Faithchick

Summer Break! See You In September

Over the past week, I began to feel a stirring in my spirit to "hush up."

Since '02, I've been a blogger, beginning with Diaryland. Blast from the past, no? Then I moved to a Blogger driven web site and dutifully blogged.

I was on MySpace in '05, and was one of the first authors to consider cyber sites to promote books and gain readers.

I was one of the first authors on Facebook. Seeing the importance of social media, I've tried to balance my writing life with cyber social life, but lately, I've felt myself begin to "shout."

My perspective was becoming skewed, my identity was starting to be about who I chatted with on Twitter, how many friends and followers I had and the frustrations of trying to grow a vocal, but unseen audience.

The Lord's just confirmed to me it's time to take a cyberbreak. Even as I write, I feel excited in my spirit!

I love y'all! I've made some amazing friends on Twitter and Facebook and I'm going to miss everyone, but the days will fly by!

We don't have Dish or cable so hubby and I are talking about reading books together and discussing them. I'm reading one now on praying in tongues and it's stirring me to go deeper in God, to become the woman He's called me to be! We forget how FOR us He is!

I'm a part of a writer's group that posts book releases for each other, so I'll continue to post those, but otherwise, I'll see you in September!

Have an amazing, God kissed summer!!

Best Selling and award winning author Rachel Hauck lives in central Florida with her husband. She is a graduate of the Ohio State University and has traveled internationally as a software trainer.

But, writing is her love, and she hopes to spread the fragrance of Jesus with her words.

Her current release from Thomas Nelson is "The Sweet By and By" with platinum selling country artist Sara Evans. Her next release is "Dining with Joy" Fall 2010. Check out all of her books and musings on her web site at www.rachelhauck.com. 

Monday, Monday...

It's Monday. It's raining. But it's a lovely day. Most of us hate Mondays but it's one of the best days of the week!

It's back to work. Back to the "routine." A fresh start to the week. It's an opportunity to start over with a clean slate. You can "do" all the things this week you wanted to do last week and didn't.

It's like a New Year's Resolution only every week. Yeah, that's it, a New Week Resolution.

So, what is it you wanted to do last week, or the one before that, you didn't do but you can start fresh today?

Eat better? Go to the gym? Mend a relationship?  Spend a half hour in prayer or reading the Word. What about turning off the boob tube and listening to music or playing a game with your spouse or the family?

Come on, it's Monday! We can trust that day.... 

Best Selling and award winning author Rachel Hauck lives in central Florida with her husband. She is a graduate of the Ohio State University and has traveled internationally as a software trainer.

But, writing is her love, and she hopes to spread the fragrance of Jesus with her words.

Her current release from Thomas Nelson is "The Sweet By and By" with platinum selling country artist Sara Evans. Her next release is "Dining with Joy" Fall 2010. Check out all of her books and musings on her web site at www.rachelhauck.com. 

Decluttering

Between books I like to declutter the house. It's hard to get motivated, but I will work better if I have "space."

My hubby and I are not collectors or horders. We're pretty neat folk. Especially hubby. But I have a lot of books and not enough bookshelves. And I struggle with "papers." What to do with papers?

Anyway, when I am in declutter mode, I take a step back and view my house as if entering it for the first time. As if I were a guest. 

Ah, now I'm motivated.

It's one thing to live in your own clutter and dirt, another entirely to observe others clutter and dirt.

So, I cleaned up the kitchen counter. Tossed out a utensil caddy I've had for 18 years and a constantly-empty cookie jar. The handle on the top had broken off years ago anyway.

Now I'm in my office about to fill a garbage bag with books to give away, go through notebooks where I scribbled story notes and ideas, clean up notes and other papers.

This week I'm buckling down to get going on Sara and my third book together.

What about you? Any decluttering or cleaning tips? How do you keep the "stuff" from piling up?

Best Selling and award winning author Rachel Hauck lives in central Florida with her husband. She is a graduate of the Ohio State University and has traveled internationally as a software trainer.

But, writing is her love, and she hopes to spread the fragrance of Jesus with her words.

Her current release from Thomas Nelson is "The Sweet By and By" with platinum selling country artist Sara Evans. Her next release is "Dining with Joy" Fall 2010. Check out all of her books and musings on her web site at www.rachelhauck.com. 

