New York, New York and the BEA

48 hours later and I’m still so amazed by God’s provision at BEA (Book Expo America). There are many, many times that I am a fleshly woman. I care about what people think too much - if they will like me, if they will accept this work. I worry too much. I lack faith at times. And then God steps in to blow my mind with His glorious provision.

Isaiah 41:10-20
10 So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. 11 "All who rage against you will surely be ashamed and disgraced; those who oppose you will be as nothing and perish. 12 Though you search for your enemies, you will not find them. Those who wage war against you will be as nothing at all. 13 For I am the Lord, your God, who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you. 14 Do not be afraid, O worm Jacob, O little Israel, for I myself will help you," declares the Lord, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel. 15 "See, I will make you into a threshing sledge, new and sharp, with many teeth. You will thresh the mountains and crush them, and reduce the hills to chaff. 16 You will winnow them, the wind will pick them up, and a gale will blow them away. But you will rejoice in the Lord and glory in the Holy One of Israel. 17 "The poor and needy search for water, but there is none; their tongues are parched with thirst. But I the Lord will answer them; I, the God of Israel, will not forsake them. 18 I will make rivers flow on barren heights, and springs within the valleys. I will turn the desert into pools of water, and the parched ground into springs. 19 I will put in the desert the cedar and the acacia, the myrtle and the olive. I will set pines in the wasteland, the fir and the cypress together, 20 so that people may see and know, may consider and understand, that the hand of the Lord has done this, that the Holy One of Israel has created it. (NIV)

Praise God! I feel like that worm, Jacob, most times. I feel unworthy of the plans He has for me. But then He just shows up and reveals His great and wondrous love.

We opened the booth at 9:30 am for the signing. I was co-signing with a wonderful woman, Rebeca Seitz, who has written a contemporary fiction book about scrapbooking friends entitled, “Sister’s Ink.” Within minutes, we had a line . . . a line of people waiting for me to scrawl my name on page of my book. Then it just built and built until a half an hour had gone by and I’d signed 75 copies of Snow Angel. The people were so nice! Librarians, bookstore owners, people who are in this industry because they love good books. They were happy, reaching out to grasp it, smiling up at me, making me feel like the last ten years of angst and work and blood and sweat was all worth it . . . it was an amazing, connecting feeling. I hadn’t known what to expect, but it was so much better than anything I had imagined, just like all of this experience has been.

Glory to the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, giving us His work to do, for His name sake! May He be glorified through this book . . . my Snow Angel.