I love having "white space" in my life! That is where I put the "unexpected and long-awaited" on my calendar! May brought with it lots of white space. I am in the post-edit phase of my book, and I am now writing a Bible study, working on a website to go along with the new book, and studying George MacDonald's Princess and the Goblin so I can lead a summer classic book chat at my church. So, actually there's not a lot of white space left, but at least my calendar is taken up with what I want and need to be doing!

 

The long-awaited job that has taken up some of my white space is spring-cleaning. I took a unique approach this year in cleaning my garage. I pulled out all the offending items that were adding to the clutter and placed them in the center of the garage- right where Phil parks his car! I taped a note on the boxes reminding Phil that Mother's Day was coming and in order to really celebrate the occasion, the clutter should be leaving! I also taped another note on an offending item that has brought me great distress- our bicycle built for two. I used to love that bike when it wasn't covered with rust and spider webs, but now it's just in the way. Phil, my keeper of all things, will not get rid of it, so I asked him to store it. My request has gone unfulfilled for months, so I tried a different strategy. This time, I stood the bike in the middle of the garage, and believe it or not, "it" actually wrote a personal note to Phil! Yes, it had something to do with Mother's Day and its bleak future if Phil didn't get it out of my way!

Baseball season is in full swing, and we went to a special game several weeks ago. Connor's Little League team was invited to take the field with the Springfield Cardinals, our AA team, before the game began. Connor got to stand with Juan Encarnacion. My first clue that he was famous was by the oohs and aahs of the dads watching. It turns out that he is an injured St. Louis Cardinals player who was temporarily joining our farm team while he recuperated. So, it was really a field of dreams for our little Connor!

 

Something else I've enjoyed with the extra white space in my life are the newly planted flowers in the pots around my home. They are beautiful; I hope they live. I was assured they love neglect, and I could only kill them from too much love- in the form of water! Those are my kind of plants! It was so fun listening to my friends as they described the flowers while planting them- hearty, proud, pouty, shy, sweet, wandering, delicate, pale and vibrant. I feel like I have much more than planters full of flowers- I think I have an arena full of women on my front porch! And, I wish YOU were one of them!

So, give these things a taste test:

1. The Princess and the Goblin by George Macdonald

2. The Messies Manual by Sandra Felton. This book is a complete guide to bringing order and beauty to your home. It can help you get started with spring-cleaning!

3. Plant some flowers and take time to smell them!

During the Revolutionary War, Aaron Burr returned to New York from a failed Patriot assault on Quebec. Colonel Burr enjoyed a great reputation at that point in history. General Washington honored him with an invitation to serve on his military staff, or "family," as it was fondly referred to in that day. With grandiose expectations, the aristocratic Colonel Burr accepted General Washington's invitation.

It is reported that Burr imagined that Washington would consult him on great matters of strategy in regard to the war against England. That didn't happen. Once Colonel Burr realized that he would be relegated to more colorless and commonplace duties, his puffed up plan slowly deflated and his pride was injured. He decided to quit! In disgust, he had the audacity to send a scathing letter to General Washington. He fumed that less qualified men than he had been granted promotion. Most likely, Burr's political future had been shaped by his wartime relationship with Washington. Burr's contemporaries, like Alexander Hamilton, benefited greatly from Washington's esteem. But Burr began taking steps on a pugnacious path of self-promotion and political posturing at any cost.

In 1804, while Burr was Vice President under Thomas Jefferson, he ran for the position of Governor of New York. He lost and blamed it on U.S. Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton. Burr, claiming Hamilton had smeared his name, challenged the Secretary of the Treasury to a duel. Such challenges rarely led to actual violence, but Burr killed Hamilton in a shameful encounter in Weehawken, New Jersey! Fleeing to Washington, D.C., Burr avoided prosecution, but President Jefferson discarded him as a running mate that year. Soon after that, Burr tried to seize part of Louisiana (which was then a huge region that Jefferson had purchased from Napoleon) and turn it into an independent country. History has even proven that Burr had the intention of annexing Texas and much of the west to form his own empire. Foiled in his attempt, Burr was tried for treason, yet acquitted on a technicality.

Burr was willing to pay whatever it took to promote himself and maintain his pride. The eventual cost was the dark shadow of history frowning on this great- grandson of the respected preacher, Jonathon Edwards. Aaron Burr was full of himself. He lacked sufficient deference; he had an appetite for schemes and deception. What a shame. Pride cometh before a fall.

Now, here's my question. What if Aaron Burr had been humble? What if his greatest passion had been love for country rather than love of prestige and pleasure? What if he had been more concerned with self-sacrifice rather than self-promotion? How would his life have been different? How would American history be different? That question leads me to an even more important question. What if I am humble? How would my personal history be different? How would my future and the future of those whom I influence be different? What if my greatest concern is self-sacrifice rather than self-preservation?

To think that our own pride or humility can have such a powerful rippling effect is compelling. We must consider the cost of our own self-promotion and pride. Are we incurring debt that we will forever pay and leave our posterity to assume? Is pride really worth its cost? How valuable is humility? Pride costs too much. Humility gives much more than it takes, and it broadens a person more than it limits. The warm glow of history illuminates the humble life because the result of humility is reflected in the countless lives it touches. Those fresh brewed thoughts are enough to make me proceed on my knees!

Well, that's what's been percolating in me lately!

Question: I feel called to write and speak. What would you recommend, and what did you do to get started?

From, Beverly G.

Answer: I always recommend joining God where He is already at work, remaining faithful with the small opportunities He brings your way, and remembering that ministry is now, not later when you get a larger platform.

Having said that, I recommend a great ministry / service for aspiring writers and speakers called CLASServices.

This organization is headed by Marita and Florence Littauer, and it prepares you to write a book proposal, offers speaker training, and provides an opportunity to attend the International Christian Retailing Show (ICRS). The ICRS is where you can present your book proposal to potential publishers. Another great resource is Speak Up Speaker Services, headed by my friend, Carol Kent.

I'd like to give you one more helpful tip- don't write a book, write a book proposal! Publishers want to see the book proposal, not wade through a lengthy manuscript! For great insight on how to write a proposal that will catch the eye of a publisher, check out Mike Hyatt's article, "Five Publishing Hurdles." There you will find a link for "How to Write a Winning Book Proposal." Trust me, writing a book proposal is hard work, but it will really help you refine your concept, and it will help you decide if there is a viable market for your book.

And now, the beans are officially spilled!

1. This is a busy time for traveling, please pray for energy, mental clarity (as I am not very sharp when I am very tired!) and peace in my home while I'm gone.

2. We are developing a website to go along with the new book. Please pray for the design process and that I will be wise and creative as I put together the content.

3. Most importantly, thank you for continuing to lift up my family. Clayton, Connor and Phil are the most important aspect of my calling and I never want to neglect them because of the urgency of deadlines and traveling.

Each month we will give away something from the JenniferRothschild.com Store. All you have to do is click on the link below, to let us know you were here. Your name will automatically be added to a random drawing to win.

 

The winner from the last issue is Linda Vayens. She wins Jennifer's long awaited Audio Book of Lessons I Learned in the Dark.

Linda Vayens, please email us your mailing address.

Jennifer Rothschild is the cover story for the May/June Issue of Today's Christian Woman.

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