Jessica McCarty, Author

The following are a few of my current favorite things . . .  Current Go to Snacks: *fruit and grain cereal bars (breakfast) *yogurt for "lunch" *protein packs (nuts, seeds, and jerky) *energy trail mix *guilty pleasure--Reese's pieces cups! Oh. My. Word! I should not be eating these. Yum!! 😋 Favorite Quotes: "I take pleasure in my transformations. I look quiet and consistent, but few know how many women there are in me." --Anais Nin  So. Much. This. <3 From a young friend: "Sometimes you just have to treat yourself like the diva you are." Yes! Like when you eat a Reese's pieces cup! 🥀 Book I'm Reading: "Unraveling" by Sara Ella The second book in the Unblemished series. This is a sweet little YA fantasy. It took me a bit to get into this one, but I'm totally in love with it now. Recommend! 🕮 Music: So on a more serious note (Note. Get it? Lol.), I spent the beginning o...

Ephesians 4:15 (AMP) 15  But speaking the truth in love [in all things—both our speech and our lives expressing His truth], let us grow up in all  things  into Him [following His example] who is the Head—Christ.      Have you ever had someone try to convince you of a truth (be it real or perceived), and found yourself mentally shutting down their every word? They meant well. They we're only trying to help, right? They may have even been correct and you agreed (inwardly) with them. But something about the way they said it left you with that ick feeling.       I've heard it said before that our communication is more nonverbal than verbal. Our tone and body language say a lot. If I tell you that I love you, and smile when I say it, you're likely to believe me. If I say it with a heap of sarcasm, our exchange is going to be very different.       As believers we are to be bearers of truth. But who wants to hear ...

     I came across a quote this week and it really spoke to me: You are allowed to be both a masterpiece and a work in progress.      Let's back up a week or two when I was elbow deep in editing my book. It is really hard (and a blow to one's pride) to have to edit your manuscript. It's hard to listen to someone else give you advice on how you can make improvements. My book is my baby. Surely it's perfect, right? Wrong. Sorry, so wrong.      It didn't take long for me to see that my baby needed help. When I started really getting in there and changing things, I began to see how much better my book was for it.       In a similar manner, our life occasionally needs a little editing. Sometimes we need to make a change. We need to snip something out or flip something around. Sometimes we need to add something. There are even times when we need to take a big chunk out and just pitch it aside. And man does that hurt...

     Update: I am currently working on content editing for "A Desperate Love," so I'm going to keep this short and sweet.       If I could impart something to you this week it would be the knowledge that you are so highly valued in the eyes of God. In a world that constantly tries to tell us who we are and what we should be, only one opinion matters, and that opinion is God's.      God's opinion is that you are worth something. Worth is "the level at which someone or something deserves to be valued or rated" (Google).       Did you see that? "You are more valuable." You are valuable. You are worth something! God said so!       Like the father of the prodigal son, our Father runs to us with the best robe, a ring, a kiss, and welcomes us home. He leaves the ninety-nine to search for us, his one lost sheep. God even gave His own Son on the cross for us. If that doesn't speak to what our...