Beach Shoes

Before Sara started college, we used to go to the beach once a year.   On one trip, my husband Tim decided he just had to have a pair of beach shoes.  So we went from shop to shop along A1A (main beach road) to find him the perfect pair. It took a few stops, but he finally found what he wanted.

I have to admit I did think that was a strange request on his part.  He’s has always said if a shark was going to get him, it would have to be an ankle biter.  So when he wore his new shoes to the beach, I stood back and watched.  Would he actually get in the water with them?

As soon as the wave came in; he went the other way as fast as he could. I laughed at him and asked why he wanted the beach shoes if he wasn’t going to get them wet.  He wasn’t using them for their purpose.

“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.” Jeremiah 1:5 (NIV)

            God knew our purpose before we were even born and He made us accordingly.  Are you letting God use you for that purpose or are you running from it? Don’t be afraid to get your feet wet.  It may have been what you were designed for.

Staying in the Lines

I have never been able to paint or color within the lines.  No matter how hard I try, I always stray.  Even when I go slow and take my time, I still go outside of the lines. To be honest, I have been frustrated and embarrassed at times.  Then one day I realized that I wasn’t meant to stay within the lines.

 “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.” Romans 12:2 (NIV)

            It’s okay to stray out of the lines as long as you’re following Jesus.  He alone has the perfect path-not the world for its patterns are imperfect and self-serving.

Fish Concussion

 

Did you do a double take at the title?  My daughter Sara bought a goldfish for her aquarium.  Over the last few months it has tripled in size and it’s huge!  I don’t know why, but it will jump out of the water and hit the lid over the tank.  It hits so hard sometimes that we hear it over the TV.  And it will do it over and over.  Tim and I joke about it giving itself a concussion.

 “The way of fools seems right to them, but the wise listen to advice.” Proverbs 12:15 (NIV)

            There’s nothing wrong with listening to advice.  It doesn’t make you weak or less intelligent. In fact not heeding good advice puts you on the same level as Sara’s goldfish.  It didn’t have the mental capacity to fully understand what it was doing.  And I would dare the hits to its head didn’t help.  

 

 

Driving Into a Wall

I remember when they first started putting airbags into cars.  I watched a commercial where a car was driven straight into a brick wall at a speed of 55 mph.  After the crash, the driver (a stuntman) opened the car door and walked away. 

            Afterwards the driver was asked in an interview if he was worried about driving into the wall.  He said the engineers personally guaranteed him the airbags would work.   He obviously trusted them or he wouldn’t have done it. I don’t remember which car company the engineers worked for, but I’m amazed at the fact that the stuntman had enough faith to drive into a brick wall just based on their word.  This brings me to a simple question.  Do you have the faith of that stuntman?

“Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.” Hebrews 11:1 (NIV)

            No, I don’t have the faith of the stuntman.  If I had been him, I would have said, “No way!” or “Are you nuts?” You see my faith isn’t in man or his promises, but in my Savior.  A Savior who has never broken a promise, who knows all, and who died to give me eternal life.  Where does your faith lie?

Say That again!

You know how God is.  When He thinks you need to get something, He’ll repeat himself.  I recently experienced this. Within 12 hours, I saw Genesis 5:20 referenced twice.

“You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.” Genesis 50:20 (NIV)

            In this verse, Joseph is talking to his brothers about them selling him to an Egyptian slave trader when he was young.  While their deed was evil, God used it to put Joseph in a position of power during a famine; there by saving the lives of his family.          

I was discussing this with one of my coworkers and she said, “Something is going to happen.” Then I had another thought. For those of you who are not very familiar with me, I have a math/science brain.  Don’t laugh and don’t call me Sheldon. 

Anyway, when I was in college, I took Discrete Structures.  When the professor put the programming specs on the board, we had to flowchart out our answer, which became the program.  We had to determine the questions and each possibility and the possible outcome for each answer. We had to determine dead ends. I even had my own flowchart template. I think that’s how I look at life now.  Every time a situation comes up; I flowchart the possible outcomes out in my brain.

That in itself isn’t a bad thing.  I totally believe in being responsible, but at the same time it is an issue of trust with God. Do I trust Him to lead me through something without flowcharting out all the possibilities?  Do I limit my thinking and potential since I only see certain possibilities whereas God’s are limitless? God may be talking and working on something out of left field that I haven’t even imagined.

Guess I’ll be retraining my way of thinking.  Instead of using my trusty old template, I’ll take my directional cues from God. After all, only God can take something bad and make it good.

 

 

True Wuv

            One of my favorite movies is “The Princess Bride.” My husband Tim and my father took me to see it for my 22^nd birthday.  Sorry, but you’ll have to guess what year that was.

Anyway, do you remember the first scene where the grandfather (Peter Falk) wants to read the book, “The Princess Bride,” to his little grandson (Fred Savage?)  The grandson asks if it was a “kissing book” because he didn’t like “kissing books.” That is Tim!!!  I could see the same thing going through his eyes every time I bugged (not nagged) him to take me to see the movie.  “But I don’t like kissing movies!!!!”

