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By Sharon Srock

^{Jeremiah 17:5-8 (NLT)}

⁵ This is what the Lord says:
“Cursed are those who put their trust in mere humans,
who rely on human strength
and turn their hearts away from the Lord.
⁶ They are like stunted shrubs in the desert,
with no hope for the future.
They will live in the barren wilderness,
in an uninhabited salty land.

⁷ “But blessed are those who trust in the Lord
and have made the Lord their hope and confidence.
⁸ They are like trees planted along a riverbank,
with roots that reach deep into the water.
Such trees are not bothered by the heat
or worried by long months of drought.
Their leaves stay green,
and they never stop producing fruit.

I love it when I stumble across something in my daily Bible reading that applies to the moment I’m living in. I’ll be the first to admit that this would happen more often if I was listening more closely. But this just sort of slammed me between the eyes. One of those good news/bad news moments, just when I needed that still small voice of calm to perform a reality check in my soul.

At Grace and Faith Authors connection, we’re all about supporting each other and helping each other promote our books. That’s an entirely good thing as far as I am concerned.

As I stand on the brink of the release of my first novel, I am a marketing basket case. Blog tours, interviews, book signings, launch party, social media, and God help us all, a video…

I’ll admit that I don’t have a clue, but God has given me lots of resources, and some brand new, never met face-to-face friends to help with tweets and blog space. I think I’m going in the right direction, and I’m grateful. But have I left something out?

Take a look at the verses above and since I always like the good news first, read verses 7 and 8. My agent is fond of saying that there are only two reasons to write Christian fiction. Either as a calling or an offering. I’m good with that explanation. Either way, calling or offering, it’s a 95/05 partnership as far as I’m concerned. I’m the lesser number.

Words can not express my gratitude to the wonderful network of friends, published or unpublished, experienced or rookie, old or young, who have joined me in this journey. But I wonder, have I left the most important thing undone?I never want you to think I take you less than the blessing you are, but my success or failure will not be measured human influence or endorsement, blog posts and tweets.

The Bible also tells me in Psalms 127:1 (NLT)

Unless the Lord builds a house,
the work of the builders is wasted.
Unless the Lord protects a city,
guarding it with sentries will do no good.

It comes down to where my trust, hope, and confidence is placed. I want my writing to be a well watered tree, not bothered by the heat of negative criticism, the drought of reader rejection. I want the leaves of my stories to produce continuous fruit for the Father.  If this project isn’t built on God from the first stoke of the keyboard, nothing any of us can do will ever make it fly. But together, you, me, and GOD. The possibilities are endless.