What a Month

By Del Duduit

What a month.

February was a fun blur.

I’m not sure how I could have packed any more into this month. But I wouldn’t trade it for anything.

The hectic month started Feb. 7 when Angie and I volunteered to shine shoes at the Tim Tebow Night to Shine Prom in Huntington. W.V. We got gussied up and stooped to make sure those who came in for our services left with a smile brighter than their shoes.

We were blessed.

The next day, we celebrated our granddaughter’s sixth birthday. She had a blast and ran and played with her friends. It was her day. She loved it.

We are blessed.

The same night, Angie and I went to Cornerstone Church nearby and listened to my friend and Cincinnati Bengals chaplain and his wife give a marriage seminar. LaMorris also wrote the foreword to my book, Bengal Believer: 40 Who Dey Votions for the Cincinnati Fanatic.

The place was packed with couples who wanted to make their marriages stronger. There was a nice Valentine’s Dinner, and it was a great evening.

We are blessed.

Somewhere along the way, my agent, Cyle, reached out to me to see if I wanted to become a junior agent under his literary agency.

Why not? I thought. I need another ball to juggle, and it sounded like a lot of fun.

Since then, I have signed two clients and sold my first book this week.

My mouth is around a fire hydrant and I am learning the ropes of an enjoyable but foreign aspect of the industry.

I am blessed.

The last two weeks, I have had to go over edits for two books that will be released later this year.

I had to finalize the changes for Michigan Motivations: A Year of Inspirations with the University of Michigan Wolverines, a book I co-authored with Cyle Young. We plan to launch this book July 7.

At the same time, I had to go over final edits for Bama Believer: 40 Days of Devotions for the Roll Tide Faithful which will release last this year.

To top that off, I had to finish writing Dugout Devotions II, More Inspirational Hits from MLB’s Best and send it to New Hope Publishers by the end of the month. Angie spent many hours editing the manuscript too before I sent it in before the deadline. Thank you.

We are blessed.

In the same time span, I received invitations to attend several writing conferences as an agent for the summer. I’ll be going to Chicago, Ontario, North Carolina, Michigan and New York City to conferences and book shows to try to help writers become published authors.

Four years ago, I prayed and asked God to give me something to do for Him. I struggled for years and was frustrated because I did not know what I was supposed to do. I knew I had a gift from God but was never able to pinpoint my mission. My attitude got in the way. After I reorganized my priorities, He saw fit to bless me.

Boy, did He ever pour it on me.

“Be careful what your pray for,” Cyle told me one evening. “You just might get it.”

I know I’m leaving out something.

But you get the idea.

And on top of all that, I’ve worked a 40-hour a week job.

I am blessed.

I am neither boasting nor complaining. I am describing my life and how God has given me a purpose. What will March hold? It begins with a bang in Liberty, North Carolina at the Serious Writer North Carolina Christian Writers Conference, where I’ll be teaching, and Angie will be helping out as well.

Follow me on Twitter here.

Oh yea, and I decided to go on a mission trip to Tokyo, and God has helped me to raise about 90 percent of what I need in the past two weeks. Thank you to those who have helped!

I am blessed.

If you want God to use you, pray about it and ask Him for guidance.

Then be ready.

You might get what you wanted, or He might open a new door to venture through.

What can you do for His glory?

There are many things.

You don’t have to be a preacher or singer unless you are called. You don’t have to be busy like me unless you like not sleeping.

But there are many ways you can be a blessing to others while you wait on God’s direction:

• Smile and have a positive attitude.
• Be a blessing to someone financially.
• Stop in and visit someone in the hospital.
• Invite a friend to church.

And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you. ( Ephesians 4: 32 KJV)

 

While you wait on God to reveal His plans for your life, maybe He wants to see what you can do in His name first. Are you up to the challenge?

Del Duduit is an award-winning writer and author who lives in Lucasville, Ohio with his wife, Angie. They attend Rubyville Community Church. Follow his blog at delduduit.com/blog and his Twitter @delduduit. He is represented by Cyle Young of Hartline Literary Agency.

Be sure to join me live on #PJNET every Tuesday at http://PatriotJournalist.com/?meta=2