Having an Excellent Spirit is Different from Being Perfect

When I was fourteen, I worked for Publix Supermarkets in south Florida. (Cutler Ridge for the curious.)

Every day I clocked in at 11:00, walked around to the front office where the head cashier handed me my change dispenser and money bag. Then she said the dreaded, "Register eleven."

Ding, dang, dong but if they didn't put me on the Express Lane five days a week. They never said why. Never gave me a chance on the big register. I was just the young pup assigned to check out ten items or less.

I was fourteen and probably had some kind of attitude from time to time. I think I was slightly scatter brained nothing unusual for a giddy girl. Occasionally the manager or head cashier would say, "You were five dollars short yesterday." Or, "You were two dollars over."

I don't remember, and I have the diary to verify it, ever being in a lot of trouble over money issues. I seemed to have handled that portion of the job okay. Though apparently not so much with bagging groceries. I was told I bagged a women's bakery cake by sliding it carefully into the bag sideways, then flipping it up right to hand to her.  DO NOT remember that but I was told I did it.

At the end of every shift, I carried my change case and money bag to the back room where I counted out $75 to start the next shift. One day after I arrived home, the manager called and said my bundle of cash was missing. There was no $75 in the bag. 

What? I was devastated. In tears. How did I lose the money? I mean, I walked to the back hall, counted the money in the shadow of the office door and handed it in. 

My dear father went in with me the next day and talked with the manager who insisted I lost the money. I paid it back. It took all of my meager savings, but I paid it back.

Later, I learned the manager had actually taken the bundle himself and accused me of losing it "to get my attention." I think a little sit down might have done the same, but no, he took the bundle, then TOOK money from me! What did he do with my $75 if the original was never lost?

I'm not sure what he wanted to teach me, but I worked really hard to pay attention to "whatever" from that day on.

What a strong response to such a seemingly small issue. I'd never lost money before. I'd never stolen anything or messed up so bad it took the office staff to cover for me.

My boss in the software world did a similar thing to me once. I was a project manager and forgot to change a date on a customer's training schedule. We all knew when they were coming to the plant for the training, I just missed it on the Excel redo. They'd changed their mind a few times and I confess, my eye does skip details from time to time.

The customer used the misstep as a throw away item in a laundry list of wants and complaints. But what did my boss do? Zero in on that detail. She didn't give me an my annual raise because of it. She said. "You missed the date on the Naples schedule. No annual raise for you."

Unlike when I was fourteen, I burst out laughing. "You're kidding me." I really think it was the Lord protecting my heart. I'd gone through a lot with her that year, and in fact, was no longer her direct employee. I did all the same work without any of the acknowledgment. But I loved my direct boss and worked really hard for him.

Later, when I brought the matter up with the customer while working on site, they laughed. "What? That was a throw away item. We didn't care about the schedule. She did what to you?"

Ever have one of those moments where you feel kind of blindsided by an issue? When the proverb of "one ah shoot will undo a dozen atta girls," weighs heavily on you?

I have. But then I realized having an excellent spirit is not the same as "being" perfect.

The Bible says Daniel had an excellent spirit. He wasn't perfect. Only one man was perfect. Jesus. Usually we equate excellence with perfection. But they are not the same.

It's impossible to be perfect. We can certainly strive to be the best. Working with excellence is a desirable trait.

But having an excellent spirit is something different. It means we react correctly to disciple, to correction, even to being wrongly accused. Man looks on the outside, but the Lord looks at the heart.

I want to have an excellent spirit, don't you? The Lord doesn't require perfection. But He does urge us to be tender and teachable, to have a soft heart and excellent spirit. Getting mad, bitter, angry, or piling chips on our shoulders won't help anyone. Especially you, or me -- the wounded.

It's not easy to have an excellent spirit. The only way we can have one is by leaning into Jesus, trusting Him, surrendering our heart, soul and strength to Him.

So when you hear "excellence" think attitude, heart, speech, and spirit. It's not about being perfect. It's about responding rightly!

What situation is going on in your life where you can respond with excellence -- no matter what the circumstance?

