Archive by Author

Is Death the End

17 Nov

Walking by Faith, Not by Sight

Janet Perez Eckles

 

I have to share this wonderful news with our readers. This honor is well-deserved and I am thrilled for her-Onisha

 

Dear Janet,

Congratulations again on being named the   Winner!  You have been selected among a very special group of people who have received this prestigious honor.

 

 

 

Reblogged November 17, 2018

“I think I’m about to lose my job,” a friend told me, “The writing is on the wall.”

God has a plan for your life.

“Goodness, I’m so sorry,” I said. “If that happens, just remember that God has a plan for your life.”

After a long pause he said, “I don’t believe in God. I think man invented a god to use as a crutch.”

He continued with his perception of evolution that in his mind erased any notion of God’s creation.

I got a little bold and asked if evolution was indeed true, and if we “evolved” and eventually became a greater and greater “being” why is it we’re not physically getting better and better every day? And why are we all aging and, without exception, we all ultimately die?

No answer.

So, I asked…

Then I asked, “What happens when you die?”

“Nothing, that’s it,” he said.

Yikes! How’s that for hope and for reassurance?

To live your life only until you physically die is like preparing and packing for a vacation only to spend it at the airport.

No one would do such a crazy thing.

But living with the notion that physical death is the end can only end up sinking in subtle hopelessness—no life after the last breath. No expectation of heaven where the best awaits. No joy anticipating all suffering to end.

How can we believe this life has meaning if we don’t find meaning in God’s promise when He says?

“I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him Who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life” (John 5:24).

My friend lost his job.

He stuck to his beliefs and found solace in his beer.

No judging here because in my college days, I was just like him. When taking Insecurity 101, I deserved an A. Those insecure thoughts led me to find comfort in relationships, boyfriends and attention from the opposite sex.

No wonder God says we’re lost until we find Him. Until we let go of our pride and welcome His passionate love instead.

Filled with that love, we face this world. Life doesn’t turn perfect, in fact, it can turn ugly. It did for me. But glorious comfort came when I started hanging out with Jesus, relishing in His Word that sang to my heart and His genuine love that kept me company at night.

Then I could embrace the truth that no matter what happens or doesn’t happen in this life, eternity is ours.

My friend believes there’s only death after life. God says there’s life after death. And to welcome us to that unending glory, He prepared a mansion in heaven. With the pen of Jesus’ love, our name is written on the door.

Let’s Pray

Father, thank you for the freedom to believe in you, for the security found in the promise of life eternal and thank you for each moment’s reassurance that we’re drawing closer to the best. In Jesus’ name, amen.

What truth dominates your heart these days?

Janet

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Did you know I wrote a book filled with words of encouragement, uplifting thoughts and illustrations of real-life triumph to empower you? Its title, Trials of Today, Treasures for Tomorrow: Overcoming Adversities in Life. You can get it HERE.

CLICK HERE for a one-minute inspirational video.

Looking for a speaker for your upcoming event? A great speaker makes the difference between a so-so event and one that shines with impact. I invite you to view one of my two-minute videos HERE.

Please share: Feel free to share Janet’s posts with your friends.

 

Janet Eckles Perez

Some say she should be the last person to be dancing. Her life is summarized in this 3-minute video: http://bit.ly/1a8wGJR

Janet Perez Eckles’ story of triumph is marked by her work as an international speaker, #1 best-selling author, radio host, personal success coach and master interpreter. Although blind since 31, her passion is to help you see the best of life.

www.janetperezeckles.com

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Today I Choose to Take Heart

16 Nov

On the Porch

Onisha Ellis

 

 

I remember in my journalism class how the teacher drilled in elements of a news story:

 

Who-What-When-Where

 

I can’t remember if how many was part of it. The glorious truth that sets my heart to soar is that no matter who, what, when, where or even how many, God has overcome every-single-one. 

 

 

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Favorite Things

13 Nov

Onisha Ellis

On the Porch

 

This is one of my favorite paintings by DiVoran and  my favorite scripture of the week. They both make my heart sing.

 

 

 

 

 

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I Need Encouragement

10 Nov

Walking by Faith, Not by Sight

Janet Perez Eckles

 

I need encouragement.

 

Reblogged November 10, 2018

“C’mon, tell them your story,” my friend nudged me.

I smiled but my heart said no.

How could I share my story with these two teenagers who showed up to collect for a camping trip? They had knocked at the door, hoping to get some money and be on their way.

But my friend, who hosted me in her house, insisted. “Come in. Have a seat,” she said to them, “wait till you hear this story.”

