Tag(g)lines...

Memorial Day Remembrance

noreply@blogger.com (Melissa Tagg) — Mon, 28 May 2012 09:00:00 +0000

I’m back! Can I just say the Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference is a must-attend from now on? Beautiful setting, awesome people, loads of fun and learning.

Now, I had a totally ~~brilliant~~ random post all prepared for today, complete with references to Martin Luther King, Jr., Tim Tebow and mysterious men in elevators.

But yesterday I remembered today is Memorial Day…a day which deserves more than my usual Monday randomness. So the fellas mentioned above are benched until next week.

Instead, I’d like to ask a simple question: Who are you remembering today?

Honestly, I haven’t had much experience with loss in my life. But I’ve had friends face tragedy. I’ve interviewed families dealing with incredible loss. I’ve attended a military funeral…and once interviewed a widow and family on the one-year anniversary of a Marine’s death.

It seems to me perhaps the hardest part of loss is facing everyday life in the aftermath.

Last week I attended author and speaker Jim Rubart’s class on marketing during the Blue Ridge conference. (Sidenote: he rocks! If you ever get the chance to take one of his classes, do it!) And in class he spoke about one of his novels, Book of Days. He said the idea for the book came to him when he realized life is really the sum of our memories…

I like that! Memories...

Today is a day for remembering. For being thankful for the sacrifices made by service men and women. For giving life to the memories we treasure of loved ones lost.

Who are you remembering?

Breaking at Blue Ridge

noreply@blogger.com (Melissa Tagg) — Mon, 21 May 2012 09:00:00 +0000

Hey friends!

I'm taking a little blogging break while I'm hanging out at the Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference. This is my first Blue Ridge experience, and I'm already loving it like crazy.

Tag(g)lines will return with regularly scheduled posts next Monday, May 28. We've got a wonderful guest next week on Wednesday. And I've got something special planned for Friday, June 1, as well...

In the meantime, have a wonderful week!

Ordinary passionate people...part IV

noreply@blogger.com (Melissa Tagg) — Fri, 18 May 2012 09:00:00 +0000

I've spent recent Fridays chatting about a seriously goooood quote from the seriously goooood book Extravagant Worship by Darlene Zschech. You can read part I here, part II here and part III here. Today we're finishing this up with a focus on the end part of the quote:

Jesus grabs ordinary people, people committed to Him, committed to His plan and His purpose, and He uses them....Don't feel like you are going to miss out. Be faithful, follow after the things of God, be genuine, be passionate in your pursuit, and trust God. (p.180, Extravagant Worship)

I've had a frustrating week, folks. One of those can't-get-anything-done/going-to-pull-my-own-hair-out weeks. The kind when, by the end of it, I'm ready to eat an entire jar of Nutella in one sitting, then marry my pillow and stay in bed for the rest of forever.

Sidenote 1: This is why I don't buy Nutella. Because I honestly think I really could eat the whole jar.

Sidenote 2: I realize there is nothing truly horrible going on in my life, and I shouldn't let one stressful week get me down so easily. I'm working on that. I promise.

But it seems to me in weeks like this one--when car troubles and lingering illness and seriously out of control to-do-lists all strangle me at once--I have the perfect opportunity to put into practice what I've been pondering these past few weeks regarding living with passion. With commitment. With extraordinary purpose.

I love the five things songwriter/author Darlene Zschech lists at the end of that quote up above. And it's those five things I want recite and play on repeat in my brain and heart as I finish out this week. I may not have gotten a great start. But it's never too late to finish strong and finish well.

Are you with me?

1) Be faithful. There is something so attractive to me about faithful people. People who are committed, loyal and dependable. I want that attractive quality, and I think it comes down to choices--every day making the choice to stay faithful to the God who loves me.

2) Follow after the things of God. I have a turquoise wristband I wear sometimes with the word "Relentless." And that's how I want to follow after the things of God. I'm ~~slightly~~ seriously stubborn by nature and if I can just fuel that stubbornness into relentless pursuit of Christ, then it becomes a strength.

3) Be genuine. This is huge. Perhaps for those of us who are writers, it may be especially easy to "write pretty." But does my heart match my words? Do our motives match our message? Let's be authentic people. Let's strive for sincerity!

4) Be passionate in your pursuit. I think passion is such an interesting thing because in some ways, it's natural, yeah? We're born with natural passions--I'm naturally passionate about creativity and storytelling. Others are naturally passionate about farming or forensics or football. But that word "be" implies something. It means we have a choice. It means in some way, I get to decide: Pursue Christ and my dreams lazily or hesitantly...or with passion. And I believe the more I choose passion, the more it chooses me...and builds in me...and grows me into the person I truly want to be.

5) Trust God. All of life lived well comes down to this, yeah? It just does. Trust God. Trust God. Trust God.

At the end of a frustrating week, at the beginning of an exciting next week (it's Blue Ridge Christian Writers Conference time!!), and all throughout the hundreds of weeks to come, I want to be faithful, to follow after the things of God, to be genuine, passionate in my pursuit...and above all, to trust God.

How about you? How was your week? Of those five things above, which really sticks out to you? Do you find any of those five characteristics to be easier or harder than the others?

Welcome Mat Wednesday: Nancy Herriman

noreply@blogger.com (Melissa Tagg) — Wed, 16 May 2012 09:00:00 +0000

Happy Wednesday, everyone! Today I'm so happy to welcome debut author Nancy Herriman as our Welcome Mat Wednesday guest.

Confession: one of the things that drew me to Nancy as a guest is how much I loved the cover art of her debut novel, The Irish Healer. It's soooo pretty! And her first lines are fabulous: "My name is Rachel Dunne. I am not a murderer."

We're chatting about all things friendship-related this month during guest posts, and as I noted in the video intro, I love the direction Nancy took her thoughts!

Just knowing they're there

I was looking for quotes on friendship to jump-start my thoughts on this blog (yes, I confess, it’s Monday morning and I’m a little low on caffeine!) when I came across the following and realized that an ancient Greek philosopher whose name had been lent to the love of food had crystallized my sentiments precisely:

"It is not so much our friends' help that helps us as the confident knowledge that they will help us." ~Epicurus (341 - 270 BC) Greek philosopher.

Hm. It is not their actual help but their support, their ‘being there’, that matters most. I like that! And how very true…

Anyone who knows me is familiar with the past year of my life, which went promptly from the glorious Call (after ten-plus years of writing, it was pretty glorious) to a diagnosis of breast cancer. Surgery followed by five months of treatment was a situation I was utterly unprepared for, and, having only lived in Central Ohio for a few years, I wasn’t certain how much support I might be able to rely upon. I was thousands of miles away from the friends I’d had for more than twenty years and felt their absence keenly.

How difficult to be distant from arms that want to embrace you.

And then the offers to help came in….and didn’t stop. From people I’d hardly known.

Offers to bring fabulous meals, drive me or my children anywhere we needed to go, sit with me through oncology visits. I especially appreciated those who were willing to clean my house, folks who didn’t like to cook but knew how to scrub toilets!

And you know what? I didn’t take up those offers to clean my house, and more than a few friends didn’t get a chance to bring me a meal because, as Epicurus pointed out two thousand years ago, I didn’t really need them to feed my family or scrub my toilets.

I needed to simply know they were there. For me. Willing to do whatever they could to make my difficult situation just a little easier to bear. And it was so much easier to bear because of their selflessness. Because of their outstretched hands and their prayer.

Because of my ‘confident knowledge’ that they would help.

Nancy Herriman abandoned a career in Engineering to chase around two small children and take up the pen. She hasn’t looked back. The Irish Healer is her debut novel. When she is not writing, or gabbing over lattes about writing, she is either watching history shows on cable TV or singing. She lives in the Midwest with her husband and sons, and wishes there were more hours in the day. You can learn more at her website, www.nancyherriman.com, where you will also find a link to the opening chapter of The Irish Healer and a book trailer.

If you participate in social media, please join her on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/Author.NancyHerriman or on Twitter (@Nancy_Herriman).

