Water Your Weeds!

   When each spring comes, my garden looks like a forgotten bed of weeds, beaten down by heavy Wisconsin snow and covered by layers of fallen leaves. My husband is always in a hurry to rake and clear things out and perhaps till everything over. I always have to remind him we need to water those weeds for a while and see what springs up because I know that just beneath the soil lay many of my spring bulbs that will once again pop into glorious color!

   People are sometimes like those weeds. We do not know what lies beneath until a little tenderly administered care brings out the best in them.

   A Pastor once told a riveting story: A homeless man had taken up temporary residency outside the church doors one morning prior to Sunday service. As worshipers streamed in, he sat, dirty, in need of food and drink, and shelter. Less than three feet away, on the other side of the open doors, where the well-dressed church-goers passed him, whispering to each other, avoiding his awkward glances, coffee, doughnuts, juice and a warm building awaited him. Their bulletins proudly proclaimed them to be a “friendly, welcoming, congregation of believers!” Yet no one spoke to him or offered him food or drink.

   Finally, it was time for the service to begin. The doors to the sanctuary swung open one more time. Much to the surprise of the congregation, it was the homeless man who was seated outside of the church - and he was boldly striding up the central aisle to the pulpit! How could this be? 

   As he began to speak, it was made clear. It was none other than their very own Pastor!  You can well imagine that he was not happy with what he found out about his congregation that day. What would he have found out about us that day? What would he find out about us today? Do we toil in God’s garden to water the weeds among us, or do we wish to just work alongside the sweet-smelling flowers?

   Every once in a while, it is a good thing to check ourselves against what Christ demands of us:

. In Genesis 4:9 (NIV):, the Lord said to Cain, “Where is your brother Abel?”  

                                                               “I don’t know,” he replied, “Am I my brother’s keeper?”

It is my assertion that you are.

If we take a look at Luke, who we know as a physician of his time, but one who takes time with the poor in particular. When Jesus called Levi to service, as he was dining with the tax collectors in  Luke Chapter 5:31, it is written,

   Jesus answered them, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance..”

Also in Luke, one of the first Bible verses that I learned as a child is Luke 6:31(NIV) Do to others as you would have them do to you.

This not only charges us with how we treat people we encounter in our daily lives as Christians, but how we act globally as we carry out our commitments to our communities. Of course, we all have our limits and I feel that at different seasons of our lives, we can sometimes do a little more than others. Christ doesn’t ask much, just that you serve where you are planted!

Luke is so very rich in Christ’s teachings, I have to bring you one more before I let you go! It is one you surely know, but one the congregation of the church illustrated above surely had forgotten that fateful Sunday morning when their Pastor came to them dressed as a homeless person right outside their very doors!

   In Luke 10:25-37, an expert in law stands up to challenge Christ. He wants to know what he must do to enter eternal life. Christ then asks him, how do you interpret the law? He answers him, “I must love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind and love your neighbor as yourself.”(v.27)

   Christ tells him that is correct, but he then wants to know who his neighbor is. Christ then responds with the parable of the good Samaritan. As you may know, a priest passes by a robbery victim in a poor state. Most likely because according to Old Testament law, a priest who touches a dead body would make himself ceremonially impure.   The religious Levite also decided not to get involved. The third character in Jesus’ story was a Samaritan - a racial minority despised in Israel. The Samaritan, unlike the Priest and religious Levite, stopped and bandage the victim, put him upon his donkey and took him to an inn, cared for him, gave him money.

   Jesus wants us only to show mercy to all who cross our path and require our mercy.

Blessings to you today!

Spiritual Gardening:

1. Read The parable of The Good Samaritan for yourself Luke 10:25-37

2. Reacquaint yourself with the book of Luke - so many great passages for studies!

3. Try to do one merciful, kind thing each day for your neighbor!

 

“...Wash and make yourself clean. 

Take your evil deeds out of my sight!

Stop doing wrong.

Learn to do right!

Seek justice,

Encourage the oppressed.” Isaiah 1:16-17NIV

   Abuse. SHHH! We don’t talk about that, do we? Although, for abuse to exist, it has to bloom in the dark. No one talks about it. The bruises are where clothes cover. The words,  slung with reckless abandon at our family members, damage hearts and minds -  large and small  - where no one outside the family can see the scars and bitterness forming.

   Could you be the abused  …  or the abuser?

   It is a hard thing to face, but face it you must - and once you have the answer, you must act. As with any action, you must face accountability.

