Chronicles of a Writer

Four Letter Words by Bill Giovanetti

2012-02-07T06:00:00.015-06:00

When I come across a Christian book with the title Four Letter Words, right away I was intrigued. As I began reading the book, I began to have that old recollection of sitting in church as a young girl. Truth pored from the pulpits and little if anything or anyone challenged that truth. But as an adult, and especially these days, I am challenged by everything and everyone. In college, on television, in music and movies, during holidays, and in the grocery store, I am challenged by others for what I believe. Every where the truth of God is being diminished to the point that people don't really know what they believe anymore. Everything is one big hodge-podge, smudged with a cherry on top.

In Bill Giovannetti's book, Four Letter Words, Giovannetti writes about how our culture has forced itself upon, specifically Christians, to not say or to not talk about what we believe. Jesus had become a four letter word. Or as we say in the south, a wordy dird.

I was very impressed with Giovannetti's natural style of writing. At times he his comical and at other times, very revealing of his own walk with Jesus Christ.

In a foreword by his friend Ken Cleaver, PhD, Cleaver asks this simple question from the bible:

"And if you are asked about your Christian hope, always be ready to explain it. But you must do this in a gentle and respectful way (1Peter 3:15, 16, NLT)."

Dr. Cleaver writes that we had to learn how to talk to people about Christ, but how do we do that in a world with no truth, some truth, or multiple truths going on at the same time.

Bill Giovanetti walks the reader step by step through some of the biggest questions that non-Christians have when confronted by the truth of Jesus Christ. They include truth, knowledge, pain and suffering, good and evil, and the Bible.

Giovannetti writes:

"I wrote it to teach Christ's followers to cuss boldly --to speak faith's four letter words--without backing down, yet without correctness."

I have read several authors who have gone the way of the world, choosing to write from a worldly view instead of from a biblical view.

This is an amazing book for anyone. Those who have been walking with Christ for a while, those new in their faith, and those who have no faith and are looking for answers.

The bible is the only true place to find answers for the questions of life, but for non-Christians this book will direct them to the answers found only in the bible. This book is a big sign post with huge arrows blinking toward the word: B-I-B-L-E... B-I-B-L-E.

This book was provided for free by Litfuse Publicity in exchange for a review.

©2012 MLMichaels

Interview with Author of Four Letter Words by Bill Giovannetti

2012-02-06T06:00:00.001-06:00

Bill Giovannetti serves on the faculty of A.W. Tozer Seminary and is the Senior Pastor of Neighborhood Church of Redding. Four Letter Words is his second book. He has written numerous articles and is a popular speaker. Bill hates legalism, loves grace, and teaches that God is infinitely more committed to us than we will ever be to him. He is a graduate of Trinity Seminary and earned his doctorate at Fuller Theological Seminary.

**********Note: This interview was provided by LitFuse Publishing Group and was used with permission. I did not conduct the interview with this author.*************
Purchase Four Letter Words from Amazon.com.

What's Four Letter Words about, and where did you get the title?

Four Letter Words is about defending your faith in Christ. If you've ever felt tongue-tied standing up for Jesus, this book can help.
Even though our culture claims tolerance as a virtue, that tolerance stops at Christianity's front door: witness the hostility directed toward a sincere Christ-follower like Tim Tebow. Judging by reactions to him, you'd think he just cussed out his grandma when all he did was say a word for Christ. Speaking God's truth and living your faith is quickly becoming today's profanity. Tougher days are coming; we need to get ready.
There has never been a truth-system more satisfying, consistent, logical and beautiful than Christianity. I wanted to help God's people rise up and say so.

What four letter words do you write about?

True: who says your truth has to be my truth too? Know: how do you know God is real? Pain, Evil, and Ouch: why doesn't God stop the bad stuff? Damn: how can a loving God send people to hell? Word: What makes the Bible so special? Wait: isn't it unreasonable to expect today's people to live by biblical standards of sexuality? Hope: what good has Christianity done in the world?
The book has ten chapters, discussion questions (in the book and downloadable from the website), and 208 pages.

Did you ever struggle with your faith? How did you work through that?

Even though I've been a pastor for a long time, I struggle with my faith a lot. My earliest struggles – back in high school days – centered on scientific stuff, like evolution. In the book I tell the story of how I made peace with faith in a Creator God and how I fit together science, logic, and the gospel in my own heart.
Now that I'm a bit older, my struggles come more out of pain and suffering. Why does God let people hurt? I cover those topics too.
Struggles are normal – we just can't let them overwhelm our faith or uproot our joy. It's super-important for us to know every question raised against Christianity has an answer. I try to provide some of those answers along with simple talking points for everyday conversations.

Who is this book for?

This book is for anyone who either struggles with faith or who wants to help friends who struggle with faith. I wrote to strengthen faith and equip believers to share faith. Our church has used this book with high school students, young adults, and senior citizens—it's been really well received across all age groups. Other churches are using it in small groups and youth groups.
I would love to see this book in the hands of every high school graduate and new college student: they need to be inoculated from the anti-Christian venom they're going to experience.
Toward the end, Four Letter Words invites readers to faith in Christ so it can be resource for evangelism too.
Discussion questions are included.

What's with the QR codes?

Part of my geek credentials, I suppose. As far as I know, Four Letter Words is the first QR-enabled book for the general market. QR codes are those postage-stamp sized boxes with indecipherable patterns inside – Quick Response codes. I wanted to make the book an interactive experience: just scan the codes with any smartphone and you'll go straight to relevant videos, audio .mp3's, and websites. Each chapter has a lot more resources on the website (www.fourletterwords.org) which you can reach either through the QR code or just by visiting the site. The geek-tech stuff in no way overwhelms the written word; it just supplements it. I hope readers like it. What did you think?

If I read this book, what will get out of it?

I wrote Four Letter Words with three simple goals in mind:
1. Clarity: Know what you believe.
2. Confidence: Know why you believe.
3. Courage: Know what to say when you don't know what to say.

So what do you do when you're not writing?

I'm the husband of one incredible wife and dad to two amazing kids. My main calling is as a pastor to the Neighborhood Church of Redding, a small-town church of over 2,000 set amid the snow-capped peaks and pristine lakes of northern California. I love preaching and teaching—spreading out a rich feast of God and his grace and digging deep into God's Word. I also serve on the faculties of A.W. Tozer Theological Seminary and Simpson University. I like watching mindless action movies, reading, hanging with friends, bass fishing, woodworking, good coffee, and Chicago sports teams. Go Bears!
Italian food is my love language.

Do you have any other books around?

My earlier book helps readers get a grip on their inner mess. If you read it, you'll meet your Inner Thug, Inner Brat, Inner Legalist, and the rest of the motley crew lurking in your soul. It's called How to Keep Your Inner Mess from Trashing Your Outer World (Monarch/Kregel, 2009). I have a couple more books in the pipeline, including a fiction book on the global political scene.

What's your spiritual background? How did you get started with Jesus?

I was reared in a tiny Chicago gospel church. I was loved. I was cared for. I was taught the Bible. That church was my second family. They introduced me to Jesus. I received him when I was young and devoted my life to him. But it wasn't until young adulthood that I began to appreciate how much Jesus was devoted to me. That discovery rocked my world. I shifted from rules to relationship and from guilt to grace. I dedicated my life to encourage instead of tear down. I strive to free others from guilt, shame, and legalism, and to help people discover life and love through God's amazing grace.

How did you pick the four letter words for each chapter?

I had a great team working with me to pick the topics. The young adult leadership team from my church hung out with me for a few coffee-shop meetings. We brainstormed ideas. We asked what questions kept surfacing in their relationships with seekers and what issues kept tripping up their conversations about Christ. The topics came from them. Each chapter grew out of the real-life struggles of real people in my church. I think this is why the book has connected in some pretty deep ways with readers.

Would you say that Christians are persecuted?

Not so much in the U.S., but persecution is definitely coming. It's not that Christians are changing; it's that culture is running from God so fast that yesterday's normal is becoming today's weird. Christians will be increasingly marginalized. Tell a typical college student he needs to be celibate till marriage and he'll look at you like you're Amish. Why don't you hop in your buggy and trot along. A generation ago, our culture would have supported that value. Today, culture attacks it. It's going to get tougher to stay strong for Jesus.
We need a new breed of Christ-follower: alert to the beliefs that tick people off, and ready to fire the weapons of truth and grace with courage, compassion, humor, and love.

There are so many books on the gospel message, do we really need another one?

Thank God for a lot of excellent books out there to defend your faith. Four Letter Words stands out because it is written for the everyday Christian. You won't need advanced degrees to understand its message. I wanted to go deep, but keep it really clear. I also made sure to include "Talking Points" after each chapter. That's where I pull the chapter's themes into a handful of memorable and repeatable truths. These take-aways can help you engage your friends in solid conversations about Christ. While many other apologetics books focus on a single topic, Four Letter Words deals with common topics that often make the average Christian feel tongue-tied. Consider it your one-stop shop for equipping in apologetics.
　
FUN QUESTIONS

If aliens landed in front of you and, in exchange for anything you desire, offered you any position on their planet, what would you want?

Definitely the Minister of Space Exploration. I dig science fiction and it's my secret dream to pilot an alien spacecraft through a wormhole into another dimension. I want to boldly go where no one has gone before. Plus it would be cool to see first hand how Jesus gets glorified on the far side of Jupiter and to hit a baseball on Pluto and see how far it goes. As Minister of Technology, I'd restore Pluto's status to that of planet instead of asteroid; I feel sorry for the little guy.

If you could be a superhero, what would you want your superpowers to be?

There's this guy on the TV show Alphas named Gary Bell who can literally see the entire electromagnetic spectrum: radio waves, phone texts, television signals, digital transmissions, and the Internet. He sees it in the air around him. I want that. Is that enough to renew my geek-card?

Name one movie you consider wildly under-appreciated.

That's easy: Tremors. Yes, the one with Kevin Bacon fighting giant worms that eat people. Creepy comedic genius. My wife loves it so much she rolls her eyes and leaves the room every time I turn it on.

Amazon: http://amzn.to/tF3L3M

Direct from the Author (signed copies) http://maxgrace.1freecart.com

Website: http://www.fourletterwords.org

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/BillGiovannetti

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/billgiovannetti

Blog: http://www.maxgrace.com

A Crown for You

2012-01-31T06:00:00.001-06:00

Though the weight has been plenty, significant, and true.
The only thing I can say is count it joy for you,
The smile through the heart ache that is easier to bear.
When Christ takes my hand and shows that He cares.

And the joy repeating on my face in the midst of whispers and talk,
isn't going to distract me from this race or this walk.
See I've got a prize to win, if I make it to the end;
the winner's circle may be close, just around the bend.

And standing before my Savior, he'll say, "A Crown for You."
And I won't be thinking about the things people say or do.
If you have noticed and if you've been observant,
I long to hear the words "well done good and faithful servant."

©2012 MLMichaels

We are pressed, but not crushed!

2012-01-30T06:00:00.007-06:00

"We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed." II Corinthians 4: 8-9

Lately the world has been coming at me from all sides. Comments and suggestions, gossip, untruths, struggles and difficulties that seem beyond my earthly mind to comprehend. But yet in the midst of the pressure my heart is at peace. My God through Jesus Christ has provided me with his word that through Him I am not crushed though I feel pressed.

I am strangely perplexed by what I see and feel around me, but I haven't seen despair. I can smile with great joy!

Deep within my heart the Lord is upholding me ... making it feel like I am pressing back outward from the pressure, but not losing my character or my hope.

I don't believe I have ever truly felt persecution, because I don't know what it is like to be kicked out of my home, beaten or punched for my faith, or murdered for what I believe. There are many Christians all over the world who face these kinds of struggles daily.

Lastly, we are not destroyed. God has our souls locked in His hands and we depend on Him only!

God Bless you if you are going through trials.

©2012 MLMichaels

The Best is Yet to Come

2012-01-27T06:00:00.004-06:00

Little white wedding dress all of size two. She stood looking at herself in the glass mirror. She wiggled in the plumage of material surrounding her body. A big white snow ball is what she thought. Fingering the diamond on her finger she looked up to meet her father's eyes and smiled.
"Daddy, what do you think?"
Turning toward him he smiled and put out his arms to hug what he could of his daughter under the pile of white dress.
"He won't be able to keep his eyes off of you."
Looking back at him.
"Do you think this is going to work. I mean this marriage. We've been fighting for days, Dave and I."
"Hmm..."
"Huh? What do you mean hmm..."
"Its not going to be all roses and sunshine. But with a little work and a lot of forgiveness it could work."
"That's not very encouraging you know."
"It's better than what I was told."
"What did Grandpa tell you?"
"Grandpa didn't; grandma did."
They both smiled in a knowing glare.
"I think grandpa lost his hearing on purpose."
"I think grandma talks because she thinks no one is listening."
He sat down on one of the chairs and put his elbows on his knees.
"When all the romantic notions begin fade you grow into something more than just married people. You are a couple... No longer are you two people, but one. People even start to recognize you as one person."
"But what if it doesn't work out."
"That's what is interesting about this generation. You guys are going into it with the notion that it will fail. We went into marriage with the notion that it would succeed. Maybe that's the difference."
"Did your marriage succeed."
"I don't know. I am not done yet."
"Success is not if your marriage is perfect or even if you stayed together. Lots of people do that and really don't love each other."
"Love will require you to sacrifice your wants for his wants. And he will have to do the same. This is not a one way street."
"Do you love mom."
"Everyday."
"Don't be afraid of what could happen that you never fully commit to your relationship."
"Would you have married mom if you knew what would happen?"
"I can't image a day without her. It hasn't been easy. But I love her more everyday. I just trust that she knows too."
The door peaked open and light slowly filled the room.
"Cassie? I think their ready for you."
"Alright."
"Just remember what I said and you will be alright. The best is yet to come."

Standing outside the two doors that lead to her future she took a deep breath and stepped forward.

©2012 MLMichaels

Occupy Distraction...

2012-01-26T06:00:00.002-06:00

Truly this past year has been filled with people who had something to protest. In fact, last year was the year of the protester. People seemed angry and filled with rage against their government and against perceived wrongs of society.

This wasn't more true than with the occupy wallstreeters. Some how it made me think about the occupied sign outside the airplane bathroom, but I digress.

All over the news were people in an uproar about something. Banging on drums and sleeping in tents. Personally, I couldn't or wouldn't want to sleep in a tent every night. I give them credit for that.

To me it all didn't seem real. There wasn't a clear purpose or goal for the protest, only to protest. Like a distraction.

With all the coverage of the protesters, little was reported about the coptic Christians in Egypt protesting bombings of their churches.

And over the last several years, very little has been said in the news about Israel. Where is the most important and beloved country in the world in all of this protesting? We have heard little about Israel in the midst of the distractions from the news.

Let us occupy the distractions of television and focus on God and His people.

I pray that we can refocus on God's beloved people and His beloved land. Let us pray for the peace of Jerusalem and the people of Israel.

©2012 MLMichaels

Still Holding On

2012-01-24T06:00:00.002-06:00

Through the seamless, tearful nights she cried herself to sleep.
Ever was the girl who dreamed and slept beneath the pillowed sheath.
In prayer -- she came asking her Savior in the night;
Help me Lord to find the way, help me to do what's right.

And angelically she slept, though haunted she must have been
to know all that she knew even back then.
That prayers are not always answered, or there timing can be slow.
Answers can be a yes and they can be a no.

But she prayed for it anyway and she continues to pray still--
She hasn't stopped praying for her dream to become real.
And with the days that are in between the start and beyond
is the girl who still believes and is still holding on.

©2012 MLMichaels

Separation Anxiety

2012-01-23T06:00:00.016-06:00

Recently I have been challenging myself to separate from the world that comes through the television and its worldly banter. This was a personal challenge.

At the usual times I would sit down and watch after work, I kept the television off. As I walked through my daily routine after work, I found myself anxious for the television to be on in the background. Like someone who needs a cigarette or a drink after they have tried to give it up, I was wringing my hands for the news and talk shows.

These talk shows and news channels promote a worldly view.

When we become Christians we become separate from the world. Day by day we renew our minds and separate from the world and all the world has to offer. CS Lewis referred to this as the great divorce in his book, The Great Divorce. 1

We are divorcing ourselves day by day from the world as we renew our marriage to our Savior Jesus Christ. Spending more time with God will reflect in a more Godly walk. On the contrary, spending more time with the world and its view will result in a more worldly walk without victory. 1

1-Lewis, C.S. (2002). The Complete C.S. Lewis Signature Classics. The Great Divorce, 1946. by CS Lewis Pte. Ltd. HarperOne as subsidiary of HarperCollins Publishers. New York, NY.

Kiss the Son

2012-01-20T07:00:00.003-06:00

"Kiss the Son, lest he be angry and you be destroyed in your way, for his wrath can flare up in a moment. Blessed are all who take refuge in him." -Psalm 2:12

The ground sizzled and scorned with dead leaves. The life of the fruit lay in a pile dead. Destroyed from the heat and wrath of the sun. Little care was given to the drupe and its skin wilted away. Unlike the cactus of the desert, its arms are risen to the sky. But not this fruit, it was painfully clear that it had no desire to Kiss the Son.

© 2012 ML Michaels

The Voice New Testament: Revised?

2012-01-19T07:00:00.102-06:00

I am curious, why do we need a revised bible? What are we revising in it that hasn't been provided through the KJV or the other versions that have come previously.

When I began reading this bible I was put off a little by its format and features. In all intents and purposes, I believe The Voice New Testament has revised the bible into a watered down version of its original text. As I read something freightening came over me and that was the words of Satan to Eve in Genesis when Satan twisted God's word to Eve. We remember, "Has God said?..."1

I recall what John wrote in Revelation.

"I warn everyone who hears the words of the prohecy of this book: If anyone adds anything to them, God will add to him plagues described in this book. And if anyone takes away from this prophecy, God will take away from his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book.- Revelation 22:18-19 NIV

The reasoning for the updated version of the bible is because "of the way this generation processes ideas and information raises obstacles to traditional methods of teaching biblical content." 2

The Voice Bible provides an 11 page reasoning for why their bible is different. It claims that "scripture is filled with passages intended to inspire... depict beauty, but earlier translations have not always been successful in communicating the beauty, poetry, and story of Scripture." 2

There is no reason to compare earlier scripture to The Voice Bible because earlier texts like the King James Version have always illuminated the beauty and poetry of the Word of God. And words are never lifted from the page into a human heart in such a way to depict beauty unless the blood of Jesus Christ and the instrument of the Holy Spirit illuminates them for the forgiven sinner.

Additionally, the 11 reasoning pages states "some claim their translations are "word-for-word in contrast to those that are "thought-for-thought." Word-for-word translations generally claim to be more literal and therefore superior to those that are thought-for-thought. The critique is sometimes made that thought-for-thought translations reflect the interpretive opinions of the translators and are influenced by the contemporary culture more than the word-for-word translations. This critique is not necessarily relevant, for these translation endeavors-whether from the so called "word-for word" (formal) or "thought-for-thought" (functional) translation philosophies -are only different in degree, not in kind. " (p.14) 2

We are supposed to take the bible literally. The literal translation is not superior it is truth. The bible stands above culture and does not need to be changed to fit into cultural mores, which The Voice
is trying to do.

It says "people are more likely to interact with events and individuals through complex observations involving emotions, cognitive processes, tactile experiences, and spiritual awareness." 2

When dealing with God, we don't believe with emotion, we believe with truth. How do we know that what God says is true if we feel our way through life. Emotions are fickle and can change with the wind. It sounds like the creators of The Voice have attempted to use worldly cognitive educational instruction to exchange biblical truth for a worldly biblical feel good experience.

So The Voice bible is saying, if I can't fit my sinful, emotionally charged, unwilling to submit to God, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit life into the bible, I am just going to do something even more drastic... I am going to rewrite the bible to fit into my personal emotional, sin-filled life.

Instead of submitting to the will of the bible, the writers are asking the bible to submit to them. And when that didn't happen they decided to change it to fit their own will.

Additionally, the introduction of the Voice Bible states that it "uniquely represents collaboration among scholars, pastors, writers, musicians, poets, and other artists."

Well these days there are a lot of scholars who don't believe in the inerrancy of the bible. Christopher Hitchens was a scholar, but he wasn't a Christian by his admonition.

The Voice bible uses words like Oracle and Eternal One...

And the translations that are used to describe the text are inaccurate and false. There is just enough of the bible text in it to be called the bible, but I assure you things have been changed.

For example:
The Voice bible reads--
"He took the bread and wine, which commemorated God's deliverance of the Hebrew slaves, and offered them to His followers."

The bread and wine doesn't represent the deliverance of the Hebrew slaves, but the blood and body of Christ, which was broken for our transgressions.

I recall what Jude said:

"Dear friends, although I was very eager to write to you about the salvation we share, I felt I had to write and urge you to contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to the saints. For certain men whose condemnation was written about long ago have secretly slipped in among you.They are godless men, who change the grace of our God into a license for immorality and deny Jesus Christ our only Sovereign Lord.
Though you already know this, I want to remind you that the Lord delivered his people out of Egypt, but later destroyed those who did not believe....

Yet these men speak abusively against whatever they do not understand; and what things they do understand by instinct, like unreasoning animals-these are the very things that destroy them.
Woe to them! They have taken the way of Cain;.

