seasons of life – Almost An Author

It’s Only A season

Currently, here in my “neck of the woods” as we call it in Eastern Kentucky, we are in the middle of the transition of seasons. Summer is quickly fading, and fall is upon us. I couldn’t be happier.

The last few mornings, I have gotten up to get ready for work, and, as I go outside to walk the dog, the temperature has been in the mid-fifties. Ahhhh, sweet fall, where have you been? It’s good to have you back.

As I am getting older, summer has become a problematic season for me. It is like someone has turned my inner combustion engine to “Super-High,” and, if I spend more than five minutes outside, I look like I have taken a shower in my clothes. To coin a cliché, I can’t take the heat anymore, so I need to stay out of the miserably hot “kitchen” of the outdoors. Air conditioning, how I love you, my dear friend.

Now, I can stay outside for longer periods of time without the profusion of sweat. The other day, I wore a REGULAR COTTON T-SHIRT ALL DAY LONG WITHOUT SWEATING THROUGH IT. Progress, people.

I can hear your thoughts now: “What does this have to do with writing? Get to your point, Carlton!”

A friend recently asked me how my writing is going, and I responded with “heavy sigh.” I’m in that “in-between projects” mode, where I am waiting on something to happen, waiting on editors/publishers to throw me an offer (If you are one of those people and you are reading this now, please respond promptly), waiting on doors to open.

A few weeks ago, I was praying about this situation, and I felt God speak to my heart a short but powerful message: It’s only a season, and seasons change.

Wow. While I was agonizing over my lack of current projects, I forgot that God ordains seasons in our lives just as He ordains the seasons of weather. My current personal season is full of personal responsibilities that would make it hard for me to give loads of attention to a big project. In His mercy, God is keeping the “extra things” small at the moment to give me time to breathe. Isn’t He good in that way? I need to remember this and not sweat the small stuff (while I am also getting a break from extreme sweat from the heat outside).

What season are you in today? Maybe it’s a season of busyness, a season of excitement, or even a season of quiet. Whatever it is, embrace it and trust God with the timing. Just as He is guiding us in the transition from summer to fall, He will transition you in His timing.

Now, I am going to go walk the dog in the glorious 57-degree weather. I may even wear a light jacket. Oh, sweet fall, how I have missed you! It is so good you are here! Bring on a new season!

Carlton Hughes, represented by Cyle Young of Hartline Literary, wears many hats. By day, he is a professor of communication. On Wednesday evenings and Sunday mornings, he serves as a children’s pastor. In his “spare time,” he is a freelance writer. Carlton is an empty-nesting dad and devoted husband who likes long walks on the beach, old sitcoms, and chocolate—all the chocolate. His work has been featured in Chicken Soup for the Soul: The Dating Game, The Wonders of Nature, Let the Earth Rejoice, Just Breathe, So God Made a Dog, and Everyday Grace for Men. His latest book is Adventures in Fatherhood, co-authored with Holland Webb.

Promotion is Coming

If there’s one thing I’ve learned in life it’s this—promotion always takes preparation.

That truth was never more evident in my life than when I took a magazine feature writing position at a worldwide ministry, only to be informed I’d actually be doing something entirely different…and I wasn’t thrilled about it.

My editor explained that they had a greater need for another ghostwriter, so I would be fulfilling that role. During my years at Indiana University Journalism School, I’d been told to “find my voice.” So, I’d been working hard every day since college graduation to do just that. Now, my new boss was telling me: “Lose your voice, and find somebody else’s.”

That just didn’t make sense to me.

“Let me get this straight,” I answered. “I’m going to be taking somebody else’s thoughts and words from a sermon or a presentation, and then I’m going to write an article weaving all of those thoughts together in that person’s voice? With no byline?”

“Exactly,” my Editor answered. “That’s why it’s called ‘ghostwriting.’ You are invisible.”

Little did I know, not only was God working out some of that stubborn pride from my heart, but also He was preparing me for a role that would be a great blessing in my life—spiritually, professionally and financially. I was able to learn to ghostwrite while getting paid to do so—all the while being mentored by one of the best ghostwriters in the business who happened to work two offices over from me. It wasn’t an especially easy season in my life, but it was a season of preparation, though I didn’t know it then.

A few years later, I was offered the assignment of a lifetime, ghostwriting a book for a celebrity I greatly respected. That book ended up being a New York Times Bestseller, which opened up numerous ghostwriting doors for me. Over the years, I’ve been able to ghostwrite for many wonderful people, and it’s been a privilege to help them tell their stories.

But I wouldn’t have had those awesome opportunities without that season of preparation at the worldwide ministry.

You know, there are examples of preparation proceeding promotion throughout God’s Word. Take Esther, for example. She was just living her life as a lovely young Jewish girl in Persia when she ran smack dab into her destiny—becoming the Queen and ultimately saving the Jews from annihilation. However, in order for her to step into that destiny, she had to go through a year’s worth of beauty treatments. (Esther chapter 2) During that season, God was preparing her both spiritually and physically for what was to come. Had she not gone through those 12 months of preparation, she wouldn’t have been in position for that promotion.

So, let me ask you, are you experiencing a season of preparation? If so, don’t be discouraged or grow weary in the waiting. Just know that you are being prepared for promotion, and rejoice in it!

Michelle Medlock Adams is an inspirational speaker, award-winning journalist and best-selling author of more than 80 books, earning top honors from the Associated Press, the Society of Professional Journalists and the Hoosier State Press Association. Since graduating with a journalism degree from Indiana University, Michelle has written more than 1,500 articles for newspapers, magazines and websites; acted as a stringer for the Associated Press; written for a worldwide ministry; helped pen a New York Times Bestseller; served as a TV host for TBN’s “Joy in Our Town” show; and blogged for Guideposts. Today, she is President of Platinum Literary Services—a premier full-service literary firm—and she serves as chairman of the board for Serious Writer Inc., and teaches courses for Serious Writer Academy. Michelle is married to her high school sweetheart, Jeff, and they have two grown daughters, Abby and Allyson, two son-in-laws, and one grandson, as well as a miniature dachshund, a rescue Shepherd/Collie mix, and two cats. When not writing or teaching, Michelle enjoys bass fishing and cheering on the Indiana University Basketball team and the Chicago Cubbies .