The Two Week Wait

No one ever talks about the woman’s longest wait. The two weeks between attempting to conceive and waiting to see if you were successful in getting pregnant is agony.

You are acutely aware of every tinge, flutter and nauseous feeling (even if it’s just the garlic bread you had for supper). You may take your temperature daily or at least take your emotional temperature, wondering if this or that feeling is a sign the cells are multiplying. That life is forming even as you sit typing at your desk or wash up the evening dishes. You wonder and you wait. You pray prayers for life to be formed, then tell yourself that you’re being silly because life has already been initiated—or it hasn’t.

You open your calendar four times a day, checking again to see how early you can take a test. You Google it and wonder if it’s worth it to spend an extra $10 on the tests that promise to deliver the news four days earlier. I can wait, you tell yourself. But then you break down and take the test two days before you know it’s time and experience the first surge of emotion.

Disappointment.

Relief?

But then hope.

Maybe it was negative because you took it too early. So your rush out to Dollar Tree to buy more tests so you don’t have to feel guilty about wasting money on taking early tests. Annoyingly, the tests are too high on the shelf to reach, so you have to get a high school-aged employee to assist you. You try not to feel embarrassed, telling yourself you’re an adult and it’s none of her business anyway.

“How many?” she asks.

“Five,” you mumble, trying to ignore her raised eyebrow.

You tell yourself to just wait until you get your period and then you’ll know for sure, but it’s impossible to sit back and wait at this point. Because your life may be about to change completely. Or you may be back where you started. If that’s the case, you think, I’m definitely having more than one glass of wine tonight.

In the two week wait, you are often alone. If you have experienced many months of these waits, you may stop even mentioning it to your husband because he still doesn’t know what to say even after all these months. You cringe when acquaintances ask you if you want to have a baby or if you’re “trying.” “We’ll see,” you say.

And so you sit with your hope, and cradle your heart to try and shield it from the threat of sadness. You tear open yet another test—this time you are a day late, so the results should be accurate. But only one strong pink line appears.

You hate that line—or the absence of it’s companion. To combat the disappointment as you bury it in the trash can, hoping your husband won’t notice there is more than one in there, you tick off all the reasons why you’re glad the test is negative: you can have that margarita with dinner tonight, ride a roller coaster this summer, gorge yourself on sushi, or run a half marathon after all. Life is simple again. Your body is your own. At least for another two weeks.

You try to manage your jealousy when you spot women at church who have gotten pregnant so easily (or so you assume). Doing the math, you discover that if you had conceived when you planned, you would have been as far along as so-and-so. Then you feel angry with yourself for going to such lengths to compare yourself.

Your story may linger here. It may include more insensitive questions, experimental methods and more loss. It may require embracing a new way, plan or hope. It may not end the way you wanted.

Or one month that is many months later than you would have liked, you take a test—two days early again—and you lean over the counter to peer into the tiny plastic window. You see a faint pink line. The sign of life. And it is only then that you realize that the wait has just begun.

(For the record, I wrote this exactly two years ago, so it is not about today. Just FYI. See this post😉 )

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I have three books to giveaway this month, so keep an eye out for them! This week, I’m giving away a copy of Long Days of Small Things: Motherhood as Spiritual Discipline. You can read my review here, but it’s a fabulous book to buy for moms of young children who need a breath of fresh air. Sign up for my newsletter by this Friday (5/11) at midnight (MT) and I’ll send you a copy! Already signed up? Then like the Instagram or Facebook post I put up on 5/8 and tag up to four friends in the comments section (I’ll enter your name once per friend you tag)! Sorry, only U.S. residents and no bots allowed. 😉

It would make a fabulous mother’s day gift for a mom in the trenches!

Sign up for the Mid-month Digest and Secret Newsletter Here:

***

This month on Scraping Raisins, we’re talking about adoption, foster care and children. If you’re interested in guest posting about this theme, shoot me an email at scrapingraisins (dot) gmail (dot) com. The theme for June is “Create,” so you can also be thinking ahead for that, too. Be sure to check back or follow me on social media so you don’t miss the fabulous guest posters I have lined up this month!

Blog Post: The Two Week Wait. No one ever talks about the woman’s longest wait. The two weeks between attempting to conceive and waiting to see if you were successful in getting pregnant is agony.

**Contains Amazon affiliate links.

Picture from Google Images, Creative Commons.

May 9, 2018May 9, 2018

The Physicality of Motherhood {guest post + BOOK GIVEAWAY!}

By Catherine McNiel | Facebook

I spent my very first Mother’s Day on a cross-continental flight, with my husband and lap-sitting infant—the same baby who had recently made me a mother.

All three of us had the stomach flu.

Let’s just say it was a complicated day.

Oh, the stories that tiny airplane bathroom could tell. Not to mention the airport terminal. Please don’t even ask what happened on the side of the interstate driving home.

My husband and son gave me a loving card and a thoughtful gift but—let’s face it—caring for a sick, squirmy baby on a long flight while feeling sick yourself is not the ideal celebration.

But then again, maybe it is.

Twelve years into motherhood now, with many peaceful Mother’s Days under my belt, I wonder. What more appropriate way is there to mark the first year of motherhood? Let’s face it—motherhood involves quite a lot of throw-up.

From “morning sickness” (that poorly-named wilderness of all-day suffering) to the drama of “transition” during labor, making a baby entails vomit and weird physical symptoms of all kinds. Then, the baby. That precious, wonderful child shares his or her bodily fluids so readily.

Everything about being a parent, and especially a mother, is physical. These children call to us in the deepest places of our bodies and turn us inside out. Goopy noses and flowing tears are wiped on our shoulders and jeans without a thought. Our precious little ones depend upon us for their very physical existence; they unabashedly demand our bodies for themselves.

