Devotion: When Troubles Surround You

So do not fear, for I am with you

do not be dismayed, for I am your God,

I will strengthen you and help you,

I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

Isaiah 41:10

Do you ever feel overwhelmed by the problems in your life?

Do you ever get that sinking feeling that you'll not make it through 

the troubles you're going through?

Have your friends forsaken you or turned their backs on you?

Are you disappointed at other people's reactions?

Don't fret!

God has our back. 

Hold your head high.

Lift your hands in praise.

Sing!

Shout!

Rejoice!

Today, I was disappointed in friends actions when one person 

asked them to share.

I wanted to correct them, rebuke them,

argue with them.

Sometimes we do get disappointed

or hurt or upset.

But I've purposed in my heart to:

not allow that disappointment in others to keep me down.

I will lift up my head and rejoice.

I will sing when the tears come.

I will shout a hallelujah to heaven!

Because...

I know God will strengthen me

He'll uphold my with his hand.

For he is my God!

Rejoice!

Musing: Little Blessings from God

Sometimes...when the sky is gray,

When troubles come,

When all seems lost...

I think it's useless to try.

I cry.

Feel lost.

Pressured.

But then...

I'm reminded that...

God has made everything beautiful in its time. 

Ecclesiastes 3:11

Weeds that are beautiful.

Simple Pleasures

Divine Delights.

Extraordinary Moments

God's gifts and reminders to me:

A woodpecker busily drilling holes in a local Maple tree.

He paid no mind to me as he worked though

I stood almost directly beneath him
while he busily did his thing
with no worries to speak of.

I see children in their innocence playing, creating, happy.

Why should I not be so?

Grandson Jonathan, at his YMCA swimming/lazer tag birthday

party, when he came out of the water and handed me his goggles.

"Gwandma, will you hold these for me?"

My heart melted! 

(This pic wasn't taken at the YMCA,

but it shows his love of water!)

The little red fox who ran off the road 

and peeked at us as we drove by:

He'd just lost his mate.
Sad? Maybe.
but life goes on.
God has a plan.
I just have to trust and remember.

His love of trying new things.
Sometimes he's nervous, but always determined to carry it through.
Why should I not do so also,
especially knowing I have a BIG God?

Grandson Wes at his archery shoot.

Love when he shows his gentle side!

If God cares for the lilies of the field, 
how much more does he care for us?

About Carole:

Besides being an active participant in many writing groups, Carole is an award-winning author and enjoys mentoring beginning writers. She loves to weave suspense, tough topics, romance, and whimsy into her books and is always on the lookout for outstanding titles and catchy ideas. She and her husband reside in SE Ohio but have ministered and counseled nationally and internationally. Together, they enjoy their grandsons, traveling, gardening, good food, the simple life, and did she mention their grandsons? 

Personal blog: http://sunnebnkwrtr.blogspot.com/

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In Times Like These: a Devotion

Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial,

because when he has stood the test,

he will receive the crown of life

that God has promised to those who love him.

James 1:12

There's an old, old song that an elderly gentleman in our church sings now and then.

It's called:  "In Times Like These"

The last verse goes like this:

In times like these, I have a Savior 
In times like these, I have an anchor 
I'm very sure, I'm very sure 
My anchor holds and grips the Solid Rock 

One of the main things we can do when going through trials

is to keep our focus on God.

Sometimes, life on this earth is an endurance test.

We're shocked, disappointed, hurt and confused

over problems, cares and trials that come into our lives.

It's hard at those times to "count it all pleasure"

because it's not.

Yet, when we look at God's promise to us--

A CROWN OF LIFE!--

one that will last forever. 

Unlike the ancient athletes who were given, many times,

wreaths that perished,

ours will never fade nor be destroyed.

It's a guarantee.

It's a promise.

From one who never breaks a promise!

And when the Chief Shepherd appears, 

you will receive the crown of glory,

that will never fade away.

--I Peter 5:4

***

LOVE to Read?

I have a giveaway offer for you!

I'll be posting twice this month on Stitches through Time.

Just comment on both posts,

and I will choose one person to receive a Kindle copy of their choice of

one of my Appleton, WV Romantic Mysteries. 

(Sabotaged Christmas,

Knight in Shining Apron,

Undiscovered Treasures,

Toby's Troubles)

Here's the link to check them out:

https://www.amazon.com/Carole-Brown/e/B00EZV4RFY/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1492661357&sr=1-1

About Carole:

Besides being an active participant in many writing groups, Carole is an award-winning author and enjoys mentoring beginning writers. She loves to weave suspense, tough topics, romance, and whimsy into her books and is always on the lookout for outstanding titles and catchy ideas. She and her husband reside in SE Ohio but have ministered and counseled nationally and internationally. Together, they enjoy their grandsons, traveling, gardening, good food, the simple life, and did she mention their grandsons? 

