National Doctors' Day

March 30th is National Doctors' Day, and with all the medical issues we're facing today, this is a good time to recognize the doctors we turn to in such times. These heath-care professionals are dedicated to serving their communities and society. They put much time, training, and effort into keeping their patients as healthy as possible and providing the best available health care.

A Doctors' Day was first observed on March 30, 1933, in Winder, Georgia, by Eudora Brown Almond, a doctor's wife. She felt the need to have a day to honor doctors and chose this day to mail out thank you cards and place flowers on the graves of doctors who had died. Red carnations are often used to honor doctors on this day. Earlier, on March 30, 1842, Dr, Crawford W. Long successfully removed a tumor from a man's neck while using ether as an anesthetic.  So, on February 21, 1991, when President George Bush decided to proclaim a National Doctors' Day, March 30th seemed to be a logical choice.

Today, more doctors than ever fight against illnesses and diseases across the world. The United States alone has hundreds of thousands of doctors treating patients and conducting research to provide the best possible care. Some are general practitioners and some specialize, but all seek to diagnose, treat, and cure the health issues that plague us. At the very least, they deserve a special thanks, especially on this designated day.

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Obedience

If ye love me, keep my commandments (John 14:15).

Obedience is how we show our love for the Lord. It's what He requires of us - not to earn a special standing, rewards, favor, or blessings but from a willing heart because we love and want to honor Him. It comes from a trust in His goodness and knowing that He wants only the best for us. It comes from a close, personal relationship that supports and sustains us in joy and peace. The better we know Him, the more we will want to obey. As Andrew Murray says of prayer in The School of Obedience, "It is there that the presence and fellowship can be secured that make obedience possible."

For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous (1 John 5:3).

Some of the lies Satan tells believers are that God's standards are too high, and they are too frail and human to be obedient. He causes us to equate obedience with sinlessness. But we can make the choice to be obedient and follow through with the help of our Savior and the Holy Spirit. I know this because the Bible says it. Jesus would not have told us to obey if it couldn't be done. As Murray tells us, "We must have faith that obedience is possible."

And he that keepeth his commandments dwelleth in him, and he in him. And hereby we know that he abideth in us, by the Spirit which he hath given us  (1 John 3:24).

We must know that, with the Lord's help, anything is possible. Surrendering ourselves to Him helps. By making him truly the Lord of our lives, we can become truly obedient. Grace steps in for what we cannot do. The closer we become in intimate fellowship, the more we'll want to please Him, and that means obeying. A good place to begin is by loving God and others the way Jesus commanded. This will right our world, clear our vision, and cause obedience.

And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?  (Luke 6:46).

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Audible Promo Codes

Amazon Audible division (ACX) helps with marketing by furnishing codes for free audible books. It provides a winning opportunity for all three parties involved. The listener gets a free Audible book, and the author (as well as the narrator in royalty share) gets credit for the sales.

This is a good way for a listener to learn about authors that might be new to them and find out whether or not they like their audiobooks. Likewise, authors have the opportunity to pull in new listeners and encourage additional reviews. Remarkably, I often find that my ebook sales rise on books where I offer free promo codes.

There are several online sites that promote the free codes, including some Facebook pages. I like to listen to inspirational books, so I often go to Free Promo Codes for Christian Audibles - https://www.facebook.com/groups/2797241590334924/ . You can join by answering three simple questions and then choose among the offers for the free codes presented there. No matter if you are a narrator, author, listener, there're great benefits from free promo codes.

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Liberty or Death

Patrick Henry

Today in 1775, Patrick Henry made his famous declaration, "Give me liberty or give me death." He made the speech to the 1775 Virginia Convention at St. John's Church in Richmond, Virginia. Men like George Washington and Thomas Jefferson sat listening. Henry's passionate speech is credited with swinging the balance to convince the convention to gather a Virginia militia for the Revolutionary War.

St. John's Episcopal Church, Richmond, Va

The speech was not published until 1815, however, much after the war. Yet, the impact it had on those who heard it is undeniable. Edmund Randolph reported that the convention sat in silence for several minutes afterward. Thomas Marshall told his son, who would become Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, the speech was "one of the most bold, vehement, and animated pieces of eloquence that had ever been delivered."

