 My last blog entry – Where’s Dr. Dobson – was months ago. The question Where’s Judy is fitting after half a year of silence. Any authors out there will know what I mean when I say, “I’ve been MIA (Missing In Action) in the bowels of book publishing.” Following the most productive writing year of my life, I now sit in the Waiting Room eagerly anticipating the Proof copy of Living in the Names of God: His Majesty and Me. One year ago on July 11, 2012 God signed me up to teach a Living in the Names of God bible study. Yet-to-write were my book and the accompanying bible study lessons. So my casual writing turned URGENT as I became locked into weekly deadlines of delivering a chapter and a lesson. Twenty-one chapters later the book will be available in August; the bible study will soon follow by the end of the year. One year later Praise Squier (Alias for Judy Squier; Judy means praise) is singing God’s praise as I thank Him for His faithfulness in the completion of this next book. He’s carried me, inspired me, empowered me and resuscitated me every step of the way.  I pass on to you a section from the upcoming book about God’s love song, which has wooed me and WOWed. May you, too, hear Him singing. Blessed are we when we wake up and hear God singing His love song with our names in it! “Yes, God Himself is the song when the music goes out of our lives. That’s one of the reasons I fell in love with eighteen of His Hebrew names. Each name has sung a unique love song from God’s heart to mine (and yours). ELOHIM: Remember I created you and have big plans for your life. EL ELYON: Feeling low? Allow Me to be your high. JEHOVAH: Whatever you need today, I AM. JEHOVAH RAAH: Nestle in, little lamb. You’re safe with me, your Good Shepherd. JEHOVAH SHAMMAH: Feeling alone? You can’t go anywhere that I’m not already there. EL ROI: Your pain is My pain. Be comforted knowing that I removed pain’s stinger on the cross. JEHOVAH NISSI: The battle is already won. Trust Me and raise the victory flag. JEHOVAH TSIDKENU: Allow Me to wipe your smudged slate clean. EL SHADDAI: Trade in all your insufficiencies for My All-Sufficiencies. EL GIBBOR: Allow Me to save the day. JEHOVAH JIREH: My more-than-enough exceeds your never-enough. ADONAI: Are you ready to hand over your life so I can bless you? ADONAI TSURI: Allow Me to be your rock-solid stability in life’s squalls. JEHOVAH RAPHA: I’m with you in your broken places. Watch Me use them to heal you. JEHOVAH SHALOM: Experience My peace that guarantees smooth sailing in every storm. JEHOVAH MEKODDISHKEM: Believe Me. My work in you will be a WOW! EL OLAM: Fret not. You are heaven-bound and in Me you can enjoy it now. GO’EL: My Specialty is transforming your wastelands into worshipful wonderlands. My book Living in the Names of God is available on Amazon. 
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WRITING does not come easy for me. I am not a born writer. I write and rewrite and rewrite sometimes a dozen times until it finally ZINGS! If writing is hard work for me, why do I do it? The following quote by Madeleine L’Engle explains why I write.
