When God Closes a Door . . .

He Opens a Window

by Catherine Castle 

 

courtesy of pixabay

I’ve been a gardener all my life. When I lived in apartments I gardened on the windowsills and balconies. When I looked at the backyard of my first purchased home, I saw a flat plot with a space for a large corner garden, and I was in heaven. I’ve moved flowers from my mother’s home across the USA so they would always be in my yard as a reminder of her. In my most recent home, which is all hillside, I still saw garden potential with terraced flowerbeds. It had been my goal to garden until the day I died.

 

But last year my body betrayed me with a shattered shoulder, cancer, and a spiral break in the same arm in which I shattered my shoulder. As much as my heart wanted to believe I could garden the way I had 15 years ago, my head said I was becoming too unstable to navigate the slopes and terraced beds.  My husband was afraid I’d fall on the uneven terrain of my garden, and, frankly, so was I. I became a gardener who got to watch the hired landscapers do the work I loved and had always done myself. The loss of my time in nature, pulling weeds, and digging in the earth was, and still is, a sad thing to bear.

 But, as this devotion title says, When God Closes a Door, He Opens a Window. Now, I know this quote isn’t from the Bible, but I see it happening in my life, and sometimes that window causes you to stretch to places you thought you’d never go.

 Recently our church lost their second pianist, throwing all the work onto one person. God put the burden on my heart to help. But I wasn’t a piano player. Although I attended the music conservatory in my hometown, taking piano for one year, I never achieved the skill or the confidence to play in public. Sure, I could peck out a tune on the electric Wurlitzer keyboard we bought after we were married, but I wasn’t good enough to play in front of anyone. My husband walking into the room would set my fingers fluttering over all the wrong keys.

 I’ve sung since I was a child. Getting up in front of hundreds of people at church or singing a solo has never been a problem for me. It’s a joy I gladly do. I’ve even played my guitar in public, although it has been decades since I played. Singing, however, is a whole different thing than playing a piano. Play in front of a whole bunch of people? That was never going to happen!

 But, miraculously, it has. The window God opened, when he closed my gardening door, is the piano.

Spurred on by the need we saw, my husband and I bought a new piano, fulfilling a dream we never thought we’d do. Ever since the purchase my passion has changed. My legs don’t have to be stable to sit at the piano and play—I just need my arms, hands and fingers. After six months of practice, then breaking my arm and waiting for it to be released from its sling, I played piano at our evening service, taking over so the regular pianist could have a break.

Was I perfect? Heavens, no! But I learned to keep going even when I missed notes, and, trust me, in my nervousness I missed quite a few. A month after playing for evening service, I played at the morning service with the organist covering up my mistakes.

 Someday, I hope to reach a more perfect stage in my playing. I’m certain I will never reach the skill level of our talented pianist who can play from memory, transpose and sight read just about anything, and arpeggio all over the keyboard. But I’m working toward being the best pianist I can.

 I still look longingly at the garden and my fingers itch to pull up the weeds and deadhead the spent blossoms. I pause as I pass the flowers at Home Depot, wanting to snatch some up, but  I’m learning to step back on that part of my life. Looking at the closed door doesn’t hurt as much as it did.

 Every day I rejoice in the window he opened for me, because I know “that for those who love God all things work together for good...”  ESV Now I’m looking forward to a new passion, a new way to serve my God.

 

 

What about you? Has God ever closed a door and opened a window in your life?

 

About the Author:

Multi-award winning author Catherine Castle loves writing. Before beginning her career as a romance writer she worked part-time as a freelance writer. She has over 600 articles and photographs to her credit, under her real name, in the Christian and secular market. She also lays claim to over 300 internet articles written on a variety of subjects and several hundred poems. In addition to writing she loves reading, traveling, singing, theatre, quilting and gardening. She’s a passionate gardener whose garden won a “Best Hillside Garden” award from the local gardening club. She writes sweet and inspirational romances. You can find her award-winning Soul Mate books The Nun and the Narc and A Groom for Mama, on Amazon and Barnes and Noble.

Follow her on Twitter @AuthorCCastle, FB or her blog.

 

Whiter Than Snow--A Musical Devotion by Catherine Castle

 

When I lookout my breakfast nook window after a snow I see a snow-covered hillside garden.  The scene always puts an old hymn into my mind—“Whiter Than Snow” (circa 1872). As I admire the snowy beauty, glad that I don’t have to get out in it,  I find myself  humming the tune and marveling at its words.

