Christian Author Laura Davis

On Saturday, my husband went to bring our daughter home from college for a week. On the way there, his car started to give out - $400 and many hours later, they made it safely home again. Because of what happened, we thought it prudent to begin searching for a new car before we sank any more money into our 10 year old van.

We wanted another van because I find it difficult to get down into a "normal" car (I can't bend my leg). We looked at a lot of cars too. But, unfortunately my legs were too short for most of them (even with the seat all the way up!). I even managed to set off a car alarm in one of the vehicles -  unfortunately, it did not draw the attention of anyone inside the dealership and so we left. *Note to Oxford Dodge - if a car alarm is going off for 15 minutes, you might want to check it out!*

We had more luck at the Ford Dealership. Our salesman was very helpful and went out of his way to help us find a car and he found us a great one, with adjustable pedals. Take that Randy Newman! Short people do have a reason to live! Unfortunately, the car was out of our price range. Dejected, we decided to take our clunker to the service department and get it fixed. But, Luae (our salesman) said, "Don't give up yet! Come back tomorrow, give me time to find you that same car in your price range." We shrugged and agreed to give him the chance.

The next morning, Jim set out to take the car in for it's repairs, but first he went to meet Luae. About two hours later, Jim came back home. "So how much did it take to get the car fixed?" I asked. He looked rather sheepish and to make a long story short - Luae came through. He took about $8000 off of the ticket price and our new car should arrive in about eight weeks. Did you know Ford will take $1000 off if you belong to Costco? Who knew that Sam's closing would be such a blessing?

Today we went to see Alice in Wonderland. We had a two for one ticket. We stood in line for a while until we discovered we couldn't use it on 3D movies. So, we jumped out of the line and went to the self-serve ticket machines, only to have it take our money and not give us tickets. We found a manager who fixed everything. We got some drinks and headed into the theatre. Unfortunately, when Jim went to sit in his seat he sat on my son's blue slushie instead. It fell out of the cup holder and plopped all over the floor, but not before it soaked the side of Jim's leg and went down his sock and into his shoe. He sat for two hours with blue slushie in his shoe!

The movie? Umm...well...save your money.

The moral? Expect the unexpected and watch where you sit!

Whenever God is trying to tell me something, He usually has to repeat Himself - several times. I admit it is my own thickheadedness that causes Him to have to resort to various tactics in order to get my attention. I'm very thankful He hasn't given up on me yet. In fact, Come to Me would never have been written if God hadn't persisted in nudging me. He went so far as to have a CD delivered in the mail (one I never requested mind you!) that had one song. Can you guess the name? Yup! Come to Me. It was during a time when I didn't know what to call my book. During that time, the verse, "Come to Me all ye that are weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest", (Matt. 11:28) frequently entered my conversations with people. Many of the books I read back then would also bring up this verse. Our Pastor had a sermon featuring it during that time too! When I got the CD I finally got the hint.

For the last couple of months, I've been seeing the same thing happen to me again. Books I'm reading all have the same theme, conversations are once again focusing on one subject and last week I received something in the mail. It's time to take the hint.

So what did I receive? A card that said, "It's All in the Waiting." I'm not good at waiting. I'm an impatient person. I like to go and get things done, but lately I've been forced to be still and well ... wait. I have been unable to attend church for some time now because I can't sit for long periods without elevating my leg. So I watch the services from home. I am feeling very antsy right now. I don't like to sit and not get things done. But lately, I've been forced to wait. I waited 2 weeks to find out if I have cancer. I don't! I have been waiting 4 weeks to get rid of a persisent cough. It's still there. The day that card came? I was waiting on my cat who was in surgery. The neat thing about that card? It had a cat on the front cover! God also has perfect timing!

So, why all the waiting? What have I learned? That waiting can be sacred. Waiting forces me to abide in Him daily. To spend precious moments silently in prayer, waiting on His directives for me for the day. Waiting is a form of worship that causes us to focus on God. It helps us to look inside ourselves to see those parts that are not in step with the Spirit.

Lent began on February 17. For the next 40 days people all over the world are observing it in one form or another. May I encourage you to take this time to wait on God? To use these days as your spiritual act of worship. To find a quiet place each day to pray, listen and most of all - to wait.

