Guest Post: Your Theme in 2019

Published by CAstfalk on 01/14/2019

Your Theme in 2019

Every January, we commit.

We commit to exercise more and eat healthier. We resolve to have the best year ever at work. And yet, we neglect the essential part—our spiritual connection with Jesus.

Some people have the same reaction to the term “spiritual goals” as they do to the word “budget”! Begrudgingly, we settle for the more-easily-said-than-done, simple fixes. If you ask a friend how they’re going to improve their spiritual relationship with Christ this year, they may give you one of these examples:

Refocus Your Lens In Changing Seasons

Published by CAstfalk on 08/14/2017

By Guest Blogger Billie Jauss

I’m feeling old. “Life flies by so fast.” I hear myself saying this more and more often now that I am ‘over 50’ and my baby boy just turned 21 and is heading into his junior year of college. It seems that I have seen a lot of the past flash by in front of me. Panic creeps deep into my spirit. I become focused on the past and what I think I have lost, not the truth of who I am. I focus on me, not on Jesus.

The yearning to change my focus sent me on a spiritual journey to rectify my panic, my selfish spotlight. Being a consummate list maker, I began to list the positive truths of who I am now.

The Struggle Is Real for Catholic Fiction Authors

Published by CAstfalk on 07/10/2017

By Guest Blogger T.M. Gaouette

As the author of Catholic fiction for teens and young adults, I find myself in a constant battle of the wills. There’s this desire to delight the reader with an entertaining and relatable story, while still remaining focused on pleasing God and sharing His Word. Some may not think this much of a challenge, but when you reflect on the world we live in, as well as what passes for entertainment these days, hardly a fraction of it would be considered godly. In fact, entertainment is so focused on stories that do everything but promote God’s word, or worse, indulge in ideas that are contrary to God’s word.

Teens Reading — Photo by Alexis Brown on Unsplash

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Wise Like an Old Dog

Published by CAstfalk on 08/22/2016

By Guest Blogger Cynthia Toney I learn a lot about human behavior from my dogs. Recently, one of my female dogs lay in the sun enjoying…

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Guest Post: The Higher Way

Published by CAstfalk on 08/08/2016

Thoughts of A Grace Warrior The Higher Way – In Hindsight, It Was a God-Incident (August 8, 2016) “In hindsight, I realized how blessed we were…

When Nothing Works

Published by CAstfalk on 08/01/2016

by Guest Blogger Erin McCole Cupp

The beginning of another school year approached, and I was scared. Even with the slowed-down summer schedule, I was not making any headway with my next book. There was virtually no time in which to really write, and when I did get a moment to steal, nothing I wrote worked, because I hadn’t had any time to let the story form in my head so it could flow onto the page. Where on earth was I going to get the time to have a chance at success?

I went to my writing network’s Facebook page and asked for advice.

“Wake up one hour earlier than your kids do.”

Silly me, already waking up two hours before they did.

“Make family creative time a habitual part of your day! Everyone is working on something.”

When the youngest family member’s idea of “creative” is either decorating her walls with nail polish or asking busy people incessant questions?

“Just do whatever works!”

I didn’t type the words, but I wanted to reply, “BUT NOTHING WORKS!”

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When God Says Wait

Published by CAstfalk on 07/25/2016

by Guest Blogger Olivia Folmar Ard

When I was a child, the saying “slow as Christmas” actually meant something to me. For someone with a single digit age, the twelve months passing from Christmas to Christmas might as well be twelve years. I remember how slowly each day passed as I mentally counted down to the blessed holiday from New Year’s Day, spring break, summer vacation, and Thanksgiving.

Even during the month of December, I found it difficult not to squirm. Moving our little stuffed mouse from one day to the next on the cloth Advent calendar hanging on the door was physically agonizing. I couldn’t wait for Christmas and all the joy that day symbolizes, which in that season of my life meant lots of baked goodies, family get-togethers, and more gifts than I knew what to do with.

As I age, “slow as Christmas” means less and less to me. My life is so busy and filled with activity that by the time I pause to check the date, I am astounded by how much time has passed me by. I’m more likely to say, “Christmas again, already?”

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Do the Next Thing God Asks You to Do

Published by CAstfalk on 07/11/2016

by Guest Blogger Billie Jauss

Over my life, which at this point has spanned nearly half a century, I have taken on many roles. I grew up the baby of a large, blended family. At a young age, I knew I wanted to be a nurse and fulfilled that dream when I graduated from college and landed my dream job as a critical care nurse. Then the role as wife and mother took over my full-time gig as a nurse. My hubby is a Major League Baseball coach, so for 29 seasons I have been a baseball wife. However, no role ever confused me as much as the role I find myself entering in my empty nest. A writer.