It was almost like a fairy tale.<?xml:namespace prefix = o /><o:p> </o:p>

Growing up as a missionary kid in <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 /><st1:place>Africa</st1:place>, Catherine Palmer began writing stories. But it wasn't until years later, after shed married, earned a Masters degree in English, and had a child, that she began writing with intent to publish. She wrote a historical novel set in medieval times. But when several companies turned it down, Catherine's mother-in-law suggested she rewrite it as a romance and enter it in a contest.

Why not? thought Catherine. She rewrote the novel and submitted it in a romance novel competition. To her shock, her manuscript won not only Best Historical Romance but Best of Show. After accepting the award, she was swarmed by agents and editors eager to find out what else shed written and to sign her on. Overnight Catherine Palmer went from being an unpublished writer to an acclaimed author for whom publishers vied. It was like Cinderella, she says, I was even wearing borrowed clothes for the conference!

A committed Christian, Catherine asked the Lord why he had suddenly

opened the door so wide. Through prayer and talking to other believers, she began to understand that she could be a voice for God in the secular world of romance publishing. She decided never to compromise her Christian standards and to weave faith into the stories she writes.

Invitations to speak have come her way, and Catherine accepts  them all. No matter what topic she addresses, she always makes it  clear that she is a believer in Jesus Christ and that faith is important in her writing. After her talks, whether in a question-and-answer session or privately, people often comment on her faith.

Catherine enjoys quoting C. S. Lewis: "Any amount of theology can now  be smuggled into peoples minds under cover of romance without their  knowing it." Catherine began to see herself as a smuggler of God's truth into the minds of readers. She does it through the medium of stories with vivid characters facing real-life problems and finding solutions through faith, love, and courage. Letters from readers asking questions such as, "Are you a born-again Christian?" or saying, "My faith has grown through reading your stories" made Catherine feel the light of God was shining through her work.

Eventually Catherine began to feel restricted, however. She wanted  to share more of the light, more explicitly. Her editors felt she wanted to go too far in her religious ideas. Catherine struggled, wondering what to do. On the one hand, she had a worldwide audience. Whatever truth she could smuggle in was reaching many people. On the

other hand, she was limited in the secular marketplace.

At a Romance Writers of America convention, Catherine attended a seminar led by a fiction editor for a Christian publishing house. "It felt to me like stepping out of the world into a quiet, holy place," Catherine recalls. She also talked to Francine Rivers, a successful secular romance writer who had begun writing Christian fiction. Francine said Christian books could strengthen women's faith, says Catherine, and be used as a tool to share faith with unbelievers.

Catherine realized that by writing for Christians, she would not have to give up her goals of reaching women who did not yet believe. Making the switch to Christian publishing, she is now writing about characters who have faith but struggle when life throws them a curveball. Her mission is to strengthen readers faith in the Lord and to strengthen their marriages. "I like to think of myself as an encourager," she says.

Catherine also wants her books to be passed along as a witness to

those who may not yet have come to know the Lord. She still sees herself as a smuggler of theology under the guise of stories. She wants readers to feel caught up in the plot so that truth sneaks into their hearts and settles there for a long time.

Not all of us are ushered into a career or ministry in sudden or dramatic ways. As I reflect on Catherine's story, however, it strikes me that God blessed her because she committed her gifts totally to him. Her purpose was to invest her talents so that people would know Gods love for them and his standards for relationships. I can't help wondering what kind of fairy tale God might write in my life--or in your lif--if we give to him whatever talent we have. How might he bless others through us if we let him do as he wants?

God asks, "Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?" Can you answer

with Isaiah, "Here I am, [Lord]. Send me!"? (Isaiah 6:8, NIV) Perhaps

all you have is an ability to make someone laugh or to encourage a

child. Perhaps you know best how to make meals, provide a listening

ear, or clean houses. When your heart says, Send me! and your hands

bear gifts, large or small, God will open doors!