Dreams Do Come True

This weekend, I'm heading to Arizona to watch my movie, Finding Love in Big Sky, with my grandma! I'm so excited to share my dream with her. She's been a huge inspiration to me.

But today there's another dream I want to share with you. This dream belonged to Dana McNeely. She wrote a book and had a lot of interest from editors, but no publishers bought it because they said biblical fiction wasn't selling. So Dana put it in a drawer and considered giving up on writing.

I didn't know any of this. I just judged the manuscript in a contest and really loved it. The story was based on Elijah as told by the boy he brought back to life. Set during a pagan time of idol worship, human sacrifices, and temple prostitutes, it had the feel of a fantasy novel, yet it really happened. And it all has to do with prayers for rain.

Well, I was going through a dry season in my life, and I remembered this book. I figured it had probably been published, since the other contest entry that I'd really loved belonged to Joanna Politano, and she's become a beloved historical romance author. (Get her Christy-Award nominated book on sale for $1.99 here for a limited time.) But I couldn't find Rain.

So I contacted the contest coordinators to ask for their help in tracking down the author whose name I'd never known. Long story short, they found her, I contacted her, and my publisher picked up her book. Fast forward to this week... RAIN WAS NOMINATED FOR A CHRISTY AWARD!!!

I'm so happy for Dana. But that's not all. She lives in Arizona, and we're planning to meet in person this weekend for the very first time!!! Hopefully I'll have pictures for you next week.

I believe in dreams. I believe God puts them in our hearts. I believe He has perfect timing and is always working even when we don't see Him move. And I believe He can bring our dreams back to life after they've died.

When I was still in my dry season--my desert, Dana's book inspired me to read about Elijah in the Bible for myself, and I wrote an article about what I learned. If you're going through a dry season too, I encourage you to read Dana's book and my article along with your Bible. Don't give up on your dreams.

For I hear the sound of heavy rain. -1 Kings 18:41