Author: Jessica R. Patch

Married to a “Homeless” Man

Posted on by Jessica R. Patch

Everyone loves a little romance, yes? I just read an article about a couple who worked at a homeless ministry together. 

They spent weekends handing out free pizza downtown, but on one particular day, a homeless man walked up to the young woman. Long hair, hood, sunglasses, he told her she was kind of cute and then he pulled out a red ring pop and asked her to marry him.

Of course, she grinned and those around them laughed but then he said, “What about now?”

Off came the hood, the mask, the sunglassses, and her boyfriend dropped to his knee and pledged her his heart!

If that doesn’t get the writer plots turning, what does? You have to watch the short little video, as he filmed it from beginning (getting ready) to end–her reaction is priceless and I admit, the romantic in me teared up!

What are some unique proposals you could dream up? If you’re married, how did your husband propose?
Or how could you spin a plot with this story?

Here’s the video/story link and it’s worth the two minutes to watch! 

“Homeless” man proposes to a girl

photocredit: freedigitalphotos/michalMarchol

Keep It Humble Part 7: I’m Not Feelin’ It

Posted on by Jessica R. Patch

Mind your own business. Keep to yourself. Deal with your own
problems. Meet your deadlines. Taxi the children. Cook dinner.


“…rejoice with those that rejoice and weep with those that weep.” Romans 12:15, and our verse for today as we continue through our series. 

We live in an inward-focused world. The enemy has done a
bang-up job of seeing to that. Eat your meals fast. Pray fast. Be out of church
before your stomach growls. Leave before the closing prayer, get a jumpstart on
your real day. Small groups take too
much time away from me. An hour for MOPS meeting cuts into my laundry time.
It’s no wonder we don’t rejoice when others do or weep when
they weep. We’re too busy. We care, but
not to the extent of action. A quick, “I’m praying!” on Facebook is all we
have time for (not that there is a thing wrong with that!) But do you pray? Do
you set aside time and actually feel for that person and what they’re going
through? Okay, great! You do. Now think about the one you only know in passing
from online? Do you have the same heartfelt sympathy for that one as you do the
one you know intimately?
Tough questions today, huh? Not a single one I haven’t asked
myself. I have not liked some of my answers.
Let’s look at how far we’ve come in our journey through
Romans 12:9-21, in the context of humility.
“Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to
what is good. Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in
honor giving preference to one another; not lagging in diligence, fervent in
spirit, serving the Lord; rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing
steadfastly in prayer; distributing to the needs of the saints, given to
hospitality. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.” Romans
12:9-14
I hope you’re applying these verses to your life and I
believe if you are, you’re seeing a heart difference.
Rejoicing for those who are rejoicing can be tough when we’re
faced with the green-eyed monster. We may want the same things that brother or
sister in Christ receives. We can put on our Oscar-losing face—you know the one
actors show when they lose at the awards show. A smile, a nod, a proper
applause. Inside, they’re not feeling it. We do the same, don’t we? Sometimes
it’s genuine and other times, it’s words on a page or spoken from our lips.
But God wants us to rejoice! To be glad. I think it’s normal
for us to have feelings of jealousy. I think that’s when we take it to God and
voice how we feel, then instead of having a pity party, ask him to fill us with
true gladness for our family member.
Weeping. It’s easier to actually feel sympathy as we all
have been hurt or lost someone, but how often do we actually mourn with someone
in our church we don’t really know? What if we actually have time to attend a funeral for someone’s loved one (I
realize we can’t go to every single one) and we don’t? Why? “I don’t really
know them or the member of their family they lost. But I’ll pray for God’s
peace and comfort.” While praying is good, do those family members in Christ
not need our physical support whether they really
know us or not?

