A Harvest of Hope

Psalm 33:20-22

We wait in hope for the Lord;
    he is our help and our shield.
In him our hearts rejoice,
    for we trust in his holy name.
May your unfailing love be with us, Lord,
    even as we put our hope in you.

When I was young, we planted a garden. A big garden.

Dad plowed the space and created rows for us to plant corn, green beans, tomatoes, peas, and other good veggies. And he planted a section, down the hill from our pond, meant just for potatoes; which seemed gigantic in my young mind. Dad hoped to grow an abundance of food.

When it came time to harvest and put up the bounty, it was all hands on deck. My brothers, cousin, and I grabbed baskets and plucked beans and ears of corn off those beautiful plants. Later when we shucked the corn, I hated finding those gross, little worms that ate into the kernels. I did enjoy the relaxing rhythm of breaking beans and shelling peas. When the potatoes matured, we searched for them as if they were Easter eggs buried in the rich soil.

I look back on those days and remember how we all worked together. Dad plowed and planted, we picked, snapped, and shucked. Mom, Grammy, my sister and aunt canned multiple quarts of tomatoes and beans and froze bag upon bag of corn. We ran into snags along the way, too much rain or not enough and animals and insects who feasted on the plants. Yet, we still received a full bounty of food for the winter.

In these difficult times, the hope I have in Jesus gets me out of bed in the morning. I pray every day for peace, even as I harvest hope and store it up for times like these.

When life goes through winter seasons of bleakness and fear, the hope that fills my heart gives me courage to face each day.

Plant God's hope in your heart and encourage it to grow. 

Take Heart

We are living in a time of high stress, unexpected circumstances, and constant change. 

To navigate the choppy waters of 2020, 

I'm squeezing tight to the anchor of hope I have in Jesus. 

If I didn't, I might drown. 

My hope is in the Lord.

Historical Fiction Book Review: The Librarian of Boone's Hollow by Kim Vogel Sawyer

Book Description:
A traveling librarian ventures into the mining towns of Kentucky on horseback—and learns to trust the One who truly pens her story—in this powerful novel from the best-selling author of A Silken Thread.

During the Great Depression, city-dweller Addie Cowherd dreams of becoming a novelist and offering readers the escape that books had given her during her tragic childhood. When her father loses his job, she is forced to take the only employment she can find—delivering books on horseback to poor coal-mining families in the hills of Kentucky.

But turning a new page will be nearly impossible in Boone's Hollow, where residents are steeped in superstitions and deeply suspicious of outsiders. Even local Emmett Tharp feels the sting of rejection after returning to the tiny mountain hamlet as the first in his family to graduate college. And as the crippled economy leaves many men jobless, he fears his degree won’t be worth much in a place where most men either work the coal mine or run moonshine.

As Addie also struggles to find her place, she’ll unearth the truth about a decades-old rivalry. But when someone sets out to sabotage the town’s library program, will the culprit chase Addie away or straight into the arms of the only person who can help her put a broken community back together?

My Review:
As a former librarian, I enjoy the stories of these brave souls who ventured into the mountains to deliver literature. In The Librarian of Boone's Hollow, Addie's life is opened to a whole new world she never imagined. Set in the time following the Great Depression, Addie takes the only job she can find. I love the Kentucky mountain setting and variety of characters. Addie, Bettina, and Emmett venture into a time where they need to rely on God and one another, even when they think they can't. I love how the author brings out important issues and effortlessly weaves them into the story. Her writing offers hope. I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.  

He Hears Me When I Call

Psalm 102:1-2, 17 (NIV)

Hear my prayer, Lord;
    let my cry for help come to you.
Do not hide your face from me
    when I am in distress.
Turn your ear to me;
    when I call, answer me quickly.

He will respond to the prayer of the destitute;
    he will not despise their plea.

Prayer is a privilege. If I don't ask my heavenly Father for help, that's on me.