 If you aren’t familiar with the song, whose lyrics were written by James L. Nicholson, you can hear it on YouTube. Online,  I found six verses to this hymn, but my favorites verses are 1 and 6, and, of course, the chorus. These two verses, in my opinion, sum up a Christian’s assurance of heaven—our confession of faith in the Lord, our baptism, and God’s response to our surrender.

 

Lord Jesus, I long to be perfectly whole; I want Thee forever to live in my soul;

Break down every idol, cast out every foe—Now wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

 

The blessing by faith, I receive from above; Oh, glory! my soul is made perfect in love;

My prayer has prevailed, and this moment I know, The blood is applied, I am whiter than snow.

Whiter than snow, yes, whiter than snow,
Now wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

 

The song’s inspiration was most likely Psalms 51:7: “Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.”

 

As much as I love the beauty of a fresh snowfall, its glory will diminish as time goes by. Children will roll snowmen in the front yards, exposing the brown grass and mud beneath the snowflakes. Cars will splatter gray mush onto the pure white edges of the road. And eventually the sun will come out and melt away winter’s glory. The picture perfect moments that have drifted from the sky aren’t permanent. 

 

But when God washes us and makes us whiter than snow, that purity won’t fade as long as we are His.  In the book of Revelation, Jesus said, “They will walk with me in white, for they are worthy. The one who conquers will be clothed thus in white garments, and I will never blot his name out of the book of Life.” (Revelation 3:4-5)

 I don’t know about you, but I take great comfort in knowing that my walk with the Lord has made my soul whiter than snow.

 So, the next time a winter storm comes your way, remember this old hymn and celebrate the storm’s beauty—even if you have to shovel ten inches of snow. Because as the song says, The blood is applied, I am whiter than snow. Oh, glory! my soul is made perfect in love. And that’s something to celebrate.

 

About the Author:

Multi-award winning author Catherine Castle loves writing, reading, traveling, singing, theatre, quilting and gardening. She’s a passionate gardener whose garden won a “Best Hillside Garden” award from the local gardening club. She writes sweet and inspirational romances. You can find her award-winning Soul Mate books The Nun and the Narc and A Groom for Mama, on Amazon.

 

God Will Take Care of You by Catherine Castle

Photo from Pixabay

 

“Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you." 1 Peter 5:7 (NIV)

 

Recently we purchased a new piano, and I’ve spent many hours trying to revive my rusty playing skills from my music college days. I’ve never been good at playing in front of an audience. My husband walking through the room can make me hit more sour notes than lemonade without sugar. But I’m determined to get my skill level up because we only have a single pianist at church, and she needs an occasional break. I will never match her skill, but maybe I can relearn to play well enough to allow her a Sunday off.

At any rate, I’ve been practicing a lot of hymns, in a simplified form. One of the ones I’m trying to learn is “God Will Take Care of You.”  As a singer, I often use hymns and songs as a way of praising God. The music soothes me and the lyrics stick with me better than scriptures. I’ve always loved the song, but this year with three unexpected surgeries and a major health issue I’ve had to lean on the knowledge, a lot more than usual, that God will take care of me.

“God Will Take Care of You” was written by husband and wife team Walter Stillman Martin (1862-1935) and Civilla (1866-1948). During their marriage they wrote a lot of hymns, some of which became very popular. Civilla wrote the lyrics and Walter set the words to music. This particular song has an interesting background story I’d like to share.

On one occasion when Walter had a preaching engagement, his wife Civilla was ill and he was considering staying home to care for her. His nine-year-old son encouraged his father to go preach, saying, “Don’t you think if God wants you to preach today, he will take care of Mother while you are away?”  Walter went to his preaching engagement, leaving his wife in God’s care.

On his return, Walter found Civilla improved. In his absence, inspired by their son’s words, she had penned the words to “God Will Take Care of You.” 

 

Be not dismayed what e’er betide. God will take care of you.

Beneath His wings of love abide, God will take care of you.

God will take care of you,

Through every day, o’er all the way;

He will take care of you,

God will take care of you.

 

Upon hearing the lyrics, Walter composed the music, creating one of the best-loved hymns of the 20^th century.

 There is something so comforting in the knowledge that no matter what happens to us God is there. He will be there for us when life goes well, when it’s a bit rough, and when the bottom seems to fall out. No matter the circumstances He wraps us in His love and care.

Listen to the words of this lovely old hymn which is as relevant in its message today as it was when it was published in 1905. I pray that the song will bless you today and bring God’s care closer to your heart and mind.