I squirmed. This audience of two was not eager to sit through the details of my transition from sighted to blind.

I grinned with an apologetic smile. But, having no choice, I began to relate my journey including God’s redeeming love and spiritual healing.

“She’s crying,” my friend whispered to me when I finished.

For obvious reasons, I had no idea the young girl had only one eye. They stayed and stayed telling us their own story, the trauma they endured brought tears to our eyes.

“God brought us to this house for a reason,” they said. “We know He’s real.”

That night they found hope.

And I found a hint of the power of God when we put aside our resistance to tell what He has done.

And He has done something for all of us, big or small, powerful or light. We all have a detail that shines of His goodness. We all have crossed from some valley to a mountain top. And because He took us through that journey, He says, tell it. Don’t hide it. Show it because “You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:14-16).

Opportunities to show His light surround us. They whisper to us. And call us to still believe, still be bold, and still know He goes before us in moments trivial to us, but mighty for Him

From now on, rather than hesitate, these words will echo in me: “I’m coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to everyone according to what he has done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End” (Revelation 22:12-13).

Let’s Pray

Father, remove from me any hesitation to share what You have done for me. Open more doors to tell of Your faithfulness and Your goodness at work. In Jesus’ name, amen.

What part of your story does God want you to share?

Janet

______________________________________

Did you know I wrote a book filled with words of encouragement, uplifting thoughts and illustrations of real-life triumph to empower you? Its title, Trials of Today, Treasures for Tomorrow: Overcoming Adversities in Life. You can get it HERE.

CLICK HERE for a one-minute inspirational video.

Looking for a speaker for your upcoming event? A great speaker makes the difference between a so-so event and one that shines with impact. I invite you to view one of my two-minute videos HERE.

Please share: Feel free to share Janet’s posts with your friends.

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Home Front – A Weed Went to War

9 Nov

My blogging muse deserted me this week. I found this blog about milkweed to be fascinating. I am thankful there are bloggers like GPCox keeping our past alive.

Pacific Paratrooper

Late in World War II, the common milkweed was often the only thing that kept a downed aviator or soaking-wet sailor from slipping beneath the waves. The plant’s floss was used as the all-important filler for flotation devices.

The northwest part of the Lower Peninsula, particularly the area around Petoskey, became the country’s picking and processing center for milkweed floss. By the time the war ended, an army of citizens—including schoolchildren—led by a visionary doctor had helped keep America’s servicemen safe from harm.

In the early 20th century, the typical filler for life preservers was a material called “kapok.” A cottony fiber extracted from the pods of the ceiba tree, kapok was cultivated in the rainforests of Asia. America’s primary source for this material was the Dutch East Indies (present-day Indonesia).

Then, in 1937, came Japan’s invasion of China, which initiated World War II in the Pacific.

Enter Dr. Boris…

View original post 571 more words

Home Front recipes from WWII

5 Nov

Pacific Paratrooper

As most of you know, America experienced rationing for the first time in World War II and with the holidays looming in the wings, food seemed to be a logical subject.

Some products  that were rationed during World War II were sugar, meat, coffee, typewriters, fuel oil, gasoline, rubber, and automobiles.  Each person was issued a book of ration coupons each month.  Rationed goods were assigned a price and point value.  Families were not restricted to certain quantities of rationed goods.  But once their coupons were used up, they could not buy rationed goods until the next month. Families were encouraged to plant victory gardens.  These gardens supplied a major part of the vegetable supply during the War.

But one thing most of us can admit, our parents and grandparents ate well.  They ate to live – not lived to eat!    Here are some of the recipes, given to us…

View original post 384 more words

When life seems empty

3 Nov

Walking by Faith, Not by Sight

Janet Perez Eckles

 

When life seems empty.

 

Reblogged November 3, 2018

As the airplane landed during my last trip, I got a little sad. The lady who sat beside me during the three-hour flight became my friend. We talked and shared and laughed. We exchanged business cards and pledged to keep in touch.

Hey, that’s my bag!

The plane landed. Passengers filed out and stopped only to grab their luggage from the overhead compartment.

Suddenly, my new friend jumped to her feet, “Hey that’s my bag!”

She dashed down the aisle after the innocent thief. I assume she caught up and claimed her suitcase.

We’ve all done the same. Unexpectedly, something or someone takes something we value, something that belonged to us, something that leaves us lost without it.

And when we’re left helpless, empty of what was essential to us, we want to either scream with pain, fade into sorrow or turn to anger. Often, it’s all three.

