Everyday Miracles
Lora Armendariz
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Miracles Happen Everyday

God daily shows us how special we are and how much He loves us.  Join me as I write about how my life and the lives of other people who have been touched by God's grace.

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Inspired by a Young Author

4/15/2014

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A young woman recently contacted me, wanting to share her story on my miracles blog.  Her life-story is beautiful.  She had a rare sickness as a child and grew up with a strong Christian faith as she dealt with things that some adults would have trouble surviving.  I asked her to write her story and introduce herself on my blog.  I look forward to reading the Christian Fantasy Novel that she has published and am blessed to meet another Christian sister. 
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              I Prayed for the Words.
                    By E.J. Norris

I begin telling this tale by saying that we serve an incredible God; he who the mountains obey and he who parts seas is very much alive in all of us. Every day I praise him for all he has done for me.

When I was about ten years old, happy and carefree, my family and I were startled by the symptoms of a rare medical condition. On the night of the occurrence I was playing happily when suddenly my mouth filled with blood. Terrified and frantic, I rushed to the bathroom and spat into the sink, staining the pearl white red. But more blood gushed out faster than I could spit. My sister ran for my mother who was a trained nurse and managed to hurriedly stifle the bleeding. After she had calmed me she and my father got me into the car and we drove off into the night. I recall that we sang all the way to the emergency room,

Rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say rejoice,

Rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say rejoice,

Rejoice! Rejoice! Again I say rejoice,

Rejoice! Rejoice! Again I say rejoice!

Once surrounded by the white walls of the doctor’s office I was examined by the doctor on call at the time. We explained to him the stunning events of the evening and he was just as puzzled.

        “I can see she bled.” he said. Indeed it was obvious because of the stains left on my shirt. “But I can’t see anything wrong.”

There was no reason to keep me there so we returned home and I, in my child-like mind, was content to forget it. But my mother was not. After all, one doesn’t begin bleeding profusely just because. In our family, God is at the head and she prayed. She received a single, clear answer, “Call the dentist.”

She called my dentist and he said,

        “If it happens again, bring her in. We’ll leave the office open for you.”

Sure enough, what I was content to forget happened yet again. It was a winter evening, as the first incident had been, and I was eating dinner when that same ominous taste came. The second bleed was not as dramatic as the first, but just as troubling. We dropped everything and off to the dentist we went. I expected to sit and wait for awhile like we had in the emergency room, but we were ushered in immediately. X-rays were taken and the dentist looked, observing a shadowed area beneath my molars on the lower right side. Praise God that he realized that this mysterious ailment was beyond his expertise! He put up his hands and said,

“I’m not touching her. I’m sending you to an oral surgeon.”

I was listening, uncomprehending. Oral Surgeon? What’s that?

         It was another waiting room, another office, and another doctor to try and decipher the strange problem. But I know God brought us there because when he examined my case he was stunned and exclaimed that he had just finished a book on this subject that very day! Then, for the first time, the ailment had a name: Arterial Venous Malformation. For treatment he sent us to the expert, the author of the book, in Boston, Massachusetts. That began a cycle of treatment during which I leaned on the Lord as I continued going through school and coping.

        Then came the summer of 2011, the summer before my junior year of high school, I began seeking what the good Lord meant for me to do. I wasn’t sure. Others around me were planning for college and prosperous careers. At that point my greatest love was writing. It was such fun to invent worlds and people and that summer I wondered what would happen if I let God take hold of my pen. What if I prayed for the words? So, I prayed saying,

        “Lord, the pen is yours. What do you want me to do?”

When God leads amazing things happen and within just a few days a Christian based plot came to mind with a fire unlike any story that came before it. After two or three tries at a beginning it came to life on the pages of a large, black journal and it flowed as easily as water. Nothing slowed its progress and it was encouragement and help in my healing as the condition continued. While recovering from a surgery, rather than being

swallowed by my circumstances I waited in anticipation for the anesthesia induced fog in my head to clear. Every morning I would say to myself,

“I wonder if I’ll be able to write today.”