Inward-focused
world. Inward-focus is rooted in pride. Pride is the opposite of humble.
How moved are you? How moved am I?
“Jesus went to the village Nain. His disciples were with
him, along with quite a large crowd. As they approached the village gate, they
met a funeral procession—a woman’s only son was being carried out for burial.
And the mother was a widow. When Jesus saw her, his heart broke. He said to
her, “Don’t cry.” Then he went over and touched the coffin. The pallbearers
stopped. He said, “Young man, I tell you: Get up.” The dead son sat up and
began talking. Jesus presented him to his mother.” Luke 7:10-12
He was visiting the village and saw her. And he stopped.
Took time to feel her pain and was moved to action.

So how
do we overcome obstacles that keep us from rejoicing? And overcome our own
business and insensitivity for those who weep?
The video on Monday hinted to it. I think it boils down to
this verse (and ones like it).
“I have set the Lord always before me; Because He is at my right
hand I shall not be moved. Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoices; My
flesh also will rest in hope.” Psalm 16:8-9
When we spend intimate time with our Lord and set him before
us always—before our to-do list, and our self, when he’s close enough to lace
his invisible fingers into our right hand, though we don’t see them, we can
feel the strength and love—the squeeze—the perfect fit, we will be filled with
gladness. With joy. With the love of Christ and the more Christ’s love consumes
us, the easier it is to rejoice with others and weep in sincerity.
Will we have moments of jealousy even when we’re deeply
rooted in Him? Yes. But they won’t last long. Conviction will swiftly come. And
His love will move through you to act with sincere rejoicing.
Time with him humbles us. Remember, “And if one member
suffers, all the members suffer with it; or if one member is honored, all the
members rejoice with it.” 1 Corinthians 12:26

Life
Application: If you have someone that is rejoicing, but you
haven’t been able to rejoice with them, sincerely, pray that God will give you
the grace and power to do so, then do something nice for them. Send them a
handwritten card, a treat, take them out for coffee if they live nearby and
watch God give you the supernatural ability to rejoice as you act in obedience.
If you need to focus more on others who are weeping and hurting, ask God to help
you see past you and take specific actions to show sympathy.

Prayer: God,
we want to love like you. We want to be moved as you are moved. Forgive us for
not seeing past our nose and making excuses to keep us from loving hurting
family members as well as truly rejoicing with them as well. Give us strength
to spend more time soaking in your word, in your love, in your presence so we’ll
have your grace, love, and mercy to pour out on others. We give you glory! In
Jesus Name, Amen.

Have
you ever had a hard time rejoicing for someone?

 How did you work through that?
photocredit: freedigitalphotos/davidcastillodomincia

Wake Me Up Before…

Posted on by Jessica R. Patch

…I become too distant. Admit, you were thinking, “you go go…don’t leave my hanging on like a yo-yo.” 

Wednesday, we’re going to look at some wonderful examples of weeping when other weep and talk about how we can rejoice when others rejoice. 

Don’t you love how the left side of this photo has a blooming flower, rejoicing as it looks on to the single tear drop about to fall? Maybe it’s part of another sunflower that hasn’t quite bloomed. Or maybe it’s the same flower. We rejoice. We weep.

We’ll unpack this verse in further detail in the context of humility. I hope you’ll join me as we move on through Romans 12:9-21. 

I’m keeping it short so you can pause before hopping to you next blog, and take a minute to let the Son shine on you. I hope today is one of blooming, but if it’s not, if it’s one of weeping, I’m praying for you. If you’d like to share your request, please email me.

If you’re a busy mom, especially, this song is for you and it’s a key factor in what we’ll talk about on Wednesday. 

What do you think is easier: Rejoicing or weeping with others? Why?

Struck By a Wiener

Posted on by Jessica R. Patch
 

Let me preface this post by saying I am in no way making sport, pardon the pun–you’ll see what pun in a minute–but this needs told and I’m going to tie it into how I come up with plots and maybe it’ll benefit you. Or at the very least give you a laugh then a clamped hand over the face and a, “Oops, sorry.”

So, apparently in September of 2009, a fan was injured at a Royals game in Overland Park, Kansas.

How you ask?

