From Carol's Quill

THE NARROW ROAD IS WIDE ENOUGH

2012-03-09T06:55:00.001-08:00

“But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.” (Matthew 7:14 NIV)

God made this world so amazing. He filled it with marvelous things and interesting people. Then He placed us here—His precious children—surrounded by the beauty and the people—and the evil.

Paul reminded us that although we live in the world, we should not be of the world:

Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. (Romans 12:2 NIV)

In other words, while we’re spending our earthly lives here, we need to make sure not to let the world corrupt us. It sure is hard sometimes to stay on Jesus’ narrow road that leads to heaven, our true home.

Jesus’ narrow road reminds me of The Wizard of Oz. Dorothy was dropped into a world that was not her home. As beautiful as the flowers were and as delightfully as the colorfully-clad munchkins could sing, she longed to go home. Because there was no other place like it; home was where her heart longed to be.

And so Dorothy set out on a journey, following the yellow brick road. Her yellow brick road was long and winding. And narrow—barely wide enough for her and her three friends. The road was also surprisingly similar to John’s description in Revelation of the streets in heaven—paved as they are in gold.

As Christians, we know that heaven is our eternal home and there is no place like it. During our earthly lives, we long for the heaven that is our heart’s true home. But we struggle to stay on the narrow road that takes us there. We struggle to live a life that honors our savior.

In the end, Dorothy learned she had within her the power to take her home. We, too, have the power within us—the Holy Spirit, coupled with Jesus’ teachings and the Father’s promises. They can keep us on the narrow road that leads to our eternal home.

When I doubt if I can stay the course; when I think the world is set to corrupt me; when I have asked the Holy Spirit to keep me on the narrow road, I start singing. Praise songs usually. But sometimes, the song turns out to be this one from the Wizard of Oz.

You’re out of the woods,

You’re out of the dark,

You’re out of the night.

Step into the sun,

Step into the light

March up to the gate and bid it open, open.

Imagine that at the end of the narrow road—just like in Oz—stands a set of enormous, beautiful gates. Not green gates like in the movie. Pearly ones.

We can refuse to let the world corrupt us if we stay on the narrow road. Because as twisting and narrow as the road is, it leads to eternal life. We can’t stay on the narrow road alone. But, as Christians, we don’t have to. The narrow road is wide enough for two—if one of the two is Jesus.

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, we thank you for your plan and for including us in it. Jesus, we thank you for your words that direct us to the narrow road. Father, we thank you for creating a road in the first place and for calling us to walk on it with Jesus. Holy Spirit, thank you for being our guide and our friend, so that we can walk the road with reassurance that you are there, should we stumble. Help us, oh, Lord. Amen.

WHAT ABOUT YOU? Do you picture walking through life on Jesus' narrow road with him at your side?

Today's post is a reposting from WeUsed2BU.com on the theme of "The Narrow Road."

SAVOR THE LEGACY OF A QUEEN

2012-03-07T02:00:00.009-08:00

Today’s post is part of the Christian Writer’s blog chain. This month, our theme is “Savor.” Please visit my friends’ blogs by clicking on the links in the right-hand column.

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Today Jews around the world celebrate Purim—God’s deliverance of His people through Queen Esther. That tragedy in history began because of the royal advisor Haman’s thirst for power. What Queen Esther did to counter his evil was to be gracious to her husband the King; bringing him relaxation and comfort where he could savor food and drink and find restful moments in her company and beauty.

When that banquet was done; she gave him another. She did not rush through her request. As she encouraged her husband the King to savor his time with her, she showed him that what she would be asking was not something trivial.

The savoring ensured that the King understood its importance. It was important enough to make him think and wait for her request.

I am in the midst of writing a bible study about how God sees his women of faith with lessons learned from Queen Esther. I struggle with my desire to be obedient in writing the book and getting it out into the world. Yet, the book appears to want to be written at a slower pace. Why?

Is it fear that once I finish the writing, I will have to face the tremendous work and anxiety of pursuing publication—agents and publishers and rejections?

Is it a lack of passion for the subject? Although I thought this was a good idea at one time, does my interest no longer compel me forward?

Is it a sense that there’s not enough meat in the subject as I have presented it? That there are not enough lessons to share with others? Or that I’m not the right person to share them?

Or is it that the Holy Spirit leading me in the writing, is taking me at a slower pace—perhaps so I can learn the lessons more fully myself; accept them at a deeper level and thus share them more passionately and without fear—thus overcoming all those other concerns?

No doubt there are more lessons for me to learn. I am meant, not just to read and understand and share. I am meant to savor the reading. I am meant to savor the understanding. And I am meant to savor the sharing.

There is a time element to the word “savor”; not just a depth of effort. We are not meant to rush through life. Nor are we meant to rush through understanding and sharing.

In all things, God has given us this one and only earthly life and He means us to fully live in it. He means us to savor, not just the beauty and wonder; not just the pleasure and joy; but also the work—and even the burdens he places before us. So that by savoring, we can get the most from each moment He has gifted us with.

Today, the Jewish people celebrate the holy day of Purim, God’s deliverance from Haman’s planned destruction. It is a day to praise God for his hand in our lives today.

And for me, it is a day to remember to savor the lessons I can learn from a beautiful queen who lived several thousand of years ago.

PRAYER: Lord, please help us slow down when you want us to savor something important. Help us learn every lesson you want us to learn. Help us to live fully in each moment you give us today. Amen.

WHAT ABOUT YOU? What do you need to savor today?

HEADS UP

2012-03-05T02:00:00.000-08:00

Today’s post is the sixth in a series about putting on the full armor of God.

Ephesians 6:17: Take the helmet of salvation

When he was 16, his motorcycle was barely tapped by a car. The cycle tipped over; his head landing on a curb.

Today he’s a 50-year old man. If only he’d been wearing his helmet, who knows how bright his future might have been?

When we think of the day we leave this earthly life; will we say “If only I’d worn my helmet of salvation”?

The helmet of salvation is the fifth piece of God’s armor Paul tells us to put on. It protects our “right thinking” and helps us take every thought captive, to focus not on earthly desires, but on the things of God.

That’s hard, trying not to look at things that tempt us in the world. There are lots of types of helmets, but when I think of the helmet of salvation, I picture one like this replica from the Crusades [ArmorVenue.com]. The cross of Christ is front and center; bolted in place from the top of our head to the bottom of our chin.

More than that, the only way to see is directly through the center of the Cross; where our vision cannot be distracted. Like blinders for a horse running a race.

We, too, are running a race. That race Paul talks about, running a race of faith with Jesus.

If we wear, not blinders, but a helmet of salvation—focusing fixedly on Jesus’ saving grace and on where he leads us, how much easier will the race be? How less distracted will we be by the people around us; the crowds; the hot dog stands and ice cream vendors?

I, too want to see the world with the focus of Jesus. Through the cross of redemption. My throughts protected. My mind armed with the salvation that comes from Christ.

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, we love you so. Thank you for the protection you give us through your salvation. Please protect our minds and remind us that—whatever comes—we ultimately have salvation through Jesus. Amen.

WHAT ABOUT YOU? Do you wear the salvation of Christ like armor?

DAFFY DOWN DILLIES

2012-03-02T02:00:00.002-08:00

There’s a farm in the foothills of Northern California called Daffodil Hill. Each spring thousands of people drive to the farm, park and stroll through the fields, thrilling in the sight of acres of yellow daffodils dancing happily in the spring breeze.

The daffodil (and its cousins jonquil and narcissus) is the flower for the month of March. And it reminds me of Jesus.

The daffodil grows from a bulb. When the blossoms above ground die, the bulb below goes dormant throughout the fall and winter, returning to blossom again in the springtime. It is one of the first flowers to bloom in spring, signaling the end of the dead season. It is therefore a classic symbol of rebirth, the resurrection of Jesus and our being born again in Him.

The daffodil is also a symbol of friendship. It reminds me of the song: What a friend we have in Jesus. And then it reminds me of one of the last things Jesus said before returning to heaven: that he was leaving the Holy Spirit to be our guide, our counselor and our friend.

The daffodil is also a symbol of domestic happiness. Philippians 3:20 says: But our citizenship is in heaven. Earth is our temporary home. Our true and eternal home is heaven. And when we get there, we’ll have true domestic happiness.

Every spring I think about planting daffodil bulbs. But by the time I’m reminded by seeing the happy yellow blossoms in our neighbor’s yard—it’s too late to plant them. So once again, those delightful yellow blossoms sitting on my counter come fresh from the grocery store. Reminding me of Jesus.

Happy birthday to everyone born in March!

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, thank you for the beauty of springtime and the reminders of rebirth and of our eternal home in heaven. Every time we look at a flower, please remind us that it is a gift from you and a reminder of your glory. Amen.

WHAT ABOUT YOU? Of the daffodil, jonquil and narcissus, which is your favorite?

February Iris and Violet http://fromcarolsquill.blogspot.com/2012/02/irises-violets-focus-on-jesus.html

January Carnations http://fromcarolsquill.blogspot.com/2012/01/bouquets-of-carnations.html

December Poinsettias http://fromcarolsquill.blogspot.com/2011/12/poinsettias-and-promises.html

November Chrysanthemum http://fromcarolsquill.blogspot.com/2011/11/mums-word.html

October Marigold http://fromcarolsquill.blogspot.com/2011/10/marys-gold.html

September Asters and Morning Glories

http://fromcarolsquill.blogspot.com/2011/09/stars-and-glories.html

August Gladiolas and Poppies

http://fromcarolsquill.blogspot.com/2011/08/glads-and-poppies.html

July Larkspurs and Lilies

http://fromcarolsquill.blogspot.com/2011/07/larkspurs-and-lilies.html

June Roses http://fromcarolsquill.blogspot.com/2011/06/like-rose.html

GIVE ME A SECOND

2012-02-29T08:04:00.000-08:00

Today’s post is part of the Christian Writer’s blog chain. This month, our theme is “leap.” Please visit my friends’ blogs by clicking on the links in the right-hand column.

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There’s never enough time.

That simple sentence should be cross-stitched on a pillow. Or at least laminated and posted on the fridge.

It’s an eternal truth.

Well, then, congratulations! Good news! Halleluiah!

This month, we get a whole extra day. An entire 24 hours. A complete set of 1440 minutes.

February 29. Wow. That’s not something we get to see every year. It’s a gift.

How often have you heard someone say that the best gift they’ve ever received is the gift of time spent with someone they love?

This year we get an extra day. A special gift to spend extra time with someone we love.

God’s days are always special. God’s days are always an opportunity to spend time with Him. God is always with us; always waiting for us to turn to Him and say, “There you are.”

To which He responds, “I am.”

Today if you ask someone for help and they say, “Just give me a second,” you go right ahead and smile.

“No problem,” you can say, “today I have a whole 86,400 extra seconds.”

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, thank you for time. Thank you for giving us exactly as much time as you determine we need in this life. Thank you for promising that we have eternal, “forever time” in heaven with you. Please help us make the best use of the time you have given us here on this earth. Help us use it for your good purpose and glory. Amen.

WHAT ABOUT YOU? Any plans for the extra day God gave you this year?

SHIELDS OF FAITH

2012-02-27T02:00:00.003-08:00

Today’s post is the fifth in a series about putting on the full armor of god

In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. (Ephesians 6:16)

I didn’t grasp the fullness of this passage—from a warfare point of view—until I began studying movies set in the ancient world.

Watching The 300 and The Lord of the Rings Trilogy explains what Paul was talking about. The archers didn’t aim at anyone in particular. They lit their arrows, directed them up into the sky and let go. The arrows arched up and headed back down onto the enemy. Fighting from above as well as from the front.

To guard against those arrows from above, ancient soldiers gathered tightly together. They lined up their shields next to each other and over their heads, deflecting the rain of arrows from above.

Knowing the enemy often lit their arrows, soldiers would soak their wooden shields in water before battle. Wet shields meant flaming arrows would be more likely extinguished, doing less damage.

Just so, the Devil attacks us at every possibility, trying to pierce our faith using fire-tipped arrows for even more damage

Paul tells us that one way to protect ourselves is to take up a shield of faith. Psalms 28:7 says that

The LORD is my strength and my shield;

my heart trusts in him, and I am helped.

(Psalms 28:7)

It is faith in the LORD that is our shield. Not faith in our battle plan. Not faith in our own strength. But faith in our Commander in Chief—the Lord himself. He is our shield.

So we arm ourselves against the attack from the evil one by taking up our faith as a shield, knowing that God is on our side. And if God is for us, who can be against us? (Romans 8:31)

Especially if we have soaked our shield in the living water—Jesus Christ.

Just as ancient soldiers worked together to shield each other from flaming arrows, so can Christians work together to battle evil. Just as you might slip under another soldier’s shield if yours is damaged, so too can you rely on another believer’s faith if yours feels temporarily weak.

When we are overcome by arrows from the evil one and feel we cannot even pray; we can ask those people whose faith is strong to lift us up in prayer and to keep praying until we are able to regain a firm grip on our shield and move forward in battle. Soaked in the living water of Christ, which is the Word of God.

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, thank you for your armor which can protect us from the flaming arrows of the Devil. Please help us pick up your shield of faith and soak it deeply in your Word each day before battle. Help us also live in community with other believers so that we are stronger together with you as our Commander in Chief. Amen.

WHAT ABOUT YOU? Have you felt your faith was a shield against the Devil’s attacks? Are you doing individual combat or are you part of the army of God, helping shield others as well as letting their shields of faith protect you?

DON'T WORRY ABOUT THE CRACKERS

2012-02-24T08:48:00.000-08:00

Several years ago, a friend of mine wrote a bedtime story that was illustrated by a talented artist. When my friend first saw the proofs of the book, she was surprised. The illustrator had taken the visual story in a different direction than my friend had envisioned. Specifically, the illustrator showed one of the characters falling asleep on a stack of graham crackers during his bedtime snack.

After stewing over this development and wondering if she should talk to her editor, my friend finally shrugged her shoulders and decided not to worry about it. The book was published and it was delightful.

That incident reminded me of life. What a blessing if we are able to fall asleep on a stack of graham crackers. They’re sweet, delicious and nourishing. That’s not something to worry about. It’s something to be thankful for.

Am I thankful for the crackers in my life?

Or am I worried that eating those crackers will fill my bed with crumbs and make me itchy and uncomfortable?

Jesus didn’t feed the multitude with crackers. He gave them bread. But crackers are the same food category. If Jesus asked us to remember Him every time we eat bread, I can do the same thing every time I nibble crackers, too.

