All Posts

Just be Still A song for all those who need a little hope. by Jacqueline Verse 1 When the wind blows cold and the stars come out Everything slows and I hear one word When this world screams one thing And your head says another Don't listen to those lies Just follow that word Chorus Still Lift up your eyes To that hope called Jesus Search for that peace That light in the darkness Be still cause' He's watching over you Just be still Verse 2 This word of hope and peace and confi

Here are the final few chapters of my book, Accept, that I wrote when I was eleven. This is the first book in my series The Eliza Rose Trilogy. If you want to hear more from Eliza, email me a smiley face at jd.betheblaze@gmail.com . Anywho, here are the remaining chapters, 7-9. Enjoy! Chapter #7 Strange… That night I lay in bed thinking over the day. So many things seemed to have gone wrong. I had lied to Cassie about not having a tutor, had gotten mad at soft hearted Leah, a

365 days. 250 hours of work spent. 40 posts. 2 websites/blog titles. 4 guest authors. I can't believe it's been a whole year since I launched Be the Blaze ( Shine Bright at the time). I just want to talk a bit about what a year of blogging has taught me, where I want to be by next year, and where sharing my writing with the world has gotten me. But before I do anything else, I just want to thank y'all for sticking with me this past year. If you're new to Be the Blaze , I'm

Faithful to the End Joan of Arc (1412-1431) "When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. In God whose word I praise, in God I trust; I shall not be afraid. What can flesh do to me?" Psalm 56:3-4 Joan never learned how to read or write as she was born to peasants in France. She was very religious and received her first vision at the age of twelve. When she was seventeen, heavenly voices told her to save France. At that time, English invaders had taken much of the French territory

Jesus died for my sins. I'm forgiven. God gave up His Son for me out of love. Did those phrases really sink in for you? Or did your eyes skim over them almost without thought? These words don't have the effect they should have on me anymore. In fact, I don't think they ever really did. Until I read Isaiah 53. "Yet He Never Said a Word" After Jesus was betrayed by the Jews to the Romans, He was brought to Pilate, the Roman governor. When the leading priests and other autho

Not Afraid to Die Lady Jane Grey (1537-1554) "For me to live is Christ, and to die is gain." Philippians 1:21 When Jane was nine, she was sent from her family to live with the Dowager Queen, Queen Katherine, to learn how to be a queen. Jane was very happy living with Queen Katherine and learning from her much more than just how to be queen. She learned to be a Protestant and loved God more than anything. In 1548, when Jane was ten years old, Queen Katherine died a few days af

Welcome to chapter 5 and 6 of my short story, Accept, written by an eleven-year-old me! Chapter #5 The Real Truth “Come on, girls! We’re ‘gonna be late for Kingdom Seekers!” Mom’s voice echoed down the stairs, reaching us in our fort. We had just been braiding each others hair in many tiny ones, but we ran up the stairs at her call. Our bags were standing against the island with our scarves laying on top. “What about supper?” I asked, as mom franticly dug through her purse fo

Hello and welcome! I’m thrilled to be talking with the young author, blogger, and fantasy writer, Emma G. McKee. I was recently honored to have her article, “The Art of Sub-Creation,” posted on Be the Blaze, and now she has returned with more about her writing journey, tips for fantasy writers, and more! Your mission is to “honor Christ through story.” What first inclined you to use your writing as a tool to serve Christ, and how has your faith shaped your writing mission ove

Welcome to the beginning of Powerful Words , a devotional series focusing on our speech and how we must use it. Enjoy! "That's too much!" or "You're doing it wrong!" or "Why would you do it like that?!" Ever said any of these to your siblings when they are putting a little too much syrup on their waffle, or they're doing something a completely different way you would? Ever snipped at your brother or made a snide comment when your sister missed the ball? We've all said things

Here is chapters 3 and 4 of my short story, Accept , written by eleven-year-old me. If you haven't read the first two chapters, head over to this blog post: Bus Rides and Big Changes . Enjoy! Chapter #3 The Horrible Truth Soon the bus pulled into the school’s grounds. As soon as the doors opened, students filed out and spread out across the yard. Highschool students went left, elementary kids right, and us middle schoolers strait ahead. I lost Mary and Cassandra as I hurried