Nancy, thank you so much for this post...and the truth in it. Readers, has there been a time in your life when simply knowing your friends were there to help was all you needed? And be sure to check out the blurb below for Nancy's debut novel!

Acquitted of murdering a child under her care, Irish healer Rachel Dunne flees the ensuing scandal and vows to never sit at another sickbed. She no longer trusts in her abilities—or God’s mercy. When a cholera epidemic sweeps through London, though, she is forced to nurse the dying daughter of the enigmatic physician she has come to love. James Edmunds, wearied by the deaths of too many patients, has his own doubts about God’s grace. Together, they will have to face their darkest fears...and learn what it means to have real faith.

Weekend catch-up...Ollie time!

noreply@blogger.com (Melissa Tagg) — Mon, 14 May 2012 11:19:00 +0000

Yay for Julie Senne, winner of Katie Ganshert's debut novel, Wildflowers from Winter, following the recent WfW blog hop!

Let's play weekend catch-up...

I spent the first half of the weekend sick. But by Sunday, I was well enough to travel with my family down to Kansas City to visit my sister, brother-in-law...and Ollie!* They live in Wichita, but were in Kansas City for Ollie's latest check-up at Children's Mercy Hospital.

And get this, the room they were given at the Ronald McDonald House is the exact same room they stayed in for Ollie's first five and a half month stint in the hospital. It was so crazy walking into the Ronald McDonald House this time...no big surgeries or health scares for Ollie. Just a regular check-up.

Of course, there was one shocker when we walked in...a new fixture, the hugest rocking chair I've ever seen:

Of course, the sisters had to pose for a photo during the afternoon. (We missed our brother, though!)

And we celebrated Mother's Day. I think of all her presents, probably getting to play with Ollie was about the best present for my mom. You can't see Mom in the photo, but here she is reading to Ollie:

Of course, in all the commotion, Ollie got tuckered out. Guess what, he only uses his vent now when he sleeps!

He got to try watermelon. Mmm...

Is he not adorable?!?!

Okay, your turn! How was your weekend?

*Ollie was born almost two years ago with two heart defects and Down Syndrome. He's gone through four surgeries--three of which were open heart procedures. He's doing so well now! I talk about him a lot around here. :)

Ordinary passionate people...part III

noreply@blogger.com (Melissa Tagg) — Fri, 11 May 2012 11:36:00 +0000

With the exception of last Friday, I've spent recent Fridays chatting about a seriously goooood quote from the seriously goooood book Extravagant Worship by Darlene Zschech. You can read part I here and part II here. Today I'm honing in on the bold portion below:

Jesus grabs ordinary people, people committed to Him, committed to His plan and His purpose, and He uses them....Don't feel like you are going to miss out. Be faithful, follow after the things of God, be genuine, be passionate in your pursuit, and trust God. (p.180, Extravagant Worship)

Today, I'm just going to be honest.

Sometimes I do feel like I'm going to miss out. In fact, it might be the negative emotion I struggle with most. And it can produce an almost-panicky, "I've got to do something!" feeling.

Call it restlessness or discontent or plain old envy (ugh, I hate even the thought of that), but it is so easy to compare myself to others and feel like the world is moving, spinning like a carousel, and somehow I fell off my horse...and am stuck on the grass watching.

Do you ever feel that way?

I certainly don't feel it every day. But in the times when I do, I've got a pretty clear choice in how I respond: I can give in. Or I can hold out for truth.

And the truth, like Darlene Zschech notes above, is I'm not going to miss out.

I'm not going to be left behind.

The amazing, wonderful truth is that God is with us in every moment of our lives. He never leaves us behind. And if we make a misstep, He's right there to help us up and point us the right way again.

When he's my focus and vision and purpose, there's no missing out. Because He's the ultimate source of dreams fulfilled.

Do you ever struggle with feeling like you're missing out...on dreams or desires or simply life? How do you deal with it? How do you re-focus on truth?

Welcome Mat Wednesday: Edie Melson

noreply@blogger.com (Melissa Tagg) — Wed, 09 May 2012 09:00:00 +0000

In a week and a half, I'll take off for my first Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference. I'm so excited...not only to attend, but to see wonderful friends like today's guest, Edie Melson.

Now, Edie isn't just any ol' face at Blue Ridge--she's actually the conference co-director. Which I'm assuming means she'll be able to sneak me a private meeting with all the agents and editors of my choice. Hehehe...just kidding.

Edie, who is also an editor, best-selling author and popular conference faculty member, is keeping up with our May theme of friendship. She's writing about friendships formed at conferences. (p.s. And once again we have some fun friends joining us for the intro video!)

The Bonds of Friendship, Forged in the Conference Furnace

I’ve been attending writing conferences for more than a decade, and I know first-hand the terror of facing crowds of unfamiliar faces.

I’ve also found almost all my closest friends there.

In 2001, I attended the Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference for the first time. The setting is magnificent, nestled among the wooded slopes of the Blue Ridge Mountains. It’s also one of the largest Christian conferences in the nation (hence the terror part).

Back then, everyone’s name badge included where they were from, and it was interesting to meet other writers and have the context of how far they’d traveled. I was also hoping (and praying) to find someone who lived close to me.

I hailed from Simpsonville, a small suburb outside of Greenville, South Carolina and hadn’t connected with anyone in my area who was interested in writing. So imagine my surprise when, during the five-day conference, people kept commenting on my name tag. “Simpsonville? You must be with Vonda Skelton . She’s from Simpsonville, too.”

I kept trying to find this mysterious lady who lived in my town—and was a writer—but never could arrange a meeting. Finally, the last morning of the conference, I ran into a petite woman at the coffee station. She looked at my tag, and I looked at hers.

“You’re Vonda!”

“You’re Edie!”

We both laughed and hugged, feeling like we’d met a long-lost friend.

We spent the few remaining hours together, getting acquainted, swapping phone numbers and discovering we lived less than three miles apart. We made plans to meet that very next week. Meet we did, and we’ve been writing partners ever since. We started a local writers group, which has grown to over 100 members and has just become a Word Weavers Chapter.

We’ve encouraged, commiserated, and occasionally scolded each other onto publishing success. She’s closer than a sister and I know I wouldn’t be where I am today without her friendship and support.

It seems that every year I can point to more writing friendships which have formed from attending a conference. And now that I’m the co-director of Blue Ridge we try to encourage these friendships to blossom and grow. We provide a Yahoo email group for those who want to connect with other attendees and we keep the group active all year long. We also have a Facebook page to help even the shyest of writers find connections and friendships.

The success I found at Blue Ridge gave me the courage to attend the ACFW conference in Denver in 2008 and there I found even more wonderful friends through My Book Therapy . I know the relationships I’ve formed at conferences have been the foundation of my success and my tenacity in this industry. Being a professional writer is lonely work and without friends like these, I’d have quickly become discouraged and quit.

Edie Melson is a freelance writer and editor with years of experience in the publishing industry. She’s a prolific writer, and has a popular writing blog, The Write Conversation. She’s the co-director of the Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference, as well as a popular faculty member at numerous others. She currently has two books available, the best selling eBook, Social Media Marketing for Writers, and her latest project, a devotional for those with family members in the military, Fighting Fear: Winning the War at Home When Your Soldier Leaves for Battle. Married 30 years to her high school sweetheart, Kirk, they have raised three sons.

Edie, I'm so glad you didn't quit...because otherwise I wouldn't know you! Readers, how have friends encouraged you in your writing journey? (Or, if you're not a writer, how have friends pushed you toward your dreams?)

Texting shorthand improved.

noreply@blogger.com (Melissa Tagg) — Mon, 07 May 2012 11:14:00 +0000

I like to think I'm pretty down with the times. (Except, is it still acceptable to say I'm "down with" something?)

For real, though, I'm all current and stuff. After all, I know all the lyrics to one whole Justin Bieber song!

However, it's come to my attention that I'm slightly behind when it comes to texting lingo. No joke, someone wrote WTG on my facebook timeline recently and it took me approximately 48 hours to realize it stood for "Way to go."

