Spring Cleaning in Spiritual Lives

Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me (Psalm 51:10).

Not so long ago, spring cleaning was a yearly household tradition. Years ago, women not only thoroughly cleaned the house, but they also did extra tasks, like wash windows, sun quilts, redo mattresses and pillow stuffings, and sometimes scour the rooms with hot, soapy water to get rid of bedbugs.

Perhaps spring is also a good time to do some cleaning-up in our spiritual lives. Is there anything we need to get rid of because it isn't pleasing to God? Have we drifted away from Him? Have we made Him our top priority, and does our life reflect that? We all need renewal from time to time. That's why the Great Awakenings were so important in America and why churches have revivals. But it needs to start in each of our hearts before it can influence a nation and the world.

However, if you see areas where you need to improve, don't try to take care of them on your own. This is always a mistake. Christ is more than happy to help you clean house and draw closer to Him. Let His Spirit within you guide you to a refreshing new place where you can find peace and comfort in a new awakening to the Lord's great love for you.

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 The Origin of "Going the Extra Mile"

The idiom, "go the extra mile," actually comes from the Bible. In Matthew 5:41, Jesus says, "And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain." He's encouraging people to be generous, kind, and helpful, beyond what is expected or asked. The followers of Christ should have a giving spirit.

As many of you know, I'm in the process of publishing a five-book, inspirational series entitled "Idioms & Clichés," where each book title is an idiom or cliché. The first book, A Bird in the Hand, has already been published and is available in paperback, Kindle, and Audible. It's set in 1776, mostly in Pennsylvania, but the main character moves to Western Virginia near the end.

Link to A Bird in the Hand

Going the Extra Mile is the second book in the series and will release on Tuesday, April 5. I love this cover. It may be my favorite one out of all my books. Going the Extra Mile has some mystery in it as well as some romance. It's set in the Appalachian Mountains and features Aaron Johnson, the grandson from the couple in A Bird in the Hand. If everything goes as planned, all three formats (Kindle, paperback, and Audible) will release on or near the same date. The third book, A Few Bumps in the Road, moves to Kansas and releases on June 3. It's also available for preorder now.

Link to Going the Extra Mile

Link to A Few Bumps in the Road

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 Sowing Seeds

 Behold a man went out to sow (Matthew 15:3b).

We all sow some type of seeds each day, and often many kinds. Seeds of acceptance, encouragement, support, appreciation, and brotherly love can nurture, grow, and produce fruit. But seeds of rejection, criticism, ridicule, contempt, and hate will wither, deplete, and dry up. Bad seeds produce unusable fruit if they produce any fruit at all. 

It's important to follow the Golden Rule and treat others the way we want to be treated. Jesus also taught us to love our neighbors as ourselves. If you're having a bad day, taking it out on others won't help things get better. In fact, that will make you feel worse. Smiling at others will make your day brighter. Being kind and generous will lift your mood.

If we sow good seeds, not only do we help those we meet, but we also help ourselves. Being contentious about the things we don't like hurts us more than the ones we disparage, even if it's about politics. Let's make up our minds to follow Jesus and to sow good seeds, not bad.

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 Free Promo Codes for Amazon Audible Books

In order to promote Audible books, ACX, the audio-production division of Amazon, gives authors and narrators codes for their books to give away free. When this first began, the author or narrator also got paid royalties for the giveaway, which made it lucrative to do so. However, because some authors and narrators found ways to abuse the policy in order to get those royalties, this policy was changed, and they no longer get any compensation.

Now, the main incentive to give away the free codes is the hope of getting good reviews, and only a five-star review will do because anything below that usually pulls down their rating. However, we also want reviewers to be honest, just not too harsh or unreasonable. And don't judge independently produced books against the production studios used by the top authors. 

The second reason to offer the free codes is the hope that a listener will love the book and want to buy another one by that author. If you find an author you love, please do this. Audible books still aren't as popular as ebooks, and each sale is important. However, I believe the audible market will continue to grow. It's a good way to make exercise, menial housework, or long trips more enjoyable. I'm not only an author who has all her books on Audible, but I'm also an avid listener. I leave a review for every book, as well as buy Audible books from the authors I like. I hope you will too.

Note: A good site that offers free codes for Christian Amazon Audible books is https://www.facebook.com/groups/2797241590334924.  Be sure to answer the three simple questions to join the group.  Another site that offers the heat level is https://www.facebook.com/groups/1853693444745928. You'll want to choose ones with the sweet level if you want clean or Christian.

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Where Planted

Those that be planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of our God (Psalm 92:13).

To succeed in our Christian life, we must be able to grow and flourish in whatever circumstances we find ourselves. Joseph is a good example of this. Although he had been his father's favorite, he was accosted by his brothers, sold into slavery, falsely accused of adultery, and imprisoned. He was able to rise above all this and eventually come out on top because his focus and allegiance remained on God. His joy and contentment came from God and not from a pleasing situation.

I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content (Philippians 4:11b).

Paul also went through many hardships on his missionary journeys. He was beaten, stoned, and shipwrecked. He said that he experienced "perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils by mine own countrymen, in perils by the heathen, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren. In weariness and painfulness, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness. (2 Corinthians 11:26-27). 

Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee (Isaiah 26:3).

