God Communicates

Prayer, our direct connection with God, it is so important. Sometimes I will get so caught up in my own life and things that I "need" to get done, that I almost forget how important prayer really is. I feel silly admitting this, but it happens. I will run through a Bible study and then not pray about it. That just goes to show my inner checklist personality trait showing up in all areas of my life. Life has been so busy over the past month. I had no idea that it would be this way after finishing school, but it is. I have a tendency to get really involved with myself and my own needs. The Lord reminds us that we are not to get overrun by the flesh and by worldly things. Just the other day I was going non-stop, barely remembering if I had lunch or not, and then I opened up "The Daily Bible Verse" email that is sent to me everyday. It was a complete slap in the face! This is what Proverbs 23:4 had to say: "Do not wear yourself out to get rich; have the wisdom to show restraint." Um can I just say that God proves Himself everyday! He knows. I sat there for a moment and tried to slow it down!

I am just so addicted to this project and getting it done, that I don't see very clearly. Maybe I just choose to ignore, since I am such a stubborn person. I am obviously going to continue working, but maybe I am in need of a little more quiet time with the Lord. Oh, and not just for myself, but it is so important that we pray outwardly. Everyone is in need of our prayers and God loves it when we love others. That was my prayer all semester in Bible Study, please Lord help me pray harder for other people and not just myself!

Iggy in Color

I must share my excitement with all! A couple nights ago, I got the first color copies of the Iggy the Iguana characters! I can not put words to how exciting it was to see characters that have been in my head for years on paper! Kelley Stengele, my illustrator, is just so great. I am just in awe of the different talents God gives to different people. I literally wrote down the way I wanted the little guys to look and she came up with just that!

The past couple of weeks have been pretty busy, trying to get Iggy published! After doing a few book presentations at elementary schools, I have decided to do a school book tour in the fall. I guess it is a good thing that I am going to start working part-time in Austin. This project is more time consuming than I had planned. Actually, I have been warned by many writers, that it is a long, hard process to get a book finished and promoted. I know it is going to be sooo worth it! Things just keep progressing and getting better each day! I just got confirmation on the trademark for my new publishing company, LongTale Publishing!

Ultimately, I love how involved and interested all the kids are in the process and the background of Iggy! Their big reactions are just so inspiring! Yesterday, one little 4th grade boy asked if I was going to turn the book into a movie! I responded with, "Well, that would be the ultimate goal, and my biggest dream!"

Well here is a picture of my Iggy! I love this picture that Kelley created for me!!!! Check out the rest of the characters at http://web.mac.com/melissamwilliams.

UPDATES

AUSTIN


After a week of interviewing in Austin and working on my book in Houston, I officially have updates! After a lot of time spent asking the Lord if He really wanted me to move or wait, I have come to the decision to move to Austin. Everything just seemed to fit. It was one of those things that I just couldn't fight after so many doors continued to opened. Even though I haven't officially decided where I will work, I feel so at peace with this move. There are a few options to chose from once I get there. So, I will be relocating to the North Austin area this June. I am so excited to be living in such a beautiful city. I don't know what took me so long! It is totally my kind of place... I am going to go crazy with all of the places to run, bike, hike, boat, and the list goes on! I am definitely joining an outdoor group the second I get in town. Last weekend my roommates to be and I spent many hours at the Oasis, on Lake Travis, taking millions of pictures of the sun setting on the lake. The view was gorgeous!

IGGY ILLUSTRATIONS


I have many Iggy updates, but first I want to say how exciting it is to write a book and actually get to work with your illustrator on the illustrations! Since I am self-publishing, I get to decide exactly how I want everything to work. I got the newest sketches from my illustrator, who is also a friend and sorority sister from college, and I couldn't be happier! They are the cutest little characters. I just can't wait to see them in the book and on the web site!