It can be easy for us to get lost in these physical acts, the unrelenting pouring out of our bodies for the life of another. Furthermore, we’ve been trained to see very little spiritual value in our bodies and what they do, in meeting bodily demands.

And yet, when Jesus came we called him God-made-flesh because he took on a body. He did not appear as a cloud this time, or a fire. He became one of us. God-made-flesh didn’t spend his time in an ivory tower, distaining the messy, physical world in favor of the clearer and more controllable world of thought and idea. No, the baby who was born in a stable and celebrated by shepherds went on to teach about fish and bread, bread and wine, sheep and goats, wheat and yeast. He touched sick people, even lepers. I’m going to guess he saw quite a bit of vomit himself.

The Gospel he taught was incredibly physical and messy. After all, it is his birth and death that most captivate us—the messiest, physical moments of our lives.

For moms—and dads, and grandparents, and caregivers—we preach the Gospel in these same physical, messy ways. We love with our hands and feet, we surrender with our tired bodies, we give life with our wombs, breasts, and hearts.

We love with our hands and feet, we surrender with our tired bodies, we give life with our wombs, breasts, and hearts. @CatherineMcNiel

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All this—and so much more—we willingly take on for the privilege of creating, bearing, sustaining, and giving life.

So, what’s a little throw-up on Mother’s Day?

Raise your air sickness bags with me. Here’s to life.

About Catherine:

Catherine McNiel writes to open eyes to God’s creative, redemptive work in each day—while caring for three kids, two jobs, and one enormous garden. Catherine is the author of Long Days of Small Things: Motherhood as a Spiritual Discipline (NavPress 2017). Look for her second book (NavPress) in 2019. Catherine loves to connect on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or at www.catherinemcniel.com.

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I have three books to giveaway this month, so keep an eye out for them! This week, I’m giving away a copy of Long Days of Small Things: Motherhood as Spiritual Discipline. You can read my review here, but it’s a fabulous book to buy for moms of young children who need a breath of fresh air. Sign up for my newsletter by this Friday at midnight (MT) and I’ll send you a copy! Already signed up? Then like the Instagram or Facebook post I put up on 5/8 and tag up to four friends in the comments section (I’ll enter your name once per friend you tag)! Sorry, only U.S. residents and no bots allowed. 😉

It would make a fabulous mother’s day gift for a mom in the trenches!

Sign up for the Mid-month Digest and Secret Newsletter Here:

***

**Contains Amazon affiliate links.

May 7, 2018May 9, 2018

What I Wish a Friend Would Have Told Me Over Coffee about Foster Care {guest post}

By Katie Finklea | Instagram

Foster Care is the hardest thing my husband and I ever walked into. Foster Care is also the most honoring thing that my husband and I ever walked into.

In honor of National Foster Care awareness month, I wanted to share some ideas and thoughts I wish would had resonated with me before taking our first of 11 foster care placements.

These are some top principles I would share with you over coffee. I hope you find them transparent, startling, eye-opening and encouraging.

1. It is not nearly as scary as I thought.

When we got our first phone call for a placement, my heart was pounding, and I started scrubbing things in my house that I had never had a desire to scrub in my life. I was searching for control and I was scared. Scared that we would fail and scared that this kid would be terrible and make us not want to foster again. I was scared for my 2 ½ year old and 11 month old and what they would experience. I was just plain scared.

Then he came to the door with the transportation worker. That blond hair and those big brown eyes instantly melted the fear away. He was simply a kid. A kid who liked mac n cheese, and soccer balls, and bubble baths, and hated bed time.

Did he have trauma? Yes. Were there some odd things we came across that we didn’t anticipate? Yes. But it wasn’t scary. HE wasn’t scary.

2. The church as a whole has no clue how to support foster parents.

Two years ago, before I became a foster parent, I ran into a friend who I hadn’t seen in weeks. “How are you?” I asked. She had just started fostering a sibling group of three kids about two months earlier. Tears formed in her eyes and she began to weep.

“You are the first person in weeks to ask how I have been,” she said. I was stunned–partially because this woman was clearly struggling and isolated, but even more so because this woman was an active member of her church and led Bible studies. She was plugged into her church community and it was no secret to anyone she was fostering.

Has anyone brought you a meal or asked to watch the kids to give you a break?”

“No,” she said. “But plenty of people tell me they are praying for me.”

Are you surprised to hear that this family no longer fosters? Fifty percent of families stop fostering after the first year due to lack of support and burn out. Many times the burn out has nothing to do with the children they are bringing in their home, but simply to do with dealing with the broken foster care system, and little support from their community and church.

Unfortunately this is the norm. The body of Christ has a responsibility to be the village to foster families. Not everyone is called to be on the front line, but everyone can do something and rally around a family for the long term.

Not everyone is called to be on the front line, but everyone can do something and rally around a family for the long term.

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Mentor the child, offer babysitting, bring a meal, get background-checked according to your state requirements and offer that family respite for a weekend. [Visit Katie’s post about more ideas on how the church can support families who are fostering children.]

3. The goal of foster care is reunification, not adoption.

The ultimate goal of fostering is reunification. When a new foster family enters into foster care with the initial thought of adoption, they need to adjust their thoughts and reconsider foster care all together.

This is hard, and I struggle with this as well, but adoption is not the goal. Family preservation is the goal. Not family preservation at all costs, but we need to hope that the biological family can get the help they need to stand up and parent their child. We as foster parents give their child a safe and loving home while the family gets the help they need. That shows Christ’s redemption all over. That is the goal of foster care.

Of course family preservation is not always feasible and when it is not, there is a beauty in that adoption. But beauty never comes without a deep place of darkness for the biological family and the child.

So many times the biological family loves the child more than society can understand, but they simply don’t have the skill set to raise the child. The skill set isn’t there because that biological parent was a former foster child and never experienced normalcy. Then cycle continues and they lose full custody of their child. It is heartbreaking for them and also for the child to digest later in life.

