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February 26, 2019

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Beloved: In the Lord, Your Labor Is Not in Vain

“But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord, your labor is not in vain.” – 1 Corinthians 15:57-58

beloved your labor is not in vain

When we serve Jesus, there always seems to be a little lying voice that invariably springs up whenever it gets the chance.

The voice says, “Give up. It’s not worth it. Nothing will come of it.”

Give up on getting up half an hour earlier to read your Bible. It’s not worth it.

Give up on talking to that person. It’s not worth it.

Give up on praying for that sickness. It’s not worth it.

Give up on your marriage. It’s not worth it.

Give up on holiness. It’s not worth it.

Give up on worship. It’s not worth it.

Give up on trusting people and being vulnerable. It’s not worth it.

Give up on fighting temptation. It’s not worth it.

Give up on church. It’s not worth it.

Give up on this ministry. It’s not worth it.

Give up on that relationship. It’s not worth it.

Give up on waiting for a change. It’s not worth it.

It’s too hard. It’s taking too long. Give up. Get swept under. Lose hope. Lose faith. Give up. It’s not worth it.

But Jesus says, “Be steadfast. Your labor is not in vain.”

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Jesus’ life was surely one of perseverance and steadfastness as much as it was a life of grace and love.

As little as we know of his childhood, he likely endured a certain level of contempt regarding his birth, which looked scandalous and disgraceful to world. During his ministry, he endured temptation, rejection, the unbelief of others, the great wear and tear his ministry must have taken on his body, reviling, constant attempts to entrap him by those who hated him, great crowds of people seeking him for his teaching but perhaps more for his miracles, and being very misunderstood, even by those closest to him.

And then, after all that, after a life of enduring, of persevering, of exemplifying steadfastness, he endured more, persevered more, exemplified steadfastness more. He endured the physical torment, abuse, and shame of the cross as well as the unspeakable emotional and spiritual anguish of the wrath of God, his Father.

And none of it was in vain. In all of it, Jesus was and is perfectly victorious.

heart banner mini 1

“But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord, your labor is not in vain.” – 1 Corinthians 15:57-58

Your prayers and tears and grief for your grown child to come back to God are not in vain.

Every week you lose sleep to get up early and get to church early to set up so that the service can run smoothly is not in vain.

The anxiety attack that hits you while you’re trying to lead in worship is not in vain.

The words you’ve invested in others—from the long, deep conversations to the simple “hello”—are not in vain.

The decision to deal with a crabby, missed-a-nap baby in favor of going to church is not in vain.

Every single time you open your Bible, it is not in vain.

The small group that struggles or seems hard is not in vain.

The acts of fidelity you make every time you turn away from sin of all kinds are not in vain.

The forgiveness that is hard, that you wrestle with, is not in vain.

The prayers for salvations or your own sanctification are not in vain.

The song you lift in worship when it hurts the most is not in vain.

Every risky letter or text you send in love is not in vain.

Every weight of depression you press through is not in vain.

Every scrap of loneliness you refuse to let ebb into self-pity is not in vain.

Every hardship or setback you meet as you toil along the climbing way, looking for the day Jesus welcomes you home, is not in vain.

It. is. not. in. vain.

It is not in vain because Jesus will always accomplish what he intends to in every act of faithfulness, no matter how weary you are, no matter how thin your faith seems, no matter how many times you slipped and fell along the way, no matter if you had no idea how it would ever be for your good.

Jesus bought the victory—which he gives to you—with his own blood, his display of ultimate steadfastness and fidelity.

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So entrench, beloved.

Where it seems like you’ve been slipping, like an avalanche is always one misstep away, when it seems fruitless and hopeless, when you can’t see God moving in your ministry or your life, when you wonder if it matters for anything, when you can’t see the point, when the enemy would have you doubt if it’s even the work of the Lord anymore, entrench.

It may still be hard. It may not turn out how you think it should. It may hurt. But it is not in vain.

Beloved, don’t give up.

Beloved, Jesus gives you his own victory.

Beloved, be steadfast, immovable, despite the doubts and questions and pain.

Beloved, always abound in the work of the Lord.

Beloved, in the Lord, your labor is not in vain.