Although I still can't help laughing when I hear people use text-speak in everyday, out loud conversations, I figure I better start learning. Because who wants to live in a constant state of "IDK what you're saying?" BUT...if I'm going to go all texting lexicon intelligent, I think it's only fair we introduce a few phrases ~~we all~~ I use all the time.

So, for educational purposes, here are the phrases I propose make it into the Oxford English Dictionary of Text Message Shorthand:

RUS
Are you serious?

I say this all the time. Or, to shorten things up even further: FR (for realz?) or simply S (seriously?)

HASMCC
Has anyone seen my coffee cup?

I have a thing with losing beverages.

IIMA
Is it morning already?

Could also be used to mean Is it Monday already?, both of which have the same connotation.

JLU
Jesus loves you.

The new tract. Note the uppercase "U" for "You." That adds an extra coolness factor.

ITISIOF
It's true, I saw it on Facebook.

Look out World Book Encyclopedia, there's a new most trusted source of info in town.

WDDACB
When does Downton Abbey come back?

The question on everybody's mind.

CITBBE
Coldplay is the best band ever.

Nothing like stating the truth in text-speak.

And lastly:

WYTTOCIMY
Why yes, Tim Tebow, of course I'll marry you.

Enough said.

(I think I'll reserve that last one for my exclusive use.)

Okay, please join the silliness. What phrase do you think should be introduced to texting shorthand? And, be honest, do you use texting phrases out loud? Because if you do, if you ever say BRB to me, I promise you I will still be laughing when you get back.

Hope after the blizzard.

noreply@blogger.com (Melissa Tagg) — Fri, 04 May 2012 05:01:00 +0000

For the past couple Fridays we've talked about "ordinary passionate people" here at Tag(g)lines. I'm taking a week off from that topic to participate in wonderful debut author Katie Ganshert's blog hop. Katie is celebrating the release of her novel, Wildflowers from Winter, with a special kind of blog hop. She's invited bloggers to share stories about a time in their lives when God brought beauty from pain.

