“Calling” is a buzzword, both inside and sometimes outside of Christian circles. People sometimes seem to be obsessed with “finding your calling,” whether life or career coaches promising to help you find it, those in ministry talking about following God’s call on their life, or the common phrase that someone “missed their calling.” But what…
Law enforcement in the old Wild West was spotty at best, and the line between lawman and outlaw often blurred. Peacekeepers were frequently paid very little or nothing and needed to have a regular (full-time) job to eat and put a roof over their heads. For this reason—and others—those in charge of upholding the law…
“They will still bear fruit in old age, they will stay fresh and green.” (Psalm 92:14 NIV) Late last spring, like a lot of other people during the pandemic, I experimented with container gardening. Conditions were far from ideal when I took the last, wrinkled grape tomato from the basket and just stuck it in…
I never wanted to be a writer. The written word was for people whose brains operated differently than mine. Much of college was dodging professors who assigned papers in favor of those who leaned on exams. Grad school was an exercise in getting papers finished as efficiently and quickly as possible. Being an analytical thinker…
It’s award season in the Christian literary world. Personally, I have a love-hate relationship with writing contests. Being named a finalist or winner is wonderful for promotion, affirmation, celebrating great writing, and receiving helpful feedback from judges. For those reasons, I do enter a book into one or more contests most years that I have…
When was the last time you cracked open a book that you really wanted to read? Reading for work or school doesn’t count. I’m talking about that pile accumulating on your nightstand or in an electronic device. I get it. Reading can be hard to fit in. I shared five ways to make time for…
It has been said often that refusing to forgive someone is like drinking poison and hoping that your enemy dies. In many ways, this is true. Unforgiveness is often far more damaging to the one holding on to it than to the one who has committed the offense. God knows that, and He doesn’t want…
[Alyssa Roat] Hold Fast to Dreams
I started my debut novel, Wraithwood, at sixteen. I finished the first draft at seventeen and brought that unpolished manuscript with me to college. I was pursuing a degree in Professional Writing. I’d been promised I’d be published within my first semester. I knew other graduates had gotten their books published in college. This was…
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