My Plan Versus God’s Direction by Jennifer Hallmark

Happy Tuesday, friends. I'm thrilled to welcome Jennifer Hallmark to Fiction Faith & Foodies today. Jennifer is one of those dear friends who always has an encouraging word and lights up the Internet with her smile. Pour another cup of coffee and prepare to be blessed. :)

Photo Credit: Pixabay

I’m a planner. Give me lists, charts, and organization and I leap for joy. Spontaneous is not in my vocabulary. I like to make my plan and see it through. Think Hannibal Smith on “The A Team” when he says, “I love it when a plan comes together.”

However, God’s Word doesn’t line up with my way of thinking.

A man’s heart plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps (Proverbs 16:9 NKJV).

I plan. God directs. Sometimes my plan lines up with His direction but sometimes they don’t. At this point, I must make a choice.

My plans or His direction. Often, I want to march when He wants to dance.

Freestyle.

In a crowd of people.

With me.

Not really my comfort zone but so rewarding when I let go of my plan to follow His lead. Early in my marriage, I was faced with a dilemma that I share in the book compilation, Not Alone: A Literary and Spiritual Companion for Those Confronted with Infertility and Miscarriage. I needed healing from a large cyst and a troubled pregnancy. I wanted both. I received a healing from the cyst. Then I miscarried.

Why?

I don’t know. I had a choice to make. Be angry at God for not following my plan or take his extended hand, be healed, and dance again. I chose to dance. Will you?

There are many plans in a man’s heart, nevertheless the Lord’s counsel—that will stand (Proverbs 19:21 NKJV).

Commit your actions to the Lord, and your plans will succeed (Proverbs 16:3 NLT).

Have you had an experience when your plans and God’s didn’t line up? What did you choose? What was the outcome?

Jennifer Hallmark is a writer by nature, artist at heart, and daughter of God by His grace. She’s published over 200 articles and interviews on the internet, short stories in several magazines, and been part of four book compilations: A Dozen Apologies, Sweet Freedom A La Mode, Unlikely Merger, and Not Alone: A Literary and Spiritual Companion for Those Confronted with Infertility and Miscarriage. She is currently shopping her contemporary southern fiction novel, When Wedding and Weather Collide.

http://www.jenniferhallmark.com
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https://www.pinterest.com/jenlhallmark989/

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Not Alone: A Literary and Spiritual Companion for Those Confronted with Infertility and Miscarriage

Our society understands how terrible the loss of a child is when that child is out of the womb, but what about when a child dies before birth? Or what about the emptiness that comes when a very-much-wanted child is never even conceived?

These quiet, private losses are hard for those who have not experienced them to understand. And these losses leave those who have suffered them feeling alone in their grief.

Not Alone: A Literary and Spiritual Companion for Those Confronted with Infertility and Miscarriage is a resource both for those who have suffered through these experiences and for their friends and relatives, who want to understand what their loved ones are going through.

This collection contains true stories that are:

• sensitive, and yet honest 
• angry and raw, but not despairing 
• unique, and yet relatable 

The contributors to this book are male and female, old and young, some who eventually had children and some who never did, and yet despite their differences, they share a common grief and a common faith.

No experience of miscarriage, infant loss, or infertility is like any other, yet by reading these painful and hope-filled stories, you’ll be comforted by knowing there are others who understand the journey you’re on, the loss you’ve suffered, and you will find that even though your loss is uniquely yours, you are not alone.

That Look

Recently, we bought a new razor trike, a modern version of hot wheels, for Little Man to ride at our house. The back wheels pivot, which causes the whole trike to spin. When Little Man and our neighbor, also a classmate, race up and down our long driveway, it’s quite entertaining.



He wanted red like his buddy’s, but the stores around here only carried blue. At first, Little Man was disappointed, but that didn’t last long. Only until he discovered the joy of riding and spinning and tumbling onto the grass in make-believe crashes, giggling alongside his new friend.

And when I mentioned that Grandpa put the trike together?

Adoration blossomed on his cute face. “Grandpa, you built my bike?”

Not exactly, but…

That look.

As if his grandpa could do anything. As if building a bike was the coolest thing ever! Love and admiration and awe and delight all swirled together and swelled to shine from his face and lift his tiny shoulders.

