Lana Vaughan

What many adults dream of doing 37 middle school kids just did! They are published authors.

You can order a copy of their book from their publisher, FastPencil.com at:

http://www.fastpencil.com/publications/931-The-Indigo-Door-2010

All I can say is I am so proud of these students. They took the challenge and met it each in their own way.

12 years ago my precious daughter came into the world. She brought with her a message from God that He loves laughter and joy and delights in innocence. She is a spirited child full of wonder and grace. I love that she was born just after Thanksgiving because she reminds me of just how much I have to be thankful for.

Today is also a day to celebrate because of what she has done. Her first book goes to the publisher tonight. This book isn’t her’s alone. It is a special project that began just 5 weeks ago. Here’s the story…

The last week of October I presented 37 middle school students with a challenge, The NaNoWriMo. The NaNoWriMo is the National Novel Writing Month held every November. The challenge is to write a 50,000 word novel in 30 days. I didn’t think the kids were up for writing 50k words each but together they could do it. It broke down to roughly 1,400 words per student. The second part of the challenge was that they all had to use the same first sentence for their chapter, the same last sentence and a commonly agreed upon main character. The main character they created is a 13 year old boy named Timmy. The chapters open with “The door before Timmy was…” and end with “Once again Timmy was in front of a door.” Everything between the doors was up to each individual writer.The reward for completeing their part of the challenge was a real copy of their book professionally published via FastPencil.com.

Quick aside…We could not have done this without Mash and his incredible support team at FastPencil.com. The free upfront software and collaboration tool has given these students an opportunity that they never knew was possible. The classroom visit from “their Publisher” inspired them and showed them that this wasn’t just a school project but a real book.

This morning the score is: 63,149 words! 31 students done! 2 hours to go….

The reason I started this project was because of my daughter. Today, because of her 36 other students will become published authors. Today, because of her, 36 other young writers have cause to celebrate their own accomplishments. Today, the world has indeed been blessed by Grace.

(If you want to order a copy of “The Indigo Door 2010″ paypal me $10 by 9pm tonight. That’s when the order goes to the printer.

A habit is the name we give to repeatedly making the same choice.

Breaking a habit is simply making a different choice.

When you think about the possible alternate choices, they are just about endless.

If you want a different result…make a different choice.

If something you added to your life to make your life easier actually just adds another layer of stuff without achieving it’s desired effect do you keep investing in trying to make it work or abandon it and re-invest that effort into the original problem?

If there were one thing I could do for you today what would it be?
What would speak to your heart and let you know how much you mean to me?
What would make tomorrow better for you because I did it today?
What would help you see the incredible person I see when I look at you?

What can I put on my “today” list to do for you?

I have that terrible thing…potential. Unrealized, undeveloped, undisciplined talent and ability. Add to potential that other critical component, unconditional support. Top it off with resources and time and you guessed it, I’m stuck. There’s something there. I don’t know what it is but I’ve run headlong into it more times than I can remember. It’s a barrier, probably, of my own making. It’s the point where an idea or dream stops. I have notebooks full of ideas and some in pretty specific detail. I have the subjects, and in some cases outlines, for 15 books.

That’s as far as I could get writing today before I hit the wall.

In 1970 cartoonist Walt Kelly famously paraphrased a famous quote for an Earth Day poster that featured characters from his long-running strip Pogo and mourned the sad state of the environment.”We have met the enemy, and he is us” it read. This came to mind last night during a discussion over dinner. I made the following statement “If your message and the message of your enemy are the same with only the names reversed you are the same as your enemy.” Matt asked me who said that. I said “I did, just now.”

It got me to thinking which usually gets me to writing. If the names were changed would I say some of the things I say? Would you? Our words are a reflection of our heart toward others but shout most loudly about our own heart first. Does the kindness in me see the kindness in you? Or does my insecurity about my fashion choices cause me to question yours? Does my mercy received reflect in my mercy extended? Does my quiet reserve look like your unfriendly coldness or does my unfriendly coldness look like your quiet reserve? Does my fear of your rejection cause you to reject me first? Or does my open acceptance make way for your own?

There is a line from a movie that says “People do not see the world as it is but as they are”.

Today I am considering the message…only the names have been changed.

Inspiring stories and practical insights challenge readers to live a life of everyday greatness.

Best-selling author Stephen Covey and Reader’s Digest have joined forces to produce an extraordinary volume of inspiration, insight, and motivation to live a life of character and contribution. The timeless principles and practical wisdom along with a “Go-Forward Plan” challenge readers to make three important choices every day:

1. The Choice to Act – your energy
2. The Choice of Purpose – your destination
3. The Choice for Principles – the means for attaining your goals

With stories from some of the world’s best known and loved writers and celebrities, such as Maya Angelou, Jack Benny, and Henry David Thoreau, and insights and commentary from Stephen Covey, the Wrap Up and Reflections at the end of each chapter help create a project that can be used for group or personal study.

Predictable, familiar, nice. I have just finished reading “Everyday Greatness” compiled by David Hatch and unless I was reading it for Thomas Nelson I would not have plodded through it. It’s a good reference book to keep on the shelf for short motivational examples or quick reference quotes but other than that it just felt like reading through someone’s file of newspaper feature stories grouped by character trait. The thing that stuck out the most to me was that the chapter on perseverance didn’t start until page 350. I really wanted to be able to recommend this book but in all truthfulness there isn’t anything in it that can’t be easily found for free with a Google search.

On the other hand, The Unseen War by David Kortje is definitely worth the read. Kortje shares part of his journey using Bible passages, movie scenes and solid reference material. None of us grown spiritually in a vacuum and Kortje shows clearly the guidance he has received as he has traveled some dark and lonely roads. At the end his story points toward hope and the glory yet to come. Read it. Travel with him for a while. Your journey will be enriched by crossing paths with David Kortje.

“See, I set before you today life and prosperity, death and destruction.”

Six years ago I stood in my kitchen trying to put away dishes. I was taking them out of the dishwasher and straining to reach over the open door to put them where they belonged. I was getting pretty ticked. Not because I was doing the dishes but because where they went just made no sense at all. I had worked up a pretty good head of steam when the incredibly brilliant thought entered my mind “It’s my kitchen! I’m the one who decided that’s where they would go!” I quickly closed the dishwasher, took all the dishes out of the cabinets and re-thought my storage situation. It is my kitchen. These are my dishes. If it doesn’t work for me it just doesn’t work.

Looking at my calendar for this week and my friends and all the stuff I want to do as I was folding laundry this morning I was reminded of my kitchen cabinet situation. Then my mind did a quick google and landed on Deut 30: 15. I know. Folding laundry can be such an inspiring time of day. But as I looked at the clothes I have chosen I was reminded that God gives me the choice each new day to choose life and prosperity or death and destruction. I have the choice, not the control of everything that will happen, but the choice of how I will fill my day.

This beautiful Monday morning, I choose life and prosperity. I choose to face whatever the day holds with joy and love and peace that passes understanding. I choose the prosperity of being loved deeply and eternally by those who choose to love me even when I’m unlovable. I choose to be who God designed me to be today.

What choices do you face today? What do you choose? My prayer is that you choose life and prosperity. My prayer is you realize you have the power to choose.