An Update from Our House to Yours!
I must admit, though it’s been a great summer with lots of fun and exciting things going on, I’m not sorry to see it end. I’m just plain tired of being HOT and can’t wait to start enjoying those cool autumn days that are even now starting to whisper an announcement of their arrival.
As we roll into October, I wanted to update you on what’s going on here at the Macias household. All is well with Mom (doing much better than a few months ago!), and Al is still balancing his time between work and golf (though anticipating retirement so he can devote more time to hitting that little white ball around with his shiny clubs). He has also been busy installing a patio for our new soft tub, so life is busy (but good!) all the way around.
As for writing/speaking, business is booming. I’ve never been busier—thank You, LORD! The biggest news is that I’m launching a weekly one-hour radio program called “Write the Vision,” which will air via The International Christian Network (www.theicn.com) each Thursday from 6—7 p.m. Pacific Time, beginning October 15. Now I have to tell you that the statement I just made is strictly on faith, as I’m still wrestling with the technological issues of getting this new project set up, but I’ve enlisted some pastoral help from church (from those who actually understand this sort of thing), so I hope to have it squared away so I can start recording soon. For any of you who may have questions about the writing/publishing world, this will be a great opportunity for you to email your questions to me at kathimacias@theicn.com so I can respond on a future program. We have some great interviews lined up, so be sure to listen in—and help me spread the word!
I am also in the midst of a heavy speaking season, being home just one weekend between last month and November. After that my traveling schedule should settle down a bit, though I still have that book deadline of December 1 looming. RED INK, the third novel in the Extreme Devotion series, is one-third done, so I really need to get some serious writing done!
Above all, dear friends, please know that I appreciate you all and pray for you regularly. I hope you do the same for me. Until next time, Vaya con Dios!
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Saturday, September 26, 2009
Weekly Devotional
He (Jehoram) reigned in Jerusalem eight years and, to no one's sorrow, departed (2 Chronicles 21:20).
The sadness of this statement in 2 Chronicles jumped out at me this morning and wouldn’t let go. As I get older, I find myself saying goodbye to more and more family members, friends, neighbors, and acquaintances. It’s simply the way of things, though it wasn’t originally intended to be. But sin has a way of changing things, doesn’t it?
It certainly did with Jehoram. This king was the son and grandson of godly men, both of whom ruled from the “city of David .” Sadly, unlike his father and grandfather, Jehoram chose not to be a godly man, and he ruled accordingly, eventually dying a painful death at a relatively young age. Most tragic of all was that no one mourned his passing.
All of us mourn when a loved one leaves this world—yes, even those of us who are strong believers and lose someone who is also a strong believer. We know that person has gone to be with the Lord and is so much happier than he/she ever was on this earth. And yet…our heart hurts. We miss them, though we know we will see them again one day. Those without that knowing mourn even more, for indeed they don’t have the hope of being reunited with the one who has passed from their sight.
But can there be anything sadder than living in such a way that when you die there is no one left behind who regrets seeing you go? King Jehoram had plenty of money. He inherited a rich kingdom and wanted for nothing in the material realm. He could do or have nearly anything he wished for, and yet…
Quite obviously this rich man was a pauper when it came to relationships. Not only did he not serve God or have relationship with Him, but he also had no meaningful or close relationships with other people. What a perspective-setter this is! Are we in close relationship with God and other people? When we pass from this earth into the presence of the Father, will there be at least one person left behind who will miss us and long for the day we will be reunited in heaven?
Then, beloved, unlike Jehoram, we are rich indeed. Whatever we face on this earth in the way of pain or sickness, tragedy or loss, poverty or disaster, our lives can still be considered a success because we have cultivated that which really matters. May the sad life of Jehoram speak to your heart today about the things that truly matter, and may his pitiful epitaph inspire you to cherish your relationships at every step of your earthly journey. For all too soon it will be over, and it will be time to move on. Though we as Christians eagerly anticipate that time, wouldn’t it also be nice to know that we will be missed and that someone will be looking forward to the day when we will be united once again?
***Beginning October 15, please join me as I host a weekly blogtalkradio podcast titled “Write the Vision,” which will air via www.theicn.com every Thursday from 6-7 p.m. Pacific Time.
***Please take a moment to visit my website at www.kathimacias.com
***Also, please visit www.setfreetoday.com, where I serve as Spiritual Director. Come as you are…leave with a new beginning! Drop us a note or prayer request while you’re there.
