Stand Up And Cheer

Psalm 86:12
I will praise you, Lord my God, with all my heart; I will glorify your name forever.

The standing ovation stopped the game.

On Sunday, Maggie and I attended the last home game of the Cincinnati Reds. Tim worked as an usher, and we met some of the regulars in his section. The Reds have had a good season and have been fun to watch. They've added new players to the roster and have one outstanding player who has hung with the Reds for seventeen years.

When Joey Votto appeared on the field for his first at bat, the crowd rose to their feet, clapped, cheered, and may have cried a little. This player has been with the Reds his entire major league career. At the end of this season, his contract is finished. As fans, we don't know if he will return, so our response was to show appreciation for all he has done for the team. When all the fans rose to their feet and applauded, the energy shook the atmosphere. It was fun to be a part of his recognition and to see the humbleness of this faithful player.

I wonder what it would have been like for Jesus if people had reacted to Him that way. If those closest to Him and those who met Him realized He was the Son of God, would they have loved Him more, or praised Him as one worthy of praise? From the scripture, it appears Jesus' humbleness would have stopped any outcry or ovation, but no one is more deserving.

The times I think about what Jesus has done for me, how He has carried my burdens and sin on His shoulders, I thank Him and praise Him. Do I do this often enough? Probably not. Praise doesn't have to wait for a Sunday church service.

 Praise the One who gave His life for yours—every day. He deserves the glory.

Historical Fiction: Against the Wind by Amanda Cabot

Doctor-in-training Louisa Vaughn has no intention of remaining in Sweetwater Crossing. She's just there for a few days to help a friend. But she can't abandon the injured man she finds at the side of the road. Until his broken leg heals, she'll serve as the town's doctor and midwife. She may not be fully qualified yet, but surely she's better than nothing.

Josh Porter's plans to win his grandfather's challenge and fulfill his father's final wish to gain full control of the family business hit a roadblock when he breaks his leg. But his enforced stay in Sweetwater Crossing gives him new ideas about the expansion of the company into new territory--ideas Louisa could help turn into reality.

If only the town were more accepting of Louisa's talents! Someone is determined to convince her to abandon her dream of healing others. Can Josh help her uncover the person behind the threats before it's too late? And is there any future for them together when neither of them plans to stay?

My Review:
I have enjoyed several Amanda Cabot books. This one included. In Against the Wind, the author returns to Sweetwater Crossing where book one left off. In book two, Louisa returns with no intention of staying until she finds a man by the road who needs help. Josh Porter finds himself in this small town, a thousand miles from home, unable to take care of himself. I love the tenacity of Louisa and her caring and determined heart. She wants so much to be accepted as a doctor in the small town, but fights against the opinions of others and some tragic events. Josh wants to please his grandfather, but he's not sure it's the best path for his life. With a strong faith thread, the two discover life is filled with surprises, struggles, and difficult decisions. I enjoyed the story and the characters. I received a free copy with no expectations, and opinions are my own.

A Heart that Listens

"To be kind is more important than to be right. 

Many times what people need is not a brilliant mind that speaks,

but a special heart that listens."

-F. Scott Fitzgerald.

This past week was a crazy, busy week for my granddaughter,

who is a senior this year. 

Dilly and her best friend, Emma, 

competed in and celebrated their fantastic tennis season.

Nominated for homecoming queen, Dilly 

got to ride in a cool Jeep Willy truck in the parade 

and be part of the half-time events at the football game.

As proud as I am of her accomplishments,

I love this beautiful young lady's kind heart even more.

She bought me a charm not long ago that said, 

"Kind people are my kind of people." 

That is true, and they're Dilly's people too. 

She's one of the kindest people I know.

Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other,

 just as in Christ God forgave you. -Ephesians 1:32

 

Worthy Words

 Jeremiah 15:19-20

Therefore this is what the Lord says:

“If you repent, I will restore you
    that you may serve me;
if you utter worthy, not worthless, words,
    you will be my spokesman.
Let this people turn to you, but you must not turn to them.
I will make you a wall to this people,
    a fortified wall of bronze;
they will fight against you
    but will not overcome you,
for I am with you
    to rescue and save you,”
declares the Lord.

As I live in this world and see more and more disregard for God, my heart breaks.

In my daughter, Sara's, first grade class, she spends a lot of time teaching her students how to read. The children learn the sounds the letters make and how they form words. If you know anything about the English language, you know there are many words that don’t follow the rules. Sara teaches those words as heart words, in other words they must be learned by heart.

I've been reading the book of Jeremiah. Much of what I've read shows God's anger toward Jerusalem and Judah. The people have turned from Him and are worshipping idols and turning their backs on God. Jeremiah begs God not to destroy the people of Israel, but to give them another chance.

In chapter 15, Jeremiah asks God to spare him. He is a prophet who is trying to turn the people around and help them get back to loving and worshipping God. In his distress and longing to be rescued, God tells him if he repents, He will restore him. The next part caught my attention. When God said, "if you utter worthy, not worthless, words, you will be my spokesman."

That verse hit me over the head. God gave me an amazing means to communicate. He not only created humans, but he gave us language so we can share our ideas, thoughts, and wisdom.

Words can be beautiful, helpful, uplifting, and filled with compassion. They can also be mean, detrimental, and hurtful.

God called Jeremiah to speak words worthy of God. As a follower and believer in the One who created life, I want to choose words that encourage and praise, words that instruct and uplift, and words that draw people to God.

As I think of the little ones learning new words, I'm reminded to speak to a child in a way that encourages and instructs, not with harshness and hurt.

Speak in a way other people know you love God.

 

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.

Who Am I?

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.