Now, as of April 1rst 2014, that story, The Mirror and The Sword is officially a published novel. How it has grown amazes me! I am nineteen years old and an author! The story continues, for The Mirror and The Sword is just the beginning.

        In sharing this with the world around me it’s my hope that God uses it to touch the lives of all who travel through its pages and if any doubts come to my mind about the future I will try to have faith like a mustard seed and keep in mind my favorite verse.

         “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”

                                                  Philippians 4:13

                           God bless you all and keep a smile on. 
                                                   
                                                                                
E.J. Norris


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Biography

E.J. Norris was born on July 16, 1994 in Blue Hill, Maine. While hop-skipping between home school, Calvary Chapel Christian School, and Bangor High School, writing evolved from a mere hobby to an obsession. It was inspired by personal beliefs and a struggle through complex medical problems. Through its publication, the author hopes that the adventures of Tenny and Anna will encourage others through difficult times. E.J. currently resides in Orrington, Maine.



Find her book at

https://www.tatepublishing.com/bookstore/book.php?w=978-1-62902-118-8

Or Click on the link below to buy a paperback copy from Amazon.

The Mirror and the Sword
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God's Olympians

2/12/2014

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I watched that beautiful 15-year-old girl, Yulia Lipnitskaia, skate in near perfection.  It took my breath away and even made my eyes fill with tears.  Then, after the awe wore off, I recognized a deeper feeling within me that had fanned to life as I watched someone else use a God-given gift to recognize an amazing potential.  That feeling was hunger.  Because I know I'm not there yet.  I'm still training, still learning to listen to His voice. 

But the hunger stays and women like Yulia remind me that road to great
things are usually long and difficult.  We can't give up when we don't get what we want in a week, month, or year and then assume that such dreams were not for us.  And we definitely cannot give up when God has given us that hunger.  Hunger to be who he has planned us to be. 

Even when I was littl
e I had a strong desire to show the beauty of life to other, to express it, to let others feel it the way I did.  I've dabbled in sketching, painting, music, and writing.  When I began writing novels ten
years ago I felt something bloom within me.  Like a girl with a secret garden I began cultivating an ability to show life through stories.  And I've known ever since that it was God's path for me. 
 
I'm so glad I had a chance to
watch some of the Winter Olympics this year.  My novel writing has been non-existent since we came home to the States.  I've pushed it to the sidelines as I've concentrated on all the rest of life going on around me.  But, it is time to get back to it.  I'm praying for God to show me ways to find the energy and time to work on those stories.  I'm hungry for it.  I'm hungry to do the work God has made me to do.  He made me to be a mother, wife, daughter, sister, and friend too and I am ever thankful for how rich my life is. 

I think that each and every Christian out there, daily training to listen to His voice and follow His plans, are God's Olympians.  That's an exciting thought for me.  That in my little corner of the world I can be in God's front line, be the very best at His specific plan for me.  And that hunger is ever present, insuring that I strive for excellence, that I strive for a unique potential, a life full of Him.

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us,
Ephesian 3:20

Photo by The Department of Culture, Media and Sport
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Zoom, Zoom!!

11/11/2013

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Have you ever ran a race?  Trained for one?  I have and I loved it.  You know, I'm not really that competitive either.  The fun for me was the motivation, the excitement, and the comradeship as I trained and prepared to reach my goals.  It seemed that once I found a group of people all excitedly aiming towards that finish line that I was no longer alone as I worked out and stayed fit.  Those few months I felt physically better than I ever have.

Even right now, as I take on the task of writing a novel in month as part of National Novel Writing Month, I have a group of people with the same goals and dreams.  We talk about our novels, write each other messages, call each other to check on progress and get each other over obstacles.  Once again, this comradeship has gave me motivation and excitement to type closer to my goals.  Zoom! Zoom!


Recently, God has powerfully shown me how important fellowship is.  This concept I have always shrugged off when it came to my spiritual walk.  That is embarrassing to realize, but I always thought that my relationship with God was purely between myself and Him and that involving other people in this aspect of my life was optional.  I'm an introvert so this decision was easy to make.  I'm refreshed and renewed by time alone so time alone with God made extra sense.