Collaborate, according to my Roget’s Super Thesaurus means: work together, team up, coauthor, join forces. So I collaborate with the book but also with Elohim, the Creator God. The Creator God is very much a part of my writing. He’s ultimately the Author while I click the keys on the keyboard. He gets me to my desk on days when I’d rather not. He’s the Finisher of each and every story that I work on so that after umpteen rewrites, when I read the finished work, I feel His Pleasure. Though not a born writer, I realize I have always found great pleasure in words. I have filled journals with words from the early age of ten. At age thirteen, my Dad helped me select the right words for my first public speech. For a decade I worked as a speech pathologist helping children with delayed speech and language development and adults who’d had strokes learn to say words. My favorite book after the Bible is my Roget’s Super Thesaurus. Words pepper the walls, counters and shelves of our home in southern Oregon. Plaques fill the empty space above many of our doors. I recently counted 17 words or quotes in one room. Two quotes stand out among many in my office: For This I Have Jesus and Do Something to Crow About. Words and writing have served me well giving me an opportunity to live experiences a second time. As I relive life by writing my life stories I often hear myself say: Lord, You were with me even then, weren’t You? Writing enables me to see Jesus in the rear view mirror. But mastering the craft of writing has been a long haul: fifteen to twenty years of writing classes and writers’ conferences with too-many-to-count rejections from book and magazine editors with only a splattering of memorable moments to prevent me from giving up. I remember the night I read Twenty-Four Karat Miracle (now a chapter in His Majesty in Brokenness) in an adult education writing class at Palo Alto High School. As I finished reading, one of the other senior citizen students jumped out of her seat and shouted, “Judy, you’ve got a book in your belly.” She was right. The book in my belly was published in August 2010. I thank the Lord for leading me to Createspace.com for a painless experience of self-publishing. The Createspace support staff held three Squier’s hands (Judy’s, David’s and daughter Naphtalie’s) and lead us along the path to finalizing the manuscript so that they could provide their top quality print on demand product. Not only do I recommend them I am ready to use them again. All year I have busied myself with book number two – His Majesty and Me is my working title. The stories will convey my love affair with God, through His Hebrew names, including El Shaddai, Jehovah Jireh, Jehovah Shalom and fifteen others. My prayer and goal is to send the PDF of the manuscript to Createspace by December 31, 2012. For this I have Jesus! HOW ABOUT YOU? What challenge is staring you in the face? What is too big for you to pull off on your own? Is someone you love overwhelmed? I have a Bible verse for us all – a verse God gave me during final week in college. (I know He gave it to me because to this day I still have trouble finding Habakkuk in my Bible.) Habakkuk 3:19 (Amplified Bible) reminds me Who to put in charge of life’s IMPOSSIBLE assignments. I have crowned Him my Author and Finisher for my current writing endeavor. What do you need to hand over to Him right now? The Lord God is my strength, my personal bravery, my invincible army; He makes my feet like hinds’ feet, and will make me to walk (not to stand still in terror but to walk) and make spiritual progress upon my high places (of trouble, suffering and responsibility)!  Me busy writing in my study.  All my writing resources  SpeciaLiving just came out with their fall issue – you can view an article I wrote by following the link below. Thank You, Betty Garee, editor of Specialiving E-zine! To read this wonderful quarterly magazine go to: www.specialiving.com Find page 62 to read my article: REDEEMED: An Everyday Word   I have been buried in speech writing the past four weeks – hiding out in my cozy office in our home in Grants Pass. My labors grew momentarily lighter watching a mother swallow outside my window as she frantically hunted food for the chirping mouths peeking out of the birdhouse. But still with my stack of rewrites up to the ceiling, my ravenous quest continues for the perfect words. I shout AMEN to Mark Twain’s remark: The difference between the right word and the almost right word is like the difference between lightning and the lightning bug. This Power of Words video has captivated my attention. I’ve viewed it a dozen times already. Each time I ask myself: What makes the second set of words so much more effective? As a writer, my Roget’s Super Thesaurus is a tried and true tool in my quest for words that hit the spot. As a Christian writer, I invite Jesus the Living Word to bring life to my choice of words. And as a Christian, I pray, Lord, give each one of us written and spoken words that penetrate hearts, propelling us to deeds of kindness to the hurting world around us. I’m praying for Jesus’ healing words as I speak to families touched by disability at the July Joni and Friends Family Retreat at Mission Springs in California. I’ll give you an update with pictures at the end of the month. Until then I pass on a prayer that I’ve prayed more and more recently: “May the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart, be acceptable in Thy sight, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.” Psalm 19:14  How blessed I am when I hear how His Majesty in Brokenness is being used! The following e-mail is from my former roommate, Cathy Binkley Padgett, who I met while attending Campus Crusade for Christ’s IBS at Arrowhead Springs in the sixties. I’m sure my removable legs were a shocker to her but God used them to prepare her, to strengthen her and to show her His presence in brokenness as she would experience the pain of her son Troy’s severe and fatal disability in his adult life. In Christ nothing is wasted. After reading her note, take a reflective moment and ask yourself, “How has His Majesty prepared and strengthened me for a humanly impossible situation?”