Imagine it’s the bottom of the ninth (that is baseball jargon, right–lesson: do your research) the bases are loaded. The crowd is intoxicated with smells of peanuts, cotton candy and victory for the winning team.

Bamp bamp bamp bamp, bamp bamp bamp bamp… the music is playing.

Shirtless idiots have painted lion heads on their chests showing off their incredible six packs…of beer. They shake it for the crowd and point at themselves on the jumbotron while sipping more foamy beverages from tubes attached to helmets adorning their heads.

Yes, this is baseball.

The Royals mascot, the lion, with a crown of what can only be assumed as mascot flesh–eeeew–engages the crowd.

Does he roar? Why no. Any lion can roar. Does he do the macarena? No, that’s so not even retro. Moonwalk? Moon? He’s the king of the jungle. 

No, this lion launches a foil wrapped wiener into the stands.

Poor crowd-onlooker doesn’t…even…see it…coming.

The hot dog strikes the man’s eye, which according to the news article, results in two eye surgeries. I feel for him. “Dude, what happened?”

 “I got nailed by hot dog.”

 Can you imagine the off-color jokes that have followed him these past years?

Anyway, eeeeww…and moving along. The guy sues. Naturally. I’m not making this up. You can read the article HERE. 

But the plot is endless isn’t it? What if the mascot was a woman? A jilted lover with the attempt to bean her ex–after all he is with another woman. What if she paid the real mascot to let her in the costume b/c she’s got a crush on a player? Then beaning a random stranger gets her in big trouble.

What if the guy she smacks with the hot dog does get hurt, but not severely, and they end up getting together. Let’s be honest, how many inciting incidents have you ever read about started off with someone punting a hot dog into the hero/heroine’s eye? 

What if a mascot really did injure a man’s eye and he was a pilot? Now he can’t work, he loses he wife, family, home…so he comes back for revenge.

There are all sorts of ways to come up with fresh story ideas. All you need to do is read the news. 

 

What crazy stories 
have you read about lately? And give me a premise based on this story. You don’t have to be a writer and it can be off-the-wall. It’s for fun, not for an editor or agent!
 
Have a great weekend! 
 
 
*I didn’t go anywhere this week, notice? I haven’t decided if I want to stick with that series. So…we’ll see.

Keep It Humble Part 6: Newmans in our life!

Posted on by Jessica R. Patch

Did you watch that video for even
a second? Go back and do it now! How many Seinfeld fans are out there, besides
me? The show about nothing that captivated audiences for years. And still does.

Jerry and his mailman nemesis,
Newman, were always at odds. This video makes me laugh. 
Every time Newman
persecuted Jerry somehow, he’d make that fist, grit his teeth and hiss, “Newman!”
Every felt like that? I have.
Today, we’re moving along in our
study on Romans 12:9-21 in the context of humility. How do we keep it humble? I
hope you’re applying what we’ve studied so far to your life and seeing results!
If you need to catch up, here are the links for the previous studies. Part 1,Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5

Let’s look at Romans 12:14. “Bless those who persecute you; bless and do
not curse.” NKJV.
Here it is in the MSG.  “Bless your enemies; no cursing
under your breath.”
How can we bless those who persecute us? Slander,
gossip, maliciousness, hurt, disappointment, abandonment, liars, cheaters,
stealers. The whole lot.
Bless them? Like, for real? Maybe you say, “I’ll bless them when
they apologize first. I didn’t do anything wrong!” Perhaps you didn’t. Perhaps
you did.
Let’s take a look at the words in the original Greek to
discover some richer meaning.
First off, we live in a time where we don’t actually bless
people, except when they sneeze. The concept is tad foreign to us, but in ancient
times, blessing was a serious deal. It had meaning.
The word “bless” in the Greek is eulogeō Kind of looks like eulogy doesn’t it? Some
of you are thinking, I only wish my enemy was dead! It means, to praise,
celebrate with praises; to invoke blessings; to consecrate a thing with solemn
prayers.
Persecute might mean something
different to each of us. Let’s see it in the Greek. The word is diōkō and it means, to make to run or flee, put
to flight, drive away; to pursue (in a hostile manner); in any way whatever to
harass, trouble; to be mistreated, suffer persecution on account of something
It
comes from two root words that mean timid/fear and a word that gives the
picture of running or fleeing.
Have you
ever been so troubled and harassed you feel like running away? Maybe
physically, but what about emotionally? Spiritually? Has someone or something
gotten you so down that you’ve been driven away—from a relationship, a
ministry, a dream, the church, God Himself?

