Stand – New Release

Click to Play Video

Please watch the video above!!

I couldn’t be more excited! The fact that my son has had his debut single release this week is enough to cheer about, but considering I cowrote the song with a friend, that’s double the reason to be thrilled. Once you watch the video, I’m asking you to Stand with Zack by sharing it with your friends. Below the video is a “share” button. It will give you an easy option to share on Facebook or any other social media platform.

Also, go and like Zack’s Facebook page. He will have an EP with several songs coming out in the spring. He will keep you posted on upcoming news.
facebook.com/zackheatonmusic 

Stand is available on iTunes!

Special note: I’m still full of stories and plan to work on a new fiction book soon. At this time I’m still working on a final revision of one of my previous books. I’m also helping Zack with his release efforts, so that’s consuming much of my time. But soon, I’ll get back to work. I can’t wait to keep you posted on upcoming projects.

Blessings to you,
Lisa

Hope you enjoy the song.

Can I be honest here? 2017 was such a difficult year for me. I was faced with professional challenges I didn’t think I could overcome. I learned that every book I had published needed a massive overhaul. I was more defeated than I’ve ever been, and my confidence was shaken. I considered giving up more seriously than I ever have – but I didn’t.

I tackled the first book revision and found it didn’t kill me – Unmending the Veil. I worked through Deceiver. That one nearly got me. I tossed out a new book just for good measure – A Thousand Blessings, which by the way had to be completely revised since it was written in my old style. Then I started On 4/19. By that point in the fall, I was so exhausted that I dragged my feet for months. Now, a few days after Christmas, I have begun work on Beyond 4/20. I can see a light at the end of the tunnel.

Including all books, that was over 600,000 words that had to be revised and stories condensed. I’ve learned more this past year about writing and storytelling than in all my other years combined. I have to be thankful for that since it will make me a better writer going forward.

I appreciate your patience with me as I’ve been slow on offering new books while I tackled the 2017 revision mountain.

I’m excited about the upcoming year. Since I have many projects going, I know it will be busy, exciting, and hopefully productive. One change I will make this year will be to permanently reduce my blog frequency to once per month. I think it will free me up to work on other writing deadlines and free your inbox up a little. Win/win.

Just to give you a heads-up on what I’m working on, assuming you’ve been sitting around wondering ;), I am dividing my time between the following things in the first quarter of 2018:

• Revising Beyond 4/20
• A revised version of On 4/19 will be added to Kindle in January.
• New: Starting a non-fiction book called Live Loved. The plan for this – Lord willing, is that I will use it as companion material for a conference this spring/summer. The book will stand alone content-wise, but I think it will be a good addition to the conference.
• New: Going into the studio to demo a few songs that I’ve written. Not me singing – you’re very welcome. We have some wonderful talent scheduled to sing the songs. One of my favs is Zack, my son. Even if I wasn’t his mom, he would be my favorite singer. I see God doing amazing things in Zack’s life, and I love being along for the ride. At the present Zack is slated to record three of my songs. One will be a stand-alone country single, United We Should Stand, and two others are contemporary Christian. All will be released on iTunes. I’ll keep you posted on the details of that.
  • Fun fact: I love writing contemporary Christian music, but I find words just flow when I’m working on country lyrics. That’s my country roots showing through. I guess I don’t have to tell you I don’t write beer-drinking, tail-gate sittin’ songs. You’ll find faith, family, and home in my country lyrics. (Quick shout out to my favorite writing partner, Bob! Thank you for your awesome way with music.)

I look forward to sharing all of these projects with you early in 2018. Once the 4/20 revision is complete, I have a new fiction book on the production schedule, but since that one will be submitted to a new publisher, it may be a long wait for the release. Busy days ahead. I always have to leave myself open to the Spirit’s leading. I’ve learned one thing, my plans can be changed in the blink of an eye by the direction of the Lord. At least you can share in the current plan.

Thanks to all of you who have kept me going all these years. Many of you write encouraging notes to me at just the right time. You can’t possibly know how much that means to me and how that’s kept me afloat when I’m drowning in a sea of doubt.

And thanks to those of you who have prayed for me. I needed prayers, and I still need prayers. I’m not naive. I know attacks will continue to come, especially as I begin this non-fiction book. Please pray for me. Pray for Zack. We have much ahead and a God who seems to have a plan. Super exciting.

Glad you can be a part of this extraordinary, crazy, painful, overwhelming life.

A thousand blessings to you in 2018. I hope you see every one of the blessings God pours upon your life. Watch for His hand. There’s nothing more thrilling than seeing the God of the universe touch your life in large and small ways.

Grace and Peace,
Lisa

This will be my last stone in the series. I may pick back up later, but for now, I feel I’ve exhausted the topic. In fact, I’m taking the remainder of the year off from the blog so that I can focus on family and the holidays. I will resume in January.

I love this stone story. It’s one that makes me smile at the wonder of it.

Backstory: I missed God. I thought I had heard Him speak, but I was wrong. At the time I was in a weakened state anyway. We had just suffered the loss of my sweet step-dad. During his sickness and ultimate death, I was there taking care of him and my mom. Many things had my mind scattered, so the fact that I heard deceptive voices shouldn’t surprise me.

When I realized I had missed God, I was devastated. Not that what I thought I had heard was what I wanted – that wasn’t it at all. My devastation came from the fact that I had missed Him at all. The enemy took full advantage of the fact that I was so dumbfounded and planted all kinds of doubt in my mind. I started to wonder if I had ever heard God at all. (See why I need my stones? They are proof that God is active in my life.)

There was a morning when I was awake super early, like 4 a.m. early. I was praying, trying to reconcile all my questions before God. I thought about the Bible and all the stories of His clear and out-loud direction to His people. I considered His miracles, then asked, “Where is the God of the Bible, the One who does all those miracles?” No answer.

The following day I called a friend of mine before going to visit. She had lost her vision the year before and was left with the ability to only see shadows. I tried to go hang with her at least once a week, and that was my Tuesday. While on the phone she told me she had a surprise for me.

When I arrived I followed her into the kitchen. She opened a little devotion book and began to read from it. It was titled “Friends,” so I figured it had to do with our friendship. Duh… It took me a few seconds for it to hit me that she was reading at all. I was squinting at the text without my glasses, so I couldn’t understand how she was reading it at all. Finally, I said, “You’re reading!”

From there she told me the story of what had happened the morning before – yes, the morning I had prayed asking where the God of the Bible was. She had woken up and gone to open the blinds like she always did. It took her a few seconds to realize she was actually able to see out her back window. She was looking at white irises growing on a hill behind her house. Whaaa!!!??

If you read my last blog, then you know my purple iris story. Are you kidding me, that God would actually use irises again to take hold of me? Yes, it was her miracle of restored sight, but it was also my miracle of restored faith. All the doubt that had been plaguing me was gone. I hadn’t missed God. I had listened to a foreign voice. That’s something we all have to take great care to avoid. Our enemy is more than happy to plant seeds of doubt. Especially when we’re in a weakened state, he pounces like the cowardly lion that he is. Still, God was right on time to counter the enemy’s attack with His out-loud reminder that He was right there and had heard my prayer.

If nothing else has come from this Stone Series, I hope you have begun to look around you and watch for the many ways that Jesus is vividly alive in your life and how He pursues your heart to make it wholly His.

I pray the Lord bless you and keep you. May He make His face shine upon you.

Much love to you, and have the happiest Thanksgiving.
Lisa