Author: Katie Ganshert

I write Christian romance and my debut novel, Wildflowers from Winter, releases in May, 2012 through Waterbrook Press (a division of Random House).

Live Messy

Posted on by Katie Ganshert
Do you ever feel like God’s calling us to live messy? At least a lot messier than we are?
 
I don’t mean neglecting the laundry or tossing the vacuum. I mean stepping outside the orderly. Stepping outside the safe. Stepping outside the bubble-wrapped. I mean rolling up our sleeves and getting dirty.

Sometimes I get the feeling that my life’s too tidy. Too neat. Too sanitized.
 
I go the easy way because the hard’s too much work. 
 
But you know what? 
 
We don’t experience God in the easy. There’s no growth to be had in the simple. 
 
We experience God when things are so hard and so out-of-our-control and so untidy that all we can do is throw up our hands and trust that He will show up in the midst of the chaos. 
 
A couple Sundays ago, my pastor said something that spoke so powerfully to my heart. To my husband’s too. He said, “If you want to be filled with the Holy Spirit, then get in over your heads.”

Too often, I put off the promptings of the Spirit until I have everything organized and figured out and straightened up.

Too often, I ignore the impulses of the Spirit because it feels too messy. Too complicated. Too out of my control. Too over my head.

But maybe that’s the point.

Maybe, when we step outside the safe lines that make up our lives, we see His grace and His power and His provision in a way we never would had we stuck with the status quo.

Maybe in those risky, uncertain moments, His glory shines the brightest. 
 
Let’s Talk: Tell me about a time you got messy and risked for God.

*Picture by aidan1923

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Three Keys to Following Your Heart’s Desire

Posted on by Katie Ganshert
Guest post by Lisa Jordan
 
In The Wizard of Oz, Kansas farm girl Dorothy runs away to find her heart’s desire. A tornado hits her area and she ends up traveling to the magical land of Oz along with her three companions who are searching for their own hearts’ desires—the scarecrow, tin man, and lion. Dorothy is a fictional character, but her story resonates with us who have our own hearts’ desire.
 
This week I’m celebrating the release of my debut novel, Lakeside Reunion. This book is the story of my heart and dedicated to my husband. Achieving my dream of becoming a published author happened because of three Ps—passion, perseverance and patience.
 
Passion: When I was sixteen, I read a novel by a popular secular author whose words captured my tender heart and held it captive until the end of the novel. Her happily ever after ending made my heart sigh with satisfaction. I credit the novel as the catalyst for my ultimate heart’s desire of becoming a novelist. As a happily ever after girl who loved God, I chose to write contemporary Christian romance.  
 
As with any dream, life has a way of detouring our heart’s desire, taking us down unexpected paths. I fell in love and married a handsome Marine (we celebrated our 22nd anniversary yesterday), and we’ve been blessed with two sons. Additionally, I operate an in-home childcare business. When my boys were young, I focused on them. After all, as much as we moms would love to, we can’t recapture their childhoods. As they grew older, I returned to my dream of becoming a novelist. The dream never left—it was simply sidelined for a season.  
 
Persistence: Becoming a novelist doesn’t happen overnight. My publication journey took over 10 years. I continued to develop and hone my skills. Working full-time in my home, caring for my family, returning to school to earn my early childhood degree, and my other responsibilities made finding writing time a challenge at times, but I wanted it badly enough, so I fought to find time in my crazy schedule. The late nights, ignoring the piles of dirty laundry and letting the family fend for themselves at meal times finally paid off when my agent called to let me know my dream had become a reality.
 
Following your heart’s desire requires daring to dream and stepping outside of your comfort zone. Fear of the unknown may have you quitting before you even get started. Stepping out in faith enables you to see beyond by your own limitations and see what God can do through you.
 
Patience: Your heart’s desire may cause you to create unrealistic expectations of yourself and others. Know your strengths and your weaknesses. Have a teachable spirit and be willing to listen to guidance, particularly to those with more experience than you may have. You have something to offer, so don’t sell yourself short. However, just be aware, every new venture requires a learning curve and a willingness to listen. Dreams take time to achieve. Put a plan in place with SMART (specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, timely) goals. Don’t rush the process. Celebrate each milestone as you work toward your overall goal.
 
Think about the legacy you will leave behind for others. Do you want to be known as someone who played it safe and shelved her heart’s desire, or do you want to be known as someone a woman who had the passion, patience and persistence to follow her dream? The only person standing in the way of your dream is you, so step aside and allow your heart to lead. As Henry David Thoreau said, “Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you have imagined.”
 
Your Turn: Are you following your heart’s desire? If not, what’s holding you back?


Heart, home and faith have always been important to Lisa Jordan, so writing stories that feature them come naturally to her. She has been writing contemporary Christian romance for more than a decade. Her debut novel, Lakeside Reunion, will be released in November by Love Inspired. Her second novel, Lakeside Family, will be released in August 2012 by Love Inspired. Happily married for over twenty years, Lisa and her husband have two young adult sons. When she isn’t writing or caring for children in her in-home childcare business, Lisa enjoys family time, romantic comedies, good books, crafting with friends and feeding her NCIS addiction. Visit her at http://www.lisajordanbooks.com/ to learn more about her writing. 



Redefining Romance

Posted on by Katie Ganshert

Sometimes, I get funny reactions when I tell people I write Christian romance. They look at me like I’m nuts. Like the two terms are completely contradictory. Christian romance? Isn’t that some sort of oxymoron?

This reaction makes me sad. Oh so very sad. Because God invented romance. Jesus Christ’s sacrificial love for His Bride is the most romantic tale of all time.

So how did we get here?

To this place where romance novels elicit images of bodice rippers and half-naked Fabios? To this place where Christian and romance don’t fit in the same sentence?

Let’s Talk: What images come to mind when you hear “romance novel”? What’s the best romance novel you’ve ever read? What made it so good? And for the love of all that is holy, are there really women out there who think Fabio is cute?