And right then it hit me.

As a daughter of the Most High King and Creator of the universe, shouldn’t the world see that look on my face as I go through life?

The one thing I ask of the Lord—

the thing I seek most—

is to live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life,

delighting in the Lord’s perfections and meditating in his Temple. ~ Psalm 27:4 (NLT)

Enthusiastic about Faith: God is in the details

So, you all know I switched to a chronological Bible recently, and I’m reading the section called The Birth of Israel which includes Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy.

Let me just get this out of the way right now and confess that this section is one of my least favorites in the entire Bible. I was never a history buff (still not!) and I get bogged down in so many details. Exact dimensions for the tabernacle, procedures and instructions for offerings and sacrifices, descriptions of the festivals, census numbers and names from the tribes, etc. You know what I mean?

Now don’t get me wrong. Some really cool events happened in these particular books that are still applicable to life today. Like when Jethro, Moses’s father-in-law showed up to find Moses busy listening to the Israelites’ disputes from morning until evening. “Why are you trying to do all this alone…?” Jethro asked, then proceeded to lecture Moses about burnout and advised him to appoint leaders over the people to help carry the load. How many of you feel washed out, limp as a dishrag by the end of the day? Yeah, I hear you.

Every day, I pound away at the keyboard in my quiet home office, but I’m not really alone. My crazy adorable dog keeps me company inside while a wildlife parade (wild turkey, fox, ducks, geese, rabbits, turtles, squirrels, birds) entertains me outside my office window.

I usually escape the house to meet hubby somewhere for lunch, and while many miles may separate us, friends and family are just a click away. And Jethro nailed it when he talked about burnout. If I don’t schedule regular times to relax and disconnect, fatigue sneaks up and forces me to, whether through illness or just plain rebellion. And what about the 10 commandments? Who could argue that society wouldn’t be better off if more people valued and lived by these basic rules?

But over the last few days reading through these books again, I felt a little nudge.

God is in the details.

A few days later, that nudge became an audible voice as hubby’s Bible plan read aloud.

“You kept your word to David my father, your promise. You did exactly what You promised—every detail.” (2 Chron 6:15 MSG)

Cool, right? That “ahh” moment when you realize God just spoke to you!

God is in the details.

Not just the big ticket items like when you’re sitting across the desk from a doctor and you hear that terrifying medical prognosis, a look of finality and pity staring back at you. Or the day your boss calls you into his office and closes the door and the next thing you know, you’re cleaning out ten or twenty or thirty years of stuff from your desk, cramming it into a banker’s box as if all those decades of experience meant nothing, to make room for someone younger. And you better believe He’s there, His arm wrapped around your back holding you up when you’re hunched over an open grave, waiting for your loved one to be lowered into a hole and swallowed up by earth, agonizing how one second, one breath, ripped your life right out of normal and hurled it into some place unrecognizable, some place you never expected or asked to go.

But He’s also in the thousands of tiny specifics that I tend to skim over without much regard. How my body processes the foods I eat. How my stories come together, from a speck of an idea to an outline, to characters then hundreds of pages. Whether technology works on any particular day. What roads I take –or don’t take— as I drive around town. The people He plants in my path while my dog drags me around the park or while getting a carwash or my hair cut. Whether the lawn mower will crank or if I’ll have to call hubby for help.

God is there. In the details, in the minutia of everyday life, waiting for us to acknowledge His Presence just like we do during the major events.

So, instead of rushing to get to the Old Testament books I typically enjoy more like Psalms, Isaiah or Jeremiah, I’m forcing myself to slow down and savor the details.

What about you? Do you skim these particular passages of the Bible?

Which OT books are your favorites?

Don't Back Up by Shelley Wilburn

I have met so many wonderful people online who I hope to meet in person someday this side of heaven. Shelley Wilburn is one of those dear friends. Right now, I'll have to settle for a glimpse of her beautiful face here! :) 

Don't Back Up is a brief snippet from her debut book, Walking Healed, which released recently. If you suffer from mental or verbal abuse or depression, be encouraged that you can be healed and live a joyful life! ~Dora

Shelley Wilburn

So many times in our lives, when we are making progress, something or someone will come along and try to knock us back. In the past that happened to me a lot. Whether it was at school or at home, or somewhere in between, there were many times that I just felt like I couldn't catch a break. And I would back up. It's very frustrating.

