Blogging Buddy Brunch

How do you soothe your disappointment at not going to ACFW? Susan Panzica, of Eternity Cafe, and I met at a diner halfway between her house and mine. Mom came along for the ride on a brilliant September day.

We first met at the 2009 Greater Philadelphia Christian Writers Conference. After trading business cards, we stayed in touch through our blogs and email.

While eating a delicious breakfast, we talked about the 2010 conference, our writing, and traded manuscript chapters. My blogging buddy is a gifted non-fiction writer. Wow, can she ever paint a word picture! One of her stories had me misty-eyed, while the other brought a smile to my face. She's full of excitement and ideas for her writing.

Naturally, I couldn't pass up the photo-op with my trusty digital camera. The lighting wasn't the greatest, but I did my best.

Here I am with the best Mom in the world. (I'm a bit biased.)

Susan and I decided we'd meet again in the near future. Blogging and email are great, but you can't beat chatting face-to-face. I'm sure all of you who met at ACFW will agree. :)

The Woman Behind the Blog - Kathryn Lang - Part II

Kathryn Lang continues her guest post.

"I wrote because I needed the money - and because I have a lot to say. My first writing job after the baby was born was doing posts on forums. That expanded into writing blog posts on everything from green living to horses. The only limit to what I wrote and how much I wrote was the dial-up internet.

My husband left his full-time job in 2007 and that pushed me to write more. The slow speed of dial-up became an issue, and we put our 2008 tax refund toward running cable to our home to get high-speed internet. It was great, but the economy tanked, and so did our finances.

Finding writing jobs became a priority - more important than the words that I was writing. The more I pushed, the fewer jobs I found I had each month. The ones that did stay around were the ones that touched on my passion, but I could only see that they were not enough to do what needed to be done. This was another one of those times where I wondered if God was messing with me. After all, I was doing everything I could do.

Then I quit.

I quit trying to make things work out. I quit worrying about how I was going to pay the bills. I quit checking the stats on my blogs every morning. I quit stressing over the reaction that others might have about what I did or did not do.

When I quit trying, I turned to God, and the veil began to lift. I started to see the words I write are not about me, or my pocketbook, but about Him. He gave me the gift, the talent, and the passion to pour out words for others. The words must be all about Him.

I started spending more time with Him. Prayer time became a priority for my morning - no matter how late my day might be running. The moment He became the focus, the jobs began to expand.

The finances are still not where I want them to be. My consistency has not reached the level I know it needs to be. There are still a number of areas in my life where I'm struggling to let go, but I have seen the Truth and that makes it all a little easier."

Have you worn yourself out trying to make success happen? What stood out to you about Kathryn's story?

The Woman Behind the Blog - Kathryn Lang - Part 1

Welcome to a new feature of Christian Writer/Reader Connection! I'll still be doing the Friday Round-Up, but occasionally substitute with one of these specialty posts.

Kathryn Lang and I met through her blog, Successful Freelance Writer. She also shares the blogging duties at Author Haven. Recently, Kathryn posted on a shift in her thinking. I'll let her tell you about herself and the experience in her own words.

"I am unique. Ask anyone that has ever met me. They will at least tell you that I am not normal.

I am a sister. I have one older brother and one younger brother. I am not nearly as close to them as I want to be, which is another obstacle I am struggling to address.

I am a daughter and a friend. My parents and I talk and share on a level beyond parent/child. I think it is important that I prepare my own children for that transition one day.

I am a wife. I fell for my husband when I was 12 and he was 16. He finally realized my feelings when I was 15 (and only recently discovered that I joined the diving team because HE was on the diving team). I learned about unconditional love from him, and I'm trying daily to reveal that unconditional love back to him.

I am a mother. We have been blessed with three wonderful boys - perfect for me because I was a tomboy. My prayer every day is that I can be a faithful steward over these precious treasures that have been entrusted to me.

I am a writer. Words have always been a powerful part of my life. Most of my writing took place in the form of notes, letters, and cards. But although the words were intended for individuals, you never know when those words will touch the world.

My career as a writer launched the same year I found out I was pregnant with our third son. That was one of those moments where I was certain God was messing with me. My life was on track, and He shakes it all up with a surprise pregnancy. Sometime the blessings we receive are not the blessings we were expecting or even those we understand, but God's blessings always turn out exceedingly, abundantly more than we can think or imagine."

Have you ever had God "mess up" your plans? We'd love to hear about it. Watch for Part II of this guest post tomorrow.