To go along with today's post, one commenter will receive a copy of Katie's debut novel, courtesy of her publisher--Waterbrook Press.

~~~~~

Nobody died.

I didn't lose my job.

Heck, we barely got any snow.

But this past winter was difficult for me. Difficult enough I think I may have worried my parents a bit. Difficult enough I'm pretty sure I had my first (and hopefully last) panic attack in the parking lot of a Nowhere, Iowa, gas station.

Stress.

In a way, I feel ridiculous even mentioning it. There are a bazillion worse things. But stress is the blizzard that caught me in its whirl this winter, and it manifested itself both emotionally and physically. Elevated test results, four different doctors and about a dozen distraught calls home confirmed the culprit.

So thus began the process of figuring out the root of my stress and what needed to change. I'm not going to go into all that, because frankly, that'd be about as exciting for you as a lecture on germs.

But I'll tell you this: As I considered my opposite-of-stable mental state throughout the winter months, I realized something about myself. I realized the bulk of my angst, my stress, all generated from the same spot: lack of trust.

See, I've been pushing pretty hard toward a couple dreams in my life. I like to make things happen, check items off the to-do list. But for some reason, this winter it felt like no matter how hard I pushed, I stayed stuck in the same old snowdrift of inactivity. Ohh, that frustrated me. And so I worked harder. Tried harder. Worried harder.

And like in a real life blizzard, I got so caught up in the swirl of my own striving, I couldn't see the truth anymore.

The truth that God's plan and His timing are so much better than my silly stress-inducing attempts. I let myself get huff-and-puffy instead of resting in His guidance.

And after a couple months of ups and downs, I can say with such firm certainty that trying to do everything on my own is simply not worth the blizzard of emotions and stress.

But trust? That's the stuff of spring and life and hope. Trust that we've got a God who keeps his promises--his promise to always be with us, his promise that he has a plan for our lives, that He finishes what he starts.

I read the coolest verses in Romans this week which reminded me of God's promises...

The fulfillment of God's promise depends entirely on trusting God and his way, and then simply embracing him and what he does...When everything was hopeless, Abraham believed anyway, deciding to live not on the basis of what he saw he couldn't do, but on what God said he would do...He plunged into the promise and came up strong, ready for God, sure that God would make good on what he said. ~Romans 4:16, 18, 20-21, The Message

You know, sometimes life isn't tragic. Or traumatic. Sometimes it's just...hard. But we can always, always, always trust God.

This past winter, I only had my eyes on what I couldn't do. But this spring, my vision has redirected toward what God has promised to do. And like Abraham, I want to plunge into the promise...

Come up strong...

Ready for God...

Sure that he'll make good on what He said.

That's real, active hope.

Have you ever found yourself overly stressed or emotionally unstable...or both? Have you found hope on the other side? How are you plunging into the promises of God?

Don't forget, Katie's publisher is giving away one copy of her debut novel--Wildflowers from Winter--to one commenter on today's post. The deadline to leave a comment is next Tuesday at 5 p.m., at which time I'll use a random number generator to choose the winner.

Welcome Mat Wednesday: Lindsay Harrel

noreply@blogger.com (Melissa Tagg) — Wed, 02 May 2012 09:00:00 +0000

Yaaay, for Lindsay Harrel being today's Welcome Mat Wednesday guest!!

Okay, so here's the thing--I sorta love the Internet. I love the Internet because of people like Lindsay Harrel. She may live on the other side of the country, but we're connected by the awesomeness of the World Wide Web. Thank you, person who is not Al Gore who invented the Internet.

And thank you, Lindsay, for being such a fun blessing in my life! Lindsay is a writer with an awesome blog.This month all our guests are writing about different aspects of friendship. And Lindsay takes us the romantic route...

Friendship: The Stuff of Good Romance

I think everyone has a favorite “type” of romance.

Strangers who meet on a train and it’s love at first sight.

Co-workers forced to work together—even though they hate each other—and yet, somehow, they find the other’s annoying habits aren’t so annoying after all.

Opposites who don’t attract at first but are magnets at the end.

But me?

I think the most romantic thing in the world is when two friends fall in love. These are my favorite types of love stories to read in a novel or watch unfold on the big screen.

My favorite of all time? The love story between Anne Shirley and Gilbert Blythe.*

Of course, I may be slightly partial to this kind of romance…because I married my best friend.

Mike and I met at a church activity our junior year of high school. He was a tall, quiet guy who I tried to boss around. (He’s less shy now and we boss each other around…I mean, we agree on everything. Ha.) He told me later that he liked me the first night he met me. *Awww*

But at the time, I was dating someone else.

I went away to college for my freshman year. I’d see Mike on the weekends when I would drive home and attend college group at church. He’d always greet me with a smile and we’d chat. Nothing extensive. Just a budding friendship.

Then, due to various life circumstances, I made the decision to move back to Phoenix to attend the same university Mike attended, so I asked him all about it and he offered to meet me on my first day and show me around.

Yep, I still had no clue that he liked me. Dense of me much?

Mike and I hung out in the same group of friends: riding the bus together, eating lunch together, holding game nights nearly every weekend together. He was always there, encouraging all of us and being all around one of the best guys I knew.

Yet, I still saw him as only a friend.

At one point, unbeknownst to me, Mike talked with his parents about asking me out. They advised against it, because I was going through a rough time with my mom being sick.

So he waited. And waited. And waited. He waited until I was in a place where I could offer my heart, without it being crushed by life and disappointment. He waited until I was in a place where God had begun to heal me. And all the while, we grew closer, talking about our favorite books, our mutual passion for music, our favorite Bible passages.

When I thought about all the guys I knew, he was the one I respected most.

So when he asked me out, I was shocked. When he told me he had basically waited for four years to ask me out, I was floored.

And yet, my heart did not feel anything romantic for him.

So I prayed. He prayed.

And slowly, God awakened a love in me that I’d never known before. Slowly, Mike became more than a friend to me.

I think what I love most is that he WAS my friend first. He knew my flaws—he had since before we even started dating—and yet, despite all that, he still chose me.

Just like Gilbert chose Anne despite her temper, her flighty notions of love, and her reservations.

Yep, no question. I got myself my very own Gilbert Blythe. And our love is more than I ever dreamed it could be.

Your Turn: What’s your favorite type of romance to read or see on the big screen?

*For those who don’t know, these are the main characters from the Anne of Green Gables series by Lucy Maud Montgomery. If you have never read or seen this series, get thee to a bookstore or Blockbuster!

Where I'm hanging out today...

noreply@blogger.com (Melissa Tagg) — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 09:00:00 +0000

Happy Monday!

I'm hanging out in gorgeous South Carolina today with some of my favorite ladies, so I'm taking a little blogging break.

But not completely. :)

I've got a post today over at the MBT Ponderers blog about dreams...both the silly and serious sort. I hope you stop by!

Ordinary passionate people...part II

noreply@blogger.com (Melissa Tagg) — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 09:00:00 +0000

Last week I highlighted a seriously goooood quote from the seriously goooood book Extravagant Worship by Darlene Zschech. I loved the discussion that followed and noted that I planned to delve further into the quote in coming weeks. Today, I want to zone in on the first part of the quote:

Jesus grabs ordinary people, people committed to Him, committed to His plan and His purpose, and He uses them....Don't feel like you are going to miss out. Be faithful, follow after the things of God, be genuine, be passionate in your pursuit, and trust God. (p.180, Extravagant Worship)

The idea of signing a lease has always sort of spooked me.

Car-shopping scares me not because I don't like looking at cars--hey, I can get appropriately excited about moon roofs and shiny interiors--but because I know once I make a choice and dish out the dollars, I will be driving that car for a good long time.

Buying a house? It may take an act of God to get me to make that particular commitment. (Either that or a husband to promise me he'll know what to do if something breaks.)

Commitment. Yeah. Sometimes I'm not so good at it.

But you know what? I think one of the most beautiful, attractive qualities a person can have is commitment. What good is passion if there's no commitment behind it, right?

Yet, we live in a time when it seems like commitment might be harder than ever. There's always something new. I sometimes see in myself this hesitancy to commit, a willingness to hold out just in case. What if I find a better church to get involved in, a better deal on a car (and in a cooler color!), a better place to live?

Dude, I can have trouble committing to a drink from the Starbucks menu!

But as I'm writing this, pondering out loud (well, on screen), I'm thinking of some of the most committed people I know--people committed to their marriages, their dreams, especially Christ. And I'm realizing they all have one thing in common:

They've stopped looking around.

To be a person committed to Christ, committed to His plan and His purpose, as Darlene Zschech says, I don't have to be amazing or do amazing things. After all, she says he grabs "ordinary" people. What I do have to do?

Stop looking around.

I can almost hear the Holy Spirit scolding me: "Get it through your head, Melissa. There is no better thing than Christ!" I will never find a better deal, a better desire, a better place to be than with Him.

Commitment?

It simply means getting our focus solely, solidly in place. Because where our focus is, well, that's where our efforts and our time and our thoughts go.

When my heart vision is in the right place, I will see Christ's plan and purpose for my life...and I will know it's better than any plan or purpose I could dream up on my own...and I'll get all sorts of passionate about it!

