Everyday Joy

When I get out of my car to go in the house, 

these beautiful zinnias greet me.

They happen to be my favorite color--

which brings me joy!

Do you have something you see everyday that brings you joy?

Shout for joy to God, all the earth! -Psalm 66:1

 

Book Signing for our First Children's Book

Meet Hannah and me at the 

Lynchburg Library on October 30!

 

Called to be Faithful

1 Peter 4:8-10
Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms. 

God has not called me to be successful. He called me to be faithful. -Mother Teresa

I have a t-shirt with a saying printed on it: God Has a Plan So I Have a Purpose. I think about that a lot. As my children grew into teenagers and then adults, I fretted over what my purpose was. I'd held onto the role of mom for years and knew at that point in my life, my focus was raising the kids to be kind and caring adults. With them rounding the corner to adulthood, I found myself at loose ends. Of course, I had purpose as Tim's wife and in my job at the school library, and I was still a mom, but something in my heart searched for more. Like many people, I read The Purpose Driven Life. I found some good information, but not enough.

I prayed and asked God for clarity, and guess what? He let me know I'd been overthinking my purpose. Yes, there are specific things God calls me to do, but the most important thing He wants me to do is to be faithful and love Him.

God calls me and anyone who believes in Him to love Him and love people. The other day the radio blared out Danny Goeke's song, Love God Love People. He talks about checking the boxes and trying to do more, but instead it comes down to caring for God and people.

Peter reminds his readers the most important thing they can do is be faithful stewards of God's grace. Show grace to everyone and be faithful to God.

In our broken world, our purpose is to remain faithful and to love.

He is my Strength

If you wake up feeling fragile--

remember--that God is not,

and then trust Him

to be everything

you need today.

-CS Lewis

The Lord is my strength and my shield; 

my heart trusts in him, 

and he helps me. 

My heart leaps for joy, 

and with my song I praise him. 

-Psalm 28:7

 

Relentless

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.

You Are Loved

The little blue blossoms popped up in my garden at the end of summer. 

It's ironic that I forgot I planted them—they are called forget-me-nots. 

Even though I didn't remember I had mixed them with my zinnia seeds, 

they made their debut, anyway.

One thing I won't forget, 

even as I reach an age of occasional absentmindedness—I am loved. 

God loves me. 

He loves you.

He loves all of His creation.

Never forget YOU ARE LOVED!

 

Nonfiction Book Review: A Small Cup of Light by Ben Palpant

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.