House on the sand?

This is a painting that hangs at the bottom of my stairs. The caption says "The Wise and Foolish Builder Matthew 7:24-27"

This past week has served to remind me of the truth of the parable of the man who built his house on the sand and the man who built his house on the rock. I was reminded how quickly things in one's life can change. The rains can come down and the floods can come up with little or no warning. Only those whose life is built on the Rock, those who have a solid faith, are prepared to weather those storms without their house going splat.

The Inspirational Christian Fiction world was rocked a bit with the announcement that Barbour Publishing was planning to discontinue their Heartsong Presents Book Club. After twenty years and almost one thousand titles, the book club will come to an end in December 2011. With sales declining and the rising costs of production, and the skyrocketing growth in ebooks, keeping Heartsong afloat was becoming more and more difficult. This was a hard decision for Barbour to make, and one I am sure they didn't do lightly.

I'll admit, I was stunned. I had to take a hard look at the foundation my writing dreams were built upon. And if I'm totally honest, I had to dump a little sand out of my shoes. Something that I had come to love and to count on being there was now going to go away. But someone who was affected far more than I by this news chose to publicly praise God, reminding me of the true Source of my joy, the One who holds everything in His hand. Though saddened by the news, I am not overthrown.

My heart goes out to the faithful readers, editors, and authors of Heartsong romances. I know there are a lot of disappointed folks out there, but God is in control. His plans will not be thwarted, and He has much to teach us through this experience.

I'm so grateful to JoAnne Simmons at Heartsong for giving me a chance to write for her and the Heartsong readers. I'm thankful that she paired me with Rachel Overton, who is a wonderful editor and friend, as well as the incomparable Aaron McCarver.

My next Heartsong book, Light to My Path, is scheduled to come out in just a few weeks, with the release date of my last Heartsong, Stars in Her Eyes, still to be determined. As soon as I know, I'll post the information here.

Have you ever had to dump a little bit of sand out of your shoes? Has the water risen faster than you expected?