The Painting 2 – inspirational Christian fiction Trilogy by author Kathleen J. Shields continues now!
Children NEED their Imagination
One of the most inspirational and rewarding moments I’ve ever had when meeting with students was the day I showed a class of first grade students how important their imagination is. After reading a Hamilton Troll Book to this group of students we started talking about what it’s like to be an author – to […]
Pet Cemetery | The Inspiration behind th...
Last year while driving to a trade show in Utopia Texas I passed by an old sign that said something to the effect of “Hill Country’s Oldest Pet Cemetery”. As I continued to drive on this very long winding Texas road I started thinking to myself how Stephen King ruined it for everybody. His book […]
New Year, New Opportunities
An Interview with Gerald Oliver Delaney ...
Good morning folks, today we are sitting down with the painter of an entire world! Gerald Oliver Delaney is the main character in the award winning religious fiction novel, “The Painting”. Gerald, can you tell us a little about yourself? I’m a little shy. I was picked on quite a bit because I was so […]
The Labyrinth
Our church has a labyrinth, a place to find the loving spirit of the Lord. This was my journey from a while back… I had a similar experience today, one where I was placed in a position where I got to enlighten someone else. I felt it was time to reflect. Located at the top […]
God Moments for Easter
In March my grandfather passed away. While emotionally trying, I have to admit, the frequent and blatant God Moments assisted the grieving process in a way that made the entire time, dare I say it – pleasant. KNOWING that my grandfather was with God and the rest of my family; my mom, my aunt, my […]
National Poetry Month – Be Great!
April marks the month where schools, libraries, publishers, poets, and booksellers celebrate the importance of poetry in our lives. …So I didn’t want to let the month go by without posting at least one poem. Did you know there are 55 types of poetry forms? There’s a ballad, a couplet, an epitaph, free verse, haiku, […]
An interesting story – The Painting Book
It amazes me the people who are drawn to “The Painting” and how it affects them upon reading it. I’ve received some incredible email responses, inspirational stories, memories the book drew up – it’s nice to know the story is doing good for others. Below is a message I received from a lady who read my […]
Come Home – A God Moment on a Plane
I’ve been meaning to write about this magical moment for nearly two weeks, but what can I say? I hadn’t been home in almost two months and I had some very precious time to make up for. For those who didn’t know, I was tending to my grandfather who needed to enter hospice. It was […]
Sitting at Jesus Side Part 2: Reincarnat...
In a previous post, I was thinking about the idea of sitting at Jesus side, or at the very least having some time to socialize with Jesus upon arrival to heaven. Mathematically, I determined that 1.8 people die every second which led to an average of one person per side, per second for all eternity. […]
Which came first God or the Believer?
Like the old phrase which came first the chicken or the egg, this idea came to me earlier today. It made me really think because there are so many ways we can go with this question. God came first – he made the universe. We wouldn’t exist without him. The Believer came first – without […]
Publishing remains a tight-knit industry...
I was reading an article out of a trade magazine the other night and it almost made me cringe. It was a good read, helpful information and a unique perspective on the publishing industry that little ol’ me didn’t know – but it also brought about that ‘Good ol’ boys’ mentality my mother used to […]
Labyrinth 2: Finding Peace
Lately at church, I haven’t been feeling ‘it’. I tend to leave feeling emptier than when I arrived. That is the exact opposite of what church used to do for me. There are many reasons for that – excuses… working harder, following my dreams, leaving others behind, lost loved ones, oh and that darn biological […]
Dinner Table Exercise – A Healthier Way
I’d like to say I’m in shape. I’m healthy, I don’t have much, if any, pain. I can run, climb the stairs, do manual labor… but I don’t necessarily exercise. I started a walking regimen around the neighborhood – I failed to keep it up. I think I did it for two weeks. But the […]
Life is about Perspective
I was thinking about God the other day and how He ‘looks out after all of us’ throughout our life’s journey. It’s quite amazing actually, how He can ‘see all’ when we can’t see what’s just around the corner. It occurred to me that it is all about perspective. When we are living through our […]
The Power of Prayer Poem
My life was about living, every day about the same. Nothing special to report, because He didn’t know my name. I was lonely and quite hungry, though I didn’t know what for. ‘Cause I hadn’t been to church, so I didn’t know the Lord. When I did attend I went for food, friendship and to […]
Discussion Questions for “The Painting”
Book Clubs Bible Study Youth Groups Personal Growth “The Painting” tends to yank out emotions long ago suppressed by older individuals and incite conversations and deep thoughts long after the cover has been closed. To assist in engaging in discussion whether book clubs, youth groups or even bible studies, the author has put together an […]
Designed to do Good Deeds
Ephesians 2:10 God has made us what we are, and in our union with Christ Jesus he has created us for a life of good deeds, which he has already prepared for us to do. I have been working on “The Painting 2” and this scripture jumped out at me with the exact message I […]
What happened to Common Courtesy?
First, what is Courtesy? It is the showing of politeness in one’s attitude and behavior toward others. So let me ask you a question. When two people are talking and someone walks up to them, is it courteous to interrupt their conversation to ask your question? No. Is it courteous for them to keep talking […]
Cancelling Christmas | A Poem
It was two days before Christmas and all through the square, people were shopping like they hadn’t a care. Ripping through racks of toys, clothes and shoes, pushing past others, “You gave me a bruise!” They didn’t see the beauty, the lights in the trees, they didn’t sense the magic, the love or the freeze. […]