MORE IGGY


I just started taking pre-orders for the Iggy the Iguana book last Friday, while presenting to an elementary class in Houston. The kids were so incredible, and seeing how excited they got about the book was the best part by far! I can actually say that I understand what it means to "do it for the fans!" Ha! Anyway, I am seriously considering putting together a book tour next year once the book is published. I predict that once I get my publishing company up and running, the book will come out very soon. I'm working on the logo and trademark right now. I got to pick out colors for my website today, which was fun... kind of like picking out wall paper samples. My web designer has been great, and I can't wait for the launching of the official site! I am still working on formating draft 9 and finishing touches. I never knew, when first starting this project, how much really went in to making a book. The process is never ending, yet I wouldn't change a thing. It is getting so close... the book will be out in summer 08!


I'll keep the pictures coming!

We are all the same

I'm one of those people who really wished that they could control what is happening in their life when it is actually happening. I have started to learn about the power of progression. Not only in myself but in the lives of others too. God has definitely shown me that patience is built through a test of time. He has shown me that He can speak to anyone, but time has everything to do with it. Sometimes I think I am running out of time, but this is my own human mistake. God knows what He is doing. He shows himself to me more and more each day through others. I used to think that I had to be the one to show someone the way, but really I have let myself and my own needs get in the way of what is real. I have a dear friend who has proven this very phenomenon to me...just yesterday after an over due conversation between the two of us. When we are truly honest with ourselves, God shows His amazing face. It over joys me to know this. What it also puts into perspective for me is that we are all the same. We all have our own vices. We all make repeated mistakes. We all struggle. God has been so patient with His children, so isn't it our job on earth to show this same patience to others? I wish it were this easy, but we can't stop trying.

Vigilance

Over the past few months, the Lord has opened my eyes to His plan for me. It wasn't obvious until I read my morning Bible study on 2 Thessalonians 2:1-12. Yes, it was one of those slap in the face wake up calls! As Christians we must remain vigilant, yet not wrapped in fear. We must live our lives as if Jesus were coming today. The difference between fear and vigilance is that fear leads to a lack of action. Vigilance on the other hand is proactive! We must always remain alert and not caught off guard. I was forced to answer some questions about my own walk of faith with the Lord. As someone who used to be weak of faith, I must keep my guard up in order to not be persuaded by others. God keeps showing me that the job He has called me to do requires ministering to the weak of faith. This can be tricky, because I relate so well to these people. It is a good thing and a bad thing on my end. I am continually faced with others who share many of my own weaknesses. This requires so much strength and sometimes it is absolutely exhausting, but I know this is what He wants me to do in more areas than one. I have been so busy over the past month trying to make a transition into a new counseling career and an entirely different business with writing that I haven't been giving the Lord as much time as He deserves. I want my career choices to honor and serve Him but I can't forget what my daily actions reflect as well.

My 7 Things

I was tagged by my dear friend Stephanie and really had no idea what that meant, but after commenting with a 10 page comment on her blog I realized what I was actually supposed to be doing. I am answering the tag and passing the tag on...

Here are the rules:
Link your tagger and list these rules on your blog.
Share 7 facts about yourself on your blog, some random, some weird.
Tag 7 people at the end of your post by leaving their names as well as links to their blogs.
Let them know they are tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.


My 7 Things...
1. One of the things that I look the most forward to in old age is having a front porch with a swing and sitting outside with my husband every night after dinner. Actually I take that back, I would so do that today, forget old age. This is how I know I am a country girl at heart.
2. About two years ago I gave up my dream to either be a disney cartoon voice or some kind of actress when I realized I am way too of a reserved behind the scenes person to ever enjoy stardome. For so long I thought that I would only be special if I was famous.
3. I am a horrible speller. I probably use the spell check on microsoft word twenty times a day, even when writing things down on paper.
4. I love getting my hands tickled. Actually I would pay someone to do it everyday.
5. I have to constantly be moving. When I am bored, stressed, anxious, whatever I scratch the sides of my thumbs. My manicurist always has some remark to say about my cuticles. I don't know if I will ever be able to give the scratching up.
6. I don't know how to have free time. It freaks me out. If I don't have at least 5 major things going on in my life I start to get antsy. I am a project person!
7. Over the past year I have realized that I am an extremely sensitive person, I just hide it really well.

The people I tagged are:
http://aykayjay.blogspot.com/
http://bendingpeak.blogspot.com/