join me at Mommy Camp? I think, after two weeks, our batteries would be recharged to jump back into hectic daily living. And we’d always have that mental oasis in our minds — a place to retreat during our stress.

Seriously, where do you go when you’re feeling overwhelmed? Here’s where I’ve found the most peace: from the words of Jesus, who says, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). Christ longs to have a relationship with us if we’ll trust Him — and let Him carry our heavy motherload.

(c) Heather Ivester

This column was originally published in the April 2007 issue of West Georgia Ladies & Men magazine.

I’ve posted over at Writer Interrupted about how you can “work smart” as a magazine writer and get your foot in the door through a Letter of Introduction. I hope my experience helps someone.

Although I won’t be blogging here this summer, I’ll stay part of the team of writing parents at Writer Interrupted. I’ll be posting once a month, on the second Thursday of the month.

If you’re looking for inspiration and ideas, come check out what’s going on over there!

The finalists for the 2007 Christy Awards were announced recently. These awards recognize excellence in Christian fiction and are “named in honor of Catherine Marshall’s novel and of her contribution to growth of the fiction Christians love to read.”

Because of all the book buzzing I’ve done in the past year, I’ve read several books on the list, including:

* Straight Up by Lisa Samson (WaterBrook Press) — Contemporary
* Grace in Thine Eyes by Liz Curtis Higgs (WaterBrook Press) — Historical
* Sisterchicks in Gondolas by Robin Jones Gunn (Multnomah) — Lits
* The Way of the Wilderking by Jonathan Rogers (B&H Publishing Group) — Young Adult
* Watching the Tree Limbs by Mary DeMuth (NavPress) — First Novel

Here’s a quote from Eugene Peterson (The Message Bible translation) on the Christy website:

Authority and precedence for writing fiction comes from the Jesus who told stories. His stories, as good stories always do, penetrate our imaginations and take on a life of their own in us.

The winners will be announced at the The Christy Award Dinner at the Atlanta Marriott Marquis on Saturday, July 7, 2007 from 6:30 to 9 PM. This dinner is open to the public, and you can follow the link from the website to find out how you can buy tickets.

If you live near the Atlanta area and you love Christian fiction, you don’t want to miss this event! Author, speaker, and four-time Christy judge Lauren Winner will give the keynote entitled, “Why I Read Christian Fiction.” Author and speaker Michelle McKinney Hammond will host the evening.

Congratulations to all of these authors!

I want to thank the devotional writing team at Laced With Grace for honoring Mom 2 Mom Connection this week as their featured blog. That was very nice!

Since this is my last week of blogging for the summer, but maybe longer, this was very encouraging to me. (Thank you, sweet Iris!)

I recently discovered a site that allows you to search your region to see if there are any parenting publications that accept freelance work. You can check it out too at Parenting Publications of America.

This is so easy to do. When I typed in my state, I discovered there are four parenting magazines that are members of PPA. I’m familiar with one that is available in our hometown, but the other three were new to me. Because I’m within driving distance of these areas, I may have some article ideas that would interest them. I’m definitely an “expert” on my own region.

According to the writer guidelines, here is the payment info for these magazines:

• Reprint rates: vary from $25 to $45
• Original articles: vary from $50 to $300

Several of the writers in my writing group have sold the same article dozens of times, being paid every time it’s printed.

I saw this hint in the guidelines:

Geography is important to PPA editors in more than one way. Whether you want to pitch an original idea or sell reprint rights to an already written piece, you will meet with more success if you offer to localize the piece for every publication that publishes it. For example, offer to add quotes from local experts or parents, or include a sidebar with local resources. The editor may be able to suggest contacts.

As a parent writer, you can be “interviewing” local experts as you go about your daily life. Think about what kind of how-to articles you could write to a newcomer or a new parent, using quotes from local sources. You could “interview” your child’s pediatrician (with permission, of course), while you’re at your well check-up. You could “interview” local artists if your child is taking art lessons and do a round-up article on what types of art lessons are available in your area for children.

My kids have taken painting lessons from a wonderful retired schoolteacher. I took some pictures of her one day teaching the kids. Then when an opportunity came from a national magazine to write an article about retirees getting involved in community service, I already had my source and a photo!

I interviewed her officially by phone and asked permission to use the picture. I also interviewed a retired cousin who is active in volunteer work to add another voice to the story. After the article came out, I sent them both a copy, and they were happy to see it.

I was also happy to receive a check for writing something that was so much fun!