Even though I endured much intimidation and "put-downs" through those times, I never stopped trying to figure out a way to get to where I knew I needed to be. That includes even the very night I went to the Lord for healing. I have learned that sometimes you just have to press through the jungle to get to the river.

I talk about healing a lot, I know. But it is crucial in what I do now, and even more important that I tell others. Because when it comes right down to it, without the healing, I wouldn't be doing what I'm doing now. I can't back up.

“I don't mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me.” ~Philippians 3:12, NLT

The old saying, "You've come a long way, baby" is true even for me. While I'm not a walking billboard for cigarettes, I am a walking billboard for the Lord. I have come a long way, baby! And you can come a long way, too. Just don't back up.

I have come too far to allow someone or something to stop me in my tracks. My pastor tells us repeatedly that if you are in the will of God, nothing can touch you, not even Satan! Oh, he may think he can and he may try his hardest to mess you up, but in all reality, he has absolutely NO power at all... unless you give it to him.

So many times I hear Christian people complaining about their problems and "how hard it is" to do things. It really breaks my heart to hear them when I know that if they would take their eyes off the past and what is bothering them and put them back on Christ, things would begin to work out. However, I watch as they continue on a downward spiral into the black hole of unforgiveness, bitterness, and anguish, blaming everything and everyone who crosses their path.

“No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead...” ~Philippians 3:13a, NLT

"Well, you just don't know what I'M going through!" I hear. It isn't directly about what you're going through. It's about where your focus lies. If you aren't focused one-hundred-percent on Jesus, then don't expect positive things to happen! Plain and simple.

“...let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith...” ~Hebrews 12:1b-2a, NKJV (emphasis added)

If you aren't focused, if you have backed up, then how can you expect God to help you? However, if you are moving forward, trusting Him with everything you've got, then when the attacks come you will know what they are and how to handle them. You will walk through the fire unscathed instead of crumbling and complaining because you are under attack.

“When you go through deep waters, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown. When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you. For I am the LORD, your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior...” 

~Isaiah 42:2-3a, NLT

I've been there, too. I know. At some point you are going to have to ask yourself, "Is it worth it to continue to back up and let the enemy win? Or am I going to trust the One Who can get me out of it and make things better?"

Step forward today into the blessed life that God wants you to have! Start speaking positive things no matter what is going on. Speak to those things which are not as though they are. Put your foot on the neck of your enemy and declare your victory. And whatever you do... Don't Back Up!

****

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"Sometimes... we have to get to a certain point in our lives where we are actually ready for God to use us. And God has to get us to that certain point in our lives when the clay is ready for the Master's hands. I was at that point the night God healed me." ~Shelley Wilburn, excerpt from Walking Healed

Have you ever wondered what life would be like if you weren't suffering depression, intimidation, or even verbal or mental abuse? Depression is a very real issue for many people. It causes health issues, affects relationships, marriages, your weight, and even your walk with the Lord. Many people don't understand that even Christians suffer depression. Shelley Wilburn knows and understands a life lived in the "black hole" of depression and intimidation. She suffered it for over forty years. She also knows what it's like when God heals you from it all, sending you on a wonderful journey of walking healed.

In Walking Healed, Shelley uses personal stories and biblical truths to encourage others and experience the hope that she walks in every day. She uses her story of healing to help others know that even depression is curable and that "nothing is impossible with God."

Shelley Wilburn and her husband D.A. live in a house they built together on five and a half acres they lovingly call their Rinky Dink Farm. Along with their moody little dog Buster, they love to raise chickens, ride motorcycles, and watch the wild deer and turkeys cross their field. Shelley and D.A. have three grown, married children and three grandsons.

              

Shelley began writing when she was twelve years old. She wrote on the Junior High School newspaper but didn’t follow her love of writing until years later. She secretly wrote poetry but never let anyone read her poems, keeping them hidden in a notebook. She has written several articles for various newspapers, women’s magazines, and newsletters but didn’t start writing full time until God healed her. That’s when she knew that writing was her full-time calling.

Shelley tells of the complete change God has done in her life through her ministry, on her website and through the motorcycle ministry she and her husband share. Using her love of writing, motorcycle riding, and wearing mismatched socks, Shelley has developed a unique ministry of encouraging others using biblical truths and stories from her own personal life.