The speech also had its effects. One of the more immediate ones was that the resolution declaring the colonies to be independent of the Kingdom of Great Britain passed. Henry was also appointed chairman of the committee assigned to oversee a militia because the colonists would surely have to fight a war to grasp that liberty and independence.

Royal Governor's Palace, Williamsburg, Virginia

Lord Dunmore, the royal governor, reacted by seizing the gunpowder at Williamsburg, what one source explained as the equivalent of the battles of Lexington and Concord. The patriots had set their course on the road to independence, and a new nation would be formed.

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Abiding 

I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing (John 15:5).

Abiding in Christ means we become connected with him in such a way that He becomes part of us, and we become part of Him. As Rick Astle wrote in The Priority of Kingdom-Focused Prayer, "To be in Christ means having a heart that is completely lost in satisfying Him." Our greatest desire is to please Him and become more like Him."

 He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty" (Psalm 91:1).

Jesus went to the cross so that we could have a close, personal relationship with the Father. We were created for such a relationship, but sin separated us from our Holy God who can not be where sin abides. Jesus' sacrifice took care of that and restored our standing with the Father once we accept Him as our Savior. "Walking with God means abiding in His presence with the desire to know Him through intimate fellowship" (Rick Astle).

 And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever (John 14:16).

Not only can we abide with the Father and the Son, but we can also have the Holy Spirit. Once we are pardoned by Christ's blood, the Holy Spirit comes to dwell in us in order to lead, guide, and mentor us. What a treasure and comfort! Are you abiding in Christ as you should? Do you have a close, intimate relationship with God? Do you rely on the Holy Spirit abiding within you? 

 Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you (Matthew 7:7).

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Cleared for Planting, my first published book

Five Years

It is five years this month since I saw the fruits of my labor with my first published book. I receive my boxes of Cleared for Planting from the publisher in March of 2015. I met representatives from the publishing house at a writers' conference. They told me to send them my manuscript, and they accepted it right away. I can still remember how excited I was.

The publisher took 2 years to publish

As they published more of my books, I saw that the publisher took longer and longer to bring a book out. I realized, if I was going to get all my stories told, I would need to move faster, so I also began to publish with a smaller, print-on-demand publisher as well. However, as I got more comfortable in the field and more knowledgeable of publishing, I decided to follow in the footsteps of two of my well-known author friends and turn to indie publishing. It gave me more control and allowed more profits to go to the scholarship fund for missionary children.

To be independently published

To date, I have published 24 books and have the 25th (From the Top of the Mountain to the Bottom of the Sea: Lessons from Elijah and Jonah) coming out in April. It will be my second nonfiction. Twelve of the books are currently on Audible, and we're working to produce more. Gradually, my fan base and sales have built and are still growing. The more books I publish, the more this is true and the busier I stay trying to manage it all, but I am pleased where this five-year mark finds me as a writer. God has truly guided and blessed. May the praise and glory go to Him!

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St. Patrick's Day Is Coming

Tomorrow will be St. Patrick's Day. St. Patrick is thought to have died on March 17, 461 and be buried in Downpatrick. He is the patron saint of Ireland. St. Patrick's Day was marked as an official Christian celebration in the 17th century, commemorating the fact that St. Patrick took Christianity to Ireland and spent much of his life serving the people there. It also celebrates the Irish people and culture. The day is observed in more countries than any other national festival.

Patrick was a fifth-century Roman-British citizen who became the bishop of Ireland. He was kidnapped when he was sixteen and taken as a slave to Gaelic Ireland, where he spent six years as a shepherd. He drew close to God during those years and, after escaping and finding his way home, he went on to become a priest. He chose to return to Ireland to convert the pagans there to Christianity. The legend that he drove the snakes out of Ireland is thought to refer to his opposition of Druidism because Ireland never had snakes.

Today, parades, festivals, the wearing of green, and shamrocks mark the day. Some Christians also attend church services, and the restrictions of Lent are usually lifted for the one day, which has aided the day's reputation for alcohol consumption. However, there are plenty of ways to celebrate the day without it. So, top 'o the morning and happy St. Patrick's Day.

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