Love is a Powerful Emotion: A Devotion

God is love, 

and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, 

and God in him.

I John 4:16b

I'm always looking for ways to show my love to my family and friends.

It not only gives them happiness and joy (I hope),

but it also gives me satisfaction and peace

to know I've again shown I love them.

So...

recently I saw this picture:

and decided immediately to do this for my youngest grandson's

class for Valentine's Day.

I wanted to make sure it would be okay with him (Jonathan).

I sent him the picture and asked if he'd like me to make these for his class.

He faced timed with me and emphatically declared,

YES! 

I said, but what if some didn't like applesauce?

No, he assured me, everyone in his class liked applesauce.

Now, whether he really knows or not,

his enthusiasm gave me the answer.

This week I'm gathering the materials for this simple project 

and plan on delivering the Valentine Applesauce cuties

to him when its time.

How I love that boy!

But even more so, 

how God loves me.

A fumbling, mistake-making,

sometimes selfish, sometimes hesitant

sometimes asking forgiveness

person I am,

and...

God loves me.

And that's

 enough.

***

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

BookBub:  https://www.bookbub.com/authors/carole-brown

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/browncarole212

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

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/5237997-carole-brown

Linkedin:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/carole-brown-79b6951a?trk=nav_responsive_tab_profile

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

Pain and Beauty of Life's Tapestry

Before the twentieth century, many American women knew how to quilt. Often the mainstay of quiet afternoon work, quilting also provided a social time for women to gather. Life was hard and, except for church, there wasn’t much time for socializing. Quilting bees provided both social interaction and the opportunity to make quilts for the family beds or wedding gifts. Later, quilting became part of church fundraising efforts. Even today, a quilt can sell for hundreds of dollars at a charity event.

One of the things I lament in the twenty-first century is the lack of necessity of quilting. It’s still a popular hobby, and for some, a source of income or ministry. But, in our busy world, most people go to the store and buy a new comforter when the old one wears out or no longer matches the newest home décor. 

In my newest Christian novel, Return to Walhalla, the main character Penny Ruskin finds herself drawn to the charm and industry of the older church ladies of First Baptist. Their goal is to make a hundred quilts for Russian orphans. Humor, love, and years of experience are handed down along with the craft of quilting. I was drawn to this idea as a secondary storyline because it was something I had experienced in my own church. Like Penny, I’d never quilted before, and I was both enraptured and intimidated by the idea of quilting.

Life is a lot like a quilt—a tapestry of pain and beauty woven over time. As Christians, the finished product is a beautiful masterpiece presented to the heavenly realms on our day of passing into eternity. Christ knows all the little stitches, the blunders, the places where too many uneven stitches are sewn or pieces have been ripped out to be replaced with something new. He knows our lifetime of sorrows and joy. In fact, He is weaving us into a new creation for eternity.

I want you woven into a tapestry of love, in touch with everything there is to know of God. Then you will have minds confident and at rest, focused on Christ, God’s great mystery. All the richest treasures of wisdom and knowledge are embedded in that mystery and nowhere else. And we’ve been shown the mystery! Colossians 2:2-3 MSG

Isn’t it great that God has shown us the mystery of His Son Jesus, whom he poured out his knowledge and love through? The tapestry He unfolded in the life and hope of Jesus is one that encircles us like a warm quilt on a cold day. I don’t know about you, but there’s no place else I’d rather be than abiding in that warmth!

Which Bible verse provides you with the assurance that God is working in the messy places in your life to weave together something beautiful? Or maybe a special hymn that lifts you up on those difficult days?

Laura Hodges Poole is a Christian writer and editor. Her latest book, Return to Walhalla, is available for pre-order on Amazon. You may visit her website at laurahodgespoole.com where you’ll find links to her blog, A Word of Encouragement, and her other books. Her passion is encouraging others in their Christian walk, as well as mentoring fellow writers. When she’s not writing, you might find her being crafty, hiking, or playing the piano. A mother of two, Laura lives in South Carolina with her husband and son.

