Midweek Morsel: A Prayer for Finishing Strong

February 27, 2013 by 9 Comments

Do you know someone trying to finish a project or reach a goal? Our son-in-law Jake will graduate from law school in May. As we said goodbye during our last visit, I encouraged him to finish strong, knowing how “senioritis” can affect any of us attempting to pound out the last stages of a project.

Maybe you’re in the trying-to-finish category yourself right now. I know I am. Remember, my theme word this year is finish. My goal is completion of my book and also pursuing publication. As I worked on writing the last chapter, senioritis set in—not for long, mind you, because so much remains to be done with editing, platform building, finding an agent, etc. But I had to battle the desire to let up nonetheless.

Join me, won’t you, in a prayer for all who are trying to finish strong:

Dear Lord, you are a finisher. You came to earth with a task to do, and you completed it. You are also busy completing the good works you began in each of us. Help us, Lord, as we push on to finish the tasks you’ve set before us.

Help us to not grow weary or distracted or discouraged. Please grant us the energy, the drive, and the skill needed to finish strong. And help us remember, Lord, to offer thanks and give you glory as we cross our finish lines. We need you, Lord, and can’t do it without you. Thank you for your help!

“As the time approached for him to be taken up to heaven, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem.” Luke 9:51

*Are you trying to finish something right now?

*Flickr photo by familymwr

*Be sure to check out my Dad’s guest post if you missed it!

Filed Under: challenge, determination, finish, goal, perseverance, victory, writing

Guest Blogger: Duane Hoy — My Dad!

February 24, 2013 by 9 Comments

My parents, Duane and Charlene, on their 60th wedding anniversary in January.

You may have already guessed this, but my dad is not really a blogger :) In fact, he doesn’t even own a computer. But he did send me a handwritten copy of the story below, and as soon as I read it, I knew I wanted to share it with you.

Dad recently told me he enjoys writing and feels he can sometimes express himself best through the written word. As I heard this and read his story, my writing rootscame more clearly into focus. An aptitude for writing seems to be in the blood. Hope you are blessed by his story!


The Christmas Cactus

This morning I walked into our front bedroom to view the Christmas cactus we’ve had for I don’t know how many years—several. It has faithfully produced profuse blooms each Christmas season.

This season it had gone through severe adversity, having undergone the pruner’s shears in preparation for our Oklahoma move from Nixa, Missouri in late August.

Even though the long trailing limbs were cut back severely, it seemed determined to bloom in spite of it, poking out its little bloom buds in various unexpected places.

We have enjoyed the colorful display well up into February, and still some small buds are making an appearance along with the present blooms.

I thought as I looked at the Christmas cactus, couldn’t we take a lesson from it? Regardless of setbacks, severe or otherwise, are we as determined to bloom where God put us?

“‘He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.’” John 15:2

*What fruit or new growth have you seen in your life after a setback?

Filed Under: challenge, determination, family, guest blogger, nature, new thing, perseverance, preparation, trial, writing

Staying Focused

August 26, 2012 by 13 Comments

Focus. A word that has extra meaning for me this year.

You may remember that I chose focus as my theme word for 2012 and wanted to apply it in particular to my writing. I’ve reminded myself of it—and the Lord has brought it to mind as well—numerous times so far this year in order to stay on task with my main projects.

I witnessed the perfect example of staying focused not long ago. I got to watch a bird build a nest one morning. The photo above is of that very bird at work. You might recognize the shot from my Summer Photo Fun: For the Birds post.

I had taken my camera outside, hoping to spot a photo-worthy sight. I wasn’t disappointed. I spied a robin building her nest in a neighbor’s tree. Lucky for me, it was on a lower branch that overhangs our yard. Photo-worthy indeed, huh? Amazing to watch and fun to photograph, too.

As the bird worked steadily, I approached more and more closely, unable to believe how close she actually let me get. It was almost as if she had blinders on. Nothing distracted her from the all-important task at hand.

