It is almost Christmas, and I've created a quiet space here in my study to write.  It is raining outside. A candle burns. I'm drinking Hazelnut coffee. I have time to reflect on the year almost gone.  I look ahead to the year that waits. And I have a longing to encourage you, dear reader of these blog posts. Thank you for visiting my page.

Life is imperfect.  Many of you have soldiered through agonies and sorrows that I cannot know. I pray God would screen your sorrows and fears--strain them out so thoroughly that all that remains is pure, clear life--hope for the future and the consolation that God is for you--confident that you are loved by Him.

Some of you have encountered great blessing, a year of accomplishment and productivity--new beginnings.  May you continue to experience God's favor and success--mental poise a constant--wisdom overflowing as you tackle new projects.

And what of your creative life?  What's ahead? Are you painting?  Are you cooking? Are you writing?  Are you singing? As 2016 hovers near, let me be a voice that encourages you to pick up your brushes, your pens, your measuring spoons, your sheet music. The world awaits the results of that creative, simmering stew.  The world needs a taste of hope that lives inside your art. Don't wait.  Go for it.  God is with you and has placed those kernels of desire in your heart.  The creator loves artists.

I remember back so many years ago--38 years to be exact.  I'd just gotten my first job as a writer for a magazine in southern California.  I lived in Texas at the time. I packed up my new brown 1977 Camaro and headed west.  I felt vulnerable.  I'd never driven that far by myself.  As I crossed the desert, often times I'd get scared wondering if I was actually headed the right way. Then I'd see a sign that told me Albuquerque was forty miles away or "entering Tucson." I'd breathe a sigh of relief and keep driving. Once around sunset I stopped at an obscure Dairy Queen, somewhere in Arizona.  I sat on the hood of my new car.  I looked out over the horizon and an orchid-colored band of purple outlined a mountain range. I felt peaceful, God's presence assuring me that the road ahead was paved with all the signs I would need, the dreams for my life very real.

And so as you move forward to a new year, I pray you abundant, divine signage on the road to your dreams.

But I'll take the hand of those who don't know the way; who can't see where they are going.  I'll be a personal guide to them, directing them through unknown country.  I'll be right there to show them what roads to take, make sure they don't fall into the ditch.  These are the things i'll be doing for them--sticking with them, not leaving them for a minute. ~Isaiah 42: 15-16 (The Message)