Happy Sunday!

I’ve been uncharacteristically quiet for the past several weeks during the launch of my Jo Oliver Thriller series. Those of you who know me well know that I love to throw a good party, and I love to play with giveaways, and make up crazy little book-themed momentos to share with readers. I’d every intention of doing all of that and more for the launch of this series. I have not done so–yet. And here’s why.

Two months ago today my mother died. On the same day CLEANSED BY DEATH was released. I knew in the moment that once I’d paid grief’s heavy toll the pairing would seem sweet to me.

Two days from now SHATTERED BY DEATH will be released and I am so very excited and so very grateful. I’d be doing cartwheels and featuring house-size blow up displays of my favorite scenes from SHATTERED BY DEATH in my front yard if I wasn’t muted by grief. My mother used to tell me to “lean into the pain” whenever life dealt me an impossibly cruel hand and I’m leaning into the shadows of her passing now. This ability to face difficult circumstances has made me who I am today and is one of the character traits I strive to illustrate in Chief Jo Oliver.

And by the way, my mother’s mother was named Josephine. Oliver was the maiden name of my father’s mother. So you see how my dear protagonist evokes a deep sense of home, of rootedness, and of powerful women as I write. Gifts of my heritage and I am grateful.

The dedication for SHATTERED BY DEATH reads simply “This one’s for you, Mom.” She was proud of my work, she was proud of my books, and I know she’d love this one.

I hope you do too!

Know that as the shadows of mourning fall away, there WILL be some house-sized, crazy-fun promotions in my future as SHATTERED BY DEATH finds a place in this world.

Gratefully,

Catherine

Thank you to #RemainInHisLove for the wonderful interview. Please pop over and say hi!

 

Good Catholic girl that I am, I grew up making and delivering May Day baskets, twining brightly colored garlands, and plotting my revenge on any other girl daring to cast her eye on the Queen of May Day’s glittery crown. I was all about becoming Queen, even back then. As I look out on my back yard, heavy with dew this morning, I am awash in visions of brightly colored hanging baskets, pots full of pansies, and any other living thing harkening the arrival of spring. A bit of plant shopping is in my immediate future.

While the ancient fertility rites associated with May Day have long faded away, today I contemplate the beauty of fertility, the promise of new life, and the comfort of nature’s lush spring colors. This notion of fertility has me thinking of ways I can breathe new life into old relationships, by sharing modern May Day baskets with those around me. First stop: my kitchen.

Today I am strengthening cherished friendships with the nutrients of time and a great meal shared around my kitchen counter. What says ‘renewal’ better than a latke Reuben sandwich, with a dark chocolate and bacon cupcake chaser? A cardinal hopped around my roof as I hatched this plan to usher in the month of renewal, as if to heartily endorse my own version of a fertility rite.

So for the entire month of May, I am going to reach out to a different person every day, with my own version of a secret May Day Basket—just for them. It could be as simple as an unexpected phone call; a card dropped in the mail; a spur of the moment lunch invitation. Fertility can surprise you, and I trust new ideas and avenues of spreading love and joy to others will reveal themselves as I walk blindly forward in my vision of encouraging a new person each day.

One of May Day’s ancient traditions involved washing one’s face with the dew off the grass early in the morning on this day. It was believed that this ritual brought radiance, youthful appearance, and renewed beauty to those who believed. Today I believe in the power of renewal through reaching out to love and serve those around me. It strikes me that my simple little celebration of fertility aligns nicely with my lifelong goal of obedience to The One Most High, as defined by His two greatest commandments:
“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind…. You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Matthew 22:37-39

Now go get your own May Day on! I’d love to hear your ideas of ways to inspire new life around you this month.

Gladly,

Catherine

On this Good Friday, I found myself joining Hawaiian elders before 6:00 a.m. for an ocean side meditation. They spoke of the sacred, about how The Spirit is waiting for us to come back to Him—to ourselves—to the earth.

Caught up in the world, we lose touch with our spiritual selves and mute The Spirit’s voice calling us to come home to Him.

All this while the ocean waves pounded behind us.

They invited us to go into the ocean, to the depth that felt safe for each, to be alone with The Spirit, and let Him speak to our hearts.

I’d every intention of just wading to my knees. But the current was so strong it knocked me over into the sand, and I couldn’t stand up with out being knocked over again! I was laughing out loud, as I just relaxed, leaned in to the ocean’s power, and allowed myself to be carried by the waves. They were crazy high, foamy and wild. I had a blast body surfing every time a big one came toward me, and I found myself facing the tides, awaiting the next in joyful anticipation.

And then I heard God speak to me: “Rise to meet the waves.”

He went on in His elegant simplicity: “Ride the waves, and enjoy the ride.”