With love,

Rosalie

p.s. – there won’t be a post here on Penprints next week! Details to come to those subscribed to my newsletter!

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February 19, 2019

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46 Things I’d Rather Do Than Scroll Through Social Media

I have a love hate relationship with social media.

On one hand, social media (especially Instagram) is helpful for keeping up with my writing friends, getting book recommendations, looking at pretty pictures or funny memes, and building a platform with hopes to be able to reach as many people as possible with the stories and articles God lets me write.

On the other hand, social media is often a time-sucking highlight reel where real relationships are not fostered so much viewed through a screen as well as an outlet for attention-seeking clamoring for recognition (especially for aspiring authors and others who “need” to build their platform for their career).

I see benefits and dangers alike in social media. Like most things, it’s good in moderation.

social media

Instead of scrolling through social media, I’d rather…

  1. Doodle in my bullet journal
  2. Listen to an audiobook (preferably Dracula)
  3. Curl my hair
  4. Do something that will make me satisfyingly sore the next day
  5. Reread The Chronicles of Narnia (especially The Horse and His Boy)
  6. Make a card and write a note
  7. Call my parents and other loved ones I miss
  8. Go to a coffee shop where there are real people, not just people to “see” or “know” through a screen
  9. Worship to some of my favorite songs
  10. French press some coffee
  11. Cook something from scratch
  12. Read Psalm 145
  13. Go for a walk–no matter the weather
  14. Paint my nails
  15. Lay on the floor, stare at the ceiling, and think instead of allaying my boredom or anxious thoughts with mere distraction
  16. Turn my thinking into praying
  17. Take some pictures and then edit them–not necessarily to post them somewhere, but to have them for me to enjoy
  18. Write and send a letter to someone I don’t know personally who inspires me
  19. Read Romans 8
  20. Write a short story
  21. Hang some pictures or poems on my walls
  22. Make an aesthetic collage for one of my stories
  23. Pray Psalm 119
  24. Look at the sky to see the moon or the shape of the clouds or to feel the sun on my face
  25. Reread the books that had a role in forming me into who I am today *stares at all the Nadine Brandes, Robin McKinley, and Tony Reinke books*
  26. Watch a good movie with superior storytelling (hahahaha, like The Lion King, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, The Lord of the Rings, The Dark Knight trilogy, etc.)
  27. Listen to the sound of water put into notes by Claude Debussy in his piece of artistry called “Isle of Joy”
  28. Snuggle with my cat
  29. Recall to mind my favorite childhood memories
  30. Sleep
  31. Read Ephesians aloud
  32. Reread Hinds’ Feet on High Places
  33. Make scones
  34. Walk through the library, especially the sections I don’t usually go to
  35. Stare at Monet’s beach scenes or Casatt’s portraits of her sister or other lovely impressionistic art
  36. Do a word study on a Greek or Hebrew word from the Bible
  37. Read an article on Desiring God and not exit out of the tab right away but instead read it again and think about what it has to do with my life
  38. Learn some origami
  39. Reread Hebrews
  40. Have a spontaneous karaoke or dance party
  41. Do something for the sensation of it (e.g. – sprint down the road and feel the stitch in my side and the burn on the fringe of my lungs and the jarring impact of each footfall etc.)
  42. Play piano or ukulele
  43. Scratch around with my charcoal
  44. Re-pot my succulents
  45. Send a message or text to my friends far away
  46. Journal about what’s been on my mind

Well, that’s the end of that. Lol, would you look at that. I get better and better at ending blog posts.

I want to enjoy moments of boredom–either to reclaim the lost art of being bored or to leverage my boredom into something good.

I don’t want to end up scrolling through social media right before I go to sleep or right when I wake up or when there’s a line in the store or when I’m alone in my house or when I don’t want to have to think.

Social media is not bad. It’s just that so many other things are better.

What sorts of things would you rather do than scroll through social media?

With love,

Rosalie

p.s. – I went and saw The Gray Havens in concert last Saturday. I can now die happy.

p.p.s. – My brother, Luke, who took me to the concert gave me a Gray Havens mug, shirt, and hat. So, yeah. That’s pretty swanky. When I die happy, bury me in my Gray Havens shirt and hat with my hands folded over my Gray Havens mug over my heart.

