Time To Hole Up

January 22, 2019 By 2 Comments

Holed Up in Winter

Arctic weather isn’t the only reason I hole up when I can in January. After December’s demands and any traveling I do, I often need some catch-up time and a bit of a slower pace. I need to be at home.

Don’t get me wrong. I don’t lounge on the sofa eating bon-bons—though that sounds pretty good. No, I faithfully work on writing projects and take care of the stuff of life that has needed my attention. And I’ve got to admit it’s a welcome change after a season of increased demand.

Do any of you hole up when you get the chance too? I’ve found that whether we’re forced to stay put due to weather or we choose to sequester ourselves for some regrouping or restoration, we usually feel ready to break out after a time and experience life in the greater world again. We get rested, recharged, and . . .  a little stir crazy!

It’s not so different in our spiritual lives. There are times when we need to slow down and catch up a bit. Times when we need to hole up and be “at home” with the Lord. If we’ll take that time, I bet we’ll find ourselves feeling rested, recharged, and . . . yes, ready to break out. Ready to do the work God calls us to do with fresh energy.

So where are you right now? Feeling a little stir crazy or are you needing some time to hole up? Wherever you are, whatever you do, do it with the Lord. He faithfully offers a welcome change!

“he said to them, ‘Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.’” Mark 6:31 NIV

*Hope this slightly revised encore post from January 2010 blessed you today!

*The next issue of Life Notes, my quarterly inspirational newsletter, comes out in early February. One lucky subscriber (new or current) will receive a $15 gift card to Starbucks and a signed copy of my book to use personally, give as a gift, or donate to a library. Sign-up is free and to the right! (If you’re on a mobile device, scroll to the bottom of the screen and click View Full Site to find it.)

*For info about my book Mother of the Bride check out my Books/My Work page.

*Flickr photo by Muffet, Creative Commons License

2 Comments Filed Under: balance, change, home, life, refresh, rest, simplify, snow, time, winter, work, writing Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Theme Word 2019: Depend

January 8, 2019 By Leave a Comment

*FYI, I won’t be posting next week but will see you back here on Jan. 22. Blessings to all!

I love the practice of choosing a theme word for each new year. Having an over-arching word—a quality, an attitude, or an action—can give me direction throughout the year and also helps me refocus on the word—this thing God has directed me to do.

I usually start thinking and praying about what my word for the upcoming year should be sometime in November or December. This year three or four words came to mind, but as I prayed and asked God to direct me to his word for me for the upcoming year, one word resonated with me more than the rest.

The word that resonated the most with me for 2019? Depend. That may sound like an odd word to choose, but with the changes, situations, and tasks that 2019 may hold for me (or for my husband and me), I need to depend on God each step of the way. I can easily start to worry if I don’t remember to trust God and rely on him and his guidance and strength for whatever the future may bring. So depend it is.

Of course, as in other years, the word depend may end up with applications I haven’t even thought about yet. We’ll see. However the year plays out, I want to be found depending on my faithful and able God. My loving heavenly Father. My strength.

“You are my strength, I sing praise to you; you, God, are my fortress, my God on whom I can rely.” Psalm 59:17 NIV

*Have you chosen a theme word or an anchor verse for 2019?

*The next issue of Life Notes, my quarterly inspirational newsletter, comes out in early February. One lucky subscriber (new or current) will receive a $15 gift card to Starbucks and a signed copy of my book to use personally, give as a gift, or donate to a library. Sign-up is free and to the right! (If you’re on a mobile device, scroll to the bottom of the screen and click View Full Site to find it.)

*For info about my book Mother of the Bride check out my Books/My Work page.

*Flickr photo by  Khánh Hmoong, Creative Commons License

Leave a Comment Filed Under: challenge, faithfulness, focus, goal, life, new thing, tradition, trust, word Tagged With: , , , , , ,

7 Sentence-Prayers Inviting God’s Power—Into the Lives of Your Loved Ones

January 1, 2019 By Leave a Comment

Happy 2019, everyone! As I bring you the next installment of my current blog series, join me, won’t you, in kicking off the new year with sentence prayers inviting God’s power into the lives of our loved ones.

Not only will praying these sentence prayers be a powerful way to impact the beginning of the year for the ones you love, but you can make them ongoing prayers that will help shape their lives for years to come.

So as you pray for your family members and dearest friends, may these petitions to the Lord make an eternal difference in their lives!

7 Sentence-Prayers Inviting God’s Power—Into the Lives of Your Loved Ones

  1. Father, please bring the little ones I love to faith at an early age and give each of my loved ones a heart to live for you, to be hungry and thirsty for you and your house, your Word and your people. (Luke 18:16; Acts 20:24; Psalm 42:1-2; John 2:17; Jeremiah 15:16; Romans 1:11)
  2. Father, help them to live out your greatest commandment and love you with all their hearts, with all their souls, and with all their minds. (Matthew 22:37-38)
  3. Lord, empower them to obey your second greatest commandment and love others as they love themselves. (Matthew 22:39)
  4. Lord, be their strong support through each new day and through every stage of their lives. (Psalm 18:2; Deuteronomy 31:6)
  5. Father, please bless my loved ones with Christian mates, ones who will love you above all and love them the way you intend. (2 Corinthians 6:14; Matthew 22:37-38; Ruth 1:15; Ephesians 5:21-33)
  6. Lord, for those who are married, help them keep their eyes on you and their arms around one another. (1 Chronicles 16:11; 1 Peter 4:8)
  7. Lord, be their light, teaching them from your Word and guiding them in all their decisions. (Psalm 119:105; John 8:12)

Let’s be a life-changing force in the lives of our loved ones as we invite God’s power into their lives. Lord, be glorified in them!