And I might as well remember him when I’m munching on cookies, French bread and waffles.

Nope, I won’t worry about the crackers. I’ll be thankful for them.

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, thank you for the crackers in our lives. Thank you especially for your body, broken for us. Help us remember your sacrifice each time we have bread, communion wafers or even sweet, crumbly graham crackers. Amen.

WHAT ABOUT YOU? What crackers in your life should you be grateful for?

This is a reposting from More From Ruby an offshoot of Ruby for Women ezine.

LEAP TO THE END

2012-02-22T04:00:00.000-08:00

Today’s post is part of the Christian Writer’s blog chain. This month, our theme is “leap.” Please visit my friends’ blogs by clicking on the links in the right-hand column.

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Are you one of those folks who jump to the end of the book? Read the last chapter first? Try to take all the fun out of the journey?

Tsk. Tsk.

Books—fiction books at least—are meant to be read from the front cover to the back. In that order. The writer, after all, has spent many sweat-filled years, creating a story that leads you from scene to scene, character to character, plot twist to plot twist to give you the satisfying ending he designed.

So to you book jumpers, I say again, “tsk, tsk.”

But that’s for fiction.

You can sometimes get away with chapter jumping when reading non-fiction books. Non-fiction. That’s the real life stuff. The books filled with facts and history and truth.

Sometimes the author intends to lead you chapter-by-chapter to one ultimate truthful conclusion.

But sometimes each chapter can stand by itself.

Chapter 1: here’s something you need to know.

Chapter 27: If you want this, then…

Chapter 42: Here are 39 ways to…

Chapter 3: Don’t forget to…

With those books, each truth—each chapter—can stand alone. And each can stand as part of the whole.

Go ahead and jump to the end of those books. No tsk-ing required.

So it is with the Bible.

The Bible is our eternal non-fiction reference guide. Yet, it is written by the Master Author—with scenes in history, character development, plot twists and the ultimate ending that explains everything that came before the final chapter. And everything that comes after it.

Chapter 1: Here’s something you need to know. In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

Chapter 17: If you want this, then…follow Jesus.

Chapter 42: Here are 39 ways to…live like Jesus.

Chapter 3: Don’t forget to…obey God.

Conclusion, final chapter, Book of Revelation: God wins. So do we.

Go ahead and jump to the end of the book. In fact, LEAP to the end. It’s all good. It’s all very good. That’s why it’s called “The Good Book.”

Today—Ash Wednesday—begins the season of Lent. Lent is the 40 days prior to Easter, when Christ was resurrected. It is a time for reflection and penitence. And thanksgiving for God’s gift of salvation. Go ahead and leap for joy!

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, thank you for the greatest book ever written. Thank you for writing it in such a way that it can lead us through life, step-by-step to a final conclusion. Or it can be read book-by-book as a daily reference guide. Reveal your truth to us each time we open it. Amen.

WHAT ABOUT YOU? When you read fiction, do I need to tsk-tsk you?

STANDING FIRM

2012-02-20T04:00:00.000-08:00

Today’s post is the fourth in a series about putting on the full armor of God (Ephesians 6:14).

Stand firm then…with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.

Roman warriors didn’t wear boots. Rather, they wore studded sandals like these replicas and then protected their lower legs with metal or leather greaves. Later, soldiers adopted boots as part of their armor.

Most Bible versions don’t mention a type of footwear in Ephesians. But many people refer to this portion of God’s armor as the “shoes of peace” or the “boots of peace.”

Stand firm then…

Paul reminds us that when we put on the armor of God, we are to stand. Not lounge comfortably, wearing our fuzzy slippers. We are to stand.

You gals who have taken a step onto ice, wearing 4” heels know the peril of simply standing. You guys wearing new dress shoes and stepping onto wet linoleum know the peril of simply standing. It’s hard to stand firm if you’re wearing the wrong shoes.

…with your feet fitted

We’ll be able to stand and move better if our footwear fits. Without proper fitting shoes, our feet blister. Too small and we limp. Too big and we trip.

Just like our faith. Too little and we limp along. Too much of ourselves thinking we know it all and we're likely to trip.

Without securing our properly-fitting shoes, we are not ready to stand. Much less are we ready to go where He sends us.

…with the readiness

God can do all things in heaven and on earth. But lots of times, He uses us to get things done. With the Holy Spirit living in us, God is right there directing our actions. We can be God’s hands and feet in this world, accomplishing His purpose; fulfilling His plans.

If we are to be His feet, then, we should be ready to go where He sends us. Part of being ready is putting on our boots. Boots that are fitted to our feet with readiness.

…that comes from the gospel of peace.

Paul reminds us that we are to wear the “boots of peace.” Jesus is the Prince of Peace.” Therefore we should live a life like Jesus did.

But Jesus wasn’t always peaceful. He stood up for what was right and was ready—whip in hand—to make other people pay attention.

The United Nations sends out soldiers and calls them a “Peacekeeping Force.” Our police are referred to as “Officers of the Peace.” Sometimes peace is something we have to fight for. Or march toward. Or stand up for. All that peacekeeping requires us to put on the boots of peace, fitted for us by God.

And in addition to being peace keepers,we are also to be peace makers. One of Jesus’ beatitudes was: Blessed are the peace makers for they shall be called Sons of God. As a child of God, I like that.

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One day, we get to slide into them golden slippers and walk all over God’s heaven.

Now those are boots of peace!

Meanwhile, wearing our boots of readiness from the gospel, we can first stand firm and then run Paul’s race with Jesus.

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, please put your armor on us. Please fit our feet with the gospel of peace so that we can stand firm and be ready to go where you send us, protected by your armor. Amen.

WHAT ABOUT YOU? Did your mamma wear combat boots? Do you?

MORE PRAYING NAMES

2012-02-17T04:00:00.000-08:00

Every month I create prayers based on the names of people we love. This ongoing list of names and prayers can be found at the top of this blog, on the tab titled, “PRAYING NAMES.”

If you would like me to create a prayer based on a specific name, please leave a comment below. I’ll research the name and include it in a future month.

Duane, Dwayne: wagon maker

Heavenly Father, I pray that Duane will live the meaning of his name. I pray that he will be a source of encouragement to others; carrying them forward through difficulties, easing their burdens and helping them journey through life. Amen.

Nancy: grace

Heavenly Father, I pray that Nancy will live the meaning of her name. I pray that she will accept and celebrate the grace you have freely offered her. I pray that she will then share your grace others and be a living of grace in this world. Amen.

Roger: renowned spearman

Heavenly Father, I pray that Roger will live the meaning of his name. I pray that he will be known far and wide as one of your righteous warriors. I pray that he will be a leader in your army, fighting evil and pushing forward to win souls for your good purpose. Amen.

Samantha: listener of God

Heavenly Father, I pray that Samantha will live her name. I pray that in all things she will listen to you. I pray that she will seek you first whenever she needs wisdom, decision making, encouragement, counsel and peace. I pray then that she will hear your words and share then with the world so that others can hear you, too. Amen.

LEAPS AND BOUNDS

2012-02-15T04:00:00.000-08:00

Today’s post is part of the Christian Writer’s blog chain. This month, our theme is “leap.” Please visit my friends’ blogs by clicking on the links in the right-hand column.

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One of my personal goals for 2012 is to return to trading the stock market. After more than a year on the sidelines.

I was doin’ hecka good as long as the market was going up. We all were.

But sometimes it goes down. That’s when I nibble my nails and hold my breath.

What does this have to do with the February Christian Writers’ theme of “leap”? One of the options strategies I like is LEAPS—

Long-term Equity Antici-Pation Securities.

Whoever named the strategy didn’t follow the rules of “proper acronym creation.” But that aside, the strategy is this:

You buy an option that won’t expire for over a year. Then you sell shorter-term options against that long-term option, month after month after month. Or you simply exercise your option to buy the stock at that (by then discounted) price when it makes sense to do so.

Some options trading strategies are less risky. LEAPS is one of those. “Conservative” even.

I like that. A lot.

God has given us people, things, and blessings and the responsibility to take care of them. The difficulty in finances for me is to not dig a hole and stuff it in the ground. When you do that, you don’t get a nametag that says, “Good and faithful servant.”

Rather, you’ve gotta dig the talents out of the ground. Be a good steward—not only by not spend, spend, spending; but also by making money work so it can grow and flourish.

There's a point somewhere in between burying finances in the ground and tossing it into the wind. The task is to find that point. The point might just be reached by a cautious, tiptoeing in LEAPS.

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, thank you for allowing us to be stewards of your world and everything in it. Please help us be good stewards and let it be for your glory. Amen.

WHAT ABOUT YOU? Are you a bronco-riding cowboy when it comes to finances? Are you a slow and steady plodding turtle? Or something in between?

WEARING RIGHTEOUSNESS

2012-02-13T06:54:00.000-08:00

This is the third in a series about putting on the armor of God.

Ephesians 6:14 ...with the breastplate of righteousness in place

One of the best scenes in the movie, A Knight’s Tale is when the lady blacksmith creates a set of sturdy, lightweight armor for Heath Ledger. While all the other knights are struggling to heave themselves up on their horses—aided by a multitude of strong servants—our hero simply steps up, swings his leg over the saddle and he’s ready for battle.

But A Knight’s Tale was fiction. In reality, battle armor was heavy and bulky. I can’t imagine wearing the kind of heavy bulky armor the ancient warriors and knights had to wear. Still, if I had to go into battle, no matter how heavy and bulky it was, I’m sure I would prefer the weight and discomfort of armor in order to protect my vital organs.

We talk about our hearts as the source of life. And surely, our heart is one of our most vital organs. If our heart is pierced, we’re gonna die.

If our heart is pierced spiritually, our faith is in jeapardy. A breastplate of armor protected warriors’ hearts. God’s breastplate of righteousness protects our hearts spiritually.

The point of a breastplate is protection; not comfort. The point of righteousness is not comfort either. Let’s face it: being righteous in an unrighteousness world is very uncomfortable. But it is the way God wants us to live. And living a righteous life—being obedient to God, faithful to Him, focused on Him—protects our spiritual heart.

If the heaviness of the breastplate of righteousness feels like a burden, we can remember that Jesus told us that his burden is light and Paul followed up, reminding us that we can do all things through Christ, who strengthens us.

Not only does Jesus help carry our burden; he makes us stronger.

Jesus himself is righteousness. If we wear Jesus’ righteousness as a breastplate, it will be comfortable anyway because it is light. And, yoked to him, he will help us carry it--stronger as we are through him.

Tomorrow we celebrate St. Valentine’s Day. It reminds us that hearts are a symbol of love as well as a symbol of life. So much better if they are a symbol of God’s love for us and ours for Him.

That’s worth protecting; worth wearing God’s breastplate of righteousness. Ask God to put it on you. The burden is light.

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, please protect our hearts. Please put your breastplate of righteous on us. Protect us with your righteousness and make the burden light as we allow Jesus to strengthen us and help us carry it into whatever spiritual battle may come our way. Amen.

WHAT ABOUT YOU? How will God’s breastplate of righteousness protect you today?

IRRESISTIBLY SWEET BLOG AWARD

2012-02-10T04:00:00.000-08:00

Awarded by Linda Yezak

Thank you, Linda Yezak for this award. Your kind words of encouragement sent me soaring!

Linda and I met online over at ChristianWriters.com. Coincidently a girlfriend in my Christian book club contacted her about her newly released book, Give the Lady a Ride, which we then read as one of our monthly selections. It’s been a privilege to get to know Linda online. Go to her blog and get to know her yourself.

It’s my pleasure to pass this award on to five deserving people.

Kathleen Tucker – Nearly one whole year ago, dear Kathleen told me to stop moaning about starting a blog and…start one! This week, she started her own. Her very first post went up Wednesday evening. Her travel consulting blog will be delightful because Kathleen is delightful. Her "Tucker Travel" "Tucker Travel."

Janet Ann Collins – Janet recently presented me with the Liebster Award and it’s my privilege to return the favor. I love Janet’s heart for others; particularly her heart for children with special needs and the adults who love them. "OnWords"

Sandra Lee – Sandy has just come on board at the Christian Writers forum, joining our blog chain with enthusiasm. She’s been blogging since 2010, but it looks like she’s now charging up full steam ahead. I hope this recognition will encourage her to use her blog to encourage many others in Jesus’ name. "TheEveryDayChristian"

Victor Travison – Why am I awarding a manly guy with an “irresistibly sweet” blog award? Because I love his blog. It’s about the genre of science fiction and how Victor (not his real name) sees Jesus in the characters, plots, scenes and the genre he loves. I, too, am all about seeing Jesus everywhere. And since I, too, love science fiction, Victor’s blog is irresistibly sweet to me. "Lightwalker Files"

Adam Collings – Here’s another guy who gets this sweet reward. The first thing you notice when you go to Adam’s site are the photos of he and his wife and kids. A godly man who loves his family is irresistibly sweet in my opinion. And his blogs are filled with glimpses of Jesus, too. How much sweeter can you get? "The Collings Zone"

Now, as required, here are seven things you don’t know about me.

I used to tell hubby not to spend money on roses. Then he discovered Costco. Bring ‘em on home, honey.

I didn’t like dogs until Mollie came to live with us. Her breed? If there’s a sweet-but-goofy breed, she’s a pedigree!

I’m almost 59. I know—hard to believe, right? OK, I said it. I’m OLD.

I wanted to be an architect when I grew up. Then I grew up and became an architect. Well, not officially. Hubby and I designed and built homes for seven years. Been there, done that. Next childhood dream? Writing.

I’m terrified of swimming in large bodies of water. Like the ocean. Lakes. Kiddie pools. What’s that coming out of the drain?

My favorite thing to do is sleep. My second favorite thing to do is lie down and rest. Sometimes it leads to my first favorite thing.

My dreams tell me if I’m overwhelmed (I’m packing my suitcase as the plane is leaving); worried (My final exam is starting and I can’t find the classroom); happy (I take a step and Grande Jete over the treetops). Sometimes God gives me nudges in my dreams, too—what I should be working on in my heart; people I should pray for; new writing projects.

~ * ~ * ~ ~ * ~

Thanks again to Linda Yezak for the “Irresistibly Sweet” blog award. Congratulations to the next set of winners. Please check out their blogs and learn seven things about them you never knew!

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, thank you for placing people in our lives who encourage us. Please show us ways to use that encouragement for your glory. And show us ways to encourage others in your name. Amen.