  Signing a book for the Rosenthals. Photo Courtesy of Robin Toews I’m totally new at this book publishing stuff. When doors open I wheel through them. When His Majesty in Brokenness first came out, my friend Ginny said, “Let’s do a book signing at the Grant Pass First Friday Nite in September.” Not wanting to pitch my tent on the curb, I was grateful when she offered her son’s Glass Forge store two blocks from the center of downtown. As David and I drove to my first book signing, we agreed that I’d probably sell one book. Imagine our surprise and delight when we sold 28. My book signing/celebration in Kristin Day’s Portola Valley house in December was well attended and 35 books moved from my cardboard box to friends’ hands and hearts. Thursday of last week, Patty Cullen, a fellow student in a Life Stories writing class, hosted a book signing for me in her Konditorei coffee shop in the town where David and I raised our family. The hugs and congratulations were coupled with the purchase of 33 copies of His Majesty in Brokenness. I think I like these book signing events was my conclusion until Pat Sikora, who did much of my content edit, gave me the scoop: “Many authors don’t do book signings anymore, Judy, since the average attendance is often three people, relatives included.” Sometimes it’s better not to have done your research – my naiveté paid off this time. And it sure has been fun sharing the limelight with His Majesty. Thanks one and all for your support and cheers! But what’s the take away, Coach Naphy asks her Ma before posting this blog update? Proverbs 3:5-6 was dancing around in my mind all week – Trust in the Lord with all your heart. Lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your paths. Peace of mind comes when we entrust the outcome of events to His Majesty’s good keeping. What can we release to Him this week? What a relief to let go and let God of the universe direct our paths. Here are some photos from my last book signing event at the Konditorei coffee shop in Portola Valley, CA:  Visiting with Jean Lane – a pillar in Portola Valley. Photo Courtesy of Robin Toews  Forever friends Kristin, LJ and Nita. Photo Courtesy of LJ Anderson  A book for the birthday girl – Mrs. Ed Lewis. Photo Courtesy of LJ Anderson  Special friends - Marjorie Mader, Patty Cullen, Robin Toews and Gloria Rosenthal. Photo Courtesy of LJ Andreson Thank you ALL who came and made it special!   A cover of “Accent On Living” Magazine: Judy standing under a giraffe at Giraffe Manor, Nairobi, Kenya My Sally Stuart Christian Writers’ Market Guide (www.stuartmarket.com) arrived in the mail this week. Time to cozy up by the fireplace and study the writing market. (All aspiring writers will find Sally’s 500 plus pages of information essential for getting published in the Christian market.) As a beginning writer, I decided to hone the craft beginning with magazine articles. Perusing Sally’s invaluable guide, I discovered the perfect magazine, Accent on Living, for my stories about my life with a disability. With my confidence shaking in its boots, I submitted two articles – one on snorkeling in Hawaii and the other on our safari in Africa. Both stories received an immediate rejection via e-mail. Crushed, I was ready to quit, but God wasn’t. About the same time I had a trip planned to Bloomington, Illinois to spend a few weeks with my aging Mom. Still dreaming of getting published, I poured over the magazine like I used to pour over the back-to-school Sears catalog. It was then I noticed the address and phone number inside the cover – Bloomington, Illinois. A day into visiting mom in the local nursing home, I found time and courage and called the magazine editor, “Hello, I’m Judy Squier,” I hemmed and hawed, “I sent you two magazine articles…” As Editor Garee proceeded to repeat WHY she couldn’t use them, I interrupted, not sure why I said what I said, “I’m here in Bloomington visiting my mom at Heritage Nursing Home in case you want to reach me.” “Heritage Nursing Home,” she said, “my mom is there right now. I’d really like to come over and meet you!” My insides screamed, “WHAT!” as I calmly answered, “What time do you want to meet?” Editor Betty Garee and Rookie Writer Squier met that day. Betty included both of my articles in her next issue (Summer, 2001) with my Africa picture as her cover photo. And she proceeded to accept all of my future submissions in her newly named magazine, SpeciaLiving. And the maraschino cherry to top it all off, just last