   How do I know? I was in an abusive relationship for several years and I did not want to leave for three reasons. The first is that I was in love. The second was that I was sure that I could model Christ’s love and he would be SAVED. The third and perhaps most vivid in my mind is that I was terrified on so many levels: fearful I couldn’t run far enough with my child, and he would kill me, fearful I couldn’t care for the two of us, fearful of not being loved again, fearful of giving up on a covenant I had made with God and my husband, so many fears! 

   I would also have to limp back to my family in disgrace. It was all too hard. But it was necessary. To save my life, to save the life of my child.

   That being said, in today’s world, an abused woman or man (yes, MEN are abused too), have options. There are shelters. There were NO shelters at the time I was going through my ordeal.  When the abused steps up and finally acknowledges there is a problem, and separates from the abuser, it is a huge mental step.

   I don’t want you to turn away from reporting because you are a Christian. Christian households have the same problems everyone else does. Sitting in a pew does not make families immune from problems. It makes them better able to handle them. God gives us the tools to get on top of things and yes, I would say some things are less likely to happen, but I would never say never. 

  Do not ever be ashamed to go to your Pastor with a problem. He has heard it. I can almost guarantee it.

   However, remember Isaiah? Your Pastor will listen. He will counsel you wisely. He will also be in a position to report the abuser and keep the abused safe. Know that this is not a breach of confidence on his part.

   Both the abused and the abuser must work tirelessly to save their family. The Pastor can be a worthy ally in this goal, but you must work with them. Help the helpers who serve you by understanding what they must do.

   My fervent prayer this month is that if readers recognize themselves in these brief paragraphs, they reach out to someone. If you just need to talk, be you abused or abuser, please contact a friend or start a dialogue with your pastor.

      Get up each morning and connect with God through prayer. He will work miracles in your life. I am praying with you.

Next Steps!

1.  If you are the abused or abuser: Start by confessing your situation to Our Father and praying for help and direction today.

2. Each morning, put on the armor of God through prayer so that he may better guide your footsteps through the day and keep you from stumbling or keep you from harm. He is to the right and to the left of you. He leads you and follows you. You are blessed!

3. Go to a trusted Pastor, a counselor, scour the internet for resources, go forward boldly! You are blessed!

4. You are loved. You are worthy. You are blessed, abused, or abuser, these words are for you. May your road be bright going forward. The kingdom is for you

What Is Your Purpose?

 Esther 4:12 NIV “  …And who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this?”

 

Esther, although sometimes dismissed as a fanciful story because of the many coincidences is an archaeologically proven part of Persian history.

   In this account of Queen Esther’s life, she encountered loss, was raised by a cousin, Mordecai, and was tasked with putting herself at great risk by revealing herself as a Jew at a time when they were being exterminated by an arm of her husband’s reign.

   To save her people, she had to summon all of her courage. She was in the right place at the right time. There is no denying though, it would have been easier to not say anything and live the easy life as the King’s concubine.

   I would say to you this week that we are all Esther’s. Her life was not easy. There are many instances in the Bible where we find Christians have nothing short of terrifying lives, let’s think about it: Daniel in the lion's den (Daniel 6:22); Jonah in the Belly of the Whale (Jonah 1 & 2); Job and his many afflictions (Entire book of Job).

   I could go on, but the next time you question, ‘Why me, Lord,” I would ask, “Why not, you?” God did not promise us an easy passage. What He does promise us is protection, like Esther, Daniel, Jonah & Job through the rough times.

   In addition, if you were to look up the names of all twelve apostles, who lay down all their worldly goods to help Christ spread the good word, they died horrid deaths! Again, who are we to tremble when a bit of misfortune comes our way? God will see us through it. He is our ever-present guardian and protector, but there is more!

   God is using you and your plight! Those near you are watching and learning. You are your neighbor's Bible. He reads you every day. Those who may never open our Holy Book depend upon your role model to teach them.

   This was brought home to me about two years ago. I was an abused wife my first marriage. I thought I owed it to God to stay in the marriage and turn my husband’s heart towards him. I prayed. I was the best wife I could be, but things got worse, and I became pregnant with our first child.

   He became addicted to drugs and more violent, entangled in a motorcycle club. I had suffered broken bones and during a welfare check, a community nurse told me that eventually, he would beat my child. Looking at her innocence, I knew what I had to do.

   In the dark of the night, I packed a bag and left on a bus to travel across the country to my sister’s house. My anguish did not end there. Once there, I found I was 3 months pregnant with twins. Three months later, I lost them. I cried all the time.

