Posts by Michele Chynoweth
Words of Encouragement
I was teaching a publishing course to continuing ed students at Cecil College again this past weekend and before I started, one of my students approached me, excited. She was usually quiet, shy, and during the past few weeks of the fiction writing class I was teaching, having difficulty getting pen to paper (or sentences onto…
Read MoreStay Teachable
I am teaching courses this semester at Cecil College on writing, publishing and marketing your first book. A scary venture for me since I have never taught a college class before! (Ok, I’ve given some writing workshops, Toastmasters speeches, and spoken to high school and college classes – but never been responsible for teaching a…
Read MoreI Got the Music in Me!
“…Ain’t got no trouble in my life, no foolish dreams to make me cry; I’m never frightened or worried, I know I’ll always get by…” (words from one of my favorite songs, “I Got the Music in Me” by Kiki Dee.) I picked music as a topic to blog about for a few reasons today…first,…
Read MoreProphets Today?
Just a month into the New Year and already I was feeling weary and dejected. (Of course a week with the flu did not help one bit!) And then I had the opportunity to speak to someone who happens to be one of those “life coaches.” Yes, I’m leery of that profession – every time I turn…
Read MoreWhat is Your Purpose?
Are you living according to your purpose? If your answer is yes to that question, congratulations, you are likely among a very small percentage of people who are. Most people either a) don’t know their purpose, or b) do know, but can’t live it yet for a variety of reasons – time, money, health, other…
Read MoreWinter wonders…
Took the dog for a walk this afternoon as the sun started to set. It was quiet, not many people out on a cold, winter day. The kind of quiet that only winter brings. I could hear only the crunch of snow under my feet. The kind of quiet and cold that get your attention.…
Read MoreThe One Thing…
Happy New Year! Hard to believe another whole year has gone by! I happened to be tuned into Dr. Charles Stanley’s broadcast this past Sunday and luckily stayed tuned in to listen to his son, Andy Stanley’s broadcast afterward. It was about starting the new year focused on your “one thing.” Most of us know…
Read MoreTrue Gifts…
This Christmas Eve I truly have a thankful, joyful heart as I write this – but the past few weeks, few days, have been so hectic between the wrapping and decorating and planning and parties that occasionally I have lost my way on the spiritual path and gotten upset over petty things. So I am…
Read MoreFinding Peace during the Hectic Holidays
The ISIS tragedies internationally, the unrest in Ferguson nationally, Black Friday shopping craziness at home (that I almost bought into but didn’t thanks to my husband!), family dysfunction and holiday commercialism…we could point to many reasons NOT to feel peaceful, especially during the holidays! And yet, Advent just began yesterday with the first of December and somehow, someway,…
Read MoreCelebrating Our Victories
When I found out I won the 2014 Readers Favorite International Book Contest Silver Medal for Inspirational Fiction, I wasn’t going to go to the awards ceremony in Miami. It would cost way too much, I had to take off from work, it was “just” a medal…I thought of several reasons not to go. Â And…
Read More