August 2007
Monthly Archive
Write Upon Our Hearts!!
Posted by Paul on 29 Aug 2007 | Tagged as: Family, Friends, General, Hope, Poetry, Ponderings, Writers
Write upon our hearts, Father, write upon our heart, let your words find rest in the soil of our hearts, that the seeds that you plant will come forth and will be words of life, of hope, words that build up and not tear down, that bring hope to others.
Write deep upon our hearts! Go deep and uncover that which needs your touch, that you take the hurts, the wounds, the pains, and you waste them not, but rather you use them to bring glory and honor to your Name Father!
You have written that you have created us to reflect you, your image, that you have called us for a time such as this to be living words, living epistles, that you touch the world through the words we write, the things we speak, the songs we sing, the hope that we have in you, the Author and Finisher of our Faith.
We are never without hope Father, we are never alone, you are always near to us, to make us to be one with you in all things. You write upon our hearts Father, you write words of hope, of love, of what it means to be one.
Wite upon our hearts Father, write upon our hearts, and let our stories be told, let the words we speak, the words we write, bring glory and honor, praise and worship to you Father!
Write upon our hearts, stories to be told, songs to be sung, words that will change the hearts of despair, of fear, hearts broken, let these hearts be restored, let hope be given and life brought forth from the words that you have written upon our hearts!
Till later,
Paul
Posted by Paul on 28 Aug 2007 | Tagged as: Audio Blog, General, Hope, Video Posts
Nehemiah Fellowship
Heart Song
Posted by Paul on 22 Aug 2007 | Tagged as: General, Hope, Poetry, Remembering
Teach us Father, teach us to sing,
to sing from within, from the innermost part
of our being!
Let our hearts cry out for change, for healing, for release
From all that binds us from You!
Teach us the songs of the eagles, that soar in your presence,
to mount up with the wings of an eagle!
That the winds of adversity, the battles of life, the storms,
will cause us to soar even higher and even closer to you Father!
For it is in those winds that we are made stronger and in
Your presence we are restored.
Teach us your heart song, a song of everlasting love, of a vow kept.
A song that draws us into you, a song of intimacy, of oneness with you Father!
May our hearts overflow with all of who you are, a song of hope, a song
of the redeemed, a song of the beloved.
A song that says we are one, one with you, that we are no longer alone!
You sing a song of eternity, a song of hope, a song that touches us at the very
root of our being and life is birthed, hope is restored and we begin to see, to hear, the voice of our beloved, that says come, be one with me, that
we might walk together!
“A song of the redeemed, of a heart set free, a heart yielded to me, that sings from within, a song that will draw others to me, that the fragrance of that song,
that heart song, will be like a rose, that fragrance will be like
a midst, that spreads forth, a fragrance that will draw others, to me!”
“For You are My Heart Song!”
A Mountain Top Experience!!
Posted by Paul on 19 Aug 2007 | Tagged as: Audio Blog, Coffee Thoughts, Friends, General, Hope
Joshua’s Men Retreat August 2007
How awesome it was to spend time with my friends, my brothers in the Lord, at this retreat!
It was a time of learning to know the Lord, to spend time in His presence, a time of openness and honesty!
Most important it was a time of change, a desire to followsip even more with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!
We came down from the mountain, a lot different, then we went up!
Till later,
Paul
One Little Secret
Posted by Paul on 12 Aug 2007 | Tagged as: Family, Friends, General, Hope, Writers
Just want to say it is an honor to have Allison here as a guest blogger, to share about herself and her book. I had the privilege of meeting her at the Blue Ridge Christian Writers Conference, May 2006.
Allison, I will let you in on a secret, the day that I received the book and opened it, I did not put it down until I finished it. I have become a fan of “Boomer-lit”. This is the first time I have read “chick-lit” and I could not put the book down till I finished reading it.
What an encouragement to me in the way the book was written, anyone reading it, man or woman, will be encouraged and realize that these years, can be the best years of our life, as we walk our faith and fulfill the dreams our Father has written in our hearts.
Again, welcome to Hill Country Thoughts!
Greetings to Paul and to all of the Hill Country Thoughts readers!
I’ve enjoyed reading the archive postings on your blog, Paul, and your lovely poetry. Your blog is quite unique and will most certainly minister to the hearts of many readers whose life journeys bring them to your coffee shop world. 
It sounds as though you’ve had your share of trial and tribulation in life. As a fellow sojourner on the rocky road of life, I’m always excited to share the foundation of my first ministry outreach: GOD ALLOWS U-TURNS. Although my blog tour is to introduce folks to my just released novel: ONE LITTLE SECRET, I’m certainly not adverse to sharing what brought me to this place of faith in the first place.