             

Shelley loves to hear from her readers.

             

              You can find Shelley at:

              Her website: www.shelleywilburn.org

              Her ministry website: www.where2.org

              Facebook: www.facebook.com/authorshelleywilburn

              Twitter: @Shelley_Wilburn

              Pinterest: www.pinterest.com/shelleyawilburn

              Email her at: shelley@shelleywilburn.org

Boundaries? What Boundaries?

For those of you who joined us recently, this is Bruiser, our 10 1/2 year old Golden Retriever. Yes, I know...isn't he adorable? Add mischievous and protective and jealous...you get the idea. But, he's a wonderful companion and a great watch dog. Although he's mostly inside, nobody steps foot into our yard without us knowing about it.

A few weeks ago, hubby noticed Bruiser edging closer to the neighbor's yard, so we knew the collar battery for the electric fence must've croaked. I wasn't too worried. We've lived in the house for almost eight years, with an electric fence the entire time. Since the initial training period and a couple times trying to follow hubby to the mailbox, Bruiser never wanders outside his boundaries.

But, I ordered the new battery anyway because the brute's much bigger and heavier than our neighbor's two small children. He's a bit, um, exuberant with kids (I don't even allow him alone with our grandkids) and I was more worried about him hurting them accidentally than him running into the road. As hubby says, Bruiser wouldn't wander too far from his food dish.

The day after I ordered the battery, Bruiser made it all the way to the neighbor's swingset. See that big tree in the middle? That's the edge of our property.

Seriously? With a half acre of his own to play in and living here all this time, Bruiser still tests his boundaries?

Seriously? All this I've given you to enjoy and you still test your boundaries? How many times has God whispered those same words to me? Gulp...

Have you no respect for me?

    Why don’t you tremble in my presence?

I, the Lord, define the ocean’s sandy shoreline

    as an everlasting boundary that the waters cannot cross.

The waves may toss and roar,

    but they can never pass the boundaries I set.

But my people have stubborn and rebellious hearts.

    They have turned away and abandoned me.

They do not say from the heart,

    ‘Let us live in awe of the Lord our God,

for he gives us rain each spring and fall,

    assuring us of a harvest when the time is right.’ ~Jer 5:22-24 NLT

In The Midst Of Your Storm

It had been awhile. With all the craziness and “busy”-ness of the holidays, and then several author events and promotions all swirling into this massive storm, all demanding my attention, I couldn’t focus on anything except the blur of the calendar whizzing through my head, reminding me that I had to move harder, faster, get up earlier. It didn’t help that the weather hadn’t cooperated, either. Bruiser and I hadn’t been to visit the park in weeks.

The morning loomed gloomy and overcast, and slid downhill from there. But my body screamed for exercise, so I determined that we would at least drive to the park. It finally stopped raining long enough for me to unload my seventy pound dog at the park. I prayed that we might have a chance to navigate the soggy, muddy path before the puffy grey clouds dumped again.

As we started walking, patches of blue sky broke through the clouds. The sun poked out for the first time that day. Dewy raindrops glistened from bare tree limbs, shimmering like diamonds.

I believe Bruiser equates our time spent at the park as love. Why wouldn’t he? It’s a mile of sniffing trails and back scratches. From his grin (don’t tell me Goldens don’t grin J) and flumy tail waving through the air, it was painfully obvious that he needed the reminder that I still loved him. 

With the sun warming my back, a gentle breeze kissing my cheeks, and a spirit lighter than it had been in weeks, I realized that I needed the reminder, too. That God still loved me in the midst of my storms. That even in the busyness of my life, even though I’d barely focused on Him, He hadn’t forgotten about me.

Maybe you’re there. In the midst of a storm. An ugly divorce, the sudden death of a spouse or a child, an unexpected job loss, or maybe you’re being evicted from your home. Or maybe it’s a little more subtle. Like a tiny prick of insecurity, that you’re not keeping up with the demands of your job or you feel like a failure at parenthood. It could be a painful stab of jealousy when your husband flirts with a younger woman, or one of a thousand little things that creep in and rob your joy, your assurance that…

God loves you. Right where you are. In the midst of your storm.