So there is beauty in adoption, but there is a need for homes to truly be foster parents, and pray and cheer these bio parents on in hopes that reunification can happen.

4. The impact is immense.

This may seem obvious, but the ripple effects of offering a stable home to a child can be even more impactful than ever believed. Did you know that up to 80% of those who are sex trafficked come from children who are in the foster system?

According to Case.Org, studies show that 60% to 80% of child sex trafficking victims recovered by the FBI are from foster care or group homes. “Victims are trained to call sex traffickers “daddies” and themselves “wifey” – a perverted reflection of the family unit that these children are seeking. These children long for a family … even if it means being subjected to extreme violence and abuse.”

Gaining awareness and helping sex trafficking victims is vital, but instead of focusing on pulling them out of the river, we must focus on never letting them step foot in the river in the first place. Stable foster homes are one of the major antidotes for curing human trafficking.

Is foster care for everyone? No. But if you have been on the fence about opening your door to a vulnerable child, I encourage you to grab onto that thought and take the first step in going to an info session. The forever impact of loving bravely could be larger than you ever could imagine.

Check out a recent podcast, Mommin’ Ain’t Easy, interviewing Katie!

About Katie:

Katie is the founder of Loving Well Living Well, an adoption/foster care advocacy platform geared toward educating believers in their role in orphan care. She is also a foster mom, adoptive mom, biological mom and passionate for orphan care and promoting the Church’s role in meeting the needs of vulnerable children. Katie has also worked with birth mothers pre and post placement. Follow Katie on Instagram and Facebook.

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I have three books to giveaway this month, so keep an eye out for them! This week, I’m giving away a copy of Long Days of Small Things: Motherhood as Spiritual Discipline. You can read my review here, but it’s a fabulous book to buy for moms of young children who need a breath of fresh air. Sign up for my newsletter by this Friday at midnight (MT) and I’ll send you a copy! Already signed up? Then like the Instagram post I put up on 5/8 and tag up to four friends in the comments section (I’ll enter your name once per friend you tag)! Sorry, only U.S. residents and no bots allowed. 😉

It would make a fabulous mother’s day gift for a mom in the trenches!

***

Sign up for the Mid-month Digest and Secret Newsletter Here:

**This post includes Amazon Affiliate links

What I Wish a Friend Would Have Told Me Over Coffee about Foster Care {guest post}

April 30, 2018April 30, 2018

Time to Be Out with It: I’m Writing a Book

I’ve been hesitant to make a big deal out of this. In fact, I’ve mostly been telling myself it’s not true. But after opening the envelope with the advance check made out to me last week and having a conference call today with the whole team, it seems pretty official.

I may as well get it out in the open: I’m writing a book.

I haven’t wanted to plaster it all over social media for a couple reasons. For one, I have friends who have been trying to get published for years without any luck. If you’ve ever tried to get pregnant, then you know the pang you feel seeing one announcement after another of friends getting pregnant “on accident.” Having yet another friend announce their book deal is painful and I want to be sensitive to that.

Secondly, I’ve mostly been in denial. I kept thinking I’d get a call telling me they’d made a mistake, that they didn’t mean to tell me they wanted to publish my book. Until I held the check in my hands, I truly didn’t believe this was happening.

But it is. My book will be published fall of 2019. It’s really happening.

In August of 2017, an acquistions editor contacted me via the query form on my blog, telling me she had found me through Redbud Writers’ Guild and wondered if I was working on anything. I wrote a writer friend, “What do I say??” She told me to say “I was working a few ideas into proposals.” I quickly emailed the editor back, surprised that I had three ideas. She said she’d love to see a proposal for one, maybe two of the ideas.

“I’ll get back to you in a few weeks,” I said, which turned into three months.

Writing a book proposal felt like packing for a long trip, but not being sure what I should take and what I should leave behind. And much like packing, it wasn’t until right before I was finished that I felt close to being done. Clothing, shoes, books and cosmetics were strewn around the room in a huge mess–ideas, words, stories and quotes all piled in a heap.

I probably spent 100 hours on that proposal, inviting over 10 different friends to give their input on various parts and stages. People had said it was difficult, but I had no idea what it felt like to pull a book magically out of thin air and write a one page book overview on a book that DOESN’T EXIST.

My husband took a couple mornings off of work just to watch the kids so I could write. I stood in my office and nearly burst into tears because 1) I had an office and 2) he actually believed I could do this. He is the only reason I’m even walking this journey right now.

Looking back on the book proposal process, it felt like piecing together the outer edges of a puzzle–enough structure to guide your next step, but not enough of the picture to tell you what the whole puzzle would actually look like in the end.

I turned in my proposal on December 5th, 2017 and I felt like the answer would be a lose-lose rather than a win-win. If they didn’t want it, then I did all that work for nothing. If they did want it, I’d have to actually write a book. They got back to me on January 23rd.

“Look,” I said to my husband, holding out the phone. “They want to publish my book…” The tears came and the familiar feeling I had when I found out I was pregnant the previous three times: elated, but overwhelmed.

I didn’t have an agent, so a few friends with Rebud Writer’s Guild helped me navigate the intricacies of the contract and I finally signed it in early February.

I’ve written seven chapters of a 10 to 12 chapter book that I’ll turn in this December. It still feels surreal.

When I’m writing, I believe it’s happening–I get caught up in the flow and follow where it leads, but as soon as I step away, the voices start in on me.

The hardest part has been writing more than 1000 words. Most blog posts and articles I’ve written are short, so writing a book feels like trying to run a marathon when I’ve mostly trained as a sprinter. It can feel choppy and disjointed. But I’m also enjoying indulging in long-form narrative, much like the episodic story arcs of T.V. shows with six, seven or eight seasons. For the first time, I can laze about with my story.

“So what’s your book about?” is the million dollar question these days. Honest answer? I’m still figuring that out.