Then, my husband and I came to stay with a friend here in New South Wales.  Our friend goes to a tiny church in a very small town and invited us to join him.  I enthusiastically agreed.  I love the music in church, the worship, the sermons and I figured it would be a nice change from my solitary daily devotionals and listening to KLOVE as I clean the house.

But, my expectations weren't what God had in mind at all.  Because when I stepped into that church I experienced something else--something precious and irreplaceable...fellowship.  Sitting next to me, greeting my family and I, and singing with heart-felt praise were fellow Christians. 

I'd forgotten.  With all the traveling we have done and the years of living in isolated areas, I'd forgotten that church is not just the singing and the sermons, church is about comradeship.  Being in church is joining a group of people who are excited about God, ready to motivate others, and encourage each other in their walk of faith. 

Fellowship.  It is so amazingly powerful, so expressively beautiful. 

My dad, being a rancher, has a phrase he uses often, "People are herd animals".  We are.  I'm not saying that we need to be with others.  I'm saying that the power of a group of people headed in the same direction is a force to be reckoned with, a force that can change lives. 

We only have a few more weeks here and then we'll have to move on and leave this group behind, but the experience has been amazing for me and I know now that having and being part of a church is very important and powerful in our walks with God. 

So, from here on out, I intend on seeking out and surrounding myself with those fellow Christians because I know that the motivation and excitement of running a race with others is so much more powerful than ru


Photo by Danielle Walquist Lynch

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,

Hebrews 12:1
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Java Joy

9/21/2013

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This morning my cup of instant coffee felt like luxury.  Yet a few days ago the exact same Nestle brew had only been a life-line to sanity, a mechanism used to cope.  This morning my little family woke in the home our new friends, ate breakfast, laughed, and marveled at that feeling...vacation. 

We left the outback and made our way up north to the beautiful city of Cairns.  We watched as the rugged wildness of the desert land transformed into exotic greenery as we drove to the coast.  Cairns is so gorgeous it almost feels unreal.  Everyone has flowering trees in their yards and even parking lots are meticulously cultivated and clean.


I've decided that indeed it is vacation time.  Even I need some time of rest.  So, for the moment, I'm putting away my novels and I'm going to forget about character development and plot progression.  I'm going to live.  I'm going to fill my heart and soul with memories of this beautiful place and the miraculous friends who invited us to share their home during our stay. 

And, I laughed at myself this morning.  I poured that cup of instant coffee, doctored it with milk and sugar, and tucked my feet underneath me, savoring each sip.  I didn't even check my e-mail or make a single click on Facebook until a few minutes ago.  I'm viewing life through the lenses of someone whose only "job" right now is to enjoy, rest, and refill.  Even helping with the dishes was joyful tonight, laughing and talking with the sweet lady who has already stole the heart of my little toddling girl. 

God is SO GOOD.  God is SO GREAT.  I have been told that God, as our Father in Heaven, truly seeks to bless us, to provide for us, to bring our lives joy. 

So thank you, God, for providing my heart, body, and soul a time of rest.  Help me to remmber to enjoy to the fullest all the wonderful things you have provided for me in my life. 


Photo by Comedy Nose

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Interview with Deborah Heal

8/17/2013

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God daily leads us to opportunities to grow and learn when our eyes, ears, and hearts remain open.  There has been two predominant themes in my writing these last couple weeks--the struggles of young people in our culture and remembering our faith in God to overcome fear. 

Deborah Heal is the author of young adult novels.  I met her in one of the Christian Books clubs on Goodreads.com.  When I visited her blog I was very upset to hear that she was being criticized by reviewers for not only addressing the subject of sex in her Christian novels, but also presenting her main characters as making the choice of abstinence before marriage. Click here to read the article.  But, even with the fear that her book sales might drop, Deborah Heal faithfully marches on in her choice to follow God's voice and write His truths into her novels.  My interview with her follows. 


Lora: I love your honesty, Deborah. Your blog has been happily bookmarked on my browser.

Deborah: Thank you, Lora. I'm so happy to meet you on FB and Goodreads. Thanks for liking my FB page. Are you referring to a specific article?

