Fun Faith Adventures with Josie Siler: Choose Your Battles

Aug 8, 2017 | 11 comments

by Josie Siler @josie_siler

One of my happy places is way out in the country. It’s located down a back road and you need to go through a gate to get in. Once you’re in you’ll park in a small lot next to everything from motorcycles and jacked-up Jeeps to trucks and nondescript cars.

Frankly, My Dear . . . : Fun Faith Adventures with Josie Siler: Choose Your Battles

Frankly, My Dear . . . : Fun Faith Adventures with Josie Siler: Choose Your Battles

In this happy place I meet with family, friends, and strangers whose lives are as diverse as their vehicles. We swap magazines, actively engage our surroundings, and learn from the best.

What is this magical place? A gym? A school? Perhaps a gated community? In a sense, all of those answers are correct.

It’s a shooting range!

I know this might sound terrifying to some of you, but I’m a Wisconsin girl and shooting is in my blood. It’s part of the culture here and an absolutely normal part of life. I’ve been shooting my entire life, but it wasn’t until a few years ago that I really got into training.

My family met Dirk and Jo of Jasco Defense Strategies at a gun show held at our church. Yes, I said church; it really is part of our culture here! Dirk is a firearms instructor and a dang good one. My entire family took his concealed carry class and we were hooked.

Last summer I took Defensive Handgun 1. This class teaches you how to shoot from various positions including on your knees, leaning back on an elbow, or even flat on your back shooting between your feet. The whole time I was reciting in my head, “Don’t shoot your toe off, don’t shoot you toe off, don’t shoot your toe off . . .”

We learned how to shoot from behind and around shelter, what targets to engage first, how to assess the risk, and how not to get in trouble in the first place. You guys (that’s like “y’all” for us northerners), it was So Much Fun!

 

 

Living with chronic illness, shooting can be a challenge. Often it will take me days to recover from a night at the range and sometimes a week or more to recover from a class.

But sometimes in life you have to make the choice to have fun anyway because the joy you get from doing something is worth the pain.

There have been a lot of classes and range nights that I’ve had to miss, but I do everything I can to help my body be ready for fun. I schedule things so I can have energy before and time to rest after because I like it so much. There are a lot of reasons why:

One: It’s a stress reliever. If life is stressing you out, an hour or two at the shooting range is good medicine. I mean, you literally get to shoot your worries away – how awesome is that?!

Two: It’s family bonding at its finest. My entire family likes to shoot so when we all go to the range or take a class together it’s a blast. (Ha, blast!) We get to watch each other improve and celebrate victories together.

Three:  It’s a confidence builder. I don’t know if I’ve ever done anything that has built my confidence as much. When you can load and rack your handgun, understand the situation before you, and run a course, hitting every target and swapping mags[1] on the fly, you feel like a million bucks. You can face any problems head on because you just rocked that course and if you can do that you can do anything.

Four: I’m better prepared to live life safely. Let’s face it, today’s world is dangerous. Through shooting classes I’ve learned situational awareness[2]. I don’t walk to the car while playing on my cellphone, I keep my head up and eyes open. I don’t just check my six[3] out on the range; I check my six at the grocery store and in the parking lot. I walk with confidence and my body language shows that I’m not an easy target, even if I am small female. I’m a person who will fight back if necessary.

Five: It deepens my faith in God. I can see you scratching your head, but hear me out on this one. First of all, anything I do in nature deepens my faith in God. I love being in His creation. But beyond that, I’m learning how to be confident in the person God made me to be and learning lessons that can be applied to life and faith. For example, when my instructor gives me a command, I don’t always understand why he wants me to that, but I know that if I don’t obey I could be injured or someone else could be injured. Eventually I understand the “why” but by golly I better obey or I could be in trouble. It’s the same way with the commands God gives us in Scripture. I may not always understand the “why” right away, but I know that God is good and that His commands are for my benefit and safety. If I don’t obey God I’m going to find myself in trouble.