WHAT ABOUT YOU? How can you encourage someone today?

SUPER MAN; SUPER GOD

2012-02-08T04:00:00.000-08:00

Today’s post is part of the Christian Writer’s blog chain. This month, our theme is “leap.” Please visit my friends’ blogs by clicking on the links in the right-hand column.

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"Able to leap tall buildings in a single bound."

Matthew 4 tells us that after the devil led Jesus into the wilderness, he then took Jesus to the holy city where they perched on the highest point of the temple.

“If you are the Son of God,” said the devil, “throw yourself down. For it is written:

“‘He will command his angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’”

Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’”

Jesus was fully man and fully God. But better. Super Man and Super God. In fact, as fully God, Jesus could not only have thrown himself down from the tallest building in the holy city, he could have leapt over it.

As Super Man, Jesus wore some pretty big sandals. John the Baptist knew that, when he said, he wasn’t worthy to even untie Jesus’ sandals.

We certainly can’t fill Jesus’ shoes. But we can follow in his footsteps and we can walk alongside him.

The problem is: big shoes mean big footsteps. So sometimes we have to jog to keep up. Or run really hard. Sometimes we have to leap from one big footstep to another.

Other times, Jesus has to stop and wait for us to catch up.

Jesus is able to leap tall buildings in a single bound. And he’s always ready to take us with him. Ready to hold us up, should we fall. Ready to cradle us when we do.

I have several sayings that apply to my walk with Jesus. They vary depending on life’s circumstances. But they all remind me of who Jesus is. And who I am in him.

Hand in hand with Jesus.
Clutching Jesus’ hand.
Holding on to Jesus—for dear life.
Dancing with my savior.

In the final analysis, as much as I hold, clutch, grip or dance—it’s not up to the strength of my grip. Jesus has a hold on me. And he doesn’t let go.

PRAYER: Thank you Jesus for becoming human for our sake. Thank you for your example of living. Thank you for being Super Man and Super God. Help us hold more tightly and remind us that when you leap, we won’t slip. Amen.

WHAT ABOUT YOU? Do you have a cliché that you apply to your walk with Jesus?

BUCKLE UP

2012-02-06T07:54:00.000-08:00

Today’s post is the second in a series about putting on the full armor of God.

Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist ( Ephesians 6:14)

I’ve reached that point in life, when the clothes I love best are baggy shirts and elastic waist pants. I swore I’d never wear elastic waist pants. But that was when I was younger and thinner.

One of the things that’s so great about elastic pants is that your pants stay up all by themselves. You might have to tug and readjust, but you never have to worry that they will end up down—when you get up. No need for a pesky, uncomfortable belt.

Back in bible days, folks didn’t wear pants. They wore tunics—giant sheet sorts of things. Then to keep the big mass of fabric out of the way, so they could move and work, they wore belts. Sometimes those belts held tools. Sometimes weapons.

In Ephesians, Paul encourages us to put on the full armor of God. And the very first piece of the armor he mentions is God’s belt of truth.

Other, more scholarly writers will point to God’s Commandment # 9 “Thou shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.” (Deuteronomy 5:20) They’ll point out that, living a Christ-like life means living truth; abhorring lies.

Let’s take that as a given. We shouldn’t lie. Looking further, Paul gives us four instructions here in Ephesians 6:14:

Stand firm. Don’t worry that your pants will fall down or that everything will get in the way. With Jesus, we have confidence.
Buckle it. Don’t just hold truth against your body; don’t tie it with a slip knot. Buckle it. Make it secure.
It’s a belt of truth. A belt of truth keeps the big mass of lies out of the way, enabling a person to move and work. And truth is a weapon that can be used to fight the evil one’s lies.
Wear it around your waist. Don’t just attatch it to your pinky where it could slip off. Rather, buckle it around your waist. Attach the very center of you—to Jesus.

Most importantly: the truth IS Jesus. Jesus is the truth, the way and the life. What better way for God to protect us—to arm us—than if we wear Jesus?

Remember the 1960’s TV jingle? Buckle up for safety. Everybody buckle up.

Seatbelts used to be annoying. Inconvenient. Uncomfortable. But after 50 years of wearing seatbelts, they are no longer a big deal. Now I buckle up even when I drive from one end of the shopping center to the other. The fact that I drive is another matter entirely…The point is that I buckle up.

I’ll probably wear elastic waist pants the rest of my life. But that doesn’t mean I don’t need God’s belt of truth buckled securely around my waist. A belt of truth might feel annoying sometimes. Or inconvenient. Or uncomfortable. But it will keep me secure.

And—just like a seatbelt—I’ll get used to it. Hopefully, I'll get so used to it that I will feel uncomfortable WITHOUT it.

Everybody buckle up!

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, please protect us by helping us into your armor. Help us today buckle the belt of truth—Jesus—securely around us and those we love. Amen.

WHAT ABOUT YOU? What does the belt of truth mean to you?

IRISES & VIOLETS: FOCUS ON JESUS

2012-02-03T04:00:00.000-08:00

Every month has a birth stone. The birthstone for February is the amethist.

Every month also has a birth flower, sometimes two. The birth flowers for February are the iris and the violet. And they both remind me of Jesus.

The iris is the main February flower. Its stalks are tall and sturdy; its flowers large and showy.

Although we generally think of irises as purple, they come in all colors. In fact, the name “iris” comes from the Latin word for rainbow.

God’s promise to mankind is represented visually in the sky every time we see a rainbow. The rainbow reminds us—and Him—of His everlasting love for us. And of God’s love ultimately made incarnate through Jesus.

The leaves of the iris remind me of Jesus, too. They are sword shaped. The sword of God—according to Ephesians 6—is the Word of God. The Word of God, explained in John 1:14 is Jesus himself.

The word “iris” also refers to the part of our eye that helps focus our vision. It is the eyeball muscle, the thing that expands and constricts to control the size of our pupil.

Jesus recognized the relationship between seeing physically and seeing spiritually, when he asked the disciples: “Do you have eyes but fail to see, and ears but fail to hear?” (Mark 8:17-18)

The iris flower then is a reminder to see through Jesus’ eyes. To look where he points. To focus on Him.

Violets are the secondary birth flower for February. The small, soft blossoms and velvety leaves remind us that humility, humbleness and gentleness are precious to God.

Its name reflects the color most common to violets. Purple. The color of royalty. The color of King Jesus.

Both the iris and the violet represent faith and hope. More than anything, this reminds us that the basis for our hope of heaven is our faith in Jesus.

Happy birthday to everyone born in February.

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, thank you for showing us your glory in the beauty of the world you created. Help us to see you in everything around us. Help us to look for you and to be reminded of your character. And then to praise you for it. Amen.

WHAT ABOUT YOU? Who do you know with a February birthday? Would they enjoy this post—like a bouquet from Jesus?

January Carnations

December Poinsettias

November Chrysanthemum

October Marigold

September Asters and Morning Glories

August Gladiolas and Poppies

July Larkspurs and Lilies

June Roses

LEAPING FORWARD

2012-02-01T11:29:00.000-08:00

Today’s post is part of the Christian Writer’s blog chain. This month, our theme is “leap.” Please visit my friends’ blogs by clicking on the links in the right-hand column.

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Welcome to February.

Wait a minute. What happened to January? Did I blink? One whole month of this brand-new year is already gone.

Did I accomplish what I intended? Did I accomplish more things or better things than I hoped? Or not as much?

I thought I was slowly and steadily plodding along. But evidently, I took a step and leaped from January first right through to the next month on our calendar. <sigh>

If time flies when you’re having fun, I just had a terrific January.

With time flying like it is, I’m feeling grateful that we get an extra day this month. February 29. Nice.

Happy February, folks. Happy Leap Year.

PRAYER: Holy God, I praise you and thank you for using me last month and for the work you’ve done in me. Please help me release the grip I have on my life so I can follow your leading with more conviction in February. Let this leap month be a leap of faith for me, following in your footsteps and with my hand in yours. Amen.

WHAT ABOUT YOU? Was January a good month for you and your relationship with God?

THE PERFECT FIT

2012-01-30T08:42:00.000-08:00

Before King David was King, he was just a kid. A banjo-playing shepherd. Even on that day when he went to check on his brothers at the front and ended up fighting big, bad Goliath.

No problem for David. He had a pocket full of pebbles and a sling shot.

But that wasn’t all he had.

1 Samuel 17:12 gives us the details. King Saul helped prepare David for the battle with Goliath. Saul put his own armor on David and even added a bronze helmet. Bronze, the metal; not bronze the color.

Wearing the King’s armor meant David was better armed than the rest of Saul’s army. When he was armored up, David fastened on a sword.

But then David tried to walk around. “I can’t go like this,” said David. “I’m not used to these.”

Then he took King Saul’s armor off, trotted onto the battlefield and killed Goliath.

King Saul’s armor might have been fine for another person. But not for David. It didn’t fit; not because it was too big for him. It didn’t fit because King Saul’s armor was man made.

And because David was already wearing armor.

He was wearing the armor of God.

We don’t hear about the armor of God until 1000 years later when Paul explains it in Ephesians 6:10-17

¹⁰ Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. ¹¹ Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. ¹² For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. ¹³ Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. ¹⁴ Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, ¹⁵ and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. ¹⁶ In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. ¹⁷ Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

This post begins a series about the armor of God; the armor we should be wearing—underneath everything else. Our kevlar underwear. War togs to protect the army of Christ. The super special, best of all armor made for the King. By the King.

King Jesus.

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, thank you for your protection. Help us grab hold of your armor and the protection you offer us against the Goliaths of evil in this life. Speak to our hearts about what Paul meant and help us apply these scriptures daily. Amen.

WHAT ABOUT YOU? Will you think about Ephesians over the next few weeks with me?

LIEBSTER BLOG AWARD

2012-01-27T04:00:00.000-08:00

My children's writing colleague, Janet Collins has awarded me the coveted Liebster Blog Award (for blogs with under 200 members). Thank you, Janet!

Janet can be found at JanetAnnCollins.blogspot.com where she encourages children's writers and adults who cherish children with special needs.

I hereby pass this award on to five other writers who have terrific and encouraging blogs. Please visit them often.

Pegg Thomas @ TheSheepishScribe.blogspot.com

Deborah K. Anderson @

Faith, Fiction, and Unvarnished Truth

Pauline Creedon @ HosannasChristianReader

Terrie Thorpe @ 4EverHisChild

Samuel R. Choy @ samuelrchoy.com

QUESTING WITH G.P.S.

2012-01-25T04:00:00.000-08:00

Today’s post is part of the Christian Writer’s blog chain. This month, our theme is “Quest.” Please visit my friends’ blogs by clicking on the links in the right-hand column.

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I was thinking about the theme—quest—when my word-play brain took over and I thought about the word “question.”

Both quest and question have the same root “quaerere” to ask/seek (Middle English). The word “question” is “quest” + “tion.”

The suffix “tion” turns a verb into a noun. Question: the seeking (of an answer).

A quest involves a seeking; a planned, methodical searching. It can be an exciting adventure, too. But it is never helter-skelter or meandering.

It might involve flying by the seat of your pants though. That’s okay as long as your pants have a directional locator set to a trusted GPS.

In the quest to know God, our trusted GPS is God’s Perfect Scripture. It teaches us about the character of God. It shows us examples of right (and wrong) living. It shares wisdom and hope; unity and peace; love and faith.

Scripture is our ultimate travel itinerary in our quest to know God; our cheat sheet to help us answer the question of our quest: who am I in God? God loves questions; questions that help us in our quest to know and love Him more.

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, thank you for providing us with a GPS for our quest to know you. Please show us more of your glory today so that we will worship you more. Amen.

WHAT ABOUT YOU? How do you use your GPS (God’s Perfect Scripture)? Are you a start-at-Genesis quest-er? A daily devotional quest-er? A book-by-book studious quest-er?

SMARTER PERSONAL GOALS

2012-01-23T06:34:00.000-08:00

It's still January and still early enough to set goals for things we'd like to focus on in 2012.

Over the last 2 weeks I've shared my spiritual goals and my writing goals in the form of SMARTER GOALS. Keeping things simple, here are my personal goals in list form.

Please share yours...

FINANCIAL: return to working the stock market; pursue new business venture “Your Classy Bash.”

HEALTH: outlaw as much white food as possible; better meal planning. Continue regular exercise but “up the ante.”

OUTLOOK: Be a ruby (Proverbs 30:10 “a noble wife…is worth far more than rubies”) in all areas of life.

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, help us do the things we should do but haven’t been. Help us do better the things we have not done well. Help us do all things for your glory and according to your purpose. Amen.

WHAT ABOUT YOU? Do you have any personal goals you’re working on this year?

MORE PRAYING NAMES

2012-01-20T04:00:00.000-08:00

Every month I create prayers based on the names of people we love. This ongoing list of names and prayers can be found at the top of this blog, on the tab titled, “PRAYING NAMES.”

If you would like me to create a prayer based on a specific name, please leave a comment below. I’ll research the name and include it in a future month.

Donald, Don: world leader; dark stranger

Heavenly Father, I pray that Donald will live his name. I pray that he will be a leader in YOUR world; reflecting your light and holiness to others; illuminating the darkness and bringing others into your family so that they are no longer strangers to you. Amen.

Erma, Irma: complete; war goddess

Heavenly Father, I pray that Erma will live her name. I pray that she will find completeness in you. I pray that you will use her life to fight evil in this world to your ultimate glory and honor. Amen.

Sebastien, Sebastian: revered

Heavenly Father, I pray that Sebastien will live his name. I pray that he will understand his own worth to you and to others. I pray that he will especially understand the reverence owed to you. I pray that in all things, he will revere you above all else in his life. Amen.

Shirley: bright wood; bright meadow

Heavenly Father, I pray that Shirley will live her name. I pray that she will be a bright and restful spot to others in an otherwise dark and secluded world. I pray that her light will come from you as she reflects your light of life to the world. Amen.

GAMING QUEST

2012-01-18T06:08:00.000-08:00

Today’s post is part of the Christian Writer’s blog chain. This month, our theme is “Quest.” Please visit my friends’ blogs by clicking on the links in the right-hand column.

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Do you speak gamer language?

1337-speak (pronounced “leet” speak) uses numerals to stand for the letters they resemble visually. E.g.:

the numeral 1 = the letter L

the numeral 3 = the letter E

the numeral 7 = the letter T

1337 = LEET

Keyboard shortcut talk: We all know LOL (laughing out loud). How about ROFL (rolling on floor laughing); TY/NP (Thank you/no problem); AFK (away from keyboard)?

