I'M PUBLISHED

On Tuesday June 16th a book containing my first published story hit the bookshelves at Barnes and Noble and Borders.

The bands were playing and the reporters were there to snap my picture. Adoring fans were waiting in line for me to autograph their purchases.

Oh wait, the music is coming from the speakers in the ceiling, the camera being snapped was my hubbie taking a picture of me with the book and the line of people, um, they were waiting to purchase their Starbucks in the coffee shop.

So, what is the name of the book that made the wise choice of including my story?
Chicken Soup for the Soul, Tough Times, Tough People. My story, Going Back, is on page 319.

Two other women from our writers group, Words for the Journey, had stories published. Robbie Iobst’s story A Child’s Gratitude can be found on page 56 and Kay Day’s story Lifeline of Hope is found on page 247.

After my book tour my hubbie and I headed to Cold Stone for an ice cream. First publication was a once in a lifetime event and deserved a celebration.

So go out and buy the book or your teeth will fall out. :)

Me and the book

Good ice cream

My hubbie

Broken

Broken. Inside. Asking why doesn’t reveal answers, at least answers I am ready to receive.

Hurt. Physical ache in my heart.

Heading in the right direction? Or heading in the wrong direction?

Satisfaction is not in sight. Everything I do is not enough. Not enough in my own eyes.

There is a plug, holding back creativity, joy, contentedness.

A fountain of frustration and anger wants to erupt.
What will come out?
Is the frustration with others or myself?
I think myself.

Expectations. Too high? God has very high expectations.
Maybe too low? I hadn’t thought of that. Perhaps if the expectations are raised I will push hard. Push past the plug.

PUSH - Pray Until Something Happens.
Prayer, the communication with God that erupts from deep within your spirit, not from your mind. The mind is a swirling mass of information taken in over a lifetime, some good, but most useless. The useless is what gets attention. It is time to change that.

What makes sense? My life doesn’t right now. I have everything, but feel nothing. Nothing because, right now, in this moment, I am not producing for the Kingdom. I will not find satisfaction until I return to my first love. Until I relent to the work of my fingers on a keyboard, or pen on paper, pulling words from the fount of God’s eternal supply.

The Cup of Sin

Communion, a precious time to reflect on Christ and His sacrifice for all mankind.

When Jesus was sharing that first communion with his disciples, in Matthew 26:27-28 it says: Then he took the cup, gave thanks and offered it to them, saying, "Drink from it, all of you. This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.”

Sunday I did some reflecting on the “cup” that is spoken of frequently throughout scripture.

Scene: Moses and Joshua coming down from Mt. Sinai with the Ten Commandments.
Aaron and the people are dancing around the golden calf. A calf they had crafted with their own gold, a calf they sacrificed to, and worshipped. They had quickly turned away from God and returned to the sin and bondage that God had delivered them from when he brought them out of Egypt.

Moses took the golden calf, representing their sin, burned it in the fire, and ground it to powder; and he scattered it on the water and made the children of Israel drink it. They drank the cup of their sin. Exodus 32:20

Scene: The Garden of Gethsemane
Jesus is on his face, “O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.”
A second time he is on his face, “O My Father, if this cup cannot pass away from me unless I drink it, Your will be done.”
A third time he prayed the same. Matthew 26:39, 42, 44

The cup – full of sin, our sins. Sins that could only be wiped away with his sacrifice, he had to drink it fully.

Jesus drank the cup of sin dry, every drop. Only a love that we cannot comprehend could do this.

Now he offers a cup to us, another cup, the cup of salvation. Will you drink of this cup?

Psalms 116:13 I will take the cup of salvation, and call upon the name of the LORD.


Photo: Morguefile

Faith is a Fight

Life is a treasure box. Each morning we open it to see what it contains. Some days the box is filled with diamonds and pearls and other days it is filled with broken and splintered cheap plastic, good for nothing but to be thrown in the trash. But even the broken, splintered plastic is useful according to God’s word in Romans 8:28 And we know all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

When our eyes can’t see the good that is being worked out, then we have to use Faith. Our pastor has been preaching on Faith and one of the things he keeps saying is: Faith is a Fight. Faith doesn’t just drop in our lap. We have to fight to keep it because we have an adversary who desires to snatch Faith away from us and fill us with doubt and fear.

1 Timothy 6:12 says Fight the good fight of faith. We wouldn’t be told to fight if there weren’t going to be temptations to draw us away from Faith. Faith Fighting is what I am doing right now, not that I don’t do it all the time, but right now there are circumstances which are causing me to be more aggressive in my fighting.

A church friend I have known for 20 years died two weeks ago from Cancer. She was in her 50’s, way, way too young. A single mom with a 24yr. old son. Her life was not completed. Today I received an email from another church friend whose husband has been battling Cancer for years. The doctors do not give him any hope. Vince is a man who has given his life to young people, encouraging them to excel in all they put their minds too. He has been an inspiration to many. His life is not completed.

When we question “why”, this is where Faith makes a stand for what the Word of God says. No matter what happens in the natural, even if the treasure box contains the broken, splintered cheap plastic, God is the same yesterday, today and forever. He is our healer and our strong tower. His Word gives us the weapons to use in our Faith Fight.