Am I on the right track? What does commitment look like to you? Do you ever have trouble committing to things?

Welcome Mat Wednesday: Keli Gwyn

noreply@blogger.com (Melissa Tagg) — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 09:00:00 +0000

Yay, today we have the lovely Keli Gwyn as a guest here at Tag(g)lines!

As I mention in the video intro, I haven't met Keli in person, but I'm so glad to have found her blog. I feel like I've gotten to know her through her fun online presence!

And I can't wait for her debut novel, which releases on July 1--A Bride Opens Shop in El Dorado, California. It's currently available for pre-order, so you should probably visit Amazon as soon as you're done reading. :) Keli's carrying on our April theme of adventure today. Enjoy!!

Reluctant Adventurer

Adventurous? Who me? Not so much. I’m happiest at home and consider attending a writers conference a stretch.

The Lord is in the business of stretching people, though, and He took me on the biggest adventure of my life soon after I married. My new hubby had shared his dream of teaching the dependents of U.S. military personnel stationed in Germany with me, but I figured the chances of him getting a position were slim and didn’t worry overmuch about the possibility.

Imagine my surprise when a call came shortly before our first anniversary in December 1988 offering Gwynly a teaching position in Germany. We had two months to wrap up our lives stateside and prepare to move overseas.

I could have responded in fear, which is my usual reaction to venturing outside my comfort zone, but I chose to embrace the experience. And I’m glad I did.

When I sat in German class during my high school days, I never imagined I’d be living in Germany putting my limited knowledge of the language to use on a daily basis. Gwynly and I ended up spending four and a half years in Fürth while he taught at the Nürnberg American High School.

Those years were some of my best. Gwynly and I added lots of stamps to our passports as we visited other countries during his vacations. We witnessed history in the making as the Cold War came to an end and Germany was reunified. Our daughter was born during our time there—in a German hospital, since we were civilians.

I have many wonderful memories of our Germany days. I was stretched, and I grew.

Like me, my characters are rousted from their comfort zones and thrust into situations that challenge them to be more—and do more—than they believed possible. I endeavor to use my experience living abroad to enrich my stories.

These days when I get a case of pre-conference jitters, I remind myself that traveling to a conference is nothing. After all, if I could live in Europe and thrive, I can visit a U.S. city and survive. I choose to embrace the adventure and see what wonders await me.

Keli’s Questions for You

Do you embrace adventure, or are you more of a reluctant adventurer like I am?

Have you ever lived abroad? If so, where and when? If not, would you like to?

Keli Gwyn writes stories that transport readers to the 1800s, where she brings historic towns to life, peoples them with colorful characters, and adds a hint of humor. A California native, she lives in a Gold Rush-era town at the foot of the majestic Sierra Nevada Mountains. When she emerges from her fictional world, she enjoys strolling past the stately Victorian houses in her hometown, drooling her way through the Coach factory outlet store, and fueling her creativity with frequent trips to Taco Bell.

Connect with Keli here:

Website – http://www.keligwyn.com

Keli Gwyn’s Blog – http://keligwyn.wordpress.com/

Facebook Timeline – http://www.facebook.com/KeliGwyn

Facebook Page – http://www.facebook.com/KeliGwynReadersGroup

Twitter – http://twitter.com/#!/KeliGwyn

Goodreads – http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5411901.Keli_Gwyn

Keli's book is available for preorder
on Amazon, Barnes & Noble,
Books-a-Million, and Christianbook.

Here's a blurb about Keli's debut novel, A Bride Opens Shop in El Dorado, California, which releases on July 1.

Widow Elenora Watkins is determined to provide for herself and her daughter without relying on anyone else. Can she run a successful business after falling for the competition? Miles Rutledge finds himself willing to do anything to keep Elenora in town. But can he win her heart while putting her out of business?

Let's pretend I'm in your book club.

noreply@blogger.com (Melissa Tagg) — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 09:00:00 +0000

Sometimes Jessica Patch talks about book club meetings on her blog. I always fight a slice of jealousy when I read those posts...because I'm not in a book club. [pouty face]

But I read books like others drink water. (If only I drank water like I read books.) And once in awhile I just want someone to gush to. Or to get all grammar-ified, someone to whom to gush.

So I thought maybe we could play pretend book club today! I'll tell you what books I've read in the past four weeks...and then hopefully you'll do the same in the comments. This is also halfway selfish, becasue I'm going on a trip later this week and need a good airplane read. So, yes, I'm fishing for prospects. :)

Spoiler alert: I have loved every single one of these books!

Baroness by Susan May Warren
I literally tried to come up with a reason to call in to work the other day so I could keep reading Baroness. I think I've learned my lesson never to pick up a Susan May Warren book if I've got a commitment to keep, because I'm setting myself up for the pain of separation when it's time to put the book down. :) This story had me mesmerized from the outset. It's the second in her "Daughters of Fortune" series and takes place post-WWI...moving from Paris to New York out West.

Promise Me This by Cathy Gohlke
This book stretches from the Titanic through WWII. The author's voice is enchanting, the characters endearing. I was completely enthralled in the story. The scene where the Titanic goes down...so beautifully written!

The Wedding Dress by Rachel Hauck
I've loved Rachel Hauck's books for a long time, but her latest is by far my new favorite of hers! I loved the different voices, getting to travel through history, the hint of mystery surrounding the wedding dress. Most of all, I loved the spiritual theme so cleverly woven throughout.

Wish You Were Here by Beth K. Vogt
It's possible I had tears in my eyes when I tore open the package from Howard Books to find an influencer copy of Beth Vogt's debut novel. Beth is a friend, yes, but even if I'd never met her, I'd gush over this novel. It's got a brilliant hook right in the first chapter that propels you into a story you won't want to put down.

Wildflowers from Winter by Katie Ganshert
Oh, how I loved this book. First of all, me being an Iowa girl and all, the setting tugged at me...along with each character! The other day, Casey Herringshaw reviewed Katie Ganshert's book on her own blog and noted that it doesn't at all feel like a debut novel...she took the words out of my mouth. Loved the emotion, loved the plot movement. I was actually most endeared to Robin, a side character in this story. I'm so excited Robin gets her own book next year!

All right, those are the books I've read in the past four weeks. How about you? Any good recommendations for me? Have you read any of the above books?

Ordinary passionate people...part I

noreply@blogger.com (Melissa Tagg) — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 09:00:00 +0000

Hey, congrats, Evangeline Denmark! You won the drawing for a copy of Tracey Bateman's upcoming release, The Widow of Saunders Creek. Tracey has generously offered to send you a copy of the book, so if you can shoot me your mailing address at melissatagg[at]yahoo[dot]com, I'll pass it on to her. Congrats!

So, if you were around Tag(g)lines last Friday, I mentioned that I've been reading Darlene Zschech's Extravagant Worship. Darlene Zschech is the writer of hundreds of the most well-known worship songs.

Before I say anything else, I should probably quell some fears...No, I am not suddenly dropping my writing dream to pursue life as a vocal performer. That dream died the day I realized I will never conquer high heels. (Think about it...have you ever seen a female superstar not strut on stage in heels?)

But I am loving this book. In yesterday's chapter, I read the coolest few sentences, and I wonder if they get your heart singing like they did mine?

Jesus grabs ordinary people, people committed to Him, committed to His plan and His purpose, and He uses them...Don't feel like you are going to miss out. Be faithful, follow after the things of God, be genuine, be passionate in your pursuit, and trust God. (p.180)

Wow. Just...wow.

I'm pondering, and I plan to unpack those sentences next week. But for this week, I wondered if we could just chat?

Do you ever feel ordinary? Ever feel like you're going to miss out? How do you stay committed, faithful? I'm especially looking forward to talking about being both genuine and passionate...your thoughts?

Welcome Mat Wednesday: Reba Hoffman

noreply@blogger.com (Melissa Tagg) — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 09:00:00 +0000

There are encouragers. And then there are people who encourage you so much you start to wonder if they've got some kind of superpower. Reba Hoffman is one of those people

I met Reba at the 2009 MBT Storycrafters Retreat. She's a hoot, and she recently launched her own life coaching business--Magellan Life Coaching.

And...as soon as I picked "adventure" for April's theme, I knew Reba needed to be included among the month's guests. I had a feeling she'd had adventures...but I had no idea her post would take us all the way to Guatemala...and include face paint! Enjoy!

The Heart Behind the Paint

I stood outside a cardboard hut on the side of a mountain in Guatemala dipping my hand in white face paint and attempting to spread it evenly over my face with one hand. I held a small, jagged piece of mirror with the other. I sculpted red lips and carefully drew accents then gently placed on my crown, a curly optic yellow wig. It matched exactly half my costume. The other half was hot pink. I slid my feet into 16EE high top Converses and was ready to go to work. Again.

My transportation scooped me up and spit me out in the nearby town market. It was bustling with locals trying to peddle their wares in search of a penny or two. I walked slowly through the crowd, searching for sadness. I’d seen it before in the eyes of those who have no hope of a better life.

One by one, the townspeople looked up from their emptiness, knowing their view would be only of the same despair they knew like a friend. Their eyes suddenly filled with wonder when they locked on this brightly clad clown, a smile erupted from their faces. I smiled and waved at them as I passed. The children laughed as they trailed along behind me. Some ran ahead to tell the others I was coming.

They laughed at my huge shoes, one yellow and one pink. They laughed at my wild yellow hair. They giggled as they reached into my huge pockets and made away with my stash of bubble gum and candy. For one moment in time, I brought smiles to the faces of those devoid of joy.