Personal blog: http://sunnebnkwrtr.blogspot.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CaroleBrown.author

Amazon Author Page:  http://www.amazon.com/Carole-Brown/e/B00EZV4RFY/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1427898838&sr=8-1

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/browncarole212

Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/sunnywrtr/boards/

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Stitches in Time:  http://stitchesthrutime.blogspot.com/

Count your Blessings

 

 While searching for a quotation about Thanksgiving, which the United States will celebrate next week, I came across this line by Robert Caspar Lintner:

  

“Thanksgiving was never meant to be shut up in a single day.”

 The words struck a chord with me. Perhaps because Thanksgiving is coming up and it’s a day set aside for counting our blessings. Perhaps because it reminded me that I don’t give thanks every day. I’m always grateful for the big things that go my way: the healing of people I love, the protection of family and friends, the new job for my daughter or son-in-law, for safe travels, for missing the car skidding across the ice in front of us. I always remember to say thanks for the big ticket and miracle-like items.

I don’t, however, remember to say a word of thanks for the little blessings in life that I take for granted. When I can get out of bed and my knees don’t creak, I’m very grateful, but I don’t say, “Thank you, Lord.” When the hot water comes on in the shower, I don’t give it a second thought. However, when it doesn’t (and it has happened) I’m quick to complain. When my car starts because the battery’s still good, I don’t whisper a word of gratitude. I just put the vehicle in drive and head out. Day after day I go about my daily life often forgetting to say a word of thanks for all the little things that go right.

 Years ago a friend encouraged me to keep a gratefulness journal. I didn’t, thinking it was just another thing I’d have to add to my to-do-list. I wonder now just how many pages I might have filled with gratefulness for the little blessings in my life.

 There’s a song called “Count Your Blessings” that has always been one on my favorite hymns. You can click here to listen to the song, written by Johnson Oatman Jr. in 1887. The song speaks of counting one’s blessings when thing are tough. But it’s the chorus I want to concentrate on today. The words are:

Count your blessings, name them one by one,
Count your blessings, see what God has done!
Count your blessings, name them one by one,
Count your many blessings, see what God has done.

 

During this month of thanksgiving, and every other day of the year, I’d like to encourage you to count your blessings—big and small—every day. It may surprise you what the Lord has done.

 

 

Don't forget to enter this week's giveaway.

Solve by Christmas by Amber Schamel (ebook)

Winner of the 2018 Christian Indie Award for Historical Fiction.

Be sure to leave comments throughout the week to get your name in the drawing. Giveaway ends November 18th. Winner will be announced in the November 19th edition of the Weekly Windup.

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

 

 

 

Are You Too Self-Reliant To Trust God?

It's just that in the Deep South, women learn at a young age that when the world is falling apart around you, it's time to take down the drapes and make a new dress. ~Karen Marie Moning, author

How many times have you taken down the drapes and made a new dress? Sometimes I feel like my closet is full of new dresses—and they’re not the store-bought kind!

The scene of Scarlett O’Hara taking down the drapes to make a new dress in Gone With The Wind is iconic. Especially for Southern women. That mentality is bred into us. But what is it about women in general that when adversity strikes, we muddle through, plow through, or torpedo through? The intensity depends on what the situation calls for. If it involves our children, we definitely shift into overdrive.

While it’s important to see the glass half full and push through the hard times in life, it’s also important to take a step back and wait for God to show you the dresses you already have and what to do with the drapes other than rip them down.

There is such a thing as being too tough. Too self-reliant. Too brave. After all, as Christians, our strength comes from Christ (Philippians 4:13 NIV). When we rely solely on self, we often become hardened like drought-stricken land, unable to soak up blessings when showered upon us. Yet, a soft heart comforts others and receives blessings God intends.

Sometimes it’s enough to crumple into a heap at Jesus’ feet and wait for his healing hand to reach out and lift us up.

But there’s also a danger in not being willing to walk the tough road, in being tossed about in the wind, unable to find the strength to pray with confidence (James 1:5-6). 

So where is the balance?

Lord, you establish peace for us; all that we have accomplished you have done for us. Isaiah 26:12 

Rest in the knowledge that God is already out ahead of you. He’s established a peaceful place for our soul to rest when trials threaten to overwhelm us. All that we have accomplished He’s done for us. Does that mean we don’t have to work? Certainly not. But He’s there—ahead of the work. He knows where our successes lie and where our failures will strengthen, not harden, us. Praise Him for meeting your needs and seek His wisdom in your life. His solution is always better than ours.

Next time you’re tempted to rely on your strength alone, remember the same God who furnished the drapes will provide the dresses. They may not have designer labels or even be new, but they’ll be sufficient for your needs.

Will you trust Him for that today?

Laura Hodges Poole is the author of four published books and has contributed to two others, all available on Amazon. Her passion is encouraging others in their Christian walk through her blog, A Word of Encouragement. Her upcoming Christian Romance, "Return to Walhalla," will release in March 2018. When she’s not writing, you might find her hiking, playing the piano, or being crafty. A mother of two, Laura lives in South Carolina with her husband and son.

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Laura_Poole

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“Young Woman Near River” image courtesy of marin/FreeDigitalPhotos.net.

“Young Woman Opening Curtains” image courtesy of FrameAngel/FreeDigitalPhotos.net.