Heeding The Helper

As stated in my profile, I'm an author. With God's help, I heed The Holy Spirit's whisper, and the words flow. This blog is one example of that. Aside from the blog, there are poems, essays, and novels.

The first book I had a hand in was a book of Christian poetry called Walking in the Shadow of The Cross. That is a collection of forty poems, divided into three sections.

Praise

Family

Angles on Christ

Some of the vivid word-pictures from those poems are still stuck in my head--nine years after they came together to become a book. :D

Most recently, I am working on raising the funds to publish a Christian romance novel entitled A Gentle Strength. My idea of the back cover summary is shown below.

Michael Jansen grew up in a strong, Christian home. He was a happy, well-adjusted teen–until a dark secret from the past shattered his world. In one instant, everything that the boy thought he knew and could count on wavered and vanished. The world had shifted on its axis, and nothing fit anymore. This teen’s journey of discovery reveals the power of Christ–as our personal Savior, who wants to be involved in our daily choices. Michael has a lot to learn–about himself, about the nature of truth, about the importance of titles, and about the power of love. Michael learns that, sometimes, what we view as weakness is actually a gift from God–a gentle strength.

If you want to read more of the novel, or if you want a copy of the poetry book, please e-mail me at: jkay_90@yahoo.com. I will give you the contact information, so you can mail in your check or money order.

poetry--
Walking in the Shadow
of The Cross--$10

novel--
A Gentle Strength--$15

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By sharing these books with you, I am sharing my joy--a piece of my heart. Having joy does not mean that you are always happy... Read that sentence again.... Go ahead. I'll wait on you... :) Happiness is a temporary emotion based on easily changable circumstances. Joy is based on Jesus. It's a fruit of The Spirit, fruit that's watered by our love relationship with our unchanging Savior. So, even in the midst of unspeakable grief, we can have joy, becaucse our center will not be shifting (Hebrews 13:8).

One of the best ways to tap into joy is to find our God-given gift(s). We all have at least one. Using those gifts in ways that honor The One who gave them is the key to enjoying our jobs. Consider The Parable of the Talents. Now look at it again; and this time, make one substitution. Each time you see the word talent, don't think Money. Think God-given ability that's meant to bring glory to God, blessings to others and joy to me.

Notice the triple dividend. It's the priority order for creating lasing joy:

• Jesus
• Others
• You

May we have the courage to seek out and and share our talents, and may each of you be blessed by the work that brings me joy.