Kathi Macias' 12 Days of Christmas - Volume 5 - An Unexpected Glory

Pastor Steve is thrilled with the ticket sales for their big fund-raiser - a spectacular Christmas pageant that raises enough money to keep the homeless shelter running all year. Then the phone rings. The news goes from bad to worse and it looks like the entire show will have to be cancelled. But Steve's right hand man, Stanley convinces him the homeless men in the shelter can make it all happen. And the unexpected glory unfolds.

Marcia is a pastor's wife, the mother of three grown daughters, a freelance writer and Christian speaker. She is a published author and editor, having written for Christian magazines and newspapers in the U.S. and Canada, as well as home-town newspapers. Her short stories, articles and poetry have won awards in Canada and the U.S. and been broadcast on CBC radio. Her work also appears frequently on the world wide web.

Marcia is a frequent speaker for women's groups of all sizes and has often taught writing courses for the Alberta Adult Education Department, Inscribe Christian Writers Fellowship, and The Word Guild (Write! Canada).

In 1996, Marcia and her family served with Wycliffe Bible Translators in Papua New Guinea. While there she wrote for the Non-print Media Department of the Summer Institute of Linguistics, producing radio and video scripts.

For six years Marcia held the communications portfolio for the Associated Gospel Churches in Western Canada, writing, editing and producing their quarterly newsletter. She is now serving on the executive of Inscribe Christian Writers' Fellowship (www.inscribe.org). She currently writes a weekly column, The Spur, which is published in Living Light News, (Edmonton), CrossWalk and The Country Sunrise News (Central Alberta). It also goes out to subscribed readers each week. To subscribe email Marcia at vinemarcAT telusDOT net or visit her website at www.marcialeelaycock.com

Marcia's devotional book, The Spur of the Moment won an Award of Merit at Write!Canada in 2003, a second devotional, Focused Reflections, is now in print and she was the recipient of the Best New Canadian Christian Author Award for her novel One Smooth Stone which was released by Castle Quay Books in 2007. The Sequel, A Tumbled Stone, was recently short-listed for an Award at Write!Canada.

Marcia and her family currently live in Central Alberta, Canada.

Of Herself, Marcia Says -

I was raised on an island in Lake Huron, ran away to Alaska and then the Yukon, had a "road to Mayo" conversion in 1982, leaped by faith into Briercrest Bible College with my husband in 1985 and landed in the "promised land" of central Alberta in 1988.

I've had the privilege of living a few miles south of the Arctic Circle (Dawson City Yukon) and a couple of degrees south of the equator (Papua New Guinea).

I suppose that's why my writing is steeped in the imagery of winter, with the odd palm tree thrown in.

For the past 20+ years I've been a pastor's wife, mother of three girls, caretaker of two dogs, two cats and sundry fish, and oh, yes, a freelance writer. The writing began in the attic of my parent's house where I wrote stories for my dolls. None of them complained, so I kept it up. The Lord has abundantly blessed, challenged, rebuked, healed and restored me through the process of writing and being involved with writers.

Visit my website - www.marcialeelaycock.com

Facebook - www.facebook.com/marcialaycock