Best Selling and award winning author Rachel Hauck lives in central Florida with her husband. She is a graduate of the Ohio State University and has traveled internationally as a software trainer.

But, writing is her love, and she hopes to spread the fragrance of Jesus with her words.

Her current release from Thomas Nelson is "The Sweet By and By" with platinum selling country artist Sara Evans. Her next release is "Dining with Joy" Fall 2010. Check out all of her books and musings on her web site at www.rachelhauck.com. 

The Power of Reward

Why do we do the things we do? Why have kids? Why get up and go to school, get a college education, choose and career, work hard at your job, at your relationships, at life?

Reward.

We live life through a series of efforts and rewards. We learn it from an early age. Good behavior begot rewards from our parents or teachers.

Good grades earned us the honor roll, perhaps scholarships or trophies.

The reward of selflessness or giving might put us in a amiable relationship. The pay off for love is being loved in return.

It's rare we continue to work hard, continue to give when we have so little in return. It's why socialism cannot beget greatness.

The human heart only engages so long when it is not rewarded. I cannot work hard on my job, at my career, only to give more than half my pay check away to the government who gives to someone who is not working at all.

I took the time to make RIGHT choices and live a good life, get educated, (I paid my own way, btw) so why am I penalized?

A career as a novelist is difficult. A writer goes days and months without an outside word of encouragement. The more books released the more reader feedback, but in the early days, the response is nominal.

It's hard to write your heart out only to have reviewers casually breeze through your book and write a ho-hum review. I've read reviews where the reviewer made a claim about the story that wasn't even true. Had they paid attention as they were reading, they'd have written something different.

I work really hard at writing. I feel like I have to or fall of the publishing platform. Yet God has done some amazing things in my writing life! I am blessed to be at this game. Amazingly blessed! I work with a stellar publishing house and with an outstanding, thoughtful, insightful editor.

This week I've been wrestling with the reward of writing. Why do I do this? How do I keep motivating myself while waiting for the reward. Disappointment is the handmaiden of reward. We all face and deal with disappointment in the pursuit of reward.

We all must  labor on and on without reward. Any parent of a difficult or challenged child understands laboring without reward.

I listened to an audio excerpt from a book called "Running To Win" by Kris Vallotton and he talks about rewarding his employees in a manner that motivated them. He made them to be more apart of the sales process and paid them commission sooner rather than later.

And this week I was feeling the weight of reward. When I think pay off is coming, it doesn't. 

I began to talk to God. "Hey, You brought me here, now what?" Because after awhile, the motivation to keep going becomes a trickle instead of a stream. I'd hope to find myself in a river.

A good writer friend just announced she's taking a sabbatical and I heard and understood her dilemma and heart. 

There comes a time when the drive, motivation, hope and financial resources just run dry. 

We need reward to fill us back up.

God told Abraham clearly in Genesis 15:1, "I am your exceedingly great reward."

In the midst of my questioning about reward, I have to go back to God. He is my reward. He is my friend. He loves me. He's not set me up for failure. If I feel I need justice, He is the one I petition. 

With a grateful heart, I seek Him for reward. I seek Him to reward me with His heart, His presence, His plan for me.

I said I'd sit with Him on the back row as long as He was with me. I can't now say "it's time" to move when He's not moving.

But I can petition Him. I can ask for wisdom, for insight, for understanding, for reward.

Best Selling and award winning author Rachel Hauck lives in central Florida with her husband. She is a graduate of the Ohio State University and has traveled internationally as a software trainer.

But, writing is her love, and she hopes to spread the fragrance of Jesus with her words.

Her current release from Thomas Nelson is "The Sweet By and By" with platinum selling country artist Sara Evans. Her next release is "Dining with Joy" October 2010. Check out all of her books and musings on her web site at www.rachelhauck.com. 

Pushing For More

Last weekend I flew to Monroe, Louisiana to speak at a woman's conference. Had a blast. Loved the town, the church and the women. I was honored to be invited.

Having been in ministry for 20 years, I know what I'm good at and how God uses me.  I can look out over people and sense God's heart for them. I get a sense for the group, or for individuals.

I like sharing encouraging words with individuals. Just when you think God has forgotten you, someone comes up to you and says, "God wants you to know He loves you."

