My Chaos Theory Sydney Avey Chaos is an element of most transitions. My husband and I live two lives. Half the year we shelter under the California Gold Country oak and pine trees in the shadow of Yosemite’s granite cliffs. The other half a year we settle into Arizona’s Valley of the Sun, nestled up against the White Tank Mountains. In California, I sing on a praise team in a small community church. In Arizona, I sing with a fifty-voice choir in a large Presbyterian church. The Phoenix area offers resources we don’t have in Groveland—recreation centers, accessible shopping, theaters,…
Category: Encouragement
This is our archive pageVoices in the Night
By Janet Chester Bly A wounded friend of mine wept. “I prayed very hard my husband wouldn’t leave. Every day and night I prayed. But he left anyway.” What kills hope? Fear or rage will. Guilt and doubt try to. Sin does. Prayer answers of “No” and death of a dream can. Hopelessness has the ability to make us mentally intoxicated—without reason, moderation, or judgment. Our wits become all spur and no rein. We lose confidence that good things will ever happen again when we hit rock-hard bottom. The traumas of this world soil innocence and blind our view of…
The Music of Sounds
THE MUSIC OF SOUNDS by Jeanne Gowen Dennis Sing to the Lord all the earth. (Ps. 96:1) Musical Sounds I’ve been thinking lately about the amazing gift of sounds. The songs of birds. The tinkling of water in a stream. The whispers of wind through leaves. The crashing of waves. The music of various instruments. Voices lifted in song. The Human Voice Most of all, I’ve marveled at the human voice. We can hum a tune, belt out a popular song, sing an aria, cheer someone on, shout out a warning, talk in normal tones, or whisper a prayer. So many…
Trusting God
By Jackie M. Johnson “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will direct your paths” (Proverbs 3:5-6). Life is full of challenges. You want to lose weight but the pounds stick to you like super glue. A friend needs a new job or is having marital problems. Your niece is wondering if she will ever get married. Our country is divided on political issues. And on it goes. As believers, we are taught early to “trust in the Lord.” But what does that really…
Karen Whiting’s 25th Book Celebration
To celebrate my 25th book release I held a party at a boutique that showcases local artists and authors. I created a special scavenger hunt to get everyone checking out the store. I hid small signs of my book covers all around the store. Each one included a number of the release order. As people arrived, they received an alphabetical list of the titles so they could fill in the corresponding numbers as they spotted the signs and turn them in to win pries. The newest titles included a devotional cookbook The Gift of Bread: Recipes for the Heart and…
Finding God’s Purpose
By Dianne Barker “Unless the Lord builds the house, its builders labor in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchmen stand guard in vain” (Psalm 127:1NIV). Got it. Unless the Lord does it, our best efforts will fail. Synonyms for “vain” are ineffective, hopeless, unsuccessful, unproductive, futile, useless, worthless. Why would anyone pursue such a life? Who gets up in the morning desiring your day’s work be ineffective, unsuccessful, unproductive, futile, useless, worthless? We’re off and running, determined to achieve something significant. But if we’re trusting in our own wisdom and strength, our best efforts will be…
Rags to Riches
By Julie B. Cosgrove All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags (Isaiah 64:6a). An eighty year-old friend told me of a cruel joke her older siblings would play on her when she was a little girl.They told her they were going to give her to the “rag man.” She explained a man came through the streets with a horse-drawn carriage collecting old rags and other broken items people no longer wanted. Her brothers and sisters were in essence telling her she was junk. Unwanted. Originally homemade rag dolls were…
Friday Frolics-Procrastination
An author’s bane is the extremes of procrastination or obsessing over every word…Thank you, Winnie Griggs, for clearing that up for us… Friday Frolics presented by the Christian Authors Network to lighten your life 😉
And Speaking of Harvey by Elizabeth Ludwig
And Speaking of Harvey Elizabeth Ludwig If there’s one thing I’ve learned living on the Texas Gulf Coast, it’s that life can…and often will…change in an instant. I was reminded of this again when Hurricane Harvey lumbered into my hometown on the Texas/Louisiana border and left a swath of devastation that stretched south past Corpus Christie, and west as far as Victoria. My home did not flood. But my church did. The homes of many of my friends and co-workers did. The school where I work did. I could go on and on. Several times, I have…