January 8, 2024: Good Monday Morning

/ Carol Underhill / Leave a comment

Good Monday Morning.

I have not posted to my blog for almost a year due to health problems. While I am still not 100%, I am able to pick up a little on my writing again. I have some actual goals this year.

I’ll be writing curriculum for children’s ministry again this year. I enjoy working with the kids. They are so honest and have great questions. They inspire me to dig a little deeper in my faith, to keep my life centered on Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of our faith.

By the end of the summer I hope to have my Bible lessons ready for publishing. There are two series in particular: The Passport to the Promised Land, and the Hall of Faith series, both of which focus on Old Testament Bible stories.

I haven’t written any new fiction since 2021. Instead I have focused on my real life. Unfortunately, much of last year was mired in pain and some depression and I didn’t have the motivation or energy to make up scenes and dialogue. This year I am going to return to my familiar characters and stories and work on sequels.

Thank you to all who have stuck with me on this journey.

May 2024 be a blessed year, indeed.

Feed the Light (Previously published in February 2023.)

/ Carol Underhill / 1 Comment

This post came about almost one year ago when I was really struggling with my faith and felt quite hopeless. I share it here today as a testimony that God has shown His great faithfulness to me. But for anyone who needs to hear this uplifting message I share this original post:

It’s been a rough week.

I wish sometimes life would be good all the time, but that is not the case. Not for anyone. The tide ebbs and flows. The sun rises and the sun sets. Seasons change. We grow from helpless infants and travel through life only to find most of us helpless as we reach our final breath. The darkness comes at night, only to become light again as the sun rises.

“Feed the Light.”

Those were the words whispered in my ear last night.

As I said, it’s been a rough week. After some tests to find out what is causing abdominal pain, a doctor I saw in a walk-in clinic took time to talk to me about it and find out what was going on. She ordered an MRI so she can look at the big picture. I hope to find out what is causing the pain, yet if it is something serious, I don’t know if I want to know. People deal with pain all the time, but sometimes there are serious conditions causing that pain. Since I haven’t received a call to schedule the MRI yet, then there is nothing I can do but wait.

And pray.

And trust in God’s faithfulness.

I also may be facing laser surgery to correct glaucoma. It is a scary thought to me, to be so vulnerable to eye surgery. But without it, I could lose my eyesight. I have an appointment scheduled to see the specialist in December.

Again, there is nothing to do but wait.

And pray.

And trust in God’s faithfulness.

Our God is a good God, but not everything that happens in life is good.

We live in a fallen world full of darkness. God is our source of Light and Strength.

I wasn’t myself yesterday. I think the pain, the missed time from work, the fear of the unknown, all weighed heavy on my mind.

Late yesterday afternoon I found myself hurtled towards the darkness of the pit of depression.

“Feed the Light.”

Those words came to me.

I got out my phone and fired up my Spotify playlist.

As I listened to the worship music and meaningful lyrics of contemporary Christian songs, I am thankful that my hope is in the Lord.

I couldn’t help but find the source of my strength and hope as I played the song.

This morning, I still don’t have answers. I still have pain. Yet I have found my hope.

I have once again avoided falling into the dark pit of depression.

God is good. And faithful. He has promised to never leave me nor forsake me.

He is my Light.

The Lord is my light and my salvation—whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold of my life—of whom shall I be afraid? Psalm 27:1

Good Monday Morning: February 27, 2023

/ Carol Underhill / Leave a comment

It’s been a while since I’ve posted a Monday morning greeting.

I’d like to say it’s because I have been busy.

But in reality, I’ve been home nearly every day for three months.

I was sidelined in November with back pain. I went through tests and physical therapy and seemed to be doing well.

Then I tried to go back to work and couldn’t.

Pain continued and I saw a pain specialist. I got a nerve block injection and it seems to be holding up. If I don’t bend or twist or pick up anything heavy, I don’t have pain. If I overdo it with walking or sitting too long, I do start to get some achiness. I can’t pedal without pain so I haven’t been exercising. This week I’m going to start walking on the treadmill that my kids bought a few months ago. It sits in my living room so it’s really convenient.

I admit I am not that motivated, and that needs to change. I’ve also been eating more and snacking between meals since I’m home all day and I’ve put on weight. After working so hard to lose it and get in shape a couple of years ago, I got discouraged with myself and disappointed.

When I am discouraged or disappointed, then it is a vicious cycle. I feel too down to get up and do anything to change my circumstances. In turn, my situation gets worse because I’m not motivated to change.

That is where the power of the Holy Spirit can step in and remind me of who I am in Christ. God is never disappointed in me. His Word encourages me to grow in Christ and in knowledge. I’ve spent many hours in Bible study each week as I prepare lessons for children’s church.

Music has been my mainstay during this season of my life. Some great songs have been released by Christian artists:

A couple of my recent favorites:

Glorious Day:

and also:

God is on the Move

Those songs will get your blood pumping on a Monday morning!

Praise God for His plan of redemption.

Book Spotlight: Roadtrip Romance Book 2

/ Carol Underhill / Leave a comment

I’m excited to talk with author Amy Anguish today about her new book, Roadtrip for One Two. Thank you for joining me today, Amy. Tell us a little bit about yourself.

I’m busy, busy, busy. Ha! Seriously, though, I am a wife and mommy. I also teach preschool two days a week and work with a tax firm the other days. And write and edit, too. It keeps me hopping, but I feel so blessed to be able to do it all.

What is your new book about?