But according to the edges of the puzzle that are guiding me, and the outline I offered in my book proposal, my book is about reimagining biblical hospitality from a cross-cultural point of view.

It is a mosaic of personal stories and lessons I’ve learned from living overseas, studying culture, and having international students live with us. It’s about what the western church can learn from non-western cultures about practicing biblical hospitality to family, friends and strangers, living in community, and deepening our relationships.

Biblical hospitality is less about pretty tables and more about dying to ourselves. Less about image and more about imagination. It’s about inviting and being invited by Jesus and turning around and doing the same thing in our ordinary lives. It’s about quenching our loneliness by pouring ourselves out.

This book is kicking my tail, because I can’t write one way and live another way. If I’m going to write about selfless hospitality, I need to be living it. If I’m going to write about reserving space for people, I need to actually do it.

So that’s the scoop. I’m writing a book and I’m terrified. I’m scared no one will read it and that I’ll get it all wrong. But I’m also trying to let go and trust the woo woo writer magic to wave it’s pixie dust on my words. Mainly, I’m trusting the mystical Holy Ghost to guide me and give me words as I go. I didn’t seek this out, the book found me.

And on my runs as I slow to a walk along the lake in the gold morning light, I’ve been praying like crazy for myself and for you, my reader. (In fact, the other morning on my run, I was praying loudly and very audibly for my readers when I spotted a man on his back deck cradling his coffee just a few feet away. I pretended I was talking into my phone). I’m praying this message will be for us.

Writing a book feels scary and sacred, weighty and wild, so I appreciate your prayers for me as well. Please send me personal messages if I come to mind to let me know you’re mentioning me in your prayers. I’m going to need all the help I can get.

Leslie, soon-to-be author

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If you want to win a copy of Mystics and Misfits, sign up for my newsletter by Monday, August 30th at midnight (MT)! Already a subscriber? Tag up to four friends on my Instagram post about this book and I’ll enter you once per time!

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April 27, 2018October 23, 2019

10 Podcasts for Writers & Creatives

As a writing teacher and writer, hearing writers share about their process fascinates and inspires me. Here are ten podcasts I recommend for writers and creatives.

#AmWriting

This podcast covers all things writing and also offers a free Facebook group for writers. They sometimes invite guests to share, but the hosts themselves have a ton of wisdom and experience which they offer to listeners.

Ann Kroeker, Writing Coach

I chased Ann Kroeker down the hallway once at the Festival of Faith and Writing, then cried all over her boots. The word that comes to mind with this podcast is “generosity.” In short, weekly podcasts, Ann offers her knowledge of the craft of writing as she coaches writers, suggests resources and offers advice to stuck writers.

Beautiful Writers Podcast

The host, Linda Sivertsen, has had fantastic guests on the show such as Anne Lamott, Arianna Huffington, Tom Hanks, Brene Brown, Mary Karr, Elizabeth Gilbert, and Seth Godin. I’m always amazed that she doesn’t fangirl all over the guests, like I would be prone to do …

Become a Pro Blogger

This is a practical podcast for those who view their blog as a business. While I personally see my blog as a vehicle for testing out writing ideas and connecting with readers, this podcast has helped me make a few shifts to be more productive and strategic in getting my content to the right readers.

Magic Lessons

In this podcast, writer Elizabeth Gilbert helps struggling writers and creatives to find their creative mojo. When I listened as a brand new writer, it helped me overcome the insecurity of calling myself a “writer” and admit that writing was a calling and gift claiming me (and not the other way around).

Creative If Writing Podcast

This is a bit more focused on blogging, and I’ll often turn here if I have a specific blogging-related question, like “How do I get the right image to show up on Facebook?” She has episodes on anything from non-smarmy marketing, tips for building traffic, to the top tools for bloggers. This is a very practical podcast for bloggers and online writers.

The Hope Writers Podcast

This podcast is hosted by the founders of the Hope Writers writing group as a teaser to encourage you to join Hope Writers. That said, it still has value as a stand-alone venture as the hosts discuss their genius and idiot moves, how to make money writing, book launch secrets, and how to organize your writing ideas, among other topics of interest to writers.

Rewrite Radio

This podcast was put out by the Festival of Faith and Writing and I’ve listened to many of the episodes more than once. My favorites are Barbara Brown Taylor (2004), Frederick Buechner (1992), Memoir as Feminist Testimony (2016), and Katherine Paterson (2004). They offer recordings of the sessions from the festival over the years.

Writers on Writing

This is a fabulous podcast where the hosts usually interview two professional writers each week about their writing process. I’ve gotten tons of ideas about what to read, new writing routines to try, and the constant encouragement that comes with realizing the writers I admire are real people with some of the same doubts that I have.

Writing Class Radio

The hosts invite writers to read their nonfiction essays and then they discuss what made it work. I appreciate the honesty and generosity of these women and have learned about the craft of writing from them.

10 Minute Writers’ Workshop

This podcast not only increased my “to read” list, it also gave me exactly what I needed as a new writer–the reminder I wasn’t alone in my questions, quirks and hesitations. I mean, if great writers were distracted by social media, then I didn’t need to feel so guilty. This podcast also provided me with practical ideas for editing, finding inspiration, and books on writing to hone my craft. I’m sad it ended, but if you are a writer, you should check it out. I think I listened to every single episode (you can read ten tips I learned about writing from this podcast here).

What are your favorite podcasts on writing or creativity?

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Our theme for April is “Books and Writing,” and I hope to share my favorite books, podcasts and resources for new writers. Click here if you’re new to the series and want to catch up on old posts. Be sure to follow me on social media and sign up for my newsletter below so you can be alerted of new posts. Please get in touch at scrapingraisins (dot) gmail (dot) com if you are interested in guest posting on this topic!

