The Light of the World

Hope. 

It’s the true message of the Christmas season. It’s the reason Christ came. God knew how we were in desperate need of a light to navigate us through the darkness of this world. He knew we needed salvation. We needed hope to save us from the sin of ourselves and the sin of this world. 
 

So God sent us His one and only Son. Christ willingly entered the dirt of this world and wrapped Himself in flesh so we could have a reason to hope.

          

Now, when we walk through darkness, it no longer has power over us. When we find ourselves in sin, we can call upon our Redeemer. And when we trudge through suffering, Immanuel walks with us.


Darkness no longer has power because Christ's light shines brighter. 

Is there still evil in this world? Will we still experience tribulation? Of course. But the light within us shines brighter than the darkness around us. We have a hope to hold onto that is an anchor through every storm in our lives (Heb. 6:19). 
 

Not only that: we also know that this world is not our home. We're only traveling through. Some day, Jesus will return and bring us back with Him for eternity. Free of pain, suffering, sin, and sickness. 
 

That’s why, no matter how much I suffer on this earth, no matter how gloomy the news may appear, I refuse to allow myself to slip into doom and despair. Because He who is in me is greater than He who is in the world (1 John 4:4). 


It's why God sent His Son, isn't it? So we could walk through the night with this Light as our guide. Nothing can dim this.

Christmas truly is a celebration of not just Christ's birth, but our own rebirth in Him. Hope entered the world during Christmas. 

          

Whatever you're walking through this season, I pray Christmas will be your reminder that this isn't the end of the story. The prophecy of a Messiah has been fulfilled, but the end of the story has yet to come to pass completely. Christ will come again to finish what He started. Death and sin and evil will be defeated once and for all. 


Until then, let's draw to our knees and thank God for sending His Son. Not just to save the world, but to save you. And me. Because He loved each of us that much. He knew we would need an Immanuel -- Christ with us -- throughout every season of our lives. He knew we would need His Light as our guide, just like the Star of Bethlehem, which was used to help the wise men navigate the darkness on that very first Christmasnight.


As we sing Christmas carols this season, let's turn our eyes away from our current circumstances and fix them on our Saviour. Our light. Hope. Redeemer. Immanuel. Our rock. 

Because He lives in us, light lives in us. Therefore, we will always have hope, despite the darkness that we may walk through on this earth. {Tweet this}
    

I hope everyone has a Merry Christmas! I'm taking a blogging break for the rest of December so I'll see you back here on Wednesday, January 4th. =) 

Is the Writing Journey Worth It?

When I was a fifteen-year-old aspiring author, I emailed a bestselling author asking for writing advice. What she told me was not what I had expected to hear.

First, she told me to analyze my true intentions behind writing. If my pursuit for publication wasn’t fueled by a burning passion to write, or if I was interested in a field other than writing, then she advised that I re-think my dream of becoming an author. It’s not as glamorous as it looks, I remember her telling me via email. 

Now that I’m seven years into my writing journey, I’ve experienced firsthand this “non-glamorous” writing life. Rejections. Isolation. Hours of hard work with sometimes little to show for it. I’ve often found myself rethinking the “warning” that bestselling author gave me and wondering if this is the best route to take. {Continue reading}

Final "Unwritten Melody" Blog Tour Stop + Prize Pack Winners!

First of all, I want to say a huge thank you to everyone who participated in the blog tour! It's always a little nerve-wracking planning a 30-stop blog tour, especially when there's tons of preparation and organization involved beforehand. I'm very grateful to everyone who showed support surrounding the release of UNWRITTEN MELODY and to everyone who hosted a tour stop. =)
Today's the final day of the blog tour, and I'm over at Leslie McKee's blog for a Q&A. Today's also the day that I get to choose the Prize Pack winners!
As a reminder, two winners of the Unwritten Melody Prize Pack will receive ...

And the winners are...

Katy Orsborn

&

Torri Light

Congratulations! You should receive an email from me today. If you didn't receive it, comment below and let me know. 
If you missed any of the stops, click here for the full tour schedule. I'm also going to create a PDF that combines all of the content from this blog tour. It'll be available to download soon!  
Tomorrow will mark one month from the release date of UNWRITTEN MELODY! It's hard to believe that it's already been in public for that long. Don't forget you can send the Kindle book to a friend for a Christmas present! {It costs the same as a Starbucks coffee ... just saying!} ;) Comment below if you'd like to learn how to schedule the delivery so that it's sent directly to your friend's inbox on Christmas morning.  {You can also check out my Zazzle store for more gift ideas for writers, readers, creatives, and more!}
I hope everyone is having a wonderful Christmas season so far! =D 
Let me know in the comments ... 
What's your favorite kind of gift to give to your friends? What's your favorite kind of gift to receive? Honestly, everyone in my family knows that they can usually expect to receive a book from me. There truly is no better gift than the gift of a story! =) 

Journaling Prompt Questions to Ask Your Protagonist

Sometimes, we writers can become so focused on writing an enticing, hard-to-put-down plot that we neglect one of the main building blocks of storytelling: Characterization. Without three-dimensional characters, our story falls apart, and our readers won’t have any motivation to follow the protagonist’s journey. {Continue reading}

5 Qualities Every Serious Writer Needs to Possess

The writing journey is not a smooth, easy ride. There will be setbacks, failures, doubts, and frustrations along the way to achieving your dream. Yet I believe that, with the right attitude and right approach, this journey can not only become bearable, but enjoyable for the aspiring author.

Here are five qualities every serious writer should possess before heading out on their journey... {Continue reading}