Yet, Paul never ceased from pressing on, following His Lord wherever He led, and finding joy, peace, and contentment, even amidst the storms. We should do the same. We should keep our eyes on Jesus and not the situation. When we do that, no matter what happens, no matter the circumstances, we will bloom and bear fruit where we are planted.

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My Approach to MAPS

I am enjoying writing MAPS. These multiple-author projects have added a new dimension to my writing. When I see a new one posted seeking authors or someone asks me to join one, my first criteria is that it requires all the books to be Christian or clean. I also look to see how much the covers are going to cost. The covers are usually coordinated, so they have the same general look or format and fit into the series theme.

Of course, it must also fit into my schedule. Sometimes, I can move the books I plan to publish independently around to accommodate a MAP, but not always. If I'm publishing a series, I don't like to break those up by publishing other books mingled in. And as I commit to doing more MAPS, those have a definite publishing date that can't be altered.

I never sign up to write in a MAP unless I already have an idea for a book that fits the theme and guidelines. That's the way I write. The idea has to germinate before I begin, and they come to me. I don't try to find them or force them because that wouldn't work for me. I already had notes in my files for the first four MAPS I wrote. The last ones came to me before I agreed to write in that MAP.

But I do add more MAPS all along. I did so a little over a week ago, and I'm considering two more for 2023. However, the schedule for 2023 is already pretty tight, and I'm thinking and praying about it. I have already published my first MAP book. Walnut Cake for Wylene came out in December 2021. Below is my upcoming MAP schedule as it stands right now. I've already written five of them, but my editors haven't completed their work yet.

Amazon Link to Walnut Cale for Wylene                      

September 13, 2022 - Sauerkraut Cake by Sophie

October 25, 2022 - Forget-Me-Not-Cookies by Fern

December 12, 2022 - Runaway Brides of the West, Candance

December 30, 2022 - Runaway Brides of the West, Aida

(?January 23, 2022 - The Prodigal Pastor?)

February 1, 2023 - A Match for Marshall

April 18, 2023 - Ingrid's Intention

May 1, 2023 - A Match for Cord

May 30, 2023 - Mason's Memories

(? June 12, 2023 - The Hurting Hero?)

February 1, 2024 - A Match for Silas

April or May 2024 - Prairie Roses Collection series, about a wagon train west, title to be determined 

Stay Positive

A student devised a study called, "How Gullible are People?" He didn't tell anyone what the substance was but described its negative effects and asked each person to sign a petition to get the government to ban it. "It causes soil erosion and is one of the main components of acid rain," he told them. "Most athletes use it to enhance their performances and make them feel better." 

People were stunned that they hadn't heard more about such a potentially harmful substance, and they signed the petition to ban it. The substance was water.* This story points out how wrong we can be to focus only on the negative, but many people do. Just look at the news. How many more negative stories are run as opposed to positive ones?

But as Christians, we have so many reasons to stay positive. We should live with thankful hearts and rejoice in the Lord. We have no reason to despair because God is with us whatever comes, and He wants the best for us. We also know how our story eventually ends, and it is a gloriously happy one.

Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice (Philippians 4:4).

* Story taken from Mind the Gap by Andrew and Leslie Crisp

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Free Books Can Hurt

I found that giving away free books can hurt an author's sales. For years, I've refused to give away books, although I have offered them on 99-cent sales. It bothers me that I "purchase" two to three free Christian books a day, and obviously, I don't read that fast. I have over 5,000 unread free books in my Kindle cloud. I never need to buy books with so many free ones available.

However, because I was doing an author takeover and hosting a Facebook page where the administrator wants the author to offer a free book as a party favor, I tried it for the first time. I gave away plenty of copies of the book -- 363 of them -- but I didn't generate even a single sale in that series. In addition, I've only gotten two new reviews from all those giveaways.  

 

Even worse, all my sales have drastically dropped, and over a month later, they still aren't back to where they were. All I can figure is that readers started expecting me to give away other free books and decided to wait for that. I can't see that happening now. I see no advantages to the giveaway. However, I've seen many disadvantages. But as the old adage goes, "Live and learn."

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 Following Jesus

Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil (Matthew 5:17).

Because of Jesus' sacrifice on the cross, Christians live under grace. We don't have to be concerned with a set of dos and don'ts; we just need to follow Jesus. If we do that, he will lead us in the way we need to go, and we will obey, going beyond the Ten Commandments or any set of Jewish law. 

If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed (John 8:36).

This is the ultimate freedom found in Christ. Since we belong to Him and have been cleansed by His blood, we are no longer sinners but saints. We don't have to worry about our salvation or where we will end up after death. We obey, not out of duty or trying to earn favor, but because we love and trust the Lord and want to please Him. 

Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord shall enter into the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 7:21a).

However, I believe many people think they are saved because they prayed the sinners' prayer, were baptized, and try to live a good life. Yet, they have never made Christ the Lord of their lives or tried to live for Him. In essence, they live pretty much the same way as they did before their lip-service salvation. The evidence of a saved life is a changed life. God must be the top priority in your life. He does not accept being second in importance or down the list somewhere. All this is not for me to judge, however, but you should examine your own life. Have you surrendered to Christ and made Him the absolute Lord of your life? Then you are blessed and free indeed!

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