**This post includes Amazon affiliate links

10 Podcasts for Writers & Creatives: As a writing teacher and writer, hearing writers share about their process fascinates and inspires me. Here are 10 podcasts I'd recommend for writers and creatives.

April 25, 2018April 24, 2018

Afraid of Poetry? Start Here. {guest post}

By Charlotte Donlon | Twitter: @charlottedonlon

I have always loved poetry, but I have also always been afraid of poetry. When I started graduate school three years ago, one of my assigned readings was T.S. Eliot’s Four Quartets. I was terrified of not understanding Eliot so I read Tania Runyan’s How to Read a Poem, too.

I managed to make it through that first residency and those first class discussions without embarrassing myself too much. I was also able to let go of my insecurity enough to learn a few things about Eliot and his work.

The MFA in creative writing program at Seattle Pacific University gave me many gifts. One of those gifts is poetry, even though my primary genre is creative nonfiction. After reading Eliot, I kept reading poetry. I wrote papers about poetry. I discussed poetry. I even became friends with poets.

I can now say I’m no longer afraid of poetry. I need it. I need to swim in words and language and ideas, and reading poetry is the easiest way for me to sink into those seas.

When I read poetry, I slow down and pay more attention to words and their sounds and their places in the world. I also pay more attention to my places in the world.

Poets invite me to enter their waters and discover more about them, more about myself, and more about the spaces between us. They invite me to make new connections and think about things from different perspectives.

They invite me to consider what happens if we don’t worry about rules, get rid of punctuation, and sit with the silence that exists between stanzas.

Over the past couple of months, my relationship with poetry has deepened. I began writing poetry and I taught a poetry workshop at my local library. I had no idea these sorts of things would ever happen. I guess sometimes we end up doing things we never could have asked or imagined. I guess our actions have consequences.

If you have been interested in exploring poetry, but have been afraid to dive in, please don’t hesitate any longer.

Here are links to some of my favorite poets and some of their poems:

Come on in. The water feels great.

***

What about you? Who are your favorite poets?

Charlotte lives in Birmingham, Alabama with her husband and their two children. She recently earned an MFA in creative writing from Seattle Pacific University, and she does freelance writing and copywriting. You can find her online at www.charlottedonlon.com, on Twitter at @charlottedonlon, and on Instagram at @charlottedonlon. You can sign up for her weekly email newsletter about reading, writing, and creativity via her website at charlottedonlon.com.

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**This post includes Amazon affiliate links

April 23, 2018April 24, 2018

A Review of Mystics & Misfits by Christiana Peterson (+a giveaway of the book!)

Growing up on the fundamentalist-side of evangelicalism, my covert love of the mystics like Teresa of Avila and St. John of the Cross felt scandalous. My adult spiritual life opens into a much larger pasture to graze on spiritual writings, so I’ll be candid about my love for this new book, Mystics and Misfits, by a new friend, Christiana Peterson.

I wasn’t sure what to expect–expository writings on the mystics of old? A memoir of her experience spending eight years in an intentional community in the Midwest?

With gorgeous writing and in-depth research, Christiana achieves the magic of inviting the reader into the lives of the mystics and into her family’s story.

Mystics and Misfits is divided into five parts–simplicity, hospitality, contemplation, church and death. Within these sections, Christiana shares personal letters to Saints Francis, Margery Kempe, Clare of Assisi, Simone Weil, and even Dorothy Day, asking questions and weaving her narrative with theirs.

She also chronicles her famiiy’s experience joining together to manage berry fields, raise chickens, can food, welcome strangers and worship in community with the other families living at Plow Creek Farm. Death, mistakes, missteps and doubts are handled without excessive idealism or burdensome negativity. Christiania relates both the beauty and the challenges of living in intentional community and the ways her study of the saints impacted her ordinary life.

In Mystics and Misfits, Christiana digs deep within herself to draw gems to the surface for the reader to appreciate. She offers her authentic self and successfully welcomes us to join her as fellow pilgrims in the journey towards experiencing authentic community and pursuing a rich inner life with God.

I had the unique opportunity to meet Christiana at the Festival of Faith and Writing the day after I read Mystics and Misfits and had the odd feeling of knowing someone before I had actually met them. I feel like this is the best kind of memoir.

If you are curious about the mystics, about what life at a commune is like, or just enjoy losing yourself in a well-written story, then you should read Mystics and Misfits.

Sign up for the Mid-month Digest and Secret Newsletter Here:

Sorry, no bots and only U.S. residents (so sad, I know). But you can buy a copy here for just $15.00;-)

Have you read the book? What did you think?

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**This post includes Amazon affiliate links

April 20, 2018April 20, 2018

Places for (Edgy) Faith Writers to Publish

Anyone who’s read my blog for any length of time knows I love lists of resources. Perhaps it’s the teacher in me? For those of you who might be new to writing, I wanted to give you a leg up and let you know some places to submit your work.

I’ve written for many of these, but some are on my bucket list of places to submit one day in the future. Let me know if you have other information for me to add to this list and feel free to contact me via the query form on my blog or other social media to ask questions.

Here are some places for writers to submit their work:

Online Collaborative Blogs (you’ll be paid in readers & community)

SheLoves Magazine

I’m one of the editors, so I can speak most specifically to this site. SheLoves is about Jesus, justice and juicy living. The best submissions are personal narrative, not preachy. We love stories that share your heart, not just quotes and Bible verses. You can email your submissions to Kathleen Bertrand at shelovesmagazine@gmail.com. For more submission info, go here. They only accept previously unpublished pieces. Here are the themes for 2018–usually due the 15th of the previous month:

June: Transitions
July: Territories
August: Fire
September: Edge
October: Warrior
November: Gathering
December: Glory

The Mudroom Blog

The Mudroom is gritty, raw and real. The women here are world changers and justice-seekers. They love Jesus, but aren’t afraid to ask the hard questions. I’ve published here several times and have had a really great experience. Visit here for submission guidelines and monthly themes (which are usually amazing). They only accept previously unpublished pieces.

