Guest Post: Patrick E. Craig (with GIVEAWAY!)

A warm welcome to Author Patrick. E. Craig! I love this post, and I think you will too, my fellow sheep. As if the post isn’t a sweet enough reason to be right where you are right now—here on Chirp ‘N Chatter—Patrick will be giving away THREE copies of his latest release, THE AMISH PRINCESS! Read the post and leave a comment to be entered for a chance to win one of them.

No Wonder He calls us Sheep

by Patrick E. Craig

My wife, Judy, and I used to raise sheep. We gave them shots, we sheared them, we cleaned up their feet when they got foot rot, clipped their hooves, cleaned their boils and abscesses… it was a never-ending story. If we didn’t feed them by 6 a.m. they stood at the back fence and bellowed until I came out. When the ewes lambed, we had to put them in the barn with the baby for three days so they would bond. We had to give the mama a bucket of molasses water to help her get her strength back. We had to make sure that the mama had enough milk and if they didn’t we had to bottle feed the lamb

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for a month. That meant getting up at 12 a.m. and feeding them every four hours for thirty days. We did all these things for their good, and still they fought us every step of the way. They struggled, they cried, they ran away when we needed to get them in the pen. When it was time to give them their yearly shots, I had to chase them down, drag them to the barn and “cast them down,” which means that I wrestled them down on their back with their feet up in the air. When they are in that position, they are completely helpless.

Bet you didn’t know that when you read “Why art thou cast down, O my soul” in Psalm 42:5. God is describing a sheep with his legs stuck straight up in the air, hopeless and helpless.

Being a writer is like being a sheep in some ways. We want to do it our way. We want fame recognition, publishing contracts, an agent, a New York Times Bestseller, and all the rest. God leads us in one direction and if it goes against what we want, we fight Him every step of the way. In my latest book, The Amish Princess, the primary conflict for all the main characters—Opahtuhwe, Jonathan, Joshua and even some of the secondary players—is the age-old battle: doing what God wants, or doing what we want.

You see, it’s no mystery why God calls us “the sheep of His hand.” Everything God does for us, He does for our absolute good, and yet we continue to "struggle against the goads." That’s why sometimes He must apply “the rod and the staff,” or even “cast us down” by adverse circumstances, so that we are absolutely helpless. It is then that the Holy Spirit inspires us to cry “Abba, Father, help us.” It is then that we come back into the relationship that God desires—one of complete dependence on Him. Our writing will only accomplish His purposes when we put our hopes, dreams and desires in a subordinate position to His purpose for us.

You know we really should listen to what He wants and follow His plan. After all, He made the universe. He’s at least a genius…

About THE AMISH PRINCESS

Opahtuhwe, the White Deer, is the beautiful daughter of Wingenund, the most powerful chief of the Delaware tribe. She is revered by her people–a true Indian princess. Everything changes when the murderous Delaware renegade known as Scar brings three Amish prisoners to the Delaware camp. Jonathan and Joshua Hershberger are twin brothers that Scar has determined to adopt and teach the Indian way. The third prisoner is Jonas Hershberger, their father, who has been made a slave because he would not defend his family. White Deer is drawn to Jonathan but his hatred of the Indians makes him push her away. Joshua's gentle heart and steadfast refusal to abandon the Amish faith lead White Deer to a life-changing decision and rejection by her people. In the end, White Deer must choose between the ways of her people and her newfound faith. And complicating it all is her love for the man who can only hate her.

About the Author:

Best-selling author Patrick E. Craig is a lifelong writer and musician who left a successful songwriting and performance career in the music industry to follow Christ in 1984. He spent the next 26 years as a worship leader, seminar speaker, and pastor. In 2011 he signed a three-book deal with Harvest House Publishers to publish his Apple Creek Dreams series. His current series is The Paradise Chronicles and the first two books in the series, The Amish Heiress and The Amish Princess, were published by P&J Publishing . Patrick and his wife Judy make their home in Idaho and are the parents of two adult children and have five grandchildren. Patrick is represented by the Steve Laube Agency.

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