Goodbye to LOST

If you haven’t watched the series finale of LOST, then you may not want to read the rest of this post. It will contain spoilers.

LOST has to be one my favorite shows ever. It was well written, well acted and quite entertaining. It kept people talking about theories of what the island was about and who exactly were the original inhabitants. Theories about characters and storylines were all over the internet and around water coolers.

I have to admit, I didn’t watch LOST when it was first on. Our daughter watched it and fell in love with the show. Tom and I felt we didn’t have time in our lives to watch “another show.” But my clever girl waited until the summer and LOST was showing re-runs of the first season. So we watched and from the first time Jack’s eye opened to the end of the first episode we were hooked.

I hate to say farewell, but I have to hand it to the producers for going out on top. I haven’t seen this much excitement for a show since the last episode of MASH. I realized I just aged myself, but it’s okay.

The big question remains – were you satisfied with its conclusion? When Jack saw his dad and realized he was dead and that all his friends were dead, I was at first confused and almost felt let down. As I continued to watch and ponder the ending, I realized how brilliant these writers were and what a perfect ending for characters I have grown to love over the past six years.

I was so excited to see couples unite – Hurley and Libby, Sayid and Shannon, Charlie and Claire, Jin and Sun. My favorite; Sawyer and Juliet.

I’m not sure I understand all that I watched last night, but I do feel satisfied. It would not be LOST if it didn't leave you with more questions about what happened. I will be watching that last episode again and again. In fact, Tom and I are going to start with the first season.

The ending shot of Jack’s eye closing was perfect. It ended as it began with a shot of Jack’s eye. Thank you LOST for entertaining me for the last six years. You will be missed, but not forgotten. I know you will be talked about for years to come.

Okay LOST fans, what did you think about the finale? Who was your favorite character? Let me know what’s on your mind.

© Nadine Zawacki 2010

Streams New Hampshire Interns Visit

This past weekend we had the pleasure of hosting a group of wonderful young people. The organization we belong to has two internship programs that train and equip young people to minister – teach, do outreaches, interpret dreams, etc. One is based in New Hampshire and the other in Canada. When we lived in Washington State we got to know the interns based in Vancouver, BC. New Hampshire is about a six hour drive from NY, so were able to have the interns from NH come for the weekend.

It was a great visit!!!

The bonus of meeting ten new young people was seeing two who were familiar to us from our former church in Washington. I absolutely fell in love with this group of young people. I would adopt any and all of them.

Thursday evening we shared a meal with them and then Tom spoke to them. Tom and I also enjoyed telling the story of how we met.

On Friday, they went to the city to see Times Square and Central Park among other sites. Unfortunately they hit our famous NYC traffic on the way back and it took three hours to return to Long Island.

Friday evening they ministered to the people at the church. They interpreted dreams and gave encouraging words. The feedback was all good. They did a great job.

Saturday we rented a thirty yard dumpster to do some house cleaning at the church. They were a tremendous help in filling that dumpster to overflowing. (Check the picture below). They worked with our people from the church and didn’t hesitate to do anything they were asked to help with.
On Sunday, they did the whole service from worship to the message. They were great. If you’re interested in hearing it, you can find it on our church’s website.

Thank you Streams NH School of Ministry Interns for coming. We miss you guys already.

© Nadine Zawacki 2010

Tips for a Healthy Marriage

Today I had the privilege of teaching with Tom. He’s been teaching on relationships on Sundays. Since he was going to speak about marriage, he asked me to do it with him. I had fun working with Tom. Thank you honey for sharing your pulpit.

If you want to check it out just go to our church website HERE. Click on SERMON. It’s titled Relationships 3 – Tips for a Healthy Marriage.

© Nadine Zawacki 2010

A Friend’s Passing

During the next couple of days, Tom and I will be saying good-bye to another friend who has died of cancer. Tom will be officiating the memorial and funeral services. I’ve known Linda over thirty years. I was the maid of honor at her wedding. When we left New York over sixteen years ago, we lost touch. Since we’ve been back, we’ve seen her and knew the type of cancer she had was very advanced. She was improving and the hope was she would get better. She lost her fight and died on Monday.