 

About the Author:

Multi-award winning author Catherine Castle loves writing. Before beginning her career as a romance writer she worked part-time as a freelance writer. She has over 600 articles and photographs to her credit, under her real name, in the Christian and secular market. She also lays claim to over 300 internet articles written on a variety of subjects and several hundred poems. In addition to writing she loves reading, traveling, singing, theatre, quilting and gardening. She’s a passionate gardener whose garden won a “Best Hillside Garden” award from the local gardening club. She writes sweet and inspirational romances. You can find her award-winning Soul Mate books The Nun and the Narc and A Groom for Mama, on Amazon and Barnes and Noble.

Follow her on Twitter @AuthorCCastle, FB or her blog.

 

Soul Seeds by Catherine Castle

Soul Seeds

 

Image by Susanne Jutzeler, suju fotografie from Pixabay

 

“God created man, in the likeness of God made He him. Male and female created He them and blessed them.” Genesis 5:1-2

 

Have you ever wondered about seeds?

 At first glance, there is nothing special about a seed. Some might be little, black, round seeds. others are knobby tubers, or have brush-like fibers tipped in black and gold. Some seeds are prettier than others, but none are so extraordinary that you would exclaim over them. However, hidden inside each seed or bulb is the DNA for complete plant. Encapsulated in speck, some no bigger than a period on a piece of paper, is a living thing. A flower or vegetable with its DNA pattern stored within the tiny black dot. Plant a seed and nurture it and a beautiful flower, tree, bush, tasty vegetable, or a weed grows. What a marvelous wonder that is.

 Have you ever wondered about humans?

 At first glance, there isn’t anything special about most of us. We can be mild tempered, happy-go-lucky, or bad tempered. Some of us are short. Others are tall. We can have ordinary faces, natural beauty, or even no beauty at all. But hidden inside each of us, like there is in each seed from which a plant grows, is the potential to become something more beautiful than we appear to be. It’s not a DNA thing or a unique chromosome that creates our beauty. Instead, it’s our souls, made in the likeness of God with the ability to respond to God’s love and infinite grace. When we surrender to God and let His word and His love nurture our souls, we have the potential to become beautiful beyond our wildest imagination.

 A good botanist or gardener can often look at a seed or tuber and know what kind of plant will grow from it. They know the right conditions needed to help the plant succeed. They know what to do to protect the plant from natural enemies. They know how to make the plant grow. The wonder of seeds is that all the ingredients it needs to become a plant are captured within its shell, whatever that may look like. Add some sunshine and water and the plant grows.

 We can’t look at a person and know what they will become. We can’t discern what choices they will make or where those choices will lead them in life. We can’t accurately predict anything that happens in their lives. Only God knows that.

But we can make our own choices to help our soul seeds grow. Through Christ’s sacrifice and God’s grace we can bask in the light of the Son and drink the Living Water of the Word. The soul that God planted in us can grow into something more beautiful than any flower that ever sprouted from a seed. For a gardener like me, that’s something to look forward to.

About the Author:

Multi-award winning author Catherine Castle loves writing. Before beginning her career as a romance writer she worked part-time as a freelance writer. She has over 600 articles and photographs to her credit, under her real name, in the Christian and secular market. She also lays claim to over 300 internet articles written on a variety of subjects and several hundred poems. In addition to writing she loves reading, traveling, singing, theatre, quilting and gardening. She’s a passionate gardener whose garden won a “Best Hillside Garden” award from the local gardening club. She writes sweet and inspirational romances. You can find her award-winning Soul Mate books The Nun and the Narc and A Groom for Mama, on Amazon and Barnes and Noble.

Follow her on Twitter @AuthorCCastle, FB or her blog

 

I Scream! You Scream! We all Scream for Ice Cream! by Catherine Castle

Image from Wikimedia commons

 

July is National Ice Cream Month and, before it’s gone, I thought I’d share a bit about the history of America’s favorite desserts—well at least one of my favorites. I mean who doesn’t love ice cream. This dessert has a world history. In India it’s kulfi. In Italy, gelato. In Japan, mochi. Every country has its own spin on the frozen dessert Americans call ice cream.

 Ice cream has been a favorite dessert down through the ages. According to the International Dairy Foods Association, the origins of ice cream date back to the second century B.C. but no particular persons can be attributed to this date. However, several prominent historical figures such as Alexander the Great, who ruled from 336 B.C to 323 B.C, and Nero Claudius Caesar, who reigned from 54  A.D to 68 A.D, are credited with consuming iced beverages and iced confections made of snow. Alexander was reputed to enjoy snow and ice flavored with honey. Caesar frequently sent runners into the mountain for snow which he flavored with fruits and juices.

