Category: God

Christmas

We’ve all heard the saying,
“Walk a mile in my shoes-“
Meaning live even just a moment
Of my life before you judge

Me, or anything I’ve done.

We all have experiences and
Trials, that are unique to us,
Feeling pain, fear, and everything
Else- wondering who could ever relate,

If there’s anyone who could understand.

One night, under a single star,
A virgin girl had a baby, and
Laid him to rest in a bed of hay, surrounded
by animals who were trying to eat-

The humblest beginning for a King.

The King grew from a child to a
Man, feeling and experiencing life, and
All of the pain and joy, grief and happiness,
Betrayal and friendship, love and loss

That comes with being alive.

The King from Heaven, the Son of God
Came and walked miles in our shoes,
Putting Him in the perfect place to judge.
But He didn’t. He wouldn’t.

Because He only came to love.

Caroline’s Purpose: Softball Excerpt

“Caroline could feel the crowd’s anticipation. She could sense the energy pulsing through her team. Everyone knew this was it, the last batter she would have to face if she could get the out. The championship would be theirs.

The no-hitter would be hers.

She forced another deep breath as she stepped to the rubber to get her sign. Another drop ball. She repeated the motion and spin she had just thrown for a called strike one. She got the ball back, replanted her feet on the rubber, and waited for the next call.

Caroline nodded her head, agreeing to the changeup. Keep your arm speed up, she reminded herself as she worked the ball in her glove to get the grip she wanted. She flipped her wrist as she released, slowing down the pitch for a called strike two.

The fans for their team stood up in the stands, recognizing they needed just one more strike to win. Caroline took the ball to the edge of the pitching circle, looking out at the center field fence, then up to the lights shining down on the field. The last beams of light from the sunset glowed over the top of the mountains. The May breeze ruffled the end of her ponytail. She closed her eyes. You can do this. Throw a strike. It’s that easy.

Turning back, determination echoing in each step, she took to the rubber. The catcher relayed the sign to her. Screw ball, up and in.

With two strikes on the hitter, Caroline knew she needed to make this a chase pitch, something out of the strike zone that would trick the batter into swinging and missing. She pictured where she wanted it to go, and off she went.

She gave the pitch a little extra oomph, grunting as she snapped the ball. It ran in and up, going right where she wanted it. The batter swung through it, missing by several inches. Strike three. Three outs. Ballgame.

State championship.

No-hitter…”

Caroline’s Purpose is available for pre-order now!

Bookshop

Apple Books

Barnes and Noble

Kobo

Amazon

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The Beginning of Caroline’s Purpose

I thought I would share the beginning of the writing process for Caroline’s Purpose. This picture was taken three years ago today. It was an assignment for a class in my master’s degree program, and I was dealing with some serious writer’s block until I went outside and wrote in the barn with my horses. This was the first scene I wrote for the book, but it is actually in what is now Chapter 18. I very rarely write stories in order. I always start with the scenes or images or conversations that are the most vivid. The order comes together later.

Remember you can pre-order Caroline’s Purpose! Release date is January 5th, which is only three weeks away!

Bookshop

Apple Books

Barnes and Noble

Kobo

Amazon

Overdrive

Excerpt from Caroline’s Purpose

Today, I’m excited to share an excerpt from Caroline’s Purpose:

“With small steps, Caroline tiptoed away from Jasper’s stall, hoping for just a peek of Edison. He cowered in the back corner of his stall, pawing at the floor, his skin stretched taut over every rigid muscle in his body.

Caroline stopped three feet from the door. She peered over it on her tiptoes, seeing his grain bucket smashed against the wall, bent almost in half from the dent in the middle of it.

“Well, that wasn’t very smart, bud. What are you going to eat out of, now that you kicked your bucket?” Caroline muttered. Edison continued to paw.

Even under the patches of dirt and loose, dull hair, and the knots in his mane and tail, it was easy to see how beautiful he was. The copper red of his coat was highlighted by the blond of his mane. The angles of his haunches and shoulders were perfect, and his muscles showed off his athletic structure.