month Betty invited me to continue her magazine’s inspirational column that Joni Eareckson Tada can no longer do. Check out my first entry, God is My Pogo Stick, on page 40-41 in the Winter Issue at www.specialiving.com There’s a lesson here for all of us as we face new challenges in 2011: It’s not about locked doors; it’s about the Keeper of the keys. You remind me and I’ll remind you: Don’t quit before the happy ending. Let’s keep trusting the Lord. He’s the Keeper of the keys. (To learn more information about Giraffe Manor in Kenya, check out their website: www.mahlatini.com/kenya/accommodation/giraffe-manor/)   Judy Squier Holding Christmas Star at Book Launch Party I was honored to be honored early this month with a book signing in the San Francisco Bay Area. Thank you to Kristin Day, the perfect hostess who welcomed us all into her castle in Portola Valley. Hot cider, scrumptious cookies, cheeses and fruits were served around His Majesty’s humble manger, as forty dear friends and family members celebrated my impossible dream come true. I read Chapter 15, “Keeping Jesus In,” sold and signed many books, then gave everyone a glittering star, celebrating the BIG MOMENT in this wanna-be-a-published-writer’s life. I still remember the BIG MOMENT on August 13 when we received the proof of His Majesty. Some books flow and some grind. My book required ten plus years of writing class after writing class, where feeble attempts were tweaked and tweaked and tweaked with finally one story then another making it to paper. Despite my waxing and waning discipline, God birthed His Majesty in Brokenness. As I behold the finished product, my goose bumps whisper: “I can’t believe I lived every one of these stories!” What’s your BIG MOMENT for this decade? Or are you praying for it to happen in 2011. A goal? A relationship? A healing? To fan the flame of your longing, I pass on my favorite quote from Ann Kiemel, the author of the book I Love the Word Impossible: “Life is filled with ordinary days, when there’s no one there to praise you and no one to pat you on the back. But throw your very best into today and one day all those ordinary days will make a BIG MOMENT in your life.” Here are a few photos. More can be found on my Judy Squier Facebook Page.  Judy Squier Reading "Keeping Jesus In." Photo courtesy of Pat Sikora  Judy Reading Chapter to Guests  Judy Squier Signing Books  Judy's Christmas Ornament Gold Star Favor for the Guests  Recouping from surgery, especially when recovery is a pain-free, buys lots of reading time. May I strongly recommend the following great reads:
All four books deal with more than one can stand pain – all four resonate with my testimony in His Majesty in Brokenness: Jesus, the Man of sorrows, acquainted with grief, DOES meet us in our pain and when we admit we are hurting, walls of isolation fall down, community is born and the ripple effect of healing brings relief to the Body and glory to His name.
Each author has a website, even blogs, and each is brutally honest with no candy-coating of how bad life can hurt. HOWEVER, their books along with mine provide convincing evidence that we dare not quit before the happy ending, the beginnings of which will bless our socks off this side of heaven. I’m not wishing surgery on you but I am recommending you add these books to your Christmas list (If you can wait that long!). Also, it’s exciting to watch the readers of His Majesty stocking up with 5, 10, 15 more copies for Christmas gifts. I am happy to personalize and gift wrap your books as you designate your wishes on the Paypal memo. www.judysquier.com  Every author welcomes a newspaper interview followed by an article about your book in the local paper. But your knees knock as you wait to see how you look in the photo and how your are portrayed by the reporter. I give this article 5 stars. Journalist Kathleen hit the nail on the head in capturing the real me.
Reach reporter Kathleen Alaks at 541-474-3815 or kalaks@thedailycourier.com  |
AuthorJUDY SQUIER has authored His Majesty in Brokenness, Living in the Names of God and the Living in the Names Bible Study. Husband David and she have three adult daughters, three sons-in-law and seven grandchildren. Never did Mr. and Mrs. Squier dream that their long-awaited golden wedding anniversary would coincide with David’s memorial service. Judy resides in southern Oregon, alone, yet not alone. Thanks to the Good Shepherd! Categories
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