Altarwork

Altarwork is a collaborative blog featuring fiction, creative nonfiction, poetry, music and visual arts. I’ve published several pieces with them and they don’t mind republishing previously published work. To submit a piece for Altarwork, visit this page.

Scraping Raisins, by me;-)

This year I am using themes for each month, so take a look at the themes here and let me know if you’d be interested in submitting a guest post! I’m looking for personal stories from 500-1000 words.

(In)Courage

Okay, so I wouldn’t normally consider (In)Courage “edgy,” but they just announced 10 new writers that are edgy, so we might begin to see a bit more of that! 😉 Submissions to (In)Courage are quarterly, so you have to watch for the two-week window. You can usually submit the first two weeks of December, March, June and September. Visit this page for more submission info.

Literary Mama

Not for faith writers, per se, but I’ve always wanted to write for them. They put out info about places for writers to submit their work on the first Wednesday of every month.

RELEVANT (online)

RELEVANT will publish previously published work, so if you have a blog post that’s done well, you might want to think about sending it along to RELEVANT. Be sure you keep an eye out, though, because they most likely won’t inform you whether or not they decided to run it. This year, I had a surprise birthday present when they ran my piece without my knowledge. Visit here for more submission info.

Red Tent Living

I’ve been meaning to submit here for a long time because I love their vision and the authenticity of their writers. Visit here for more submission info. Submissions are theme-based and due the first of the month. Here are the current themes.

Sojourners

This is also a site where I’ve wanted to contribute because I respect and admire their work. For submission guidelines, visit here. This link also includes info about submitting to their print magazine.

For Missionaries and Expats:

A Life Overseas

This was the first place I ever had a piece published, so I have a fondness for this site (it was also the place I had the most engagement and visits to my personal blog as a result of publishing). This is a fabulous online community of thoughtful missionaries and expats. To submit a post, email Elizabeth at emarietrotter@gmail.com and write “Guest Post” in the subject line.

Velvet Ashes

I wish Velvet Ashes had existed when I lived overseas. This is a vibrant, active, and encouraging community of women who are mostly all living away from their passport cultures. VA offers online small groups, an online retreat (the next one is the 19-22!), and a weekly link-up on Thursdays for bloggers, called “The Grove”. For current themes and submission guidelines, visit here.

Writing about Motherhood:

For Every Mom

This site will also publish pieces that have been published before, so I’ll often send the editor, Jenny Rapson, any pieces that have done well on my blog. They will also take pitches for paid pieces, though I haven’t done that yet, so I don’t have any tips. For submission info, visit here.

Coffee + Crumbs

This is a lovely blog featuring quality essays that is still on my bucket list to submit to. Check here to see if they are open for submissions (they rarely are).

If You Prefer to Get Paid, Try These:

iBelieve

This is a Christian site that features articles about faith, relationships, calling, health, beauty, devotionals, motherhood and career. They do pay for articles, though it’s not a lot. You can submit queries here.

Think Christian

From the website: “Think Christian serves the devout faithful who are also fans of popular culture. In music and movies, television and video games, we seek to find—in the words of the Apostle Paul—“whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable.” Our task as a digital magazine is to consider how popular culture and its cultivators interact with God’s story, and we do this with grace, appreciation, and discernment.” Email editor Josh Larsen with pitches and queries: jlarsen@reframemedia.com

Christianity Today

From their site: “Articles for CT should be factually sound, well researched, and pertain to modern Christianity. We are interested in profiles, interviews, feature stories, book reviews, and opinion pieces that are expertly written and well supported, provide a fresh perspective, and connect the eternal message of the gospel with current trends, culture, events, and news. First-person articles should apply your personal experience to a broader concept of faith and biblical truth.” Visit here for guidelines on submitting to CT.

Washington Post, Acts of Faith

From their site: “The Washington Post’s Acts of Faith offers breaking and ongoing news, analysis and opinion about major religion stories. We tackle anything where faith, spirituality, ethics and values live, from politics and culture to science and education. Please note that we are considering a limited number of submissions right now. Acts of Faith is edited by Sarah Pulliam Bailey (spulliam@gmail.com).” Visit here for more submission info.

Print Magazines (some pay, some don’t)

Faithfully Magazine

Editor-in-chief & founder: Nicola A. Menzie

Faithfully Magazine is a news and lifestyle publication that covers issues, conversations and events impacting Christian communities of color. It’s also the first print magazine I was ever published in! For detailed submission info, visit here. They do not currently pay.

Image Journal

Editor & founder: Gregory Wolfe

Image Journal is a beautiful magazine featuring fiction, nonfiction and poetry. For submission info to either their print magazine, Image Journal, or their daily blog, Good Letters, visit here. They also have a yearly week-long writer’s workshop called The Glen that I’ve had my eye on for a while.

Plough Magazine

Managing editor: Shana Burleson

This is a quarterly magazine featuring poetry, book reviews, fiction, creative nonfiction, and visual arts related to faith, culture, justice and community. (I really need to write for them…) For submission info, visit here. The site says they will pay an “honorarium” (I’m not sure what that means) for their print articles, but are unable to pay for online articles.

Ready Publication

Editor-in-chief & founder: Gail Dudley

Ready is a quarterly print and digital publication designed with the beautiful diversity of women around the world in mind. To submit an article, visit here.

Relief Journal

Editor-in-chief: Daniel Bowman

This is an annual print journal that accepts poetry, fiction, graphic narrative, and creative nonfiction. Their reading period is October 1 – March 31. For more submission info, visit here.

Ruminate

Editor-and founder: Brianna Van Dyke

This is a gorgeous magazine that publishes fiction, creative nonfiction, poetry and visual art. To find more info about submitting to the print magazine, visit here. They also have a blog, so visit here for info about submitting there. They pay a little for pieces for the print magazine, but I’m not sure about the blog. Ruminate also runs contests throughout the year. (Side note–they are located in my city in a renovated barn!)