When the candy was eaten and the bubble gum chewed, I reached into a secret compartment and brought out the most special gift. A gift that would last well beyond today. I handed out pictures of Rebo the Clown with an inscription in their native language that said:

Greetings from Rebo, the clown who brings you laughter and joy from God.

Indeed. I’d brought joy back into their lives. That was wonderful, yet fleeting. But when I brought God into their lives, I knew I’d brought them the God of Love and the hope of a better tomorrow.

When I washed off the paint and slipped out of my gaudy shoes, my heart swelled with the awesome memories that I was able to show them Jesus. I realized on that mountain in Central America that if I make someone smile, I touch them for a moment. But if I introduce them to the God of Joy, I touch them for eternity. And that, I decided as that day’s Rebo washed down the drain into history, clowning around was definitely worth it.

Reba J. Hoffman is the founder of Magellan Life Coaching and New Hope Institute of Counseling. She has an earned Ph.D. in clinical counseling and spends her time encouraging people to find their true north. She is the author of Dare to Dream, a Writer's Journal published by My Book Therapy. Her encouraging words also appear in publications such as Running for the Women's Soul by Road Runner Sports and The Good Fight by Donna Hicken. Connect with Reba at reba@magellanlifecoaching.com. Visit her website and blog at www.magellanlifecoaching.com.

Thank you so much, Reebs! Now a question for you, readers: When has God used you in an "adventurous" way? Or have you ever touched lives simply by clowning around?

Veep, veep, it's time to get political!

noreply@blogger.com (Melissa Tagg) — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 11:10:00 +0000

It's been awhile since we've talked politics here at Tag(g)lines. Last time I dared to play Political Polly (when I picked a Muppet match for each candidate), we had a quite a few hats in the ring.

Now, I think we all can agree it's more than likely Mitt Romney will be the Republican nominee. (That is, unless Ron Paul busts out some delegate magic or Newt Gingrich starts his moon colony early.)

The only big news now? The potential veep spot.

So I think it's only appropriate I join the guessing game and throw out a few possibilities.
But since actual political pundits have covered the obvious folks, let me offer a few left-field choices. Mitt, I think you and your team should totally considering vetting any of the following for VP...

Batman! I was going to suggest the Christian Bale version, but then I thought about how cool it would be to have the Adam West version including pop-out Bam! and Pow! bubbles like in the old TV show. Of course, in this photo, Batman looks more like a dancer than a political candidate, but...who's going to say no to a guy with a cape?

Tim Tebow has one distinct advantage over Batman...he's a real person. And who doesn't love him? (Except for maybe John Elway?) The only question: could he play football and serve as vice president at the same time? I'm going to say yes. Because I'd probably say "yes" to just about anything involving Tim Tebow...including a marriage proposal.

Because I'll take any excuse to include Jack Sparrow in a blog post.

Kermit! Because he'd totally capture the environmental vote.

My final choice for vice president? I thought long and hard about this one, and I hope Mitt's paying attention, because I'm pretty sure I've found the perfect person...

Downton Abbey's Dowager Countess, Violet Grantham. She's snappy, she's sharp, she'd add plenty of spice to Mitt's ticket. Now, truthfully, my first choice from the Downton clan was Matthew Crawley. But much as I like the guy, he might be just a little too even-keeled for the role. The Dowager Countess, however, can always be counted on to throw out a perfectly timed quip. Really, what more do we need?

Who would you pick as vice president? (Or does our ever elongated election season have you in a political malaise?)

p.s. As always, I feel compelled to add the disclaimer that I DO know politics matter and it's not just one big game and I am privileged to live in a country where I have a say. There. I feel better. And just to prove my ability to be serious once in awhile, if I could pick anybody to run alongside Mitt, I'd pick Condoleeza Rice. :)

When God says, "Hush."

noreply@blogger.com (Melissa Tagg) — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 11:16:00 +0000

Sometimes I think God must think, "Oh, seriously, Melissa, shut up."

Then I remember he's way nicer than that. And for all His power and might, He's gentle, too. Remember that time He came as a whisper instead of the wind or fire or earthquake?

So He probably says, "Hush," instead.

Pretty sure He said that to me the other day.

I started reading Extravagant Worship by Darlene Zschech. (Yes, I had to look at the book four times to make sure I spelled that right!)
My mom got me interested in the book when she called me a couple weeks ago to read a few paragraphs to me. She'd read a section that made her think of me...so as I sat in my car in the parking lot of Wal-Mart, she read and I teared up and as soon as I got home Amazon.com and I spent a little time together. :)

A few days later, UPS brought me the book and I started reading.

And let me tell you, I became a highlighter person. Usually I'm cool with underlining...pencil or pen, either works. (I apologize, although not very sincerely, to all the don't-write-in-books people who want to slap my hand right now.) But when I opened this book, I just knew I needed the big guns. Er, markers.

I highlighted right and left. This book is awesome. But I'll tell ya, I got to the end of that first chapter and had a minor moment of panic. You see, I want to be an extravagant worshipper. I want to do all the things Darlene says in that first chapter about praising and living a life completely surrendered to God. My problem: Darlene didn't give a checklist.

I like checklists. I like checklists like I like mini Cadbury eggs...which the empty purple bag in my trash will tell you is A LOT. Who's with me here? Do you work best from lists, too?

No list in the book. No set of clear to-dos.

And so I started praying, asking God what it would look like for me to be an extravagant worshipper. Should I give up writing for awhile? After all, that's one of the greatest time-hoarders in my life. But how could I do that? What about all the writing-related commitments I've already made? Okay, maybe instead I should never watch TV again. Not that I watch much now, actually. So probably that's not the key. Am I attending the right church? Should I pray more? Oh, shoot, I stopped keeping a prayer journal. Should I start that?

For a good while, I sat there zipping through ideas, potential should-dos and honestly got a little frustrated. I'm certain I even said something like this: "Dude, God, I'm wanting to do the right thing there, trying to be the girl you want me to be. So could you chime in with some confirmation?"

And that's when I think He probably rolled His eyes and said the kind version of "Shut up."

God is amazing and attentive and I love how He truly does answer us when we come to Him. Not always right away, but in this instance, it was immediate...and pretty darn clear:

Hush, Melissa. Stop worrying about what you're supposed to do. Don't you think I'm faithful to show you what to do each day? Don't you think that's why I've given you my Holy Spirit? You don't need a plan to be come an extravagant worshipper. You just need Me. And when you've got Me filling every little piece of you, you won't be able to help but worship me. Trust Me.

And then He reminded me of something I'd just read:

The only thing God wants from you is your heart. God says, "I don't need your talent. I don't need your gift. I don't want all the stuff that you can do. I just want you. I want your heart." (p.46)

He doesn't need my plan.

He just wants my heart.

He just wants your heart.

How about you? Do you ever actually stress out about obeying God...knowing you want to do something or be a certain way, but not knowing how to get there? I've heard it said that God wants our "Who" not our "Do." :) What's that mean to you? How do we give Him our heart?

Welcome Mat Wednesday: Tracey Bateman

noreply@blogger.com (Melissa Tagg) — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 09:00:00 +0000

Congrats to Dee Topliff! You won the drawing for a copy of Cara Putman's new book following last week's guest post.

I am sooo happy to welcome fabulous author Tracey Bateman today! I first got hooked on Tracey's books when I read Catch a Rising Star. And as I mention in the video intro, I'm always so amazed when authors can write skillfully in multiple genres - which Tracey does. Tracey is continuing the theme of adventure with the story of her own writing adventure. And I just love it!

Now, if anybody's sad they didn't win last week's drawing, I decided to do another giveaway this week. I don't generally do giveaways two weeks in a row, but as soon as I read Tracey's post for today, I wanted to celebrate...because it encouraged me so much. Sooo, leave a comment below to be entered into a drawing for Tracey's soon-to-be-released novel, The Widow of Saunders Creek.*

Adventuring into Contentment

I’ve never been a very adventurous kind of girl. Fear plagued me from a very young age. Fear of the dark, fear of heights, fear of running out of toilet paper and shampoo.

Adventure is described as an exciting experience, bold undertaking, a journey, exploration.

In theory those things interested me, but in reality, I had no desire to go boldly where no one had gone before. I like security. The unknown rattles me, and forces me to either buck up and take a chance or hide away in the security and comfort of mediocrity. I was a very lazy and fearful perfectionist.

When I decided to become a writer, I never thought I’d be published. I undertook the task with a sense of defeat from the moment I began, because I’d never really finished anything before—except pregnancy, since I’m hardcore pro-life. But even then, at six months, I started praying for super baby to be born early, but healthy. No such luck. God thought I should stick it out to the end. And I did it three more times over the next eight years.

I began to write daily, bought the Christian Writers Market Guide and circled all the publishers I thought might be interested. I sought out writing groups online (before ACFW and MBT) and opened myself up to critique, despite one of my greatest fears--fear of criticism. Something inside of me whispered into my insecurity that possibly, oh, just maybe at nearing thirty years old, I could have a destiny. A God-breathed purpose.

And then something happened, little by little God began to honor those small steps, to show me that if He was author AND finisher, and I was made in His image, then I could also be author and finisher. I met actual, published authors and editors in ways I can only explain as Divine connections, and my writing began to improve. For three years I worked, sent proposals, received a couple of rejections and went back to the drawing board.

