by Larry Leech @LarryJLeechII Disappointment and Discouragement. Oh, how they love to bother and belittle us. Batter and bruise us.  The “D” brothers are henchmen of the enemy. If we are not careful, they can overwhelm us with invasive thoughts. “That’s a stupid idea.” “No one will read this. “Ha,…

by Sandy Kirby Quandt @SandyKQuandt We’ve recently passed through the time of year when two of my favorite constellations, Pleiades and Orion, were visible over our house in the early morning hours. Each morning they rested overhead I walked down the driveway to retrieve the paper, paused, and looked skyward…

by Rhonda Rhea @RhondaRhea Debit card, my debit card. Oh how I need that thing. One day a while back I couldn’t find my card anywhere. I looked for it all afternoon. Even by the next morning, still no trace. I searched high and low, near and far. I even searched…

by DiAnn Mills @DiAnnMills We live in a comfortable society. But that can be dangerous for writers who choose complacency rather than pouring a steady stream of effort into their writing.  Have you ever met a writer who expected and demanded results from readers, other writers, and those involved in…

The New Year is barreling toward us. Here at the Blue Ridge Conference, we couldn't be more excited with what's to come. Not only has our main conference continued to grow, we've added some boutique retreats to our event schedule. Several years ago DiAnn Mills and I realized that Blue…

by Lucinda Secrest McDowell @LucindaSMcDowel Let’s face it, 2019 is pretty much history. Unless you are one of those people who saves the final week of the year for intense writing, chances are these next days are full of other things – family and friends, worship and celebration, Christmas follow-up…