My Lighthouse

©Penny Frost McGinnis

He Meets Me Every Morning.

Matthew 6:34
Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

When is today not today? When I live in the past or long for the future. The days I can't let go of circumstances, the desire for the "good old days," or a lack of resolve over hurt feelings. How about the days I can't wait for vacation to roll around; or that longing for the weekend that starts dogging me on hump day? Then there's the fretting; what's going to happen, will this work out, will that fail. Today cannot be itself if I'm always looking back or leaning forward.

God wants me to let the past go. Learn from it, appreciate it, but let go of any hurts and forgive. He encourages me to trust him for tomorrow and all the days after that because he has them covered. Jesus urges his listeners in Matthew not to be concerned about tomorrow. Don't worry, each day has enough trouble without adding anxiety and stress.

God meets me every morning. He's with me each day. For that I am thankful.

Be Jubilant

Penny Frost McGinnis

Mt. Airy Forest Arboretum

The Most Magnificent Light

Psalm 97:11
Light shines on the righteous and joy on the upright in heart.

John 1:4-5 In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

The rain shot from the sky as the sun shined through. We've experienced a lot of rain this month in Ohio. Yesterday as the drops poured, the sun stood its ground (or would that be sky?) and shined anyway. So bright that sunglasses and visors were required. Isn't that life as a believer? No matter how much difficulty dumps on me, God's light warms me and brightens my path.

Psalm 97 reminds me of God's joy-filled light. And John, he tells the true story of the most magnificent light. Jesus, the light that carries me out of the storms, the light that lifts me up, the light that saves my life. Torrential rain, dark clouds, crashing waves, no matter what I face in life, the light of Jesus shines brighter, warms my heart, and pulls me out of the darkness. I pray that you know Jesus and have allowed him into your life. He's the true light. 

Book Review: Channing O'Banning and the Turquoise Trail by Angela Spady, Illustrated by Tammie Lyon

Channing O'Banning loves to draw. No matter what she's doing, she's prepared to pull out her colored pencils and pad and sketch a picture. Author, Angela Spady has used her experience as an award winning teacher to create a delightful fourth grade character readers will love. In Turquoise Trail, Channing and her family head west to search for dinosaurs, learns about Native Americans, and solve a mystery. In the mean time, she learns more than she ever imagined.

How refreshing to read about a child who wants to learn about the world around them through art. Tammie Lyon's sweet illustrations bring Channing's imagination to life. I've given a copy to my granddaughter and highly recommend the series to any child who likes the Magic Tree House books. Channing's friends Maddy and Cooper make the story interesting for girls and boys. This is second in a series of chapter books and a winner of the gold Immy award.

Find more information at: channingobanning.com

I received Channing O'Banning and the Turquoise Trail from Netgalley in exchange for a fair review.

Book Review: When Santa Was a Baby by Linda Bailey

Did Santa's parents have any idea he'd grow up to be a jolly old elf? Did he always eat cookies and tinker with toys? Find out in Linda Bailey's sweet story as she weaves in the legendary tales of everyone's favorite gift-giver.

Genevieve Godbout's drawings add just the right punch to this fun story. With pastel and colored pencil she creates colorful renditions reminiscent of nineteen-sixties children's books. This would be a delightful story to share with kids just before Christmas. For fun, ask the children what they think Santa was like as a little boy, then read the book.

Can be pre-ordered on Amazon.