These men are blemishes at your love feasts, eating with you without the slightest qualm-shepherds who feed only themselves. They are clouds without rain, blown along by the wind; autumn trees, without fruit and uprooted-twice dead. They are wild waves of the sea, foaming up their shame; wandering stars, for who blackest darkness had been reserved forever. Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied about these men: "See the Lord is coming with thousands upon thousands of his holy ones to judge everyone, and to convict all the ungodly of all the ungodly acts they have done in the ungodly way, and of all the harsh words ungodly sinners have spoken against him." These men are grumblers and faultfinders; they follow their own evil desires; they boast about themselves and flatter others for their own advantage.

But, dear friends, remember what the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ foretold. They said to you, "In the last times there will be scoffers who will follow their own ungodly desires." These are the men who divide you, who follow mere natural instincts and do not have the Spirit." -Jude 1:3-5; 10-11a;12-16; 17-18

This critique is not exhaustive... I would like to compare text to text with The Voice and the KJV to demonstrate the many differences.

Because I have to give the book a rating I can only give it 1 star.

1- Jeremiah, Dr. David. (2012). Turning Points Magazine & Devotional. v14, i 1. "Watering Down The Bible."
2- The Voice New Testament: Revised & Updated. (2012). Thomas Nelson. Nashville, TN
3- Life Application Study Bible. New International Version. (1984). Zondervan. Grand Rapid, Michigan.

This book was provided for free by Thomas Nelson Publisher as a part of their Book Sneeze Blogger Program.
© 2012 ML Michaels

Bible Study Psalm 1: 1-6

2012-01-18T07:00:00.058-06:00

The purpose for me for studying the Book of Psalms is to learn about David and his relationship with God. We should meditate on the Psalms, gleaning from the text the literal translation and God inspired purpose for the text.

The entire bible is written for the purpose of learning about and understanding God and His relationship with us, His people. Lets jump in to the text. Gather your Bible.

Psalm 1 begins with a beautitude. 1 (reference entire text)

Blessed is the man who:

1) Walks not in the counsel of the ungodly
2) Nor stands in the path of sinners
3) Nor sits in the seat of the scornful

We have been given three specific things not to do in order to be blessed. We should not walk, stand, or sit with the ungodly.

Here is our first comparative in the text.

We do not walk, stand, or sit with the ungodly, BUT we should delight in what?

1) The law of the Lord.

Merriam Webster dictionary defines delight as extreme satisfaction.

The text goes on to read "And in His law he mediates day and night."

We should meditate on God's word day and night.

It goes on to read:
"He shall be like a tree Planted by the rivers of water, That brings forth its fruit in its season, Whose leaf shall not wither; And whatever he does shall prosper." 2

There is something in this text about being a tree and being planted by the rivers of water.

Psalm 92: 12-13 says "The righteous shall flourish like a palm tree, He shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon. Those who are planted in the house of the Lord." 2

Back to the text...

"The ungodly are not so," Basic translation... they are not rooted in Christ.

"But are like the chaff which the wind drives away Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgement, Nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous For the Lord knows the way of the righteous, But the way of the ungodly shall perish." 2

The ungodly are not rooted in Christ, are like the chaff, shall not stand in judgement, nor in the congregation of the righteous.

Matthew 7: 21-23 says:
"Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day 'Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name? And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessnes!'" 2

I pray that walking through this lesson will encourage you to sit down with your bible and read back through Psalm 1:1-6 and meditate on the words before the Lord. Let the lover of your soul speak to you about what is going on in your life and let Him illuminate the text in your life.

God Bless you until next time!

1- Missler, Chuck. (2007). The Book of Psalms: An Expositional Commentary. Koinonia House.

2- The Transformer Bible. (1988). Thomas Nelson Publisher. Nashville, TN.

A Strange Land

2012-01-17T07:00:00.014-06:00

When passing through this strange land that continues on in burden;
has found the journey of the soul to be shackled and to be wardened.
The passport stamped, the destination ready, the passenger stands alert.
Ready for the day she's called home, her ears are alert.

Her name is what she is listening for from the voice that will come with a shout.
And Gone with the Wind will she be leaving no one with a doubt.
That her life though bothered and toiled by a raging, roaring lion,
Will be sent to the presence of her Lord the diamond of Zion.

And there she will touch His face and see His once pierced hands and feet.
To see with her own eyes the sins He took and made her life complete.
Her eyes will gleam and shine as though they are made of light;
Because it will be the passing through moment when her faith becomes sight.

© 2012MLMichaels

Sinking Ship

2012-01-16T07:00:00.001-06:00

Over the weekend we learned of an Italian cruise ship that had run aground. The devastating news is not that the cruise for many was cut short, but that there were several lives lost. Reports claim the captain of the ship is under arrest for abandoning the ship and not providing adequate muster time for the passengers to evacuate the ship. Passengers were left to help each other. If I ever am on a passenger cruise or a plane, I want the captain or pilot to be in charge of the vessel. And, if anything should happen, the pilot of the vessel provide a safe escape.

Which, of course, reminds me of another captain. The captain of my heart. Jesus Christ steers this personal vessel into deep waters, navigates dangerous passages, and shepherds the passenger at port. Interestingly enough, he has not abandoned me to my own ruination.

Yet, because of the fall we all were put in unsafe waters with God the Father. But because of Jesus Christ's work on the cross, we learn we no longer have to find an escape, but He became our scape goat. He is now our Savior and saves us from our sins. We are on the right course if we have put our trust in Jesus Christ.

©2012 MLMichaels

Friday Fiction- "A View from the Bedroom Window"

2012-01-13T08:00:00.071-06:00

Through the window little Tom, sat watching for a new procession. His apartment building sat high above the grounds across the streets. He saw the familiar sign that one- for sure- would be today. The tent and chairs were set up precisely right and a pile of dirt lay piled high. Looking left and right, his nose mashed against the frosty window awaiting flashing lights. Tom sat back in his chair in disgust. A siren blared in the background and he sat up straight, only to realize the noise came from the television in the other room. Tom's noisy sister walked by the window curling her hair around her finger and squinting her eyes. He knew the familiar phrase that she would say so he rolled his eyes in jest.
"You won't go to heaven, that's what dad says. All those people are stupid crying over a dead body. You just disappear Tom. That's what happens to us when we die."
Tom stuck his tongue out at her and she replied the like.
To the left a flashing light caught his attention. He sat up like an arrow seeing the familiar gently rolling car making its way to the entrance of the cemetery. With eyes ablaze, Tom watched the procession pass by with lights shining through the cold. He began counting. Two by two he counted. Higher and higher the number of cars passed by.
"Dad did the president die?" He called out to the air.
Cars filled the parking lot, so cars parked on the side of the road. People were walking from down the road from every which way carrying purses and umbrellas. A light rain added to the cold.
White smoke lifted from the street grates as people walked across the street toward the gates.
"Dad their still coming."
Tom was shaking in anticipation.
Tom's dad walked to the window and looked out on the commotion.
"Well I'll be. Looks like a crowd today."
"Who is it daddy?"
"I donno. Guess somebody with a lot of friends."
"Do you have that many friends dad."
"Dudn't matter. He's disappeared. He ain't in that box. That's just for show."
Tom looked back at the people standing and sitting. The people were amassed at the grave site.
Tom had never seen so many people. He was waiting for the familiar weeping, wiping of tears, flower laying, and preacher saying a few words. He was ready to roll with laughter at the spectacle.
But that didn't happen. Something was different about this funeral. A man stepped out from the crowd and in the midst of the mass of people dropped to his knees and raised his hands to heaven. High to heaven. The man was shouting, his mouth was opened wide.
Tom lifted the latches on the top of the window and slide it up. The window making a swoosh and cold air waffled inside.
Tom leaned forward toward the crowd trying to listen.
The man wasn't screaming, he was singing.
Louder the song lifted as the crowd joined in the chorus. "Praise God, Praise God, Praise God..." And on it went. The song was sweetly lead into a mass of humming.
"What is this?" Tom was confused by the commotion. He sat back, finally free to close the window. He usually stayed to watch all the funeral goers and heckled them from atop his window.
Tom went into the living room to look for something to eat. He sat at the table with his sandwich thinking.

The next morning Tom told a lie and said to his parents he was going to a friends house. Tom walked across the street. He wanted to know who the funeral was for.
He sneaked between cars and hid behind a tall tree peering back at the apartment building for signs his parents or his sister were watching. He slowly made his way to the tombstone and kneeled down to be hidden behind a bush.
The tablet was small with a name, some dates and a poem.

James Andrew Wilton
10/09/10- 11/09/10

Mine was a short life with
with my mom and dad.
A place to rest for thirty days
they praised God for what they had.
But now the Lord more keen than I
has decided to take me home.
This isn't a show, I didn't disappear-
my body still lies here.
And today my soul walks with Jesus,
praise God on your knees with a cheer.

© 2012 MLMichaels

With Friends Like That....

2012-01-12T08:00:00.003-06:00

"A few days later, when Jesus again entered Capernaum, the people heard that he had come home. So many gathered that there was no room left, not even outside the door, and he preached the word to them. Some men came, bringing to him a paralytic, carried by four of them. Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus and, after digging through it, lowered the mat the paralyzed man was lying on. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, "Son, your sins are forgiven." --Mark 2:1-5

A co-worker of mine was let go from her job this past week. We are not best friends, but we have worked near to each other long enough to get to know each other a little bit. Devastated she called me crying, saying she didn't understand why it had happened. I was honest, I didn't know either. In an attempt not to be like the friends Job had, I just sat quietly and listened. I let her cry. I didn't want to say anything to her that would make her think that God was doing this to punish her.

I remembered the bible verse about the friends who brought the paralytic to Jesus through the roof. Having faith enough to believe Jesus would heal their paralytic friend, they by passed the crowd, dug through the roof and lowered him down inside.

Later in the day after my conversation with my co-worker, I was speaking with my husband about the situation and the bible verse, and I just remember thinking to myself I want my friends to be like that too. My husband reminded me that having friends like that means you have to be a friend like that, quoting from his favorite pastor J Vernon McGee.

So I have spent the weekend praying and wondering how I can be a friend that brings them through the roof to Jesus... My result is I am going to keep up with my co-worker who I will now consider my friend. Because I believe she needs friends now; it sounded like there weren't many in her life.

I have the faith to believe that God will bring her through this tough period in her life. I have the faith to believe that God will provide for her while she looks for new work. I have the faith to believe I can be the kind of friend that will lower others through a ceiling.

This week I will schedule a lunch date with her so that we can talk.

©2012 MLMichaels

Studying the Book of Psalms Intro

2012-01-11T08:00:00.059-06:00

The Book of Psalms is one of my favorite books in the bible. When I encounter God through the book of Psalms it brings peace to my heart. And lately, I think all of us have needed some peace for our hearts.

Psalms is broken into five sections.

Book 1- Psalms 1-41 (Written by David)
Book 2- Psalms 42-72 (Written by David and Korah)
Book 3- Psalms 73-89 (Written by Asaph)
Book 4- Psalms 90-106 (Written by Anonymous)
Book 5- Psalms 107-150 (Written by David and Anonymous)1

The purpose of Psalms are words that are to be sung. Psalms literally means "praises."
These are poems made for song and according to Dr. Chuck Missler, should not be analyzed, but experienced.

There are several types of Psalms: Penitential, Hallelujah, Imprecatory, and one unfamiliar to me, Acrostic. Well learn about that one later. 2

Penitential Psalms are sorrowful or contrite Psalms. Hallelujah are Psalms of praise. Imprecatory- "calling down harm" on someone else. 2

There is a topical likeness of the Psalms to the Pentateuch.

Psalms 1-41 are like Genesis and "represent man and creation."
Psalms 42- 72 are like Exodus and represent "deliverance and redemption."
Psalms 73-89 are like Leviticus and represent sanctuary.
Psalms 90-106 are like Numbers and the "wandering in the wilderness."
Psalms 107-150 are like Deuteronomy and the "word of the Lord in broad terms." 1, 2

When looking at the poetry of Psalms as Hebrew poetry, like other poetry, it has several representations.

"*Parallelism of Concepts (restating)
*Comparative
*Antithetic Opposites (" Evil doers..., but they that wait upon the Lord")
*Synthetic (One thought completes another)" 2

Some books indicate that there are only 16 Messianic Psalms, and that the others are not. But may I suggest that all Psalms speak of Christ in some way or fashion. We will look for this as we go along.

This ends our brief introduction of the Book of Psalms and as we go along, please pray for me during this time of study.

Many Blessings.

1- New King James Version, (1985,1988). "The Transformer: The Bible for Young Adults." Thomas
Nelson Publisher. Nashville, TN.
2- Missler, Chuck. (2007). "The Book of Psalms: An Expositional Commentary 1-30." http://resources.khouse.org/products/dvd43/

©2012 ML Michaels

Selah- Repost

2012-01-10T08:00:00.003-06:00

I posted this poem two years ago. It is a special poem for me because it was one of the few that I have posted on my blog. It is simple and short, a meter or so to ask the reader about how they are pausing and slowing down in their own life to stop and think about the exquisite nature of pausing.

You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance. Selah - Psalm 32:7 (NIV)

There is beauty in selah.
A Psalmish term of pausing grace.
An interlude of thought to abate the pace.
I race from trouble and hem myself in song.
The day has left me stretched and overlong.
Pulled and pierced, my hand will discover,
I'm protected not by the face I cover.
Can I live by day and cloak myself by night?
In the evening hour; Selah.

©2010 MLMichaels/ ©2012 MLMichaels

Are You Being Hounded?

2012-01-09T08:00:00.027-06:00

'The name is strange. It startles one at first. It is so bold, so new, so fearless. It does not attract, rather the reverse. But when one reads the poem this strangeness disappears. The meaning is understood. As the hound follows the hare, never ceasing in its running, ever drawing nearer in the chase, with unhurrying and imperturbed pace, so does God follow the fleeing soul by His Divine grace. And though in sin or in human love, away from God it seeks to hide itself, Divine grace follows after, unwearyingly follows ever after, till the soul feels its pressure forcing it to turn to Him alone in that never ending pursuit.

—'The Neumann Press Book of Verse, 1988 - 3

If you are a Christian you too have had the hounded experience of being pursued by God through the Holy Spirit. Many Christians have a testimony about being hounded. In Francis Thompson's poem
The Hound of Heaven-1 Thompson describes the chasing and endless pursuit by the Holy Spirit.

CS Lewis had that feeling too when he described how he was pursued by God through the Holy Spirit. Describing his conversion in his book Surprised by Joy, Lewis finally gives in and surrenders. Waving the white flag above his head, he accepts that God is who He says He is.

"In the Trinity term of 1929 I gave in, and admitted that God was God, and knelt and prayed; perhaps, that night, the most dejected and reluctant convert in all England. I did not see then what is now the most shining and obvious thing: the divine humility which will accept a convert on even such terms."

"So wrote Clive Staples Lewis of his conversion in his autobiography, Surprised By Joy. "Dejected" and "reluctant" were true only in the sense that "Jack" (as all his friends called him) was now "defeated," having held out against God for years. As persistently as Lewis had marshalled arguments of every kind to confirm him in his agnosticism, the Hound of Heaven had crept ever closer. Possessed of an unusual ability in philosophy, Lewis finally admitted reluctantly that the rational case for God had better philosophical support than the case against God His intellect took him to the very doorway of faith. Then he stepped ahead in the simple surrender and trust which also characterize the least sophisticated of God’s children. Lewis was "surprised" by joy. The nagging, nameless longing that had haunted him for years and that he had tried alternately to satisfy and to deny now gave way to contentment. He had been looking for his answer in the wrong place." -2

Are you looking for answers in the wrong place? Are you being hounded by something and don't know why? Maybe God is woeing you through the Holy Spirit to see Him for what He really is... a God who loves you and wants a relationship with you through His Son Jesus Christ.

If you are willing go to God today... stop being hounded and "taste and see that the Lord is good."- Psalm 34:8

3-http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hound_of_Heaven
1-http://www.houndsofheaven.com/thepoem.htm
2-http://www.victorshepherd.on.ca/Heritage/c_s.htm

Friday Fiction- "Loving You Until the End"

2012-01-06T08:00:00.001-06:00

She lay in the bed wrapped and tied in tubes and tape. The constant beeping of a heart monitor filled the quiet air if only for a moment. A fan whirling and oscillating, gentle breeze blew ever so often. White walls and white sheets smelled clean with bleach. A crocheted pink blanket broke up the monotony of the white glare. Brief glances at the ailing face disgusted with her predicament, turned tender greens eye away for a moment. And the leaning stoop of a frail man tenderly touching his girl, caught the glance of the ailing woman broken and in pain. He spoke to her through his own whispering voice; words they may have shared for years. Only they knew what they were saying. He rubbed her arms with his gnarled, bunched fingers. Certainly those fingers had touched her many times before. A large pink comb shaking in his hand, comforted and combed her thinning, gray hair. This very intimate moment made onlookers blush. Theirs had been a lifetime together-- of stolen kisses and marriage. Then lustful nights and children. They worked side by side in their little country store, retiring only to spend time together. But after three months of retired bliss she had fallen ill for the last time. And for one last time, standing over her barely breathing body, he caressed her lips with his own knurled finger and said goodbye.

© 2012 MLMichaels

Whatever...

2012-01-05T08:00:00.000-06:00

Today is the day I get to talk about whatever...

Over the holidays I worked on my joy of couponing. That should be a book really. Like the "Joy of Cooking" or the "Joy of Algebra". Algebra, really?

The joy of couponing has taken on a new meaning for me since discovering a couple of websites that feed my habit. And truly they do. So when I am not writing, or reading, or whatever, I am couponing.

What exactly is couponing you say? Well just as it sounds. Cutting, clipping, printing, and organizing coupons.

Why? you ask... for the sheer joy of walking out of a store with a lot of items that I only paid a little for.

There are coupons for clothes and shoes, food items, restaurant items, and well anything else you can image.

My biggest find for "items" was a perfume I found at a very nice, fancy pants store. The original price was $24.50, but it was 50% off.

We are down to ... (do, do, bring down and subtract) ... $12.25.

Then I had a $10.00 off coupon... yes I know.

I only paid $2.25 + tax for a $25.00 item.

Now that's what I call a deal.

So here are a couple of the sites I visit to feed my habit.

1) Money Saving Mom
2) Southern Savers
3) Coupon Mom

There are so many others... Drop a note if you have any others.

@ 2012 Ml Michaels

Fyodor Dostoevsky by Peter Leithart

2012-01-04T08:15:00.004-06:00

I remember Dostoevsky from his writing Crime and Punishment, but I have never read a biography about him. I am not huge fan of biographies, but I do enjoy learning about other people's lives maybe just not in this fashion. I was bored with the book. I was expecting something sweeping about it and was left wanting. I wasn't as impressed with how this book was created, but I didn't dislike it either. I realize it is difficult to create a true biography from someone who is no longer with us. I generally do not like to read fictionalized versions of an authors life, but I am not against it either. For me it was like reading a historical fiction/ narrative biography that had nothing to do with the author's life. I wish I could be more direct on how I thought the book was for me, but I was trying something new. Branching out of my regular selection of books and this time I found myself very disinterested. I applaud the writer for stepping out of the box and creating a literary work that tried to develop a story around Dostoevsky.

Diving into Psalm--Bible Study

2012-01-04T08:00:00.001-06:00

For the next several Wednesdays we will be taking on the book of Psalm. There are 150 Psalms that we will be diving into starting on January 11th.

Some of the topics we will be discussing ...

*Finding Comfort
*An Intimate God
*Prayer and Song
*Understanding yourself
*Meeting God each day
*Praise
*Thanks
*Pleasing God
*Worship

I am excited!!!

The Poem of Love?

2012-01-03T08:00:00.002-06:00

Like a man without a cause,
a rebel nameless with pouty, slacked jaws.
And drifting through the crowd searching for her face,
made him walk faster to hurry the searching pace.

The smile has left his contented appearance leaving only a vapid glare.
For trying to put his faith in her put his longing heart in a stare.
She was with him for many, many years.
But now she has left him, the glee is now tears.

He hoped for more time with his true squeeze felicity;
yet found she was no deeper than the signs in the city.
Directing him this way and that;
directionless so on the blue bench he sat.

He wanted to need her, he wanted it so deeply
he thought of who she was with wondering through the streets paved so steeply.
Because where he put his love was all that he really beckoned.
He forgot the twisting fate of a misguided bus schedule late by a second.

© 2012 ML Michaels

A New Year, A New You

2012-01-02T09:23:00.000-06:00

Well... It's here. The new year. I-- of course can only think back and wonder if I accomplished everything I meant to do last year. Well of course I didn't.

But I wonder in all of my thinking about what I accomplished, I dare to ask myself if I accomplished everything the Lord had for me to do. I tread on that one carefully.

I made a resolution last year to never make resolutions again, and I held up to my part of that resolution this year as well. But I only tell a half truth.

The whole truth is if I want to make changes at the start of a new year, I begin on December 1st. I read somewhere that it takes 21 days to make a habit a permanent for of a daily routine.

So here's to a new year and all that God has in store.

God Bless you in 2012.

@ 2012 MLMichaels

Happy New Years

2011-12-31T08:00:00.001-06:00

Merry Christmas

2011-12-25T07:42:00.001-06:00

Wishing you a Merry Christmas. May God Bless you with the news, that on this day, 2000 years ago, our Savior was born.

Pearls of Christmas Day 12

2011-12-25T07:30:00.001-06:00

Welcome to the 12 Pearls of Christmas!

