
The latest from the journal…

Guilt: What It Means and How to Overcome It
Recently, I was asked to write on the topic of guilt, and I was surprised to realize I hadn’t already done so. Interwoven between all of the stories I have written so far has been this elusive and plaguing emotion. How do you know when guilt is a good thing? How do you learn from…
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When To Keep Going On Faith
Guest Post by Kate Brenton, Bestselling Author of Rebirth Recently, I was interviewed by a yoga studio owner that asked a timely question, “You’ve talked a lot about serendipity and signs, but what do you say to the listener that has had no signs? That has had nothing going their way? What would you tell…
Keep readingWinners: Yecheilyah’s 5th Annual Poetry Contest 2022
Hello readers, I have been silent here for a bit but working quietly on some transitions. Here is some good news I want to share with you.
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Overcoming Defeatist Thinking: Relationship Advice from Bishop T.D. Jake’s and Pastor Steven Furtick
In last week’s post we discussed overcoming loneliness by getting outside of your social isolation and meeting people. Something we didn’t discuss is the attitude we have towards others that can hold us back. Something else not in that conversation is the diversity of different cultural experiences coming together to learn from each other. The…
Keep readingThe Dangerous Place of Loneliness
Wise thinking leads to right living; Stupid thinking leads to wrong living. Fools on the road have no sense of direction. The way they walk tells the story: “There goes the fool again!”Ecclesiastes 10:2-3 MSG Whether you are alone in a crowded room or struggling in isolation trying to connect with real people, loneliness is…
Keep readingSometimes The Simplest Food Takes The Most Effort: Making Gnocchi With Rosina from Until Next Sunday
Last week we toured Italy with Audry Fryer, author of Until Next Sunday. On Monday, Audry visited our podcast and shared some of the behind the scenes of writing the book. Today, we dove into the book and decided to attempt to make and share the iconic family recipe for gnocchi. Until Next Sunday is…
Keep readingPumpkin Donuts, Burned Churches, a Confident Hope, and Rising from the Ashes of Defeat
It wasn’t your normal doctor’s appointment. It wasn’t a date night either. It was a chance to sit across the table with a friend, share a meal, and listen. It was a chance to debate whether or not two diabetics should be ordering pumpkin donuts with cream cheese frosting…then ordering anyways and laughing. If you…
Keep readingHow To Love A Soldier
When you love someone in the military, the thing no one tells you is that you get conscripted too. You are required to move when and where the military dictates. You have to sacrifice your career, family, and friends to keep your marriage together. In addition, you have to be flexible to enjoy downtime with…
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Old Becomes New At Sand Box Farms: What I Learned Visiting A Young Farm and How It Changed Me
In May 2022, I had the opportunity to visit the farm you are about to read about, and what I saw impacts me still four months later. You are about to meet two people who believe in hard work and never giving up on a dream. You are about to meet two people whose enthusiasm…
Keep readingWhat It Means To Be All-American: Lessons Learned at the Frontier Culture Museum in Staunton, VA
Earlier this Spring, I had the opportunity to tour the Frontier Culture Museum–a living historical museum–in Staunton, Virginia. The museum uses live interpreters who live in part on-site according to period-authentic ways to be able to explain what life was like for our ancestors. They make their clothes by hand all the way from growing…
Keep readingCelebrating Veterans with The 2022 Tour of Honor and Veterans Rock in Dudley, NC
As we come into Memorial Day weekend, we are challenged to remember those who gave their lives in service to their country. One particular way we can do that blends with another thing we love to do with long weekends: travel. About The Tour The Tour of Honor is a first responder and veteran-focused motorcycle…
Keep readingTravel to Southern Italy: A Region Featured In The Novel, Until Next Sunday
by Audry Fryer, author of Until Next Sunday Researching the Campania Region of Southern Italy had to be one of the best parts of writing my latest novel, Until Next Sunday. If only I could have conducted my research in person! In Until Next Sunday, the main character, Rosina, makes the brave choice to leave…
Keep readingA Miracle In The Making In Tin City: Wallace Christian Academy
(Previously published in The Duplin Times) A miracle is in the making in the Tin City area of Wallace. In January 2021, Pastor Chris Jarman of Poston Baptist Church spoke to some of his church members about his vision to start a Christian school in the Wallace area. Together they visited several schools in eastern…
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Fake Social Media: The Dangers, Cons, and Corruption and Top 5 Recommendations to Protect Yourself on Social Media Platforms
Early this month, Elon Musk backed out of a 44 Billion dollar deal to buy Twitter because of “a continual disagreement over the number of spam accounts on the platform”. According to this article in the NY Times, the deal was made on a whim in the first place and Twitter will most likely fight…
Keep readingThe Enemy Within: Overcoming Procrastination With Exercise
Physical exercise is one thing many of us avoid. But what if I told you that making it a purposed part of you day would make the rest of your day better? What if doing that activity you avoid could actually lengthen your days and make the quality of them better too? The Oxford Dictionary…
Keep readingMindset Medicine: Overcoming Obstacles Through Journaling
Recently internationally best-selling author, Mari L. McCarthy, sent me a copy of her new book, Mindset Medicine: A Journaling Power Self-Love Book. In the book, the author shares 14 writing prompts and ways to heal from mental, emotional, and physical trauma through journaling. I accepted the book to write a book review, but I picked…
Keep readingBe Kind To Yourself And Your Body: Wisdom from Tiffany Cleveland
For some reason, the beginning of the New Year feels like the perfect time to start something new. I’m not sure if fitness center marketing started that or if it really feels like an organic time to Get. On. Track. The old habit: Start a workout program with full vigor.Watch it fizzle into a twice…
Keep readingGet Your Hands Dirty!