Most people’s first
reaction to conflict is to avoid it! To run.
But God
doesn’t say to run.
He
says, to pray solemnly—earnestly—in a way that sets that person/s apart as
holy. “God, use them for your glory. A vessel of honor.”
Ephesians
6:12 tells us, “Our fight is not against people on earth but against the rulers
and authorities and the powers of this world’s darkness, against the spiritual
powers of evil in the heavenly world.”
People
are the vessels he carries out his hostile take-overs with. And if you’re not
paying attention, he might even prompt you to do something hateful, thereby
using you! Ouch!
Should we
go to God with our feelings over mistreatment, harassment? Absolutely. Can we
vent to God and be honest about what we’d like to say or do with those who hurt
us? Please do! But at the end of the day, if you let God administer healing, it
needs to end with earnest prayers that God will bless that person and use them
for his glory. That God will save them if they’re unbelievers.
Do not
curse or wish bad things on them. Though we certainly can imagine most vividly
them getting hit by a train, can’t we? Or we can dialogue in our head all the
hurtful things we could say to lash the flesh right off of them.
God
understands our hurts and anger—whether legitimate or misguided. But he doesn’t
want us to sin in our anger. Trust him to handle your enemies. To fight for
you. And know that sometimes persecution is allowed to sift us. To grow us. To
mature us. To prepare us for a position we might not yet be able to handle
otherwise.

We need humbled. And
so many times, God uses people to do it. Enemies and loved ones.
I’ve
been there. Some of the people I should trust most, who should care about me
most, be my biggest supporters have slandered, rejected, and treated me hatefully.
But I learned a lot about myself through that time. And I learned how to grow
thick skin. As writer, God knows 
I’m going to need it when my books are published.
He gave me a taste of rejection from those who should support me most. It was a
humbling experience and a little humiliating. And zero rejection I may have
received since then has compared.

Expect opposition to try and put you to flight. To distract you and keep you from fulfilling
your purpose and plans.
Even
David was persecuted by Saul, who set him to flight for many years. And yet he
says in Psalm 23. “You set a table for me in the presence of my enemies…goodness
and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life.”

No matter how fast
the enemy pursues you to overtake you, God’s goodness and mercy runs faster.
Allow the
humbling experience. And pray for those who hurt you. Watch God elevate you to
new levels!
At the
end of the day, what he thinks about you is all that matters. In the words of
Big Daddy Weave, “Your name is all I’ve ever needed.”

Life Application: Start today by asking
God to forgive you for any retaliation you may have done to those who have hurt
you and then make a commitment to God to pray for them. For God to truly bless
and enrich their lives. Do it whether you feel like it or not and see what God
will do to your heart!

Prayer: Father God, we thank you
that your goodness and mercy run faster than the enemy, that he will never and
can never overtake us to destroy us. We may be knocked down, but we are never
defeated in Christ! We honor and praise you for that. We thank you for your
disciplining, even though it hurts. Humble us. Make us strong. Use us for your
glory. Fill us with your presence so that we can walk worthy of our calling and
fulfill every good work you have planned for us before the foundation of the
world. Bless those who hurt us and mistreat us. Show them the error of their
ways and illuminate them with your glory, majesty, power, and love. Whether
they ever apologize or not, rule and reign in their hearts. Heal their hurts,
bring healing to painful places in their lives and for those who do not know
you, draw them Lord with your grace and mercy. Overtake them Lord!  In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Do you have a Newman in your life? What do you plan to do about it?