Lora: Yes, yesterday I read "Warning! Prudish Characters on Board." and I just wanted to give you a round of applause. Then I looked up your books on Goodreads and put them on my "Want to Read" shelf. There is no excuse for anyone who studies God's word to say they approve of sex before marriage and I love it that you didn't tiptoe around that issue when writing a young adult novel.

Deborah: What an encouragement you are! I felt down after my encounter with the two reviewers I mention in my article. It's wonderful to talk to others who believe the Bible and live by it. It's a rough world out there, isn't it? I think it's becoming increasingly easy for Christians to feel isolated, like they're the only ones holding to the truth.

I keep thinking of how Elijah felt in I Kings 19. How gracious God was to him in his depression and distress, assuring him, "Yet I have reserved seven thousand in Israel, all whose knees have not bowed to Baal." How cool that God used social media to connect me to you so that you could encourage me! Here's the Elijah story with one commentator's explanation. http://www.enduringword.com/commentaries/1119.htm

Lora: Your article reminded me of a recent conversation I had with some high school kids wanting to know if people should still remain abstinent before marriage. I had a long conversation with them about how my marriage was benefited by waiting for my one true love and how God put that rule in place for us to be protected physically, emotionally, and spiritually. It just hurts my heart that their are churches out their who are more interested in going with popular ideas and culture than with following God's word.

Deborah: Wow! What a great opportunity you had. It must be doubly hard for young people today to stay true, so keep on talking. I read an article some time back that was very encouraging to me as a parent. It referenced research that indicated that teens today are more receptive to adults' advice and modeling than in years past when there was more of a generation gap. (Even though they are still prone to roll their eyes while you're doing it.) I was so encouraged by that information as a parent and as a high school teacher. We won't know until Heaven how many people we influenced.

Lora: What made you start writing Christian Fiction?

Deborah: I believe (as C.S. Lewis did) that fiction can be a powerful tool for introducing and reinforcing the message of the Gospel, I consider my books a big part of my ministry to both Christian and non-believing teens. I tried to create characters that are realistic and imperfect, but also faithful Christians as worthy (even heroic) role models for teens.

Lora: My favorite characters in novels have always been those that seemed real to me and grew emotionally and spiritually throughout the story.  How do you think your novels come across for non-Christian readers?

Deborah: I've been careful all along to avoid using the sledgehammer technique for presenting biblical truth in my books. Even so, some of my critics find too much "God talk" in them. At times, I have to admit, I've been tempted to tone down the Christian elements in my future books. But then I remind myself that my job isn't to please everyone out there--only God. You thanked me for being courageous. I'm going to remember your words as I continue work with my next book. Thanks again for your encouragement!

Lora:  Since teens today are constantly bombarded by sex, so prominent in our culture today, I wonder how churches have chosen to approach this topic.  I know that most Christian books completely cut out sexuality and profanity, yet is that “hear no evil, see no evil” really helping our young people figure out what choices they want to make?

Deborah: I asked readers at the end of my article to comment about the teachings on this subject of churches they're familiar with. I'm hoping to prove to myself that my Episcopal friend is wrong about the extent of the liberal idea that sexual purity is passe in most churches. If any of your readers would like to chime in on this, they can do so in the comment section of my article.  Click on link.

Lora:  I look forward to reading your novels, Deborah and recommending them to young adults who are hungry to read truths about God and what He wants for us.  Do you have a specific technique you've used while writing? 

Deborah: I realize that no matter how much biblical truth I weave into my books, they still have to be well-written and have a good plot for people to read them. You can read about them here. Click on Link. If anyone would like to try one out, they can get Time and Again, the first book in the trilogy, for 99 cents.  Of course, I'm hoping they'll like it and go on and get the other books too. And I'm hoping readers will take the time to post reviews. Not only do reviews (positive ones anyway, lol) help sales, they are also such an encouragement to me that I'm on the right track.

Lora:  Thank you for taking the time to interview with me, Deborah.  God sees the works that you do and your fearless faith is a great example to all. 


Learn more about Deborah Heal, her writing, and her incredible live journey at http://deborahheal.com/
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    Lora is a Christian writer, wife, and mother who travels the world with her husband, living and working on ranches.

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