Merry Christmas from all of us at Pearl Girls™! We hope you enjoyed these Christmas "Pearls of Wisdom" from the authors who were so kind to donate their time and talents! If you missed a few posts, I hope you'll be able go back through and read them on this blog over the next few days. If you'd like to keep up with Pearl Girls and our new book project, Mother of Pearl, coming this spring, just click this link and sign up for our newsletter (lower left sidebar).

Also, just a reminder that today is the last day for the pearl necklace and earrings giveaway! Enter now by filling out this {form}. The winner will on 1/1 at the Pearl Girls blog.

If you are unfamiliar with Pearl Girls™, please visit www.pearlgirls.info and see what we're all about. In short, we exist to support the work of charities that help women and children in the US and around the globe. Consider purchasing a copy of Pearl Girls: Encountering Grit, Experiencing Grace or one of the Pearl Girls products (all GREAT gifts!) to help support Pearl Girls.

***

Jesus -- The Reason For the Season

By: Rachel Hauck

Through the narrow scope of 2000 years, Mary, the mother of Jesus, appears to be one lucky woman. Chosen by God to give birth to His son, the Savior of the world? All right, Mary, way to go.

“Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you,” Gabriel said.

How many of us would like a declaration like that? Highly favored. The Lord is with you. But Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be.

The angel told her, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. Mary’s seems confident and resolved when she responds, “I am the Lord’s servant. May your word to me be fulfilled.”

She’d just been told the Holy Spirit will come upon her, that God’s power will overshadow her, that she’d become with child even though she wasn’t married, and she said, “I’m the Lord’s servant. Let your words be true.”

I find this amazing! A young woman. Ancient Bethlehem. Unwed mother. They stoned women for such things in her day. But Mary believed in God. And submitted to His will. He gave her the Holy Spirit – the same Holy Spirit given to us. If He gave her confidence, He will give us confidence. Even though, like Mary, our situation seems impossible.

Listen to Mary’s song later on in the first chapter of Luke.

“My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant. From now on all generations will call me blessed, for the Mighty One has done great things for me Holy is his name…”

Conceiving a child out of wedlock, by Divine intervention. Not a girl’s every day existence. Yet she had a Yes in her heart to God. She rejoiced. She boldly said, “Generations will remember me!”

How we struggle to trust God with our children. Our finances. Our emotional well-being. We worry. We fret. And wonder why we have no peace.

Christmas is the season where words like joy, peace and love are bantered around like Christmas candy. Let’s not take them as just words, but as truth. Let’s be like Mary and embrace God’s favor on our lives. Boldly declare "He’s done great things for me!”

Out of the grit of our own souls, we can reach His heart, and feel Him reaching for ours. No matter the pain of our past, present or future, God is there for us. He is able. Best of all, He is willing. “My soul glorifies the Lord this Christmas!”

***

Rachel Hauck is an award winning, best selling author who believes God has done great things for her. She lives in Central Florida with her husband and ornery pets. Her next release is Love Lifted Me with multi-platinum country artist Sara Evans, January 2012. Then in April, look for The Wedding Dress. www.rachelhauck.com.

Pearls of Christmas Day 11

2011-12-24T07:30:00.001-06:00

Welcome to the 12 Pearls of Christmas!

Enjoy these Christmas "Pearls of Wisdom" from some of today's most beloved writer's (Tricia Goyer, Suzanne Woods Fisher, Shellie Rushing Tomlinson, Sibella Giorello and more)! Please follow the series through Christmas day as each contributor shares heartfelt stories of how God has touched a life during this most wonderful time of the year.

AND just for fun ... there's also a giveaway! Fill out this simple {form} and enter for a chance to win a beautiful pearl necklace and earring set ($450 value). Contest runs 12/14 - 12/25 and the winner will on 1/1. Contest is only open to US and Canadian residents. You may enter once per day.

If you are unfamiliar with Pearl Girls™, please visit www.pearlgirls.info and see what we're all about. In short, we exist to support the work of charities that help women and children in the US and around the globe. Consider purchasing a copy of Pearl Girls: Encountering Grit, Experiencing Grace or one of the Pearl Girls products (all GREAT gifts!) to help support Pearl Girls.

***

The Panhandler's Breath

By Robin Dance

He slipped in sideways between the closing elevator doors, as if he were late to a meeting; he pressed the "5" without looking. Instead of suit and tie, though, baggy pants and faded navy hung on his tall, slim frame...and his stealth entry stiffened the hairs on the back of my neck.

I had noticed him a few seconds earlier, just after we had parted a sea of clamorous teens. He was smiling, grandfatherly, standing maybe 30 feet away where the electric shuttle picks up.

I had no idea he had been watching us, studying us, predator patiently awaiting his next prey.

The four of us were sealed in a four- by six-foot metal tomb. Tomb--that thought really scampered across my mind. I wondered if he had a knife in his pocket. I wanted to protect my son. Fight or flight pumped adrenaline but there was no where to run.

Extreme and ridiculous, these thoughts - and more - flashed through my mind. The Stranger began speaking.

"Yessir, I see you're a family man with your wife and your son here..." and he nodded in my and my son’s direction.

"...you see I'm homeless and all I've got..." and on queue, he reached into his left pocket and pulled out two old pennies blackened with age. Two cents to his name?! It was all too contrived, too practiced, and I didn't believe a word he was saying.

It was then I smelled it ~ the small space lent itself to that ~ and I doubted my doubt.

His breath.

It wasn't the scent of alcohol. His eyes weren't red, his voice didn't waver; his wizened face matched his graying hair.

His breath was morning's, zoo breath, the pet name I'd given to the scent inhaled when kissing my children awake when they were little.

He needed to brush his teeth. I wondered how long it had been since he brushed his teeth.

The elevator door opened and I handed him my leftover pizza as my son and I brushed past him. My husband handed him a bill and the Stranger thanked and God blessed him.

The elevator door closed behind us. Conflicted, I was relieved.

We got in the car and blurted first reaction--

"I didn't believe a word he said."

"That made me nervous."

"I wonder if he'll really eat the pizza."

In the quiet, we were left to our own thoughts, contemplating the right thing to do. At the end of the day, this is what I decided: It doesn't matter whether or not his story is true; for an old man to resort to begging, he has to be desperate. The money my husband gave him will never be missed. It was a reminder we've been entrusted with much and given much. Materially, yes, but more so spiritually. Loved, chosen, forgiven, redeemed, graced, lavished--every spiritual blessing. E v e r y.

There's a part of me that wishes I would have been brave enough to ask the man his story, made sure he knew he was loved...and bought him a tooth brush.

Later, it occurred to me he could have been an angel. Doesn’t that mean generosity, kindness and hospitality is always the right response? Then it's not about you or the stranger or the circumstance, it's about a simple, God-glorifying response.

Had we entertained an angel unaware? We'll never know.

But it wouldn't be the first time the Breath of Heaven smelled like a zoo.

***

In a decades-old, scandalous affair with her husband, Robin also confesses mad crushes on her three teens. As Southern as sugar-shocked tea, she’s a recovering people pleaser who advocates talking to strangers. A memoirist, Compassion International Blogger, and Maker-upper of words, Robin writes for her own site, PENSIEVE, and also for (in)courage by DaySpring (a subsidiary of Hallmark) and Simple Mom. She loves to get to know readers through their blog comments and on Twitter and Pinterest. www.pensieve.me

Pearls of Christmas Day 10

2011-12-23T07:30:00.001-06:00

***

Inside Out Christmas

by Debora M. Coty

My veterinarian friend, Dr. Katie, tells the story about the December when a woman brought a very sick black lab into her clinic. The dog was only ten months old, so she was really just a big puppy, but she’d been vomiting incessantly and her worried owner didn’t know what was wrong.

“Why don’t you go on home?” Dr. Katie told the owner. “I’ll need to run tests for about four hours. We’ll give you a call when we’re finished.”

Dr. Katie’s assistant took x-rays and hung them on the light panel for Dr. Katie to examine. Hmm. Something looked a little peculiar. Dr. Katie called her assistant over.

“Is it just me, or does that look like a … a camel to you?” she asked incredulously.

“Matter of fact, it does,” replied the astute assistant. “And look, there’s an angel here, a shepherd there, and down there in the colon, it’s Baby Jesus!”

At that moment the phone rang. It was the dog’s distraught owner. “I can’t believe this! I just got home and glanced at the coffee table where I put my manger scene yesterday. There’s nothing there but an empty stable!”

As I thought about this quite literal technique for internalizing the true meaning of Christmas, it occurred to me that sometimes I have the opposite problem. With all the bustling busyness, my inner joy in celebration of my savior’s birth never really makes it to the outside.

Oh, I have plenty of glittery, festive evidences of the holiday in decorations, baking galore, and gifts under my tree. But those things are for show. They’re merely the pretty wrappings, not the gift itself.

Can people really see the core-deep joy that radiates within me when I think of the true gift that Papa God sent the world in his son, Jesus? Is my immeasurable gratitude for eternal life evident as I dash through this hectic season?

I’m afraid all too often, the answer is no.

I’m just too preoccupied to allow my outside to reflect my inside so that nonbelievers recognize that I rejoice because of the hope that is within me. My joy is obscured by the mounds of clutter. Gratefulness is sucked out of my soul by the vacuum called urgency.

“But let the godly rejoice. Let them be glad in God’s presence. Let them be filled with joy” (Psalm 68:3, NLT).

This verse has become my prayer this Christmas season – that I would make the time to give priority to rejoicing, being glad in God’s presence, and letting my inner joy show for those who may be silently desperate to know the giver of true joy.

Yep, there’s a better way to internalize the gift of Christmas than the black lab technique. We can lodge the Little Lord Jesus in our hearts rather than our colons.

***

Debora M. Coty is a humorist, inspirational speaker, and award-winning author of twelve books, including Too Blessed to be Stressed, and coming in March, More Beauty, Less Beast: Transforming Your Inner Ogre. Debora would love to swap Christmas hugs with you at www.DeboraCoty.com.

Pearls of Chrismas Day 8

2011-12-22T08:00:00.001-06:00

***

Enjoy the Ride!

Susan May Warren

We sit poised on the top of a cliff, a near drop off before us, that falls to a rushing river. In the middle, a bridge of snow and ice hints at our destination. My husband guns the snowmobile engine. “Ready?”

Ready? For a face plant into a tree, maybe reconstructive surgery? To feel my stomach ripped from my body as we plummet down the mountain? Let’s do it!

We live on five acres of woods in northern Minnesota that butts up to a national forest. Hence, our backyard is about a hundred thousand acres. Aside from harboring deer, lynx, fox, cougar and bear, it also makes excellent snowmobile terrain. And not long ago, Mrs. Claus gave her Santa a snowmobile for two.

I love snowmobiling. Flying over the snow, catching air over drifts. I love to drive, to be at the helm of the beast as I weave around trees and over hill and dale, my husband sitting behind me. I also love riding behind my husband as he drives, feeling those powerful arms as he’s muscling the snowmobile into the wilds. We follow unknown trails, driven by a Magellan spirit, hoping that we have enough gas to get us back to civilization. I love hanging on, simply trusting him, knowing that wherever he’s taking me, he’s going first.

But there are times, when I see where he’s taking me, and I just have to bury my head in his back. Like straight down a cliff.

However, my heart cheers, despite the terror as we gun it down the hill, over the river, up the opposite side. And, if we hadn’t let ourselves go, we would have never discovered the beauty of a winter river, a hidden jewel buried deep in the forest. Nor the exhilaration of facing the challenge together.

Further on, we find an enchanted forest of towering white pine. Catch a view of Lake Superior, discover an old cabin in the woods.

It occurs to me that snowmobiling is much like my spiritual life. Occasionally, I drive, and it’s me setting our course, weaving through the trees, getting us hopelessly lost. But when God takes the “wheel” and I hang on, trusting Him for the speed and destination, I see the scenery. I trust him to keep me safe. I trust him to bring me home, where there is an eternal supply of hot chocolate.

As Christmas season becomes more hectic, what if I let God drive? Maybe everything doesn’t have to be perfect, and maybe I don’t have to control every tradition, every holiday nuance. What if I just held on for the ride?

I’ll bet I’ll still get there, and I might even enjoy the scenery along the way.

How have you let go, and “enjoyed” the scenery of this hectic, exhilarating Christmas season?

Merry Christmas!

***

Susan May Warren is the RITA award-winning author of thirty novels with Tyndale, Barbour, Steeple Hill and Summerside Press. A four-time Christy award finalist, a two-time RITA Finalist, she’s also a multi-winner of the Inspirational Readers Choice award, and the ACFW Carol Award. A seasoned women’s events speaker, she’s a popular writing teacher at conferences around the nation and the author of the beginning writer’s workbook: From the Inside-Out: discover, create and publish the novel in you!. She is also the founder of www.MyBookTherapy.com, a story-crafting service that helps authors discover their voice.

Pearls of Christmas Day 9

2011-12-21T08:00:00.002-06:00

***

Simple or Sparkle?

by Tracey Eyster

It’s a simple ornament made of thin cheap metal and it looks quite out of place on our CHRISTmas tree. But each year I lovingly and safely nestle it amongst its expensive and sparkly peers, without a care as to how unglamorous it appears.

Many of our CHRISTmas ornaments have a story and an uncanny way of welling up emotion in me, but this certain one causes an intense stir.

You see the ornament is engraved with the name of my grandmother, Sara, and was given to me by my mother, who ordered it from Hospice, after Grandmama’s death. Yes, the months leading up to her death carry memories of a frail and failing grandmama, but that ornament carries my thoughts to sweet CHRISTmas memories of the past.

CHRISTmas Eve dinners in her home, laughing, singing, gathering and celebrating a year filled with blessings as we remembered the birth of our Savior. CHRISTmas mornings, she was always there participating with glee, in our raucous CHRISTmas happiness. Her gifts were always bank envelopes gently tucked into the pine needles of our CHRISTmas tree, fresh cut from the property she grew up on.

All memories of my Grandmama make my heart swell. You see she was my Jesus with skin on. She lived her life full of joy, serving others and approached life selflessly with an attitude of, “What can I do for you?”

Just months before she left us, even as the Alzheimer’s was robbing her mind she shared her love of Jesus with a sweet little old lady friend, who came to know the Lord – a divine appointment. The very next day that little old lady silently slipped away to meet in person the One Sara introduced her to just the day before.

At the time I wept, realizing that regardless of our own frailties and failings, God can still use those of us who are willing to do His work and are well practiced at hearing His voice...no matter our lack of sparkle in comparison to others.

A simple life lived for Him, a simple ornament in memory of Sara...a simple truth for you to ponder.

***

Tracey Eyster wife, mom, relationship gatherer and Creator/Editor of FamilyLife’s MomLife Today is a media savvy mom making a difference where moms are, on-line. Through speaking, writing and video interviews Tracey is passionate about encouraging, equipping and advising moms on every facet of momlife. Her first book, Be The Mom will be released August 2012. You can connect with Tracey at www.momlifetoday.com, her personal site www.traceyster.com or www.twitter/momblog.com.

Pearls of Christmas Day 7

2011-12-20T08:00:00.001-06:00

Welcome to the 12 Pearls of Christmas!

Enjoy these Christmas "Pearls of Wisdom" from some of today's most beloved writer's (Tricia Goyer, Suzanne Woods Fisher, Shellie Rushing Tomlinson, Sibella Giorello and more)! Please follow the series through Christmas day as each contributor shares heartfelt stories of how God has touched a life during this most wonderful time of the year.

AND just for fun ... there's also a giveaway! Fill out this simple {form} and enter for a chance to win a beautiful pearl necklace and earring set ($450 value). Contest runs 12/14 - 12/25 and the winner will on 1/1. Contest is only open to US and Canadian residents. You may enter once per day.

If you are unfamiliar with Pearl Girls™, please visit www.pearlgirls.info and see what we're all about. In short, we exist to support the work of charities that help women and children in the US and around the globe. Consider purchasing a copy of Pearl Girls: Encountering Grit, Experiencing Grace or one of the Pearl Girls products (all GREAT gifts!) to help support Pearl Girls.

***

Family Traditions: A Glimpse into Christmas Future

by Tricia Goyer

Have you ever thought about family traditions? As I helped my 1-year-old place ornaments on the Christmas tree this year I imagined her doing the same thing with her children—and maybe even grandchildren—one day. Traditions are beliefs and customs handed down through generations. By sharing meaningful moments with your kids you're sending yourself into the future. How amazing is that?

Sharing family traditions cause us to slow down from the busy, adult world for a while. We ignore the laundry to set out the nativity set with our kids. We set aside time in our schedules to drive around and look at Christmas lights.

Holiday traditions aren't only fun, they also help strength family bonds. Through traditions kids trust in the security of family unit. They think, “This is our family and this is what I do.” Of course, the most important thing to share isn't just what we do ... but why. Why do we put out a nativity? To remind us the real meaning of the season—Jesus coming to earth. What do the Christmas lights represent displayed on homes and on trees? They represent the Light of the World, Jesus.

Using traditions to bond our families and share our faith isn't new. I love these two Scriptures that talk about that very thing.

Exodus 12:25 says, “When you enter the land that the LORD will give you as he promised, observe this ceremony.”

Psalm 78:4 says, “We will not hide them from their children; we will tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the LORD, his power, and the wonders he has done.”

What are you're traditions? Here are a few of ours:

Baking a Birthday cake for Jesus

Buying a new ornament every year for each child

Acting out the Christmas story (with props!)

Praying together before opening presents

What are your traditions? Write a list and appreciate them in a new way this year. Then ask, “If I could add one new tradition this holiday season, what would it be?” I'd love to hear what you choose! It also makes me smile to think of your children's grandchildren doing the same.

***

Tricia Goyer is a CBA best-selling author and the winner of two American Christian Fiction Writers’ Book of the Year Awards (Night Song and Dawn of a Thousand Nights). She co-wrote 3:16 Teen Edition with Max Lucado and contributed to the Women of Faith Study Bible. Also a noted marriage and parenting writer, she lives with her husband and children in Arkansas. www.triciagoyer.com

Pearls of Christmas Day 6

2011-12-19T08:00:00.001-06:00

Welcome to the 12 Pearls of Christmas!

Enjoy these Christmas "Pearls of Wisdom" from some of today's most beloved writer's (Tricia Goyer, Suzanne Woods Fisher, Shellie Rushing Tomlinson, Sibella Giorello and more)! Please follow the series through Christmas day as each contributor shares heartfelt stories of how God has touched a life during this most wonderful time of the year.

AND just for fun ... there's also a giveaway! Fill out this simple {form} and enter for a chance to win a beautiful pearl necklace and earring set ($450 value). Contest runs 12/14 - 12/25 and the winner will on 1/1. Contest is only open to US and Canadian residents. You may enter once per day.

If you are unfamiliar with Pearl Girls™, please visit www.pearlgirls.info and see what we're all about. In short, we exist to support the work of charities that help women and children in the US and around the globe. Consider purchasing a copy of Pearl Girls: Encountering Grit, Experiencing Grace or one of the Pearl Girls products (all GREAT gifts!) to help support Pearl Girls.

***

Let The Baby Grow Up This Christmas

By Shellie Tomlinson

When I was a little girl, Christmas seemed to take forever to make its way back to our little house on the end of a dirt road called Bull Run in northeast Louisiana. We kids started counting down the days before the leaves ever began turning. Sure, the adults said it came once a year but I wasn't so sure. Once Santa Claus left our humble abode it seemed like light years before he found his way back to the Delta.

That was a child's perspective. I imagine it hasn't changed all that much for today's kids. On the other hand, I'm operating under a completely different time frame these days. It seems like it was just yesterday when I pulled the boxes down from the attic and began pulling out the nativity scene, the miniature lights, and the keepsake ornaments. And now, just that fast-- Christmas Day is right around the corner. Soon the tree will be striped naked and the piled up presents will all be distributed. After a few more day it'll be hard to remember who got what from whom, and once again, I'll start packing all the decorations away for another year.

I was thinking about how bare and cold the house always looks after the holidays when I realized that, sadly, this scene would play itself out in many hearts as well. A lot of people will have had expectations that weren't filled and many of those same souls will be left with hurts that don't seem to heal. Unless this year is remarkably different from past seasons, my bet is, the New Year will bring magazines full of articles on combating depression and the talk shows will have experts on offering ways to fill the long days ahead and cure the winter blues.

I'm no expert, dear readers, but I'd like to offer you a suggestion that will go far beyond the creature comforts of a nice warm bath or a delicious bowl of hot soup. Your heart doesn't have to be bare and naked after the holidays. Do you want to know the real secret? It's simple, really. Don't pack up Christ with Christmas! As beautiful and special as the Christmas story is, it's only a part of heaven's miracle. The Christ child grew into a man and the man became a Savior.

This year, may we be determined to let the babe from Bethlehem live on in our hearts. If we'll allow Him to become the Messiah He was born to be, the joy of Christmas can be ours all year long.

***

Shellie Rushing Tomlinson is an author, speaker, and radio host from Louisiana. Her latest release Sue Ellen's Girl Ain't Fat, She Just Weighs Heavy was endorsed by Jeff Foxworthy as "laugh out loud funny!" You can find Shellie's weekly southern features, podcasts, video chats and more at http://www.allthingssouthern.com/ Make sure to get by the blog and read about the Super Christmas Giveaway Shellie is hosting for her readers and secure your chance to win a Mort Kunstler print valued between $700 and $1400. www.allthingssouthern.com

Pearls of Christmas Day 5

2011-12-18T08:00:00.002-06:00

Welcome to the 12 Pearls of Christmas!