Make sure to leave a
comment to enter the
drawing for Tracey's book!

When I received the call from an editor that they wanted to publish my first book, my faith began to grow, stamping out fear. I could do this. Live the adventure—a journey that just might make my unlikely dreams come true. And with each step of faith, God honored my efforts, taking me to the next level. More book contracts, finally a killer agent, then trade publication with a big publisher, editors seeking me out. For a few years, I lived in a sea of favor.

But along the way, something else happened. I dropped the ball, forgot to be grateful, missed deadlines and thought of myself more highly than I should. Sales tanked, the work dried up, and at the same time my husband lost his job. For months I reminded God of his promises—in a demanding "do this now" sort of way. Until one day, He spoke into my heart, reminding me of not only His favor, but His love and discipline. And my life changed forever as He took me on another adventure.

This is a journey I am traveling today, one of faith and daily trust. Daily bread, paid bills, enough cash for gas. Honestly, I don’t know where this phase ends, but I’m sure of the end result. A course I’ll finish, wherever that course takes me. And finally, the moment I stand before Jesus and lay my crown, accomplishments, and gifts at His feet.

I’m living the best adventure of my life—knowing Him and the hope of His calling.

Phil 4:12 I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.

Have you ever considered faith, trust and contentment to be adventurous? How has God steered your adventure?

Tracey Bateman is a prolific and talented writer of more than 40 novels, who has over a million books in print, and whose writing has won numerous awards, including the prestigious Christy Award for Excellence in 2010.

She has been a member of American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW) since the early months of its inception and served the writing community as President and Vice President of that organization.

Tracey makes her home in the beautiful Missouri Ozarks with her husband and four children.

*You've got till next Tuesday, April 17, at 5 p.m. to enter the giveaway. I will use Random.org to "draw" the winner that evening.

Happy Easter...Break!

noreply@blogger.com (Melissa Tagg) — Fri, 06 Apr 2012 10:00:00 +0000

Hey friends! I'm taking an Easter break from blogging today and Monday. Here's what I'll be doing while I'm not hanging out here:

Eating a record number of Cadbury mini-eggs
Serving a special Easter meal to homeless men, women and children on Sunday
Feeling nostalgic about how I used to wear white gloves with a new dress each Easter Sunday as a kid
Trying to figure out why in the world, on the one hand, we talk about Easter bunnies...and on the other, Easter eggs. Bunnies don't lay eggs. Confusion!
Best of all, praising Jesus for his amazing sacrifice...his love...his resurrection!

Tag(g)lines will return on Wednesday, April 11, with awesome guest, author Tracey Bateman.

Happy Easter and may you experience incredible joy this Resurrection Sunday!

Welcome Mat Wednesday: Cara Putman

noreply@blogger.com (Melissa Tagg) — Wed, 04 Apr 2012 10:00:00 +0000

Adventure. What's it look like to you? Does it mean traveling around the world, or can you find it in your every day life? We're talking about adventure of all kinds this month during our Wednesday guest posts.

And I'm so thrilled that awesome author Cara Putman is helping kick things off with today's post! So thrilled, in fact, that I've just got to do a giveaway. Soooo...

You know the drill! Leave a comment below for a chance to win a copy of Cara's brand new novel, A Wedding Transpires on Mackinac Island. It just released a few days ago! Facebook/Tweet about the contest, and I'll enter ya twice. You've got 'til next Tuesday at 5 p.m. to enter.

Longing for an Adventure

Do you ever get a slightly unsettled feeling in your gut? You know the one. The one that causes your nose to crinkle at the thought of food.

Lately I’ve gotten that because I was…ready for this…bored. B O R E D. Anybody who reads my bio would laugh at the thought. My goodness, I’m running six different directions most days trying to keep us all going.

Yet, there was still something. Something just not quite right. Life was static. Routine. Dull. Energy-draining.

So I started asking God for a new adventure. At that point, I didn’t really care if it came in writing (though I have an idea that would push me harder than I’ve been pushed by a story in awhile.), or it could come in a new place to see (I love the adventure of exploring a new location), or I didn’t know what. I just knew I needed Him to open a door to an adventure. And if that adventure could include my family, all the better. I long for us to have an adventure that pulls us together as a family unit.

God has answered that request in a way that has blown my mind. It is a combination teaching position that lets me teach a class I love in a new environment. That new environment is like throwing my family into the briar patch. And it will give us an opportunity to spend a period of time just by ourselves. We will have the chance to build experiences and memories for a lifetime. We’ll also get to know each other really well since we’ll be away from friends and activities.

Don't forget to leave a comment
to enter the drawing for a copy
of Cara's latest book!

This opportunity has reignited my belief that God delights to give His children good gifts. This dream He’s granting isn’t one that I have to have. I would have an amazingly blessed and fulfilled life without the experience. Still He’s giving it to me.

The best part is this adventure isn’t just for me. I get to share it with the people that matter most to me.

Does your heart cry for adventure? What’s that look like for you?

Cara C. Putman lives in Indiana with her husband and four children. She’s an attorney and a teacher at her church as well as lecturer at Purdue. She has loved reading and writing from a young age and now realizes it was all training for writing books. She loves bringing history and romance to life.

An honors graduate of the University of Nebraska and George Mason University School of Law, Cara left small town Nebraska and headed to Washington, D.C., to launch her career in public policy. Check out Cara's website here.

Tag(g), I'm it...literally and otherwise.

noreply@blogger.com (Melissa Tagg) — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 11:00:00 +0000

First of all, congratulations Melissa Isaksen! You won the drawing for a copy of Katie Ganshert's debut novel, Wildflowers from Winter. If you could shoot me an email at melissatagg[at]yahoo[dot]com with your mailing address, I'll get your copy ordered right away.

Second, yay for awesome people like Jessica Patch who give me blog topics! On Mondays in particular, my mind moves about as fast as an armadillo...which I assume is rather slow. My apologies to armadillos everywhere if ya'll happen to be fast movers. So I appreciate it when people do my thinking for me.

Anyhow, Jess tagged me in a question game and I'm now supposed to answer the following 11 question. Here goes:

1. Chocolate or Vanilla and why?
Chocolate. Because I'm pretty sure it's God's favorite flavor.

2. Have you ever shoplifted? Ever thought about it?
No. And uh, honestly, no, I don't think I've ever thought about it. Not that I remember anyway. (Although, I did want that white Popple pretty badly as a kid. Maybe I've blocked out childhood temptation.)

3. Colored polish or French manicure?
Neither! Seriously, I can't handle nail polish of any kind because I chip it within minutes of it drying. And then it just bugs me.

4. Where's the last place on earth you'd want to visit and why? Anywhere they don't have Diet Coke with Lime. J/K...mostly. But for real, the only answer I keep coming back to is the dentist's office. As is evidenced by my appointment-making procrastination skills.

5. What's your least favorite food?
Beets. Excuse me while I gag.

6. How many licks do you think it really does take to get to the center of a Tootsie Roll Pop?
Umm...can I research this and get back to you?

7. Hotels or camping?
I like both! But if I'm going to camp, I prefer a nice camper with a decent bed. Which I suppose in some people's eyes isn't true camping. So as to not offend any of the diehards, I'm probably better off saying hotels.

8. Which celebrity that is alive (there is no Jesus loop-hole here, people) would you like to meet and why?
Chris Hemsworth...solely because I watched Thor last night. If you ask me the same question tomorrow, I'm sure I'll have a much more intelligent answer...like Condoleeza Rice.

9. Do you have a smart phone? Can you live without it? Be honest...okay you can. Would you want to? Be honest.
Yes! And yes I could live without it, but I'd so miss my Bible App. Okay, fine, and Angry Birds.

10. If you could be any animal which one would you be and why?
A kangaroo! Because a) they get to hang out in Australia and b) they don't have to worry about losing their purse. It's attached.

11. Home cooked or 5 star meal?
Home cooked because that probably means someone I love made it. :)

Okay, now it's my turn to ask you a question. I want to know what living celebrity you all would like to meet! Or, have you actually met a celebrity? If so, tell all, please!

What trust looks like...

noreply@blogger.com (Melissa Tagg) — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 11:13:00 +0000

You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you!

~Isaiah 26:3

Waahhh, I miss London!

I trust random people.

Really, I do. And here’s why:

-Once in London , while waiting for a bus, I dropped my travel card. Would’ve been so easy for a stranger to pull an Artful Dodger and walk off with it. Instead, a guy behind me picked it up, nudged me and handed it back. ‘Course, by the time I turned back around, the bus I was waiting for had taken off. But still.

-Recently, I had car troubles in Wichita . Perfect opportunity for a mechanic to jip the out-of-towner who knows as much about cars as she does molecular biology…which, trust me, isn’t much. Instead, the guy tells me even though I’m a few miles over my warranty, he’s not going to charge me for the part.

-Several years back, Miss Newbie Reporter (that’d be me) locks her keys in her car in a church parking lot...in the rain. A man from the church gives me an umbrella, unfolds a wire hanger to try to get the car open, fails, calls the police. The police officer can’t get my door unlocked either, so he calls a locksmith. In the meantime, the police officer gives me a tour of his car, which I think is way cool. Then, the locksmith shows up, gets the door open and refuses to charge me.

I love nice people!

Oh, I know there are mean people in the world. I know there are people who cheat and steal and get a kick out of rotten behavior.