When I heard that she had passed away, I thought that I would cry or feel some deep emotional sadness. I was sad to hear that she died. I was sad for her sons who won’t have their mother around with them. I had to ask myself a very tough question – why wasn’t I more grieved for me? I’m not heartless, but I felt that way.

It came down to this . . . cancer took the life of someone I knew AGAIN. Someone who was only in their fifties. If I allow myself to feel then I would have to face the possible loss in my future. There it was. Emotions I knew where in there, but didn’t want to unleash because of the dept of my sorrow.

In my heart, I hold on to the fact that God is big. I hold on to promises of full healing for Tom. I take one day at a time and love every opportunity Tom and I have to share in our lives. I adore him. He adores me. Nothing can change that. We enjoy the good days, endure the bad, but most importantly keep moving forward.

If she would have died from anything else what would I be feeling? So I put aside cancer. I remember my friend and I mourn her loss. I cry because her life was cut short. Rest in peace my friend. I know that you are with our Father in heaven. I love you.

© Nadine Zawacki 2010

Her Mother’s Hope Blog Tour

Welcome to the Blog Tour for Francine River’s new book, Her Mother’s Hope. I’ve just started reading it and the story is very intriguing. My post today is longer than most that I write and feel free to read any or all of it. At the very end of the post are links for the book’s first chapter and a book trailer. If you’re a fan of Francine’s you may or may not know some of the answers to these questions. If you’re a fan, let me know your favorite book or what you like about her as a writer.

How did you get started as a writer? From the time I was a child, I knew I would be a writer. Because I didn’t know what I would write, I majored in English (emphasis in literary writing) and minored in journalism (emphasis on who-what-when-where-why). My parents had always been non-fiction readers. Rick’s family loved all kinds of books – and lots of fiction. Mom Edith loaned me novels and I loved them. On a dare (from Rick) I decided to write a combination of my favorite genres and wrote a “western-gothic-romance”. Romance novels were booming in the general market, publishers were on the look-out for new writers. My first manuscript sold and was published. I was hooked! I followed with eight or nine more (of what I call my B.C. (before Christ) books). They are all now out of print, are never to be reprinted, and are not recommended.

When I turned my life over to Jesus, I couldn’t write for three years. I tried, but nothing worked. I struggled against God over that because writing was my “identity.” It took that period of suffering “writer’s block” to bring me to my senses. God was trying to open my eyes to how writing had become an idol in my life. It was the place I ran to escape, the one area of my life where I thought I was in complete control. (Hardly!) My priorities were all wrong and needed to be put right. God first, husband and children second (we had three children by then) and third-- work. I prayed God would change my heart. My love for writing and reading novels waned and my passion for reading and studying God’s Word grew.

Rick and I began hosting a home Bible study. I began working with Rick in his business. The children came along and played in the office, hiding in the shipping popcorn. Writing ceased to matter. I was in love with Jesus and my husband and children. God never stops with the transformation process. We began studying the book of Hosea, and I sensed God calling me to write again – this time a romance about Jesus’ love for each of us. Redeeming Love was the result. It is the retelling of the Hosea story, set in Gold Rush-era California. After I turned it in, I wasn’t sure whether I would write anything more. I had so many questions about what it means to be a Christian, how to live for God, different issues that still haunted me. I felt God nudging me toward using my writing as a tool to draw closer to Him. I would ask my question, create characters that would play out the different viewpoints and seek God’s perspective. I began work on A Voice in the Wind. Writing has become a way to worship the Lord through story – to show how intimately He wants to be involved in our lives.

Which is your favorite book of those you’ve written? My favorite book is Redeeming Love. It was my first as a born-again Christian, my statement of faith, and the most exciting year I’ve spent writing anything. I felt God’s presence throughout the months of work, as though He were telling me His story through thousands of Scriptures as well as explaining the inner heart-ache and quest of each “my” characters.

