7-18-06

Thank you so much for your prayers. I know God is listening and while crazy things still seem to be happening, I feel so protected in what matters. Will and I are collaboratively writing a book called Justice in the Burbs. This could be a time of real dissention, but God is allowing us to work together smoothly. Thank you so much for your prayers.

I'm still under that deadline crunch, but I sent the rewrites of Quaker Summer off to Westbow four days early, and praise God! It was so great to get that off of my plate.

Not something I'd advertise on the blog, but I'm working on a piece for Waterbrook that is more literary in form than anything I've done. The problem is, I don't know if I can sustain this for an entire book, and I don't know if it's even any good. Sassy I can do. This--I just don't know. I'd appreciate your prayers for confidence and vision.

Gwynnie had a migraine again tonight and one last week. I'm going to have to get her back to the doctor. It's so hard seeing your children in pain, isn't it? And yet, I'm thankful when I think of the disabilities other children suffer from. Jeanne, I think of your son often and hope he's doing well. You really are an inspiration.

The anxiety is getting so much better. I'm reading my bible again which is key. Pray that continues. I don't know why I fall off the path when I KNOW what a difference it makes!

Your prayers are helping us so much, my friends. I can't tell you what you mean to me. Please feel free to leave your own requests in the comments so I can pray for you too!

lisa

prayer: 07-01-06

I haven't been on in a while and I should be! I trust you are all doing well and enjoying your summer. It's been beautiful here in Lexington. My sister just left after a five day visit and so I'm a little sad. I need prayer:

1. My rewrites of Quaker Summer are due July 17. So much about the book has changed and I'm feeling quite debilitated.
2. The narrative portion of Justice in the Burbs, a book Will and I are writing together, is due August 1. I have about 10,000 more words to write.
3. My next Waterbrook book is due late Autumn. I'm about 13,000 words in.
4. My first teen book for NavPress is due 1 December. I'm halfway through the first draft.

To top off all of this we are being hit hard in crazy ways:

1. A member of our community stole all of Will's CD collection (his CD's would be akin to having my jewelry stolen as far as how he connects them with memories: the people who bought them, the times we listened to them and shared together, a lot of it during our children's growing years; he also stole about 1,200.00 from us as well.

2. I'm dealing with a back sprain from PAPAfest where I slept on an underinflated air mattress. I don't even want to go to bed at night because I know the next morning the pain will be awful.

3. I'm being hit like crazy with anxiety, laying in bed at night with my heart racing, feeling fear which I know is not of God.

4. Will had a spill on his bike and he really conked his head and scraped up and bruised his leg.

5. Gwynnie's getting headaches again despite medication.

I'm not normally a paranoid person, but I feel like we're under attack in some way. Your prayers would be so much appreciated. Thanks so much.

2-24-06

Pray for Jake. We took him to Shriners on Wednesday. His knee was still swollen by that point (it's fine today) and his doctor said they're pretty much ruling everything out and it looks to be JRA (juvenile rheumatoid arthritis). I told him we were from Maryland and how the joint swelling began soon after the move and maybe we should test for Lyme Disease. He said, while he doubted it would be Lyme, no doubt we should test for it. I haven't heard back from them, so I'm thinking the blood test turned up negative. He's got a great attitude about it, and certainly we're so thankful to God to be in Lexington and with Shriners and his wonderful doctor. Another affirmation we're supposed to be here in Kentucky. God's looking out for Jake!

Thanks so very much for your prayers!

love, lisa

2-21-06

Thank for your prayers, my friends!

We're freezing here in Lexington! Ack! The heating bill went down considerably by setting our thermostat at 60. Praise God for that. I'm so ready for Spring, aren't you?

Gwynnie's everyday headaches are helped very much by the medication she takes nightly now. We are very thankful for this. However, she's still getting migraines once or twice a week. But at least the daily ones are being taken care of.

Jake's ankle had an episode this weekend, and his knee began to bother him last night. I have a call into Shriners. Pray we figure this out. It had been two months since the prior joint episode so I thought maybe whatever it was had worked its way out. Apparently not.