Catch phrases: On birthdays, our son reminds us (from the game Portal) that "The cake is a lie," meaning that a promised reward is merely a fictitious motivator.

So when I was thinking about the theme of quest, I was delighted to find this definition in computer gaming: a quest is an objective to be achieved. But this objective comes with a caution: "Strange things will happen if you perform quests out of sequence."

That reminds me of Jesus.

The Bible is filled with scripture prophesying Jesus’ life. A few of the many include:

Proverbs 30:4

Isaiah 6:9-10; 7:14; 9: 5-7

Hosea 11:1

Jeremiah 23:5-6

Psalms 22:18; 78:2 89:3-4; 110:1; 110:4

2 Samuel 7:12-16

Micah 5:1

Zechariah 9:9; 11:12-13

Haggai 2:7-9

What if Jesus had come out of sequence?

What if Jesus had come to save all mankind for all time right before God wiped out humanity with the flood and started over? That would have been out of sequence. It would have been strange.

What if Jesus had come to earth before the Old Testament Hebrews received the law? What if he had come before all those cumbersome obligations of legalism had weighed the Jews down? The “Good News” wouldn’t have been as “good” as it is.

That would have been strange.

Nor did Jesus come to earth as a rhinoceros. That would have been really strange.

Instead, Jesus came at the proper time, in the proper sequence, and in the proper way for God’s ultimate plan and glory.

On our own, we can’t just go from birth to death to heaven. That’s out of sequence.

Part of the journey God means for us to participate in during this earthly game—our quest—is to find Jesus. To accept Jesus’ gift of salvation. To believe. To grow in our faith. To live our faith.

We need to perform that quest in sequence. Otherwise, we will understand the painful gaming truth: the cake (the belief that we go to heaven as long as we’re good people) is a lie.

There is only one truth worthy of our quest. Jesus. He is the truth, and the way and the life.

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, thank you for your truth in Jesus. Help us in our quest to find you, to grow our faith and to live our faith. Amen.

WHAT ABOUT YOU? Do you find Jesus’ teachings where you least expect them?

SMARTER WRITING GOALS

2012-01-16T06:58:00.000-08:00

As promised, here are my writing goals for 2012. I have turned each one into a SMARTER GOAL, but to make things simple, here they are in list form.

Book Writing: Finish first revision of I Am Esther by June; query print magazines to build genre platform

Online Platform: Add website content, blog 3 times a week; write for online magazines; actively look for other platform ideas

Speaking: Pursue SpeakingOfKidsBooks.com forum

Other: Help edit Pastor’s book, attend Spring SCBWI conference

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, we want to be used by you. Help us be your hands and feet this year by using the gifts you’ve given to us. Let it be for your glory. Amen.

WHAT ABOUT YOU? Are you a writer? What do you want to accomplish in 2012?

FRIDAY THE 13TH: TODAY IS YOUR LUCKY DAY

2012-01-13T07:30:00.000-08:00

Happy Friday the 13^th. There’ll be three Friday the thirteenths this year: today, April 13 and July 13. Coincidentally, all of them are 13 weeks apart from each other.

Some people think Friday the 13^th is an unlucky day.

But Friday the 13^th reminds me of Jesus.

Why would people think this date is unlucky in the first place? There are different ideas about where the superstition came from.

NUMEROLOGY OF 13

The number 12 is thought of as a number of completeness. There were 12 tribes of Israel, 12 disciples of Jesus, 12 months in a year, 12 hours on a clock. The number 13—one more than the complete number—was too many, irregular, infringing on proper laws of the universe. Therefore it was unlucky.

Also:

There were usually 13 steps up to gallows
There are 12 witches in a coven plus Satan

OK, those are bad.

Norse mythology believes that when thirteen people are seated together at a table, one of the diners will die. That myth-based superstition was strengthened biblically. In the case of Jesus’ Last Supper, not just one—but two of the 13 diners (Jesus and Judas) died.

WHY FRIDAY?

Biblically, several other bad things are believed to have occurred on Friday. These are based on Christian “tradition” (long-held ideas) rather than scripture but here they are to shed light on where Friday superstitions might have come from. It’s believed that on Friday:

Eve gave Adam the forbidden fruit
God expelled Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden
The Great Flood began on Friday
God struck down the Tower of Babel
The temple of Solomon was destroyed

THE GOOD NEWS

Jesus was crucified on Friday. We know that from historical records. Yes, that was horrible. No question about it. It was a horrible, horrible way for our Lord to die.

But if Jesus hadn’t been crucified, hadn’t died as our blood sacrifice to cover our sins, then none of us would have the chance to spend eternity in heaven with him.

And that’s a very good thing.

We can never do anything on our own to earn entry into heaven. But Jesus did it for us; by dying on a Friday.

That makes Friday a very lucky day for us.

+++

Thirteen people seated at the Last Supper? Mythology says at least one of them had to die. Praise God one of them was Jesus.

I’ll be thinking about the number 13 and Fridays today and how they remind me of Jesus.

Today—and every day since Jesus died—is our lucky day!

PRAYER: Thank you, Jesus for dying for my sake. Please remind me every day that because of your sacrifice, every day—even Friday the 13^th—is our lucky day. Amen.

WHAT ABOUT YOU? Are you superstitious? About what? Why?

CALL ME JONNY

2012-01-11T04:00:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite cartoons growing up was The Adventures of Jonny Quest. It was about a boy who accompanied his scientific genius father on extraordinary adventures. Along for the ride were brawny Roger Bannon, Jonny’s friend Hadji and dog, Bandit. Together they used science and muscle power to solve mysteries and stop evil.

That reminds me of Jesus.

What if we lived our lives as if we were on a spiritual, Jonny Quest adventure? Together. As a team.

You and I would be Jonny.
Abba Father would be Dad.
Bannon, the bodyguard, would be Jesus.
Mystical Hadji would be the Holy Spirit.

Plus Bandit. Because dogs are good to have on any adventure!

Together we would team up to thwart evil and solve the mysteries of our spiritual life.

In fact, as we quest through this world, we should always do so as part of God’s team; always seeking His leading; always following His guidance; always joining Him to fight evil.

And always seeing God’s plan as the extraordinary adventure it is.

Whatever our quest, wherever God leads us, let us embark upon God’s extraordinary adventure with excited expectation.

Here’s a prayer I have posted in the place of highest honor in our house (the fridge). I read it daily. Pray with me.

PRAYER: Dear God, please turn my fear into excited expectation for what you have planned. Amen.

WHAT ABOUT YOU? Have you had a chance to turn your fear of the unknown into excited expectation, by trusting in God’s leading?

For more about the cartoon series The Adventures of Jonny Quest, go to: http://www.tv.com/shows/jonny-quest/

www.imdb.com indicates that a live action movie version of Jonny Quest is “in development.” Stay tuned.

SMARTER SPIRITUAL GOALS

2012-01-09T06:43:00.000-08:00

This is a follow-up to Wednesday’s post on setting SMARTER GOALS.

I have five spiritual goals this year. I’ll share the first one as a SMARTER goal.

1. BIBLE READING

SPECIFIC: After a couple of years focusing on specific books of the bible, toward the end of 2011 I was anxious to read through the bible from Genesis to Revelation again.

I’ve done so in various ways before. Last July, I realized there is no rush. So I began at Genesis 1 and have been reading one little chapter a day since then. After 6 months, I’m all the way up to Numbers. This will take a while.

MEASURABLE: Reading one chapter per day is measurable. In addition to the reading I also keep a notebook of questions or insights.

For example, this morning, I read Numbers 23. Verse 10 stumped me. Balak had asked Baalam to curse the Israelites. After the talking donkey incident, Baalam sought God’s leading, saying:

“Who can count the dust of Jacob or the number of the fourth part of Israel?”

What’s the fourth part of Israel? That caused me to dig further. The Israelites had been divided into four camps. Balaam was saying that each camp was so large as to not be able to be counted. Multiply that times four and—wowzer—spiritually speaking!

ACHIEVABLE: One chapter a day is almost not enough. But because I have had the habit of reading scripture daily, this goal is certainly achievable.

RELEVANT: Reading scripture is relevant to spiritual goals; even more relevant to living.

TIME BASED: Daily reading.

SMARTER: I will evaluate and reassess quarterly.

Here are my other spiritual goals in shortened version:

2. PRAYER: One benefit to a person being prayed for is that they hear how they are being lifted up to God. When someone asks for prayer, I will be more diligent about praying right then and there—with them.

3. LIVE MY LIFE VERSE with more intention: Esther 4:14

Perhaps you have come [I am here] to royal position [as daughter of King Jesus] for such a time as this [I can be used right now].

4. LIVE AND GIVE WITH GRATITUDE. See my post GRATITUDE for the huge lesson learned at my daughter’s wedding. I believed myself to be a cheerful giver before, but now I’ve learned to be a CHEERFUL—exploding fireworks and flower bouquets—giver.

5. FOCUS ON PROVERBS

A foolish child is a father’s ruin, and a quarrelsome wife is like the constant dripping of a leaky roof. (Proverbs 19:13)

Better to live on a corner of the roof than share a house with a quarrelsome wife. (Proverbs 21:9)

It is better to live in the desert than to live with a quarelsome wife. (Proverbs 21:19)

It is better to live on the corner of a roof than to live with a quarelsome wife. (Proverbs 25:24)

A quarelsome wife is like the constant dripping of water. (Proverbs 27:7)

A quarrelsome wife is like the dripping of a leaky roof in a rainstorm; (Proverbs 27:15)

I’m not quarelsome. Really.

But toward the end of the day, I am tired. Head-achy. Muscle achy all over. Those pains show up in my body language causing my family to sometimes imagine I’m upset, angry, annoyed.

That’s not way I want the people I love to react to me.

I’ll keep Proverbs in my head this year and try not to be perceived as a quarelsome wife. Proverbs 25:24 is going on my fridge.

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Are these goals merely “to do’s”? Maybe, but they will help me focus more sharply on Jesus. I’m also changing my breath prayer this year to simply:

JE [inhale] SUS [exhale].

"Jesus." Sweet. Like Him.

PRAYER: Help us, Jesus do what we can to focus on you. Open our minds and our hearts to your leading. Show us ways to be used by you this year—for your glory. Amen.

WHAT ABOUT YOU? Do you have spiritual goals to share with us for 2012?

BOUQUETS OF CARNATIONS

2012-01-06T07:43:00.000-08:00

Just as each month has a birth stone, each month also has a birth flower. The flower for January is the carnation. And it reminds me of Jesus.

A Christian legend tells about carnations: Jesus' mother Mary cried while Jesus was carrying the cross to Calvary. When her tears fell to the ground, they became carnations.

Carnations have thus become a symbol of mother’s love.

When the second Sunday in May was selected as a day to celebrate mothers, Ann Jaris, the leader of the “Mother’s Day Movement” chose the carnation as a symbol of a mother’s unending love. A colored carnation is worn if that person’s mother is alive. A white carnation is worn if the person’s mother has died.

As for the meaning behind the word, some scholars believe that the word carnation comes either from the word coronation (to crown the king) or corone, which were flower garlands used in Greek ceremonial crowns—which included the carnation. Either base word reminds us of King Jesus.

Alternatively, it is believed that the word carnation comes from the Greek word carnis (meaning flesh), referring to the original color of the flower. By extension, carnis refers to the incarnation of God made flesh—as in Jesus.

Unlike more delicate flowers, the carnation is strong and sturdy—staying fresh for many days. Also, unlike the sweeter fragrance of others flowers, the carnation is spicy, remnicient of the spices brought by the magi as a gift to Jesus. The arrival of the magi is observed in January.

Happy birthday to everyone born in January!

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, thank you for all the people born in January and for the lives lived for you. Thank you especially for Jesus. Show us things in this world daily that will remind us of Jesus and that glorify you. Amen.

WHAT ABOUT YOU? Any special carnation stories? Or January birthdays?

See other birth month flower posts:

http://fromcarolsquill.blogspot.com/2011/12/poinsettias-and-promises.html December poinsettia

http://fromcarolsquill.blogspot.com/2011/11/mums-word.html Novvember Chrysanthemum

http://fromcarolsquill.blogspot.com/2011/10/marys-gold.html October Marigold

http://fromcarolsquill.blogspot.com/2011/09/stars-and-glories.html September Asters and Morning Glories

http://fromcarolsquill.blogspot.com/2011/08/glads-and-poppies.html August Gladiolas and Poppies

http://fromcarolsquill.blogspot.com/2011/07/larkspurs-and-lilies.html July Larkspurs and Lilies

http://fromcarolsquill.blogspot.com/2011/06/like-rose.html June Roses

NEW YEAR; NEW YOU

2012-01-04T08:31:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year.

Sure it’s already January 4, but we can keep saying that—through January at least.

One of the things January means for many of us is that it’s time to set goals. Those New Year’s Resolutions. Yep, I’m one of those folks. Hubby and I set them every year. We even review them quarterly; revise where needed; evaluate; adjust.

This year I thought I’d share mine with you. And you could share them with all of us. We can discuss, review, revise, evaluate and adjust together.

Let’s take a few weeks to do it. This week, we’ll start with a quick review of how to set goals. Next Monday, I’ll share my spiritual goals for 2012. Monday, January 16, I’ll share my writing goals for 2012. Monday, January 23, I’ll share a few personal goals and we’ll recap together.

Then stay tuned for quarterly goal reviews at the end of March, June, September, and December. We all need encouragement and a good nagging to keep ourselves on track and accountable. I’m here for ya, baby!

Here’s the standard advice for setting SMART and SMARTER goals—nicely set out by Stephen Covey in “The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People.”

Goals should be:

SPECIFIC: No fair saying, “I want to lose weight.” A better goal is to say, “I will lose 20 pounds in 2012.”

MEASURABLE: Know how to measure your progress. A goal to lose 20 pounds has little meaning if you don’t know your weight when you begin.

ACHIEVABLE: A goal also has little meaning if you can’t achieve it. You probably won’t be able to lose 250 pounds in 2012; but losing 10-50 probably is achievable.

RELEVANT: If a goal has no meaning, you have no incentive to work toward it. If you’re 6’ tall and weigh 150 pounds, then having a goal to lose more weight is irrelevant.

TIME-BASED: Plan ahead for your progress so your review will be more meaningful each quarter. If your goal is to lose 20 pounds in 2012 you might plan to lose 5 pounds each quarter. At the end of the quarter, you can check your progress and see how you’re doing, with your time-based goal in mind.