"But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint." (Isaiah 40:31)

It's coming! Can you feel it? The excitement is in the air and we still have four months to go! Write! Canada is Canada's largest Christian Writer's Conference and offers incredible opportunities from networking and marketing to building our skills as writers. The dates this year are June 17-19 and it is held in Guelph. While I have only attended one conference, I can honestly say it was the best experience of my life. I learned so much I felt like my brain was on overload! I am praying that I will be able to attend this year as well.

Even with all the workshops and continuing classes, the plenaries and manuscript critiques, (which were all incredible) I have to say my favourite part of the entire weekend were the friendships established and renewed. It's like going to a family reunion!

This year the workshops and classes offered are excellent and our keynote speaker is Joel A. Freeman, author of the book If Nobody Loves You, Create the Demand. I'm looking forward to hearing from him.

What about you? Are you attending Write! Canada this year? If so, what are you looking forward to the most?

One of the hardest things for me to do is not complain or grumble. Sad, but true.  Unfortunately, it is a habit that I have learned from childhood. If I grumble or complain about something, I will get attention. For example, as a child if I said,"I'm hungry", my mother would get me food. I was satisfied until I was hungry again.  If she let me go too long without feeding (as a baby for example) I would scream my head off until I got what I wanted.

As a teenager, I complained about my looks, boys, school, math ... you get the idea. It seemed I hated everything! I didn't really, I just didn't know how to ask for help and so I complained in a round about way. Instead of saying, "I need some help with math", I would flop over my books, heave a sigh and loudly proclaim for all to hear, "I hate math!" The response from my parents would be, "Why? What's the problem?" Again - I got the response I was looking for.

After working in this sort of mode since childhood I came to realize recently, (with the help of my husband and children), that I am still complaining and grumbling in around about way and this is not good. I don't even realize when I'm doing it now! I will probably say "Ouch" or "Oh, boy that hurts!" about ten times a day (usually when someone is close enough to hear me). Why? I want sympathy because I'm in pain and I want someone to notice and help me. Does it work? Sometimes. But more times than not, it doesn't because they have learned to tune me out. Now, when I really do need help, I have learned to ask for it. No complaining, no grumbling, just "Please can someone help me?"

Today, while reading my bible, I discovered something I wish I had learned years ago. My complaints or grumblings are not hurting those around me so much as they are hurting God. After leading the Israelites out of Egypt and into the desert, it wasn't long before they started complaining. First, they complained that they had no water. They blamed Moses for that. Then they complained that they had no food and they blamed Moses for that too.Each time Moses went to God, who provided for the people in miraculous ways (Ex. 15-16). Unfortunately, the people didn't seem too impressed and once again they complained and blamed Moses because they had no water. Then Moses got angry and said, "Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you put the Lord to the test?"

Did you see it? The people were complaining (in a round about way) against  God - not Moses. They were in fact testing God to see what He would do. The audacity! And yet,everytime we complain about something, no matter how minor (i.e. "I wish the snow would go away!"), we are really complaining against God and God called that unbelief. Their complaints showed that they really didn't trust God to provide for them. Their insecurities came out in the form of a grumble and God was not pleased (Numbers14:13-39).

So the next time you are about to grumble about something (traffic, snow, your job, finances, illness,etc.), check yourself! Remember that the Lord, while He is slow to anger, will not let the guilty go unpunished! (Numbers14:18; Nahum 1:3)

I know I have a few writer friends that visit here from time to time and I was wondering - how are you doing? What have you got in the works right now? I have just spent an entire day writing (well almost - at one point I had to go out and buy cat food), but once I was at my computer again I was having a grand time.

For some time now, I have been working on a book called Finding Claire. Oh, the troubles Claire has caused me. She and her friends have refused to behave and they are just now starting to cooperate. I thought I would be done this book in October, but it is taking longer than I thought. But today I woke up with so many ideas in my head I couldn't contain them. I love it when that happens!

But it got me thinking - how many of you, use outlines? Do you find it helpful? I have tried countless times to outline my books before I start to write, but I get so antsy to get started that I always give up!

I am and always will be a write first ask questions later kind of gal. How about you?