 I don’t know about you, but I ate snow ice cream when I was a child, flavored with milk and sugar. My mother always made a batch with the first big snowfall, until the government said it was no longer save because of chemical fallout from the atmosphere. Such a shame since snow ice cream is a real treat.

 In earlier times, ice cream and ice cream-like desserts were mostly reserved for tables of the wealthy. After all, not everyone could send runners to the mountains to fetch ice in the summer. Nor did everyone have access to ice houses that required frozen water to create the delicacies. Some of the lucky people who enjoyed this frozen dessert included Marco Polo who brought a sherbet-like recipe from the Far East back to Italy. This sherbet-like recipe developed into something that resembled our ice cream around 1600, which was about the time that England discovered ice cream.  "Cream Ice," as it was called, appeared regularly at the table of Charles I during the 17th century. The Italian Catherine de Medici is reputed to have introduced France to similar frozen desserts in 1553 when she became the wife of Henry II of France.

Ice cream didn’t officially reach The New World until the 1700s. In 1744 ice cream was mentioned in a letter written by a guest of Maryland Governor William Baden. By the 1700s ice and ice cream recipes began to show up in cookbooks.  The desserts were often served in special molds shaped like animals, fruits or vegetables. Records from a New York merchant showed that President George Washington spent approximately $200 for ice cream during the summer of 1790. He apparently enjoyed the confection at his home in Mount Vernon as well, since an inventory after his death showed “two pewter ice cream pots.”  Other early presidents also enjoyed ice cream. Thomas Jefferson supposedly had an 18-step recipe for an ice cream delicacy similar to baked Alaska. He also had several ice houses large enough to hold up to 62 wagons of ice. At President Madison’s second inaugural banquet in 1813 his wife served a strawberry ice cream creation. President Lincoln had a sweet tooth for ice cream as well. He and his wife hosted strawberry parties, before and during his presidency, that featured fresh strawberries, cake and ice cream

Until the 1800s when insulated ice houses were invented, ice cream was a rare treat for those who weren’t wealthy. As technological advances were made and mechanical refrigeration became common, so did the manufacture of ice cream. Today, according to the International Dairy Foods Association, the annual production of frozen dairy items in the United States alone is more than 1.6 billion gallons.

Ice cream is a favorite dessert across the globe, but often it doesn’t resemble our American confection. Gelato, an ice cream variety with less fat, more sugar and less air than other frozen desserts, is popular in Italy. In Turkey they serve an elastic stretchy ice cream called dondurma. Street vendors play with the ice cream before serving it to customers. Japan’s ice cream is called Mochi and is served as a small ball of ice cream surrounded by a sticky rice cake. Halva is served in Israel and is a sesame flavored, compact honey-like candy.  In Iran you’ll find ice cream served over pasta, flavored with rose water, lime juice,  and pistachios.   In Germany vanilla ice cream is run though a pasta machine to create a spaghetti shape, then drizzled with strawberry sauce to mimic tomato sauce and topped with coconut flakes, shredded almonds or shaved white chocolate.  Philippine’s sorbetes is a cheese flavored ice cream made with coconut milk and served in a bread bun. Malaysia and Singapore serve shaved ice topped with cooked red beans and evaporated  milk. India’s Kulfi is similar to our ice cream, but denser. It is served molded into a roll on a Popsicle stick topped with pistachios.

I don’t know about you, but after reading about the world’s ice cream varieties, I think I’ll stick the hundreds of variety available in the United States. My favorites are chocolate anything, black raspberry, butter pecan, pineapple, dreamsicles on a stick, soft serve… Well you get the idea. I love ice cream.

What about you? What’s your favorite flavor? Do you buy it or make it at home?

About the Author

 

Multi-award winning author Catherine Castle loves writing. Before beginning her career as a romance writer she worked part-time as a freelance writer. She has over 600 articles and photographs to her credit, under her real name, in the Christian and secular market. She also lays claim to over 300 internet articles written on a variety of subjects and several hundred poems. In addition to writing she loves reading, traveling, singing, theatre, quilting and gardening. She’s a passionate gardener whose garden won a “Best Hillside Garden” award from the local gardening club. She writes sweet and inspirational romances. You can find her award-winning Soul Mate books The Nun and the Narc and A Groom for Mama, on Amazon and Barnes and Noble.

Follow her on Twitter @AuthorCCastle, FB or her blog.