Readers can visit God Allows U-Turns for more information on this outreach.
The only reason I am here today talking with you at all is because of the amazing Grace and Mercy of a God who never gave up on me. My life changed beyond my wildest dreams when I was 35 years old and finally came to the end of my self and willingly gave my heart over to a relationship with Jesus. It truly was an about-face u-turn on my life journey. Moreover, I’ve never looked back. My purpose is to share with others that we can never be so lost or so broken that we can’t turn around. So many people are lost and searching, Paul, and I know firsthand what it’s like to try to fill that God-shaped place in our heart with anything but God. My friend Michelle says, “Every test is a testimony and every mess is a ministry.” My life has been filled with so many tests and messes that I have to believe that God wants me to use my testimony as a life ministry.
Just as He is using your gift of writing via HILL COUNTRY THOUGHTS. Thank you for allowing me to be here today to share my newest book with your readers.
I am greeting you today from the land of 10,000 lakes. I won’t be able to say that for too much longer, as my DH (dear hubby) and I will be moving to Texas the end of this month. Every winter we wonder why we live in the Tundra … but not this winter!
My very first book was published in the year 2001, it was a collection of true short stories called GOD ALLOWS U-TURNS. Today, there are over 23 books (non-fiction AND fiction) under the God Allows U-Turns “brand.” It’s the release of ONE LITTLE SECRET, my 2nd “Boomer-Lit” novel that brings me here today. ( Boomer Babes Rock )
Wonder what “Boomer-Lit” is?
Typical “chick-lit” is written for a 20-30 year old target market. The protagonist is usually single, and struggling with her faith, career, family, love-life and things young women often struggle with. In my books, I wanted to approach the issues that baby boomers are dealing with, (women born between 1946-1964) things like the empty nest syndrome, aging parents, a change in career, retirement, menopause, and other health issues. I wanted to look at women in the prime of their life who were suddenly stepping out in faith to achieve the dreams of their heart. Women who weren’t afraid to take risks-who had the chutzpah to dare to dream big. That’s how “Boomer-Lit” was born.
I developed ONE LITTLE SECRET first as a screenplay called JUST A HOUSEWIFE. When Bethany House wanted a second novel after my debut novel called A STITCH IN TIME, I immediately thought of this story, realizing that it would make some great Boomer-Lit!
Here’s a little synopses about ONE LITTLE SECRET…Paul has a copy, not sure if he’s read it yet but if you have maybe you’ll share with us what you thought of it? You might even give it away in a contest, right?
For Ursula Rhoades, her ONE LITTLE SECRET becomes her one big problem! ONE LITTLE SECRET fits seamlessly into a culture obsessed with reality TV and celebrity lives (think American Idol and E! channel). Delving into the life of a fictional rock star, ONE LITTLE SECRET takes readers on a fun-loving ride through Hollywood and the famous GRAMMY awards.
In a land of glitz and glamour, Ursula Rhoades isn’t fazed in the least by the constant parade of Prada. She has a beautiful home, a loving family, and fulfilling volunteer opportunities that leave this fashionable and loving Bel-Air housewife completely content, even if she did have to give up her dreams when she married Don so many years ago. Enter Nikolai Prevelakis, or Nik Prevel to his fans, the hottest young music star in the country. But it isn’t enough. Handsome, famous, and living the life of a rock star, Nik isn’t content. When his path crosses Ursula’s, he sees the opportunity he’s been waiting for. But what seems like a harmless little secret changes their lives forever-and becomes one big secret everyone’s trying to figure out!
ONE LITTLE SECRET is a Hollywood fairy tale with all the pleasures of escapist literature mixed with gentle lessons on using the talents God has given you, the power of sacrifice, self-esteem, and the value of being “just a housewife.”
I had a blast writing this book. I had even more fun developing a contest to go with it. We’re actually giving away an all expense paid trip to Hollywood for two in the event the book gets optioned for a film. Readers can vote on who they think would make the best Ursula and Nik-from stars like Catherine Zeta Jones and Antonio Banderas. It’s a fun and funky contest, how about stopping by and voting, okay? Check out the contest here, we call it The Hollywood Casting Call Contest – Boomer Babes Rock Book Contest
I’ve been asked what prompted me to step into fiction, after so many books in the God Allows U-Turns series?
