Poem: Today I Marry My Friend

I wrote this poem years ago for Melissa and Joel's wedding. Thought I'd share it with y'all! I'm not much of a poet, but I do love this poem. Also, I don't know a thing about proper punctuation for poetry (is there such a thing?), so forgive my liberties. I put spacing and ellipses where it felt right.

Today I Marry My Friend

Today is the happiest day of my life.
For today...
...we become husband and wife.
I've longed for this day to come,
so that we can be united as one.

Today we start our life together,
And through Jesus...
...it will last forever.
So, take me by the hand, and smile into my eyes.
If only I had wings, I know that I could fly.

Today the Joy of my life begins...
...Today I marry my friend.

by Pam Hillman

Check out this new blog...

Check out this new blog focusing on Christian Westerns.

Bustles and Spurs

Enjoy!

ACFW Conference: Tons of Fun and No Sin Involved

Just recently, we hosted VBS at our church. At the end of the week, one of the girls told her grandmother, “We had so much fun and there was no sin involved.” We all got a kick out of her comment, but then realized how true (and wonderful!) her observation is!

Isn’t it great that Christians can gather together and have a ton of fun without sinning? Well, here’s an opportunity for Christian novelists looking to have some good, clean fun!

The ACFW conference is the premier conference for published and unpublished authors of Christian fiction. Where else can you find that many CBA agents, editors, and authors all under one roof? Not to mention the books available at the book signing. Wow! The fact that the signing is going to be at the Mall of America this year is just icing on the cake.

Where can you find so many like-minded friends who love to talk about books for four days straight? Can you imagine some of our friends who aren’t quite as into books having to endure four days of book-talk? lol But for those of us who love to read and write Christian fiction, the conference is a dream come true.

Chat until the wee hours of the morning with your friends. Meet up with old friends or form new friendships if this is your first time to attend. There is a First Time Attendee orientation on Thursday. This is an awesome opportunity to meet others who might not have forged long-term friendships. Latch onto a couple of buddies. Who knows? They’re liable to become some of your closest friends in the publishing industry. I’ve got about 1600 friends (and counting) in ACFW, but some are a little closer than others. My very best friends are the Seekers, women who are really and truly like sisters to me. I don’t know what I would do without each and every one of them.

So, for the time of your life, sign up for the ACFW conference. Tons of fun and no sin involved. What more could you ask for?

Crimson Clover

After passing a field of clover every day, I took these pictures of a rolling field of crimson clover the other day. A few weeks later, the clover was gone, and the owners cut the field for hay, but it was beautiful while it lasted.

I wonder what pioneer women thought of when they passed beautiful fields of wildflowers like this. Did they see that line of trees in the background and long to settle right there? Maybe build a cabin and raise their families? Or maybe just stop for the night and enjoy the view...

Maybe they rode through Texas and spotted undulating fields of Texas bluebonnets and Indian paintbrushes. Take a gander at Jeff Blaylock's absolutely beautiful pictures! Oh my stars! Wouldn't you just love to have that blanketing a pasture in your front yard?

As a matter of fact, browse through all of Jeff's pictures. They are breathtaking!

To learn more about crimson clover, click here.

This is Buck...

I'd like to introduce you to Buck.

Buck's the one on the left. The one on the right is my son, Darin. (You can tell the difference, right?)

Right. No, left. Okay. Good.

Anyway, say a prayer for Buck's owner, my nephew Corey. Corey's in the Marines (Hoo-Rah!) and Darin's horse-sitting for his cousin.

When we took pictures to send to Corey, Darin didn't want to actually be riding Buck in the pictures because he didn't want to make Corey sad. Now, isn't that sweet?

Down on the farm

Hey, all you modern day farm guys and gals! What’s the strangest or scariest thing that’s ever happened to you on the farm, or that was farm related?

My dh tells of the time a steer got out of the ring at the stockyard on Labor Day weekend (meaning the place was PACKED) and shot straight up the stairs and out the open door!

And there’s the time (read NIGHT!) I got caught in a stampeding herd of Holstein cows. With nowhere to go, all I could do was face them, jump up and down and scream my head off. The cows parted like the red sea, and unhurt, I fell down on the ground and just sobbed.

I could tell you more, but I’ll hold off for now. Instead, I want to hear your stories!

ACFW Book Club

Want to read some great books and chat with the authors? Then check out the American Christian Fiction Writers' Book Club. The ACFW Book Club gives fans of Christian fiction the opportunity to communicate with each other, chat with ACFW authors, and discuss books.

Book Club participants are invited to join an e-mail group set up to facilitate announcements and host discussions about the current reading selection. Members will be eligible for monthly free book drawings. To join, send a blank e-mail to acfwbookclub-subscribe@yahoogroups.com or visit http://groups.yahoo.com/group/acfwbookclub and click "join this group." You will receive a confirmation e-mail after joining. Follow the instructions given in the e-mail to complete your subscription to this e-mail list.

Each month, club members have an opportunity to participate in an on-line chat with an ACFW published author. Chats will be announced in advance so Club members have the opportunity to read the featured book. Book Club chats will be held on the ACFW website in the chat room at 7:00 p.m. CST on the first Monday of the month following the month the book is read.Currently, the club is talking about Rachel Hauck's Lost in NashVegas. And then it's on to Mary Connealy's www.maryconnealy.com Petticoat Ranch before tackling sci-fi for some variety. Check it out.