 

 

Celebrating Iced Tea Month with Catherine Castle

June is Iced Tea Month and I thought it might be interesting to talk about the history and variety of this popular drink before the month slips away.

 The history of tea reaches back to 2737 B.B. when, according to Chinese legend, Emperor Shen Nong  accidently discovered tea when a leaf from a wild tea tree fell into a pot of water he was boiling in his garden. He enjoyed the flavor the leaf lent to the water so much that he began to brew it.

 Iced tea, however, is much younger. The first recorded recipes in the U.S. for iced tea appeared in The Buckeye Cookbook in 1876 and in 1879 HouseKeeping in Old Virginia. The 1879 recipe, published by Marion Cabel Tyree, called for green tea to be boiled and steeped throughout the day. The liquid was then poured over ice and sugar and served with lemon.

 The popularity of iced tea using black tea is believed to have started at the 1904 World's Fair in St. Louis, where Richard Blechynden, the Commissioner of Tea for India and one of the fair's directors, was exhibiting hot black tea. Because the temperatures were high, hot tea wasn't selling. So, Blechynden brewed and chilled the tea, and thirsty fair visitors began buying. The trend caught on and by World War I iced tea appeared in the kitchens of Americans and in restaurants on a regular basis. Today, iced tea—black, green and herbal, in bottles, boxes and pitchers—is a staple on America’s menus.  

 Iced tea also appears on the tables in other countries, but many have a different take on the drink than Americans do.  Here we have what most Southerners know as sweet tea, which is sugared, and regular iced tea—most common with Northerners, which is usually unsweetened.  Tea drinkers have the option of adding a squeeze of lemon, or not.

 In Brazil, particularly in Rio de Janeiro, mate tea, not the camellia sinensis tea associated with black tea, is the preferred drink for iced tea. Yerba mate dried leaves are boiled in water, then strained and served in cups.

 Iced tea in Greece is usually flavored with peach or lemon. If you order peach tea, you’ll still get a lemon slice on the rim of the glass.

 Ginger lemon, lemon and peach flavored iced teas are popular in India.

 In Hong Kong iced tea is served with lemon slices that are muddled into the tea, releasing the volatile oils into the tea. There is also a milk tea version of iced tea made with green tea, flavored with jasmine blossoms and tapioca pearls. The tea is served warm and poured over ice, creating a creamy iced tea.

Taiwan has an interesting tea called Bubble Tea. This tea is usually a strong black tea, sweetened with sugar and condensed milk. It is served cold usually with tapioca pearls. Sometimes pudding, jelly, or chunks of fruit are put into it instead of tapioca pearls. Bubble tea can also be made with other types of tea.

Thailand iced tea is made from strongly brewed black tea, sweetened with sugar and condensed milk. Evaporated milk, coconut milk or whole milk are also used. The tea and milk are usually mixed together and then poured over the ice.

 You might think that with tea time being a staple in the UK iced tea would be as popular there as in the rest of Europe. But not so. The popularity of iced tea in United Kingdom has only begun to rise since 2000.

Today, when you ask, “Would you like some iced tea?” Most people expect brewed black tea, with or without sugar and lemon. But plain old camellia sinensis isn’t the only option. With hundreds of flavored and herbal teas, the varieties of iced tea are only limited by one’s imagination.

At my house our favorite iced teas are decaffeinated Sun Tea, made by steeping tea bags in cold water using the heat of the sun to brew it, and hibiscus tea made from pouring boiling water over the dried flowers of the hibiscus plant. I’ve even begun putting my leftover morning tea, usually Mrs. Patmore’s Pudding Tea or Irish tea with cream, into the refrigerator and drinking it cold later on in the day. I’m surprised at how tasty it is.

For your summer tea enjoyment, I’ve included a fruity iced tea recipe I developed. I hope you’ll enjoy it.

Nectarine Ice Tea

From the kitchen of Catherine Castle

Makes two 16-ounce glasses

Ingredients:

·       4 peach flavored green tea bags

·       2 cups boiling water

·       1 ripe nectarine

·       2 fresh, sweet cherries with the stem (optional)

·       Sugar to taste

 

Directions:

·       Place tea bags in a 2-cup heat-proof measuring cup

·       Pour boiling water into cup and steep tea bags according to directions.

·       Halve the nectarine and peel 2/3 of the fruit, reserving 2 peeled slices for garnish.

·       Slice the peeled nectarines into sections. Place the ½ of the peeled sections into a bowl and muddle the fruit to break down the flesh and release the juices.