It's true. It's Bible. And it can make a huge difference in a person's life. God has used me this way for a long time and I wanted to be used this way at the conference. Not to draw attention to myself or hype things up, but to encourage women!

Well, Friday night. Nothing. Saturday morning, nothing. I had no real sense of God's heart for the women or any individual. I kept asking the Lord and trusted He'd speak when He was ready.

Saturday morning we had worship before I got up to speak and I still sensed nothing. It was as if I stood before a closed door. As I asked the Lord one more time to speak to me for the women, I felt He said, "No, you're not to speak in that way this morning."

I was disappointed. And about to settle. Then something in me rose up. "No, God, please, minister to these women this morning. You know who needs a special word from You. Please speak."

The worship leader changed to a new song. Suddenly, the door flew open and I began to weep. Two women in particular came to mind and I felt God's heart for them. I heard Him speak words of encouragement. Oh, Lord, thank you!

While I was speaking, another woman stood out to me and I was able to share with her.

Afterwords, one of the women came up to me and said, "I was just saying to the Lord, 'Give me a sign.' Well, I guess He did." She was smiling from ear to ear.

Yay God!

I think sometimes we give up to soon. How many times in the Old Testament do we see God pronounce judgment or declare an end to something and the intercessors on the earth like Moses or David said, "No, Lord, please, have mercy. Speak. Relent."

That morning, I was an intercessor for those women. Lord, please speak. I'm not sure why I heard "No" initially. Could've been my own soul. Could've been the enemy. And, just could've been God.

Either way, my simple plea was heard by heaven. But I am no one special. No one extraordinary. God hears your heart and pleas too. He longs to engage you in prayer. He longs to answer your heart's cry.

But too often we honestly believe God is saying no. We are comfortable with Him as a stern disciplinarian. But not so much as a kind, relenting God who is so quick to forgive and to pour out His love.

Let me be clear. I'm not talking about agreeing with sin. If you want God to give you a big old yes on your sin, sorry. But I'm talking in the arena of your desire to become more like Jesus to the world around you.

Don't take no so easily. Ask. And ask again. Jesus gave us the parable of the persistent widow for a reason! And the women with the issue of blood. She pressed in. So must we.

Push for more.

Best Selling and award winning author Rachel Hauck lives in central Florida with her husband. She is a graduate of the Ohio State University and has traveled internationally as a software trainer.

But, writing is her love, and she hopes to spread the fragrance of Jesus with her words.

Her current release from Thomas Nelson is "The Sweet By and By" with platinum selling country artist Sara Evans. Her next release is "Dining with Joy" October 2010. Check out all of her books and musings on her web site at www.rachelhauck.com. 

Poor is the New Royalty

We've begun to treat the poor like royalty. They are revered, pampered, defended if challenged or spoke ill against.

Politicians and government leaders use "the poor" to advance their agendas, espousing compassion, all the while leaving them in squalor.

If one chooses not to vote for extended benefits to the poor, he or she is vilified and railed, accused of being evil and without compassion.

I was in college during the first Feed the World video. I was for it and glad to see celebrities using their platform and talent to focus on the hungry.

Yet, 25 years later those people groups and nations are still hungry. Hand outs to corrupt, large governments do not find it's way to the truly needy. If it does, the effects are short lived. It's like trying to stop a flood while putting a finger in one hole in the dam.

The world gasped when an earthquake devastated Haiti. We felt for the wounded and dead, but my friends, Haiti has been in pain and death for decades. They have more than 60% unemployment. The disenfranchised cried out, "Where is God?"

Now? Because they had an earthquake? Where was God in the midst of their poverty? When disease and hunger took the children? When political dissonant were tortured and killed.

We have a very narrow margin of the poor, of the needy, of how and when God should intervene. He should prevent earthquakes, but not the death of the unborn?

We can do nothing for the poor if we continue to hand them things. Instead, free up their countries to develop agriculture and industry. Free them up from old suspicions that keep them bound in medieval myth. Teach them to fish. Don't give them a fish. Tomorrow they'll be hungry again.

Above all, bring to the poor Jesus. We can build them houses, feed them meals, give them clothes but if we do not give them Jesus, they will be poor in this life and destroyed in the next.