“No one here is going to hurt you. You have to know that by now.” Caroline took two steps closer to the stall. At the sound of her voice, Edison’s head snapped up and he froze, his eyes looking straight into hers.

Caroline’s breath caught in her throat. The connection she felt with him was so familiar. The pain and fear in his eyes reflected what she often felt herself. Without thinking, she closed the space between her and the door, reaching out and touching the top of it with her fingers…”

Caroline’s Purpose is available for pre-order now on the following sites! The release date is January 5th, 2021!

Bookshop

Apple Books

Barnes and Noble

Kobo

Amazon

Overdrive

About Caroline’s Purpose

The question I get asked the most is probably, “What is your book about?” I’ve always struggled to answer, but now, I can just share what’s written on the back cover:

“Caroline Davis, a sophomore in college, finds herself at a crossroads, suffocated by fear and anxiety. Everything she claimed to be or dreamed of becoming has been lost to her, including her faith in God.

When she meets Connor Taylor, Caroline finds that he is able to relate to her pain more than she would have thought possible.

With the help of Edison, an abused horse, Connor seeks to help Caroline learn to use her past as a stepping stone towards the future.

As her relationship with Connor grows, Caroline must make a choice to conquer her fear or to stay where she feels safe. Their relationship and her future hang in the balance.”

Remember it’s now available for preorder on Amazon and Barnes and Noble! The Kindle and Nook editions are available too.

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Carolines-Purpose-Erica-Zaborac/dp/1611533929

Barnes and Noble: https://m.barnesandnoble.com/w/carolines-purpose-erica-zaborac/1138372131?ean=9781611533927

Beautiful Ransom

Can a ransom be beautiful?

When the enemy takes you,
And keeps you, setting the price
So high, that you wonder who will pay,
Or if you’re worth the payment at all.

The enemy holds you down in your own
Regret, replaying mistake after mistake,
Drowning you in pain, and self-doubt.
Convincing you his way is better, maybe

Even easier, or freer. To live as the world,
To do what you want. Only to realize it
Becomes a wage you can never earn,
And a price you will never pay back.

Can a ransom be beautiful?

When the Son Himself steps down,
Becoming a little lower than the angels,
Leaving the throne to become human,
Suffering when He didn’t do anything wrong.

When nail pierced hands cast sin
As far as the east is from the west.
When a thorn crushed brow bled without
Complaint, against a splintering wood cross.

When death made it look like the enemy
Had won, just before the stone rolled away.
The Son paying the price, covering the wage,
Loving us, caring enough, to set us free.

Can a ransom be beautiful?

Yes,
When perfect love pays it all.

One of Me

You paint seas of purple skies,
designing every sunrise, sunset.
You place every sparkle in the starlit night,
yet, You made one of me.

You take each snow flake and crystal,
Structuring each one just so.
No two are alike, each are crafted,
Unique, yet, You made one of me.

You imagined the horse,
giving it strength, power, and beauty,
Fragility and grace in one being,
yet, You made one of me.

You filled the depths of the ocean,
With colors and creatures beyond
What can be seen, or believed,
yet, You made one of me.

You decorated the forests and plains,
With birds and their songs,
With beasts and their roars,
yet, You made one of me.

It’s so humbling, looking at creation,
looking at Your creativity at work,
to know the same God made me,
to know that You included me in Your plan.

You wrote my story, my purpose,
You crafted me, and shaped me.
And when I don’t feel good enough,
I look around, and remember,

You made one of me.

Believe

Your tears slide in silence,
Screaming for the words
Unsaid,
Streaming down a path
Unknown,
Struggling through what’s
Unseen.

You hide behind a mask,
Waiting for Someone to
See,
Hoping for Someone to
Search,
Longing for Someone to
Save—

To look through the
Unsaid, the unknown,
The unseen.
To love beyond what is
Seen, or what is found,
Or what is unworthy.

Please, believe me,
When I say,
There is a Love this sweet,
There is a Hope this pure,
There is a Salvation this free.

Nail pierced Hands,
A thorn cut Brow,
A Love that knows no bounds.

A Love that sees,
A Love that knows,
A Love that still loves,
Unconditionally.

You just need to,
Simply,
Believe.