May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 15:13
Matthew 4:8-11
Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the
kingdoms of the world and their splendor. “All this I will give you,” he
said, “if you will bow down and worship me.” Jesus said to him, “Away from
me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him
only.’” Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him.
Be prepared.
Sara, James, Ella Cate, and I arrived at Ohio University on
Saturday morning to watch and listen to my grandson, Eli, play trumpet with his
marching band, along with several high school bands and the Ohio University 110
at their football game. The 110 is one of the best college marching bands in
the country. Once we were parked and made our way to the stadium, we met
Maggie, Michael, and Zeke, then found our seats on the metal bleachers. Even
though the temperature sat in the 80s, the relentless blaze of the sun and the
reflection off the bleachers made for an uncomfortable experience.
We watched the pregame performance, which was great, ate
sandwiches and watched some of the football game, then James, Ella Cate, and I headed
to a shady area. The shade from the bleachers provided a respite from the heat.
Just before half-time, we all headed to the end of the field to get a better
view of Eli's band. Somewhere along the way, my body started reacting to the
heat. As the band took the field, my stomach rolled, and I felt faint. After
the performance, James, Sara, Ella Cate and I went to leave. As we rounded a
corner, I grabbed Sara's arm and told her I was going to faint. She calmed my
panic and walked me to the first-aid tent. The wonderful people there gave me
ice, cold-packs, and water and helped me cool. In about thirty minutes, I felt
like myself again. In hind sight, I realize I hadn't prepared for the weather.
I should have worn a hat and used my cooling towel (made for hot weather
events.)
The sun's relentlessness reminds me of Satan. Not just
because of the heat, but because, like the blazing sun, he permeates into every possible space. He
pokes and prods in whatever way he can to get my attention away from Jesus. If
I'm not prepared, or prayed up, as Grammy used to say, I won't be ready for the
fight. Whether I want to think about it or not, I fight a spiritual battle
every day. I choose my weapons—the presence of God in my life, my
dependence on God and obedience to Him, prayer, and the wisdom of the Bible to
wage war on the devil. As believers, we need to be ready to resist the
relentless pestering and not succumb to him.
Seek Jesus and be prepared for the battle.
What it's about:
The book that J.I. Packer called, "Haunting, deeply pondered, and
beautifully written," is changing lives. A Small Cup of Light is the story
of an unexpected encounter with God in the desert of despair. Several years
ago, Ben Palpant suffered a sudden and massive health collapse that crippled
many of his faculties nearly overnight. That experience prompted him to ask the
hard questions, like, "What shall we do when confronted with the ache of
our suffering in the presence of a living God?" Palpant's story is proof
that a relationship with God can be more intimate not in spite of suffering,
but because of suffering. A Small Cup of Light is a bold invitation to face God
in the darkness. It is a rousing call to the human spirit, offering hope to the
hopeless and a song to the suffering.
My Thoughts:
I seldom read and review nonfiction. Not because I don't like it, but because
most of what I read is research for writing. Author, Ben Palpant attended the
Goodlit Writer's retreat with me and twelve other writers, where he shared
beautiful fiction prose. I knew he had published before in the realm of
nonfiction, so I thought I'd see what he had written when I got home. I'm so
glad I did. A Small Cup of Light is the heart-wrenching and yet, joy
filled story of a time in his life when he faced a difficult and scary health
crisis. Ben takes that hard time and opens up about how God met him there after
he learned to listen. This isn't a sugar-coated story of recovery. This is the honest story
of a man who came face-to-face with crisis and found along with the anger,
disappointment, and frustration, a joy that could only come from glorifying
God. Ben's book will lift the weary and weighted and offer hope to all of us. His
melodic writing comforts, along with the many references to scripture and
wisdom from other writers which he quotes. He says, "The very hope of the
Gospel rests directly upon our ability to imagine a world in which suffering
serves as the soil from which resurrection springs." I highly recommend A
Small Cup of Light. I purchased a copy.
Exodus 3:11-12
But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go
to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?”
And God said, “I will be with you. And this will be the
sign to you that it is I who have sent you: When you have brought the
people out of Egypt, you will worship God on this mountain.”
Who am I?
My mind is still reeling from everything I experienced at
the Goodlit Writer's Retreat. Not only did we have excellent mentors and
teachers, we were fed well (I tasted food I'd never eaten before) I slept in a
beautiful old inn, and I bonded with writers from all over the country. More
than all the wonderful accommodations, teaching, and the people I met, I had an
overwhelming awareness of the presence of God.
I've known for a while God called me to write, but at
Goodlit, He met me face-to-face and poured into my heart to leave
discouragement behind. Most writers will tell you that we never feel our
writing is good enough—we find ourselves wondering why anyone would want to read
what we write. It's called imposter syndrome. Even as I sit and write this
devotion, the devil is trying to mess with my mind and tell me I'm wasting my
time. I'm not saying any of this so people will respond with encouragement,
although that is always appreciated. I'm saying this because I think we all
feel that way in our walk with Jesus.
Who am I to be redeemed, forgiven, sent into the battlefield
for God?
Moses wondered the same thing, but God had called him to
deliver His people. He asked Moses to bring His people out of Egypt. The
beautiful part of the story is Moses obeyed. He took God's calling to heart and
trudged on. Was it easy? No. Did he get accolades at the end? No. He didn't
even make it into the promised land with the people he led. Yet he obeyed.
God has called me to write, but even more important, He's
called me to obey. I may never win an award, or have a best seller. It doesn't
matter. What matters is obedience to the one who created me and knows my
purpose on this earth.
What is God calling you to? Listen and obey.
Genesis 1:3-5
And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. God saw that
the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness. God
called the light “day,” and the darkness he called “night.” And there
was evening, and there was morning—the first day.
Glory filled the sky.
The best thing I can say about my week at Goodlit Writers
Retreat is—God
blessed me with a gift. An unexpected—I can't believe I'm here gift. Surrounded
by other people who strive to write for God, I witnessed the beauty of minds
and hearts opening up and pouring out. Folks from all over the country met in
the quintessential small town of Stanford, Kentucky, to better understand the
purpose of God's calling to write.
The different backgrounds and experiences meshed together to
form a group who, like me, wanted to obey and follow the journey God is leading
us on.
On Tuesday evening, Angela and Jess, hosts for the week,
invited us to their beautiful farm. For me, a country girl at heart, the trip
filled me with joy. After a delicious Kentucky dinner, Jess drove the tractor and
pulled us on a wagon (with upholstered seats) to the top of a grass-covered
hill and we watched the sunset. As the light and coming darkness played
together, the pinks and pale blues turned to glorious red and deep navy. Just
before night fell, the sky reminded me how when people come together to create
or work, or live as a family, God can bring harmony to the dance.
In whatever I do, I pray God joins me as I pursue my dreams.
He's the one who placed them on my heart and poured the talent and skills into
me. Angela owns a beautiful soap store in town, Kentucky Soaps and Such. When we
toured the production area, this quote was painted on the wall. "Lord, let
our workspace, whatever that looks like, be our worship place." When we bring the work we do before
the Lord and ask Him to partner with us, we couple with Him and bring Him
glory.
Watch a sunset and let the beauty fill you with joy and a desire
to dance with God.