If you can’t something nice…

Posted on by Jessica R. Patch

…pray. Nope it’s not, “don’t say anything at all.” You need to say something. To God. And not in the context of, “God, please keep them away from me before I kill them! Please don’t let me have to work with them, minister with them or quite frankly, see them!”

This Wednesday, we’re going to look at what this verse means and how it applies to our actions and our prayer life and why it’s so important for us to bless those who may not bless us so much. 

This video below gives us a hint at our lesson. I kept today’s post short so you can pause for just a teeny tiny minute and let the words minister to you, focus you and give you an opportunity to worship our great God! Take it! 🙂 


Tomorrow my daughter will be fifteen! FIFTEEN! Leaner’s permit. Gulp! Pray for me, please. 🙂

Have you ever felt persecuted? May not have to do for Christ’s sake, but in general? How did you handle it? 

Faith Readers Group Review: Made to Last by Melissa Tagg

Posted on by Jessica R. Patch

Yeah, us wild and crazy Faith Readers mixed up this month. Not only did we meet on Tuesday instead of Monday, we did dips instead of desserts. We live on the wild side, don’t we? Rotel, cream cheese and pepper jelly–do you know what pepper jelly is? Because I didn’t until I moved down here nearly two decades ago.

It’s been a fun week around here! Monday, we played Would You Rather with not only Melissa but her hero, Matthew and her heroine, Miranda. And on Wednesday, Melissa shared a moving devotional. 

Oh, and not only did we discuss the book on Tuesday, we Skyped with Melissa, and maybe our connection was horrible (our end’s fault not hers) so I just called her and we talked on speaker. Which was actually better than her having to see our faces contorted in frozen display and vice versa, though it would make for some great laughs, I bet! 

But she answered some questions like inspiration for the story, how did she come up with the little girl’s medical condition, when her next book is coming out and what we can expect to see without giving anything away, her own personal traits in her characters, and her very personal connection with Blaze! 🙂 

Thank you, Melissa, for hanging out all week and giving us a great conversation on Tuesday!

Here’s a peek at the book:

Miranda
Woodruff has it all. At least, that’s how it looks when she’s starring in her
homebuilding television show, From the Ground Up. So when her network begins to
talk about making cuts, she’ll do anything to boost ratings and save her
show–even if it means pretending to be married to a man who’s definitely not
the fiance who ran out on her three years ago.

When a
handsome reporter starts shadowing Miranda’s every move, all his digging into
her personal life brings him a little too close to the truth–and to her. Can
the girl whose entire identity is wrapped up in her on-screen persona finally
find the nerve to set the record straight? And if she does, will the life she’s
built come crashing down just as she’s found a love to last?

Reader Comments: 

I laughed out loud a few times.
I thought her last name was clever!
I really liked the romance.
I thought Miranda was going to end up with the other guy for awhile!
When Miranda said, “God I’m coming back to you when this is over.” That stuck with me because I’ve said that before. (Jess, here, that brought up our spiritual conversation for night, as most of us has said something along those lines before.)
I liked the brother and the little girl. I’d read more about him.
I wasn’t sure what Blaze looked like. 
I liked Blaze best. (Good, his book is up next lol ~Jess again)
I got confused at first because so many people had pet names for her and I’m not good with names to begin with so I had to concentrate on if Miranda was Randi and Randa. 
Rating based on 5 stars:

4 stars!
MelissaTagg is a former reporter turned author who loves all things funny and
romancey. Her debut novel, a romantic comedy titled Made to Last, releases from
Bethany House in September 2013, with a follow-up slated for summer 2014. In
addition to her nonprofit day job, she is also the marketing/events coordinator
for My Book Therapy, a craft and coaching community for writers founded by
award-winning author Susan May Warren.
During her
reporting days, Melissa interviewed presidential candidates and llama farmers,
rode a hot air balloon and flew a plane, and once found herself face to face
with a buffalo. But today she gets her kicks by letting her characters have
their own fun. She’s passionate about humor, grace and happy endings.
The answer to where I was last week is: Maldives!  I will draw for a winner to receive the $10 Amazon card the last week in November!
What is your favorite romantic comedy whether movie or book and why? 