The sadness of this statement in 2 Chronicles jumped out at me this morning and wouldn’t let go. As I get older, I find myself saying goodbye to more and more family members, friends, neighbors, and acquaintances. It’s simply the way of things, though it wasn’t originally intended to be. But sin has a way of changing things, doesn’t it?
It certainly did with Jehoram. This king was the son and grandson of godly men, both of whom ruled from the “city of David .” Sadly, unlike his father and grandfather, Jehoram chose not to be a godly man, and he ruled accordingly, eventually dying a painful death at a relatively young age. Most tragic of all was that no one mourned his passing.
All of us mourn when a loved one leaves this world—yes, even those of us who are strong believers and lose someone who is also a strong believer. We know that person has gone to be with the Lord and is so much happier than he/she ever was on this earth. And yet…our heart hurts. We miss them, though we know we will see them again one day. Those without that knowing mourn even more, for indeed they don’t have the hope of being reunited with the one who has passed from their sight.
But can there be anything sadder than living in such a way that when you die there is no one left behind who regrets seeing you go? King Jehoram had plenty of money. He inherited a rich kingdom and wanted for nothing in the material realm. He could do or have nearly anything he wished for, and yet…
Quite obviously this rich man was a pauper when it came to relationships. Not only did he not serve God or have relationship with Him, but he also had no meaningful or close relationships with other people. What a perspective-setter this is! Are we in close relationship with God and other people? When we pass from this earth into the presence of the Father, will there be at least one person left behind who will miss us and long for the day we will be reunited in heaven?
Then, beloved, unlike Jehoram, we are rich indeed. Whatever we face on this earth in the way of pain or sickness, tragedy or loss, poverty or disaster, our lives can still be considered a success because we have cultivated that which really matters. May the sad life of Jehoram speak to your heart today about the things that truly matter, and may his pitiful epitaph inspire you to cherish your relationships at every step of your earthly journey. For all too soon it will be over, and it will be time to move on. Though we as Christians eagerly anticipate that time, wouldn’t it also be nice to know that we will be missed and that someone will be looking forward to the day when we will be united once again?
***Beginning October 15, please join me as I host a weekly blogtalkradio podcast titled “Write the Vision,” which will air via www.theicn.com every Thursday from 6-7 p.m. Pacific Time.
***Please take a moment to visit my website at www.kathimacias.com
***Also, please visit www.setfreetoday.com, where I serve as Spiritual Director. Come as you are…leave with a new beginning! Drop us a note or prayer request while you’re there.
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Blogtalkradio date correction!!!
Due to a few technological glitches (have I mentioned that I'm clueless about this sort of thing???), the network hosts have graciously agreed to postpone the launch of my new "Write the Vision" program until October 15. What a relief! I'll be sending out more info soon. Bless you all, and please keep praying! I can't imagine a more unlikely candidate for this venture than yours truly, but God tapped me on the shoulder, so...
Friday, September 18, 2009
"Write the Vision," blogtalkradio podcast, starting October 1!
Beginning Thursday, October 1, I will be hosting a one-hour-per-week blogtalkradio show titled "Write the Vision" via THE International Christian Network (www.theicn.com). The show will air each Thursday evening from 6--7 p.m. Pacific time and will include teaching times, interviews, and questions and answer sessions. The focus is on writing as a ministry, so if you've ever wanted to know anything about the Christian publishing world/industry/ministry, this is a show you don't want to miss! And you'll be able to email questions to me at kathimacias@theicn.com for me to answer on future shows. I hope you'll consider joining in! Blessings!!!
Saturday, September 12, 2009
Friday, September 11, 2009
Virtual Book Tour and Blogtalkradio Podcast!
Exciting stuff coming next month, folks! First, I will be doing "virtual book tour" for my novel My Son, John. Here's the link to learn more about it:
http://pumpupyourbookpromotion.wordpress.com/2009/09/11/announcing-contemporary-womens-novelist-kathi-macias-on-virtual-book-tour-09/
In addition, beginning Thursday, October 1, I will be hosting a one-hour per week blogtalkradio podcast called "Write the Vision." It will air from 6-7 p.m. Pacific time, and you can hear it at the following site (my page on both "on-air ministries" and "writers" will be up soon):
www.theicn.com
Once the show gets started, you'll be able to email me at the studio with specific writing questions, which I will answer on a future program. Hope to hear from you!
http://pumpupyourbookpromotion.wordpress.com/2009/09/11/announcing-contemporary-womens-novelist-kathi-macias-on-virtual-book-tour-09/
In addition, beginning Thursday, October 1, I will be hosting a one-hour per week blogtalkradio podcast called "Write the Vision." It will air from 6-7 p.m. Pacific time, and you can hear it at the following site (my page on both "on-air ministries" and "writers" will be up soon):
www.theicn.com
Once the show gets started, you'll be able to email me at the studio with specific writing questions, which I will answer on a future program. Hope to hear from you!