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Laura_Poole

Facebook Author Page: https://www.facebook.com/#!/LauraHodgesPoole

Google Plus: https://plus.google.com/+LauraPoole#

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/lhpoole/

Quilting photos courtesy of Pixabay.

Remembering...

Memorial Day means more to me today than when I was twenty years old. Then it was another holiday that I vaguely realized celebrated those passed on. Today, I realize that it's a special opportunity to celebrate and  remember those who've touched our lives when alive.

• What did they leave behind that I can learn? 
• What touched me and made me a better person? 
• What skill, craft, or talent have I profited from because of him or her? 

Here are a few thoughts I had about celebrating Memorial Day:

• Reflect on those gone before. Rejoice that you had the opportunity to be in their lives, and they in yours. 
• Enjoy the thought that your loved one is in heaven and enjoying its riches. 
• Share what you've learned or who you are with someone else. A grandchild? Show them pictures or tell them tales of your loved ones life and adventures. Have a sit down session with the whole family and each sharing a memory.
• Plant a tree or some flowers in memory.
• Donate something meaningful to a charity or church or orphanage in memory.

Most of all, be happy and at peace that you had a period of time with that person(s). God gives and takes away. Just as a blade of grass is here today and gone tomorrow, so is life. Celebrate it in remembering...today.

Happy memories.

ABOUT CAROLE:

Besides being an active participant of 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/

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/5237997-carole-brown

Linkedin:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/carole-brown-79b6951a?trk=nav_responsive_tab_profile

Google+:    https://plus.google.com/u/0/113068871986311965415/posts

Word Sharpeners: https://wordsharpeners.wordpress.com/

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

A Song in the Night

I remembered my songs in the night. Psalm 77:6

I could not remember the last day without pain. A week of small trials, following a prolonged period of physical pain and sleeplessness made me feel trapped, as if the sun would never shine again.

When a painful condition is unseen, others doubt and are quick to accuse. It is all too frequent for people to condemn the sufferer rather than console. The widow receives comfort for a while, and then life is expected to move on. Too often, the innocent spouse receives as much judgment as the guilty. The surgical patient receives more sympathy than the sufferer of an invisible disability.

A bird perched upon a dead tree outside my window, singing as a blanket of fog wrapped me in the silence of unrelenting hurt created a powerful picture. God is as close in the throes of misery and sorrow, as in the sunshine, but it is more difficult to run to Him when surrounded by blackness and thorns.

God spoke to Job in the midst of the storm and to Elijah in a still small voice after the tumult had passed. God answers when I call to Him. He does not leave me alone in the dark, hopeless, and afraid. When it appears He has abandoned, God whispers the comfort of His presence. I only have to sit still to hear. God rarely shouts His answers. He prefers the quiet solitude of our hearts to speak His most gracious words of comfort and peace. He desires me to lean my head on His chest, leaving my burdens at His feet.

It is not chance that Jesus was called the “Man of Sorrows.” He knows my own unique pain. He will not leave me desolate. He will bring balm for my aching soul as He sent the ravens to feed Elijah at Cherith, and angels to Jesus in the wilderness. When the times of pain and darkness come, I must remember the times God has given me songs in the night, adopted children in the midst of infertility, certainty of heaven in the midst of crushing grief.

Look for Him in the darkness. Call to God from the fog of pain. He may not take away the circumstances, but He is faithful to provide healing balm and restore singing to an aching heart.

After A Long Night

What will it be like

When in Your presence I stand,

When I reach out for You

And touch Your hand?

What will it be like

When Your face I see,

When I feel Your presence

Surrounding me?

I long for the day

When all pain is gone,

When my joy and my task

Is to sing Your song.

How will I feel

When I’ve been set free—

From the pain and struggle

That now enslave me?

I long for the day

When I see Your face,

When all of my sickness

Is healed by Your grace.

You are my strength

While I walk this sod,

But, Oh, what peace

To behold my God!