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February 12, 2019

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God, My Writing, The Christian Life

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The Day of Nevermore [a poem]

To be clear, I am not a poet.

I enjoy poetry and have tried many times to write poetry. It rarely works out, and I wouldn’t go so far as to say it’s “worked out” in this case.

For instance, I don’t really know where the commas are supposed to go, so I stuck commas at the end of each line and periods at the end of each thought/stanza/thread.

Also, it’s not a traditional poem, but it’s also not a straight up free form poem. Sometimes it rhymes. Sometimes it doesn’t. Some parts are three lines, and others are nine or ten. That kind of bothers me. But it is what it is, and I’m done tweaking it.

Here I present: The Day of Nevermore.

the day of nevermore

I look to the Day of Nevermore,
And yearning swells within me,
Deep and rising to an outpour.

In bed I lie awake and think and ache,
For the day of Nevermore,
Is the last day of heartbreak.

Light will rise and darken nevermore,
Finally, I will see my Savior-Lord.

And every sorrow that sent the strong,
Weeping to the shower floor,
And every vice that gripped and gored,
And every lie that broke and bruised and tore,
And every note of strife and discord,
And every curse that burned to the core,
And every failure that cut like a sword,
And the grief that seemed the only loyal mentor,
And every shameful word and awful act of war,
And every loss the dark night had in store,
It will all be over forevermore,
Come the Day of Nevermore.

The Day of Nevermore,
It’s the first day of forevermore.

These words will be no more,
On that bright, bright Day of Nevermore:
Alone, afflicted, abused, accused
Bleeding, bruising, bitterness,
Blame, betrayal, brokenness,
Crushing, cruel,
Division, dejection, depression,
Distress, damage, disappointment,
Enmity, emptiness,
Failure, fault, frustrate, fear,
Grief, guilt,
Hate, hostility, harm,
Inferiority, inequity, injury,
Lament, loneliness, loathing, lacking,
Misery, marring, mauling,
Plague, peril, prejudice, poison,
Ruin, regret, rejection, revenge,
Slander, scorn, spite, sorrow, shame,
Tragedy, trouble, trial, torment,
Ugliness, uninvited, unworthy,
Vitriol, venom, vice, void,
Wounded, wretched, war,
All such words will meet their final end,
When God does as He intends.

Nevermore will nightmares invade our rest,
Nevermore will we crumble in the test,
Nevermore will doubt destroy peace,
Nevermore will weariness overtake,
Nevermore will pride divide,
Nevermore will shame overshadow,
Nevermore will fear bind and break,
Nevermore will grief overflow,
Nevermore will hope seem vain,
Nevermore will strength wither,
Nevermore will suffering reign.

It will be on the Day of Nevermore,
The mending of all that came before,
Perfection He will forever restore.

We won’t puzzle over what He’s doing anymore,
We’ll see it clearly on that Day of Nevermore,
And we’ll answer with a shout, a song, a roar,
And God Himself we will forever explore.

I look for the Day of Nevermore,
It will be the best day,
And every day after will be even better,
Forevermore.

In the dark I lie awake,
I wait for the Nevermore daybreak.

Do you write poetry? Are you a traditional or free form poet?

With love,

Rosalie

p.s. if you want a piece of encouraging excellence, check out Dear Heartbreak by Heidi Melo. I love it so much I printed out and put it on my bedroom wall.

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February 5, 2019

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God, Life, Uh, This is Random

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Glancing Back at 2018; Looking Forward into 2019

We’re already a few days into February 2019. That’s pretty crazy to me, blah, blah, blah. *insert assorted “the year is flying by already!!!” little nothings*

But since this is the first post on Penprints in 2019, we’re going to take a quick glance back at some highlights from 2018 and then look forward as I share some of my vision (i.e. my “word” for the year, the things I’m looking forward to, etc.) for 2019.

Let’s go, kids.

2018 2019

[2018]

2018 was not an easy year for me.

A lot of hard things happened, much of which I won’t disclose, but many wonderful things happened too. In no particular order (definitely not chronological), here are some of those things.