   I loved my husband and felt I had just failed him, failed God, failed my family. One night my dad came to me crying to tell me there wasn’t any man worth crying about night and day – and I owed it to my daughter to get up and straighten up. So, I did.

   I won’t lie, some days were dark. God and my little girl’s needs pulled me out of bed more days than I care to admit.

   Many decades later, I received a phone call out of the blue. It was my (ex)husband. It was a phone call I both needed and dreaded. We cleared many things up. He was dying of cancer, and through his tears, he admitted to me that he was very scared.

   Amazingly, he said one of the things he always admired about me was that I was never afraid of anything. Also, I always seemed at peace. I will bet you know why that is. I had God on my side. I knew I was protected.

   I always asked myself, “What is the worse thing that could happen?” Most people would say: Death. Well, death is not a problem for me. I have eternal life through Christ. This gives me peace.

   This allows me to take my earthly problems one at a time calmly. You too can have this peace.

I also want you to understand that like Esther, you were born for such a time as this.

   What is your purpose for today?

Share Your Gift!

 “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of age.”NIV Matthew 28: 19-20 

  I have been very excited all week! This coming Sunday, two of my grandchildren are being baptized. Like many mothers and grandmothers, I cover my family in prayer and one of my greatest prayers is that they will discover Christ. Seeing their excitement is absolutely contagious!

  Part of being a disciple of Christ is that you make a public confession. I remember how scary that felt to me as a child. I was absolutely riddled with guilt over the actions I knew wounded Jesus each time I took them.

• I knew for instance I had TWT far too often (Trouble with the Truth) If mom would ask who did something and it was most certainly me, it was easy to blame my younger sister or say, “I don’t know”

• If I did something I was proud of, it was very easy to fall into a habit of bragging about it. No humility lived here.

• All kindnesses were broadcast as well.

• My praying was often done in public rather than in private.

 

   In aging, and watching those in my family with much more social grace than I, I wonder at their deep Christ-like love for humanity and their complete shunning of the accolades that could accompany their good works. Instead, knowing good works cannot get them into heaven, they have grown into the scripture written in Ephesians 2:8-9

   “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God-not by works, so that no one can boast.” NIV

   Notice I said they grew into the verse. God wants us to come into our faith - no matter our age - as “little children,” full of exuberance and excitement, ready to learn and grow, full of innocence in His grace. It is all waiting for you today. Just ask.

   One of my favorite things about a baptism on Sunday morning is that it revives my faith. It reminds me to peel back some of the  ”old” of a 60-year-old faith and make it new again. It reminds me to let my face show the joy I feel inside of finding the peace that passes all human understanding.

Kingdom Building:

• Pray daily. As often as you can. Pray for others, yes, but remember to pray for yourself too. I love the little prayer my grandmother always prayed, three times a day at least. I heard her pray it at each meal: “Lord, please forgive me all of my sins, those I know I have committed and those I have committed unknowingly against you, Father. Amen.”

• Read your Bible today. Just a verse. Just open it and read. The Lord will guide you. Keep it close where you will see it. Don’t put it away between Sundays.

• Go to church this week. Exercise that muscle. There are people there waiting to get to know you. The real you. The flawed you. You belong.

Faith for Tomorrow

 

Faith for Tomorrow

All that I have seen teaches me
to trust the Creator
for what I have not seen.
~Unknown

It
is still early and my son and I have shoveled twice today. The snow
continues to fly outside in the face of the warm and inviting fire
inside. As tempting as it is to wallow in the depression that sometimes
is February, I am thankful for each snowflake.
For within each snowflake is the promise of spring.
As
it warms up and the snow gives way to warmer days and spring rains, we
will, as a collective human race, curse the rain that darkens the
spring skies.
What an impatient, short-sighted bunch we are!
If
the spring rains never fell, and the sounds of splashing and joyful
laughter would never have a chance to mount its song over the land.
It
is a horrible truth though - in our darkest days, humans can never see
the light; and in our darkest trials and tribulations, it seems we
sometimes fail to see the love and happiness we seek, even though it is thinly disguised in a different season.
The ironic, deep truth of it all is this:
The things we never see - the spring in the midst of winter,
the bright summer in the midst of monsoon springs,
are always before us -
right, where they've always been -
our challenge is to trust in He who created us
to make the sun visible to human eyes unable to
see the warmth and light of that promise deep within us
even in the depths of a cold night.

