Tropical Dreams Launch Day

📣🥳🌴It’s launch day for #TropicalDreams my debut #childrenspicturebook! It’s also just happens to be the 10-year anniversary of launching my website in obedience to God. (I’ll share that amazing God story another time.)

Welcome to a journey into the heart of island life with Tropical Dreams, inspired by #Jamaica, (land of my birth). *Hear a little backstory to the story (more to come) in the embedded podcast where I was a guest of my illustrator the gifted Dr. Katherine Hutchinson-Hayes. See if you can answer the Tropical Trivia questions at the end, hear what others are saying about Tropical Dreams, and listen to a reggae song.

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Captured by Grace: An Interview with Pastor Harold Warner

He was 24 years old, young in his Christian faith, and newly married when a tragic car accident left him paralyzed. But that didn’t deter him from answering God’s call. Just months later, alongside his wife Mona, they launched into pastoral ministry. Fifty-two years later, Harold Warner still faithfully serves as pastor of the Door Church in Tucson, AZ, while having worldwide impact as a church planter. A powerful example of tenacity and humility, Pastor Warner shares wisdom on faith, evangelism, leadership, and the writing journey. 

Audio and video versions of our interview included. Enjoy.

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Grit & Grace: Michael Duncan ~ Author, Pastor, Master of the One-Line Sermon Returns

Feast on a banquet of truth from one who greets life’s challenges with grit & grace. Michael Duncan: author, pastor, master of the one-line sermon returns as my guest interviewee. Undeterred by threats, he shares wit, wisdom, and some wild stories including the unlikely setting in which Jesus saved him.

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Double Blessing

I’m doubly blessed this week and pray you will be too. Blessed to share my salvation story titled “Three Men, Jesus, and Me” featured on the Heart of Flesh Literary Journal site.

2025 Selah Winner Essays Online | Three Men, Jesus, and Me by Rachael M Colby

1. “It wasn’t the first time suicide knocked on my door. I vowed…” CLICK HERE to continue reading “Three Men, Jesus, and Me,” on the Heart of Flesh Literary Journal.

“Heart of Flesh is a semiannual, online and print literary journal that seeks quality writing and art with Christian themes.” Owner, author, and editor Veronica McDonald publishes poetry, fiction, nonfiction, photography, and art, and features Christian salvation testimonies online throughout April and October..

Blessed to offer encouragement with my article “The Power of One In a Writer’s Life” on The Write Conversation.

2. “When we’re not making progress as we’d hoped, discouragement can set in, and temptation beckons us to turn away from our call…” CLICK HERE to continue reading “The Power of One In a Writer’s Life,” on The Write Conversation.

The Write Conversation blog is a ministry of Edie Melson, author, editor, writing instructor, and director of the Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference. The Write Conversation hosts encouragement and instruction for writers on the craft and in their faith from a variety of contributing authors including Edie’s frequent offerings. 
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Bold & Vulnerable

Vulnerability doesn’t come easy for me. But God calls us to live boldly and open-faced. Love requires we truly give of ourselves.

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When Can-do Won’t Do

“God,” I said, “why is this so hard lately?” Sweat beaded on my forehead and panic set in. I usually take several hours to write the questions to lead the live Bible-based discussion, but less than 90 minutes remained before the start, and I had yet to write one. I’d attempted to write them a few times in the weeks before, to no avail.

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The Hair and the Chicken

If you don’t lose all respect for me after watching this video, no worries, you’ll have another chance. Sometimes good things do come out of bad hair days.

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Delay & Divine Direction

When the road stretches longer than expected and delays and detours abound, we dare not deter from the right path. The high road, though often rough hewn, long, lonely, and costly, is worthy of staying the course. In the long run, the cost of abandoning our call is higher than the pursuit of it. Shortcuts out of God’s will shortchange us and all those our life impacts. Look at the turmoil caused by Sarah and Abraham’s attempt to help and hurry God’s promise by Abraham bearing a child with Hagar, Sarah’s maidservant. King Saul lost his destiny because he stepped out of his role and assumed the duty set aside for the high priest when he failed to wait for Samuel and instead made the burnt offering before battle.

“Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice,” Samuel told Saul. Sometimes obedience means a season of waiting and work in preparation for the journey. It takes time to train a skilled soldier, it takes time to forge and temper a weapon. Sometimes it’s the lessons learned on an arduous journey that prepare us for our destination. 

 â€śIt’s good for you to be out of your comfort zone,” my son-in-law Spencer texted me.

“Remind me again,” I said, “what is a comfort zone?”

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#Writers on a #RoadTrip

“What happens when an introvert and extrovert take a 3000 mile road trip? Will they complete their mission or kill each other trying?” 

“LOL! I’m sure you thought of killing me a few times, Cherrilynn. Rightfully so.”

“No. Just letting you out to walk. — We did really well together.”

“I noticed a pause there, Cherrilynn. Walk right off the highest peak, right? Even though we are writers on a mission from Gad!”

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Life Lessons from the Perspective of a Writer’s Journey

I’m not able to pull off perfect, so I decided I’d be real instead. No matter our call, when we shake off the shackles of perfectionism, and with God’s help pursue excellence for His glory and the edification of others, we find ourselves on a much more peaceful and productive path. (Working on it, or rather, God’s working in me.)

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