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Perfect Love...
There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear (1 John 4:18).
Tomorrow is 9/11—an infamous day that the vast majority of us will never forget. Much like those who were alive on Sunday, December 7, 1941, when Pearl Harbor was bombed, we remember where we were that morning in September when we heard the news that our beloved country was under attack. As the hours passed, we soon learned the extent of human loss, and we grieved, as we still do at the memory of that horrific occurrence.
Eight years later, we still grieve, though the pain has diminished with time, as it does in the aftermath of most tragedies. But the lessons of that day remain. Though God has promised to keep us in “perfect peace” if we will focus our hearts and minds on Him and His faithfulness, He has not promised that we will not experience difficult times. We live in a broken world, full of broken promises and broken hearts. We also live in a world that is, to a large extent, driven by fear—whether it be fear of the known, or the unknown.
Despite the fact that we have picked up the pieces and moved on with our lives since that horrifying day in September 2001, we cannot deny that we will never be quite the same as we were before those planes full of innocent people were flown into buildings, bringing death and destruction on a monumental level. And that’s as it should be. We need to learn from such watershed events and never return to the complacency that helped allow them to happen in the first place. But even as we take a permanent stance of vigilance against future attacks, we must take a stance of vigilance against allowing fear of the future to paralyze us from walking in the freedom and joy that is inherent in walking with our Resurrected Savior.
Jesus Christ defeated death. He didn’t go around it or over it, or avoid it in any way. He met it head-on—and came through triumphant on the other side, leaving an empty tomb as testimony of His great victory. That is Perfect Love, folks—a perfect love that overcomes death and promises to one day carry us through that inevitable experience as well.
As we rightfully remember and honor those who died on 9/11, may we also keep our hearts and minds focused on the One who is greater than any tragedy that comes our way. For as Romans 8:31 declares, “If God is for us, who can be against us?”
May you all walk in the joy and freedom of the Perfect Love that casts out all fear!
Tomorrow is 9/11—an infamous day that the vast majority of us will never forget. Much like those who were alive on Sunday, December 7, 1941, when Pearl Harbor was bombed, we remember where we were that morning in September when we heard the news that our beloved country was under attack. As the hours passed, we soon learned the extent of human loss, and we grieved, as we still do at the memory of that horrific occurrence.
Eight years later, we still grieve, though the pain has diminished with time, as it does in the aftermath of most tragedies. But the lessons of that day remain. Though God has promised to keep us in “perfect peace” if we will focus our hearts and minds on Him and His faithfulness, He has not promised that we will not experience difficult times. We live in a broken world, full of broken promises and broken hearts. We also live in a world that is, to a large extent, driven by fear—whether it be fear of the known, or the unknown.
Despite the fact that we have picked up the pieces and moved on with our lives since that horrifying day in September 2001, we cannot deny that we will never be quite the same as we were before those planes full of innocent people were flown into buildings, bringing death and destruction on a monumental level. And that’s as it should be. We need to learn from such watershed events and never return to the complacency that helped allow them to happen in the first place. But even as we take a permanent stance of vigilance against future attacks, we must take a stance of vigilance against allowing fear of the future to paralyze us from walking in the freedom and joy that is inherent in walking with our Resurrected Savior.
Jesus Christ defeated death. He didn’t go around it or over it, or avoid it in any way. He met it head-on—and came through triumphant on the other side, leaving an empty tomb as testimony of His great victory. That is Perfect Love, folks—a perfect love that overcomes death and promises to one day carry us through that inevitable experience as well.
As we rightfully remember and honor those who died on 9/11, may we also keep our hearts and minds focused on the One who is greater than any tragedy that comes our way. For as Romans 8:31 declares, “If God is for us, who can be against us?”
May you all walk in the joy and freedom of the Perfect Love that casts out all fear!
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