For those of you who may not know it, Easter is a very important date in the Christian calendar – maybe the most important date, even more important Christmas – although we seem to make more of a deal over Christmas. However, while Christmas is the celebration of the birth of Christ – the time He came to this earth – Easter commemorates His resurrection from the dead and the fulfillment of the reason for His coming. As a Christian, I enjoy celebrating both.

A few years ago, I entered a Writer’s Digest competition and won an honorable mention in the inspirational category for my short story For God So Loved. I was really blown away for two reasons 1) Writer’s Digest is a secular platform and 2) my entry was a religious story, but it did win a prize. So, with Easter right around the corner I would like to share this story with you free of cost.

For God So Loved is my creative interpretation of what the atmosphere must have been like that first Good Friday – when Jesus was crucified – and that first Easter Sunday – when He rose from the dead.

Here’s a short excerpt:

In the courts of heaven, the atmosphere is tense.

             The angel Gabriel and his musicians have laid aside their instruments, the elders that praise God around the throne are now seated, heads bowed on their knees.  Occasionally, a moan or a sigh escapes from some corner of the vast room. On the throne itself God sits in majestic silence, nothing in His demeanor betraying the depth of His thoughts. On the far side of the room, Moses and Elijah appear in deep conversation, seemingly oblivious to the uncomfortable silence.

Suddenly, from outside the walls sounds a great eruption. The elders jump to their feet and all eyes turn toward the entrance. The angels draw their swords and stand ready. Only God remains unmoved. In a blaze of smoke, a creature dressed in shining black garments, followed by smaller imps also clad in black, makes his way into the room. With a movement of His hand, God signals to the elders to clear the way for Satan to approach the throne.

Satan approaches and God looks down at him. Immediately, he falls flat on his back. His imps rush to his side and help him up. When he is once more vertical, God thunders from the throne, “What are you up to, Satan?”

“I am here to conclude our negotiations.”

God fixes him with a stare which he cannot return. “Do you want more riches?”

“I already have all the kingdoms of the world. I do not need any more riches.”

“Do you want more wisdom?”

“I have all the wisdom I need.”

“Do you want more power?”

“I have all the power I need.”

“Then what do you want?”

An evil grin sneaks across his face. “Your only begotten Son.”

A loud gasp emanates from every corner of the hall, followed by shouts and cries. The angels, swords thrusting forward, spring toward the intruder. God raises his hand and everyone falls backward. There is silence once more and God speaks, “You shall have Him.”

For God So Loved is part of a My Book Cave giveaway taking place right now until Easter. To get your free copy, all you have to do is click here  and it will take you to the page where you’ll see it and other Christian-themed books, all free of cost. But that’s not all. When you enter this giveaway, you stand a chance to win a $25 gift card. So take advantage of this wonderful opportunity and tell your friends about it as well. And remember, if you haven’t signed up for my newsletter, you can do so now to learn about other exciting offers.

If you’re a writer I’m sure you’ve heard of NaNoWriMo, a catchy little title that stands for National Novel Writing Month. The month happens to be every November. This is the first time I have entered this, what should I call it? Race? It’s not a competition. At least you’re not competing against anyone but yourself. To write at least 50,000 words by the end of the month. That’s a tough call, but doable for those folks who do not have a day job and have the luxury of writing as much as they want to, or as little. I don’t fall into that category. So why am I doing it?

It motivates me. Since I still have a day job, my writing is sporadic, to say the least. Knowing that I have to try to keep up, gives me the push I need to write if only half a page, as I did this morning. The folks at NaNoWriMo say you should not stop to edit. Simply allow your thoughts to flow and get through the first draft. For me that is difficult. I love to ponder over every line, but now I have to train myself to simply put my thoughts down, then think about them later.

Link up with others. Writing can be a lonely business. NaNoWriMo is a good way to link up with other writers. I haven’t done it yet, but there are groups in my city that meet at certain times to give support and assistance. This also helps keep you motivated and you may make lifelong friends.

Free Giveaways. Writer’s Digest is also getting into the act with free giveaways. Check out http://bit.ly/RFgQkA every Monday – Friday in the month of November to access the content. They are also highlighting weekly themes to help you write your novel. So now I’m off to get some more writing done.

When I wrote a blog entry a couple months ago about writing contests, I’d given little thought to winning an award. As it turned out, I won an honorable mention in the Writer’s Digest 80th annual competition for my story For God So Loved. I knew I’d poured my heart and soul into that story, but with a magazine like Writer’s Digest that receives thousands of entries, chances of winning anything are very slim. So, this award has brought me some satisfaction as well as encouragement. It showed me that as a writer I can achieve anything if I work at it hard enough. (more…)