About

 

Thirty-five years ago my mother’s best friend, Barbara predicted that I would be a conduit or sluiceway of sorts. I had no idea what a sluiceway was and had to look it up. Basically, it is any channel especially for excess water. It is a flume through which water can run, carry things, or just flow. A conduit is a channel or outlet.  At fifteen, I had no idea how this could be or even what it could mean in my life.  Over the years during many phases there was no indication of any truth in it, but I never forgot what she told me. I often wondered if I would ever truly be a conduit or sluiceway in some way.

 

As I got older, married, and had children there still didn’t seem to be any validity to Barbara’s prediction. In my late-forties I started to write. It came naturally and felt liberating. Trying to navigate my way through some crazy times, it seemed that prayer and writing were the best vehicles to find my way closer to God and wholeness. As I was drawing closer to God, I felt as though I was bringing my family with me. It has become very clear that my husband and I are closer now in many ways, especially our walk in faith. My children feel free to pray, and share, and live with God at their center. As I revealed a need to expand the women’s ministries at my church, the floodgates of enthusiasm came gushing.  I started to believe that God was working through me to bring others closer to Him beginning with my family and then my friends. It was starting to occur to me that I might just be a conduit of sorts after all.

 

Then in January of 2015, I was awestruck with a revelation. God is definitely using me as a conduit, a sluiceway of witness. On impulse, after ignoring it for weeks and with just two days before the deadline, I entered Xulon Press’ January 2015 Christian Writers Contest. I pared one of my recently written chapters entitled The Kite down to seven-hundred, fifty words. Of all of my stories, this was my husband’s favorite. I read the guidelines over and over. The contest was open to published writers as well as amateurs. I was going to give it a try knowing I had little hope, if any, of winning a publishing package having just started taking writing seriously. I wasn’t disillusioned, but I sent the story to my friend Juliet to review for grammar and to Dan for relevancy. I made minor changes and the night before the deadline sent it in (just under the wire).

 

A few days later as I was checking my email, an announcement of the writing contest winners from Xulon popped up. I didn’t look at it immediately and didn’t think much about it. Perhaps I was just waylaying the inevitable. Finally, I opened it up. The announcement read, “Congratulations! Grand Prize: The Kite, written by Pamela Hill Sharp.” This couldn’t be! It took a while for reality to set in.

 

The Kite is a full chapter in this book about allowing God to shape the lives of those who love Him along the same lines as the life of His Son. It turned out to be the unintended vehicle to getting published. It is very clear -- loud and clear -- that what Barbara had foretold thirty-five years ago was true. God is using me as a conduit to bring not only my family and my friends closer to Him, but now through this sluiceway closer to you!

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God continues to bless my family and me in our new life in Lincoln, Nebraska. He opened a new door of abundance as we moved away from Wine and Cheese Country to Corn and Cows! My new book of the same title is in the works. God reveals what happens when He answers YOUR prayers His way!

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