THE WORD – This proverb is one of my favorite scriptures. I’ve memorized it, quoted it and repeated it over and over through good times and not so good times.

How easy it is to fall back on our “own understanding” and forget to place our trust in Jesus. If we truly want God to direct our paths here is the method outlined for us:

Trust. With all our hearts. Not just a portion. ALL.

Lean not to our own understanding. Stop trying to figure it out with our limited vision. It never works that way.

Acknowledge Him. Let’s define “acknowledge.” To concede, confess, declare, to recognize the authority of…Aha! It all starts to make sense.

If we follow this instruction, God has promised to direct our paths. We know there will always be situations that seem impossible, problems that don’t go away and people that never change.

Oh yes, but Jesus is our Waymaker. He will make a way for us – where there is no way!  He will direct our paths.

God help us to trust and to stop leaning on our own solutions. Lord, we acknowledge You have complete authority over all. And we’re excited about the grand adventure of having YOU direct our paths! 

Have you recognized the hand of God leading your steps?

                           Brilliant sunshine.

Sweet summer breezes.

               Fresh scent of wind blown laundry.

Dried lavender sachets.

       Water. Sparkling lakes, powerful ocean waves and serenity on the Sound.

Iced sweet tea. More iced sweet tea.

       Lounging in the lawn chairs, soaking up the sun rays.

Marveling at the countless shades of blue in the sky.

     A marathon of reading – magazines, books, newspapers.

Finding time for fellowship with friends and family. 

What was your favorite part of summer?

IN OTHER WORDS – From John Maxwell’s book, “Acquiring and keeping good people is a leader’s most important task.”

“There is no success without a successor.” 

“The more people you lead, the more leaders you need.”

Leadership in our churches is often an area we overlook.

Perhaps we think this happens naturally and things simply fall into place. Not!

I highly recommend John Maxwell’s book on leadership for anyone involved in ministry.

Have you read a good book lately on leadership?

“

A WORD—“Monkeyshine” -A trick, prank, or antic.

Do you enjoy a character in a book who is known for their pranks? Always the jokester, full of tricks or antics?

There probably is a hidden motivation from their mysterious past that causes them to act this way : )

Have you ever written about a character who loves monkeyshines?

IN OTHER WORDS – When members of the Northeast Zone met recently in Albany NY, there were a few key phrases circling the conversation. Yes, Nike wears the pink tiara with pride. But it does cause one to contemplate the “what ifs?” Since she writes crime fiction, what if there is more behind this pink tiara then we understand? There may be a whole group of “pink tiara ladies” that are actually crime fighters. And there was that continual conversation with the waiter about cologne. Perhaps Jenna Victoria was helping Pink Tiara to smuggle the formula for this new cologne back to the Island. The Adirondack story lady had tallied up all the potential profits from the sale but the waiter turned traitor and was about to pass the info on to the wrong person. And was that divine cheesecake safe to eat or could it be tainted with poison. Oh my! Elaine was trying to figure it all out but Rachel and Cynthia were clueless and just wanted to discuss writing and eat more cheesecake. Carol came late and what’s with that? Is she also a PT lady and the supposed “accident and traffic tie-up” was just a front? What if, what if…

Nevertheless, a good time was had by all and the pink tiara is now at rest. At least we think it is.

THE WORD – “Your words show what is in your hearts. Good people bring good things out of their hearts, but evil people bring evil things out of their hearts.” Matthew 12:34-35 CEV

Our words. Whether spoken or written. They reveal what is in our hearts.

God help me to have a clean heart, pure and right before Your eyes.

“You must keep all earthly treasures out of your heart, and let Christ be your treasure, and let Him have your heart.” – Charles H. Spurgeon    

Scripture and quote from “Becoming a Woman of Worth Prayer Book” by Karen Moore.

Taking this time to share some photos of this year’s conference, meeting up with some wonderful friends I haven’t seen for the last three years and finding new ones : )

Faithful friends Jorlyn and Connie from previous conferences.

With Sherry who I met at my first conference in 2007, and Becky who "signs" beautifully during worship.

New friends Mandy and Cheryl who had me in hysterics at the lunch table...

And my strongest supporter and biggest fan from day 1, my husband, Dwayne.

Wonderful conference, beautiful setting, now time to write…

Have you ever been to this conference? You need to be there in 2015!

(I did miss regulars Vonda Skelton, Deb Raney, Susie May Warren and Karen Moore)

Time for a fresh look at Lovely Lane!

As fellow bloggers know, it often takes awhile to find the right direction for your own blog. We are encouraged to follow what we are passionate about to be successful. I love Jesus. I love Words. I love Writing. I love Reading. The new format will follow this pattern for posting four weekends:

• The Word – a devotional.
  
• A Word – reviewing a particular word, whether funny or unusual.
  
• My Words – a topic that grabs my attention that month. May be current issues, money saving tips, home decor, friendships, etc.
  
• In Other Words – sharing a favorite quote or term. Or a book review. Perhaps a guest post.
  

Short posts.  More book giveaways.

My focus is on the love of Words and all we can accomplish using them wisely. Whether in writing pursuits or in daily conversation.

If you have any suggestions of things that would be of interest to you, as a writer OR as a reader, please do leave me a comment. And thank you for stopping by today : )

WINNER OF LAST BOOK GIVEAWAY – Congrats to Melissa!

I was pleasantly surprised with this new book. Okay, more than pleasantly surprised. Dear Mr. Knightley is an awesome story written with engaging characters, depth of emotion, a compelling plot, and a chance to laugh and cry in all the right places.   Love books that make me laugh and cry. Sometimes within a few sentences of each other.

The references to Austen sprinkled throughout add a colorful and appealing flavor. The story turned out to be so much more than I thought it would be, a completely satisfying read. And if you like anything about Jane Austen, you will love this book. Kudos to Reay on an outstanding debut novel!

Have you read it yet?

If you read a great novel this month, please leave a recommendation in a comment, thank you!

Love, love, love my library! Here’s the proof above, moi volunteering at one of their local book sales. And whoever says books are going out of style, obviously hasn’t been to one of these sales recently.

I’ve been a loyal card-carrying library patron since I was old enough to pencil in an application form. And I’m also guilty of library-hopping, from branch to branch. This one has more magazines I like, that one has a wider selection of dvd’s and another one has an outstanding collection of Christian fiction! There is the small, quaint village library in an old historical building, with all its delightful twists and turns, or the more modern branch downtown. Each library has its unique character.

Do you visit your library on a weekly basis?

Have you ever considered volunteering?

Is your library one of your favorite places?

Is this where you discover new authors?