Ride the waves–and enjoy them. My great Good Friday message.

Mahalo.

GREAT NEWS!

CLEANSED BY DEATH is now available for pre-order! For those of you who read and enjoyed Alabaster Vases, you are in for a treat–AND a free ecopy of CLEANSED BY DEATH!

CLEANSED BY DEATH is a completely reworked edition of Alabaster Vases-my first book-and is releasing on April 5. I need 100 people to commit to read it and write an honest review on Goodreads.com and Amazon.com as quickly as possible. If you would like to join my early review and release team, please email my awesome publisher Lyn at info@chalfonthouse.com to request a free review ebook.

Thank you!

Catherine

PS: Want to preorder? Click on the book cover.

I met a guy! Just this week! The moment we met, he commandeered my heart, mind, and soul. Then he started shaking things up, and demanded a meet with my Chief. Never one to like being told what to do, I resisted the idea, till I learned more about him.

Turns out, we have a lot in common. He likes to travel too! We share an uncanny fondness for a certain island paradise. Unlike myself, he prefers scuba to snorkeling, tomato/tomahto…“These are the men who are hidden reefs in your love feasts when they feast with you without fear.” Jude: 13

And man, is he HOT! Sizzlin’ hot! Looks amazing in board shorts. Comes from the land down under, you might say… But Michael the archangel, when he disputed with the devil and argued about the body of Moses, did not dare pronounce against him a railing judgment, but said, “The Lord rebuke you!” Jude:9

I haven’t named him yet, but I have fallen for him hook, line, and sinker. He’s as old as time itself, and he hangs with some very bad company. These men revile the things which they do not understand; and the things which they know by instinct, like unreasoning animals, by these things they are destroyed.Jude:10 Sure, he’s a little rougher than I’d like. Probably throws a heck of a party though.

He’s not much of a family man. In fact, he doesn’t have much family left. Woe to him! For he has gone the way of Cain.Jude:11

He’s about to meet Chief Josie, probably on a beach, early in the morning. I don’t think he’s the type to appreciate a female police chief, or any police chief, for that matter. Yet in the same way these men, also by dreaming, defile the flesh, and reject authority, and revile angelic majesties.Jude:8

I can’t imagine it going well.

Ever meet someone who changed your life forever? Yeah, it’s like that. And it’s all going down in Book 4.

BOOK 4! Yup. There’s a book 4…

Happy Sunday!

Gratefully,

Catherine

Happy Thursday Faithful Readers!

Today I can think of no better encouragement than Oswald Chambers’ February 18 post: “Initiative Against Despair.”

Enjoy!

“The disciples went to sleep when they should have kept awake, and when they realized what they had done, it produced despair. The sense of the irreparable is apt to make us despair, and we say—“It is all up now, it is no use trying any more.” If we imagine that this kind of despair is exceptional, we are mistaken, it is a very ordinary human experience. Whenever we realize that we have not done that which we had a magnificent opportunity of doing, then we are apt to sink into despair; and Jesus Christ comes and says—“Sleep on it now, that opportunity is lost forever, you cannot alter it, but arise and go to the next thing.” Let the past sleep, but let it sleep on the bosom of Christ, and go out into the irresistible future with Him.

There are experiences like this in each of our lives. We are in despair, the despair that comes from actualities, and we cannot lift ourselves out of it. The disciples in this instance had done a downright unforgiveable thing; they had gone to sleep instead of watching with Jesus, but He came with a spiritual initiative against their despair and said—“Arise and do the next thing.” If we are inspired of God, what is the next thing? To trust Him absolutely and to pray on the ground of His redemption.

Never let the sense of failure corrupt your new action.”

Gladly moving on to the next thing,

Catherine

Dreams matter.

What is your dream?

What do you most hope for in your life?

What would you do if you knew you could not fail?

We all need dreams, hopes, and goals—reasons to get out of bed in the morning—something that makes our hearts sing. What are yours? Have you thought about them lately? Today I’m encouraging you to get a life—by dreaming bigger.

Several of my dearest friends have entered the second half of life—as I have. A recent conversation with one of my friends went something like this: “Cath, am I too old to go back to school and hone my professional skills? I mean, does it even matter, at my age? Should I spend time, energy, and money on something so inconsequential, as opposed to doing something great for the kingdom of God?”

I love this question! And I loved my answer: heck yes! YES. Answer your heart’s call. Respond to the desires of your heart, and trust that God is in it. We don’t know if we have another day, another minute, or another twenty, thirty, or forty years on this planet before Him. We do know that He has created us in His image, with unique gifts and talents that only we can invest and offer to others.