Justice is needed! But only Jesus can bring true justice. Apart from Him, our work is wood, hay and stubble.

Let's not make the poor the new royalty -- elevating them for our own sense of moral justice and superiority. Let's bring them Jesus. Bring them life.

Best Selling and award winning author Rachel Hauck lives in central Florida with her husband. She is a graduate of the Ohio State University and has traveled internationally as a software trainer.

But, writing is her love, and she hopes to spread the fragrance of Jesus with her words.

Her current release Love Starts With Elle from Thomas Nelson is a 2009 RITA Finalist. Her book Sweet Caroline was American Christian Fiction Writers Book of the Year 2009. Her next release, "The Sweet By and By" with platinum selling country artist Sara Evans releases January 2010. Check out all of her books and musings on her web site at www.rachelhauck.com. 

A Lesson With My Dog

Tonight I took my little dog for a walk -- she's a ten year old Schnauzer. We've only had her for 2 years, but she's my little buddy and follows me wherever and whenever she can.

Normally I walk her with a leash, but tonight, I carried her across the main road then set her down on the side road and started our walk. Leashless!

She trotted ahead, sniffing and looking for places to potty. As I walked behind, I kept my eyes and ears open for cars turning corners, for other dogs, for other people since my little dog loves to say "Hi."

When we walked far enough, I picked her up and turned her around, back toward home. She hesitated, but I called her to follow and walked ahead.

She jogged on my heels, detouring to the grass she'd already sniffed and watered, without complaint.

Again, as we approached the corner, I watched for cars, for glass, for burrs in the grass. As a van approached, I spoke to her, "Stop." Guess what? She did. I held onto her until the van passed, then let her go, heading toward home.

Our life in God is a lot like this outing with my dog, leashless. I knew I could trust her.  I knew she obeyed me. I knew she wanted to be with me. Yes, she loves adventure and detouring off on her own, but she knows to follow me.

I can let her roam free because she obeys my commands.

The more we keep our heart and mind on following Jesus, being wholehearted toward Him, the more we want to be with Him, the more we obey and listen, the more liberty He can give to us.

When He says to stop, we stop. When He says to come, we come. We have to believe He's watching out for us, keeping us from harm and danger.

The more we yield, the more He gives us liberty.

I'd like to be like my little dog -- so devoted to Jesus He can take me for a walk without a leash!

Best Selling and award winning author Rachel Hauck lives in central Florida with her husband. She is a graduate of the Ohio State Univerisity and has traveled internationally as a software trainer.

But, writing is her love, and she hopes to spread the fragrance of Jesus with her words.

Her current release Love Starts With Elle from Thomas Nelson is a 2009 RITA Finalist. Her book Sweet Caroline was American Christian Fiction Writers Book of the Year 2009. Her next release, "The Sweet By and By" with platinum selling country artist Sara Evans releases January 2010. Check out all of her books and musings on her web site at www.rachelhauck.com. 

Passion: When all else fails

Not to bore y'all with my tales of writing novels and deadline whoas, but for this week, I have nothing else for you.

Last Friday I submitted my latest novel, Dining With Joy, to my editors. I'd spent the last week writing 12 hours a day and from Wed to Fri, I edited/rewrote 407 pages in 48 hours.

Why? Passion. When all else fails, when there's no fuel in the tank, when the whys out number the answers, it's passion.

I love what I do. Writing novels is a life long dream but it's the hardest task I've ever undertaken. Worse, it doesn't get easier.

When I started my first job out of college, it was hard. I was a journalism major work in the a propriety hardware and software world. I  was clueless.

But as I was trained and exercised my knowledge, I became good at what I did. Tasks I dreaded became tasks I enjoyed, even excelled in.

Eventually, I became an expert on certain products, a go-to person.

But it wasn't my passion. In writing a novel, my limits and boundaries to get the job done are large and nearly limitless. In my corporate job, it was the opposite. Small and tight with limits.

I worked hard, no doubt, but there was the idea then the company owed me. Not so with writing a novel. I do it for myself. Because it's my passion.

The monetary rewards of my corporate job far outweigh the novel writing gig. But the soul satisfaction cannot compare.