“. . . we constantly pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling,” 2 Thessalonians 1:11

*Which of these prayers for your loved ones resonates most with you right now?

*The next issue of Life Notes, my quarterly inspirational newsletter with a giveaway in every regularly scheduled issue, will come out in early February. Sign-up is FREE and to the right! (If you’re on a mobile device, scroll to the bottom of the screen and click View Full Site to find it.)

*For info about my book Mother of the Bride and also my Wedding Inspiration cards, check out my Books/My Work page.

*Flickr photo by Mike Monaghan, Creative Commons License

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Christmas Poem 2018: The Marvelous Mix of Christmas

December 11, 2018 By 4 Comments

Yes, Virginia, I did write another Christmas poem.

Some of you may be wondering how long I can keep this tradition up—and sometimes I do too. I started writing original Christmas poems for my Christmas cards way back in 1982 and have not missed a year since. It hasn’t always been easy (in fact, writing poetry is pretty challenging), but God has always been faithful each year to give me a message to share with my friends and family. And I am ever so grateful.

I’ll be taking a blogging break as we all focus on the holidays the next few weeks. I hope that you have a wonderful holiday season with your loved ones and have a chance to get refocused and recharged for the new year. I will see you back here then.

May you experience “The Marvelous Mix of Christmas” this year in every way, my friends, and may this year’s poem bless you in a special way!

    The Marvelous Mix of Christmas

Christmas is a marvelous mix
A medley of tradition and faith,
A beautiful blend of heaven and earth
A merry and holy holiday.

A marvelous mix of magic
Of music in the air,
Of snowflakes, angels, and twinkling lights
Of sweet surprises shared.

A marvelous mix of memories
From childhood through present day,
Starring friends and family dear
Ever in our hearts they’ll stay.

A marvelous mix of ministry
Of reaching out to others,
Giving and serving with good will to all,
All become sisters and brothers.

Christmas—a marvelous mix of miracles
Begun by a Babe and his star,
Still ripples down through the ages
Bringing Light and Life from afar.

“In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” John 1:4-5 NIV

*How are you experiencing the marvelous mix of Christmas this season?

*The next issue of Life Notes, my quarterly inspirational newsletter with a giveaway in every regularly scheduled issue, will come out in early February. Sign-up is FREE and to the right! (If you’re on a mobile device, scroll to the bottom of the screen and click View Full Site to find it.)

*For info about my book Mother of the Bride and also my Wedding Inspiration cards, check out my Books/My Work page.

*Flickr photo by s_mestdagh, Creative Commons License

4 Comments Filed Under: cheer, Christmas story, holidays, life, light, miracle, poem, writing Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

7 Sentence-Prayers Inviting God’s Power—For Living a Life of Joy

December 4, 2018 By 4 Comments

December is already a month of great joy as we celebrate Christmas, but I’d like to further focus on joy in this month’s installment of my blog series which features sentence prayers that invite God’s power into our lives.

I pray that these brief prayers will not only increase the joy you’ll already be experiencing this month, but that they will make a difference in your life every month as you make them your own. May these prayers be a special blessing to you, my friends!

7 Sentence-Prayers Inviting God’s Power—For Living a Life of Joy

  1. Father, since you are my ultimate and unfailing source of joy, help me be faithful  to praise you and daily spend time with you, knowing that these things will bless not only you but will also give rise to joy in my heart. (Psalm 71:23; Habakkuk 3:18; Acts 2:28)
  2. Lord, fill me with your Holy Spirit each and every day and bless my life with the fruit of joy that will be a natural by-product of the Holy Spirit’s filling. (Acts 13:52; Galatians 5:22)
  3. Lord, help me to be a blessing to you and a blessing to others today, and as I find opportunity to do that, joy is certain to bubble up in my life as well. (Psalm 147:11; Acts 20:35)
  4. Father, cause me each day to hunger and thirst for your Holy Word, and may my reading and study of it bless me with a deep and abiding joy. (Psalm 119:16; Jeremiah 15:16)
  5. Lord, inspire and strengthen me to daily choose joy, keeping my eyes on you instead of the circumstances surrounding me. (Psalm 118:24 KJV; Habakkuk 3:17-18; Philippians 4:4)
  6. Lord, help me each day to be more mindful of things both large and small that give me joy and help me remember to thank you for them. (James 1:17; 1 Thessalonians 5:18)
  7. Father, give me wisdom to daily do something that gives me joy, something that will keep my spirit refreshed and my energy recharged. (Ecclesiastes 5:19 and 8:15; 1 Timothy 6:17)

As our lives always shine with the joy of the Lord, may others be drawn to him!

“Our mouths were filled with laughter, our tongues with songs of joy. Then it was said among the nations, ‘The Lord has done great things for them.’” Psalm 126:2 NIV

*Which of the prayers do you most need to incorporate into your life right now?

*The next issue of Life Notes, my quarterly inspirational newsletter with a giveaway in every regularly scheduled issue, will come out in early February. Sign-up is FREE and to the right! (If you’re on a mobile device, scroll to the bottom of the screen and click View Full Site to find it.)

*For info about my book Mother of the Bride and also my Wedding Inspiration cards, check out my Books/My Work page.

*Flicker photo by Pamela P. Stroud, Creative Commons License

4 Comments Filed Under: blogs, faith, focus, growth, help, joy, life, prayer, Word of God Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,
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