This Saturday I will be taking the Defensive Handgun 2 class and it’s going to be awesome! Do I have any shooting buddies out there? I’d love to meet you in the comments! Let me know what you like to shoot and what God has taught you through shooting.

Not a shooter? That’s okay! I think that any hobby we have or activity we enjoy can teach us something about God. Fun and faith are not mutually exclusive! I’d love to hear about something you love to do and what God has taught through it.

Footnotes:
[1] A magazine is what holds the rounds in a handgun. Rounds are what most people call bullets, but a bullet is only part of the round. The round is made up of the bullet, the gun powder, the primer, and the casing which holds it all together – see you learn things when you take classes!

[2] Situational awareness is knowing what’s going on around you. Be aware of your surroundings and have plans in place for those “what if” scenarios.

[3] Checking your six is looking behind you. Picture a clock: 12:00 is what’s in front of you; 6:00 is what’s behind you. Checking your six is being aware of what happening all around you.

TWEET THIS: Making the choice to have fun is worth the pain. @RealMojo @josie_siler #chronicillness #chooseyourbattles

And Frankly, My Dear . . . That’s all she wrote!

Josie Siler

Josie Siler

Josie Siler loves sharing God’s gifts of beauty, hope, and adventure. She’s an award-winning writer, a published author, and an award-winning photographer. She can’t seem to separate her two loves so she brings them together each week in a #BehindThePhotoFriday story. Josie is also the Vice President of Broken but Priceless Ministries and the Editorial Assistant for “Broken but Priceless: The Magazine.” When she’s not writing or taking pictures, you’ll find this biker chick riding her motorcycle, reading a good book, drinking coffee, eating chocolate, or shooting something at the range. Learn more about Josie at josiesiler.com.

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Review: The Best of Funds for Writers, C. Hope Clark

Aug 7, 2017 | 22 comments

by Molly Jo Realy @RealMojo68

Frankly, My Dear. . . The Best of Funds for Writers, C. Hope Clark

Frankly, My Dear. . . The Best of Funds for Writers, C. Hope Clark

Disclaimer: I’m friends with C. Hope Clark on Facebook so when she offered a copy of her book in exchange for an honest review, I jumped. Y’all know I love sharing what I know. And what I know is she knows her stuff. Read on . . .

“This book is a motivational, go-to, elementary reminder that if you desire to be a writer, you deserve to be respected for it.” ~ C. Hope Clark, The Best of Funds for Writers.

I’m gonna tell y’all upfront that if I hadn’t received this book from her (autographed, too. Thanks, Hope!) I would have bought my own. I’ve subscribed to her newsletter in the past, but thinking I was receiving too many emails, hers was in the batch I unsubscribed to. Thanks to this handy-dandy guide, I’ve resubscribed, and it’s reignited my passion.

I love books. Of course I do. I’m figuring most of you do too. Or else you’re just here to read my sweet Southern drawl, am I right or am I right? Anyway, I love books that are small and light and fit in my bag. You never know how long the line at the post office or bank will take, or where lunch will be. It’s good to have a book for a quick grab-and-go.

This book is so good I want to trash it.

Now, hold on. I’m not talking about trash-trashing a book. My good sweet tea, honey, NO. That’s sacrilege. I’m saying, I may get myself a second one so I can cut it into Happy Planner pieces for inspirational bookmarks, that’s how good this book is. Can you imagine all these quotes washi-taped and colorized and highlighted? Mm-hmm. I guess we know what my next Happy Planner will be, don’t we?

But we’re talking about this book. And this book book is so much more. It’s not just a one-time read-through experience. This is a great reference book, a must have for any serious writer. And let’s just resurface that new argument, You can’t write in a Kindle. I imagine by my second read through, this book will have even more notes in the margins.

It’s broken into bite-size chapters (the longest is under four pages long) and easy-to-read formatting. Important, pay-attention-to-this items are bolded. Each chapter includes quotes from deliciously wonderful books and authors, the first being Anne of Avonlea. Hulloh! You think that didn’t endear this book to my nobody-touches-it-but-me stack?! That’s right, it did.