Old Dreams and New Dreams

Posted on by Jessica R. Patch
 
 
Everyone, welcome back Melissa Tagg! And Happy Halloween tomorrow–or Happy Fall if you don’t celebrate it! Take it away, Melissa!
 
I’ve written about the main
characters in my debut novel, Made to Last, quite a few times around the
blogosphere. Miranda and Matthew—I sorta love them. Okay, I really love them. And Blake, too. I love
him so much I gave him his own book, which comes out next spring.
 
But I haven’t written as often—or
possibly at all—about one of the book’s side characters: A guy named Jase.
 
Jase was one of those subplot guys
who sneaks up on you. Writers know what I’m talking about. We may not actually
all that fully plan out the character’s role in the story, but once he waltzes
his way onto the page, we discover he has a history and maybe even a little
story arc all his own.
 
Thus, Jase.
 
Jase is the brother of my hero,
Matthew. Turns out he went down to Texas a few years ago, acted as visiting art
professor at a college and came home a semester later with a wife and
stepdaughter. The stepdaughter, Cee, is deaf—a result of meningitis—and is part
of my hero’s motivation. See, a whole backstory that just sort of ambled its
way into existence as I wrote. (AH, I love being a writer!)
 
Anyway, there comes a point about
two-thirds of the way through the book when Matthew finds out Jase is facing
his own sort of mini-crisis. The photo gallery he opened in Minneapolis is
going under. Financially, it’s not supporting his soon-to-expand family
anymore. So he’s closing up shop and going back to teaching. And as he tells
Matthew about his family’s upcoming changes, Matthew starts thinking…about how
Jase was letting go of one dream, his gallery, in order to support his new
dream, his family. The mental journey had all sorts of implications in
Matthew’s own life.
 
I never really expected that scene
in the book to affect Matthew—or frankly, me—so much. But it did. Because
suddenly I was thinking back on my own life. On dreams and how they’ve changed
and how they’ve stayed the same. On how sometimes we have to let go of an old
dream in order to make room for a new one.
 
And here’s the point in this post
when we take a little back step to one of the more un-fun seasons in Melissa’s
life:
 
I had this dream once I was pretty
certain about. Things were working out. It seemed right. That is, until the
year everything changed. Oh. My. Word. I was not a fun person to be around that
year. That dream was slowly ripped away, and life became an emotional roller
coaster that I pretty much wailed my way through. I put on a good face now and
then, but the people who knew me best saw through pretend happy Melissa.
Honestly, I’m a little amazed they stuck by me through my pouting!
 
But I will never forget the day I
decided to let go. Finally. Completely. No more white-knuckled grasp on a thing
I knew God was saying “no” to. And here’s the verse that buoyed my hope that
day:
 
“See, I am doing a new thing! Now it
springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and
streams in the wasteland.” –Isaiah 43:19
 
Doesn’t that verse just set your
mind spinning with awesome could-bes and might-bes? I love it. But it’s even
better when you go back and read it in context. I love how The Message
paraphrase puts it:
 
This is
what God says,
    the God who builds a
road right through the ocean,
    who carves a path
through pounding waves,
The God who summons horses and chariots and
armies—
    they lie down and then
can’t get up;
    they’re snuffed out like
so many candles:
“Forget about what’s happened;
    don’t keep going over
old history.
Be alert, be present. I’m about to do something
brand-new.
    It’s bursting out! Don’t
you see it?
There it is! I’m making a road through the
desert,
    rivers in the badlands.
Wild animals will say ‘Thank you!’
    —the coyotes and the
buzzards—
Because I provided water in the desert,
    rivers through the
sun-baked earth,
Drinking water for the people I chose,
    the people I made
especially for myself,
    a people custom-made to
praise me.
 