NEW BOOK ALERT! BUSY FEET

 Courtesy of Vivian Kirkfield's Website  ( https://viviankirkfield.com/2023/02/14 )/happy-book-birthday-busy-feet-plus-giveaway that thrills in anything kidlit, let's join her in applauding the publication of Marcia Berneger's Busy Feet!

 BUSY FEET 

Posted on February 14, 2023

We are definitely dancing for this new picture book that launches today…we are clapping our hands and tapping our BUSY FEET which is the title of this sweet story by Marcia Berneger, illustrated by Susanna Chapman and published by Starry Forest Books. And if you leave a comment on this blog post, you might be the lucky winner of a copy of the book OR a Picture Book Critique!

Here’s a little bit about the book from the Amazon sales page:

Get little feet moving and grooving in no time with this interactive and engaging picture book – perfect for active read-alouds and exploring motion and movement with energetic toddlers.

From former elementary school teacher Marcia Berneger, Busy Feet’s simple, gentle rhyme underscores illustrator Susanna Chapman’s bold, expressive style. This winning combination—along with diverse and inclusive art—makes wiggling around and learning opposites a blast. Little ones will be itching to join the party as the characters dance, hop, and march along!

Feet wake up
Time to play.
Happy feet,
Out all day!

Follow along as adorable baby feet move through a busy day. Where do these feet go? How do they get there? What exciting activities will they get up to? See just how busy little feet can be at playtime, bath time, and more!

Playful and bright, this book is perfect for sharing and gifting. Busy Feet promises full-to-bursting fun for little movers of all ages!

Here’s a little bit about author Berneger and her books:
Marcia Berneger is a retired teacher who lives with her husband and three crazy dogs. She taught first and second grade, special education in grades K-6, and Sunday school through fifth grade. She is also the author of the picture book Buster the Little Garbage Truck and the chapter book A Dreidel in Time. Marcia is a member of SCBWI, 12 x 12, Children’s Book Insider, and the Storyteller Academy. Best of all, she is the proud Grammy of Ori, her first grandchild! She lives in San Diego, California.
To learn more about Marcia and her books: https://marciaberneger.com/index.html

And here’s a little bit about the illustrator:
Susanna Chapman is an illustrator, book designer, and muralist. She is known for illustrating The Girl Who Ran, a picture book biography of Bobbi Gibb, which received a Gold Medal from the Independent Publisher Book Award and Moonbeam Children’s Book Awards, and Elizabeth Warren’s Big, Bold Plans. Susanna lives with her husband in Nashville, TN.
To learn more about Susanna and her work: https://www.susannachapman.com/

Writers: Are you stuck?

    Have you ever been SO stuck in the depths of a manuscript that you just want to chuck it into a drawer and forget about it? You just can't go on, and you don't know WHY.

   I have been like this a couple of times and when I stumbled across the answer, I was embarrassed. I believe it doesn't matter if you are a pantser (guilty), or an outliner, you can run into problems if you don't KNOW YOUR CHARACTERS!

   So, if you are stuck in a first draft, or you are rewriting and something isn't ringing true, take the time to make out a character sheet for each one of your characters. Ninety percent of the information you write down will not appear in your writing, but the way your characters interact will be honest and their motivations will shine through. These motivations will propel your plot FORWARD, I promise you!

Give it a chance.

   One of the best character "interview" sheets I ever got was from NANOWRIMO. I have since adjusted it for my own use, which you will have to do as well, but here are some sample questions. Remember, to adjust the form for your use. This is used primarily for kidlit, but I believe it is also essential for adult literary pursuits.

!. Do they have a nickname?

2. Birthdate:

3. Gender:

4. Hobbies:

5. Weakness or Fears:

6. Secrets:

7. What does their bedroom look like? Are they sloppy or neat as a pin?

8. Who is their best friend? Why?

9. What is a trait or tick that makes them stand apart from everyone else on the page? A speech or mannerism?

10. Name some personality traits: Are they an introvert, or extrovert, are they organized or a mess, are they tolerant or fickle, creative or book smart?

11. Physical traits: What is their body type? Does it impact their personality in any way? What is their weight, height, style, hair, and eye color? Do they have a disability of note?

Filling out these character sheets for your protagonist, antagonist, sidekicks, love interest, mentor and other characters in your book WILL be time-consuming, but once you know your characters' world as if you were living in it, consuming it, your writing will not only come alive on the page, it will go  much faster!