·       When tea has brewed, and slightly cooled, put ¼ of the muddled nectarine in the bottom of two 16-ounce glasses and stir well to mix. Add ice and the remaining peeled nectarines to the glasses, in that order.

·       Pour tea over the ice and fruit in the glasses.

·       Garnish the glass edge with the unpeeled fruit and drop a fresh sweet cherry with the stem on into the top of the tea.

·       Add sugar or sweetener to taste. The riper the fruit the less sweetener you’ll need.

 

Sit back and enjoy!

 

About the Author:

Multi-award winning author Catherine Castle loves writing, reading, traveling, singing, theatre, quilting and gardening. She’s a passionate gardener whose garden won a “Best Hillside Garden” award from the local gardening club. She writes sweet and inspirational romances. You can find her award-winning Soul Mate books The Nun and the Narc and A Groom for Mama, on Amazon and Barnes and Noble.

Follow her on Twitter @AuthorCCastle, FB or her blog.

 

Mary Did You Know? A belated Mother’s Day Devotion

I’m a bit late on the timing of the devotion, but I didn’t have Mother’s Day slot on the blog, so I thought I’d just put it in now. After all, we should honor mothers all the time.

A week before Mother’s day, my husband’s best friend mentioned at lunch that he had communion meditation on Mother’s Day, and the two men began tossing around ideas at the meal.

The song Mary Did you Know? was mentioned. Normally considered a Christmas song, I thought it could make a perfect Mother’s Day song for church. It’s about Jesus’ mother and what she was going to experience with her son. But the song is also about what Jesus would go through. Click here for a great YouTube Video of the song

Well, I couldn’t get the song out of my mind. I began to wonder how Mary felt about her son: knowing he was God in the flesh, wondering what he would do, what he might have to suffer. As these questions played through my mind I remembered an innocent statement our daughter uttered as a child.

 We were in the car, coming home from church one evening, and she suddenly announced, “I love Jesus. I want to go see him.”

 “You will, someday,” I assured her.

 “No,” she replied emphatically. “I want to go see him now!’

Those seven words struck panic in my heart. I glanced over at my husband who was driving. His face held the same look of terror that I felt in my heart. The only way our child would see Jesus--at that moment--was to die!

I knew as an innocent child she would certainly go to heaven, but, as her mother, I had no desire to see her leave this earth. On a spiritual level, I was glad my child loved Jesus so much that she wanted to see him face to face. On a human level I was terrified to hear her say she wanted to see him now.

As mothers we pour ourselves into our children. We give them our love. We bear their sorrows. We feel their hurts and fears as keenly as if they were our own. We want the best for them.

I'm certain Mary had those same maternal instincts for her son Jesus. Knowing she had birthed the son of God, she must have felt a great responsibility to raise her son right. I wonder if she prayed every night for guidance from  God, much like we do with our children. What must she have thought when she finally realized the sacrifice that would be required of her?  What pain she must have borne as she watched him go to his death. I suspect that she would have taken his place on the cross if she could have.

But she couldn’t. God needed to sacrifice Jesus so we could be saved. Like Mary, He had to watch as his son died for our sins.

 

That night when my daughter announced she wanted to see Jesus, and I knew death was the only way she could at that moment see Jesus, I felt the fear Mary must have experienced when she knew her son would die. Mary didn't know God's full plan. Thankfully, it would be revealed to her in the coming days.

 “For God so loved the world that He gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” John 3:16 KJV

 With a love like that, how can we not love Him back?

 

About the Author:

Multi-award winning author Catherine Castle loves writing, reading, traveling, singing, theatre, quilting and gardening. She’s a passionate gardener whose garden won a “Best Hillside Garden” award from the local gardening club. She writes sweet and inspirational romances. You can find her award-winning Soul Mate books The Nun and the Narc (an inspirational romantic suspense) and A Groom for Mama (a sweet romantic comedy with a touch of drama), on Amazon and Barnes and Noble.

Follow her on Twitter @AuthorCCastle, FB or her blog.

 

 

This, too, Shall Pass Away

By Catherine Castle

 

 
This, too, shall pass away.

When I was younger, I don’t think those five words were ever a part of my vocabulary. Life stretched out in front of me with minimal care and minimal thought for the future. Had I known what was to come, I’d have taken better care of myself, my finances, and pursued my goals with more vigor when I was young. But I was young, and when you’re young you don’t think about getting older, facing health issues and retirement, or worrying that life won’t turn out the way you want it to. You just live life as if it will go on forever.

But I’m not a rosy-cheeked teenager anymore. Far from it. And, recently, I find myself saying these five words with more and more regularity, especially when I face physical trials.