Finally, I'm venturing into the world of YA fiction!!! Hooray. Am about to sign a four book deal with NavPress's TH1NK line. Very cool little owl logo they have. I'm more excited about this than I have a right to be! Praise the Lord for this new opportunity. Pray He gives me the stories He wants young teens to read and pray they help them be like Jesus.

Thanks for praying you all!! It means so, so much!

Love you! lisa

1-30-06

Happy New Year a month late. I hope you all enjoyed the holidays and the month of January.

I had a great week of writing at a friend's farm in Tennessee, as well as a good time of connecting and reconnecting at the CBA Expo in Nashville.

Nav Press approached me to possibly do a YA series for them. I've always thought it would be fun to write for a younger audience as well, so I'd appreciate your prayers that God would show us what to do.

December and January are always tough for me depression-wise which is why I haven't posted much, but I feel the days lengthening and hope in the air. Will has been great in getting up in the mornings and getting the kids ready. I'm so thankful for him.

I need to really get going on my first novel for WestBow--Quaker Summer. It's about halfway through the first draft, but I need to start stepping on the gas. Pray the motivation comes on strongly. I so need your prayers in this way.

A great non-fiction opportunity is in the works for me and for Will and I together. Community and justice driven works which could just be wonderful kingdom projects. Pray for us as these things develop.

Gwynnie has a Dr. appt. on Fri. with a new pediatrician. Pray we can get to the bottom of her migraines and maybe even get some directions for her ADHD. She has such anxiety about school it brings on physical headaches and sickness at times. We're probably going to homeschool her next year too, so your prayers about that are greatly appreciated.

Life feels good right now. I've been doing "The Overachievers Bible Reading Plan" and have experienced some real spiritual peace as a result. Funny how that works, eh?

I so appreciate you all!!

love, lisa

12-19-05

Thanks for your continued prayers. I'm so grateful.

This week will be a busy one, like it will be for all of you, I'm sure. Drop any prayer you need in the comments and we can all pray!

I received my initial edits on Straight Up from my fabulous editor, Erin and I'm going to need to rework the first 70 pages, probably throwing out most of it, and writing a new beginning. Since this chunk accounts for 1/4 of the work, I'm under a bit of pressure because, while I don't write tomes anymore, 210 words is a bit stingy. I'd like to give my readers an extra hour or so for their money! Pray that I can set up the story, which we figure really does start at page 70, in a much more compelling way.

We travel to Maryland for the Christmas holidays on Tuesday afternoon after picking the kids up from school. Ty, our 16-year-old, fresh with a learner's permit, will be doing some of the driving to get some highway miles in. Pray she does well and for safety not just during her portion of the trip but all of it! :-)

My iBook is still giving me fits. Two non-fiction proposals that I worked extensively on for one wee (and no, Bonnie, I didn't back them up on my keychain drive! Ack!!) are on that machine. We'll be taking it to the Mac store in Maryland. Pray they finally figure out what's wrong with this thing.

I'm very thankful to God for all he's given us. We are praying and figuring out how to begin a new venture here in Lexington, in north Lexington to be precise, for a life-training center for the under-privileged. Things like job/technical/literacy/mentoring/life skills training--but right in the neighborhood. There are a lot of programs the neighbors can go to in other parts of the city but not in their own neighborhood. We feel this would go a long way in helping people, to offer these services "where they are" not where we ourselves would feel comfortable giving them. An empty daycare center has come up and the rent might just possibly be donated to something like this. But this is something completely different than we've ever done. We'd have to find funding and financial support--like missionaries. Whoa. Okay, God. Just whoa. So we REALLY need your prayers on this one!

If I don't get on before, Merry Christmas!!! And thanks for praying you all. May the New Year bring in the Kingdom like you've never seen it before!

love, lisa

12-07-05

Jake update posted here. Thanks for your prayers!

Things are going well on the career front. I'm taking the week to revamp my website and to work on a couple of non-fiction proposals. Pray I use my time wisely.

I appreciate you!

lisa