SMARTER goals, add Evaluate and Reassess. So each quarter we’ll evaluate how we’ve done and reassess the goals and how we might plan better for the next three months.

OK, friends. Now that we have had a little review on how to set our goals, start thinking about what you’d like to accomplish in 2012. Let’s put God first. Come back next week and we'll share our spiritual goals.

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, thank you for making us teachable and changeable. We want to live better lives for you. Please help us do so. Inspire us with how you’d have us change. Encourage us and help us encourage each other. Amen.

WHAT ABOUT YOU? Will you commit to setting some spiritual goals for 2012? Spend the week thinking about them and come back next Monday to share.

GRATITUDE

2012-01-02T10:12:00.000-08:00

Baby girl and her new hubby headed off this morning to begin married life in their new home. The wedding is over but the celebration and rejoicing continues.

I shed surprisingly few tears Friday evening—all of them, of course joyous. But later, when quiet time took over, the tears began. Not tears of missing my daughter; not even happy tears over her adventure with her new husband.

These tears were tears of gratitude for the people God placed in my life.

Everyone knows that a wedding can be a complicated event. Details to coordinate; people to organize; tasks to get done.

This wedding could not have been accomplished without the generous time and physical labor of our family and friends. From the hours of set up Friday morning until nearly midnight Friday night, so many people worked cheerfully and with generosity of spirit to love on us—setting tables, carrying boxes and washing dishes—so that our daughter and the man she loves would be gifted with a beautiful start to their marriage and celebration of their commitment before God.

I learned on Friday how to accept that help; how much it means to the recipient (me) when others give of their time, and how much love is given and received in the process.

On behalf of our family—thank you to everyone for making Nicole and Kyle’s wedding so wonderful. And thank you to God for placing those people in my life.

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, thank you for placing people in our lives. Show us how to give and to receive love and help when it is needed. Show us how to do so in your name. Amen.

WHAT ABOUT YOU? When was the last time you were overwhelmed by the love of others and what they did for you?

SAVING WORDS

2011-12-30T04:00:00.000-08:00

This evening, daughter Nicole and her sweet Kyle become Mr. and Mrs.

Since a picture is worth a thousand words, here’s their engagement photo.

I’ll say no more.

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, thank you for families and for arranging them, just so. Amen.

WHAT ABOUT YOU? Any loved ones celebrating an engagement, wedding or anniversary soon?

AFTERGLOW

2011-12-28T04:00:00.000-08:00

This post is part of the Christian Writers blog chain. Our theme for this month is “Gifts from the Heart.” Please see the list to the right and visit my friends’ blogs to see what they have to say about this topic.

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Breathe. Inhale and exhale. Enjoy the rest after the boxes and wrappings; too much food and never enough time.

Now we relax from the celebration of Christmas.

Yet, it was after that first Christmas that the shepherds and wise men started arriving to worship baby Jesus.

And it was after that first Christmas that God continued to work His plan—growing Jesus to maturity; sending John the Baptist; preparing hearts and minds to understand the good news.

And God is still at work on His plan; His plan that was the gift from His heart.

God’s plan didn’t end on Christmas morning. It didn’t end on Easter morning. And the celebration of Christmas doesn’t end for us at Christmas time.

Christmas is a pause in the plan. Not a stop or a bump or simply a sparkle point.

It is a time to wonder at the power and creativity of a God who would send our savior in the form of a human; a tender babe, perfect and innocent at the beginning of His earthly life. Perfect and innocent at the end of His earthly life. Perfect and innocent throughout time.

It is time for the afterglow. The soft-focus filter of God’s holy light to shine on us and through us, catching fire and burning brighter each day from now on.

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, thank you for the celebration of Christmas. Please help us maintain the celebration throughout the coming year. Please shine on us and through us for your glory. Amen.

WHAT ABOUT YOU? How will you maintain the afterglow?

WEDDING COUNTDOWN: 4 DAYS

2011-12-26T06:57:00.000-08:00

It’s Boxing Day.

In the UK, Boxing Day is the day when the master of the house took boxes of small gifts to the servants.

Here in the US, Boxing Day is the day we smash up the empty Christmas packages and stuff them in the burgeoning garbage can.

As it relates to Christmas, the magi arrived several years after Jesus’ birth to bring their gifts. That first Boxing Day would have included boxes of gold, frankincense and myrrh.

As it relates to Jesus’ gift to us, Boxing Day came 33 years later—on that amazing Easter morning when Jesus’ horrible death was turned into a glorious gift—nestled in a golden box of salvation, wrapped with his eternal love and tied with the ribbons of sacrifice and grace.

In our house, this year, Boxing Day means we have 4 days left to stack up the boxes of dishes, goblets, tablecloths, candles, platters and all other things wedding, stage them in the garage and wait for the enormous truck to take them to the venue.

Boxes and boxes of boxes. Praise God for boxes.

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, now that we have unwrapped the packages that have perched beneath our trees, please continue to remind us that your gift of Jesus’ humanity is the most precious gift of all. Amen.

WHAT ABOUT YOU? Other than Baby Jesus, what gift outshone them all this year?

DEATH AND NEW LIFE

2011-12-23T04:54:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was the first day of winter.

Winter—the day that recognizes the beginning of the earth’s dying cycle so nicely coincides with the celebration of the birth of our savior—the day that symbolizes our spiritual rebirth.

Bible historians say that the actual day of Jesus’ birth was not recorded and is therefore not known. They guess—based on astronomical events at the time in history that would account for a bright “star” in the sky pointing the magi to Bethlehem—Jesus was probably born in the springtime or summer.

Other bible historians tell us the date of December 25 was selected to celebrate Jesus’ birth because a widely observed pagan holiday already occurred on that date and thus Christmas would already have a popular following for celebration on that date. Or that early Christian leaders selected the date in order to dilute the pagan celebration.

Mankind’s calendar notwithstanding, we celebrate the birth of our savior on December 25. Just days after we recognize the entrance into the earth’s dormant stage, we celebrate the way God brought new life to His people throughout time.

Thank you, Jesus.

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, thank you for your plan. Thank you that you have created a cycle of life and death and have included a plan where we can have eternal life spent in your presence. Amen.

WHAT ABOUT YOU? What interesting insights do you have about the coincident celebration of the beginning of winter and Jesus’ birth?

A LIVING MENORAH

2011-12-21T07:39:00.000-08:00

This post is part of the Christian Writers blog chain. Our theme for this month is "Gifts from the Heart." Please see the list to the right and visit my friends’ blogs to see what they have to say about this topic.

This post is a recognition of the importance of Jewish history to me—a gentile, adopted into God’s family through my Jewish savior. The Jewish celebrations are mine, because they were first His. Thank you, Jesus.

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Tonight begins the celebration of Hanukkah, also known as the Jewish "Festival of Lights."

I grew up wishing "Happy Hanukkah" to my Jewish friends, but not understanding the reason behind the celebration, thinking it had little relevance to my own faith. Why should I—a Christian—care about a Jewish holy day?

Because I’m that dog eating scraps under the table that the gentile woman spoke to Jesus about. I wasn’t born as part of God’s chosen people (the Jews) but by His grace I was adopted in to His family.

When I was adopted in, I adopted God’s plan, including the story of how He led His people. That made their history important to my future because my faith through my Jewish savior’s life was part of His earthly life, too.

It was my sweet mother-in-law who first introduced me to understanding Hanukkah as a Christian. One day I asked her, "What’s your favorite book of the Bible?"

Without missing a beat, she responded, "The Macabees."

Wait a minute, I thought, that’s not in my Bible.

But it is in the Bible of many versions of Christian faiths--sometimes in the Apocrapha; sometimes as part of the Old Testament. The Maccabee are a historical account of the time less than 200 years before Jesus’ birth when the Syrian army had taken over Jerusalem. Once the army was ousted, the Jews found that everything inside the Temple of Jerusalem had been desecrated—including the sacred, refined and holy oil that kept the lamps in the Temple lit.

A single sealed container of lamp oil was found—enough to keep the lamp lit for one day and night. Yet it would take eight days for new oil to be refined, purified and made holy. By God’s miraculous power, that single container of oil kept the lamp lit in the Temple for the entire eight days until the new oil was ready.

Thus, Jews celebrate the Festival of Lights as a way to remember God’s miracle of provision and sacred power.

The story of Hanukkah reminds me of Jesus and the many times he miraculously fed the hungry crowd with a few fish and a loaf of bread.

And it reminds me that Jesus is the true light of the world and we are meant to be lamp stands to light the way for others to find Him.

Can God do a miracle in our lives and make our very small amount of spiritual oil last? He can because of Jesus.

In fact, as Christians, we can look to the celebration of Hanukkah for the truth: not only did God stretch that holy oil for eight days; He made it last all the way until Jesus’ birth—nearly 200 years later—when the eternal light of life came to earth and lit the way for all of us.

I’ll be celebrating Hanukkah tonight and praising God for His power and for the gift of His heart of lighting this world with His love through Jesus.

In fact, consider me a lamp stand for Jesus—a living menorah, all lit up and praising His name!

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, thank you for your miraculous provision; not only throughout history but in our lives today. Thank you for keeping the light of your love lit until you sent us Jesus. Please help us shine our lights for you for the world to see and understand what you have planned. Amen.

WHAT ABOUT YOU? What does Hanukkah mean to you?

WEDDING COUNTDOWN: 11 DAYS

2011-12-19T07:23:00.000-08:00

Hair up? Hair down?

Hair part up and part down?

Red shoes? White shoes?

Black shoes? Barefoot?

Red roses. White lilies.

Curly willows. Glitter twigs.

Piles of meatballs. Platters of cheese.

Cups of toothpicks and stirrer sticks.

Don’t leave out the programs.

Don’t forget the lights.

Flicker candles on and off.

Do they work? Do we need more?

Who has the hammer, pliers, wrench,

electrical cords, drill and screwdrivers?

Why do we need to take the contents of the garage to set up a wedding?

Did you remember the ladder?

Chafing dishes, plates and goblets.

Tablecloths, napkins, forks and spoons.

Food and drinks and candies and cookies.

Little cakes and one b-i-g cake.

Can we overdose on sugar?

Pillars. Draping. Tables.

Better rent a truck.

And several strong guys.

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, please give us strength to prepare for celebrations but please remind us that the reasons for the celebrations are more important than the preparation or even the celebrations themselves. Fill us with joy from you. Amen.

WHAT ABOUT YOU: What are you celebrating in the near future?

33 YEARS

2011-12-16T04:00:00.000-08:00

Thirty-three years and counting…As of tomorrow, that’s how long Jimmie and I will have been married. What does it mean?

33 years of fun

33 years of teasing

33 years of laughter

33 years of family

33 years of time together

33 years of laughter

33 years of loving each other

33 years of loving God

33 years of laughter

33 years of tenderness

33 years of sharing with each other

33 years of laughter

33 years of holding hands

33 years of growing together

33 years of laughter

33 years of sitting in dark rooms watching movies and not speaking

33 years of reciting favorite lines from movies

33 years of laughter

33 years of walks on the beach

33 years of walks in the woods

33 years of laughter

33 years of walks in the park

33 years of walks in the dark

33 years of laughter

33 years of walks around the block

33 years of walking with the Lord

33 years of laughter

33 years of finding constellations

33 years of looking for satellites

33 years of wishing on shooting stars

33 years of learning from each other

33 years of teaching each other

Did I mention 33 years of laughter?

Never enough years to spend with you, Jim.

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, thank you for arranging marriages and families. Please help marriages grow stronger over time and help us love you more. Amen.

WHAT ABOUT YOU? Got a special thank you to God for time spent with a special someone?

KISSES FROM CHRIST

2011-12-14T06:41:00.000-08:00

I post each Wednesday on the theme set by ChristianWriters.com. This month our theme is "Gifts from the Heart." Please see the list of other ChristianWriters.com blogs to the right and check out what my friends have to say this month.

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TV commercials announce “Xmas” sales and church members complain that stores have taken Christ out of Christmas.

There definitely is a commercialization of Christmas. But the term Xmas isn’t part of it.

As we know, God sent Jesus first to save the Jews and only secondarily to save us gentiles. Thanks to Paul and his traveling band of evangelists, Christianity arrived in Rome and Greece. There the early church found a solid base and secured the formation of the Roman Catholic and Greek Orthodox Christian churches—from which our other varieties of Christianity have evolved.

Because in those early years, Christian leadership was focused in Rome and Greece, many of the words and phrases in Christian-ese come from the Roman and Greek languages.

One of those is the word “Christmas.”

In Roman Catholic tradition, Christmas is the celebration of the “mass of Christ” or “Christ’s mass.” It is a celebration of the rite of the Eucharist (Holy Communion) or "mass" of Christ.

That’s the Roman Catholic part of the word “Christmas.” Now for the Greek Orthodox twist.

In the Greek alphabet, the letter “X” is pronounced “chi” and the Greek letter “P” is pronounced “rho.” The letter “Σ” corresponds to our letter “S.” The Greek letter “I” is pronounced “I,” "T" is "T" and “O” is “O.”

End of the Greek language lesson. Now you know enough to read the Greek word, ΧΡΙΣΤΟΣ. It is pronounced “Christos”—Greek for “Christ.”

Just as we sometimes use initials or monograms for our names, the early Greek Church used the letters XP (chi-rho) to refer to Christ. Often, the two would be combined into one symbol, like this:

You will still see this symbol in Greek Orthodox, Roman Catholic and even in Protestant churches—on altar cloths, banners and vestments, bible bookmarks, pulpit cloths—embroidered with the Greek monogram of Jesus, the Christ. Here's a sample of a protestant church parament:

Just as you might sign a note with the initial of your first name only, so early Christians sometimes used just the single letter “X” to refer to Christ.

Hence Xmas.

I’ve decided not to let the use of “Xmas” bother me. Instead, if I hear someone say “Merry Xmas,” it’s an opportunity for me to pronounce it clearly for them: Christ’s mass.

And then share with them what it means to me. And what it could mean to them. The gift from Christ’s heart to us.

In our modern world, we often sign letters to those we love with our initial, preceded by XOXO—sending along our kisses and hugs.

That’s what God, did, too—when He sent Jesus. Jesus (X) is God’s kiss to the world.

The Kiss of Christ.