  • Three of my flash fictions were acquired and published by Splickety Publishing Group.
  • I went to The Gospel Coalition Women’s Conference with Arielle and Janie (sister and sister-in-law) which was so. good.
  • In February, I began to lead the weekly prayer night at my church in Wisconsin. I was privileged to lead it right up until the end of the year. I learned and grew so much through that experience about what it means to lead in the Holy Spirit instead of my own strength as well as the importance of being steadfast in prayer.
  • I went to Realm Makers 2018, and my soul was refreshed by time with my beloved creative peeps such as Katie Grace, Jeneca Zody, Nadine Brandes, Ashley Townsend, and more. :)
  • I got to hear Sara Groves in concert at an event with Arielle!
  • Fawkes by Nadine Brandes released. (Haha, you had to know this was going to be mentioned in this post.)
  • Splickety Publishing Group announced that it would be closing down at the end of the year. I started volunteering as a marketing social media assistant person thing for the reborn Havok Publishing, blessed to be able to work with Teddi Deppner and Kaitlyn Emery.
  • High Command (my newsletter) finally launched! (If you haven’t signed up, go ahead and fill out this form to receive the monthly-ish package of goodness to your inbox.)
  • I visited Texas in June 2018; on December 28, 2018 I woke up in a new home with three wonderful roommates and a new church in which to minister and to be ministered to.
  • I released Stars and Soul: A Sci-fi Flash Fiction Collection which received praise from New York Times bestselling author Tosca Lee, Nadine Brandes, Steve Rzasa, and Just B. Jordan. (If you’ve been around Penprints for like, 2 seconds, you’ve heard that a few hundred times already, but I just get so excited and floored whenever I remember how blessed I was to receive those endorsements.)

Some of my favorite posts from Penprints from 2018:

*if you read nothing else here, read these posts

(I realize that that’s a lot of posts to include in my wrap-up. Out of the 39 posts that went up on Penprints in 2018, one third made this list of my favorites, but I’m actually kind of happy about that. I’ve grown a lot as a writer and blogger and am incredibly pleased with how most of the posts from 2018 turned out. Usually, I look back over the year and cringe over most of them; not so this year. It’s been a joy sharing these things so close to my heart with you guys.)

[2019]

2019 will be wildly, radically different from any year I’ve lived so far.

For one, I now live in Texas instead of Wisconsin, away from my parents for the first time in my life.

My thoughts about my move and the new year can be summed up thusly: One bullet journal has been closed, and another has been opened. (C’mon, kids. There is no way in heck you thought we’d make it out of a post about a new year without a bullet journal reference [and if you’re surprised that a bullet journal metaphor has been deployed in this blog post, you must be new].)

For another, I am completely surrounded by so many people so deeply in love with Jesus and His gospel of peace. (For those of you who may not know or remember, I moved to Texas to join a church plant; FAQs may be found here.)

Such an environment is challenging, encouraging, and somewhat lonely all at the same time.

Lonely at times because I’ve only been here a month and am only laying the foundations of relationships. But it’s also lonely because fear likes to rise up and tell me that I don’t belong here with these people. It tells me that I don’t love Jesus enough to be here (which is ironic because I gave up much of what I love most to follow Jesus’ call here). It tells me that these perceptive, Spirit-filled people who talk about Jesus an awful lot will see through me and find me a fraud.

But I know that those are fears and insecurities that Jesus will grow me out of.

It is challenging because I know that with and through all of this Jesus will grow me out of many things. Which is challenging because there are some things I’m sure will burn a bit (or a lot) when He grows me out of them.

And it’s encouraging because I know that I have no idea how this year will go. I have no idea the people I’ll get to meet, the things from God’s hand I’ll get to witness, the change for better in me that is not in my hands but His.

Secure.

“Secure” is my word for this year.

2019

Thank you to Lauren Lulu Taylor for uploading this picture to Unsplash.

I am secure in the love of the Father. There is nothing that can shake me out of His love or favor.

I am secure in the salvation Jesus bought for me with His own blood. He finished the work, and all I have is grace.

I am secure in the sanctification that the Holy Spirit will keep working within me.

I am secure in the will of my King; He will bring His kingdom in and through my life.

I am secure in the strength of the Almighty; He will empower me to endure whatever trials He will use to refine me.

I am secure in the faithfulness of my God; He won’t leave.

I am secure in the goodness of my Father; He will give me good gifts.