Enjoy these Christmas "Pearls of Wisdom" from some of today's most beloved writer's (Tricia Goyer, Suzanne Woods Fisher, Shellie Rushing Tomlinson, Sibella Giorello and more)! Please follow the series through Christmas day as each contributor shares heartfelt stories of how God has touched a life during this most wonderful time of the year.

AND just for fun ... there's also a giveaway! Fill out this simple {form} and enter for a chance to win a beautiful pearl necklace and earring set ($450 value). Contest runs 12/14 - 12/25 and the winner will on 1/1. Contest is only open to US and Canadian residents. You may enter once per day.

If you are unfamiliar with Pearl Girls™, please visit www.pearlgirls.info and see what we're all about. In short, we exist to support the work of charities that help women and children in the US and around the globe. Consider purchasing a copy of Pearl Girls: Encountering Grit, Experiencing Grace or one of the Pearl Girls products (all GREAT gifts!) to help support Pearl Girls.

***

The Snowflake Party

By Deborah Raney

The first snow of winter hasn’t fallen yet, but in our kitchen tonight we’re doing a pretty good imitation. The whole family is circled around the huge old oak table. The snip, snip, snip of scissors is background music as tiny scraps of white paper float down, making our floor look like a giant brownie sprinkled with powdered sugar.

Tonight has turned out to be the night for our annual Snowflake Party, a tradition that began when our children were toddlers. There has never been a date blocked out in red on our calendar, but one day we wake up and the brisk autumn air has turned bitter cold. Naked tree branches trace their stark calligraphy on a dull grey sky and we need a taste of the joyful promises of Christmas and snow. It’s the perfect time for a party.

On such a day, one of the kids will fly in the back door, fresh home from school, and declare “Hey, Mom! Tonight would be a good night for the Snowflake Party!” First we round up every pair of scissors in the house. This is one time when sharing is not a virtue. While the kids search for scissors, I cut white paper into squares and fold them caddy-corner multiple times. The resulting triangles are artfully arranged in a basket, awaiting the beginning of the party.

Later, while the supper dishes dry on the counter, I recruit a volunteer to help me stir up a big pot of hot cocoa. For the next hour it will warm on the back burner, tantalizing us with its aroma.

Now the fun begins with careful cutting and snipping, shaping plain white paper into intricate works of art. Each snowflake we create seems as unique and spectacular as the genuine variety created by God himself. As each masterpiece is unfolded, collective oohs and aahs go up.

When the last dregs of our creative juices are drained, Dad oversees the vacuum patrol while I pour cocoa into generous mugs. We spread our handiwork on the floor around us and sit, quietly admiring our work while we dunk marshmallows and sip rich chocolate.

With empty mugs piled up in the sink, it’s time for the judging to begin. There will be awards for ‘prettiest’, ‘most unusual’, and as many other categories as we need for everyone to be a winner. Dad is the judge because he studied art in college. He also usually wins one of the top prizes––because he studied art in college.

Snowflakes deemed runners-up might be pasted in scrapbooks or hung on the refrigerator. A few even “melt” into the trash that very night. But the winners are taped proudly to the picture windows in the living room for passersby to enjoy while they long for the day when genuine snowflakes will color the world clean and white.

Our oldest daughter went away to college last September. She called just after Thanksgiving to tell me that her dorm window was covered with snowflakes. No, not the real thing, but the ones she remembers from her childhood––paper ones that she spent an entire evening cutting and snipping while sipping hot cocoa.

That’s the neat thing about traditions: They go with us no matter how far from home we travel.

***

DEBORAH RANEY's first novel, A Vow to Cherish, inspired the World Wide Pictures film of the same title. Her books have since won the RITA Award, ACFW Carol Award, HOLT Medallion, National Readers' Choice Award, Silver Angel, and have twice been Christy Award finalists. After All, third in her Hanover Falls Novels series will release next spring from Howard/Simon & Schuster. Deb and her husband, Ken Raney, enjoy small-town life in Kansas. Their four children are grown now and having snowflake parties with their own children––and they all live much too far away. Visit Deb on the web at www.deborahraney.com.

Pearls of Christmas Day 4

2011-12-17T08:00:00.000-06:00

Welcome to the 12 Pearls of Christmas

Enjoy these Christmas "Pearls of Wisdom" from some of today's most beloved writer's (Tricia Goyer, Suzanne Woods Fisher, Shellie Rushing Tomlinson, Sibella Giorello and more)! Please follow the series through Christmas day as each contributor shares heartfelt stories of how God has touched a life during this most wonderful time of the year.

AND just for fun ... there's also a giveaway! Fill out this simple {form} and enter for a chance to win a beautiful pearl necklace and earring set ($450 value). Contest runs 12/14 - 12/25 and the winner will on 1/1. Contest is only open to US and Canadian residents. You may enter once per day.

If you are unfamiliar with Pearl Girls™, please visit www.pearlgirls.info and see what we're all about. In short, we exist to support the work of charities that help women and children in the US and around the globe. Consider purchasing a copy of Pearl Girls: Encountering Grit, Experiencing Grace or one of the Pearl Girls products (all GREAT gifts!) to help support Pearl Girls.

***

Why I Decorate for Christmas

By Elizabeth Goldsmith Musser

An old cassette tape of Christmas carols—received in a package twenty years ago when we had first arrived in France as missionaries—fills our den with delightful piano music as I place one more ornament on the already over-laden Christmas tree. This one is a little white wooden rabbit with pink ears that move back and forth. It actually doesn’t look much like a Christmas ornament, but I bought it for our baby Andrew when my husband Paul was in seminary, and I was working for less than minimum wage in the library. This ornament was literally all I could afford.

As I hang it on the tree today, I get goose bumps and then a rush of warmth. And that’s why I decorate for Christmas. Not to impress but to remember. I remember those lean, lean years, and God’s faithful provision for us.

There are the cross-stitched ornaments I made our first year in Montpellier—for the boys (for by now we had two sons) and Paul and me. How I ever had time to do that, I don’t know. I remember our puny little tree—the kind they sold in France back then—in a pot so that it could be replanted later. We perched that tiny tree on a small table out of baby Christopher’s reach. I guess I watered it too much, because about halfway through December, it started smelling and then stinking, and it rotted there on Christmas Day!

I smile with these memories.

I look at the other ornaments on the tree. Many were purchased—one for each boy—when we attended conferences around Europe, and that makes me smile too. Getting to travel on a missionary’s budget to exotic places! There are the waxed red bear and red baby carriage from Wales, the brightly painted clay sun and moon from Portugal, the blue and white porcelain windmill and wooden shoes from Holland, the hand-blown glass Snoopys sitting on gondolas from Venice, and the delicately decorated eggs from Prague.

Other ornaments include the little pinkish shiny ball ornament with Paul’s name written in glitter—I think he made it when he was about six , and the little red velvet bows, bought at Michael’s after Christmas one year for a dollar. They bring a unifying theme to the tree. I say this, smiling, because our tree is, and has always been throughout the years, a hodge-podge of our life. And I like it that way. I don’t think I could ever have a ‘theme’ tree. Mine is a ‘memory’ tree.

The music plays softly in the background and I smile through tears, remembering God’s incredible faithfulness to call and keep us here in France for so many years. Heart-breakingly hard years, overwhelmingly joyful years—the same years, the same amazing God, our keeper.

Before we left for the mission field, I memorized Psalm 121 in English and in French, and over the years I have held on tight to those last beautiful words of the psalm: The Lord will guard your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forever. (NASB)

Of course He will. He is God with us.

We decorate to remember Christmases past, our lives, our legacy, and mostly, for those of us who have embraced Christ, we decorate to honor and praise Him for coming to us—Emmanuel! We make our homes ready to receive the Christ Child, with soft music and candles burning and the sweet flickering of angel wings on an over-laden evergreen.

***

ELIZABETH GOLDSMITH MUSSER, an Atlanta native and the bestselling author of The Swan House, is a novelist who writes what she calls ‘entertainment with a soul.’ For over twenty years, Elizabeth and her husband, Paul, have been involved in missions work with International Teams. They presently live near Lyon, France. The Mussers have two sons and a daughter-in-law. The Sweetest Thing (Bethany House, 2011) is Elizabeth’s eighth novel. To learn more about Elizabeth and her books, and to find discussion questions as well as photos of sites mentioned in the stories, please visit www.elizabethmusser.com and her Facebook Fan Page. www.elizabethmusser.com

Pearls of Christmas Day 3

2011-12-16T08:00:00.000-06:00

Welcome to the 12 Pearls of Christmas!

Enjoy these Christmas "Pearls of Wisdom" from some of today's most beloved writer's (Tricia Goyer, Babbie Suzanne Woods Fisher, Shellie Rushing Tomlinson, Sibella Giorello and more)! Please follow the series through Christmas day as each contributor shares heartfelt stories of how God has touched a life during this most wonderful time of the year.

AND just for fun ... there's also a giveaway! Fill out this simple {form} and enter for a chance to win a beautiful pearl necklace and earring set ($450 value). Contest runs 12/14 - 12/25 and the winner will on 1/1. Contest is only open to US and Canadian residents. You may enter once per day.

If you are unfamiliar with Pearl Girls™, please visit www.pearlgirls.info and see what we're all about. In short, we exist to support the work of charities that help women and children in the US and around the globe. Consider purchasing a copy of Pearl Girls: Encountering Grit, Experiencing Grace or one of the Pearl Girls products (all GREAT gifts!) to help support Pearl Girls.

***

Where is Comfort and Joy Found?

By Sandy Ralya

The year 2006 ushered unwelcome emotions into my life. My husband was unhappy in his job, two of my grown children were making poor choices, my mother-in-law was showing signs of Alzheimer’s, extended-family issues were surfacing, and I was writing a book. Things only got worse. Much worse.

Early in 2007, I was asked to represent the mentoring ministry for wives I founded, Beautiful Womanhood, and lead a women’s conference in Uganda, Africa. My husband wasn’t sure if traveling to Africa was a good idea, so we committed it to prayer. While we were listening for an answer, I sensed God asking me to fast from spending, except for groceries, for thirty days. Sometimes you know that you’ve heard God’s voice because you’d never have come up with those words on your own. This was one of those times. I’d never heard of a fast from spending. Tom needed no convincing that a fast from spending came directly from the mouth of God. He still gets excited just thinking about it!

During the fast, it became clear I had used spending as a way to gain a comfort fix. When I was spending money, I felt carefree and lighthearted. Instead of dwelling on the unpleasantness in my life, I was thinking of my purchases and how they would bring me pleasure. Not until I stopped spending did I realize how short-lived the fix really was. During the fast, when I felt the urge to spend—to anesthetize my pain—I pictured myself running into the arms of Jesus, the Great Comforter. Oh, what comfort I received!

One night, I told good friends my experience of gaining comfort through the power of the Holy Spirit rather than money. I exclaimed that I had never felt so comforted. One friend then told us about a dream he’d had shortly after hearing about the invitation from Uganda. After the dream, he had awoken and recorded the following thoughts:

“. . . this is for Sandy. Christ’s redemption of women is beautiful. Beautiful Womanhood is a result of redemptive wholeness. The visuals the ministry uses on the books, etc., are like a piece of beautifully veneered furniture. There is something going on with the ministry to the brokenness of abused women. In Uganda, there are hurting, abused women, and something is connecting their need and Beautiful Womanhood. Though there is nothing wrong with veneer, it is only the topping—the covering, and without good structure it is shallow and will not hold up. It is time to add a new depth to the ministry.”

Then these verses came to my friend’s mind:

All praise to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. He is the source of every mercy and the God who comforts us. He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When others are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us. You can be sure that the more we suffer for Christ, the more God will shower us with his comfort through Christ. 2 Corinthians 1:3-5 NL

When my friend was finished sharing, everyone in the room broke down in tears, praising God for His work in my life. I’d learned to listen and God had spoken. I’d obeyed, and He’d acted. When He acted, I was changed.

Needless to say, I packed my bags and experienced some of the best days of my life in Uganda—offering God’s comfort to His troubled women.

***

Sandy and her husband Tom have been married since 1980 and live near Grand Rapids, Michigan. They have three adult children and a growing number of grandchildren. When not writing and speaking, Sandy enjoys shopping at yard sales for vintage clothing, cooking, travelling, and drinking really good coffee (black is best) with her husband. For more information, contact Sandy at sandy@beautifulwomanhood.com. Subscribe to Sandy’s blog at www.beautifulwomanhood.com/blog. Find Sandy on Facebook at Beautiful Womanhood. Follow Sandy on Twitter @MentoringWives.

Pearls of Christmas Day 2

2011-12-15T13:38:00.001-06:00

Welcome to the 12 Pearls of Christmas!

Enjoy these Christmas "Pearls of Wisdom" from some of today's most beloved writer's (Tricia Goyer, Suzanne Woods Fisher, Shellie Rushing Tomlinson, Sibella Giorello and more)! Please follow the series through Christmas day as each contributor shares heartfelt stories of how God has touched a life during this most wonderful time of the year.

AND just for fun ... there's also a giveaway! Fill out this simple {form} and enter for a chance to win a beautiful pearl necklace and earring set ($450 value). Contest runs 12/14 - 12/25 and the winner will on 1/1. Contest is only open to US and Canadian residents. You may enter once per day.

If you are unfamiliar with Pearl Girls™, please visit www.pearlgirls.info and see what we're all about. In short, we exist to support the work of charities that help women and children in the US and around the globe. Consider purchasing a copy of Pearl Girls: Encountering Grit, Experiencing Grace or one of the Pearl Girls products (all GREAT gifts!) to help support Pearl Girls.

***

Advent
By Sibella Giorello

Consider the bride's walk down the aisle. We all know where that woman in the white is going but somehow waiting for her to arrive at the altar is an essential part of the ceremony. In fact, the waiting is so essential that even cheapskate Vegas chapels include wedding marches.

Why?

Because the wait adds meaning to the moment.

At Christmas time, we tend to forget this essential truth about anticipation. We're lost to shopping malls and checklists, rushing toward December 25th so quickly that we forget the quiet joy of the month's other 24 days -- and then we wonder why we feel so empty on the 26th, amid ribbons and wrapping paper and our best intentions.

Because the wait adds meaning to the moment.

And that is why Advent is so important to Christmas.

I'm as guilty as the next harried person. This Advent was particularly tricky because just six hours before it started, I was still trying to finish a 110,000-word novel that was written over the course of the year -- written while homeschooling my kids, keeping my hubby happy, and generally making sure the house didn't fall down around us.

It's an understatement to say my free time is limited. But waiting adds meaning, and Advent is crucial to Christmas, so I've devised several Advent traditions that are simple, powerful and easy to keep even amid the seasonal rush.

When my kids outgrew the simple Advent calendars around age 7, I stole an idea from my writer friend Shelly Ngo (as T.S. Eliot said, "Mediocre writers borrow. Great writers steal." Indulge me.)

Here's how it goes: Find 24 great Christmas books, wrap them individually and place then under the tree. On the first day of Advent, take turns picking which book to open. When we did this, we would cuddle under a blanket and read aloud -- oh, the wonder, the magic! We savored "The Polar Express," howled with "How Murray Saved Christmas," and fell silent at the end of "The Tale of The Three Trees" (note: some of the picture books I chose were not explicitly about Christmas but they always echoed the message that Jesus came to earth to save us from ourselves and to love us beyond our wildest imagination. In that category, Angela Hunt's retelling of The Three Trees definitely hits the Yuletide bull's eye).

This Advent tradition lasted for about five years. It gave us rich daily discussions about the season's real meaning, without being religious or legalistic, and it increased family couch time. But like the lift-the-flap calendars, my kids outgrew the picture books.

Because the wait adds meaning, and Advent is crucial, I prayed for another way to celebrate anticipation of Christmas. By the grace of God, last year I found an enormous Advent calendar on clearance at Pottery Barn. Made of burlap, it has large pockets big enough to hold some serious bounty.

But my husband and I didn't want the kids focusing only on the materialist stuff for Advent -- we already fight that on Christmas day. We decided to fill the daily pockets with simple necessities and small gift cards. We also printed out the nativity story from Luke 2:1-21 in a large-sized font and cut each verse out. From Day 1 to Day 21, there is one verse to read aloud. The kids memorize it, then get to open their present (again, on alternating days for each person). Then we tape the verse to the wall in order. By Day 22, all the verses are on the wall, in order, and the kids now try to recite the entire nativity story from memory. That's not as difficult as it sounds because they've been memorizing one verse each day. Still, the entire recitation -- verbatim -- usually requires Day 23 and Day 24. Whoever does memorize the entire thing -- without mistakes -- earns a bonus gift of $25.

Does that sounds extravagant?

It is.

Because we want our kids to understand that God came down and humbled himself and taught us about love right before He suffered and died on behalf of the undeserving -- which is every one of us.

"That's" extravagant.

And in the waiting, we find even more meaning.

***

Sibella Giorello writes the Raleigh Harmon mystery series which won the Christy Award with its first book "The Stones Cry Out." She lives in Washington state with her husband and children, and often wishes there were 36 hours in a day.

Pearls of Christimas Day 1

2011-12-14T13:27:00.002-06:00

Welcome to the 12 Pearls of Christmas!

Enjoy these Christmas "Pearls of Wisdom" from some of today's most beloved writer's (Tricia Goyer, Suzanne Woods Fisher, Shellie Rushing Tomlinson, Sibella Giorello and more)! Please follow the series through Christmas day as each contributor shares heartfelt stories of how God has touched a life during this most wonderful time of the year.

AND just for fun ... there's also a giveaway! Fill out this simple {form} and enter for a chance to win a beautiful pearl necklace and earring set ($450 value). Contest runs 12/14 - 12/25 and the winner will on 1/1. Contest is only open to US and Canadian residents. You may enter once per day.

If you are unfamiliar with Pearl Girls, please visit www.pearlgirls.info and see what we're all about. In short, we exist to support the work of charities that help women and children in the US and around the globe. Consider purchasing a copy of Pearl Girls: Encountering Grit, Experiencing Grace or one of the Pearl Girls products (all GREAT gifts!) to help support Pearl Girls.

***

A Christmas of Kindness

By Suzanne Woods Fisher

"You can give without loving, but you can¹t love without giving." Amish proverb

I do it every year.

I plan for a simpler, less stressful Christmas season and, every year, by Christmas Eve I'm exhausted! After our delicious and very-time-consuming-to-make traditional Swedish meal to honor my husband¹s relatives (think: Vikings), it's time to head to church. I'm embarrassed to admit it, but the last few Christmas Eve's, I have sent my husband and kids head off without me. The pull to spend an hour of quiet in the house feels as strong as a magnet.

It's odd. My children are young adults now. Wouldn't you think that Christmas would be simpler? Instead, it's just the opposite. Jugging schedules to share the grandbaby with the in-laws, trying to include our elderly parents at the best time of day for them, dancing carefully around recently divorced family members whose children are impacted by the shards of broken relationships.

The thing is: you can simplify your to-do list, but you can't really simplify people. We are just a complicated bunch.

Here's where I borrow a lesson about simplicity from the Amish. It's easy to get distracted with the buggies and the bonnets and the beards, but there's so much more to learn from these gentle people if you're willing to look a little deeper.

Yes, they live with less "stuff" and that does make for a simpler, less cluttered life. But it's the reason behind it that is so compelling to me: they seek to create margin in their life. Not just empty spacebut space that is available to nourish family, community, and faith. Their Christmas is far less elaborate than yours or mine, but what they do fill it with is oh so right.

Christmas comes quietly on an Amish farmhouse. There is no outward sign of the holiday as we know it: no bright decorations, no big tree in the living room corner. A few modest gifts are waiting for children at their breakfast place settings, covered by a dishtowel. Waiting first for Dad to read the story of Christ's birth from the book of Luke. Waiting until after a special breakfast has been enjoyed. Waiting until Mom and Dad give the signal that the time has come for gifts.

Later, if Christmas doesn't fall on a Sunday, extended family and friends will gather for another big meal. If time and weather permits, the late afternoon will be filled with ice skating or sledding. And more food! Always, always an abundance of good food. Faith, family, and community. That is the focus of an Amish Christmas.

And it's also how the story begins for A Lancaster County Christmas, as a young family prepares for Christmas. A winter storm blows a non-Amish couple, Jaime and C.J. Fitzpatrick, off-course and into the Riehl farmhouse. An unlikely and tentative friendship develops, until the one thing Mattie and Sol hold most dear disappears and then. Ah, but you¹ll just have to read the story to find out what happens next. Without giving anything away, I will say that I want to create a Mattie-inspired margin this Christmas season. Mattie knew inconveniences and interruptions that come in the form of people (big ones and little ones!) are ordained by God. And blessed by God.

Creating margin probably means that I won't get Christmas cards out until the end of January, and my house won't be uber-decorated. After all, something has to give. But it will mean I make time for a leisurely visit with my dad at his Alzheimer's facility. And time to volunteer in the church nursery for a holiday-crowded event. And time to invite a new neighbor over for coffee. Hopefully, it will mean that my energy won't get diverted by a frantic, self-imposed agenda. Only by God's agendathe essence of true simplicity.

And that includes taking time to worship Christ's coming at the Christmas Eve service. You can hold me accountable! This year, I will be there.