Part One covers topics written by Hope, Part Two is written by her guests. We’re talking easy-peasy advice like

  • To Website or Not to Website
  • The Zillion Little Pieces of Our Writing
  • Write Daily or Not
  • The Importance of Writer Self-Education
  • Tactics & Tips Selling Your Books on Consignment
  • On Being a Travel Writer for AAA

As with her website and newsletter, this little book is like a foil-wrapped Wonka bar (and we all know how I feel about Willy Wonka!) – so full of good little treats you just don’t know what you’ll get bite after bite. But you want more so you buy another bar. Side Note: Did you know Wonka candies are no longer available? I didn’t. *insert sad face here* Luckily, you don’t have to buy another book, or go without. You can just keep reading this one.

Frankly, My Dear . . . She said "Frankly!"

Frankly, My Dear . . . She said “Frankly!”

With practical advice on how to reach for your dreams, Hope’s book is a great reference, and Hope is a great encourager.

What are some of your favorite books on writing?

TWEET THIS: Want to earn money as a writer? There’s Hope! @RealMojo68 @hopeclark #fundsforwriters #amwriting

With Hope, a pen, and never-ending chocolate bar,
Happy writing,
~Molly Jo

And Frankly, My Dear . . . That’s all she wrote!

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Frankly, On Faith: Go in Faith

Aug 6, 2017 | 4 comments

by Molly Jo Realy @RealMojo68

Frankly, On Faith.

Frankly, On Faith.

I had a discussion with God recently.

Let’s be honest. It wasn’t really a discussion. It was a one-sided rant. I was “reminding” God of the promises He made, and how I’m not seeing them come to fulfillment. Instead of seeing the goodness all around me, I had the bad blinders on and told Him exactly what I saw: stagnant nothingness.

I didn’t know what to do. Which direction should I take? What’s the best option to be best ambassador for Him? Here’s a hint: Ranting at God doesn’t leave much opportunity to hear Him speak.

I felt like I was drowning in quicksand. The harder I fought, the quicker I was sinking. So I learned to just hold my breath and wait for the slow, painful death.

Wait. What was that? Did You just tell me to move?

“God!” I screamed. “I’m in the same place and being told to go in faith, but even board games have directions!”

How do you know if you’re stepping in the right direction if you’re not being directed? I guess maybe that’s what faith is. Moving forward is moving. Standing still is not. And when you start out, you’ll soon know if you should turn back or not. Right?

The LORD says, “I will guide you along the best pathway for your life.
I will advise you and watch over you.
Do not be like a senseless horse or mule
that needs a bit and bridle to keep it under control.”
~Psalm 32:8-9 NLT

But what if you’re going on a path and you don’t know? What if you can’t feel God by your side, or hear His whisper in your ear? What if His hand doesn’t seem to be guiding you?

God doesn’t say, “I’m only here when you need me.” Or, “I’m around now and then.” He doesn’t wave His hand and say, “Yeah, I’m too busy for you now.”

No. That’s not my God.

God is always with us. He is always near. He may be quiet and sometimes we feel He’s playing Hide and Seek. But, trust me, He is always there.

I promise.

Know how I know?

Because He promised.

“And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
~Matthew 28:20b NLT

The next time you’re faced with a decision you don’t know how to make, don’t let the quicksand get you. Reach out your hand, and take a step up.

God will hear you. He won’t let you drown. And He’ll never lead you down the wrong path.

Frankly, On Faith: Ranting at God doesn't leave much opportunity to hear Him speak.

Frankly, On Faith: Ranting at God doesn’t leave much opportunity to hear Him speak.

TWEET THIS: Ranting at God doesn’t leave much opportunity to hear Him speak. @RealMojo68 #franklyonfaith #faith

And Frankly, My Dear . . . That’s all she wrote!

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