Just Six Miles Lydia Darragh (1729-1789) Snow swirled around a hunched figure and threatened to steal the flour sack she grasped in her cold hands. The wind slowed her down, but she never stopped. Every step brought her closer to her goal and every second counted as she trudged on. Would she be too late to save her country? Lydia Darragh was a Quaker wife, mother to 9, and had a brave spirit. In 1777, when Lydia was nearly 50 years old, British General Howe’s troops moved in

Hello, and welcome to Be the Blaze! I’m excited to be talking with Hannah Grace Staton, Founder and Editor-in-Chief at Flame of Faith Publishing. To begin, could you tell readers a little about the team behind Flame of Faith Publishing, when you first came up with the idea of a publishing house, and when it was first launched? Flame of Faith Publishing currently comprises an all-teen team of four: two co-editors, Asabella Graves and Aaron J. Lockard; our marketing director, R

I'm so excited to welcome Emma G. McKee to Be the Blaze! This is the third guest post I've done and the first of 2026! Emma is a young author who has had her piece, The White Stag, published in Illuminate the Dark, a collection of stories and poems. On her blog, she posts writing skills, writing fantasy, reading, author interviews, and more. Enjoy her post, The Art of Sub-Creation. By Emma G. McKee The creak of the freshly-bound spine, the smell of paper, and the stark black

I started "The Eliza Rose Trilogy" last year, finishing the 15 page story in November of 2024. I want to share the first book, Accept, in a four part story, here on Be the Blaze. Hope you enjoy! Excerpt Eliza Genesis is eleven, and life is full of routines she loves—playing made-up games on the trampoline with her siblings, sneaking cookie dough from the kitchen, and hanging out with close friends. But change is in the air. Her older brother Robin is drifting away, more inte

Hello, everyone, welcome to Be the Blaze! This is the first post under this blog name, and I'm so excited! This year is going to be amazing and I can't wait to share it with you! To begin with, I have a new writing schedule for 2026. Writing Schedule for 2026 Instead of posting once a week (four to five times a month) like I did most of 2025, I'm going to be posting three times a month. These posts will include two normal posts (Real Stories, Devotions, or Fictional Tales) an

Let Me Go Margaret Wilson (1667-1687) "Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise." Luke 23:43 Margaret had been good with kids from a young age and cared for her two younger siblings, Thomas and Agnes, with love. Thomas and Agnes looked up to their older sister, so when Margaret agreed with a group of people during that time called Covenanters, Thomas and Agnes followed in her steps. Covenanters were groups of people who wanted the Scottish church to turn back t

What is the first thing that comes to mind when you hear the word Christmas? Is it the presents, the Christmas tree, or skating? Personally, the first thing I think of is sitting in front of the cozy fire with my family, opening presents. I love all of that, yet every year I have to remind myself that Christmas isn't really about the temporary things—it's about worshiping Jesus. The center of Christmas should be worshiping and celebrating Jesus, not things of this world. The

I was listening to a podcast recently about godly friendships and what it truly means in a world of worldly people. It really struck me how deep friendships can be. This will be one of the last posts of 2025, so, enjoy! About a month ago, I was at my cousin’s house for the day. We watched a movie, ate snacks, and played games, just fooling around. My aunt kicked us outside that afternoon, so we went for a walk to the park. My sister and other cousin walked ahead of us, and wh

I began posting every other week not long ago because life went a little wacky and became extra busy (and I have to post on Everything In Between as well). I think I'm ready to post more consistently again. Instead of going full out post every week, I'm going to post three times a month. One devo, one story, and one or two short devotions (currently from my devotional, 21 World Changing Women.) I started sharing these with my subscribers, but now I'm going to post them for ev

Welcome to the last part of Silverwood Academy! Since some things in this story haven't been tied up, I hope to write another set of stories about Silverwood Academy. From now on, I'll have subtitles for these series of stories, so this Silverwood Academy subtitle, is "Sisters". Silverwood Academy: Sisters Part 6 "Sympathize with each other. Love each other as brothers and sisters. Be tenderhearted, and keep a humble attitude." 1 Peter 3:8 Vee "How about this?" A sweet tune s