Three years ago I said it when I fell backwards on concrete. I thought I’d broken my tailbone. I hadn’t, but the pain was bad enough that I asked the doctor for pain meds to get me through the experience, and I have a very high pain tolerance. I once dropped a sixteen-pound bowling ball on my big toe, broke it three places, and still bowled three games, and I didn’t need any pain meds. I said it last year when a horrible bout of sciatic hit me and laid me up for nearly three months. You have not experienced pain until a nerve knives you so hard you can’t get up or move without weeping.  I’ve said it this year after falling and shattering my right shoulder so badly it required a total reverse shoulder replacement. I’ve said it every time my back goes out, leaving me limping on a cane like a ninety-year-old woman. I’ve even caught myself saying the phrase to my daughter when she complains about situations at work.

And all those things I’ve faced have passed, just as I predicted. Not always as fast as I wanted. Not always leaving me with the total functionality I wanted, or with the exact results I wanted. But it passes enough for life to go on. And when I come out on the other side, I’m wiser and stronger, if not physically then mentally. I know what to do and what not to do to keep from making the same mistakes that led to the problems I’ve been through.

Philippians 4: 11-13 says “…for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me.”

 

In addition to the assurance in Philippians, I also have the knowledge that whatever problems I may face, they, too, shall pass away. That’s the thing about going through trials—you come out on the other side knowing that you will survive. God will not give you more than you can endure.

More importantly, you don’t have to go it alone.  Jesus said so in Matthew 28:20. “And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

That promise shall never pass away.

 

About the Author

Multi-award winning author Catherine Castle loves writing, reading, traveling, singing, theatre, quilting and gardening. She’s a passionate gardener whose garden won a “Best Hillside Garden” award from the local gardening club. She writes sweet and inspirational romances. You can find her award-winning books The Nun and the Narc and A Groom for Mama, on Amazon and Barnes and Noble.

Follow her on Twitter @AuthorCCastle, FB or her blog.

God and New Year Resolutions by Catherine Castle

 

A couple across the row from me was loading groceries into their vehicle in my local Kroger’s parking lot at 6 p.m. January 2^nd and I heard this:

“Well, we’ve already broken our New Year’s resolution about pop and junk food.”

 I glanced over in time to see the gentleman setting several cases of soda into the back seat. Their resolution lasted about 30 hours. I wouldn’t call that the fastest breaking time for a resolution, but it ranks close to the top.

 This is one of the reasons I don’t do New Year’s resolutions. I break them almost as fast as the couple at Krogers. Sure, I’d like to have the resolve to exercise daily, not eat anything bad for me—ever, clean the house weekly, empty the dishwasher as soon as it stops, do the laundry before it piles up as tall as me, save up a million dollars, clean out the closets and the medicine cabinets, lose weight until I’m back at my high school weight, give up chocolate, finish all those UFO crafts floating around in the basement, clean the old stuff out of the file drawers (some is so old the paper has yellowed.) My hubby wants me to turn it ALL into digital files. Like I can find the time to do that! And I haven’t even mentioned the writing things that need to be done. If I listed all the things I needed to change or resolve to do in my everyday life, the list would go on forever.

 It’s no wonder we break resolutions as fast as we can make them. The stuff we need and want to do can be overwhelming.

 But is all that resolution stuff really important?

 As I thought about this, I wondered what God’s word has to tell us about resolutions. I know He wants me to be resolute in my faith, but does God care about how resolute I am in my everyday life? Does my list, or lack thereof, of New Year’s resolutions matter to him?

 I dug into my Bible resources looking for an answer. Although I couldn’t find any direct commandments about New Year resolutions (I don’t think they existed in Bible times), I did come up with four interesting commandments about faith I believe can be applied to New Year resolutions to make them more successful.

·       Following through on your resolutions requires preparation.  “Therefore prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed.” 1 Peter 1:13 NIV

·       To succeed you must get rid of obstacles. “Since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witness, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.” Hebrews 12:1 NIV

·       You’ll only get back what you put into the job. “He who sows bountifully shall reap also bountifully.” 2 Corinthians. 9:6 NIV

·       Being resolute helps us grow stronger. “… the righteous will hold to their ways, and those with clean hands will grow stronger.” Job 17:9 NIV

·       Persistence pays off. “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” Galatians  6:9 NIV

 

I’m not certain God cares one way or the other about my New Year’s resolution list—unless I’m directly disobeying his commandments. What I do know, after searching His word, is He has provided guidance to conquer that list should I decide to tackle it—next year.