 
So. Good. But did you catch that
part about forgetting what’s happened, not going over old history? I don’t know
that we actually forget-forget. But
we do choose where to focus our thoughts. We choose whether to be present
today, focused on whatever new dream has replaced the old one. Or maybe we
don’t know what our new dream is yet, but just thinking about what it might
be…that’s fun. That’s the stuff of hope and excitement and newness.
 
And the crazily cool thing is, when
we really believe God is at work,
constantly doing something new in our lives, always with a plan and a purpose,
it gets a little easier to let go. A little easier to move on. And a little
easier to trust that it’s going to be worth it.
 
Have
you ever had to let go of a dream? How did you move forward? Do you have a new
dream now?

 

 

visit Melissa Tagg!
 
Here’s what Made to Last is all about!
Miranda Woodruff has it all. At least, that’s how it
looks when she’s starring in her homebuilding television show, From the
Ground Up. So when her network begins to talk about making cuts, she’ll do
anything to boost ratings and save her show–even if it means pretending to be
married to a man who’s definitely not the fiance who ran out on her three years
ago.

When a handsome reporter starts shadowing Miranda’s every move, all his digging
into her personal life brings him a little too close to the truth–and to her.
Can the girl whose entire identity is wrapped up in her on-screen persona
finally find the nerve to set the record straight? And if she does, will the
life she’s built come crashing down just as she’s found a love to last?

Would You Rather…? With Melissa, Matthew & Miranda

Posted on by Jessica R. Patch
 
Happy
Monday morning, everyone! I’m totally stoked to have author and dear friend,
Melissa Tagg visiting all week long! If you don’t know, Melissa’s debut novel
recently released, Made to Last. I, personally, loved it. So here’s how this week
is going to roll out:
 
Today,
we’re playing Would You Rather with not just Melissa, but her main characters
from Made to Last, Matthew and Miranda!
 
Wednesday,
Melissa will be sharing the Wednesday devotional. Next week, we’ll continue our
series on humility.
 
And
Friday, our local book club, Faith Readers, will share our group review of Made
to Last. So join in all week for some serious fun!
 
 
Visit Melissa
facebook
twitter
 
 
 
Let’s
get started, shall we?
 
Would You Rather…?
 
 
 
…walk across hot coals or a
bed of nails (pointing up!) Hey it’s a DIY edition-nails lol
 
Miranda: Bed of nails,
totally. Because I’ve stepped on enough nails in my life to know I won’t
die…and I can run fast.
 
Matthew: Whichever one would
impress Miranda more.
 
Melissa: Nails! Wearing
really thick work boots. Because you totally didn’t specify that I had to be barefoot!
 
…swim in shark infested
waters or cross a swamp of crocodiles (they fell in the water in the novel, so it’s
appropriate).
 
Miranda: Swamp of crocodiles!
And I would take a gun. I feel like crocodiles might be easier to shoot than
sharks.
 
Matthew: Swamp of
crocodiles…with Miranda and her gun.
 
Melissa: Swamp of crocodiles…with
Matthew and Miranda and her gun.  And that alligator wrestler I met once
in Florida. Wrestling crocodiles can’t be that much different than alligators,
right?
 
 
 
…fall in love and lose it or
never have fallen in love?
 
Miranda: At the beginning of
my book I would’ve totally said never fallen in love. By the end, yup, fall in
love and lose it. Because I’ve survived it once…
 
Matthew: Fall in love and
lose it. Because I feel like that’s the more romantic answer and I’m a cool
enough guy to be able to admit that romance is good.
 
Melissa: What they said. 🙂
 
You all crack me up and I think you finagled
yourself out of really answering that last question, Tagg.
 
What say y’all?
Answer one or all the questions below.
 