Which book was the hardest to write and why? The Atonement Child was the most personal and difficult to write because I had to face my own abortion experience. Added to the considerable research I did, and women who shared their experiences with me, I went through an intensive post-traumatic stress Bible study for post-abortive women at our local pregnancy counseling center. Reliving all aspects of my abortion decision and experience was excruciating – but healing. After twenty-six years of being imprisoned by guilt and shame, I was free through the power and love of God. Though the book was the most heart-wrenching to write, it also proved to be the most life changing. I’ve received countless letters from other post-abortive women and have learned my experience is not unique. Our nation is filled with wounded men and women. The character of Hannah is based on my story, Doug is based on Rick’s, and Evie is based on my mother’s.

Tell us about your current work. I have just completed the second in a set of two books about mother-daughter relationship over four generations. This was intended to be one long novel dealing with the different ways generations have lived out their faith – but became so long it needed to be divided. Her Mother’s Hope will be released March 16, 2010. Her Daughter’s Dream will follow in September. There are numerous family and personal details woven into both books and I plan to share those things on my blog.

What is your goal or mission as a Christian writer? I want to whet the appetite for the real thing: the Bible and a personal relationship with Jesus. I try to weave Scripture throughout the story so people receive the Word and see what it might mean in their lives – how the Lord is present and real and passionately interested in each of us. He is not an idea. He is real, all-powerful, all-knowing, the embodiment of love, deeply involved in our existence, and He created each of us for a purpose.

What advice would you give to a new writer? Write what you need to read. Write from your heart and. Write truth. Sometimes it hurts to peel away the layers of self-deception and see ourselves in the mirror, but it will also draw us closer to Jesus. And your work may minister to others struggling with the same issues. Read the Bible every day so that it will flow naturally into the story. Study the Bible from beginning to end. It is the most exciting reading in the world. It is also alive – and will help you recognize when you are entering into sin and need to realign yourself with the Lord. Keep your focus on Jesus.

First chapter excerpt at: Click here

Book trailer video at: Click here

PLEASE NOTE: A complimentary copy of this book was provided to me as a blog tour host by Tyndale House Publishers in exchange for posting this interview on my blog. Please visit Christian Speaker Services (click here) for more information about blog tour management services.

© Nadine Zawacki 2010

Facebook Flirting

Tom and I are not the only couple that flirt on Facebook. I know it may seem that way, because we do it so often. Why flirt on Facebook, especially when you’re living in the same house? Because it’s fun. I love him and I don’t care who knows it. Sometimes I just like reminding him in writing that he’s the one for me. It brings a smile to my face and my heart jumps a beat when I read his proclamations of love.

I’m a firm believer in expressing your love for your spouse. Just because the “honeymoon” is over the passion, fun, and excitement shouldn’t be. A honeymoon is defined as the traditional holiday taken by newlyweds to celebrate their marriage in intimacy and seclusion. No one said that intimacy should be over when the “honeymoon” is.

When we got married, I stood in front of God, our family and friends and proclaimed my love for Tom. Facebook is just an extension of that for me. In this day of electronic communication why not use it to express yourself. People do that with blogs, Facebook, Twitter, etc. all the time. When we were dating Tom would write me these beautiful love letters, now he leaves me little notes on Facebook. He still gives me romantic cards and notes, but Facebook has become part of his expression of love for me.

I don’t mind expressing my love for Tom on Facebook. It’s not the only way that I express my love, just one of them.

So if you have a Facebook account, try a little flirting with the one you love.

© Nadine Zawacki 2010

The Blank Page

The blank page can be a writer’s worst nightmare. A clean canvas waiting for a story to form on it shouldn't be so scary. The blank page anticipates the weaving of the author’s imagination. Why would something that is pure and clean cause heartache? When words don’t seem to form it’s heartbreaking. You feel lost. You feel like you've lost it . . . or maybe it’s just me.

The last time I wrote a blog post it was over a month ago. It’s not because I haven’t attempted to write something. I feel blocked. I feel as unoccupied as the page that stares back at me. I’m not sure what is going on.

So how do I get “over it?” I’m not quite sure. I hope that the flood gates of creativity come pouring out of the heavens and into my spirit.

Maybe this little post is the beginning of the end of The Blank Page.

© Nadine Zawacki 2010