This is a challenge involving working with your bare hands in soil. It is especially helpful for creatives of all types that find inspiration from nature or are curious to explore it more. It helps to increase contentment and appreciation of what you have and the world around you. It also helps you learn about…
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Christmas With The Chosen
If you haven’t heard of it already, The Chosen is the first ever television series based on the life of Christ. It presents the Gospel in a way that makes the characters real and approachable. For example, there is a scene when Joseph comes to Bethlehem with Mary and there is no room for them…
Keep readingA Poetic & Auditory Response to A Silent Night at Museum of the Bible
The bleak midwinter settles in layers of flurries without and within Crackling fire and a boy hold a protected book in a one room cabin Creaking floors and hinges, rattle open Footsteps in the snow lead lanterns to a stage floor where percussion explodes… Lift up your head! See the percussion army dance, swing wide…
Keep readingBeautifully and Wonderfully Made: Inspirational Recording Artist, DJ Coles
Recently, I stumbled on the cool, jazzy jams of a local artist, DJ Coles. I think it is so good that I can’t keep it to myself. Watch this short music video and see if you don’t agree….
Keep readingThe Power of the Written Word: Charles Martin Books
If you love a good story, get ready for a treat! Today’s post is about a modern author whose work is so good, we’ve read every one of his books–multiple times. I don’t recommend every book I have read much less every book by a specific author, so why am I giving Charles Martin this…
Keep readingWhat We Can Learn About The Purpose of Art From The 52nd Annual GMA Dove Awards
I sat on pins and needles for the show. This night had been on my calendar for months. The nominees played on replay on my Spotify as I worked and drove around town. They were my jam through tough times and my celebration in moments of victory. I had researched the artists online and knew…
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10 Tips to Create a Social Media Platform That Promotes Your Business (Not Controls It)
10 Tips to Create a Social Media Platform That Promotes Your Business (Not Controls It) By Rebecca J. Whitman No matter how long you have been in business, you have most likely heard that you need to have some sort of presence online. Some advise having a page on Facebook. Others say that’s not enough;…
Keep readingMentorship: Finding Purpose in Helping Others and Knowing When To Invest in Being Mentored
If you ask Google about mentorship, you will get all kinds of results. It will define the term, explain its purpose, tell you there are different types, and even advise about romance between mentors and mentees. There is nothing wrong with Googling how to do what you want to do, but at some point you…
Keep readingPhinite Drying Systems: Innovation from Australia Brings Revenue and Problem Solution to Pork Farmers
(Previously published in The Duplin Times) On Wednesday, June 29th, an Australian inventor from Crocodile Dundee country visited Duplin County to show pork farmers a way to turn the sludge in their lagoons into additional revenue. Inventor and founder of Phinite, Jordan Phey, was a water engineer working to bring “simple and robust safe water…
Keep readingArt Happens in Wilson, NC
Originally published in Summer SENC Magazine, Adams Publishing Company By Rebecca J. Whitman Stained glass is nothing new to artist Kim S. Joy; she’s been creating in it since 1982. Kim found the beauty of making art in glass through a stained glass class in New Mexico, and she followed that experience with an apprenticeship…
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Yecheilyah’s Self-Publishing Checklist
Many of you have asked about self-publishing and what steps you need to do to get into it. This post by indie author, Yecheilyah, streamlines the process into a valuable checklist. Check out her other posts for more details about the self-publishing process.