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, you know how important words are. You spoke our world into creation and you gave us the ability to read and speak languages. Remind us of the meaning of words; remind us of the meaning behind the name “The Christ.” Thank you, Jesus for becoming human for our sake. Amen.

WHAT ABOUT YOU? Have you used the opportunity to share the meaning behind the word: Christ-mas?

WEDDING COUNTDOWN - 18 days

2011-12-12T06:23:00.000-08:00

As I have blogged in anticipation of baby girl’s wedding, I have tried to keep the focus on the joyful busyness of the planning and preparation.

The next 18 days will be filled with extra busyness with added excitement as Nicole finishes school and comes home for the holy days. There will be family Christmas celebration and birthdays and anniversaries.

Before that happens I want to pause and appreciate God’s hand on our family.

Our heavenly Father orchestrated Jim and my lives, brought us together in marriage and blessed us with children. He also placed Kyle in Nicole’s life nearly six years ago. Together they journeyed three states away to attend college together and made lives that were independent from family and dependent on each other.

Today I praise God for His plan. When I find myself spending too much time referring to my lists of things to do, I pray that God will remind me that He is in charge—always has been and always will be.

God is our heavenly wedding planner.

PRAYER: Thank you, Father, for being in charge of everything. Please remind us that in the symphony that is our lives, you are the conductor, the leader, the orchestrator of all things. Amen.

WHAT ABOUT YOU? How do you remind yourself that God is in control?

MORE PRAYING NAMES

2011-12-09T04:00:00.000-08:00

As part of my ongoing ministry to provide a way for us to pray for our loved ones, today I offer you four more names, their meaning and ways you can pray for people who have those names.

These names will be added to the burgeoning list of names and prayers, found on the PRAYING NAMES page of this blog. Go to the tab, titled “PRAYING NAMES” to find prayers for your loved ones.

If a name is not there, please leave a comment here with names you would like me to research and create prayers for.

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Constance, Connie: constant

Heavenly Father, I pray that Connie will live her name. I pray that her faith and trust in you will be constant and ever growing throughout her life. I pray also that you will be her constant guide, counselor and friend and that her example of faith will be a constant encouragement to others.

Gregory, Greg: vigilant, watchful

Heavenly Father, I pray that Greg will live his name. I pray that he will live his life, ever vigilant in right living. I pray that he will be watchful for your leading, blessings and grace in his life and give thanks to you in all things.

Harold, Harry: army ruler

Heavenly Father, I pray that Harry will live his name. I pray that as a soldier in your army, he will fight against evil wherever he sees it and will live his life wearing the full armor of God for his protection and for your fight.

Susan, Susannah, Suzanna, Susie: lily

Heavenly Father, I pray that Susan will live your name. I pray that she will live her life focusing on purity. I pray that, like the lilies in the field, she will be beautiful to you and to others. I pray that her faith in you will blossom and grow throughout her life and that her life—like the lily—will be representative of Jesus.

GROWING FAMILIES

2011-12-07T04:00:00.000-08:00

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Twenty-two Christmases ago, our son was three years old; our daughter was 6 months. I remember sitting under the tree, watching husband and son opening gifts; watching baby girl google at the soft blanket in her chubby hands. I smiled and thought, “Now, our family is complete.”

Fast forward 22 years and I smile once more, realizing how wrong I had been. This year will be the last year we are a family of four. Nicole’s fiancé, Kyle joins our family at the end of the month. Next Christmas our family will be a family of five. And one day—God willing—there will be a wife for our son. And grandchildren, too.

That reminds me of Jesus.

No doubt, when baby Jesus was born, Father God smiled down on the earth. But surely He didn’t say, “Now, my family is complete.”

Father God knew that because of Jesus, there would be millions of souls who would be adopted into His family. In fact, God’s family will only be complete at one point in the future; on a date no one but He knows; growing larger each moment, day, month, year, millennium.

Meanwhile, we celebrate being adopted into God’s family with our earthly families and friends—made possible by the birth of baby Jesus.

I like to think of Jesus googling at the soft blanket in his chubby hands that Christmas morn, and thinking, “Now my family begins.”

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, thank you for adopting me into your family and for sending Jesus to make it possible. Thank you for the gift of your heart—Jesus. Amen.

WHAT ABOUT YOU? Is your family still growing? Have you added anyone new this year?

WEDDING COUNTDOWN: 25 DAYS

2011-12-05T05:52:00.000-08:00

December has arrived; the month of Nicole and Kyle’s wedding.

Why December?

In the Peterson family, December is the month of weddings.

Hubs mom and dad started it all when they were married December 5

Then Hubs and I continued the tradition when we were married December 17

Sister and hubby were married December 18

Brother and wifey were married December 7

Another brother and wifey remarried each other December 9.

Did Nicole and Kyle have to select a December wedding date? No, but all the marriages that happened in December are happy and long-lasting. Why tempt fate?

Better yet, why not keep a family tradition that has brought so much joy to so many people over three generations?

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, thank you for your tradition of marriage and thank you for opportunities to celebrate anniversaries and new beginnings. Please bless the marriages of your children and help us make them pleasing to you. Amen.

WHAT ABOUT YOU? Is there a traditional “wedding month” in your family?

POINSETTIAS AND PROMISES

2011-12-02T05:22:00.000-08:00

Every month has a birthstone. Every month also has a birth flower. Can you guess the birth flower for December? Of course you can! It’s the poinsettia. And it reminds me of Jesus.

Growing Wild

If you’ve been to the Caribbean, Hawaii, Mexico or Central America you may have seen enormous poinsettia bushes growing wild. The red of these tropical plants are actually leaves. The flower itself is small and located in the center of the leaves.

The ancient Aztecs believed the poinsettia was a symbol of purity. In modern times, it has become a symbol of celebration, reassurance and good cheer. All of which epitomize Jesus.

A Christmas Symbol

The poinsettia is the number one, best-selling potted plant in America. Nearly all of the plants are sold in November and December. Because of the flower’s brilliant red and vibrant green colors, the poinsettia is an almost universal symbol of Christmas. And Christmas, of course, is all about Jesus.

A Christmas Story

One Christmas Eve, the church in a small village held a special evening service. Attendees were to bring gifts in honor of baby Jesus. A young girl wanted to attend the service, but she was poor and had nothing to bring. Rather than dishonor Jesus by not attending the worship service, she picked some weeds alongside the road and humbly laid the bouquet on the altar.

This modest gift was pleasing to God because it had come from the heart of a child in true worship. In delight, God caused the weeds to blossom into brilliant red flowers. This is the Christmas miracle of the poinsettia plant.

Happy birthday to everyone born in the month of December.

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, thank you for Christmas and for everything that reminds us of this season that celebrates your love for us. Every time we see a poinsettia plant, remind us of your son Jesus and your promise through him. Amen.

WHAT ABOUT YOU? Do you have a poinsettia plant sitting on your counter this month?

THANKING GOD FOR BLESSINGS TO COME

2011-11-30T06:02:00.000-08:00

Today ends November—the month of counting blessings. It’s interesting—from a human point of view—that we set Thanksgiving at the end of our calendar year and just before Christmas.

November is just at the end of the harvest season in the Northern Hemisphere. Here abundance is emphasized. The crops are in. The pantry is stocked and the freezer is full. We face the cold winter months (cold is relative here in California) but we face them at this point in the calendar from the perspective of plenty.

One more month in the year. Some of us look at the calendar and wonder where the year went. What moments slipped by without our even noticing? What things could we have accomplished but didn’t?

But...

...the year is not over. We still have a whole, entire, fresh and vibrant month left in 2011. And in that month, we have the best and most wonderful celebration in the history of the universe: the celebration of God setting aside his divinity and becoming human for our sake.

As we count our blessings this month, we count the past and thank Jesus for his earthly life that made our eternal lives with him possible.

And we count the future for the time of celebration—on December 25 and in the life to come with Him.

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, thank you for your blessings, too many to count. Thank you for the blessings you give us that are beyond our comprehension; blessings that would defy our capacity to understand. Help us to see more of your blessings each day. We thank you for them. Amen.

WHAT ABOUT YOU? What are you counting?

WEDDING COUNTDOWN: 32 DAYS

2011-11-28T07:23:00.000-08:00

Baby girl is back at college. Back to her routine that ends on December 17 when she receives her BS in Physics. Back to her routine that ends December 30 when she receives her MRS with Kyle.

I miss her again and still. Miss the little girl she was for those few seconds. Miss the grown-up woman she is now.

But the countdown to the wedding keeps tick-tocking along. Thirty-two days left. Seems like so much has been done already. Yet my 5-page "list of things to do" contains enough things to fill up 32 days several times.

Last minute things, like:

All the grocery shopping
All the cooking
38 tablecloths and 150 napkins to be ironed
150 water goblets to be washed and packed
200 drink glasses to be washed and packed
150 champagne flutes to be washed and packed
150 plates to be washed and packed
600 knives, forks and spoons to be washed and packed
Platters. bowls, chafing dishes and serving spoons to be washed and packed
Several million crystal beads to be glued onto several dozen birch branches--oh, yeah!

Oh, and isn’t Christmas in there some place? Yep, and Mom’s birthday, hubs and my anniversary, a couple of Christmas parties and at least a cursory "happy graduation" whing-ding.

Praising God for time management!

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, help us to enjoy the moments of celebration rather than being caught up in the "have-to’s" of preparation. Thank you for time and planning but help us to rely on your guidance in all things. Amen.

WHAT ABOUT YOU? Are you a list maker?

STILL THANKFUL

2011-11-25T07:41:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was our official day of thanksgiving, but every day is a day to be thankful.

After yesterday’s feast, here are some more things to be thankful for.

Heat and toss storage containers
Roasting ovens that cook a 22-pound turkey in under 2 hours
Non-stick pans and electric knives
Refrigerator space
Elastic waist, stretchy pants and baggy shirts

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, thank you for your abundance. As we continue to feast on yesterday’s leftovers, we ask you to watch over those who have no food. Please also pursue the hearts of people who are starving for your love. Be with them in Jesus’ name. Amen.

WHAT ABOUT YOU? What are you thankful for the day after Thanksgiving?

NEW MATH

2011-11-23T07:06:00.000-08:00

This month the CW has selected the theme of “nine” as the topic. Please go to the links on the right side of the page and see what my friends have to say about the number nine.

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Did you read my post on November 9? [Timely Blessings] There I explain that—even though November is the 11^th month in our Gregorian calendar—its name “novem” means nine because originally, November was the ninth month on the year.

For me, the word “novem” is all about math. And math reminds me of Jesus.

When we read scripture, we see the same numbers come up again and again—40 as in the 40 days and 40 nights Jesus spent in the desert; the 40 years the Jews wandered the desert.

We also see 12s—the 12 tribes of Israel; the 12 disciples; 12 pearly gates; 12 foundations of New Jerusalem.

Threes, of course, are vital theologically because God is God in three persons—the Trinity of Father, Son and Holy Spirit; along with the three days of Jesus’ death, burial and resurrection.

Then there’s the number seven. Seven means perfection.

When God created heaven and earth, He took six days and then rested on the seventh. John’s Book of Revelation shows us God’s 7 churches in Asia, 7 spirits before His throne, 7 golden lamp stands, 7 stars that are the seven angels of the 7 churches, 7 trumpets, 7 seals, the Lamb with 7 horns and 7 eyes, 7 plagues, 7 golden bowls filled with the wrath of God.

Revelation also tells us that the sign of the beast is 666. In Hebrew tradition, because seven is perfection, the number six often refers to anything that falls short of perfection. Like man.

The number 666 in Revelation is humanity’s number. Is the number six used three times for the sign of the beast to correlate with our falling short of each person in the Trinity? And Satan’s falling short of his creator?

Why am I talking about six and seven when the theme for November is nine?

Because of the “new math.”

When Jesus became the blood sacrifice that made us acceptable to God, the number of the beast was washed from our foreheads. Although we are still one less than God’s perfection, we are no longer marked as sixes. We now belong to Him.

Under the new covenant, Jesus—our heavenly math teacher—gives us new math:

The Trinity 3

Plus Humanity’s number 6

Equals 9

Math is good.

Even though November is no longer the ninth month in our modern calendar, each November I’ll still be reminded about the meaning of the month and the number 9. And that’ll remind me to praise God for Jesus’ new math that includes you and me.

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, we know that your scripture is full of symbolism and that no one but you is perfect. We recognize that we fall short of your glory in so many ways. Thank you, Jesus for being our sacrifice that washes away the mark of the beast and allows us to join your perfect family. Amen.

WHAT ABOUT YOU? Want to share another important numerical reference from scripture?

WEDDING COUNTDOWN: 40 DAYS

2011-11-21T07:39:00.001-08:00

Forty days to wedding day. Three days until Thanksgiving. Five days until Nicole’s shower.

Minus 2 days until Nicole and Kyle have come home for Thanksgiving break.

Every year I give thanks for God’s blessings; most especially this family He has graced me with. This year will be the last year our family of four remains four. Next year, our family will be five plus Kyle’s family, who will be joined to ours through marriage.

That will be more thankfulness. But for this year, I thank God for His blessing me with a fabulous husband and two wonderful kids. I didn’t deserve them. I never will. But by God’s grace and excessive generosity, He gave them to me anyway.

So I will spend the next three days thanking God for family. Then I’ll pack up the roasting pan and the extra turkey napkins; pull out the pink plates, dip the strawberries and praise God for the next phase in the wedding countdown: the wedding shower.

It’s raining blessings!

PRAYER: Thank you, Heavenly Father for showering us with the blessings of family and time together to celebrate our love for each other, based on our love for you. Amen.

WHAT ABOUT YOU? Any special preparations happening at your house this Thanksgiving.

THE SMELLS OF NOVEMBER

2011-11-18T04:00:00.000-08:00

What does November smell like?

In my house, November smells like cinnamon pinecones because there’s no way I can wait until December to buy them.

In my house, November smells like pumpkin pie and pumpkin bread and pumpkin bars. That means it actually smells like nutmeg, ginger, clove and cinnamon.

In my house, November smells like dusty boxes—the ones that are beginning to make their way out from the closet underneath the stairs and fill the corners of the family room. In a week, the boxes will be open, the tree will be up, the lights will be on, and Mannheim Steamroller will be giving us its lively rendition of Christmas carols we can tap our feet to but can’t sing along with.

Inside, those boxes smell like pine spray and oh, look! Last year’s cinnamon pinecones!

This year, November in my house also smells like vanilla, lemon, grapefruit, and lavender—scents nestled in a giant box, tied with thank you ribbons, waiting for my daughter’s bridal shower in one week.