I am secure in my identity in Christ; were all other parts of me stripped away or God asked me to give them up, that one defining gift will never be taken away or laid down.

I made this picture (inserted above) my cover for my 2019 Spotify playlist because it seems to fully capture my vision for 2019–light ever on the horizon, a father with his child, the child so fully trusting that her father will catch her.

The mood and motion and colors seem adventurous and trusting and joyful and hopeful and free.

*insert post bookend here*

That’s some of what I’m thinking of as we continue on in 2019.

Here’s to another year of that gif from Inception (you know the one), Lion King references, loveletters to fire, Nadine Brandes fangirling, and cracking myself up.

dream bigger 1.gif

(in case you’re new, this That Gif From Inception)

What about you? Looking back and then forward, what comes to your mind? What are some of your hopes for the year?

With love,

Rosalie

p.s. – it’s good to get back into this, kids. For a while there I wasn’t sure if maybe the season for Penprints was over in my life. But then God said, “I told you to rest, but when did I tell you to stop?” Thanks for reading and commenting (even though I’m The Absolute Worst at replying to comments, I read every single on and am so grateful for them).

After the fun of creating posts with God, this sweet community is my favorite thing about blogging.

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November 20, 2018

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Stars and Soul: Release Day [giveaways, title pages, playlists, etc.]

Today is it, friends.

Today, Stars and Soul is out and about. By this time, the Kindle pre-orders are delivered to the people who pre-ordered (a surprising amount of whom are not related to me).

stars and soul release.jpg

Stars and Soul is a tiny collection of four sci-fi flash fictions (stories under 1,000 words) that has received acclaim from Tosca Lee, Nadine Brandes, Steve Rzasa, and Just B. Jordan.

Tosca Lee S&S endorsementHere’s the official blurb (I’ve probably been saying this in my sleep by this point):

A scheming imperial family. A bedraggled starship captain. A runaway artificial intelligence. A dying general.

Four small stories of stars and soul. 

And today this little thing is out in the world for anyone who cares to read it. Paperbacks are available as adorable little 4×6 books printed with a matte cover and full color title pages designed by the amazing Alea Harper–one for each story.

tile page banner.jpg

Which title page is your favorite?

Related Links:

Nadine S&S endorsementThe instrumental playlist of songs I listened to while writing the stories for Stars and Soul.

The playlist I listen to whenever a story of mine gets rejected or published. Which means it’s what I had on repeat yesterday and is most likely the only thing I’m going to be listening to today.

And, in case you missed it earlier: the Pinterest board.

And a playlist called “sunrise” with some songs that inspired imagery in the last story in the collection: Star-rise.

Giveaways:

stars and soul giveaway package.jpgThere are three giveaways running to celebrate the launch!!

Check out my Instagram to enter to win a tiny paperback of Stars and Soul.

Also, be sure to take a peek on Facebook to enter to win a paperback and a poster of one of the gorgeous title pages designed by Alea Harper.

And then here’s the one for Penprints. You can enter to win one paperback copy of Stars and Soul and hardcopies of my previous four publications (the April 2017 issue of Havok, the March and September 2018 issues of Splickety, and the August 2018 issue of Spark). Just follow this Rafflecopter link.

Other necessary links (lol, this post is basically just a compilation of links):

Find Stars and Soul as a paperback as well as a Kindle ebook on Amazon.

Add it to your Goodreads.

The end of this post.

Steve R S&S endorsementI am so blessed to have been able to work with all the fantastic people who have been part of this process:

… from Alea and her gorgeous art…

… to Sarah Delena White who formatted the Kindle copy…

… to Lauren Hildebrand (my favorite flash fiction editor)…

… to my amazing endorsers…

… to the cover reveal team who blew up my social media…

… to Caleb (my brother), Daddy, and Katie Grace who read these four stories when they were still disasters over a year ago now…

… to every one who’s gotten excited with me these last few weeks.

You guys make my soul smile.

I am so honored to have been able to collaborate with so many people on this project, and I am so thankful to Jesus for this opportunity.

Soli deo gloria.

With love,

Rosalie <3

p.s. – I hope you enjoy the Stars and Soul galaxy. I have a feeling we haven’t seen the end of it. ;)