Recovering from heartbreak is hard when the ex-fiancé tags along.

Dallas, Texas wasn’t in the plans when Bree Henley set out to use the nonrefundable honeymoon tickets from her canceled wedding. Nor was running into ex-fiancé Nathan Hart. But their mutual friends and the weather have other ideas. A hurricane cancels their cruise and Bree decides to turn the disaster into a roadtrip for one, never imagining Nathan would object.

Nathan is furious when he uncovers the plot to get him back with Bree. But he can’t just let her go roaming around the big city of Dallas alone. Though he knows calling off their wedding was the right thing to do, he still cares for Bree. And before he knows what hits him, he’s volunteered to tag along. Suddenly, it’s a trip for two.

Spending the week together might remind them of why they fell in love. But is it enough to overcome the obstacles standing in the way of “til death do us part”?

Now for some answers to questions readers like to know:

What is the inspiration behind your story?

Several things. One, these characters started in the first book in this series and then needed their own story. Oops. Or not oops? 😊 Second, I had been to Dallas several times, and had also had flights canceled in that airport. So, the fodder was there just waiting to be used. Ta da. And third, well, when the idea of having a broken up couple run into each other and find out they’re both planning to use their un-honeymoon not knowing the other was too, well, it was too good to pass up. And it fit this story so well.

Do you have a day job? If so, how do you find time in your day to write?

Short answer, I make the time. I find months that aren’t *quite* as busy and I squeeze as many words in a day as possible. I’m a fast writer, and have written a whole (rough) manuscript in eighteen days in the past. I learned to write fast by doing nanowrimo every year and just got in the habit. Which is handy when I don’t have a ton of time to write in normal life.

Are you a night owl or morning person?

I’m a mid-morning person and a mid-afternoon person. Those seem to be the times of day I get the most done. Not sure why.

What does your family think of your writing?

My husband doesn’t always understand (he says, “Wait. You created the characters so how can they take over?”), but he is SO supportive. He makes sure I have time to do video chats and podcast recordings and lets me bounce ideas off him. And my kids have started marketing for me, passing bookmarks to their teachers. 😊

Are you part of a writing group?

I’m actually sort of part of two. One with two girls who live in other states. We get together several times a year to record videos for our Youtube channel and support each other with an ongoing Facebook messenger chat between times. And one group with a local girl here and another who lived here but moved to Arkansas last year. So we keep up in various ways too.

Who was the first person you allowed to read your completed book?

Pretty sure it was my sister because I wanted her to edit it. She remarked that my stories were very much like Hallmark movies and I took it as a compliment.

Thanks again for being my guest today, Amy. What’s next for you as an author?

So many exciting things, actually. I have a novella coming out in Feb in a collection called Love Delivered. My story is Romance at Register Five, and is set in a grocery store, of all places. Then, the third book in my Roadtrip Romance series releases in June. I have another book coming in August that’s part of a quadrilogy (four book series) with three other authors, each of us writing about fifty years apart. And then a Christmas book in October. I’m super excited about that one. It’s called My Mama Dated Santa.

Amy R Anguish grew up a preacher’s kid, and in spite of having lived in seven different states that are all south of the Mason Dixon line, she is not a football fan. Currently, she resides in Tennessee with her husband, daughter, and son, and usually a bossy cat or two. Amy has an English degree from Freed-Hardeman University that she intends to use to glorify God, and she wants her stories to show that while Christians face real struggles, it can still work out for good.

Follow her at http://abitofanguish.weebly.com or http://www.facebook.com/amyanguishauthor

 Or https://twitter.com/amy_r_anguish

Learn more about her books at https://www.pinterest.com/msguish/my-books/

And check out the YouTube channel she does with two other authors, Once Upon a Page (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEiu-jq-KE-VMIjbtmGLbJA)

God is on the Move!

/ Carol Underhill / Leave a comment

God is on the move!

He’s inspired some new lesson ideas for children’s church, which we are now calling Kingdom Kids Arise. It’s a morning “talk show” where we will discuss Bible truths. Some weeks will we will have object lesson demonstrations, some weeks we will interview “people from the Bible.” There will be skits and memory verses and tickets to earn prizes, as well as fun activities and crafts that tie in with the Bible lesson. Some ideas came from other sources, but the dialogue and lessons come from Scripture and from the heart. Sometimes I just have to look at a picture or read a couple of sentences, and I am inspired to write.

I wish that I were writing some fiction but right now that isn’t coming to me. And maybe it is not God’s timing for fiction right now.

A couple of weeks ago I felt like I was losing my purpose. Then I’m not sure how it transpired, but God gave me a spurt of inspiration that has progressed into an exciting new lesson series. The Woods Church is generously allowing me to use their children’s program as an outlet for putting the lessons into practice and I can see if there are any glitches or things that need to be changed. Eventually I would like to publish some of the curriculum I’ve written. But again, that will be in God’s timing.

On a sad note, I am giving notice to my day job today. Although the physical therapy helped me overcome the back and hip pain, the work that I do as a homemaker aide is hard on my back and I’m not able to do it. That means I will be looking for a job closer to home that I can do physically.

In the meantime, I’m praising God that my mind is vibrant and functioning well. I haven’t always been in a good place mentally or emotionally but am in a good season right now. I think the six or seven weeks that I was home, the first few weeks pretty much confined to my recliner, gave me the time I needed to grown in God’s grace, to slow down from life and listen for His calling.

God is good, all the time. Even through the hard times.