Calling All Writers (or Wannabes)!

Back in January, I set a goal for myself to find more quality writers to guest post on my blog from time to time.  I'm so excited to announce that I have made some arrangements with my first new guest blogger just this morning!  I'm looking forward to bringing that post to you soon, but in the meantime it has occurred to me that I might have other friends/readers who'd be interested in writing a guest post or two!

Do you have a blog of your own and want to get some of your material in front of new people?  A guest post might be just the trick!

Do you enjoy writing, but don't have the time or desire to maintain your own blog?  Sounds like you ought to guest post on my blog sometime!

So, if you or someone you know are a writer (or if you'd like to try your hand at it), feel free to let me know!

Previous Guest Blogger Bios here.

Previous Guest Blogger Posts here.

[Guest Blogger] Friendship

This post was originally published by a fellow blogger, Sharra, on her own blog on December 6, 2011.  I thought there was a lot of truth to this post, and so I have asked her to repost it hear for my readers as well.

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What a crazy wonderful but sometimes horrible thing friendship can be. I have gone through many friendships in my short 32 years. Some of them were wonderful and still bring a smile to my face, while others leave me still feeling hurt. Through my years I have come up with a few simple rules suggestions truths about friendship. These come from my own experiences and may not all apply to you and your situations friends but I am sure you can still get some thing from them.

[Guest Blogger] Forgiving Those Who Are Unforgivable

This post was written by my good friend, Amanda.  Her previous post on my blog can be found here, and you can read more about Amanda and my other guest bloggers here.

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Someone I loved and trusted hurt my little ones. I was justifiably angry. I wanted to destroy him. I wanted to torture him. I wanted to take everything from him. I didn't. I went to the law and let the law take care of that person. My children and I moved on. It's taken time, but our lives now seem normal, and we are happy and safe again. It's been a long journey, a journey that really isn't over. The old wounds will be opened up occasionally in the future, but only slightly, and we'll be okay.

Its the person who hurt us that I worry about now. Will he be able to heal. Will he get the help he needs. Will he be able to have joy in the future. The wound he's made in himself will continue to be a deep one, I think.

This leads me to forgiveness. If I had held on to my anger, the wounds in all of us would have stayed open. We wouldn't be able to move on. We'd be frozen in the pain and past.

I don't know if I will ever be able to talk to him again, but I know that if that moment comes, I will be okay and I will be friendly. My life is no longer intwined with his, but I'm okay with him having happiness in his life. And I'm doing what I should do in helping him and my children in their healing process.

God bless you on your journey. I have left you in His hands. He knew what you would do. He knew what we all needed, and I thank Him that He will use your wrong choices to make us stronger and better people.

[Guest Blogger] Living the "Golden Rule"

Some of the people who read my blog with any regularity may be slightly surprised to find me posting a guest blog containing Biblical scripture.  However, while I do not affiliate myself with any Christian faith, I am not wholly against many of the principles set forth by New Testament texts.  I find no fault with a faith based upon love and respect for all of mankind, and this is the type of life many of my Christian friends try to live.

When I invite a friend to guest-post on my blog, it is often because that friend has something to say that speaks from a viewpoint other than my own.  Amanda, the author of the post below, has been my friend since we met here in Pensacola in 2001.  At the time, we were both military wives living in the same apartment complex.  Though our life paths have taken us in different directions, both spiritually and geographically, I am glad to still call her my friend.  Read more about Amanda here (open in new window).

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Matthew 5:38-48

New International Version (NIV)

“You have heard that it was said, 'Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.' But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also. And if anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, hand over your coat as well. If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with them two miles. Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.

[Guest Blogger] If I Were A Betting Man

The author of this post, David Odom, was one of my classmates at Tate High School here in Pensacola.  Since reconnecting with him on Facebook, I have become a frequent reader of his blog, Better Than Machines.  I particularly appreciated his latest post, and so have gotten his permission to re-post it here for my readers.

Read more about David here (opens in new window).

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One of the sites I check compulsively each day is Intrade.com. I like to look at the political prediction markets, which give what are essentially the market-determined odds of someone winning an election or a bill passing. I've been watching Obama's odds of re-election for a while now. After Osama bin Laden was killed, they temporarily jumped up to about 70%. The odds stayed above 60% for most of June but then began a slow slide down to around 56%. In August, the numbers plummeted to around 50%. And for a couple of days at the end of last week, for the first time, the market was predicting Obama would probably not be re-elected, with his odds at 49%. (As of this writing it's at 50.5%.) [Note: Odds at 52.1% as Red! Blogger is re-posting this.]

It's fun to watch how the news affects the numbers, but let me tell you why I think Obama is still a good bet: The Field of Republican Candidates.

[Guest Blogger] Day 26: Abortion

Through Facebook, I have become online-friends with an Orthodox Catholic priest, Father Nathan Monk, who lives and works here in Pensacola, FL.  Within some circles, he has gained a bit of local "fame" through his tireless efforts to help the poorest of the poor within our community.  Read more about Father Monk here (opens in new window).

Over this past month, Fr. Monk has been writing a series of notes on Facebook, each addressing a different aspect of his personal life, spiritual life, social beliefs, political beliefs, or some mixture of any of these.  Tonight, with his permission, I am reposting his "Day 26: Abortion" note, in hopes that it may be shared with a greater audience.

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Once in a while I'll see something that truly makes me wish that I could think and act quicker than time. 

Kind of like after someone insults you, and it's not until you get home that the perfect comeback finally makes it into your brain. But this was so much bigger than that. I was walking along 9th Ave and I was a few blocks up from the abortion clinic, and I hadn't even thought about the fact that it was Friday morning, they day the abortions take place. I heard some commotion and I turned around to witness a small black sedan pulling out of the parking lot. The lone picketer ran up to the car and jumped as close to in front of it as he's legally allowed, holding a graphic sign of an aborted baby with limbs ripped apart, and he yelled, "Look! Look what you did to your baby, your little baby, you killed it! MOMMY WHY DID YOU KILL ME, MOMMY!?" I would have given anything in the world to be able to transport myself into that woman's car and hold her hand and tell her that somehow it would all be ok. That Jesus makes all things new. But instead, I was limited by space and time to be standing there, a few blocks away, helpless.