            Needless to say, Tim loved the movie.  It wasn’t what he thought it would be.  Why did he go?  Because he loves me.  To be honest, I don’t know why he loves me like he does. 

May 8^th will be the 32^nd anniversary of our first date.  So, I’m going to wish Tim a happy first date anniversary now since our daughter Sara will be graduating from college on May 10^th. By the way, kissing movies are good if you get kisses too.

Many waters cannot quench love; rivers cannot wash it away. If one were to give all the wealth of his house for love, it would be utterly scorned. Song of Solomon 8:7 (NIV)

Susannah's Hope

I am honored to have Katt Anderson on my blog.  I have known her for years and she is an awesome lady and writer. 

** Katt Anderson is drawing for a free copy of "Susannah's Hope." Please leave your address in the comments by this Saturday March 29th. I

Do you remember the first story you ever created? And do you mind to tell us about it?

The first story, I don’t remember. I told a lot of stories, both to my parents and family. I can remember telling a story to my grandfather about “Poor Tom.” Tom was a cat that had no home, poor Tom. I was probably in the first grade. When my children were small, I told them all kinds of stories about my pet dinosaur that lived in the cave with me. My daughter even insisted that her mom lived in a cave with a dinosaur when she was in the first grade. It must have been a good story. I never put anything on paper until much later.

 

Do you have a favorite story that you have written?

Since I only have two books out, I’d have to say Callie’s Mountain is my favorite. I do love Susannah’s Hope, but Callie is special being the first.

 

How does your family feel about your writing?

We decided early on that I would use a pen name. After all, with my last name being Cretsinger, no one could say or spell it. My husband and children seem to enjoy the fact that I write. My grandchildren think it’s neat. My husband’s siblings and my sister think it’s unbelievable that I could write a book. They have enjoyed the first book and I think they will enjoy the second.

 

Now, I want to discuss Susannah’s Hope.  What inspired you to write it?

Susannah was a wild child in the first book. I wanted to bring her down to earth and teach her about life. I wanted to be true to the time and have a Melungeon marry a white person. I loved Val Minor when I introduced him in the first book, but he was a mixed-race, not Melungeon. They were both attracted to each other, but Susannah was a snob and a brat. He had to see her change into a caring person. Isn’t that the way life is? We are all changing every day of our lives. That’s what I wanted to show.

 

Writers usually put a little of their selves into the main character.  What of you is in Susannah?

I guess I’m a little like Susannah, but more like Callie. I care about people, as Susannah finally learned to do. I can also be a snob, but I was never a brat like she was. I want people to realize God loves us no matter what the color of our skin is. There is always good in all people, even those we think could never change.

 

Susannah’s Hope takes place in the 1800s.  Most people don’t realize how difficult life could be at that time.  Are there any examples of this in your book?

Oh, yes, there are plenty of examples. Cooking was a major chore for women with only a fireplace to cook in. Think of the strained backs. I saw a chair in Scotland that was low to the ground and it was in front of a fireplace in Robert Burns home. That would have made cooking easier. Then if you owned a store, you had to go miles to get supplies. Sleeping arrangements were different at that time, also. Susannah and Val had to go by stage to get married in the North. They were a mixed couple, marriage was not allowed in Tennessee or the South at that time.

 

I know you have an interest in the Melungeon people.  Do you mind to expand on them and the role they play in your books?

From what I have learned in research, the Melungeon race was a lost race. No one knows how they came to the mountains of Tennessee. They lived in an area called Newman’s Ridge in what is now Hancock County. I’ve read a lot of things about them and have come to my own conclusion. DNA shows a Mediterranean heritage. There are other races that show up in DNA, Negro and Indian are also prominent. In the 1790 census there were 900 “free people of color” in the area. I know there could not have been that many free slaves and probably not that many Indians. I believe part of the number were Melungeons. Since their coloring is a mixture of Spanish, black and red, it’s a strange color. Their skin is not real dark, but lighter than a black person’s and with an olive tint. They were so hated by white people, and isn’t that the way we are? We fear something we can’t understand.

I became interested when my family began doing research on the family tree on the McGinnis side. My great-great grandmother was Barbra McGinnis. She never married but had five children. We found out they were fathered by a Melungeon man. So, I have Melungeon blood in my veins.

 

 

What is the one thing you want readers to get out of Susannah’s Hope?

Prejudice is not good. We should love and accept every race of people. It’s hard sometimes, but if we are a Christian, we have to.

 

Fun Question: If you could have superpowers, what would they be?

That’s hard because I’m happy as I am. I would like to have the energy to get everything done that I need to do. To whiz through the housework, cook and write would be wonderful. I’d like to be able to remember more of the research I do and write better. Really, I’m happy as I am with all my not superpowers.

 

Thanks, Brooke, for having me on your blog. You can find my book on Amazon, Barnes and Noble stores and other book stores. You may also visit me at www.kattanderson.com and www.kattscrabbles.blogspot.com. My publishing company is Mantle Rock Publishing. We are looking for Christian authors who want to make a difference with clean Christian books. You may visit our website at www.mantlerockpublishing.com. I’ve enjoyed being with all of you. Have a wonderful day.