I love a clean piece of paper with no writing on it. So inviting, me to fill it. That's what a new year says: Come fill me with new goals, new actions, new writing. Here's to you and me--may  God grant us the grace to live up to 2008's possibilities.

Check out my post (up late tonight or early Monday, 7-23) for the Mary DeMuth Authentic Parenting in a Postmodern Culture Blog Tour.

http://sky-highview.blogspot.com/

We can start over any time. Every day is a new day and with it brings the opportunity to make something of our lives that we've never made before. In my case, it was the almost-empty nest urging me to discover what God wanted with the rest of my life.

To learn what I found in my search for midlife meaning, visit Teresa Slack's blog, Joy for the Journey at http://teresaslack.blogspot.com .

Karen H. Phillips, Freelance Writer
kphillipso@aol.com  
http://sky-highview.blogspot.com/
http://blog.myspace.com/writethetruth
http://www.shoutlife.com/karenhphillips

On Tuesday, May 29, read about writing for the Christian Market by author Teresa Slack on my blog,

http://sky-highview.blogspot.com/

So I faithfully kept my Sunday-night-late appointments with PBS's re-airing of Dickens' Bleak House--till the grandchildren wore us out at the local amusement park. After a week of that fun foursome, I guess my brain was a little tired. The fact that the conclusion of the story came on that night totally escaped me. I saw it on the calendar a full two days later.

I read the PBS online summary of the final episode. Very unsatisfying. Now I'm reading the  book, a chapter a day online. I don't recommend doing this late at night, as I nodded off several times during the second chapter.

We'll see whether I follow through to the end!

Stop by my blogspot May 15 and check out interview with Teresa Slack, author of the newest Jenna's Creek novel, Evidence of Grace.

http://sky-highview.blogspot.com/

I love how our children make us think. They aren't afraid to challenge us with good questions. "What are we doing in an unwinnable war?" "What's wrong with people making whatever choice they want regarding sexual orientation?" "How much should the person you marry be like you?" "Why does God allow suffering in the world?"

My husband and I realize we can't mete out pat answers to questions such as these. Instead, we ponder, digging deep to remember why we choose to believe and live as we do. Do we form our life philosophy, and thus our everyday decisions, from popular media, from the current political agendas of whatever party or group is in power, from cultural trends, from some set of absolutes? How do we know whether our foundation on which we've built our lives is firm and will stand, not just for our lifetime, but for centuries and even for eternity?

We believe the Bible and the truths within have stood the test of time. We seek to build our lives firmly on God's truth and on the Chief Cornerstone, His Son Jesus Christ.

What do you believe?

March got away from me. I didn't waste it, though. The latter part of the month belonged to writing.

The third week of March I reserved for a mentoring clinic led by Cecil Murphey, co-author of the New York Times bestseller, 90 Minutes in Heaven. In February, we mentees sent the first five pages of our manuscripts to Cec. In the midst this pre-clinic time of his critiques of our work, a tragedy occurred: Cec, his wife, and his daughter escaped his burning home, which was destroyed. His son-in-law perished in the fire.

Friends rushed to help the Murpheys in any way they could, and Cec expressed his appreciation for the Lord's comfort and the provisions and prayers his family received. He insisted, a few weeks later, that the clinic must go on. He expected it to encourage him as much as it would the participants.

Nine of us gathered in our hostess's home and enjoyed the fellowship of socializing during meals, writing together, sharing our weaknesses and strengths, and learning from Cec and his marketing expert, Jan Coates. The feedback we received proved invaluable. I thrilled at Cec's sensitivity to the fact that I was not at first writing what was on my heart. Instead, when I changed to a short nonfiction piece, Cec and I agreed that it was perfect for me at that time.

On Wednesday of this week, I returned from a literal mountaintop experience: Mount Hermon Christian Writers Conference. When I wasn't wiping mascara from under my eyes after the stories, sermons, and songs moved me, I was meeting the other writers and learning from the authors, editors, and publishers who attended. God brought me a wonderful roommate in one of my online friends—our first meeting—and filled my head with more concepts and my meal table with more writing buddies than I could immediately comprehend.

Since I haven't posted here since March 8, now you know God hasn't let me sit idle. As a writer might put it, He's been blessing the keys off my laptop.

Lupe asks for prayer for her mom, Denise (It's Your Mom on MySpace). Yesterday Denise underwent surgery and is recovering in ICU.

My friend and writing mentor, Cec--whom many other writers also claim as their mentor--and his wife and daughter grieve after a fire took their home and his daughter's husband. They are overwhelmed by the outpouring of love, kindness, and prayer support.

My husband and I pray daily and ask for prayer concerning the decisions our young adult children make. We desire that they honor the Lord and choose wisely.

God sees the sparrow fall and cares about it. Even more, He entreats us, His own children through adoption, to come to Him with our needs and the needs of others. Our prayers can make a difference in the lives of others and in the world where we reside. Why hesitate? Let us pray.