When you pass through the waters,

I will be with you;

and when you pass through the rivers,

They will not sweep over you.

When you walk through the fire,

you will not be burned;

the flames will not set you ablaze.

For I am the Lord, your God,

the Holy One of Israel, your Savior…

Since you are precious and honored in my sight,

And because I love you. ~Isaiah 43:2-4 NIV

You. Are. Loved.
Maybe you need that reminder today.

Sending you a warm hug and prayers for you to know that you are not alone.

E is for Envy...

A heart at peace gives life to the body, but envy rots the bones. 

Prov 14:30 NIV

What does that person do for a living to afford that?

Wow! Would you look at that house! Wouldn't you love to live there?

Why did my co-worker snag the promotion? I was more qualified.

Do you fall into the “envy” trap? 

Confession time! I admit that sometimes I do. Maybe I haven’t said those particular words. Mine would sound more like…

What? That writer can crank out 5,000 words in a day? How is that possible? I'm not sure I can think that fast, let alone type! or

You sold 100 books at a booksigning? or

She snagged a multi-book contract on her first try?

Insert heavy sigh here. When I hear about these tremendous accomplishments, I cringe and immediately wonder what’s wrong with me. Why can’t I write that fast? When it comes to speed, I'm definitely not going to break any records. I count it a good day if I manage to eek out over 1,000 words. To sell 100 books at one time? That number hasn't even filtered into my dreams yet. I was thrilled to snag a contract for one book, and I lost track of the years and how many rejections it took to get that. 

If I dwell on those things, I become cranky, ungrateful, and dissatisfied with the journey I'm on.

Envy rots the bones.

Oh Lord, I so don't want to go down that road.

"My precious daughter, don't you know by now that I love you just the way you are?" A tiny voice whispers in my heart, convicting me that envy is not from God. "You are fearfully and wonderfully made…" (Psalm 139:14 NIV) 

Fearfully and wonderfully made? Yowzers! 

No, God didn't equip me to crank out 5k in a day, but He created me, shaped me into the person I am, unique and one-of-a-kind, precious in His sight. How my complaining and comparing must hurt Him! 

Ouch!

I'm so sorry, precious Lord. Please forgive me. Guard my heart from envy. Don't allow it to seep into my life and settle into my bones. I will praise You because I am fearfully and wonderfully made.

What about you? Do you fall into the "envy" trap?

Doubt...or Trust?

"Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. Mt 28:16-17 NIV

Jesus had warned his disciples all that would happen surrounding his crucifixion. They'd been hanging around with him for three years and had witnessed countless miracles, so many they weren't all recorded in the Bible (Jn 21:25). You'd think that they would have believed him, right?

Not. 

Everything happened exactly as Jesus predicted. One of his own disciples turned him over to the authorities in exchange for trinkets of silver. Jesus was beaten, whipped, and then nailed to a cross until his last breath. A heavy stone was rolled across the entry to where his broken body lay, and guards were posted outside the tomb. 

All events he'd told them about ahead of time, happened exactly as he'd said. To the last detail.

When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted.

Seriously? The disciples doubted?

Men that had followed Jesus around for three years? Soaking in his words, watching him perform miracles, witnessing the compassion in his eyes as he looked upon his children? 

Doubt. 

What a nasty, five letter word that sometimes slithers in to my life. Whether it's in my marriage, my writing, my faith...

Why do I struggle with it so?

Because doubt is a lie of the enemy, an all out frontal attack by the devil to rob us of joy, of peace that passes understanding. The enemy tosses out those tiny nuggets of doubt, and if we let allow them to take root, they blossom into full-fledged fear.

The disciples doubted even after they'd had a chance to see Jesus, to touch the holes in his hands, to hear his voice. Peter doubted after he'd stepped out of the boat and he looked down at the waves crashing around his feet. Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?” Mt 14:31 NIV

I can sometimes picture him, with an outstretched arm, glancing down at me with warm eyes, full of compassion, and in a loving voice, saying, "Oh, Dora, where's your faith? Why must you doubt?"

God promised that He'd always be with me. Why rob myself of joy and peace by doubting? I choose trust over doubt. 

Do you struggle with doubt? Which will you choose?
Doubt or trust?

Grumbling or Grace?