Keep readingChristmas Comes Early: The Story of Davis Carr, the Santa of Wallace, NC
by Rebecca J. Whitman (originally published in The Duplin Times) “If you saw him on the street and didn’t already know better, Davis Carr was the kind of man who made you think, ‘he’d make a great Santa Clause”, long-term former mayor, Charley Farrior said. With a round face, jolly personality, and a full white…
Keep readingStranger Danger: The Human Trafficking Threat in North Carolina and Beyond
When we were kids, many of us were taught to see strangers as potentially dangerous. This was especially true for unknown adults talking to children. But does stranger danger end when you are kids, or is it just beginning? In this article, we talk to Wallace Police Chief, James Crayton, Cry Freedom Missions CEO, Beverly…
Keep readingThe Unfiltered Advice I Wish I Could Tell The Younger Me
Unfiltered advice about friendship, dreams, and boys that I wish I could have taken to heart when I was younger…
Keep readingIt’s A Wonderful Life In Mount Olive: How I Launched Into a Full-Time Writing Business in 2021
For eight and a half years, I taught proudly at Wayne Community College. It was a job I had prayed for and thanked God for daily. Then Covid-19 happened, and we all shifted to working remotely. I worked primarily from home, but went into my office occasionally. When I did, everything had changed. Fellowship was…
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How to Study the Bible
Do you struggle to pick up the Bible and read it? Are you someone with multiple versions and study tools but no clue how to use them? The purpose of this post is to help you find a way to ease Bible reading into your life and create sustainable reading patterns. Blessed are those who…
Keep readingThe Thorn is Not a Thorn
Today is a day of thorns. When this story goes to post it will be Good Friday, the day commemorated in Christianity as a day of fasting and penance for the torture and crucifixion of Jesus Christ. We remember Christ in his sufferings and call it “good” not because of what he endured but why…
Keep readingShabbat, Sabbath, and Lent: Religious Traditions of Christianity and Why They Are Important
What Is Shabbat? In the language of the Jewish culture (Hebrew), the word for Sabbath is Shabbat (pronounced shuh-baat). In Jewish culture, work of all kinds stops for 25 hours from the sundown on Friday to sundown on Saturday. Special meals, prayers, gatherings, and services are performed over the course of those 25 hours, but…
Keep readingGodmothering: The Power of Mentoring To Change Lives
A year ago or more, I bought this print from my friend Tracey Penrod. The image spoke to me of friendship and motherhood…of dreams yet to be fulfilled. I kept both the impressions and the artwork to myself until today. With permission from the artist to reprint her work here, I tell you that today,…
Keep readingGuard the Root! The Importance of Writing Down Your Vision
When God begins to show you your purpose and calling, there are some important steps you need to follow through with to help you keep on track to seeing those goals realized. In this post, we will dig into the scriptures and discuss the importance of writing down your vision, guarding your influences, and avoiding…
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The State of Education and How Tutoring to the Top is Making a Difference in Wayne and Duplin County, NC
Recently, a local high-school story went viral when it showed old equipment, broken floors, and rats in the school. That story was further detailed with descriptions of fighting and complete lack of control or respect in the classrooms. Teachers are overwhelmed and physically assaulted in classrooms. Administrators are overwhelmed. Students are ruling the room in…
Keep readingThe 4 Day Movement: A Non-Profit Serving People in Crisis
Pastor DJ Coles and his wife, Ruth, have been givers and servers in ministry for as long as I can remember. Chaplain, youth pastor, recording artist, public speaker, mentor, father, husband, and friend are just a few of the hats that Pastor DJ has worn. In 2013, Ruth began to pray that they would find…
Keep readingWomen’s Rights: The Forgotten Fight in Afghanistan
On August 24, I broke over a year of silence to tell you the story of the Afghan refugees, and that story left a lasting impact on me. It also created bonds with those fighting for humanity around the world. This article is a story about some incredible people fighting for equality in hiding in…
Keep readingChurch Ministry is a Partnership Not Competition: The Story of Pastor Andrew Price and The Bridge, Mount Olive, NC
I grew up under the ministry of Pastor Ferrell Hardison at Whitley Church (now The Bridge) in Princeton, NC. He raised us to see church ministry like we are all part of the same team. Jesus is the name on the front of the jersey; our church name is on the back. What matters is…
Keep readingThe Boatman and the Humanitarian Crisis to Save Afghan Refugees
This is more than the story of one Boatman; it is the story of the thousands of service men and women and innocent civilians that are or will be publicly executed if we don’t take action NOW.
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The Story of Brendan Hooker: How Internship Inspired a Recent College Grad to Make Life-Changing Decisions
By Rhonda Jessup, Director of Public Relations at the University of Mount Olive Brendan Hooker of Garner had a rocky start in life. A child of divorce, he struggled with his identity, family connections, and friend choices. “I considered myself to have been a rather difficult person to get along with until I found religion…
Keep readingUsing Our Gifts: Sermon by Pastor Bill Adams
Join us for an eloquent sermon on the importance of using the gifts God gave you to make a difference in the word.
Keep readingPamela Taylor’s “Pestilence: Second Son Chronicles, Volume 3”
Welcome Back! If you are just joining us, this blog is part of a book tour promoting a new historical fiction novel by Pamela Taylor, Prestilence: Second Son Chronicles Volume 3. Note: The author sent me an autographed copy of the book in exchange for this review. Pamela Taylor’s book series, Second Son Chronicles, is…
Keep readingAllegory and Underline Themes in “Pestilence” and the Second Son Chronicles Series by Pamela Taylor
The following is a guest post written by the author, Pamela Taylor, for the WOW blog tour promotion of her newest book. From Dickens to Tolkien, from Molière to Gene Rodenberry writers through the ages have used their pen to comment on political and social issues of their era. Dickens chose stark realism while Molière…
Keep readingJustin Williams Pope: A Follow Up To The “From Dream To Reality” Event
We are back with Justin Williams Pope, journalist and writer of the Henry and Matilda’s Adventures children’s book series. Justin visited us earlier in a live interview in October. We decided to follow up with him here to learn a bit more about his experiences. Let’s jump back in! On Education And Success You have…
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