I’ve always wanted to write fiction. In fact, when I grow up I’d like to work in the world of film-writing screenplays. I have a deep love for creating those sappy, romantic comedy fairy-tale love stories that women can escape into. However, as I mentioned earlier, I had a major life-changing epiphany at the age of 35 that brought me closer to God in a very profound way. As a result of that, I founded GOD ALLOWS U-TURNS. In sharing not only my story of a changed life, but the stories of hundreds of others as well, I was blessed to enter the world of publishing and get my feet wet-I was able to make connections with editors and publishers who were able to see my passion for reaching people with a message of faith.
I also began attending writer’s conferences as an instructor, and while there I was able to take classes as a student with some amazing novelists who generously shared their craft in workshop sessions. I soaked up everything I could about how to write fiction-taking notes-buying tapes-listening over and over again to teachers like Angela Hunt, Gayle Roper, Brandilyn Collins, James Scott Bell, Jack Cavanaugh, Lauraine Snelling, and Tracie Peterson. It was after taking a 3-day long intensive workshop with Tracie Peterson that I was able to fine-tune my work-in-progress and submit it with a proposal to Bethany House. The rest, as they say, is history. Bethany House signed me to write two novels and the whirlwind began.
For years I’ve been known as the “God Allows U-Turns Poster Girl.” I’ve been blessed with that moniker and it’s always a joy to share with people how my life direction radically changed. Yet over the years, I found myself being drawn to the challenges my fellow baby boomer sisters were experiencing. In late 2006 I woke up one day with the idea to develop a web site separate from www.GodAllowsUTurns.com devoted to boomer women. We launched the new business, Boomer Babes Rock on January 1st of 2007. A cornerstone of the outreach is a monthly electronic e-zine that we call a “Dream-Zine.” It’s called Boomer Babes with Brilliant Dreams and our goal is to empower and encourage baby boomer women to achieve the dreams of their heart.
Our Mission Statement is, “Boomer Babes Rock, where fun, fashion, food, family, and faith merge to empower and inspire boomer women around the world!”
Here’s the definition that appears on my web site. “A Boomer Babe was born between 1946 and 1964, we are women who are comfortable enough in our own skin to realize that the mid-life years can be some of the best and most exciting in our entire life. That the hubris of youth is behind us and the wisdom of the years has made us pretty darn attractive-both inside and out. We are Boomer Babes and we’re proud of it!”
I love encouraging all women, no matter what age, to achieve their dreams. I could go on and on about this, but I think I need to say goodbye now. However, please allow me to close with this…the fact I’ve been published at all boggles my mind. I want to encourage your readers who have a desire to write to never give up! I also want them to stop judging themselves against other writers. I’m a high school drop out with a ninth grade education and a GED. I quit school after the 9th grade to run away from home and get married. I was going to live happily ever after in my fairy tale dream.
But that’s NOT what happened. As a teenager, I was looking for love in all the wrong places. As a Boomer Babe, I know a whole lot more about life, love, and the pursuit of happiness. I also know a whole lot more about pursuing the dreams of our heart…walking in God’s purpose for our life, and making life-changing U-Turns. Boomer Babes Rock is all about living the great American dream. It’s about deciding today… that THIS is the break-out year when you’re going to make things happen-and happen in a BIG way! And that’s what ONE LITTLE SECRET is about. It’s about a dynamic woman who takes a risk to make her lifelong dream come true.
Paul, writing is not about formal education, or who you know, or how long you’ve been at it. It’s about perseverance and risk and belief in yourself-and knowing that inevitably, God will make a way where there seems to be no way. Thanks, Paul, for hosting me on your blog today. It’s been a joy visiting with you and your readers. I welcome any comments about ONE LITTLE SECRET and I’ll stop back to check in with you often!
Have a blessed day!
Allison
Allison Bottke
Boomer Babes Rock
Boomer Babes Rock Blog
God Allows UTurns
A Song Within!
Posted by Paul on 01 Aug 2007 | Tagged as: General, Hope, Poetry, Ponderings
Stir a song within Father, Stir a Song within!
A song of release, a song of liberty, of wholeness, of restoration, of wooing, that draws us in to you, to a place of oneness, of holiness, of intimacy!
A place of hearing your breath, the breath of life, the breath of restoration!
A Song of hope, of deliverance, a song of freedom, of release!
A song of hope you have given us. A song that will touch others with a hope, that is birthed in you, that brings an expectancy within.
A song that causes us to look into your eyes Father, to behold the beauty of our salvation, of hope!
A song sung to our heart, that speaks deep unto deep, a song that says, “Here I am, follow me!”
A song that says rise up, be one with me and let us walk together!
A song that will lead us in your ways, that will put our feet on solid ground, a song that will light the way before us.
Teach us this day, Father, A new song, a song of hope, a song of rest, a song of freedom!
Let us even now, this day, break forth in your song, A song of Hope!
Till Later,
Paul