My five-year-old granddaughter bows her head and prays every night with her momma. During the COVID-19 stay-at-home order, she asked Jesus to "stop the rona." Her little heart echoed the prayer of many. I asked God to protect my family and friends from the virus and to put an end to its rampage through the world. I prayed for the folks who lost loved ones and healing for those infected. No doubt God's ears have been filled with cries for help.

Now as I cry out once again to end racial tension and distress in our nation, I ask God to hear me. Please fill my heart with how to love better and how to respond as a Jesus' follower.

In the Psalm, the writer of chapter 102 sought out God in a time of distress. He understood God heard his voice and his request. Yet he begged him to answer quickly. Even as God's timing isn't my timing, I need to remain faithful and believe he will answer. And he does. In verse seventeen, the writer reminds me, "He will respond." In the meantime, I need to follow his lead and love well. I need to be encouraging and caring. I need to reach out to people with the arms of Jesus.

If I doubt God hears my pleas, I read Philippians 4:6 and am reminded to take everything to God in prayer. "Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God."

He hears me when I call.

Help Comes From the Lord

If I don't ask God for help, that's on me. 

He loves me and wants me to talk to him and seek his favor.

He's always available to listen.

God, please heal the hearts of those hurting and guide those who want to help.

Give us wisdom.

Thank you Lord for your continuous love and care.

Fiction Review: Stories That Bind Us by Susie Finkbeiner

Book Description:

Betty Sweet never expected to be a widow at 40. With so much life still in front of her, she tries to figure out what's next. She couldn't have imagined what God had in mind. When her estranged sister is committed to a sanitarium, Betty finds herself taking on the care of a 5-year-old nephew she never knew she had.

In 1960s LaFontaine, Michigan, they make an odd pair. Betty with her pink button nose and bouffant hair. Hugo with his light brown skin and large brown eyes. But more powerful than what makes them different is what they share: the heartache of an empty space in their lives. Slowly, they will learn to trust one another as they discover common ground and healing through the magic of storytelling.

Award-winning author Susie Finkbeiner offers fans a novel that invites us to rediscover the power of story to open the doors of our hearts.

My Review:
I love this beautiful story of courage and hope. The author captured the decade of the 1960s with great insight. I was about Hugo's age at that time, and remember so much of what Susie Finkbeiner has written. I love how Norman's family wraps Betty in graciousness and kindness as she faces difficult times. And the stories Betty tells to Hugo are precious. Susie intertwined them perfectly with what the characters are going through. If you enjoy a good read that leaves you with a feeling of hope, you'll want to read Stories that Bind Us. From the lovely cover to the last sentence, I enjoyed every word. I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.  

Love Your Neighbor

Matthew 22:37-39
Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself."

I love that God made our world in color.

From the kayak, I watched the sun cross over the fresh spring foliage. The shore, covered in trees, showed various shades of green. The sky moved from pale blue to sky blue to cerulean as the white clouds whispered across. Along the bank, rocks and pebbles rested in assorted shades of brown. Beautiful colors. All created by God.

In the hours before we took our kayaks out on the lake, I'd wrestled with how to respond to recent news of racial strife and sorrow. I'm an older white woman who has only walked in my shoes. I can't say I understand what my friends of color are experiencing, but I can say I care. 

I contemplated how to offer hope in a time of sorrow and help in a time of stress. But I'll be honest, I wasn't sure how.

As I prayed, I understood two things:

• What's going on in the world right now is breaking God's heart.
• God loves every single person he created, and he calls us as his followers to love people, too.

In Matthew, Jesus said to love God and love people. It's that simple. But sin has gotten in the way. Satan stirs the pot and throws in envy, anger, and a whole lot of other junk. He rejoices when he recruits one more person to destroy another human being, a building, a lifetime of work. He spreads his evil anywhere he can.

Together, let's toss Satan out and pour in the ingredients of love, hope, compassion, and peace. Let's stir in joy, acceptance, patience and understanding in whatever way we can.

As I floated in the kayak and soaked in the variegated world we live in, Jesus reminded me to love and appreciate people. He gave us different shades of skin, different textures of hair, different eye colors. And he gave all of us hearts for love, abilities to help, and minds to think. We are more alike than we are different, because we are created in God's image.

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