***

Suzanne Woods Fisher is the bestselling author of The Choice, The Waiting, The Search, and The Keeper, as well as nonfiction books about the Amish, including Amish Peace. Her interest in the Anabaptist cultures can be directly traced to her grandfather, W. D. Benedict, who was raised in the Old Order German Baptist Brethren Church in Franklin County, Pennsylvania. Suzanne is a Christy Award nominee and is the host of an internet radio show called Amish Wisdom and her work has appeared in many magazines. She lives in California. www.suzannewoodsfisher.com.

Giving

2011-12-10T15:54:00.001-06:00

Although the economy has forced many to tighten wallets and purse strings, the thought of so many struggling people has made me rethink a few things. I personally know what a struggle this year has been, but God has remained faithful. He has been showing me what He can do with a few loaves and some fish. I think He is showing all of us what He can do with a little bit of time, treasure, and talent.

In thinking about organizations that think about others ... I have compiled a list of places that I feel are extraordinary and give so much from so very little.

1) The Church
2) Salvation Army
3) St Jude's Children Hospital
4) Local Soup Kitchens
5) Homes and Hearts of fellow Christians
6) USO

God Bless you for using your time, treasure, and talent this year to serve others in need!

© 2011 ML Michaels

Ships In Glass Bottles

2011-12-08T15:04:00.001-06:00

Ships in glass bottles ready to set sail
No where to go with no ready winds of gail.
Lighthouses and search lights and windows fogged with temptation,
Reflect the image of a face soured in frustration.

Peering through at the chasing faces unable to set course.
Flashing great throes of words signed in code of morse.
To every quiet shore seeking a ship with a purpose.
Are the ships in glass bottles ready to touch the water's surface.

Ebbing and flowing are the waves I watch.
My eyes have tired -seeing my future in their clutch.
S upon O upon S I wrench up high and fast.
Bring down the hammer-- break the glass over my mast.

The spray of water and thickened ocean air
Is but a dream to feel the wind in my hair.
The clunky, chimming, tinking sails
Lay idle-ly by as other ships in glory--hail.

There is some where out there- a space for my treasure...
A harbor, an island -- a place of pleasure.
But, some of my dreams are not made to be acknowledged
So here I sit wanting and still... one of many ships in glass bottles.

© 2011 ML Michaels

Leaving Everything Behind by Anne Graham Lotz

2011-11-25T08:00:00.001-06:00

Happy Thanksgiving

2011-11-24T08:00:00.001-06:00

How do you know you long for more of Him by Anne Graham Lotz

2011-11-23T08:00:00.002-06:00

Is this Your Wilderness Time? by Anne Graham Lotz

2011-11-22T08:00:00.002-06:00

Advice for Women Going into Ministry by Anne Graham Lotz

2011-11-21T07:19:00.000-06:00

Living with Confidence in a Chaotic World by Dr. David Jeremiah

2011-11-20T08:08:00.000-06:00

The Battle is Not Yours by Yolanda Adams

2011-11-16T15:03:00.000-06:00

Sometimes when the words can't come and everything around me seems so strange and peculiar there are others who step in to put into reality the words on my heart. Enjoy!

Press On by Selah

2011-10-31T17:08:00.000-05:00

Sometimes when everything is going wrong... In Jesus Name we press on

The Mighty Macs Movie Trailer

2011-10-25T17:15:00.002-05:00

Courageous -Movie Trailer

2011-10-14T13:29:00.001-05:00

Sometimes we need to see a movie that brings courage into our lives!

SMALL is big by Tony & Felicity Dale

2011-10-11T18:01:00.003-05:00

God moves in mysterious ways.... Something I have heard from movies to greeting cards. Maybe that is the way God moves in our lives. Mysteriously; in ways we just don't understand. In Small is big: Unleashing the big impact of intentionally small churches, authors Tony & Felicity Dale with George Barna write about how a small idea can lead to big results. Tony and Felicity discuss their life as followers of Christ and how the prompting of the spirit lead them to their current life adventures. They talk prominently in the book about the simple church, one that isn't over worn by programs and church attendance. As the small church grows the church should fracture off into newer, smaller churches.
On this point I agree and disagree. There is nothing like standing in a congregation of hundreds or thousands worshipping and praising the Lord. But to the Dale's credit, they believe that something can be lost in all of "that", that surrounds larger churches.
Jesus said, "Where there are two or more gathered in My name, I will be with them." And this is true about our daily lives. Church is not the four walls of the building we attend on Sunday, but how we go about our daily lives in the midst of the world. We are the church, and when we are gathered together we are with Jesus.
I think the purpose of the book is outstanding. I think the hope and dream in the heart of the Dale's is to expand the Kingdom of God. But the difficult part of putting something like this into play in our comfortable Christian churches is that it would become uncomfortable.

I enjoyed this book for its natural desire to challenge, at least the thinking of the Christian, if not move them into action.

Stars 4 out of 5

This book was provided for free by Tyndale Media Center as a part of their Blogger Program.

2011-10-07T10:18:00.000-05:00

Gabby God's Little Angel by Sheila Walsh just gave me the desire to say awe. This very sweet book about angel's and how they work in children's lives is a special way of helping children visualize the concept. As a teacher, I recognize that there are a lot of words in the book for this to be an early reader as the depiction of the illustrations lean toward early reading.
However, the concept and thread through the story follows Psalm 91:9,11 in a very special way. The words and concept are easy to follow and provide enough detail that any child could grasp the basic concepts of how God uses angels to protect His children.
Most of all I enjoyed the little Gabby character. She is sweet and doll-like in the illustrations. Gabby also teaches through the illustrations and writing that as a small angel, it is important to follow what God says, and that is what an angel does.

© 2011 ML Michaels

Stars 5 out of 5

This book was provided for free by Thomas Nelson Publisher as a part of their Book Sneeze Blogger Program.

2011-10-07T09:54:00.001-05:00

Thank You, God, for Blessing Me by Max Lucado is a poetic prayer for young children. It is a thoughtful book that uses gentle illustrations and simple poetic rhymes to get across the message of thankfulness for God's blessings. I love the little Hermie character from the "Hermie" cartoons and books. The book is a great tool for teachers to use to teach rhyming while providing a character building lesson about the basics of life that we shouldn't take for granted. The book provides chracter building for how children see themselves, how the see themselves with others, how they respect authority, and how they perceive themselves in frame of life. This book would be great for teachers or Sunday school teacher, parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles, and any family member hoping to provide courage and reassurance to children.

© 2011 ML Michaels

Stars 4 out of 5

This book was provided for free by Thomas Nelson Publisher as a part of their Book Sneeze Blogger Program.

2011-10-07T09:43:00.000-05:00

I am always looking for thoughtful books to send as gifts that will encourage young people through the journey of childhood. But this very sweet book by Max Lucado entitled, Just In Case You Ever Wonder, is also an encouragement to adults. Children need to know there is a place where they can go to when they feel their backs are against the wall and can't get away from their frustration. As children they are still learning who and what to depend on as they are growing. Max Lucado's book is a gentle reminder that we all need to hear, not just children. Some of the pictures make me feel like God is looking down on the character in the story, watching her as she grows through the stages of her young life. Maybe the best way to experience a book like this is to read it and walk through the pictures together. It could be a great prompt to ask children is they are experiencing any of the struggles that are simply written in the book. It's a great conversation starter for parents and children.

© 2011 ML Michaels

Stars 4 out of 5

This book was provided for free by Thomas Nelson Publisher as a part of their Book Sneeze Blogger Program.

Your 100 Day Prayer by John I. Snyder

2011-10-07T09:26:00.001-05:00

Prayer is an important part of the daily life of a Christian. The intimate bearing of our soul to our Savior is a part of what makes our personal relationship with Christ personal. He hears our every word from the smallest of worries to the grandest of needs, Jesus Christ is ready to hear our prayers. In John I. Snyder's book, Your 100 Day Prayer: The Transforming Power of Actively Waiting on God, provides the reader with short devotion styled readings that encourage the reader in devotional prayer. Each chapter begins with a bible verse, a passage about something that may be occuring in our lives, a prayer prompt, and a progess monitoring section to write our change. At first I didn't like the prayer prompts because I thought they were too vague. I thought the chapters would include prayers, but as I progressed through the chapters I discovered that the prompts are not there to pray for you, but teach the reader to pray their own way to their own personal Savior.

Some of the chapters include prayers about anxiety, purpose, and when God says no to our prayers. The book encourages the reader to walk through the difficulty of the problem teaching that how we handle our struggles is through prayer with the possibility that our prayer may not be answered. I believe the purpose of the book is to remove our focus on the problem and return our focus to the One who can solve the problem even though it may not be in 100 days.

© 2011 ML Michaels

4 out of 5 stars

Thomas Nelson provided this book for free as a part of Book Sneeze book review blogger program.

Letters from the Church Secretary at Mt. Hermon Church

2011-10-07T09:05:00.001-05:00

Dear Friends of Mt. Hermon Church,

What a wonderful welcome I have received from the church family here at Mt. Hermon Church! You all have made this transistion as easy as possible.

I would like to introduce myself to the congregation. As Ethel Mae wrote in last month's letter to you, I am Hope Norris from Briarsville. My husband Andrew and I moved here to Lake Pass a year ago and we have been attending Mt. Hermon Church for eight months now.

My children Burton and Ashley have been running the halls of the church already and for that I want to apologize in advance.

I hope I will be able to see and meet as many new friends as possible so please feel free to stop by and say hello!

But with all that said, lets get down to business.

The annual Fall Festival is preparing for its kick off and we still need volunteers to run food stands and the bouncy rides for the kids. Contact the church office if you would like to volunteer.

At the Fall Festival, we will be collecting can goods and non- parishable items to support our local food bank. The coming Holidays are always a time of need...

We continue our prayers for Zack Thorton and Mary Jo Price who are serving our country oversees.

As we move into this Fall season I would like to leave you with this...

Nothing is as important as the people we surround ourselves with on a daily basis. Our home begins in our hearts and our faith begins in Jesus Christ.

God Bless you as we tarry together!

Blessings,

Hope

© 2011 ML Michaels - This is a work of fiction

All Roads Lead to Heaven?

2011-10-03T18:27:00.002-05:00

I read an article in our local newspaper where a prominent local "person of faith" revealed his true feelings about heaven and how to get there. He stated, and I am paraphrasing here, that the world would be filled with less hate if we all could just agree that there was not just one way to get to heaven; commenting of course on religious strife in our world. He goes on to retort that believing in the mantra "all roads lead to heaven" brings about peace in an unstable world. I kind of feel sorry for this guy. He actually prefers peace in the world instead of peace with God through Jesus Christ in heaven.

Although I am not a parishioner in this person's place of worship, is it really his fault that he says such things? On the nightly news we hear the outcry for peace, peace, peace. And, I saw the word peace inscribed on a rubbery bracelet once where someone donated a dollar to the global outreach of peace. Kind of deep, really.

As Christians we have a responsibility to know the bible and what it says. Clearly we all have heard that "Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life and no one gets to the Father except through Him." That's pretty simple. But in this sophisticated, worldly, donation and technology driven, post-modern, global society, I think I need to be more complex, and dare I say logically clear in what I am about to write. OK, simplicity is out... Lets go complex.

Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life..... Ready for this... NO ONE can get to the Father( that would be God) expect through Jesus Christ. Now, I know that "Him" thing at the end of the original verse that I wrote in quotations above can throw off a reader sometimes. But I think I went deep on this one. I think that's more logical and clearly written.

I Never Thought I'd See the Day! by Dr. David Jeremiah

2011-09-20T08:00:00.000-05:00

Dr. David Jeremiah has a new book and a new series that I would like to talk about here. His first topic is on atheism.This message is an important topic. I encourage you to watch the series and get the book.

You can listen to the first topic by Dr. David Jeremiah here.

© 2011 ML Michaels

Seriously... Funny!

2011-09-18T08:00:00.000-05:00

Laughter is the Best Medicine

2011-09-17T08:00:00.000-05:00

Keep on laughing...

2011-09-16T08:00:00.000-05:00

Lets laugh together!

2011-09-15T08:00:00.000-05:00

Lets have a laugh!

2011-09-14T17:00:00.000-05:00

Sometimes we just need to laugh

2011-09-13T17:32:00.000-05:00

Planet of the Apps

2011-09-06T16:44:00.000-05:00

A funny quip about I-Pad apps and the movie "Planet of the Apes." Enjoy! :)

Invading the lives of humans is a simple four letter abbreviation that has become this generations lazy susan.
Apps are everywhere suddenly taking over after years lying dormant in the minds of geniuses from years past. Now that we are in the future, apps are taking over the human will and are controlling every aspect of our lives. This strange new planet that we are traversing that we landed on after years of traveling has now become what we never thought it would be. Humans are mute and apps speak for us. Apps have become our scientists, politicians, and in some way our police. Apps think for us, help us decide political movements, and shut off when we are driving.
As we look at who we used to be, a communicative, creative society who could think and speak for ourselves, we now can only peer into the future as
lob-app-otomized citizens of this great nation. At one time we controlled computers, but now they control us.

As we wonder around the Forbidden Cities we are creating, let us stop to look behind us at the wreckage and see the distorted image of ourselves in the mirror of the future. Let her not resemble a beautiful symbol of our freedom in our new planet of the apps.

© 2011 ML Michaels

Resources

Was I On Your Mind?

2011-08-26T08:00:00.003-05:00

When You walked through the dusty streets bloodied and in pain;
Was the toll of what you were about to do repeating again and again?

On the way up the hill so tall with each excrutiating step--
did you see all the faces around You that screamed or wept?
In the distant moment you knew was about to come,
was Your heart silently speaking with Your Father above?

And with each hammered nail and burst of instant anguish,
was the thought of every sin I'd commit in your eyes about to distinguish.

Each passing second through as they raised your weighted arms
stretched wide.
When the tree began to lower down did you see the closing of
the divide.

And when the thunder clapped and into God's Hands Your soul
did abide;
Was I there with You-- Was I on Your mind?

© 2011 ML Michaels

Letter from the Church Secretary of Mt. Hermon Church

2011-08-25T08:00:00.004-05:00

Dear Church Members:

As you may already have heard I am writing to let you know that after 32 years, I am signing off as your church secretary.
Bob and I would like to retire and see the grand kids. And do some traveling.
The church has picked a new replacement for me.

Pastor Gregg would like to invite you to welcome her at the beginning of next weeks worship service.
Her name is Hope Norris from Briarsville. She has been a part of our congregation for seven months. Hope is married to Bill and has two children Burton and Ashley.
Please make her feel at home.

As for Bob and I, you will see us around the church.

God Bless you all!

Ethel Mae

* Note: This is a work of fiction.

© 2011 ML Michaels

Marriage Made in Heaven

2011-08-24T19:00:00.008-05:00

photo © 2007 Dr. Wendy Longo | more info (via: Wylio)I enjoy the Sunday paper. Each week I look for the Life Style section. In the back of the L&S section is a listing of bright-faced young couples preparing for marriage. But I don't stop at the engagements, I move down a couple of listings below the engagement announcements to a section that usually goes un-noticed.

The Anniversaries.

In the aged, black and white photos are the couples celebrating 50 or 60 years of marriage. The weathered eyes and gentle smiles are a change from their own bright eager faces of their younger photos posted next to their anniversary picture.

But behind the weathered eyes and lilted smile is a sly wink, and a telling nod that they know something the rest of us don't.

What an extra-ordinary thing to know that -for these couples- through
the years of up and down economies, the failed business deals,
the arguments and fights that we have all come to expect from marriage,
are the things that we will never and should never be privy to in their marriage.

The private couple prayers, intimate talks and moments, gentle walks, stolen kisses, sweet pinches, knowing winks and tellings glances of a man and his wife.

What we will never know is what kept them together...

But God has given them something for just them to hold on to in the worst of times.

God Bless them for their commitments.

I pray for all of us who are married. That the Lord would bless us with many days, weeks, months, and years of private couple prayers, intimate talks, and stolen kisses that we may find ourselves with 5o years of marriage behind us!

© 2011 ML Michaels

How to Write a Book Proposal by Michael Larsen

2011-08-20T13:14:00.000-05:00

How to Write A Book Proposal by Michael Larsen... a jammed packed book about writing a non- fiction book proposal for traditional publication. Agent and published writer Michael Larsen provides a step by step guide on how to hook editors and agents on to the non-fiction writer's work.
This book includes more than just tips and advice on the publishing world, it provides the non-fiction writer take a step back and really look at their work.
For example, a simple look at the title may determine whether the book is marketable to an audience.
Larsen provides information about marketing, book rights, and platforms. These are things that writers generally do not think about as writers are having to become more entrepreneurial than ever before.
With a full section of resources in the back of the book, the reader will gleen a wealth of knowledge from this book.

Stars: 4 out of 5

Thomas Nelson Publishers provided this book for free as a part of BookSneeze.com book review blogger program.

© 2011 ML Michaels

Published Authors and Writers

2011-08-08T15:00:00.006-05:00

photo © 2007 Karen White | more info (via: Wylio)
The internet is a well-spring of information for writers. The World Wide Web allows all of us, writers and non-writers, to connect to each other-- if but only through a computer screen and key board.

One of the topics I discovered in my search for information was the difference between being a writer and being a published writer. I've read several books on this topic and have heard about it from professors.

I discovered an interesting chart from Author Amanda J. Barke, a published writer of A Distant Rumble and The Sleepy Little Sub and freelance writer, which details some interesting differences between writers and published writers. Barke says "I have come to the conclusion that there is no magic wand to accomplish this daunting task. But, here are a few things I have picked up along the way."

Published Writers Chart

Where are you on the chart? On the left, on the right, or somewhere in between.

Two of the books that were recommened to me on this subject include Stephen King's On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft, which is both an autobiography and writing guide and The Forest for the Trees by Betsy Lerner. Lerner is a former editor and gives honest advice to new writers.

© 2011 ML Michaels

Blocking Our View

2011-07-29T11:02:00.000-05:00

A photo by photographer Gene Patey of a large iceberg in Newfoundland that blocks the harbor of a small fishing village seems to sum up life in a small metaphorical way.

For many of us, the harbor of our lives are being blocked by a proverbial iceberg. We can't set sail into the vastness of the wide ocean of life because something-whatever that may be- is in the way. A lack of a job, a lack of peace, a foreclosure, a physical or mental pain, the economy, or a fear about the future.
What the picture doesn't show, as the story of the iceberg is written, is that later the iceberg broke apart and melted.

Because what we don't see in the picture or in our own lives is the undercurrents and the winds being prepared to remove the proverbial iceberg from the harbor of the picture or from our own lives.

So while the iceberg is still there-- we wait and see while the Lord works on our behalf.

All of the issues in our lives may not break apart and melt away immediately. Sometimes proverbial icebergs of life teach us to have faith in God even when the outlook seems bleak.

We know that:

We live by faith, not by sight. -- 2 Corinthians 5:7

© 2011 ML Michaels

Retro is Hip Again

2011-07-25T14:16:00.000-05:00

Television is not what it used to be. Nothing is, really.
Yet, what amazes me about some of the shows that television executives continue to pawn off on the American public is their ignorance of our desire for simpler times.

A look at today's television and it isn't a wonder networks like Turner Classic Movies and Retro Television are doing so well.

There are some new shows like Mad Men and a new show this fall called Pan Am that dabble in the retro feel of simpler times. But the complicated lives of over-sexed ad executives and adventures of airline stewardesses seem to be a gauche political movement with a retro feel.

Although the sub-plots and wranglings of Don Draper from the show Mad Men are much more keen than the ranting and ravings of back-stabbing guys and girls on reality shows, there is still something missing.

So what is missing from today's television? A sense of a future for our America that isn't rote with biased, historical retelling of American history. A general politeness and common good. Respect for elders and parents, teachers and police men and women.

Feckless shows are all the rage demonstrating children's lack of respect for parents and a disdain for God and for our country. It is possible to say God or Jesus Christ on a nightly television show without imprecating our Heavenly Father.

Good television doesn't have to be sterile and middling. We don't have to go back to not showing bathrooms and married adults with separate beds. God is well aware of the Christian libido. As Bill Cosby once said in an episode of the Cosby show, "its a thick, juicy steak served on a garbage can lid."

We have taken the greatest blessings God has given us, our country, our families, our children, our education, our military and even our eagerness and abandon and served it up on an old smelly trash lid.

So where do we go from here? How do we convince television executives that what they have been giving us isn't going to work any longer. Where is the line in the sand? How do we move it back from relativity to morality and good taste.

© 2011 ML Michaels

Promises to Keep by Ann Tatlock

2011-07-24T20:43:00.000-05:00

What secrets do you keep from people around you? In Ann Tatlock's book, Promises to Keep, Tatlock writes a simple, but poignant story about lives crossed in secrets. Told through the eyes of young Rosalind Anthony, who is working to unfold her own life, walks the reader through the lives of her family on the run from an abusive father and husband to her mother. Roz, who she is affectionately nicknamed, seeks to understand who she is in a coming of age story where innocence is lost through the promises that are broken in her life.

A simple story told very well. This is thoughtfully written and worth the time in reading.

4 out of 5 stars

Bethany House Publisher provided this book for free as a part of their blogger book review.

© 2011 ML Michaels

Summer, Interrupted

2011-06-26T09:33:00.000-05:00

photo © 2009 Bri Lehman | more info (via: Wylio)
Summer in the south has always been a wonderful time for me. Thoughts of this time of year remind me of sitting on our back porch swinging with the smell of freshly cut grass and grilled bbq lingering in the air. I'd sip on very sweet tea brewed from the tap. Bumble bees dripping in honey buzz songs of laborious activity. The sun peaked through the trees in the back yard. The fronds were consumed by growth. The sounds of America's baseball team radioed to my ears and time slowed to a halt.