St. Katherine Review

Managing editor: Angela Doll Carlson

The guiding principle at Saint Katherine Review is “Inquiry seeking Wisdom.”This print magazine accepts poetry, creative nonfiction, reviews and fiction. Contributors receive three copies of the issue in which their work appears, plus a one-year subscription. For more submission info, visit here.

Have you signed up for my newsletter? New subscribers will be entered to win a free copy of this gorgeous magazine, Ruminate. If you’re already a subscriber, head over to my Instagram post and tag up to four friends to be entered to win there! Giveaway will be open until this Friday at midnight (MT). Sorry, only U.S. residents and no bots, please!

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Places for (Edgy) Faith Writers to Publish

April 18, 2018April 18, 2018

A Writer’s Hotbed of Stupidity, Saints & Selfies (#FFW)

As a stay-at-home mom to three tiny children, I no longer feel fluent in socializing or adult conversation. So, as you might expect, a writing conference where I had to meet and interact with some of my writing heroes was a hotbed for saying and doing stupid things.

Lest you think I’m exaggerating, here are a few foot-in-mouth moments for your entertainment:

1. I saw an author I admire and said, “I read half your book!” #whatNOTtosaytoanauthor

2. I tweeted something Deidra Riggs said during a panel about sex and without thinking, my husband replied something about loving when I talk dirty, accidentally including Deidra in the reply. (okay, so that one’s on my husband)

3. I told a magazine I couldn’t write for them yet because I have other writing projects now (they didn’t ask me to).

4. I chucked my stuff on a chair, then chased Ann Kroeker down the hallway and slobbered all over her.

5. I told a girl she looked “so familiar” and she said it was because we had met two days earlier.

6. I couldn’t go into the expo room for two days after seeing my face on a poster about new authors. (denial, perhaps?)

7. I think I may have sat next to Fleming Rutledge on the flight to Grand Rapids, but didn’t realize it until I got to the conference (this is why you should always make small talk on the plane).

8. I started talking to Shannan Martin in line in the bathroom and when I walked out, I realized I still had my dirty paper towel balled up in my hand.

9. I often said the first thing that came to my mind when I met someone–usually pertaining to their appearance. “You’re so much shorter/thinner/taller than I thought!” Generally not a good idea.

But apart from my many blunders, the conference was still a fabulous experience.

Here are a few highlights for me from FFW:

1. Hearing Luci Shaw and Madeleine L’Engle’s granddaughters tell stories about Madeleine, my greatest writing hero. (Did you know Madeleine L’Engle loved playing ping-pong?)

Luci Shaw & Madeleine L’Engle’s granddaughters

2. Spending time with other writing friends talking, crying, trading stories, and sharing on a level I so rarely get to relate on in my regular life.

3. Meeting some of my writing and life heroes: Deidra Riggs, Luci Shaw, Sandra Van Opstal, Shannan Martin, Addie Zierman, Lisha Epperson, Ann Kroeker, Katlin Curtice, D.L. Mayfield, Amy Peterson, Christiana Peterson, inspiring writers from my publishing House, Herald Press, my editor, friends from SheLoves, Redbud Writers’ Guild and my other writing group, and so many others.

4. Meeting my heroes reminded me that even though a writer may have thousands of followers on social media, it doesn’t mean they don’t struggle with insecurity and imposter syndrome like I do.

5. I sat in five fiery sessions about race that burned away my idealism, selfish motivations and pride involved in being a white woman who writes about race. It reminded me that these discussions are messy, complex and yet so necessary in spite of the discomfort. I’m still processing many of the conversations, emotions and challenges.

Deidra Riggs, Karen Sallow Prior, Sandra Maria Van Opstal, Kathy Khang, Katelyn Beaty, “Still Evangelical in the Age of #MeToo?”

Lisa Sharon Harper, Marlena Graves, Kathy Khang, “Writing for Our Lives”

5. Overall, the best part of the festival for me was putting people to the avatars and remembering there is flesh, bone and spirit behind the names and faces on the 2D screen.

Did you attend the Festival of Faith and Writing this year? What was your biggest take-away?

Have you signed up for my newsletter? New subscribers will be entered to win a free copy of this gorgeous magazine, Ruminate. If you’re already a subscriber, head over to my Instagram post and tag up to four friends to be entered to win there! Giveaway will be open until this Friday at midnight (MT). Sorry, only U.S. residents and no bots, please!

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April 9, 2018April 9, 2018

No More Fear for Kids~Interview with Author, JoHannah Reardon + Book Giveaway

I’ve always been fascinated by peering “behind the scenes.” Before a show, I always hope to glimpse the actors and catch them being ordinary people. I think most of us are interested–why else would we sit and watch hours of “extras” about the shows, movies and lives of cast members we love? Books are no different. I’m so curious about what inspires us to write and the process each of us takes. In this interview, author JoHannah, a friend of mine at Redbud Writer’s Guild, takes us behind the scenes of her newest book, a 40-day family devotional on fear for kids around age 8-12. But even if you don’t have kids, JoHannah has some fabulous lessons to share about how she has conquered fear in her life.

If you love free books like I do, be sure to read to the end for instructions on how to win a copy of this book!

1. Why did you write No More Fear for Kids?
I have battled a lifetime of fear and anxiety that began in childhood. I was afraid of everything and didn’t know how to process that fear. When I became a Christian, I knew the answer was in Christ, but I didn’t know how that translated into my day-to-day living. It wasn’t until I took 40 days to give up fear that I realized the stranglehold it had on me. With that in mind, I wanted to help kids get a head start on dealing with their fears when they are young. I could have avoided a lot of angst if I’d dealt with my fear much earlier in life.