Serving God, and doing great things for His kingdom, can look as different as each one of us. Certainly the Bible speaks to how we spend our time, money, and talents. We are called to live in community, in active submission and service within a body of believers. I believe if you are obeying God in all areas of your life, as you understand Him, and you are practicing the basic Biblical disciplines of worship, prayer, tithing, and serving others—you can trust your heart’s desires.

My heart leaps at the idea of writing good books. I love to tell a good story and to make it interesting by raising the stakes—it just plain makes me happy! Is that changing lives? Is that changing the world? I have no idea. I just know that it makes me enormously happy, and I feel led and called to do so. My heart also leaps at the idea of going back to a certain island paradise. My sundresses are perpetually lined up next to my suitcase, happily awaiting my next trip. And I guarantee you—there will be a next trip. Soon.

This short life is a gift. We all face struggles, losses, unspeakable sorrows, and unspeakable joy in our journey. God is calling you to live a life of MORE, not less, as you face a new day on this planet. He has more for you. He has a life of purpose, of belonging, and of unsurpassed joy.

Take a moment today to bend your knee, bow your head before Him and ask Him to reveal new dreams to you, for you. Ask Him to make your heart sing, and lead you into His glorious good news for you.

Gratefully,

Catherine

Don’t worry, I’m not the type to go around asking strangers for a light, or encourage them to tell me their astrological signs. And while I’d like to tell you that God goes before me with a pillar of clouds by day, and a pillar of fire by night, God’s leading in my life is usually a little harder to discern. Which makes those rare occasions when He knocks me over with an almost miraculous clarity all the more, well, divine.

God is not shy when answering my legit prayers of distress. Many times when I’ve fallen bare-souled and broken hearted before Him, He has made Himself real to me with a comfort deep in my spirit that warms me even now. And He ‘gets’ me, He really does. He knows me well enough to know when to honor me with intimacy in His divinity. He knows I don’t need signs to strengthen my faith in Him, but He also knows I really like a little drama every now and then. At the end of 2015, He gave me two exciting signs I’ll carry with me forever.

Late last November, at the end of one of my solitary Night Walks, on an uncommonly warm evening, I was stunned to find an owl sitting atop the highest corner of my house. Easily the largest owl I’d ever seen, he peered down at me authoritatively, as if he owned the joint, and I was merely passing through. His head swirled around at my approach. He stared at me for long moments as I stood, transfixed, before him. The majesty of the moment caused me to bow my head, and offer prayers of thanksgiving for the wonder of this glorious creature, standing out in bas relief against the inky, starless sky.

Later I was reminded that the owl symbolizes change, transition, and even death in some cultures. My owl offered me peace as I contemplated necessary endings in my professional and personal life. A blanket of peace enabling me to face the knowledge that some things in my life needed to be allowed to die in order to make room for new life.

My owl served as a rich reminder to accept the beauty and the inevitability of change, transition, and even death as the miracle of life thrums on around us.

My second great sign came immediately after a prayer offered up from a hot tub in December. I know, I know, not the most elegant of prayer sites, but bear with me. I was praying about my leadership book, in a hot tub, after rising up to pray at 4:00 a.m., for seemingly no good reason. It’s happened to you, right? You wake up, hearing that still, small voice, in the early hours, calling you to pray. Sometimes you answer, sometimes you go back to sleep. This time, I listened to that voice. And I followed it to a hot tub, and found myself in the middle of a miracle.

Now to pray in a hot tub, is to cut to the chase. I surprised myself by asking for forgiveness for not having finished the draft of a leadership manuscript by the year’s end as I’d hoped. I humbly asked God to forgive me. I reminded Him that this book is His, and that I need His help to finish it, and to honor Him in so doing. I asked Him to give me His power, His wisdom, and His ability to write the best possible leadership book in His perfect timing. At that very moment, a shooting star flew across the sky. I sat, spellbound in my swimsuit, measuring its glorious ascent from one palm tree to another. It shot across the length of the pool, and then rocketed through the black expanse of sky stretching over the ocean. I stared after it, until a flash caught my eye, and another shooting star scampered after the first! I screamed in delight, and then I laughed out loud, offering a water bottle toast to the King of Kings.

My shooting stars—time-honored symbols of assurance of a dream about to come true—felt like a promise I’d already heard. “That I will publish with a voice of thanksgiving and tell of all Thy wondrous works.” (Psalms 26:7)
My shooting stars felt like a reaffirmation of what I’ve already been called to pursue. “Behold, I am making all things new….Write, for these words are faithful and true.” (Revelations 21:5)

My shooting star felt like a call to get back to work, joyfully.

An owl and a shooting star—now that’s a wondrous story I can tell, and publish with a voice of thanksgiving.

Gratefully,

Catherine