Those kind of days are not lost to me. Yet, lately life seems to have gotten in the way. I thought to myself, the economy and the fear that life can bring has interrupted summer. And there was a glimmer this year that I didn't want to celebrate summer --because what would be the use in rejoicing in the turn of a season with so many loose ends in life.

But a gentle song, a good book, and a photo album changed all of that. This season is just as important as the others no matter what shape the season is in.

God never guaranteed the seasons of my life would be easy. I think, for me, I'm just supposed to find the beauty in it and rest there.

© 2011 ML Michaels

***NOTE****

This blog post was inspired by Online Magazine Sanctified Together's May 2011 Issue. For more about summer time check out the link!

This song definitely reminds me of summertime in the south.

Sweet Days of Grace by Cindy Morgan

2011-06-19T13:20:00.000-05:00

When life gets tough for me, and lately its been tough for all of us, I like to add a little music to my life. One of my favorite artists and songwriters is Cindy Morgan.

On this 1995 album, there are several songs that speak to my heart. When I need a lift... this is it! Enjoy

© 2011 ML Michaels

Our Father's Day

2011-06-19T11:04:00.002-05:00

photo © 2009 Jim Capaldi | more info (via: Wylio)
With Father's Day comes the usual gifts of ties, gadgets, and a cookie cake. Making that after church phone call every year has been my tradition with my dad and this year will probably not be any different. But as I have gotten older, and for some reason especially this year, I am thinking about my dad more often.

Life isn't the way it used to be and simplicity of life seems to have vanished.

When I was little dad would take me to McDonald's and we would have our own very special time together. Me and my fish sandwich and french fries, and dad. I would give anything for a picture of that.

My dad was always tough on us growing up; my siblings and I.

Schoolwork and chores were always tops on the priority list. And we would never miss a church service.

I remember the Wednesday's in the summer when he and I would drive in that silver Buick to church. He would let me have a piece of his Big Red gum. It was usually really soft from the heat because he kept it in his car all day. I still eat Big Red gum.

During those drives to church on Wednesday, Dad would talk about his day and ask me about mine. He'd talk about church and about God. During one particular Wednesday trip a terrible summer storm popped up, and dad began talking to me about the rapture stating, "there will be a time of great storms." I looked out the window horrified.

But that's my dad. He never wasted a moment talking about Jesus.

There is a picture of my dad that I keep in a special place in my photo album -that until now- no one knows why I keep it there. It was taken during the holidays. Dad was always serious in pictures, but this one was different. There was a gentle smile and a light in his eyes. I see the hope of a future in his eyes in that picture.

Dad still rides around with a bumper sticker that reads, "Real Men Love Jesus."

My dad really loves Jesus and no one can fault him for that.

So on this Father's Day, thanks dad for showing me that you love Jesus and that you love me!

I love you! Happy Father's Day!

© 2011 ML Michaels

Some Things Never Change

2011-06-13T20:20:00.001-05:00

photo © 2008 Craig Howell | more info (via: Wylio)
Thinking about the changes we all have had to make during these past years of the recession, made me recall the women of the 1940's. Going without pantyhose because they couldn't find or couldn't afford them, they would draw lines on the back of their legs with eyeliner to mimick to look of lined pantyhose.

These days we are all going without something to make ends meet in a tough economy.

The last recession I remember was during the early 90's. It seemed awful to me then. To help our parents with the cost of clothes my sister and I would work odd jobs, including babysitting over the summer. We picked out several outfits and shoes for the next school year and put them on layaway. I think I actually miss layaway. By the end of the summer we were able to buy those outfits that we had put on layaway. We contributed to our family economy and made the difficult decision to give up our summer instead of spending it at the swimming pool lounging.

In this kind of economy we must make choices that will effect those around us. We all are making those choices.

For example, a friend of mine bought several pairs of shorts at the local second hand store for .50. She was thrilled as they were practically brand new. So what if any of us has to buy clothes at the second hand store or use coupons with any dining experience.

You are making it happen. And when we women look back on this part of our lives we will have a "pantyhose line on the leg" story to tell our grandchildren. Whatever that may be!

© 2011 ML Michaels

Praying for Your Future Husband by Robin Jones Gunn and Tricia Goyer

2011-06-08T13:41:00.001-05:00

When I began reading this book several thoughts went through my mind. I appreciate the idea of this book and the necessity of its purpose. As young women and as girls we think about what marriage is going to be like. We dream about an angel of a man that will sweep us off our proverbial feet and treat us like Cinderella. But when we truly think about the Cinderella story, no one tells us what happens after the wedding bells die down and the wedding dress no longer fits.
This book doesn't prepare girls for courtship, it prepares them for marriage and that is one of the things I love about it.

Gunn and Goyer walk young women through the steps of praying for their future husbands and for themselves. The writers are very honest about the mistakes and mishaps of their own young love experiences, which include pregnancy and abortion.

Our Heavenly Father is very specific about His expectations for sexuality before marriage not because He doesn't want us to have fun, but because of the damage that can occur from yoking ourselves in situations that could damage our hearts.

Gunn and Goyer talk briefly about the mystery of marriage and how through prayer that mystery can be revealed in time. The authors write in depth about waiting and how patience is rewarded in time.

Some of the prayer expectations that Gunn and Goyer suggest young women should pray for in a husband include praying for his heart, that he will be a God lover, for protection, for contentment, and for commitment.

I feel there is a realistic tone to the book as some books paint an un-Godly portrait of marriage as perfection and sugar and spice.

I recommend this book for young girls and women in their teens and early twenties.

5 out of 5 stars

WaterBrook/Multnomah provided this book for free as a part of Blogging for Books book review blogger program.

© 2011 ML Michaels

Summer Reading List 2011

2011-06-06T07:51:00.000-05:00

photo © 2008 Mingo Hagen | more info (via: Wylio)
The summer necessitates reading, but this summer seems for me to require a slower schedule. In the past I would work a bevy of ten books into my schedule that I believed would challenge and encourage me in my life. This summer I am going to take it slow.

Here's my 2011 Summer Reading List

1) The Greater Journey: Americans in Paris by David McCollough
2) The Christian Atheist: Believing in God but Living as if He Doesn't Exist by Craig Groeschel
3) Crazy Love: Overwhelmed by a Relentless God by Francis Chan
4) The Scarlett Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne (Re-read of a classic)
5) Stein on Writing by Sol Stein

© 2011 ML Michaels

The Writing Gene

2011-05-29T16:10:00.041-05:00

I was asked by a very sweet friend where I thought my writing talent came from. Gently I replied that I wasn't sure if I had any writing talent, but just a meandering mind.

Keeping pace with humbleness and weariness of understanding what my talent is she told me I had the writing gene. I replied simply, "I think it's the writing virus."

Some musicians talk about when they perform on stage how at some point the audience disappears and the music takes over. It might explain why when I hear Pavarotti sing and watch him perform that it seems he had a distance glare. The music must have taken over and transformed him to another place.

At the computer or with pen in hand a writer can feel the weight of writing well and the fear of producing less than perfect work. Writing well is time intensive and requires practice. The continuous rehearsing of words is not unlike a musician continually rehearsing a note.

But in time writing becomes easier and the writer is able to sit down and plunge head first into the well-spring of creativity to emote pages of beautiful prose. And, like a musician, engrossed in the depths of musical euphoria, the writer, too, can experience the joy of writing, disappearing among the pages of characters and scenes while producing stories instead of songs.

© 2011 ML Michaels

Coupon d'etat

2011-05-18T16:57:00.000-05:00

photo © 2010 sdc2027 | more info (via: Wylio)
Recently I have become some what obsessed with a new show on TLC, Extreme Couponing. Although I am more of a spectator than a participant in this financial sport, I see this form of couponing less as extreme living and more as a form of home economics. While I agree that some people do not need 50 bags of croutons or 100 bottles of shampoo, the idea that I could provide for my family while saving a ton of money intrigues me.

Originally I heard about this form of couponing from my favorite financial advisor, Clark Howard, who provides financial advice to listeners over the radio and on CNN's Headline News on Saturdays.
With coupons, a family can find significant reductions in their monthly grocery bill while transferring those savings to other debts or to other saving accounts.

Although I would not collect more things than would be necessary for my family, I certainly would use this form of extreme couponing to purchase items for my family so that I could save for other necessities.

And, an interesting note about the couponers, several of the participants on the show say that they donate many of the items they have received for free to local food banks. I think food banks could use this idea of extreme couponing to fill their shelves while relying on donations. I believe an entire ministry could be formed out of extreme couponing, which could provide for the needy.

One of the coupon sites I go to includes Coupon Mom. Along with the inserts from my newspaper, visits to my local grocery store front desk for extra coupons, and the stores frequent buyer program I have made a good start.

If there are other places that you go to please share so that we can share in the savings!

Happy Couponing!

© 2011 ML Michaels

Box of Screws

2011-05-17T17:41:00.000-05:00

photo © 2011 Dave McLear | more info (via: Wylio)
Rumaging through a box of screws in my kitchen trying to find just one to use to hang pictures in my bedroom, I saw many useful pieces. In the menagiere of bolts and nuts, screws and fastiners that lined the bottom of the tin can, I realized something about life. When we start out in life we are shiny and new with great potential.
We are like those bolts and screws because we get used for the purpose that we were made for.

But, over time things change and tastes change with the times. Curtains come down, pictures are replaced and furniture is rearranged. With that comes new bolts, fastiners, and screws to take the place of the old ones. And the old ones are put into drawers instead of thrown away because the owner still believes there is a use for them.

The used nuts and bolts with their great knowledge of how to hold things up and hold things together sit wondering how all the great purpose and potential they had is now wasting away.

Many people today wonder how God could allow them to waste away in jobs that are below their skill level or be under-utilized in a job that is far below their years of education and/or experience. People can become angry at the thought. There isn't an answer that ever satisifies the broken or angry heart of someone who feels their God given potential is wasting away.

But clearly God has a plan.

"Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to you; He rises to show you compassion. For the Lord is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for Him!" --Isaiah 30:18 NIV

While we wait on the Lord for His plan for our lives, we wait also to see His blessings.

© 2011 ML Michaels

Still Waters Run Deep

2011-05-15T09:25:00.000-05:00

photo © 2006 John Parkinson | more info (via: Wylio)
"In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.
Genesis 1: 1-2 NIV

From this verse we already have discovered that God is creative. Creativity is the epitome of what it means to be a follower of God.
Now that we have permission to be creative, what do we do with our freedom?

Using creative freedom to unleash our writing allows the Christian writer to discover new avenues to writing about God.
Walking down the same paths as other writers will give you guidance and awareness of how to write, but it will not allow you to discover your own voice as a writer.

Discovering new ways of writing about God usually requires time walking and writing with God.

Still waters run deep, so should a Christian writer.

© 2011 ML Michaels

Let's Do Lunch by Roger Troy Wilson

2011-05-09T18:47:00.000-05:00

What started out as an attempt on my part to read a book that would let me eat calories and carbs without limit turned into another diet book.
Let's Do Lunch by Roger Troy Wilson is another success story about someone else who lost weight by eating fruits and vegetables. Truthfully I was hoping for the all you can eat tortilla chip and guacamole diet that magically reduced my waist line. But to no avail!
Although the book is a dear story about how an overweight man found a way to eat more of the right things and less of the wrong things, I was unimpressed by the overall diet. Who doesn't know these tricks and techniques about food substitutions and eating fruits and vegetables.
I can promise you that if I liked eating 25 lbs of grapes a day with fresh fish and vegetables, I don't think anyone would need to write a book about weight loss.

But the book has wonderful insights into dieting and weight loss with a simple recipe guide in the back of the book, and a 14 day-meal guide.

3 out of 5 stars

Thomas Nelson Publishers provided this book for free as a part of BookSneeze.com book review blogger program.

© 2011 ML Michaels

Same Kind of Different as Me by Ron Hall & Denver Moore

2011-05-09T18:13:00.000-05:00

When was the last time you read a book that challenged your belief about people? Or what you thought your own Christian life should be about? It has been a long time since I have read a book that was well written, and in this case wasn't a work of fiction.
Same Kind of Different As Me follows the lives of two unlikely people whose lives cross because of the work of one woman.
Denver Moore, an ex sharecropper and convicted felon and Ron Hall, a rich, high-life art dealer meet under the most unlikely circumstances to form a bond and life-long friendship.
Each has a distinct background from two sides of life, but meet in the middle because of Ron's wife Deborah whose life is emmersed in work for the Lord.
With wit and humor and a heart-breaking ending Same Kind of Different As Me will encourage the reader to see past the outside of others and discover that the inside of people is all that matters to the Lord.

This is a wonderful book!

5 out of 5 stars

Thomas Nelson Publishers provided this book for free as a part of BookSneeze.com book review blogger program.

© 2011 ML Michaels

Each Life is Unique by Lucinda Secrest McDowell

2011-05-08T08:00:00.001-05:00

Each Life is Unique by Lucinda Secrest McDowell

“God’s divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and goodness. II Peter 1.3 (NIV)

Moms, God wants you to know that He has given you everything you need for life --- your unique life. He does not plan to give you what you might need to live the life of your best friend, or your neighbor, or even your favorite mother-model. No, God has called you to the life that He planned. I suspect that for most of us, it didn’t turn out to be the life we thought it might be… so long ago when we were young and dreaming of ‘growing up.’

On Mother’s Day I often recall my own dreams to one day be a mother. I grew up playing with dolls and looking to my own Mama as a model for that particular role in life. However, by the time I reached my thirties I was still not a mother! God did, however, have a plan. It just wasn’t what I imagined.

My own unique life would find me becoming a mother through the adoption of my first three children who were ages 9, 7 and 4; and then much later giving birth to our fourth child. Of course I was shocked when God revealed this to me, but I was ecstatic as well. It’s as though I could hear Him saying, “Well, you’re not getting any younger so I’m just going to just give you a jump start with three at one time!”

A huge blessing! A huge adjustment! A joy and a struggle. Change is often like that, isn’t it? We finally get what we want then we have to deal with it. May I just offer a bit of advice if you just got a great answer to prayer, but perhaps not in the way or form you imagined? Just receive it. Embrace it. And be willing to move forward into a new paradigm for your life. So what if you’re not like all the other mothers you know? So what if you’re not like your own mother? So what if your family unit is different? I guarantee God has a plan.

Not only did he want me to embrace my own story, but He called me as a mother to do perhaps one of the most important tasks of all --- to nurture my children to live their own unique lives. Not for me to try and squeeze them into what I hoped and dreamed they would be. Not for me to try and live my life through them. But to recognize how God made them, gifted them, and called them to their own special place.

All of my 4 kids are different from one another. Let’s take sports, for instance: I have one child who wins gold medals in international tennis competition, one who is a born equestrian, another who competes nationally in obstacle course shooting matches, and yet another who manages to dance onstage in 3 inch heels, do cartwheels and splits while singing at the same time. Now, honestly, I do none of these things. And yet they do.

I don’t remember placing my order with God for these things. But I do remember when that tennis player turned 9 years old and I enrolled him in Special Olympics for the first time and how it changed his life… and ours. I remember getting a counselor job at an exclusive summer camp so that my daughter could take English riding classes. I remember being a Cub Scout leader (even though I knew nothing about boys) so that son could one day become an Eagle scout and pursue his love of the great outdoors. And yes, I remember enrolling my preschooler in dance lessons. Later when all the little girls were scared to go on stage for the recital, she exclaimed that she had endured a whole year of lessons just so she could go on stage.

Don’t compare yourself to someone else. And don’t live vicariously through your favorite reality show star. Live your own story. And Moms, raise your kids to embrace the unique life God has for them.
Remember, He has given us everything we need for life!

Lucinda Secrest McDowell, a graduate of Gordon-Conwell Seminary, is the author of 10 books including “Role of a Lifetime,” “Amazed by Grace,” “Spa for the Soul” and the new Bible Study “Fit and Healthy Summer.” She is an international conference speaker and enjoys being a Pearl Girl from “Sunnyside” – her home in a New England village. Visit Cindy at http://www.encouragingwords.net%20/

What is a Grandmother? by Suzanne Woods Fisher

2011-05-07T08:00:00.002-05:00

Welcome to Pearl Girls™ Mother of Pearl Mother's Day blog series. The series is week long celebration of moms and mothering. Each day will feature a new post by some of today's best writer's (Tricia Goyer, Megan Alexander, Suzanne Woods Fisher, Beth Engelman, Holley Gerth, Shellie Rushing Tomlinson, and more). I hope you'll join us each day for another unique perspective on Mother's Day.

AND ... do enter the contest for a chance to win a beautiful hand crafted pearl necklace. To enter, just {CLICK THIS LINK} and fill out the short form. Contest runs 5/1-5/8 and the winner will on 5/11. Contest is only open to US and Canadian residents.

If you are unfamiliar with Pearl Girls™, please visit http://www.pearlgirls.info/ and see what we're all about. In short, we exist to support the work of charities that help women and children in the US and around the globe. Consider purchasing a copy of Pearl Girls: Encountering Grit, Experiencing Grace or one of the Pearl Girls™ products (all GREAT Mother's Day gifts!) to help support Pearl Girls.

And to all you MOMS out there! Happy Mother's Day!

What is a Grandmother? by Suzanne Woods Fisher

“A grandmother is a little bit parent, a little bit teacher, and a little bit best friend.”
Amish proverb

I arrived late in the night in Rhode Island, anxious to meet my two-day-old grandson, Blake, after a full day of flying. My daughter and son-in-law had just returned home from the hospital and felt like they had been in a train wreck. There was stuff everywhere. Already, the needs of this little eight-pound bundle of joy were enormous: an all-terrain stroller, plenty of diapers, onesies, spit-up rags, an assortment of pacifiers to try out until he found the ideal one.

And he was perfect.

I know, I know. “Every mother crow thinks her own little crow is the blackest.” But this little dark eyed, dark haired boy really was perfect.

I spent the next seven days (and nights) getting to know this little guy. His schedule (he had none), his hunger cries (very similar to his every other cry). His pirate look--one eye open, one eye squeezed shut, as if he was still surprised by all that had taken place to him in a week’s time.

I felt surprised, too. How could my baby possibly have had a baby? How could I be a grandmother? I had just turned fifty-one. Shockingly young! How could a kid like me give up playing tennis three times a week to settle into knitting and crocheting and Friday night bingo? And shouldn’t I alter my appearance to fit this new label? Give up my jeans? Switch over to below knee-length calico dresses, thick black socks, practical shoes, gray hair pinned in a topknot. Think…Aunt Bee on Mayberry R.F.D.

As soon as people knew my daughter was expecting, I was bombarded with advice from my well meaning friends—even those who weren’t yet grandparents. “The best way to avoid getting on the nerves of your daughter and son-in-law is to not say anything. Ever.” Or “You’d better pick your nickname or you’ll be stuck with something hideous, like MooMoo Cow.”

What should I be called? Granny? No…reminded me of The Beverly Hillbillies. Grandma? No…sounded like The Waltons. Grammy? No…it was already taken by the in-laws.

But no one really explained what it meant to be a grandmother. I didn’t know myself, not until I held baby Blake in my arms. In that moment, I realized that he was one of mine. He belongs to me. He will be on my mind and in my prayers, every day, for the rest of my life. There’s a bond between us that can’t be broken. He has altered my life forevermore.

I had become a grandmother.

Suzanne Woods Fisher is the bestselling author of The Choice, The Waiting, and The Search, as well as nonfiction books about the Amish, including Amish Peace. Her interest in the Anabaptist cultures can be directly traced to her grandfather, W. D. Benedict, who was raised in the Old Order German Baptist Brethren Church in Franklin County, Pennsylvania. Benedict eventually became publisher of Christianity Today magazine. Suzanne is the host of a radio show called Amish Wisdom and her work has appeared in many magazines. She lives in California. http://www.suzannewoodsfisher.com%20/

Wild Card Tour- Livvie's Song by Sharlene MacLaren

2011-05-06T10:00:00.001-05:00

It is time for a FIRST Wild Card Tour book review! If you wish to join the FIRST blog alliance, just click the button. We are a group of reviewers who tour Christian books. A Wild Card post includes a brief bio of the author and a full chapter from each book toured. The reason it is called a FIRST Wild Card Tour is that you never know if the book will be fiction, non~fiction, for young, or for old...or for somewhere in between! Enjoy your free peek into the book!

You never know when I might play a wild card on you!

Today's Wild Card author is:

Sharlene MacLaren

and the book:

Livvie’s Song
(River of Hope series #1)

Whitaker House (July 5, 2011)

***Special thanks to Cathy Hickling of Whitaker House for sending me a review copy.***

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

“Shar” grew up in western Michigan and graduated from Spring Arbor University with a degree in education. She traveled the world with a musical group before returning home to marry Cecil MacLaren whom she’d known since childhood. Together they raised two daughters (and now have three grandchildren). As retirement approached, Shar asked God for a new mission that would fill her heart with the same kind of passion she’d felt for teaching and raising her family. She found her mission in Christian fiction writing, crafting plotlines that bring her characters face-to-face with God’s grace and restorative power. Since 2007 she’s released nine successful books – two historical series and three stand-alone contemporary novels – that have earned her numerous awards and an ever-increasing base of loyal readers who are comforted, inspired, and entertained by her books.

Visit the author's website.