Have you read the story of how God rescued the Israelites from their heavy yoke of slavery? How God called out to Moses from a burning bush, informing Moses that he would be the one to deliver the Israelites from Egypt? It was only after God sent plague after vicious plague, ending with the death of Pharaoh's first-born, that Pharaoh relinquished and released the Israelites.

God brought the Israelites out of Egypt, guiding them by cloud during the day and fire by night. Pharaoh changed his mind (actually, God changed it for him!) and pursued the Israelites, finding them camped out by the Red Sea.  


"It would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the desert." (Ex 14:12 NIV).

Can you just picture them? The water from the sea licking their backs, the approaching Egyptians armed for battle? Scared for their lives, yet that's what spews from their lips? Complaints??
 
It's beyond me. 

Yet, God rescues them again. With a mighty wind, He pushed back the waters so that the Israelites crossed over on dry land, a wall of water on both sides. When the Egyptians followed them into the sea, the water fell back and crushed them.

The Israelites went on their merry way, praising and fearing God. 

For three days anyway.

When they didn't find water, they grumbled. God provided water. For lack of meat, they grumbled. God sent manna and quail.

What was wrong with these people? How could they complain? They witnessed God's miracles firsthand every day. Miracles like the parting of the Red Sea. Water from a rock. Just enough manna to provide for their daily needs. 

I'm quick to point my finger and say I would never do that.

Wrong!

I'm hanging my head right now because just like these Israelites, I witness God's miracles every day. Miracles in the form of a loving and supportive hubby, an income, a beautiful home, a family we cherish.

Yet what spews from my mouth? Complaints.


We arrived home from Denver late yesterday. Usually Hubby's pretty good about helping me unload the suitcases. Not last night. He toted them upstairs, left the packed bags in the bedroom, then planted his tush on the recliner in front of a blaring television.

I fumed. I huffed. Resentment broiled.

Then, God convicted my lousy little heart this morning with this story from Exodus.

How many blessings does my husband pour out for me everyday? He uses his vacation time to attend book signings with me. He brainstorms blog posts and story lines with me. He encourages me to adjust my schedule so he can help with chores like lawn care and groceries, so that I can devote more time to writing. And techie issues? He's my man! He's my biggest fan, my loudest encourager, my best friend. 

Yet I complain.

Forgive me, God, for complaining. Change my heart.

Help me reflect grace, not grumbling. 

Thank You for the wonderful man you planted beside me! Thank You that he never grumbles or complains.

What about you? What's in your heart today?

Grumbling or Grace?

A Normal Day??

What's that?

I can tell you that, by default, "normal" means something different for everyone. And sometimes normal isn't, well, normal. Depends on who you're asking. 

Some people prefer chaos. Thrive on it actually.

Me? I prefer normal. Routine. Predictable. Typical. 

Days where I have a set schedule: 

mornings = writing

lunch = hubby

afternoons = catching up on household chores or marketing.

Lately, life is anything but normal. 

But that's OK. Because...

God orchestrates circumstances and events to order my day. 

If I had gone to Target instead of agreeing to keep a sick grandchild, would I have been involved in the auto accident that occurred about the same time I would have been there? Hmmm...

Have you considered how He might cause your day to go off track ~off your track, not His~ so you could have a normal day? 

We can make our plans, but the Lord determines our steps. Proverbs 16:9 (NLT)

Thank You, God, for overriding my plans. Help me not to be irritated at the change in my day, but, rather, to welcome and to praise You for it.

Has God orchestrated circumstances or events in your life so you could experience a normal day?

Overwhelmed by tough times?

Can't see a way out? 

Don't believe Satan's lie. That's not the case. Ever.

Tough times are part of the journey. 

"For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." (Jeremiah 29:11 NIV)

Tough times help us grow. 

"There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you have to endure many trials for a little while. These trials will show that your faith is genuine..." (I Peter 1:6-7 NLT)

What can you do to break the bondage?

Pray. 

Focus on God first, and then others. 

Take a step forward. 

Know God's heart for you, and trust the road He has you on, 

even when you can't see where it leads. 

Are you overwhelmed by tough times today?

Storms...where do you hide?

Bruiser, our eight-year-old golden retriever, meandered around the yard on his usual morning patrol, sniffing his territory to make sure no critters invaded during the night. 