I’m still looking. If I can find some, I’ll add cinnamon to the box, too.

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, thank you for giving us so many ways to experience this wonderful world. Liven our senses to experience even more of your glory through the sights, sounds and smells of this harvest season. Amen.

WHAT ABOUT YOU? What does your house in November smell like?

NINE LIVES AND COUNTING

2011-11-16T06:24:00.000-08:00

This month the theme of the Christian Writers blog chain is "nine" because the meaning of November ("novem") is nine. Please go to the posts listed in the right column and follow along with what my friends at CW.com have to say about "nine."
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Spot, the Wonder Cat was 20 years old. At least.

He arrived on our patio in 1992, fully grown.

He wandered away from our front yard on October 24, 2011—ancient and listless. We haven’t seen him since. I like to imagine he’s meandering in the nearby field in search of mice, having adventures and stretching sinuously in the sunshine.

I’m not sure if Spot was on his first life or his ninth. But I am sure he lived each day to the kitty fullest.

Spot was my writing buddy. He followed me upstairs every morning and climbed onto the window sill over my desk. He commented on my plots, assessed my research and moaned at my third-grade humor. I miss him.

During one of my book writing breaks many years ago, I wrote this poem to Spot. My daughter always said it was the best thing I’d ever written.

Thanks, Nicole. Spot—I hope you like it, too.

KITTEN SONG

Kitten sitting in a window.

Eyes like slits.

Whiskers twitch.

Gentle motor starts up slow

Singing to the world below.

Oh, to know such kitten pleasure.

Pink foot curls.

One ear twirls.

Dream the kitty dreams you treasure.

Live the kitty life of leisure.

What does every kitten cherish?

Sleep and dream?

Hunt and scheme?

Listen quick to sounds that vanish!

Did you see it? Small and brownish?

Now you have an anxious thought—

Sitting still.

Watching skill.

Spy it now! With swinging swat

Pounce with sharpened claws.

Mouse caught!

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, thank you for our lives. Thank you for this life we have here on earth and thank you for our eternal life we will have with you. Please help us live this life in a way that is pleasing to you. Help us enjoy all the earthly blessings that make life here a small glimpse of heaven, including enjoying the companionship of all your creatures—great and small. Amen.

WHAT ABOUT YOU? Share a story about your pet.
　

　

　

WEDDING COUNTDOWN: 47 DAYS

2011-11-14T04:00:00.000-08:00

Forty-seven days until the wedding. That’s less than half of 100. Does it send me into spiraling stress over all the things left undone? Not even a bit.

In answer to the question so many of you have asked: No I have not found the M.O.B. (mother of the bride) dress. But I’ve still got 47 days to find one, right?

Undaunted, I remain committed to not being the guest who looks like part of the cleanup crew. No offense to the cleanup crew. In fact you guys in those spiffy burgundy aprons I picked out might look better than I’m imagining myself at this point.

Yes, the bride is supposed to be the focus. And she will be, beautiful as she always is; more beautiful on December 30.

But I’d like for one or two people to say, “Oh, Nicole looks so much like you” even if just one more time.

So, after the dress…on to finding the shoes. Ouch!

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, thank you for it all—the busy-ness, the joy, the gotta-do’s—everything; because everything in this world is yours. And it is good. Help us to do it all for your glory. Amen.

WHAT ABOUT YOU? Any suggestions for formal footwear based on your own experience?

MORE PRAYING NAMES

2011-11-11T06:16:00.000-08:00

As part of my ongoing ministry to provide a way for us to pray for our loved ones, today I offer you four more names, their meaning and ways you can pray for people who have those names.

These names will be added to the burgeoning list of names and prayers, found on the PRAYING NAMES page of this blog.

Go to the tab, titled “PRAYING NAMES” to find prayers for your loved ones.

If a name is not there, please leave a comment here with names you would like me to research and create prayers for.

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Daphne: laurel tree

Heavenly Father, I pray that Daphne will live her name. I pray that, like the aromatic, ever green laurel tree, she will be a sweet fragrance to those around her. I pray that her faith will be ever fresh and always green—sprouting off shoots to encourage others in their faith. I pray that she will remember the laurel wreaths given to winners of Olympic games—and be victorious through Christ.

Dorothy: gift of God

Heavenly Father, I pray that Dorothy will live her name. I pray that she will recognize that she is a gift from God to the world and will live an example of a godly woman to others. I pray also that she will live her life in acceptance of the greatest gift from God—salvation through Jesus. Amen.

Lyle: island

Heavenly Father, I pray that Lyle will live his name. I pray that he will be a place of safety and rest for those around him needing respite from the seas of life. I pray that his name will remind him that although we must live our lives as a separate island one from each other, we are never separated from the love of God. Amen.

Walter, Walt: commander of the army; powerful warrior

Heavenly Father, I pray that Walter will live his name. I pray that he will live as a powerful warrior for Christ. I pray that he will remember that you are the eternal, heavenly commander of his life and of your divine army, but that you will use him in a strong way in your fight against evil. Amen.

TIMELY BLESSINGS

2011-11-09T07:45:00.000-08:00

"November" means "ninth month."

Wait a minute. November is the eleventh month in the calendar.

Yes. But it was originally the ninth month when the Roman calendar—from which our present calendar grew—was created.

Way back when, folks didn’t recognize Earth’s position in the solar system. Early calendars were therefore based on the moon’s position in the night sky. One full moon to the next full moon cycled at approximately 29 days. Twenty-nine days equaled one month.

In 753 BC, the Romulus (Roman) calendar contained ten months and a total of 304 days. The year began with the spring equinox generally in March and included 60 days of winter that were not officially part of any month.

Fairly messy calendar, that.

This is what the Romulus calendar looked like:

Martius: We pronounce it March
Aprili: We pronounce it April
Maius: We pronounce it May
Iunius: We pronounce it June
Quintilis: quint means five; this was the fifth month
Sextilis: sext means six; this was the sixth month
September: sept means seven; this was the seventh month
October: oct means eight; this was the eighth month
November: novem means nine; this was the ninth month
December: dec means ten; this was the tenth month

Plus 60 days of winter, sitting all alone and lonely

About 50 years later, Roman King Numa Pompillus added January and February to the calendar and made the year equal 354 days. By sticking January and February at the beginning of the calendar, the names of the months, based on their numerical meaning no longer correlated to their position in the calendar. But the names were kept anyway.

Because, who likes change…really?

Politicians do. And those Roman politicians lengthened and shortened the calendar at will to affect their term of office.

Until the first century B.C., when Julius Caesar began to overhaul the calendar to avoid those political shenanigans. Augustus Caesar finished the overhaul. The month of Quintilis was therefore renamed Iulius (July) in honor of Julius Caesar and Sextilis was renamed Augustus (August) in honor of Augustus Caesar.

This new Julian calendar was based on astronomy rather than a lunar cycle. It thus had a regular year of 365 days with a leap day added to February every 4 years.

That calendar was used until 1582 A.D. when Pope Gregory XIII endorsed a new calendar (ours, the "Gregorian calendar") to take into account 11 minutes per year that the Julian calendar became out of alignment with astronomy. Although 11 minutes per day doesn’t seem like much, it adds up to one day every 134 years.

Maybe you didn’t realize the month of November was named because it was originally the ninth month of the year. Maybe you didn’t care. Or still don’t. But if anyone ever asks, now you know that originally November was the ninth month of the Romulus calendar.

November is also the month in America when we are reminded to be thankful for our blessings. I’m thankful that somebody else is in charge of figuring out our calendar.

More than that, I’m grateful for a God who knows we need times and seasons. And so right there on Day Four when God was creating the universe, He thought of us and created our solar system so we could have our handy calendars. And before that, on Day One, He created time itself.

PRAYER: Thank you, Heavenly Father for time and for creating ways for us to track the minutes, days, years and seasons you have blessed us with on this earth.

WHAT ABOUT YOU? What little known fact do you know about the month of November?

WEDDING COUNTDOWN - 55 DAYS

2011-11-07T07:03:00.000-08:00

It seemed like plenty of time—15 months. Certainly long enough to plan and execute a wedding for under 200 guests. Extra time even.

Fifteen months gave us the luxury of winding through an entire year’s worth of holidays and celebrations; enabling us—should we wish; and we didn’t—to purchase extra heart shaped candies on Valentine’s Day, fizzly sparklers on July 4, and red wax lips on Halloween.

We did wish to participate in two—really two?—after-Christmas sales for glitter covered snowflakes, twinkly white light strings, and crystal champagne flutes.

But here it is the November 7. Fifty-five days of preparation left. Fifty-five days until I spend the evening—Kleenex in hand—watching my daughter take the hand of her new husband.

What was it I wrote about in my last blog post? Something about not despairing over lack of time? Guess I’d better go read it again.

The wedding dress is bought and altered. The decorations are organized. The set up instructions are revised, printed and awaiting lamination (you knew they’d be, didn’t you?). The menu is set and the shopping list is compiling. The tuxes are ordered. The trial hair appointment is scheduled and anticipation is in the air.

I suppose I can no longer avoid it. It’s time. Time to suck it up and suck it in.

Yep. Time to shop for my dress. <sigh> Fifteen months is never enough time for that.

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, help us not worry too much about what we will eat or what we will wear. Remind us of the lilies of the field and the birds of the air. Remind us that in all areas of our lives, the important thing is that you love and care for us. Amen.

WHAT ABOUT YOU? When was the last time you felt like there wasn’t enough time?

COMING TO THE END

2011-11-04T08:39:00.000-07:00

As we begin November, we are reminded that this year is coming to an end. Yes, we still have two months left; 58 days left including today. Plenty of time to get plenty of things done.

Still, our human minds look at all the pages of our calendar now on the left-hand side; just one more page to turn and 2011 will be over.

It’s not time to despair over time lost. Rather, it’s time to think about what we can accomplish with what time we have left. It’s God-given time and it can be God-blessed time if we consecrate it and our part in it to Him.

And then we can take it one step further. What can we accomplish for God with the time we have left on this earth?

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, thank you for the time you’ve given us. Help us to use it wisely and for your glory. Amen.

WHAT ABOUT YOU? What one thing would you like to accomplish before your 2011 calendar expires? What one thing do you intend to do today to work toward accomplishing that?

MUM'S THE WORD

2011-11-02T04:00:00.000-07:00

Each month has a birthstone. The birthstone for November is the topaz. But each month also has a birth flower; some months have two. Overwhelmingly, the birth flower for November is the chrysanthemum. And it reminds me of Jesus.

The chrysanthemum is a member of the daisy family. Remember plucking the petals from a daisy and singing: “He loves me. He loves me not”?

With Jesus, the answer is always, “He loves me.”

The chrysanthemum was first cultivated in China 15 centuries before Christ as a flowering herb. The flowers can be boiled to make a sweet tea. According to eastern medicine, drinking this tea improves blood flow, reduces varicose veins and treats influenza.

Tea or no tea, Jesus is the Great Physician, both for our physical health and our spiritual well being.

The chrysanthemum was originally golden in color. It became a symbol of the sun. Jesus is not the “sun,” but the Son.

The chrysanthemum flower symbolizes long life, joy, optimism and fidelity. In Japan, the chrysanthemum’s orderly petals represent perfection. Like Jesus.

Happy birthday to everyone born in the month of November!

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, thank you for the abundant variety of life on this earth. Thank you for creating flowers that bloom each and every month of the year so that we are never without a delightful bouquet of love from you. Amen.

WHAT ABOUT YOU? What do you think of when you see chrysanthemums? Mother’s Day? Garden plants? Foil-wrapped pots on window sills?

Here are the links to previous posts about birth flowers of the month:

June - the rose
July - Larkspurs and Lillies
August - Gladiolas and Poppies
September - Asters and Morning Glories
October - the Marigold

ODE TO HALLOWS EVE

2011-10-31T06:50:00.000-07:00

JUST FOR FUN...

THE QUEST

Plastic, handled pumpkins;

Felt pen ghouls on paper bags;

Spiderman pillow cases and Hello Kitty shams

match spiders and kitten costumes.

Neon neck rings announce 5-year old mayhem

Pudgy hands plunge into buckets of delight

Boo!

Thank you!

+ + +

JACK

Eyes lit by candles.

Three days later

shrunken heads still sit on ledges

brought back to life by ants.

+ + +

May your jack-o-lanterns always stay fresh and your candy supply be endless! Happy Halloween.

HALLOWEEN IN HISTORY

2011-10-28T07:14:00.000-07:00

Halloween is a time for pumpkins and popcorn; trick-or-treat and tooth decay.

But it began as a holy day.

We’re saints, you and I

A “saint” in Christianity refers to a believer. That’s so for all varieties of Christianity, whether you are Roman Catholic, Orthodox, Protestant or something in between. A saint isn’t just those martyrs holding a title of Saint with a capital “S.”

All Christians—living or dead—are saints. Not because we’re so good, but because we have been made holy through the blood of Christ. Sometimes in scripture this is translated as “holy people” or “God’s people.” But saints we are.

Christian history 101

One of the first things the early Christian church did was to set aside November first as “All Saints Day.” Back in the fourth century, merely 300 years after Jesus, the Roman Catholic Church established this day to recognize martyrs who had died for their faith. November first ultimately became a time to praise God for His plan of salvation and to remember all of Christ’s saints (not just the ones with the capital “S”) who had died and returned home to Glory.

Whether you are a member of today’s Roman Catholic Church or not, the fact remains that Greece (home of Orthodox Christianity) and Rome (home of Roman Catholic Christianity) were the first two places where Paul and his gang took Christianity to the gentiles. It’s where Christianity took root and flourished. And amid all that flourishing, All Saints Day was founded—a holy day set aside by the Church for God’s glory.

But what’s Halloween?

Christians celebrate the evening before Christmas as Christmas Eve. Similarly, early Christians celebrated the evening before All Saints Day, referring to it as All Hallows Eve. “Hallowed,” as we know from the Lord’s Prayer, means “holy.”

This pre-All Saints Day observance gradually became known as “Hallows Eve” and eventually “Halloween.” The meaning? Holy Evening.

Today’s unholiness

There is nothing holy about gangs of 4-foot tall aliens, fairy princesses and red-cloaked vampires roaming our neighborhoods with bulging bags of candy. And admittedly, the true evil one has a party every year as he encourages us to look to him for the glory, rather than to the true Master of the universe.