 

What about you? Do you make New Year Resolutions?

 

About the author:

Multi-award winning author Catherine Castle loves writing, reading, traveling, singing, theatre, quilting and gardening. She’s a passionate gardener whose garden won a “Best Hillside Garden” award from the local gardening club. She writes sweet and inspirational romances. You can find her award-winning Soul Mate books The Nun and the Narc and A Groom for Mama, on Amazon.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Reason For The Season

Today’s Christmas Eve. Are you ready?

This year has been one of the most stressful holiday years for me in quite a while. I got sick the day before Thanksgiving with laryngitis which robbed me of two weeks of sleep, sent me into coughing-up-a-lung fits for three weeks, and put me so far behind in my Christmas preparations that I’m not only stressed but worn out.

Normally, I’d do something intricate like put up my Christmas village or set out my huge nativity collection, lay the luminarias along the garden walls, and elaborately decorate the big artificial Christmas tree. (I have enough ornaments to do at least five different theme trees. Yes, I do go overboard a bit.)  My decorating schedule takes a full week or more. Then there is the big Christmas cookie bake—a tradition in our house that takes my daughter and me about 7 hours to complete. The recipe is from Grandma Maude whose cookie tin I inherited.

 Oh, we baked the cookies this year. It’s a ritual that has to be done, otherwise it’s not Christmas in our house. I paid for it the next day in aching muscles and sore feet. Standing for hours on end rolling out cookie dough, cutting it into Christmas shapes and decorating them gets harder every year.  (It’s amazing what a few extra years does to one’s body.)

But as for the rest, I scrimped. No big tree for us this year, in spite of the daughter’s plea for family pictures in front of the tree, like we always do.

This year I took the easy way out and put up Grandma Maude’s retro aluminum tree.

I hung the bannister garland, pushed my battery-operated candles to the side of the buffet and added some poinsettias to my southwest vase and a rustic NOEL where the village or nativities normally rest.

I bought all but 2 of my gifts online. I broke the shopping for family dinners into multiple short trips, and when there was a motorized cart, I ignored my pride and rode the cart to save me from aching knees and back pain. After all, I had too much to do at home to waste my energy on pushing a grocery cart.

I’m ready now, except for the baking the experimental loaf of zucchini bread I’d planned on creating Sunday afternoon.

But Sunday morning in worship service I was reminded of something that the commercial rush, and the Christmas traditions I’d placed on myself, had pushed to the background. Christmas isn’t about all the things I’ve mentioned.

Christmas is about God’s sacrifice. Christmas is about God’s love. Christmas is about Jesus.



Artwork by Catherine Castle (c) 2007

Christmas is about God’s gift.

 

Don’t get me wrong. As a Christian I know what Christmas is about, but I let myself get so caught up in preparations that the business took away from the joy of the season. Whether I get the house perfectly spotless for guests and dazzling with twinkling Christmas decorations, provide a table groaning under the weight of delicious food, find the perfect gift for everyone, or be the impeccable hostess doesn’t really matter. What does matter is that I acknowledge the reason for the season and the perfect gift that was given to me, and to you—Jesus. The Lamb who takes away our sins.

 

So if you’re not quite ready for Christmas on this Christmas Eve, don’t worry. God is ready for you. All you have to do is kneel before the manger, remember what He has done for us, and accept his love. That’s the only thing that really matters this Christmas season.

 

Merry Christmas Everyone!

May the blessings of this Holy Season be yours, now and forever.

 

About the Author

Catherine Castle has been writing all her life. Before beginning her career as a romance writer she worked part-time as a freelance writer. She has over 600 articles and photographs to her credit, under her real name, in the Christian and secular market. Besides writing, Catherine loves traveling with her husband, singing, and attending theatre. In the winter she loves to quilt and has a lot of UFOs (unfinished objects) in her sewing case. In the summer her favorite place to be is in her garden. She’s passionate about gardening and even won a “Best Hillside Garden” award from the local gardening club.

Her debut inspiration romantic suspense, The Nun and the Narc, from Soul Mate Publishing was an ACFW Genesis Finalist, a 2014 EPIC finalist, and the winner of the 2014 Beverly Hills Book Award and the 2014 RONE Award. Her newest book, a romantic comedy with a touch of drama, entitled A Groom For Mama, from Soul Mate Publishing, is a 2018 Raven Award winner for contemporary romance. You can follow her on Twitter @AuthorCCastle, Facebook or through her blog Romance for the Ages