SHORT BOOK DESCRIPTION:

Life is far from a breeze for Olivia Beckman, owner of Livvie’s Kitchen, a favorite of locals in Wabash, Indiana. It’s the 1920’s and the widowed mother of two is struggling to make ends meet—no simple feat when her cook turns in his resignation. A late night patron soon solves the problem, though. Looking for work and carrying his only earthly possessions -- a harmonica and a Bible -- Will Taylor is an experienced cook eager for work. What Will doesn’t share is that his experience comes from ten years working behind bars in the prison cafeteria. He manages to bake his way into the stomachs of his customers—and into Livvie’s heart as well. Both Livvie and Will are hesitant, though, bearing deep wounds from the past. A recipe for love between them will require sharing secrets, braving dangers, and believing God for a bright future.

Product Details:

List Price: $9.99
Paperback: 400 pages
Publisher: Whitaker House (July 5, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1603742123
ISBN-13: 978-1603742122

AND NOW...THE FIRST CHAPTER:

May 1926

Wabash, Indiana

“Praise ye the Lord. Sing unto the Lord a new song.”
—Psalm 149:1

Smoke rings rose and circled the heads of Charley Arnold and Roy Scott as they sat in Livvie’s Kitchen and partook of steaming coffee, savory roast beef and gravy, and conversation, guffawing every so often at each other’s blather. Neither seemed to care much who heard them, since the whole place buzzed with boisterous midday talk. Folks came to her restaurant to fill their stomachs, Livvie Beckman knew, but, for many, getting an earful of gossip was just as satisfying.

Behind the counter in the kitchen, utensils banged against metal and pots and pans sizzled and boiled with steam and smoke. “Order’s up!” hollered the cook, Joe Stewart. On cue, Livvie carried the two hamburger platters to Pete and Susie Jones’s table and set them down with a hasty smile. Her knee-length, floral cotton skirt flared as she turned, mopping her brow and blowing several strawberry blonde strands of damp hair off her face, and hustled to the counter. “You boys put out those disgusting nicotine sticks,” she scolded Charley and Roy on the run. “How many times do I have to tell you, I don’t allow smoking in this establishment? We don’t even have ashtrays.”

“Aw, Livvie, how you expect us t’ enjoy a proper cup o’ coffee without a cigarette?” Charley whined to her back. “’Sides, ar’ saucers work fine for ashtrays.”

“Saucers are not ashtrays,” stated old Evelyn Garner from the booth behind the two men. She craned her long, skinny neck and trained her owl eyes on them, her lips pinched together in a tight frown. Her husband, Ira Garner, had nothing to say, of course. He rarely did, preferring to let his wife do the talking. Instead, he slurped wordlessly on his tomato soup.

Livvie snatched up the next order slip from the counter and gave it a glance. Then, she lifted two more plates, one of macaroni and cheese, the other of a chicken drumstick and mashed potatoes, and whirled back around, eyeing both men sternly. “I expect you to follow my rules, boys”—she marched past them—“or go next door to Isaac’s, where the smoke’s as thick as cow dung.”

Her saucy remark gave rise to riotous hoots. “You tell ’em, Liv,” someone said—Harv Brewster, perhaps? With the racket of babies crying, patrons chattering, the cash register clinking as Cora Mae Livingston tallied somebody’s order, the screen door flapping open and shut, and car horns honking outside, Livvie couldn’t discern who said what. Oh, how she wished she had the funds to hire a few more waitresses. Some days, business didn’t call for it, but, today, it screamed, “Help!”

“You best listen, fellas. When Livvie Beckman speaks, she means every word,” said another. She turned at the husky male voice but couldn’t identify its source.

“Lady, you oughtta go to preachin’ school,” said yet another unknown speaker.

“She’s somethin’, ain’t she?” There was no mistaking Coot Hermanson’s croaky pipes. Her most loyal customer, also the oldest by far, gave her one of his famous, toothy grins over his coffee cup, which he held with trembling hands. No one really knew Coot’s age, and most people suspected he didn’t know it, himself, but Livvie thought he looked to be a hundred; ninety-nine, at the very least. But that didn’t keep him from showing up at her diner on Market Street every day, huffing from the two-block walk, his faithful black mongrel, Reggie, parked on his haunches under the red and white awning out front, waiting for his usual handout of leftover bacon or the heels of a fresh-baked loaf of bread.

Before scooting past him, she stooped to tap him with her elbow. “I’ll be right back to fill that coffee cup, Coot,” she whispered into his good ear.

He lifted an ancient white eyebrow and winked. “You take your time, missy,” he wheezed back before she straightened and hurried along.

Of all her regulars, Coot probably knew her best—knew about the tough façade she put on, day in and day out; recognized the rawness of her heart, the ache she still carried from the loss of her beloved Frank. More than a year had come and gone since her husband’s passing, but it still hurt to the heavens to think about him. More painful still were her desperate attempts to keep his memory alive for her sons, Alex and Nathan. She’d often rehash how she’d met their father at a church picnic when the two were only teenagers; how he’d enjoyed fishing, hunting, and building things with his bare hands; and how, as he’d gotten older, his love of the culinary arts had planted within him a seed of desire to one day open his own restaurant. She’d tell them how they’d worked so hard to scrimp and save, even while raising a family, and how thrilled Frank had been when that dream had finally come to fruition.

What she didn’t tell her boys was how much she struggled to keep her passion for the restaurant alive in their daddy’s absence. Oh, she had Joe, of course, but he’d dropped the news last week that he’d picked up a new kitchen job in a Chicago diner—some well-known establishment, he’d said—and he could hardly have turned it down, especially with his daughter and grandchildren begging him to move closer to them. Wabash had been home to Joe Stewart since childhood, but his wife had died some five years ago, and he had little to keep him here. It made sense, Livvie supposed, but it didn’t make her life any easier having to find a replacement.

She set down two plates for a couple she’d never seen before, a middle-aged man and his wife. Strangers were always passing through Wabash on their ways north or south, so it wasn’t unusual for her not to know them. “You folks enjoy your lunch,” she said with a smile.

“Thank you kindly,” the man said, licking his lips and loosening his tie. “This meal looks mighty fine.”

Livvie nodded, then made for the coffeepot behind the counter, sensing it was time for a round of refills.

A cloud of smoke still surrounded Charley and Roy’s table, though their cigarettes looked to be nearing their ends. She decided not to mention anything further about their annoying behavior unless they lit up again. Those fools had little compunction and even less consideration for the feelings of others. She would have liked to ban them from her restaurant, if it weren’t for the revenue they brought in with their almost daily visits. Gracious, it cost an awful lot to keep a restaurant going. She would sell it tomorrow if she had a backup plan, but she didn’t. Besides, Frank would bust out of his casket if she hung a “For Sale” sign on the front door. The diner had been his dream, one she’d adopted with gusto because she’d loved him so much, but she hadn’t envisioned his leaving her in the thick of it before they’d paid off their mortgage on the three-story building and turned a good profit on the restaurant.

Oh, why had God taken Frank at such a young age? He’d been thirty-one, married for ten years and a restaurant owner for five. Couldn’t God have intervened and sent an angel just in time to keep Frank from stepping in front of that horse-drawn wagon hauling furniture? And why, for mercy’s sake, did the accident have to occur right in front of the restaurant, drawing a huge crowd and forever etching in her mind’s eye the sight of her beloved lying in the middle of the street, blood oozing from his nose and mouth, his eyes open but not really seeing? Coot often told her that God had her best interests in mind and that she needed to trust Him with her whole heart, but how could she, when it seemed like few things ever went right for her, and she had to work so hard to stay afloat? Goodness, she barely had a minute to spare for her own children.

Swallowing a sigh, she hefted up the coffeepot, which had finished percolating, and started the round of refills, beginning with Coot Hermanson.

***

Will Taylor ground out his last cigarette with the sole of his worn shoe as he leaned against the wall of the train car, his head pounding with every jolt, the whir and buzz of metal against metal ripping through his head. He stared down at his empty pack of Luckies and turned up his mouth in the corner, giving a little huff of self-disgust. He didn’t really smoke—not anymore. But, when he’d left Welfare Island State Penitentiary in New York City in the wee hours of the morning, one of the guards had handed him a fresh pack, along with the few belongings he had to his name, and he’d smoked the entire thing to help pass the time.

Sharing the mostly empty freight car with him were a dozen or so other men, the majority of whom wore unkempt beards, ragged clothing, and long faces. They also stank to the heavens. He figured he fit right in with the lot of them. Frankly, they all looked like a bunch of bums—and probably were, for that matter. Why else would they have jumped aboard the freight car at various stations while the yardmen had their backs turned instead of purchasing a ticket for a passenger car? Will had intended to pay his fare, and he’d even found himself standing in the queue outside the ticket booth, but when he’d counted his meager stash of cash, he’d fallen out of line. Thankfully, the dense morning fog had made his train-jumping maneuver a cinch. If only it could have had the same effect on his conscience. He’d just been released from prison. Couldn’t he get through his first day of freedom without breaking the law?

“Where you headed, mister?” the man closest to him asked.

He could count on one hand the number of minutes anybody on that dark, dingy car had spent engaged in conversation in the hours they’d been riding, and he didn’t much feel like talking now. Yet he turned to the fellow, anyway. “Wabash, Indiana,” he answered. “Heard it’s a nice place.”

Actually, he knew nothing about it, save for the state song, “On the Banks of the Wabash, Far Away,” which spoke about the river running through it. He’d determined his destination just that morning while poring over a map in the train station, thinking that any other place in the country would beat where he’d spent the last ten years. When he’d overheard someone mention Wabash, he’d found it on the map and, knowing it had its own song, set his mind on going there.

He didn’t know a soul in Wabash, which made the place all the more appealing. Best to make a fresh start anonymously. Of course, he had no idea what he’d do to make a living, and it might be that he’d have to move on to the next town if jobs there were scarce. But he’d cross that bridge when he came to it.

His stomach growled, so he opened his knapsack and took out an apple, just one of the few items he’d lifted from the jail kitchen the previous night—with the approval of Harry Wilkinson, the kitchen supervisor. The friends he’d made at Welfare Island were few, as he couldn’t trust most folks any farther than he could pitch them, but he did consider Harry a friend, having worked alongside him for the past four years. Harry had told him about the love of God and convinced him not six months ago to give his heart over to Him, saying he’d need a good friend when he left the island and could do no better than the Creator of the universe. Will had agreed, of course, but he sure was green in the faith department, even though he’d taken to reading the Bible Harry had given him—his first and only—almost every night before laying his head on his flat, frayed pillow.

“Wabash, eh?” the man said, breaking into his musings. “I heard of it. Ain’t that the first electrically lighted city in the world? I do believe that’s their claim to fame.”

“That right? I wouldn’t know.”

“What takes you to Wabash?” he persisted, pulling on his straggly beard.

Will pulled on his own thick beard, mostly brown with some flecks of blond, briefly wondering if he ought to shave it off before he went in search of a job. He’d seen his reflection in a mirror that morning for the first time in a week and had nearly fallen over. In fact, he’d had to do some mental calculations to convince himself that he was actually thirty-four years old, not forty-three. Prison had not been kind to his appearance; where he’d slaved under the hot summer sun, digging trenches and hoeing the prison garden, and spent the winters hauling coal and chopping logs. While the work had put him in excellent shape physically, the sun and wind had wreaked havoc on his skin, freckling his nose and arms and wrinkling his forehead. When he hadn’t been outside, he’d worked in a scorching-hot kitchen, stirring kettles of soup, peeling potatoes, cutting slabs of beef, filleting fish, and plucking chickens’ feathers.

“Wabash seemed as good a place as any,” he replied after some thought, determined to keep his answers short and vague.

The fellow peered at him with arched eyebrows. “Where you come from, anyway?”

“Around.”

A chuckle floated through the air but quickly drowned in the train’s blaring whistle. The man dug into his side pocket and brought out a cigar, stuck it in his mouth, and lit the end, then took a deep drag before blowing out a long stream of smoke. He gave a thoughtful nod and gazed off. “Yeah, I know. Me, too.” Across the dark space, the others shifted or slept, legs crossed at the ankles, heads bobbing, not seeming to care about the conversation, if they even heard it.

Will might have inquired after his traveling companion, but his years behind bars had taught him plenty—most important, not to trust his fellow man, and certainly never to divulge his personal history. And posing questions to others would only invite inquiries about himself.

He chomped down his final bite of apple, then tossed the chiseled core onto the floor, figuring a rodent would appreciate it later. Then, he wiped his hands on his pant legs, reached inside his hip pocket, and pulled out his trusty harmonica. Moistening his lips, he brought the instrument to his mouth and started breathing into it, cupping it like he might a beautiful woman’s face. Music had always soothed whatever ailed him, and, ever since he’d picked up the skill as a youngster under his grandfather’s tutelage, he’d often whiled away the hours playing this humble instrument.

He must have played half a dozen songs—“Oh, Dem Golden Slippers,” “Oh My Darling, Clementine,” “Over There,” “Amazing Grace,” “The Sidewalks of New York,” and even “On the Banks of the Wabash, Far Away”—before the shrill train whistle announced their arrival in Wabash. Another stowaway pulled the car door open a crack to peek out and establish their whereabouts.

Quickly, Will stuffed his mouth organ inside his pocket, then stretched his back, the taut muscles tingling from being stationary for so long. At least his pounding headache had relented, replaced now by a mess of tangled nerves. “Reserved excitement” is how he would have described his emotion.

“Nice playin’,” said a man whose face was hidden by the shadow of his low-lying hat. He tipped the brim at Will and gave a slow nod. “You’ve got a way with that thing. Almost put me in a lonesome-type mood.”

“Thanks. For the compliment, I mean. Sorry ’bout your gloomy mood. Didn’t mean to bring that on.”

“Ain’t nothin’. I been jumpin’ trains fer as long as I can remember. Gettin’ the lonelies every now and again is somethin’ to be ’spected, I s’pose.”

“That’s for sure,” mumbled another man, sitting in a corner with his legs stretched out. Will glanced at the sole of his boot and noticed his sock pushing through a gaping hole. Something like a rock turned over in his gut. These guys made a habit of hopping on trains, living off handouts, and roaming the countryside. Vagabonds, they were. He hoped never to see the inside of another freight car, and, by gum, he’d make sure he didn’t—with the Lord’s help, of course. He had enough money to last a couple of weeks, so long as he holed up someplace dirt-cheap and watched what he spent on food. He prayed he’d land a job—any job—in that time. He wouldn’t be choosy in the beginning; he couldn’t afford to be. If he had to haul garbage, well, so be it. He couldn’t expect to do much more than that, not with a criminal record. His hope was that no one would inquire. After all, who but somebody downright desperate would hire an ex-con? Not that he planned to volunteer that bit of information, but he supposed anybody could go digging if they really wanted to know.

He hadn’t changed his name, against Harry’s advice. “I’m not going to run for the rest of my life, Harry,” he’d argued. “Heck, I served my time. It’s not that I plan to broadcast it, mind you, but I’m not going to carry the weight of it forever, either. I wasn’t the only one involved in that stupid burglary.” Though he did shoulder most of the responsibility for committing it. The others had left him to do most of the dirty work, and they’d run off when the law had shown up.

Harry had nodded in silence, then reached up to lay a bony hand on Will’s hulking shoulder. Few people ever laid a hand on him and got away with it, so, naturally, he’d started to pull away, but Harry had held firm, forcing Will to loosen up. “You got a good point there, Will. You’re a good man, you know that?” He hadn’t known that, and he’d appreciated Harry’s vote of confidence. “You just got to go out there and be yourself. Folks will believe in you if you take the first step, start seeing your own self-worth. The Lord sees it, and you need to look at yourself through His eyes. Before you know it, your past will no longer matter—not to you or to anyone else.”

The train brakes screeched for all of a minute, with smoke rising up from the tracks and seeping in through the cracks of the dirty floor. Will choked back the burning residue and stood up, then gazed down at his strange companions, feeling a certain kinship he’d never expected. “You men be safe, now,” he said, passing his gaze over each one. Several of them acknowledged him with a nod, but most just gave him a vacant stare. The fellow at the back of the car who’d spent the entire day sleeping in the shadows finally lifted his face a notch and looked at him—vigilantly, Will thought. Yet he shook off any uneasiness.

The one who’d first struck up a conversation with him, short-lived as it had been, raised his bearded chin. The two made eye contact. “You watch yourself out there, fella. You got to move fast once your feet hit that dirt. Anybody sees you jumpin’ off is sure to report you, and if it’s one of the yardmen, well, you may as well kiss your hiney good-bye. They got weapons on them, and they don’t look kindly on us spongers.”

“Thanks. I’ll be on guard.” Little did the man know how adept he was at handling himself. The years he’d served in the state pen had taught him survival skills he hoped never to have to use in the outside world.

When the train finally stopped, he reached inside his shirt pocket and peeked at his watch, which was missing its chain. Ten minutes after seven. He pulled the sliding door open just enough to fit his bulky body through, then poked his head out and looked around. Finding the coast clear, thanks to a long freight train parked on neighboring tracks, he gave the fellows one last nod, then leaped from the car and slunk off into the gathering dusk, his sack of meager possessions slung over his shoulder.

First item on his short agenda: look for a restaurant where he could silence his grumbling stomach.

When Mother's Day is Difficult by Holley Gerth

2011-05-06T08:00:00.001-05:00

When Mother's Day is Difficult by Holley Gerth

I have a confession (anyone surprised?). I have mixed feelings about Mother’s Day.

On one hand, I love celebrating all the women who have made a difference in my life (thanks, Mom!).

On the other hand, a long journey of infertility has left my heart with some tender places.

On May 8th, we’ll celebrate Mother’s Day once again. For many, it’s a time of appreciation and joy. For others, it can be one of the most difficult days of the year. This is often true for women facing infertility, families who have recently experienced the loss of a mother, and many other painful situations.

At one point in my life it seemed as if I couldn’t take another step. In addition to infertility, I was facing several other losses. I felt as if I were in a dark cave. But then I sensed the Lord gently and lovingly speak to my heart, “You may be in a cave, but you still have a choice. You can sit in despair or you can diamond-mine your difficulties.” I decided I was not leaving that time in my life empty-handed. I was taking every hidden blessing I could find. Of course, I still had difficult days. But choosing hope made a difference.

As a reminder, I now wear two rings. The one on the fourth finger of my left hand represents my commitment to my husband. The one on the fourth finger of my right hand is a simple silver band inscribed with the word “hope” and it represents the commitment I have made to God and myself to hold onto hope no matter what happens.

The story of an inspiring woman named Terrie also reminds me to hold onto hope. She endured the loss of four pregnancies and waited seventeen years before adopting a little girl. She told me, “I think one of the most important parts of this journey is learning to trust God. I don’t mean the flippant kind of trust. It’s easy for people to say, ‘You just need to trust God.’ It’s much harder when you’re in the middle of all this pain. But he is trustworthy. Through it all, God has given us an amazing story. I wouldn’t have chosen this road, but he has been with us. I can look back and truly say every step was worth it.”

I don’t know how my journey will end and you probably don’t know how yours will either. I also don’t know how many of you will be silently grieving your losses as we sit in church together on May 8th. But I do know that God sees each one of us. He knows how many hairs are on our heads and how many cares our in our hearts. Whatever you’re going through this Mother’s Day, you’re not facing it alone. As King David, a man who experienced many losses in his life, expressed in Psalm 34:18 NIV, “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” May God surround you with love, fill you with hope, and give you strength for each moment—especially this Mother’s Day.

Excerpted from When Mother’s Day is Difficult.

Holley Gerth is an award-winning writer for DaySpring, a cofounder of the popular web site (in)courage, and licensed counselor. Holley loves chocolate, coffee, Jesus and connecting with the hearts of women through words. Her next book, a devotional titled God's Heart for You: Embracing Your True Worth as a Woman (Harvest House) will release this July. You can find Holley online through her blog Heart to Heart with Holley.

2011-05-05T10:00:00.001-05:00

Today's Wild Card author is:

Kelly Minter

and the book:

The Fitting Room: Putting On the Character of Christ

David C. Cook; New edition (April 1, 2011)

***Special thanks to Karen Davis, Assistant Media Specialist, The B&B Media Groupfor sending me a review copy.***

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Kelly Minter is a singer/worship leader, a recording artist, a popular speaker, and the author of two books (Water into Wine and No Other Gods) and three Bible studies (No Other Gods, Ruth, and Hannah’s One Wish). Among her CDs is one based on insights from her Bible study on Ruth. Minter resides in Nashville, TN.

Visit the author's website.

SHORT BOOK DESCRIPTION:

Kelly Minter explores what it means—in real life—to “clothe” ourselves (Col. 3:12) in Christian virtues like forgiveness, joy, patience, compassion, and more. Can we really “dress up” in the character of Christ? Kelly Minter says the answer is yes—if we let the Master Designer do the fitting. This relatable book offers insightful Scripture study with real-life stories and simple, down-to-earth explanations of tricky concepts such as justification and sanctification—stitching it all together with dry humor and down-to-earth honesty. There are no gimmicks, no guilt trips, just an irresistible invitation for women to enjoy a spiritual makeover—to put on a life that’s personally tailored by the One who knows and loves them best.

Product Details:

List Price: $14.99
Paperback: 208 pages
Publisher: David C. Cook; New edition (April 1, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1434799859
ISBN-13: 978-1434799852

AND NOW...THE FIRST CHAPTER:

Where Are They When You Need Them?