Have you ever asked yourself why you want Jesus in your life? I was reading a story today about a woman who was gazing at a picture of Jesus and instead of feeling love, she felt only resentment. She thought Jesus was too hard to love, that He was someone she had to appease, yet she still wanted Him in her life. That's when she did some serious thinking and she realized that she wanted Jesus in her life for all the wrong reasons. She wanted Him in her life for material blessings, to feel righteous and maybe superior to others. She wanted Him as sort of an insurance policy so that she wouldn't go to hell. But she didn't really want Jesus.

What about you? Have you ever asked yourself why you want Jesus in your life? To be honest,  I've never really thought about it before. I enjoy my relationship with Christ. He is someone I talk to on a regular basis. I think at times I might be guilty of taking our relationship for granted, but I know He is always there for me. Even if He is silent I know He is there. That is enough for me. I take great comfort in 1 John 4:10, "This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins." And isn't that what it is all about? He loved us FIRST! Imagine that! He loved us warts and all - no matter how bad we are/were He made the first step toward us. This alone compels me to love Him with all my heart, mind, soul and strength.

So why do I want Jesus in my life? I guess my reasons are all selfish. I want Him because I would be lost without Him. There would be a big hole in my life if He wasn't there. He is quite simply my best friend.

Here is some food for thought taken from a wonderful little devotional called "40 Loaves". These questions require deep thinking, but if you're willing to share I'd be interested to hear what your responses are.

• When have I used Jesus for my own purposes?
• What are the things I expect Jesus to do for me?
• Can I honestly say that I love Jesus?
• How would I describe Jesus to someone else?
• Do I really understand how much Jesus loves me ... no matter what?

One more thing - if you don't know Jesus as your Saviour or Friend, ask Him to reveal Himself to you and don't be surprised when He does! He loves you and invites you to fellowship with Him on a regular basis. This requires some action on your part:

• Confession - it is good for the soul! Let it all out, God knows all about it already, but you need to voice it to Him.
• Repentance - That sin you just confessed? Turn from it forever. Don't do it again!
  
• Thanksgiving - Thank God for the gift of His Son. He died for you on purpose!
• Invite - Now ask Him to be a part of your life. Give Him your life, as He gave His for you and rejoice in your new relationship with the Son of God!

Really? It's that simple? Well ... yes! But if you have any further questions please contact me at davis_duo@sympatico.ca

TWO DIFFERENT DOCTORS' OFFICES

Boy, if this doesn't hit the nail on the head, I don't know what does!

Two patients limp into two different medical clinics with the same complaint. Both have trouble walking and appear to require a hip replacement.

The FIRST patient is examined within the hour, is x-rayed the same day and has a time booked for surgery the following week.

The SECOND sees his family doctor after waiting 3 weeks for an appointment, then waits 8 weeks to see a specialist, then gets an x-ray, which isn't reviewed for another 2 weeks. And finally has his surgery scheduled for 6 months from then.

 Why the different treatment for the two patients?

The FIRST is a Golden Retriever.

The SECOND is a Canadian Citizen.

This week my brother in-law sat in an emergency room for four days! He stayed the first night in the hall and then he got a bed in one of the rooms in emergency. He has been battling cancer for a few years now and his pain was so great he could not stand. But they kept him wating and apparently, they kept forgetting to feed him as well and after waiting all that time for help, they sent him home with this wonderful diagnosis - "We don't know what it is."

I think I will start going to a Vet!

This holiday season was a difficult one for us as we lost a member of our family. Three days before Christmas and a day after his 85 birthday, my father-in-law went home to be with the Lord. Our Christmas was somewhat subdued, but one theme stood out at his funeral and that was faith. Dad was a quiet man of great faith and he left a wonderful legacy for his children and grandchildren.  I was so glad that we had gone to celebrate an early birthday with him on the 18th. We never knew it would be the last time we would see him.

This was Dad's favourite song. I hope it encourages you in your faithwalk as we begin not just another year, but a new decade.

FIND US FAITHFUL

by Steve Green

We're pilgrims on the journey

Of the narrow road

And those who've gone before us line the way

Cheering on the faithful, encouraging the weary

Their lives a stirring testament to God's sustaining grace.

Surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses

Let us run the race not only for the prize

But as those who've gone before us

Let us leave to those behind us

The heritage of faithfulness passed on through godly lives.

Chorus:

Oh may all who come behind us find us faithful

May the fire of our devotion light their way

May the footprints that we leave

Lead them to believe

And the lives we live inspire them to obey

Oh may all who come behind us find us faithful.

After all our hopes and dreams have come and gone

And our children sift though all we've left behind

May the clues that they discover and the memories they uncover

Become the light that leads them to the road we each must find.

Repeat Chorus

"Therefore, keep watch because you do not know the day or the hour." Matthew 25:13

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses,let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us." Hebrews 12:1

Lyrics | Steve Green - Find us faithful lyrics

One year ago, I began a quest to get my doctor to listen to me. I have been fighting an infection in my leg that sometimes requires I.V. antibiotics and homecare because it gets quite dangerous. As the infection continued without relief from the antibiotics, I noticed that my leg was getting bigger in the area of the infection. It was harder and  larger, making it difficult for me to bend my leg and of course walk.

Every time I went to my doctor he would look at my leg and say, "I don't see an infection, there is nothing there. Both your legs look the same." But I knew something was there, so I went to a walk-in clinic. The doctor there said, "This has to come out right away." She sent me to a surgeon. He said, "This has to come out right away." Neither one of them said what "it" was. The surgeon referred me to a plastic surgeon,who without seeing me, said, "This is not covered by OHIP and I won't take it out." Another plastic surgeon was contacted. He said the same thing, without seeing me. I went back to my doctor, who once again insisted that there was nothing there and also told me that if I ever went to a walk-in clinic again, he would dump me as a patient.

As time went on, my infected leg continued to grow large and my doctor continued to ignore my complaints, until I finally had to take my husband with me to insist that the doctor at least get an xrayof my leg or an ultrasound. After Jim's visit, I was sent for an ultrasound which confirmed what we both knew all along -  I had an infection and my doctor finally agreed to send me to another surgeon.

The surgeon was appalled that I had been suffering for so long, especially because the growth I had on my leg (which seemed to be visible to everyone but my doctor) was a tumour.  He has sent off a note to my doctor advising him that I need to see an orthepedic surgeon as soon as possible (not a plastic surgeon). That was two weeks ago. I still haven't heard from my doc. I'm beginning to wonder if I ever will. I plan to call him first thing on Monday to see how he wiggles out of this one.

I don't know why I had to go through this for so long, but God knows. He also knows when and if I will ever see a surgeon. Only He knows the outcome of what the doctors will find. Only He can see my life as it is supposed to unfold and I take great comfort in that.

This Christmas, if you are going through personal struggles of your own, remember that the God who created you is aware of them and will never leave you nor forsake you. You can count on Him to see you through difficult times. Why? Because He loves you with an everlasting love. And that brings me, as it should you, great comfort.

Have a Merry Christmas!

Today I realized, after my Occupational Therapist paid me a visit, that I have more than one handicap.  She came with my new walker. I was all set to take that baby out for a spin and get some Christmas shopping done, but alas, my other handicap became all too obvious.

I've always had this "handicap" and I've never really thought of it as a bad thing. There were times of course, when I was growing up, that I would hear the occasional derogatory remark that pointed it out, but I would laugh it off. People that I "looked up to" would often sigh in envy over my  "disability", something I could never understand as I would be envious of them. When I started dating, boys would feel protective of me because of my  "little predicament". It wasn't until I had a fall down a flight of stairs that my "handicap" was diagnosed as an actual problem. My doctor said I was "deformed" and I should have gotten help when I was a child.

My deformity (if you haven't figured it out by now) was my height! And Yes, a doctor actually called it a deformity. Something I have lived with all my life and did not feel weird to me at all - until today.

My new walker was too tall for me! It seems I'm short enough for a child's walker, but - 'ahem' - too wide for one. 

Unfortunately, being short means everything gets squished down and spread out. Well ... that's my excuse and I'm sticking too it! In the meantime, I'll be waiting for my wheels and hoping the snow doesn't fly before it gets here!