There will come a day

When I understand,

And behold my scars

Upon Your hands.

When I get lost

In the fog of pain,

I cry out for Your presence,

I plead in Your Name.

You are always there,

You never delay.

But still, in my heart,

I will long for that day

When all earthly pain

And sorrow are gone,

At last and forever,

I will be at home.

© Copyright Norma Gail Thurston Holtman

About the author:

Norma Gail’s debut contemporary Christian romance, Land of My Dreams, set in Scotland and New Mexico is the winner of the 2016 Bookvana Religious Fiction Award. She led weekly women’s Bible studies for 21 years. Her devotionals, poetry have appeared at ChristianDevotions.us, the Stitches Thru Time blog, and in “The Secret Place.” She is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers, FaithWriters, Romance Writers of America, and the New Mexico Christian Novelists. She is a former RN who lives in the mountains of New Mexico with her husband of 40 years. They have two adult children.

Connect with Norma:

www.normagail.org

https://www.facebook.com/AuthorNormaGail

https://plus.google.com/b/102717101441594679714/+Normagail/about/p/pub

http://pinterest.com/normagailth/boards/

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7874459.Norma_Gail

http://www.linkedin.com/pub/norma-gail-thurston-holtman/42/71a/3b2

https://twitter.com/Norma_Gail

Book links:

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Land-My-Dreams-Norma-Gail/dp/1941103170/ or

Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas: http://store.lpcbooks.com/product/land-of-my-dreams/

Frolicking with God

There the ships go to and fro, and Leviathan, which you formed to frolic there.

Psalm 104:26

Imagine, kayaking in the open ocean when the largest mammal ever to exist on earth, a Blue whale, comes up alongside. With great care, the man lowers himself into the water and films the amazing creature, which can be 100 feet long and weigh 200 tons or more. Imagine a heart the size of a car and tail flukes 25 feet wide.

I am filled with a sense of awe at a God who would create such an amazing animal for the pure joy of it. Our God delights in His creatures frolicking. He enjoys me, and wants me to have fun. Rather than being a hard taskmaster who cracks the whip and demands obedience, this verse reminds me that God wants me to know Him.

God reaches out to man to reveal Himself. He constantly sends reminders of His existence and causes us to stand in awe of His incredible creativity, diversity, imagination, and love.

The book of Genesis reveals God kneeling in the dust to form man with His own hands, gently breathing life into his nostrils. At creation, God called everything good. He created man in order to love him and to be loved by Him in turn.

Ponder this fact, the Creator of the universe sees you as someone special. He delights in you and wants you to know Him. If you’re not close to God, perhaps these whales can change your perception of Him.

Open up the Bible, it is filled with instances of His tender love. Learn to frolic with God and enjoy Him. Draw near to you so that He can enjoy you.

Check out this video of an encounter with a blue whale at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HVtw94PJ8XA

© Copyright by Norma Gail Thurston Holtman, November 3, 2011

About the author:

Norma Gail’s debut contemporary Christian romance, Land of My Dreams, released in April 2014. She has led weekly women’s Bible studies for 20 years. Her devotionals and poetry have appeared at ChristianDevotions.us, the Stitches Thru Time blog, and in “The Secret Place.” She is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers, FaithWriters, Romance Writers of America, and the New Mexico Christian Novelists. Norma is a former RN who lives in the mountains of New Mexico with her husband of 39 years. They have two adult children.

Connect with Norma:

Website: www.normagail.org

Book trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KQbZIoC_JSE

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorNormaGail

Google+: https://plus.google.com/u/0/+NormaGailwrites

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

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7874459

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/Norma_Gail

LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/pub/norma-gail-thurston-holtman/42/71a/3b2

Book Links:

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Land-My-Dreams-Norma-Gail/dp/1941103170

Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/land-of-my-dreams-norma-gail/1119606864?ean=9781941103173

Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas Bookstore: http://store.lpcbooks.com/product/land-of-my-dreams/