The Virtues

A video shoot for a wonderful author and friend is taking place at my house this week. Stylists, cameramen, set designers, talent, and black-clad crew have been running around my home for days. The entire shebang has absolutely nothing to do with me except that twenty people are now using my bathroom. This is a girl’s recurring nightmare. I’ve decided the only true payoff is the round-the-clock

catering, which produces warm cookies every afternoon around three-ish—a routine I am trying to understand how I have lived so richly without.

This morning as the crew arrived, I feverishly applied the last few elements of makeup onto my slightly puffy and pillow-wrinkled face. I threw on my work-at-home uniform, which is made up of jeans, a

T-shirt, and socks if the hardwoods are chilled, flip-flops if it’s summertime. As I meandered through the kitchen—for the catering, of course—I ran into a stylist I knew who was working with the talent. I told her I needed help finding new boots for the winter. She agreed at an alarming rate, well acquainted with my wanting shoe collection. Her exaggerated urgency was tongue-in-cheek, but with a hint of dead-serious. After all, she is a stylist. Clothes are what she does.

If ever there was a spell in history when what we wear is paramount, I daresay it is now. Dress is a multibillion-dollar industry. The garments we drape on our backs, the hats we don on our heads, the jewelry that dangles from our necks and wrists all tell a little of who we are. Our dress is an expression of ourselves, a statement of our personalities or moods. We dress up, we dress down, we dress for comfort, we kill ourselves in high heels to dress for style, we dress for the weather, we dress for others, we dress for ourselves. But what about the dress of our souls? What about the way our character clothes us? And our character does clothe us. We give off far more than we will ever know by the way we greet the barista, drive in traffic, enter a room, answer the phone, glare at our toddler who’s having a meltdown in a non-meltdown-friendly environment. If only it were as simple as hiring a stylist for an extra bag of peace or another color of honesty. Could I get some denim patience for under $100?

I promise not to kill you with the clothing metaphor for the next several thousand words, but I want to pull from the comparison the apostle Paul set in motion in a letter to the Colossians: “Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience” (3:12). A few verses earlier he writes, “You have taken off your old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator” (vv. 9–10). The image of clothing, the picture of slipping out of the old and sliding into the new, is an easily digestible concept because we dress every day.

The gap in the metaphor comes when we don’t know how to clothe ourselves in Christ’s character, or when we’ve given it our valiant best and come up short … really short—like we just walked out the door in our towel, and everyone is staring and mortified while we grasp for fig leaves from our ailing character-garden. The breakdown occurs when we were never taught the value of integrity, when anger

and resentment were the prominent traits our parents passed down, when we weren’t modeled the fine art of forgiveness, when sexual escapades were our solution for loneliness, when lying seemed to work better than the truth at untangling our predicaments, or when complaining became our default over contentment.

Basically, the spiritual concept of throwing off scratchy wool for designer silk sounds simply effortless, but the real-life version is another matter altogether. Many of us who have attempted such a wardrobe overhaul have come up frustrated rather than inspired, and this for many reasons we will address in the pages to come. I hope to speak to these struggles while looking at specific character qualities less from an academic view and more from the vantage point of our everyday realities. Because most of us know we’re supposed to take off old things like bitterness and anger and full-on recklessness and put on the new self, which is full of qualities such as kindness and joy and self-control. But knowing this doesn’t automatically make it so.

I can fairly easily write about what these new-life virtues are, their characteristics, and how we need more of them in our lives, but that feels just about as helpful as the book I was reading last night that appropriately told me not to eat out of boredom or past seven o’clock, which triggered the thought that I might be a little bored, which reminded me of the homemade cinnamon-raisin bread I had in the kitchen. Before I could be held responsible for my actions, I had lost my place in the book and was standing in my pajama pants eating bread.

See, I’m pretty sure most of us need more heart transformation than we need more head knowledge, whether it’s about food or far more important things like exhibiting the character of Christ. Knowledge is vitally important, but it seems so many of us in Western Christianity are just crammed with it—really important knowledge that we gain in controlled settings like Bible study—but when up against the prospect of forgiving someone who has just ripped our insides out, or needing to grab patience out of thin air after our roommate has just stepped on our ever-loving last nerve, we are left with a ton of knowledge about what we should do (don’t eat the bread when you’re bored) but have no idea how to do it.

I had the rare blessing of growing up with parents who modeled and taught the character of Christ well. They were big on the “how” of character and emphasized it over most everything else: A struggling grade on an algebra exam was more excusable than lying (which ended up working heavily in my favor … coefficients?); an off game on the basketball court was no problem compared to being disrespectful to a teacher. My parents taught my siblings and me at a young age about humility, gentleness, patience, contentment, gratefulness, purity, and so on. This doesn’t mean I’m good at all these things; it just means I had the privilege of being taught them. And now that I am past most of my adolescent outbursts and full-on temper tantrums—so often directed toward my parents’ instruction—I am ever thankful for their guidance. If only they could get paid back in stocks or something.

Still, the virtues revealed in Scripture are hard enough when you’ve been taught them. But what if you’ve never been exposed to them in the first place? Perhaps it is in response to this question that my deepest desire for the following pages is to shed fresh light on some of the seemingly shadowed and antiquated virtues in Scripture, exposing their beauty, their delicacy, and the freedom in which they are meant to tailor our lives. This is important because so many of us are plainly stuck in life, wearing the same old things and getting the same miserable results. Our character clothes are frumpy, because we’ve never been groomed and fitted from the pages of Scripture.

There are others who are all too aware of the characteristics of godliness but want nothing to do with them, because they were taught such virtues by people who didn’t actually live by those principles. For them, the notion of godly character was flaunted by hypocrites, self-righteous leaders, or possibly angry parents, and they haven’t wanted a piece of its polyester since. Yes, a lot of damage has been done in the name of God and Christian virtue; people have been clothed by reckless tailors. However, one of my greatest hopes is that if this has been your experience, you will give the discovery of authentic godliness another look, because biblical virtues are not punitive but life-giving.

If there are those who have had little exposure to what the Bible says about godly character and those who have had lots of exposure but find it legalistic and binding, then there is a third group as well: those who long to grasp hold of godly traits but find them maddeningly unattainable. Perhaps you have tried to wear godliness like you try to lose weight or work out or stick to a New Year’s resolution. You’ve dug deep but have found that things like moral purity, kindness, or humility simply don’t exist in your closet. You’ve worn the knock-off brands that faintly resemble the real thing, but after a few good washes of reality, their colors fade and their seams split. And so you find yourself not necessarily disdaining the virtues, but having given up on them.

This is a common dilemma, mostly because we mistakenly view godly character qualities as things we can accomplish if we try just a little harder. We promise ourselves we’ll hold our tongues next time or be thankful for what we have. Perhaps one day we muse we’ll graduate to stretching our reserve of patience, or we’ll respect ourselves enough to stop sleeping with acquaintances. But we can never separate the qualities of God from God Himself. True Christian virtues are not something we can slap on ourselves like cutout clothes for paper dolls. They come as a result of heart change that is accomplished through the supernatural love of Jesus. And yes, we will expound on this more, because I am challenging myself not

to offer Christian colloquialisms that are easy to throw out; even though some of them are true, most are vague and inaccessible. I have experienced the frustrating failures of trying to “do better” as a Christian. I’ve been damaged by legalistic authorities whose preaching and practicing lived in entirely different zip codes. And I’ve had times when I just didn’t know much about the heart behind godly virtue, even though my parents gave me a great foundation. Still, the authentic changes that the gentle and unyielding characteristics of holiness have brought about—and are bringing about—in my life are wholly divine and transforming. Not to mention enormously practical.

Practical, because there are relationships that need to be healed from the cancer of bitterness. There are bones that need to be freed from the incessant gnaw of anger. Hurting neighbors who need to hear an encouraging word of kindness instead of the latest morsel of gossip. Children who need to know that we’ve been blessed in our Western society and that contentment is healthier than complaining. Husbands who need peaceful wives instead of anxious ones; wives who need comforting husbands instead of critical ones. Friends who need to be given to instead of demanded from.

I recently wrote a piece that included a list of several virtues, and I asked women to chime in on the virtues they found the most difficult. This was a bit of a trick question, because the virtues are probably all equally hard in their own right, but I was curious as to what their comments would include. I could not have been more delighted by one woman’s sincere reply: “I think I have plenty of each when I don’t need

them. It is only when I am in the situation that I discover that the one I need is the one that I am short of.” This is pure genius. I pondered her sentiments as a possible subtitle to this book: Clothing Yourself in the Virtues You’ve Got Plenty of Until You Need Them.

Of course the very essence of biblical virtues is that they’re only virtues when they’re being tested: Patience is not patience if someone or something is not trying it. Forgiveness is not forgiveness if there is no offense to pardon. Humility is not humility if a person never has to bow. Biblical virtues need to be studied and defined, but if we leave them in the Christian classroom, we will find we’ve got a wardrobe literally bursting with them until the moment we’re invited to the ball.

If this is has been your experience as it has often been mine—if you find that you have virtues in droves until the moment you need them—it may help to go back to the beginning. To begin with God and what He has accomplished that enables us to live all the virtues He embodies. Much of this can be summed up in the opening line of Colossians 3:12: “Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved …” See, we can’t really get to the virtues in Scripture until we have a good handle on the truth that we have been chosen, made holy, and are dearly loved. If we take this introductory line away, we are left with a list of dos (clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience …) without any context for them.

Once we understand the context, the way is paved for the oftenpainful work of parting with our old wardrobes, even that A-outfit from college we’re pretty sure we’d still look fabulous in. ’Cause the old and the new don’t coalesce—our human natures don’t meld with the character of Christ. But leaving the old behind can be surprisingly liberating, because it leaves us poised to wear the virtues we will explore in the pages ahead: forgiveness, peace, kindness, humility, compassion, and patience, with a sassy feather of joy in our hats. Virtues that won’t mysteriously disappear when the clock strikes twelve, ones that will actually be there when we need them.

A Mother's Day Wish by Shellie Rushing Tomlinson

2011-05-05T08:00:00.002-05:00

Welcome to Pearl Girls™ Mother of Pearl Mother's Day blog series. The series is week long celebration of moms and mothering. Each day will feature a new post by some of today's best writer's (Tricia Goyer, Megan Alexander, Suzanne Woods Fisher, Beth Engelman, Holley Gerth, Shellie Rushing Tomlinson, and more). I hope you'll join us each day for another unique perspective on Mother's Day.

AND ... do enter the contest for a chance to win a beautiful hand crafted pearl necklace. To enter, just {CLICK THIS LINK} and fill out the short form. Contest runs 5/1-5/8 and the winner will on 5/11. Contest is only open to US and Canadian residents.

If you are unfamiliar with Pearl Girls™, please visit http://www.pearlgirls.info/ and see what we're all about. In short, we exist to support the work of charities that help women and children in the US and around the globe. Consider purchasing a copy of Pearl Girls: Encountering Grit, Experiencing Grace or one of the Pearl Girls™ products (all GREAT Mother's Day gifts!) to help support Pearl Girls.

And to all you MOMS out there! Happy Mother's Day!

A Mother's Day Wish by Shellie Rushing Tomlinson

Heads up: Margaret McSweeney deserves a medal, or at least a commendation for giving everyone a much deserved Mother’s Day rest. Okay, y’all can be seated. I’m glad you agree, but you’re supposed to be taking a load off, remember? Oh, and full disclosure—Margaret didn’t know I was going to say that so I hope she leaves it in, and no, I didn’t do it just because I’m ridiculously nostalgic about the theme of her community, although I am. As the Belle of All Things Southern, one who is southern to the bone, I have a thing about pearls.

When I was a teenager, add-a-pearl necklaces were all the rage. They may not be as wildly popular anymore as they were back in the day but I still say they’ll always be a classic concept: a gift of a single pearl on a dainty chain given with the intentions of adding other pearls on important holidays and special occasions. Today, I see add-a-pearls as a beautiful reminder of the accumulated wisdom we learn from our mamas. Oh, sure, we snicker as young girls because not all of their advice strikes us as useful and some of it seems positively fossilized, but hopefully, over time and with the Father’s blessing, we gain enough perspective to see that these mama-isms—the important values and the silly little lagniappe— are all increasing in value with the years. By the way, that’s my Mother’s Day wish for each of you, that we’d each take the time and the responsibility to thread these precious heirlooms into treasures worthy of bequeathing to the next generation. Mother’s Day...

May I be honest? I’m looking ahead to the annual celebration with somewhat mixed emotions. I’m not feeling very Mother of the Year. Instead of cooking dinner for my most deserving mama and enjoying her company, instead of reveling in the love of my husband, kids, and grands, (known as the Baby Czars of All Things Southern), I’ll be on the road, touring with my latest book “Sue Ellen’s Girl Ain’t Fat, She Just Weighs Heavy.” I’ve got Mama’s gift bought, wrapped, and ready to be delivered by my beloved hubby, and my grown kids understand that I didn’t choose the release date, but the facts remain: I won’t be there. (Shameless plugs time, anyone? My daughter blogs at Kitchen Belleicious and is raising funds to build an orphanage in Rwanda at Shelter a Child http://www.shelterachild.com/ and my daughter-in-law celebrates the daily details of getting to know the Holy One at Providence, http://providence-carey.blogspot.com/). I won’t get to enjoy Mama tickling the ivory from the piano bench of Melbourne Baptist Church and I won’t be overdosing on baby sugah. Sigh.

But, then, I mentioned mixed emotions earlier, didn’t I? Well, before some sweet soul cues the violin music, perhaps I should lighten up and come clean on what Mr. Harvey would call “the rest of the story.” It so happens that while the 8th of May will find me miles from home, it’ll also find me in Savannah, Georgia where I’ve secured myself a little reservation at that famous establishment belonging to Mrs. Paula Deen, the Queen of Southern Cooking. Indeed, y’all, I’ll be suffering for Jesus at The Lady and Sons. I know. It’s a dirty job, but someone has to do it.

Regardless of where you spend it, I wish you each a Happy Mother’s Day. I’d love to think that everyone reading my words had a mother like mine, a woman of faith who taught me from childhood of the Risen Savior who saves souls and anchors lives. But, dear reader, if that’s not your past, I hope you know it can be your future. I pray you’ll be the one that begins such a legacy, and that you’ll be moved to start building that heritage today.

I’d love to see y’all on the road somewhere. Watch for me, and I’ll watch for you. I’ll be the one with an empty glass of sweet tea looking, always looking, for a refill.

Hugs,
Shellie

Shellie Rushing Tomlinson, known as the Belle of All Things Southern is a radio host, columnist, author, speaker and founder of the All Things Southern online community, http://www.allthingssouthern.com/. She loves meeting, greeting, laughing and learning with the whole wide world or as many who wander her way. Shellie once dreamed of writing great important things that changed the world, only once she started writing the world grinned and christened her a humorist. Shellie saw this as a problem at first, until she discovered that the laughter softens hearts, builds relationships, and invites her into people’s hurting hearts where she can share her own, which is exactly where she wanted to be all along. Look for Shellie’s latest book, Sue Ellen’s Girl Ain’t Fat, She Just Weighs Heavy wherever fine books are sold.

Love Written in Stone: Finding God's Grace in the Boundaries He Sets by Philip Carlson, MD

2011-05-04T18:45:00.000-05:00

Does God want you to live the Good Life?" A question author Dr. Philip Carlson attempts to answer in his book Love Written in Stone: Finding God's Grace in the Boundaries He Sets.
Truly our hearts, which are designed to be in communion with God, desire to know God in an intimate way. With this knowledge, how is it that we search so ferociously in life for everything but God?
We demand our desires and longings to be met with childish foot stomping and arm crossing. And when they are not met we go elsewhere to have our demands fulfilled. We get lost in sex, drugs, food, shopping, money, over-working, dieting, exercising... replacing God with anything that will take the place of the longing in our hearts.
Yet, in the midst of our demanding requests and self-searching what we really need is never taken into account.

Love: Written in Stone attempts to diagnose this problem.

He writes:

"There must be something out there that will fulfill me, something, some experience, that next purchase, that one thing that will erase the nagging sense of emptiness."
We seem to search and search ourselves for the answer while excluding God from our search.

Continuing... "[return] to the God that made us, establishing our life and hope and identity in Him and His love expressed through the Gospel."

There are four sections that direct the reader in "Guidance for Your Relationship With God, Instructions for Our Relationships With Others, Directions for a Healthier Self, and Insight for Our Relationship with Creation."

Each of these chapters diagnose a specific issue in life and how through God we can live in grace and find meaning in our lives through God's parameters.

Stars 5 out of 5

Bethany House Publisher provided this book for free as a part of their blogger book review.

© 2011 ML Michaels

Adoption, a Mother's Greatest Gift by Tricia Goyer

2011-05-04T16:34:00.000-05:00

Welcome to Pearl Girls™ Mother of Pearl Mother's Day blog series. The series is week long celebration of moms and mothering. Each day will feature a new post by some of today's best writer's (Tricia Goyer, Megan Alexander, Suzanne Woods Fisher, Beth Engelman, Holley Gerth, Shellie Rushing Tomlinson, and more). I hope you'll join us each day for another unique perspective on Mother's Day.

AND ... do enter the contest for a chance to win a beautiful hand crafted pearl necklace. To enter, just {CLICK THIS LINK} and fill out the short form. Contest runs 5/1-5/8 and the winner will on 5/11. Contest is only open to US and Canadian residents.

If you are unfamiliar with Pearl Girls™, please visit http://www.pearlgirls.info/ and see what we're all about. In short, we exist to support the work of charities that help women and children in the US and around the globe. Consider purchasing a copy of Pearl Girls: Encountering Grit, Experiencing Grace or one of the Pearl Girls™ products (all GREAT Mother's Day gifts!) to help support Pearl Girls.

And to all you MOMS out there! Happy Mother's Day!

Adoption, a Mother's Greatest Gift by Tricia Goyer

I held the small baby in my arms, wrapped up in a receiving blanket to keep her warm from the chill of the delivery room, and a voice spoke to me. "Congratulations, Mom."

The congratulations came from an unlikely source--the grandmother of this child, the mother of the sweet birth mother who chose adoption for her baby girl.

To say I was overwhelmed is an understatement. Thankfulness filled my heart--to God who'd answered my prayers and to the birth mom who'd chosen our family for her daughter. I also ached that my joy would be another's heartache. Working with teen moms for ten years, I was often an advocate for the young mother. I knew that while the weeks and months ahead would be a time of celebration for our family, they would be ones of heartache and grieving for this woman.

Adoption is a wonder and the beauty, and the sacrifice of it is never so clear as on Mother's Day. My new daughter is one-years-old now and she huge is a part of my heart. Her life is a gift to my days and her smile can make even the most dreary afternoon bright. I can honestly say there is no difference in the love I feel between her and my three other children. If anything the love feels even more special because she was an unexpected gift. John and I learned about her life just 2 ½ months prior to her being born. The years of prayers to expand our family were answered quickly and beautifully.

The sacrifice of adoption makes my heart ache, for I know on this Mother's Day another woman will be thinking about my daughter—her daughter. As I rejoice, I'll be crying tears for her. I'll also be sending up prayers that God will wrap His arms around her in a special way.

This Mother's Day I cannot help to think about Christ's sacrifice to make our adoption into God's family possible. Maybe it's because just a few weeks ago we were celebrating Easter, but I'm reminded anew that my gain required His loss, His pain. The greatest love, it seems, is not shown with flowers, chocolate or a diamond bracelet. The greatest love is shown when, because of your love for another, your desires and comfort are laid down for the greater good of someone else.

As Ephesians 1:3 says, “How blessed is God! And what a blessing he is! He's the Father of our Master, Jesus Christ, and takes us to the high places of blessing in him. Long before he laid down earth's foundations, he had us in mind, had settled on us as the focus of his love, to be made whole and holy by his love. Long, long ago he decided to adopt us into his family through Jesus Christ. (What pleasure he took in planning this!) He wanted us to enter into the celebration of his lavish gift-giving by the hand of his beloved Son” (The Message).

Perhaps you know an adoptive mother. Take time this Mother's Day to let her know that the beauty of her gift is not missed by you. Also, take time to thank God for adopting you into His forever family, thanking Jesus Christ for His sacrifice. I wouldn't be the mother I am without this Gift of Love.

Tricia Goyer is the author of twenty-six books including Beside Still Waters, The Swiss Courier, and the mommy memoir, Blue Like Play Dough. She won Historical Novel of the Year in 2005 and 2006 from ACFW, and was honored with the Writer of the Year award from Mt. Hermon Writer's Conference in 2003. Tricia's book Life Interrupted was a finalist for the Gold Medallion in 2005. In addition to her novels, Tricia writes non-fiction books and magazine articles for publications like MomSense and Thriving Family. Tricia is a regular speaker at conventions and conferences, and has been a workshop presenter at the MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) International Conventions. She and her family make their home in Little Rock, Arkansas where they are part of the ministry of FamilyLife. http://www.triciagoyer.com/

Thank you soldiers!

2011-05-02T08:44:00.000-05:00

Thank you soldiers from this generation and from the past that have fought for our freedoms!

Please Pray for the Tornado Victims in the South

2011-04-28T09:45:00.001-05:00

Father...

We pray for the families who have lost loved ones in the tornadoes yesterday. Help them as they grieve through this difficult time. Comfort those families who will have to begin to rebuild the brokenness of their lives that have been left by the storm.

Things are not important, but their are needs that have to be met.
Allow them to have their needs met this day. And tomorrow give them one more step toward finding a new way of life.

We ask all this in Jesus Name.

Amen.

© 2011 ML Michaels