A strange sound made me glance over the rim of my coffee cup. Was that thunder? So early in the morning? Probably not.


From my vantage point at the kitchen table, I peered out the glass door. The sky had lightened with morning's brightness. Not a dark cloud in sight. Perhaps the noise I heard was a train from the nearby tracks? 


The noise sounded again, this time more distinct and definitely thunder.


Bruiser bounded up the deck steps as rain dumped from the sky, his big brown eyes pleading for me to let him in. I did, and Bruiser raced by to hide in our shower, someplace dark and without windows. Terrified of thunder and lightning, he usually senses when a storm is nearby, but this one caught him by surprise. 


The storms of life sometimes sneak up on us. Catch us by surprise. Events like the death of a loved one, relational breakups, job loss, or financial difficulties. 

God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Psalm 46:1

Where do you hide when you're afraid?

The devil stealing your joy?

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. John 10:10 (NIV)

Have you considered what the devil attempts to steal from you? 

Could it be your joy? Your peace?

Does he plant the seeds of doubt in your job, 

little nuggets of distrust in your relationships, 

or snippets of resentment towards your daily tasks?

Anything to rob you of your joy.

In May last year, about a week before my first book released, 

he paralyzed me with fear and self-doubt. 

Sure, I wrote a book, but I had no idea

how to navigate the confusing world of publishing. 

For two days, the devil robbed me of joy and peace until I rebuked him by calling on the name of Jesus.

Fast forward to this year. 

My second Christian romance releases on March 30th. 

Already the devil has attempted to rob me of my joy and peace. 

Maybe he decided to start earlier because he sensed he would have to work harder. Or maybe he thinks with all the fiery darts he zings at me that I'll give up writing.

Plant a little seed of doubt here, throw in a nightmare about sleeping through a booksigning, and toss in a few fears that I still don't know what I'm doing. 

I'm having none of it! 

"Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid." John 14:27b (NIV)

"If God is for us, who can be against us?" Romans 8:31b (NIV)

"So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." Isaiah 41:10 (NIV)

God promises that He will help me. He doesn't want me to be troubled or afraid. He surely doesn't want me to listen to the devil.

I trust God to vanquish my fears, to help me walk this path that He's set before me and to hold my hand along the way. 

He's done it before. 

I trust Him to do it again. 

What about you?

Is the devil stealing your joy today?

Window or aisle?

When I consider your heavens,

the work of your fingers,

the moon and the stars,

which You have set in place,

what is man that you are mindful of him,

the son of man that you care for him? (Ps 8:3-4 NIV)

Do you prefer a window or aisle seat when you fly?

Me?

I love to plaster my face against the window and watch the cars grow smaller until they look like tiny ants from several thousand feet in the air.

Until all I can see is blue sky.

Endless universe.

In the big scheme of things, we're small, insignificant. Little blips.

Yet God cares for us and loves us beyond what we can possibly imagine. 

Amazing, isn't it?

Walking through Fire?

Fear not, for I have redeemed you;

I have summoned you by name; you are mine.

When you pass through the waters, 

I will be with you;

and when you pass through the rivers,

they will not sweep over you.

When you walk through the fire,

you will not be burned;

the flames will not set you ablaze.

For I am the Lord, your God, 

the Holy One of Israel, your Savior;

I give Egypt for your ransom,

Cush and Seba in your stead. 

Since you are precious and honored in my sight,

and because I love you...

(Isaiah 43:1b-4a NIV)

Are you sinking in the cold water of pain? Is it swirling around your chest, suffocating, pressing, closing in?

What about the fire of anxiety and trouble? 

Are the hot flames leaping closer, sizzling, smoking, threatening to devour you in their intensity?

Do the troubles of life consume you? 

Too much to handle? Too emotionally painful?

As a 40+ year survivor of a significant burn injury, I know not to take this passage literally.
God never promises a peaceful, painless journey through life. Actually, He warns that we'll experience trouble and heartbreak along the road.

But He vows to never leave you, never give up on you. 

He promises to carry you through the water and the fire.

Why? Because He loves you.

Through more surgeries than I can remember. Countless skin graphs. Extended hospital stays. Self-esteem issues. Pain.
God has carried me through this journey. He's never left me. 
I trust Him.
What about you? 
Will you trust Him?