TheBanyanTree: God's Will and Books by LaRose Karr

[LaRose Karr]

GOD'S WILL by LaRose Karr

"If it's God's will to write, then it's logical that publication should
eventually follow." Marlene Bagnull - Write His Answer

I love this quote by Marlene Bagnull and have been using it as my signature
line for some time now.  It is so true.  If God brings writing into your
life, he will surely bring it to publication.  His words are meant to go out
for the world to read.

Recently I have been working on a writing assignment.  One of the reasons I
got this assignment is because of my digest, "Moonflower Ministry."  The
editor said, "If you publish a weekly digest, then you know how to meet a
deadline."

Well, I hadn't thought of it that way but that is exactly what I do each
week - meet a deadline.  Since I have an archives of seven years of stories,
I don't always write something new each week as I am doing today.  However,
writing consistently brings discipline into my life.

Listen to any writers groups and they will say that any writer needs to be
disciplined in crafting their work.  They also need to be reading other
people's work as well.  By reading good literature and gaining different
perspectives we can only grow.  Not to say there is not a lot of garbage out
there.  So, it is important we put only the best into our minds.

I have a stack of books on my bookshelf by my computer and by a chair I use
in my family room.  Some of the books have been started but not finished,
some are just waiting to be read.  It's comforting to know they are there
but frustrating that I don't have the time to read as much as I'd like.

But, for now getting God's Stories out to the world is most important.
Below is one of my oldest stories, written six years ago.  I do hope you
enjoy reading as much as I do.

BOOKS by LaRose Karr
As a child, I grew up on a small farm in central Arkansas in the late 1950's
and 1960's.  We grew cotton and soybeans. My aunt and uncle lived across the
way and grew rice and soybeans.  Our farm sat a quarter of a mile off the
main gravel road and the nearest town was thirteen miles to the north. The
farm consisted of twenty acres of farmland and sixty acres of woods. We did
not have a telephone.

Those woods were my playground and the trees were my friends. Books were the
transportation that took me away to places I'd only dreamed about. I read
every mystery I could get my hands on. I even read "Lord of the Flies" and
the kids in my class asked, "You are reading that?"

When summer break rolled around, I'd get all the copies of books that I
could when the teachers and librarian were giving them away! I was in
heaven. The library was my favorite place to be while in school.

On the thirteen mile ride to school each morning, (yes, unfortunately I was
one of the first kids on and the last ones off) I read books. Through the
years I've read "over and over" books that were special to me. The first
book I ever felt this way about was "Mrs. Mike" at age sixteen. I have a
copy of it still.

My daughter Rhea Megan was named after the character Meghan in the "Thorn
Birds". I have read it twice now.  When I read each and every one of
Victoria Holt's books, I became depressed. Where would I go from there? At
that time, she was my favorite author. Happily I learned she wrote under two
other pen names, Phillipa Carr and Jean Plaidy. So, I read all Phillipa
Carr's books and liked them even better. They were about a series about a
family and the books spanned generations. What wonderful drama and
interesting relationships!

And then I tried to read Jean Plaidy novels and hated them. Yet, all these
books were written by the same woman! To me, that is what reading books are
all about. While I am drawn to stories about English and Scottish castles, I
can go anywhere-at anytime. I'm not on that little farm any longer but have
ventured to Northeastern Colorado which is still farmland, but here, not too
many trees! And I still love to read.  copyright 1997, LaRose Karr






LaRose Karr is a church secretary.  Her most recent work appears in "God's
Way for Mothers," published by White Stone Books. these books are available
at Christian bookstores, amazon.com and barnesandnoble.com.  She is a
contributing writer to "God Allows U-Turns," volumes 1, 2, 3 & 4, published
under the Promise Imprint by Barbour Publishing.  Her work has also appeared
in "The Upper Room" devotional guide. Look for future devotions in "The
Quiet Hour."  She is the editor on an online weekly Christian digest,
"Moonflower Ministry."  To subscribe send a blank email to
LaRoseStories-subscribe at yahoogroups.com


Email: rosiebay at kci.net