She even seemed to work in rhythm. She flew to the ground, seeking out the next twig or blade of dried grass to include in her newest home, and then with her latest find grasped safely in her beak, she’d fly back up to her nest-in-progress and place it just so, tamping it down and forming it to her specifications. If she gave my interloping presence any thought, she didn’t let it show. She just worked on.

The qualities that enabled my feathered example to finish her project will help me complete my work as well. Steady work, ignoring distractions, finding a rhythm that works, using the best materials, skilled craftsmanship, and perseverance will all work together to help me create written works that can touch the lives of others.

Focus. A quality I need day in and day out. Next time I get distracted or feel tempted to give up on my dreams, I hope I remember my mentor with wings. I hope I remember to work on.

“Now finish the work, so that your eager willingness to do it may be matched by your completion of it, according to your means.” 2 Corinthians 8:11 NIV

*Where do you need focus right now?

*Don’t miss out on the “Back At It” Giveaway. Deadline to enter is noon Sept. 2.

*The latest issue of Life Notes, my quarterly inspirational newsletter, came out earlier this month. It’s still not too late to receive it. Sign-up is free and to the right!

Filed Under: determination, focus, nature, perseverance, work, writing Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

The Last Hold-Outs

November 16, 2011 by 5 Comments

Be on the lookout for them in the next couple of weeks. The last hold-outs of autumn.

These stubborn fall leaves will not “go gentle into that good night” (Dylan Thomas). They will cling tightly to life and refuse—as long as possible—to fulfill their God-given destinies to fall to the ground with the rest of their comrades. You might say if they had fingernails, they’d be hanging on by them.

As we look at these last autumn hold-outs, maybe we need to ask ourselves if there is anything we’re clinging tightly to in spite of God’s direction to let go. Is there anything we’re refusing to submit to Him?

Are we clinging to a behavior or an attitude that the Word of God clearly calls sin? Has the Holy Spirit shone His convicting light on an area we’re not quite ready to let go of yet? Or maybe we’re clinging to a person, a possession, or a goal when God has asked us to loosen our grip. It might even be something new or different we feel God is leading us to do, but we’re still at a point of resisting.

Let’s not be among the last hold-outs from God. Instead, let’s fulfill our God-given destinies. Let’s not refuse Him any longer.

“Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” Psalm 139:23-24

*Flickr photo by *clarity*, Creative Commons License

*I have a fun Thanksgiving week post to share with you next time. Be sure to check in Sunday evening or in the days following (that will be my only post during the holiday week). Hope you get a chance to drop by!

Filed Under: autumn, determination, giving, nature, sin

Giveaway Winner Plus A Question for You

August 28, 2011 by 3 Comments

That’s right. Today’s the day to announce the winner of the “Back At It” Giveaway 2 so let’s get down to business. This time the lucky winner of a $15 gift card to Barnes & Noble is . . . Kristin! Congratulations, Kristin! Hope you enjoy! (Kristin has been following my blog since my first post and has entered every giveaway. So fun to see her finally win one!)

Now on to part two of this post: As you may remember, the reason I hosted the “Back At It” Giveaway 2 was to kick off getting back into more focused writing here on the blog after doing several weeks of Summer Photo Fun. The timing was good since so many of you were also trying to get back into gear with a new school year for your kids.

But what I want us to ask ourselves today is if there is something else we may need to get back to—something we may have let fall by the wayside for any number of reasons.

Have we let our exercise routine slide lately, or have we gotten away from the healthier eating habits we’d been trying to follow? Have we neglected certain medical check-ups or tasks around the house? Or maybe we’ve drifted away from regular Bible reading and prayer. Maybe we’re not spending the time with God that we once did.

So the question for each of us is this: What do I need to start doing again?

There’s no better time than today. Let’s go out there and get back at it!

“. . . for though a righteous man falls seven times, he rises again . . .” Proverbs 24:16a

*Flickr photo by mikebaird

Filed Under: challenge, determination, fun, giveaway, perseverance
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