2. Why 40 days to give up fear?
I did not attend a church that practiced Lent, but I worked with many people who did. I thought it would be useful to examine any habits that I knew I needed help with. So for a couple of years, I gave up food and media as everyone else I knew did, but one year I decided to pray about what I should give up. I felt as strongly as I’ve ever felt anything that I was to give up fear. That 40-day journey was absolutely life changing and broke a pattern that had dominated my life from as far back as I could remember.

3. What approach does your book No More Fear for Kids take to overcoming fear?
The 40 days of giving up fear taught me that I had a warped view of God. Since that time, I’ve been meditating on who God truly is. Knowing his good and loving character has helped me to trust him with all that happens in my life and world. In No More Fear for Kids, I stress these characteristics of God, as well as wrestle with what it means that God is a judge, that I should fear him, and that he does get angry. By understanding that I don’t have anything to fear from God has been huge in my journey away from fear and anxiety. So, by closely examining God’s attributes, I found that he was faithful and that giving up fear was simply believing that and trusting him with my life.

My hope in No More Fear for Kids is that children will gain a healthy understanding of God and realize that he loves them beyond measure, giving them a safe harbor no matter their fears and anxieties.

My hope in No More Fear for Kids is that children will gain a healthy understanding of God and realize that he loves them beyond measure, giving them a safe harbor no matter their fears and anxieties.

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A. W. Tozer said that what we believe about God is the most important thing about us. By giving kids a right view of God’s attributes, their fears are put into perspective.

4. Is simply knowing who God is enough to overcome fears?
Good question. Before I started my 40-day journey, I knew God’s attributes intellectually. However, I hadn’t engaged my emotions in relation to his attributes. In the vein of Christianity I grew in, emotions were considered unimportant and even unnecessary. I was taught to put emotions aside and just go with what I knew to be true. So much about this is good and necessary; yet, it caused me to so disconnect with my emotions that I denied them. I decided I wasn’t afraid, even though I was terrified all the time. That’s why taking 40 days to just concentrate on my emotions of fear and anxiety were so important. I had to face those emotions head on by acknowledging them and by realizing God was trustworthy enough to deal with whatever was causing me terror. That experience with God was what caused a breakthrough for me.

5. Since you gave up fear, have you had any relapses?
I had one relapse when my husband was gone on a trip. I heard some noises in the night and felt the old panic begin to rise. I sat up in bed with all the old fears pouring in on me. But then, I felt angry—angry at Satan for throwing this old pattern of fear at me again. I said aloud, “No, Satan! I am not doing this again.” The fear lifted and I went peacefully back to sleep.

Then when I released No More Fear: 40 Days to Overcome Worry, my adult devotional, and No More Fear for Kids, I began to (ironically) fear that I had just found something simple to placate my emotions and that I couldn’t really offer help to anyone. But that week, a couple of men murdered someone in the town next to mine. They fled to my neighborhood and a massive search occurred. As the police examined every shed, camper, and nook or cranny a person could hide, general panic took over those in my town. People called me and told me I could come stay with them until these men were caught. I was elated when I realized I didn’t feel even an iota of fear. I would rather face armed murderers than return to the prison of fear I’d been locked in for so long.

6. What do you hope a child will come away with after reading No More Fear for Kids?
First of all, I hope a parent doesn’t just hand the child this book and let them read it on their own. It’s designed for discussion between the parent and child, giving the child an opportunity to talk about their fears and misconceptions about who God is. That said, for each child who spends 40 days in my book, I pray the following: that they will be able to identify their fears and rest them one by one at Jesus’ feet, knowing he will banish them. That their experience with God is so powerful they would rather face the worst life can throw at them than return to a life of fear and trembling. That their relationship with Christ becomes so real and palpable that it will affect every part of their lives and permeate it with inner peace—for years to come.

BOOK GIVEAWAY: WIN A FREE COPY OF NO MORE FEAR FOR KIDS

To win, be sure you’re signed up for my newsletter, then tag up to four friends on my Instagram post about this book who you think might be interested in reading this. I’ll enter you one time per new friend you tag. I’ll announce the winner on Instagram on Monday, April 16. Sorry, no bots and only U.S. residents!

BUY No More Fear for Kids from Amazon.

More About JoHannah:

JoHannah Reardon was a Christianity Today editor for nine years. In that time she built and managed their Bible study site, ChristianBibleStudies.com. She also served as an editor for Today’s Christian Woman and Gifted For Leadership (now CTWomen and WomenLeaders). She currently serves as the senior editor for The Redbud Post and is the author of 14 books, including devotionals and novels. Although she loves her work, her favorite things in life are teasing her husband, annoying her children, and spoiling her grandkids. Find out more about JoHannah and her books at johannahreardon.com. Follow her on Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest.

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Tag: Leslie Verner

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1. It is not nearly as scary as I thought.

2. The church as a whole has no clue how to support foster parents.

3. The goal of foster care is reunification, not adoption.

4. The impact is immense.

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10 Podcasts for Writers & Creatives

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A Review of Mystics & Misfits by Christiana Peterson (+a giveaway of the book!)

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Places for (Edgy) Faith Writers to Publish

Online Collaborative Blogs (you’ll be paid in readers & community)

For Missionaries and Expats:

Writing about Motherhood:

If You Prefer to Get Paid, Try These:

Print Magazines (some pay, some don’t)

Sign up for the Mid-month Digest and Secret Newsletter Here:

A Writer’s Hotbed of Stupidity, Saints & Selfies (#FFW)

Here are a few highlights for me from FFW:

Sign up for the Mid-month Digest and Secret Newsletter Here:

No More Fear for Kids~Interview with Author, JoHannah Reardon + Book Giveaway

BOOK GIVEAWAY: WIN A FREE COPY OF NO MORE FEAR FOR KIDS

Sign up for the Mid-month Digest and Secret Newsletter Here:

Welcome to Scraping Raisins!