But if we go through life constantly wary of the not-so-kind among us, if we’re always at the ready to be offended or victimized or simply annoyed, all we’ll experience is stress…and worry…and probably an ulcer the size of the Rock of Gibraltar. And we'll miss soooo many nice people along the way.

So, I’d rather trust. (With, yes, a good dose of common sense thrown in.)

If you read last week’s post, I mentioned a quote I read recently in a book…

"Relaxation is impossible without trust!...The ability to relax and go with the flow in life is dependent upon our willingess to trust God completely." (p. 255-256, Living Beyond Your Feelings, Joyce Meyer)

I’ve been thinking about that ever since…about how honestly easy I find it to trust random people. And yet…how often do I not trust God?

Just like I don't want to go through life expecting the worst of people, I also don't want to spend my life stressed, anxious, or, as I've experienced recently, unable to relax. The key to avoiding those things...trust.

And not some surface trust-God-because-I'm supposed-to. I crave the real deal, a surrendering kind of trust that gives God:

My yesterday: No more hyperventilating about what did or didn’t get done yesterday. No more dwelling on past mistakes.

My today: I am right where God wants me today. No need to compare my today to someone else's. God is here to help with all the big and little decisions today requires. Nothing’s going to happen today that surprises Him.

My tomorrow: I don't have to freak out about my dreams. Yes, determination and perseverance play a role, but in the end, God is in control. So it's okay to take some time and relax along the way.

How do I know I'm trusting God? If I'm experiencing peace instead of panic, joy instead of self-judgment, rest instead of weariness.

What about you? Is it somewhat natural to you to trust God or is it something you work at? How trusting are you of the people around you? What does true trust in God look like to you?

Welcome Mat Wednesday: Tyler Parson

noreply@blogger.com (Melissa Tagg) — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 11:41:00 +0000

First things first: I made a mistake in my intro video for today's guest. Tyler Parson is the pastor of CrossRidge Church, not CrossPoint. I would totally retape the intro ... except I'm in my pajamas ... no makeup ... and I truly want to spare you all. But Tyler, I'm sorry for the verbal typo. :)

Sooo...today's guest poster is Pastor Tyler Parson! I've been looking forward to Tyler's post all month. We've been talking about marketing each Wednesday, and this whole idea of "marketing faith" has been poking at me. I really, really appreciated the direction Tyler took this. So, check out my slightly erroneous but well-intentioned video intro and enjoy Tyler's post!

Eloquent Evangelism

Three words change nearly every social encounter of mine:

I’m a pastor.

As soon as my vocational identity is disclosed (regardless of who is involved in the conversation) a marked shift in their demeanor may be observed. These changes are often subtle (minor twists in the grins of unsuspecting individuals) and occasionally remarkable (adjusting their posture to hide a beer, covering a little devil tattoo, and veiling the amphibious Darwin ichthus parody on the back of their Honda Element).

As entertaining and alarming as these reactions may be they demonstrate the reservations people have with words about Jesus, church, and Christianity.

Jesus has commissioned his followers to (among other things) make disciples. So—in one sense—it is the task of every follower of Christ to market Jesus. While much can be said on this topic, as a pastor writing to writers I am particularly interested in the words we use to in proclaiming the gospel.

The Apostle Paul wrote to the church in Corinth that Christ sent him to preach the gospel, and “not with words of eloquent wisdom lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power" (1 Cor. 1:17).

What does this mean for writers and preachers who rely on carefully selecting and arranging words to convey story, meaning, and truth? What is the difference between employing empty eloquence (yes, that alliteration is a form of eloquence) and demonstrating the Spirit and power of God on which saving faith rests (1 Cor. 2:4-5)?

When is our eloquent use of words a demonstration of God’s Spirit and power and when is it weak, foolish, and merely human?

The Corinthian Christians were apparently dividing into teams and arguing. Among these teams was a man by the name of Apollos (1 Cor. 1:12). Apollos is first introduced in scripture as an eloquent man (Acts 18:24). He was a native of Alexandria, competent in the Scriptures; he’d been instructed in the way of the Lord. He spoke and taught accurately the things concerning Jesus but knew only John’s baptism. He spoke boldly but apparently had some shoddy theology because he had to be corrected by Priscilla and Aquila (Acts 18:25-26).

It is also widely reported that a group of public orators and philosophers known as the Sophists (from the Greek word for wisdom: sophia) were present in Corinth. The Sophists emphasized rhetoric, argued any side of an issue to prove their expertise in debate rather than their concern for truth, and were known for style over substance.

Writers and preachers alike know the importance of grabbing and holding the attention of our audience. We understand the value of appropriate self-disclosure in expressing an important truth.

The right words can shock, sting, or stir a desired response or elicit new understanding in our audience. Devices such as meter, rhyme, parallelism, alliteration, juxtaposition, simile, and provocation can imprint words upon the hearts and minds of the people we serve. Eloquence can thus highlight the message we wish to convey and assist in remembering this message.

The Bible itself is a work of literary eloquence. Even in the immediate context of 1 Corinthians 1-2, Paul states (shockingly, yet with eloquence), “For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men,” (1 Cor. 1:25).

Pastor John Piper has pointed out in his message Is There Christian Eloquence? that Paul offers two important principles for eloquent evangelism in 1 Corinthians 1:26-31. When we market Jesus our words should always result in:

1. Human humility (1 Cor. 1:29)

2. Exaltation of Jesus Christ ( 1 Cor. 1:30-31)

In chapter 9 Paul will write, “I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some.” (1 Cor. 9:22) So it is good for Christians to consider our words and methods in marketing Jesus. While it may at times be perceived as gimmicky it is in fact biblical for Christians to market Christ by carefully studying and interacting with both the Bible and our culture (this is called contextualization).

However, in our eloquent evangelism we must remember that we are not seeking to market a product or service but to faithfully make disciples of Jesus Christ through both our actions and words.

We are Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us (2 Corinthians 5:20). Christians are not simply marketing a product but relying on the Third Person of Trinity (God the Holy Spirit) to call dead sinners to life in the name of the person of Jesus Christ!

While writers and pastors (and every Christian) should be concerned about how eloquently we present the gospel and how effectively we market Jesus, we should not be consumed with these things. We should be consumed with God through faith in Jesus Christ.

As Christians we offer more than another product that promises to change your life. We offer Jesus: he changes your destiny.

He changes your yesterday, your today, and your tomorrow.

He changes your identity, your vision, and your forever.

More important than eloquence evangelism is a genuine and personal encounter with Jesus Christ.

The best way for you and I to market Christ—or, more biblically-stated, to make disciples—is to simply be Christians. To love Jesus. To talk about Jesus. To love people. To talk to people about Jesus.

Eloquent or not we are called to know him and make him known and the good news is that in Jesus’ perfect life, substitutionary death, and resurrection we can be saved.

“Do not be anxious how you are to speak or what you are to say, for what you are to say will be given to you in that hour. For it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.”- Jesus in Matthew 10:19-20

Tyler Parson is a follower of Jesus. He is in love with and married to his best friend, Mel, and has the joy of raising their two sons, Silas (3 years), and Deacon (6 months), together. He enjoys reading, laughing, music, Skippy reduced-fat creamy peanut butter, tacos al pastor, and being outside. He is pastor of CrossRidge Church in Holstein, IA and the son of a sales representative.

Thanks so much, Tyler! I really loved the depth of this post. Readers, have you ever thought about "marketing" your faith? We have the greatest hope, the best news ever to share...what does it mean to you offer Jesus to the world?

You want my what?

noreply@blogger.com (Melissa Tagg) — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 11:00:00 +0000

So who else saw this article?

Employers ask job seekers for Facebook passwords

It made the rounds on facebook last week, and talks about how some employers are asking prospective employees to provide their facebook usernames and passwords during interviews.

To which I give a resounding What?!

I mean, seriously, bosses. That's whack. (Or whacked if we want to get grammatically correct. But how grammatically correct is a girl required to be when she's using words like whack/whacked?)

These are dangerous times we're living in, friends. If potential employers are going to ask for our facebook information, I can only imagine what comes next...

[Cue scary music]

-Requests to review our cell phones...just to be certain we don't cavort with terrorists. I'd maybe be okay with this if I wasn't a text messaging typo queen. Well, and if my Fruit Ninja high score wasn't so pitiful.

-Demands to look through our cupboards. You know, to make sure we're healthy-types. I can already hear the ensuing conversation:

"Ms. Tagg, why do you have shortening in your cupboard that expired in 2001?"
"Oh, really? 2001? I thought it said 2007."
"Um, yeah...don't call us, we'll call you."

-Requests to see inside our sock drawers. Because you can tell a lot about a person by their socks. Straight-laced white and black? Colorful? Full-on quirky? Do you fold, roll or just thrown 'em all in?

-Instead of calling our job references, they'll contact everyone in our Google+ circles. In fact, I now officially deem this worry my new reason for still not joining Google+. It's a lot better than my my generic "not enough time" excuse.

And the ultimate test of a prospective female employee:

-The inside of our purses.

And honestly, I might be more willing to hand over my facebook password than that!

But seriously, what do you think about the whole "employers asking for job seekers' facebook info" thing? Were you as flummoxed as me?