But the fact that Satan uses a holy day for his purposes does not mean the day itself is evil. Does not the evil one use every day for his purposes? It is our responsibility as children of God to remember the holiness in everything—including and maybe even especially—days originally set aside by man for God’s glory.

Christmas has become a commercialized season in the secular world. Should Christians therefore no longer celebrate the birth of our savior?

Not on your eternal life!

Me and my house

I will be spending this weekend in preparation for All Saints Day. I’ll be praying in gratitude for God’s plan and for including me and my loved ones in it.

And if there’s any candy left in the bowl after the miniature ghouls and goblins have finished grabbing, then there’ll be one more thing to be thankful for.

Holy Eve (Halloween) blessings to all.

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, please remind us that all of your days are holy days. Please show us ways to thank you for your plan and to see your holiness in everything. Please protect us from the evil one during these and every day. Amen.

WHAT ABOUT YOU? Do you love or hate Halloween? What was your favorite costume from your childhood? Why?

2011-10-26T04:00:00.000-07:00

This post is part of the Christian Writers blog chain. Our theme for October is “harvest.” Please see the links to the right and read what my friends have to say about harvest.

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My typical poetic style is to include as much horrible rhyming and as many groan-inducing puns as I can fit onto one sheet of paper.

Today I’m trying something different. I hope you enjoy these thoughts about one of the symbols of harvest time: corn.

COBS

Colored kernels on a cob

Dried husks tied in threes

Does the red taste different from the purple?

Or the black?

STALKS

Green fields turned brown

Stalk tips touch the sky

Becoming mazes of maize

KERNELS

Candy corn,

like lost teeth looking for a fairy

ALL THAT GLITTERS

2011-10-24T04:00:00.000-07:00

Every room in my house is sprinkled with glitter. In preparation for baby girl’s wedding in December, we’ve got red glitter tulle. We’ve got silver glittered snowflakes. We’ve got glitter sprinkled curly willows.

In fact, once hubs painted those curly willows white and sprinkled them with glitter, he even stopped calling them crazy willows, creepy willows or spooky willows. Now he calls them “pretty.”

A little glitter can go a long way in turning whatever is crazy, creepy or spooky into something pretty.

This morning I noticed a sprinkling of glitter on the floor around me. No doubt it had attached itself to my body and I’d trailed it through the house as if I was sowing seeds of delight. Shedding glitter. Littering.

That reminded me of Jesus.

Everything God makes is good and beautiful and shining. If God ever littered, ever had something He shed, sprinkling it as He went about, leaving trails throughout the heavens, it would appear to us as sparkling delight. God's litter. Glitter.

Now when I traipse through the house and find sparkles of glitter where there should be none, I think of God and imagine that He’s walking through the house with me (He is) and that He’s filled with so much glory (He is) that He leaves sparkles of God-litter wherever He goes. I only have to hold my head just so and let His light shine on it for me to see it sparkle.

The perfect way to hold my head just so? Bowed in prayer.

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, thank you for your sparkling delight. Thank you for leaving a trail of your glory for us to see. Help us see it today wherever we are. Help us to look just so and see that your light is shining on us. Amen.

WHAT ABOUT YOU? Do you have a fun memory involving glitter?

THE HEAVENS DECLARE

2011-10-21T07:41:00.000-07:00

Thinking back on Monday’s “Rainbow Reminders” and Wednesday’s “Harvest Moon,” what part of God’s heaven reminds you most of His glory? In what way?

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, you are in heaven. You reign from heaven. You fill the heavens with your glory. Thank you for showing us your glory in every part of this universe. Amen.

SHINE ON

2011-10-19T08:10:00.000-07:00

This post is part of the Christian Writers blog chain. Our theme for October is “harvest.” Please see the links to the right and read what my friends have to say about harvest.

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When was the last time you stepped outside and gasped in wonder at an enormous, golden harvest moon? Hopefully you did so on September 12, when I reminded you. If not, you’ll have to wait an entire year for the next one. The good thing is: harvest moons are worth the wait.

But how could such a grand cosmic event occur? The moon was just sitting there in the sky last night; nothing unusual; respectfully doing its job of lighting the sky; not overpowering it.

It’s as if God decided one evening to make a point; to show us His power; to remind us that He is in charge.

The science behind a harvest moon is fairly straight forward.

A harvest moon is the full moon closest on the calendar to the autumnal equinox, when the tilt of the earth and its relationship to the sun are just right. Often, the harvest moon appears bigger and brighter or more colorful than other full moons, even though of course, it’s really the same moon.

· It appears larger because of our visual receptors perceive a low-hanging moon to be larger than one that's high in the sky.

· The warm orange color results from the light reflected from the moon passing through more atmospheric particles this one time of year than when the moon is typically overhead. The atmosphere scatters the bluish part of the moonlight but allows the reddish light to travel a straighter path to our eyes.

Science aside, a harvest moon can take your breath away.

It’s as if God placed the sky into a heavenly Photoshop program and clicked the plus sign, bringing the moon closer to us, bringing us closer to Him and reminding us of His glory. It’s as if God is saying:

I AM right here.

I AM closer than you remember.

I AM closer than you will ever know.

Pay attention.

We’ve all grown up with stories about the “man in the moon.” There are songs and poems and stories reminding us that when we look at the shining orb, sometimes we can imagine the face of a man.

But in reality, that man in the moon? It’s Jesus. And a harvest moon is reminder that Jesus is Lord of the harvest. Shine on!

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, thank you for the reminders in nature of your glory. Help us to remember that you are closer than we can even imagine. Remind us, Jesus, that you are Lord of the Harvest. Holy Spirit, work in us to live lives worthy of your plan. Amen.

WHAT ABOUT YOU? Do you remember the first time you saw a harvest moon? What did you think?

RAINBOW REMINDERS

2011-10-17T07:29:00.000-07:00

Funny thing about the Bible: no matter how many times you’ve read it, God always seems to have something new to show you.

Let me tell you what I mean.

I’ve read the Noah story a dozen times. After Noah and his family left the ark, God made a covenant (promise) with him, with all people for all generations, and with all living creatures, that never again would He destroy all life with a flood. Then God set the rainbow in the sky as a sign of that promise.

Take a look at what God said in Genesis 9:16:

Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures of every kind on the earth.”

Read that last sentence again.

Did you see what I never saw before? God said: Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember…”

Wow. The rainbow isn’t just a sign to remind us of God’s promise. The rainbow is also a sign to remind God of His promise.

Does God really need a reminder? Of course not.But it is nice to know He gives Himself a reminder about things that are important to his children.

It’d be like posting a note to ourselves on the fridge: don’t forget to kiss the kids goodnight. Are you likely to forget? No. But it’s nice to remind yourself. It forces you to think about your kids and how much they mean to you. And it’s nice for them to know it’s important enough for you to stick the reminder in the place of supreme importance: the front of the fridge.

The last rainbow I saw was in August while visiting my daughter at college in Idaho. I had only recently re-read Genesis. The revelation of the rainbow as a reminder was still fresh in my mind.

The rainbow God placed in the sky as we were leaving our daughter behind and returning to California wasn’t a wimpy half rainbow or a faded full one. This one was brilliant; a complete, double rainbow, stretching across the vast Idaho hills, encompassing the horizon and blazing forth the reality of God’s promise of love and care.

Thanks, God for the reminder and for remembering your children, especially when we have to leave our children to your care and return to our earthly homes three states away.

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, you are worthy of our love and worship. Thank you for being our protector and provider. Thank you for loving us so much that you would give us this lifetime and then provide a way for us to spend eternity with you. Amen.

WHAT ABOUT YOU? What was the most beautiful rainbow you’ve ever seen?

PRAYING NAMES

2011-10-14T04:00:00.000-07:00

As some of you know, I research the meaning of names. Then I create an individual prayer that a person would live the meaning of their name. After I post them here, I move them to the permanent ‘PRAYING NAMES” page at the top of this blog.

Please email me or leave a comment with names of loved ones you would like to pray for. Then join me in praying for our loved ones by praying the meaning of their names.

Here are the latest.

Lynn: from the lake

Heavenly Father, I pray that Lynn will live her name. I pray that she will live her life as if she is continually baptized in your holy, living water. I pray that she will know your living water as a deep, cool and clear lake. I pray that she will then take your water of life and share it with those around her, who may not know your love and grace.

Martin: God of war

Heavenly Father, I pray that Martin will live his name. I pray that he will become a soldier in your army, fighting evil and protecting the innocent in your name. I pray also that he will be obedient to your leading as commander in chief of his life.

Taryn, Tarin: of the earth (terra)

Heavenly Father, I pray that Taryn will live her name. I pray that she will live, knowing she is of this earth but that her eternal home is with you. I pray that she will remember her heavenly home and set her sights on you in all things.

Wyatt: son of guy

Heavenly Father, I pray that Wyatt will live his name. I pray that he will remember that he is your son, your child and that he will live his life in a God-honoring and obedient way.

AND THE AWARD GOES TO...

2011-10-13T11:49:00.000-07:00

It's Thursday.

Hey, wait a minute. What am I doing posting on Thursday?

Just before I left for vacation, lovely Debbie Dillon presented me with the "One Lovely Blog Award." Now that I'm back and the gigantic piles of laundry are folded and put away, it's time for me to pass the award on.

The requirements of receiving this award are:

1. To thank the giver and link back to her site. I did that immediately, but here it is again: THANK YOU, DEBBIE! Here's the link to her blog: writin4himcafe

2. Provide 7 random facts that folks may not know about you.

3. Pass this award on to 15 other lovely blog sites. Let them know you're awarding them. Link to their sites.

4. Copy the award logo and paste it onto your own site.

Here are those 7 random facts:

1. I hold an ancient (unused) black belt in karate.

2. I used to be a belly dancer in a performing troupe.
3. I’ve lived in 5 states and attended 9 schools between K-12.
4. I love turtles and model my life around them—slow and steady. And I tend to hide when I’m uncertain of my environment.
5. I’m attracted by small, shiny objects. If it sparkles, I’m interested.
6. I can barely see straight until I have my morning coffee. I don’t actually like coffee. That’s what cream, sugar and French Vanilla is for.
7. When I don’t write for more than a week I get crotchety.

Here are 15 wonderful, lovely sites (awarded in no particular order):

Cindee Snider Re, Breathe Deeply http://breathedeeply.org you need to breathe deeply because Cindee’s poetry is breathtaking

Lynn Mosher Heading Home http://lynnmosher.blogspot.com Lynn’s solid, scriptural posts are meaty in a lovely way

Chris Henderson, The Write Chris – http://thewritechris.blogspot.com Chris is a Christian writer with a heart for encouraging other writers

Nona King Word obsession http://wordobsession.net – Nona has a way of sharing emotions in her posts in such a lovely way

Taci Bonney Tracings http://tracibonney.wordpress.com Traci courageously bares her soul and lets her readers see what a lovely soul it is

Tracy Krauss Expression Express www.tracykraussexpressionexpress.com Tracy has such an appealing, no nonsense; yet friendly writing style

Pauline Creeden Hosanna’s Christian reader http://hosannaschristianreader.blogspot.com the clean lines of Pauline’s blog reflect the truth she writes so clearly

Marilyn Life 101 Understanding it all http://life101understandingitall.blogspot.com Marilyn’s subtitle “U-Turns, Detours and Discovery” reflects how we sometimes grow in Christ

Sheila Hollinghead, Rise, Write, Shine www.sheilahollinghead.com Sheila’s conversational tone makes me feel like she’s sitting here chatting with me

Liberty Speidel, Word Wanderings http://libertywordwanderings.blogspot.com I love Liberty’s mix of writing talk and life talk

Keri Mae Lamar www.kerimae.com how can you not love a site dedicated to helping moms build happy homes with Jesus?

Linda Yezak http://lindayezak.com Linda is often funny; always professional with great writing thoughts

Sue Ewing, Little Bits http://eulea.blogspot.com Sue has perfected the art of the first sentence “hook”

Although I sense that the lovely pink flowers affixed to this award lend themselves more to women’s blogs, I also love the following men’s blogs:

Chris Vonada I’m Just Thinkin’ www.chrisvonada.com Chris makes big points in a totally easy reading style

Keith Wallis wordsculptures http://wordsculptures-keith.blogspot.com Keith’s combination of poetry and pictures are perfectly lovely

Congratulations to all fifteen winners! Thank you again, Debbie. Readers--check these winners out!

BACK AT THE BARN WITH JESUS

2011-10-12T04:00:00.000-07:00

This post is part of the Christian Writers blog chain. Our theme for October is “harvest.” Please see the links to the right and read what my friends have to say about harvest.

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Scripture is filled with references to planting, sowing seeds, and harvest. They refer to the bounty of God and the culmination of His plan for a spiritual harvest and bringing the faithful to Him at the end of the age.

Many scriptures reference the pain of growing crops and harvesting (Luke 19:21; Galatians 6:7; Mark 4:29; Galatians 6:9; Matthew 13:30; Matthew 9:37; John 4:35).

What I love about Psalm 126:5-6 is the focus on the joy of the harvest.

Those who sow with tears will reap with songs of joy. Those who go out weeping, carrying seed to sow, will return with songs of joy, carrying sheaves with them.

This reminds me that although the process of planting the seed and caring for it is hard, not only will the harvest bring bounty, food for sustenance and nourishment; it also brings joy and thanksgiving.

In our walk with Jesus sometimes there is pain as He shows us our need to change. He may gently reach down and pluck at our spiritual weeds or he may take a sickle to them. There may also be pain in their burning. But the ultimate harvest brings with it spiritual bounty. It sustains and nourishes us eternally and brings us everlasting joy.

As we go out carrying seed to sow, we can carry Jesus’ good seed and then carry our sheaves home with us. Those sheaves of wheat get made into bread—a reminder of Jesus’ body broken for us.

One day we’ll get to head back to the barn with Jesus. There may be heavenly fiddles playing; golden-clad slippers tapping and King David leading us in a line dance with Jesus. A heavenly hoe-down for sure.

Until then, let’s keep sowing and planting; watering and weeding. And keeping Psalms 126 in mind that the culmination will mean songs of joy. With heaven’s amazing acoustics, all that singing will sound good even if you can’t carry a tune.

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, thank you for seeds that can be sown and cared for, nurtured and watered by you. Help the seeds you sow in us grow to maturity so that your spiritual harvest will be bountiful and glorifying to you. Let us remain part of your eternal harvest. Amen.

WHAT ABOUT YOU? Do you have a favorite “harvest” verse in scripture?