Friday when I turned on the novel I was sure I'd never write another one. Today, I'm already alive with ideas and pondering what I might do next.

Passion: when all else fails.

Best Selling and award winning author Rachel Hauck lives in central Florida with her husband. She is a graduate of the Ohio State Univerisity and has traveled internationally as a software trainer.

But, writing is her love, and she hopes to spread the fragrance of Jesus with her words.

Her current release Love Starts With Elle from Thomas Nelson is a 2009 RITA Finalist. Her book Sweet Caroline was American Christian Fiction Writers Book of the Year 2009. Her next release, "The Sweet By and By" with platinum selling country artist Sara Evans releases January 2010. Check out all of her books and musings on her web site at www.rachelhauck.com. 

A win for free speech!

This past week, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a law that restricted political speech coming from corporations, or from groups with corporate funding.

I don't know about you, but I thought corporations were always funding political speech and politics!

But when a Hillary documentary was shut down from a Pay-Per-View showing by the Federal Election Commission -- different now from the rules and regs of the FCC -- because .03% of the film had corporate funding, a few people got riled.

Rightly so. Even worse, if you wanted to down load a book to your Kindle within a certain number of days before an election, and the final line of the book happened to say, "Vote for X" that book would be in violation of FEC laws. Why? Because it was delivered via Satellite.

Yet, print books like "Dreams of My Father" or the endorsing and politicking of journalist was exempt from this FEC rule.

Yet, all publishers and all media is owned by corporations. The idea is that corporations can't speak because they "aren't people." But a reporter for the GE owned NBC can speak because she's a person. Hmmm...

Unions aren't people either, but they can speak. They are made up of people, as are corporations. Do you know any non-people corporations?

The law in effect was trying to decide who could speak, when and why and how.

For example, celebrities have way more influence than any corporation, but they are not restricted. Rightfully so.

When Matt Damon was on every news show and all over You Tube wringing his hands that Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin was "one heartbeat away from the red phone," news corporations WERE speaking.

Conversely, the dude who made the Hillary film had no outlet or way to speak because the law cut down his film. And news agencies weren't asking him to come on, wring his hands, and talk about Hillary being in charge of the "red phone."

What the Supreme Court did was strike down these restriction. Our First Amendment says congress shall make NO law restricting speech. The fear that corporations will have undo influence is unfounded. I mean, the CEO of Oracle is on Obama's Economic Advisory Council!

The academics start working their perspective X-acto knives of "what ifs" on why the Supreme Court handed down a brilliant or bonehead decision.

The Court is right. If we start restricting speech in one arena it becomes a slippery slope. You can read more about it here. And I urge you to read up on this.

Why? Because we need to be informed. All kinds of things are going on that look good for the "little guy" on the surface but ultimately devastating.

Like Health Care. On the surface, easily affordable and accessible health care sounds grand. But do you want the government who gave us the FEC laws or who bankrupted the housing industry via Franny and Freddie deciding your health care?

Part of the reason costs are so high is the underpaying of Medicare and Medicad. Hospitals charge insurance companies more to make up the cost!

We need tort reform but it's hard to imagine a Hill of lawyers telling their fellow barristers you can't sue any more. Grrr, rotten ambulance chasers.

I'm all for a lawyer making a good living. But the average doctor makes $150,000 a year. An established lawyer can make four times that amount, many in the millions. We need to stop demonizing  doctors. (Caveat: the average lawyer makes about $125,000.)

Faithchicks, don't roll your eyes and snort when it comes to politics and what's being done in Washington. Pray! Read! Be awake and alert. Don't go the party line because that's the way it's always been. Many of us are being hoodwinked and bamboozled.

Best Selling and award winning author Rachel Hauck lives in central Florida with her husband. She is a graduate of the Ohio State Univerisity and has traveled internationally as a software trainer.

But, writing is her love, and she hopes to spread the fragrance of Jesus with her words.

Her current release Love Starts With Elle from Thomas Nelson is a 2009 RITA Finalist. Her book Sweet Caroline was American Christian Fiction Writers Book of the Year 2009. Her next release, "The Sweet By and By" with platinum selling country artist Sara Evans releases January 2010. Check out all of her books and musings on her web site at www.rachelhauck.com.