Winters’ Day In
Conversations on life, faith, stories, and creativity from author Talena Winters.
Pour a cuppa and stay awhile.
Inconveniences I Would Rather Have (and “Things I’ll Never Do” song)
On Wednesday, I found I was grieving all the things that Munchkin will not get to do that I wanted him to be able to do. I find that writing songs helps me deal with very stressful and emotional topics, so I wrote "Things I'll Never Do". Here is a quick scratch recording on a video for this song.
7 Lovely Lemon-Fresh Things
When I think "lemons", I think "summer." And summer is just around the corner, so here are seven lemon-inspired finds to brighten your Saturday.
Keep the Strawberries, Kick the Cinquefoil
We all have "cinquefoil" in our lives. Eventually, though, we have to stop and examine the things we fill our lives with and ask, "Is this still of value to me? Is this something I want to nurture right now?"
7 Bee-YOU-tiful Sweet Finds
I am starting a new Saturday Feature called "Seven Things". It is a list of 7 items based on that week's theme that I hope will inspire you.
Since it is spring, I am thinking of all things bee.
What About Christian Fantasy?
I haven't read a ton of Christian fantasy books, but I have read some. And I always wonder afterwards if the real God of the Universe would behave as the author imagined he would. And I wonder if I really have the right while "playing God" with my own characters to cast the real God as one of them.
The High Cost of Inspiration
What makes someone inspiring? And why would I want to be that, too?
All That’s Left is to Love
Wow, yesterday's post about how Christians treat the LGBTQ community has sure generated a lot of great, constructive discussion (a little here and a LOT on Facebook), which is exactly what I hoped it would do. The comments have provided me with some more thought-food to chew on, and I hope it has done the same for many of the people engaged in the conversation.
An Open Letter to Matt Walsh and My Fellow "Christians"
Let's re-imagine a key scene from the gospels together, shall we?
The gathered crowd shouted in a frenzy of righteous indignation. Shouts of "stone her" and "kill the b__" rose into a cacophonic haze of hatred that all centred on the one young woman, barely clothed, who trembled in terror on the rough ground at their centre.
The Teacher started making his way through the crowd, and when men and women saw the look on his face, they fell back from his path in silence, wondering what he was going to do.
The woman squinted up at him, too, wondering what new terror was upon her.
Do I Care Too Much?
How do you care without bleeding out? How do you protect yourself without becoming callous? How do you draw the line between "making a difference in the world" and "being healthy and whole for me and my family" when your heart breaks every time you hear about the damage done to one of the least of these?
My First Novel is Coming Soon!
I am getting so excited about my upcoming book! Last week, my editor (Lora) contacted me with a super deal to help get my book formatted for print and eBook. I would have been an idiot to turn her down. So starting this weekend, my book will be getting formatted--and I can still work on my taxes! (Not sure if I'm excited about that last part, or not.)
Here is a teaser excerpt from the first chapter to whet your appetite:
Dear Beautiful, You’re Captivating as You Are
We all have days when we don't feel beautiful. On those days, we need to know that we are precious, we are amazing, and we are loved. We are the apple of our Father's eye.
My First Music Video
A music video for a song I co-wrote called “The Nails (I Did This For You)” in celebration of Easter.