Here are my answers:
 
Nails. I think there’s an art to it that I could
figure out, and to run on hot coals may require demonic possession and I’m not
into that sort of thing. (Don’t you watch the Discovery channel?)
 
Sharks. While neither excite me, I think one
chomp and I’m done for. Crocs take you down with that whole death roll thing,
jamming you in a log to tenderize you, or at least, that’s what Crocodile
Dundee says.
 
I say love and lose it. Memories might be
painful but God would heal them and then it’d be okay to look back and remember
the beautiful moments.
 

 

See you Wednesday!
 
Buy Made to Last!
Here’s a peek!
 
Miranda Woodruff has it all. At least, that’s
how it looks when she’s starring in her homebuilding television show, From
the Ground Up. So when her network begins to talk about making cuts, she’ll
do anything to boost ratings and save her show–even if it means pretending to
be married to a man who’s definitely not the fiance who ran out on her three
years ago.

When a handsome reporter starts shadowing Miranda’s every move, all his digging
into her personal life brings him a little too close to the truth–and to her.
Can the girl whose entire identity is wrapped up in her on-screen persona
finally find the nerve to set the record straight? And if she does, will the
life she’s built come crashing down just as she’s found a love to last?

 
 
 

Where in the World is JR Patch? Hint: I’m not in Antigua!

Posted on by Jessica R. Patch

And we’re off! Last week, we cruised to Antigua (Ant-ee-ga) and had a total blast! But where are we today?

Check out this fine destination and tell me you don’t want to come along.

If we decided to fly this time, this is our
view from the air. Look at the amazing
circles of island water. If it wasn’t for
air-sickness, I’d be giddier. But,
the drammamine I had to take so I
didn’t puke in those bags during take-off
has knocked me out. I’m groggy.

But if we cruised in,
look at our view! Aaah!

An amazing view for breakfast.
Coffee, fresh island fruit and my Bible/study.
Something about the ocean always makes me
feel closer to the Lord. After devotions, maybe
a little writing time or reading!

Why? Why do birds follow me
everywhere I go? This one has a crazy eye.
And what’s up with the hair? Is he working
on dreads? Everyone else in the islands are.

This is a wooden jetty bridge.
Let’s just sit and dangle our feet from
the bridge. We can chat, laugh,
have a yummy drink. You can dare me to jump
in the water. I’m still deciding if I will.
I’m not a fan of sea creatures when we’re mixed
together. 

Yeah. That’s where we’re staying.
They also have a honeymoon water villa, but
it’s off by itself. Which makes no sense to me
because I’m pretty sure if you go with your spouse
whether you’ve been married a day or twenty years,
you’re going to be doing the same thing. But since it’s
you and I and friends, then I think all is well. 😉 Except,
if you’ve roomed with me before, you know I get rowdy.
Gabrielle, Linds, Cynthia! We might get into trouble…again! 

Between diving and snorkeling at Banana Reef, visiting museums, enjoying the white sandy beaches with fruity drinks (because you have to have fruity drinks everywhere you go) and visiting Manta Point, we can relax in our water villas, or splash in the cool waters right outside the door.

So….where am I? For each guess, you will be entered into a drawing to win a $10.00 Amazon card at the end of the month.

I’ll post the answer on my facebook page tonight! Have you liked my facebook page? No? Well, it’s as easy as clicking “like” on the right side of the screen. 

If you guess right (you must guess before I post the answer) you get your name entered 4 times!

Tweet and share on facebook for multiple entries into the contest!

Have you ever been diving or snorkeling? Was it a good experience? What was the coolest thing about it? And if you haven’t been, 
would you like to?

photocredit: freedigitalphotos/simonhowden 
photocredit: freedigitalphotos/artur84
photocredit: freedigitalphotos/artur84 
photocredit: freedigitalphotos/artur84
photocredit: freedigitalphotos/artur84
photocredit: freedigitalphotos/artur84
photocredit: freedigitalphotos/artur 84