There’s good news.

The good news is that God knows our helpless feeling. He sees our loneliness. And He watches the emptiness that fills our nights.

That’s why, in Psalm 103, He provides that which nothing or no one can take away:

No one can rob our hope for healing if we remember all God’s benefits-and He who forgives all our sins and heals all our diseases,

No one can rob our path to triumph because He redeems our life from the pit and crowns us with love and compassion.

Nothing can snatch our expectation for good things because He satisfies our desires with good things so that our youth is renewed like the eagle’s.

No one can steal our strength when facing attacks because the LORD works righteousness and justice for all the oppressed.

Nothing can take God’s love from us because the LORD is compassionate and gracious; slow to anger, abounding in love.

Nothing can remove His forgiving nature because He will not always accuse, nor will he harbor his anger forever.

Nothing can take His comfort from us because He does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him.

No one can take away the cleansing of our soul because as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.

Life becomes rich again.

And when there are no more tears left to cry, we can give up what we lost, but we can never lose what God gives.

That’s when life becomes rich again. That’s when life shines with hope and when our life turns the page to begin a new chapter.

Let’s Pray

Father, in the loneliness of the night and the emptiness of the day, my heart will sing of the richness that your promises bring. In Jesus name.

What will fill your emptiness today?

Hey friends…

Christmas is not far, and wonder if you have considered the best gift you can give—encouragement for difficult moments.

My second book, Simply Salsa, written in an engaging, friend-to-friend style shows the simplicity of finding joy even when life hurts. Your copy waits for you here:

Janet

______________________________________

Did you know I wrote a book filled with words of encouragement, uplifting thoughts and illustrations of real-life triumph to empower you? Its title, Trials of Today, Treasures for Tomorrow: Overcoming Adversities in Life. You can get it HERE.

CLICK HERE for a one-minute inspirational video.

Looking for a speaker for your upcoming event? A great speaker makes the difference between a so-so event and one that shines with impact. I invite you to view one of my two-minute videos HERE.

Please share: Feel free to share Janet’s posts with your friends.

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Today I Choose Your Consolation

2 Nov

On the Porch

Onisha Ellis

 

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Edisto Get Away Part 3

1 Nov

On the Porch

Onisha Ellis

 

Day Two

 

The rain we expected yesterday arrived during the night and we awoke to heavy rains. We turned on the local news to see when the storms would move out and were surprised to hear the weather person state that the rain was the result of outer bands in Hurricane Michael! Our daughter studied the radar and declared the weather person was wrong as there were a lot of unsettled air in the Atlantic and our rain was an off shoot of that. She is kind of a stormy weather geek.

We enjoyed a leisurely breakfast and she was right, the rain cleared out around 11 am. We decided to explore the island and find the private beach cabana owned by the resort. Oh well, we are at the beach so of course, I should expect to get wet feet! Fortunately the inside was completely dry.

 

 

 

I love beach pictures with sea oats. I’m not sure why, maybe memories of childhood vacations at North Carolina beaches with my family, but they touch a soft place in my heart. It was still windy but not enough to make the sand fly and sting.

 

 

We older folks sat in the provided loungers while Rebekah roamed the beach with her camera. The sun came out and I began to wonder if leaving the sunscreen at home was a mistake. I generally don’t sit out in the sun for long, but it was so relaxing, I didn’t want to head for shade. Rebekah was wearing a flowing vest and the wind was whipping it around her. I got the silly idea to do a Facebook live video, pretending to be doing a live weather report and poke fun at the “enhanced” broadcasts that occur during hurricanes. I was the announcer, Rebekah in her flowing vest was the reporter barely able to stand against the wind and Pam was the person walking behind the reporter with no problem.  It was fun, but some people thought it was real and I am sorry if we caused them unwarranted concern.

 

 

The walkway that led to the beach was lined on each side by large rental properties. One had the tiniest pool ever and the sign cracked me up.

 

WARNING NO LIFEGUARD ON DUTY

SWIM AT YOUR OWN RISK

 

 

We spent the rest of the day exploring the island and visiting some shops and a nice book store. There aren’t a lot of restaurants on the island but the name of one intrigued me. The SeaCow Eatery. It had good reviews and we decided to give it a try. The restaurant isn’t large but it had a nice menu and the food was delicious. The deserts were homemade and tempting but we all passed.

 

 

On the way home we picked up some bottled water at the Bi-Lo. It seemed the least we could do with Hurricane Michael on the way and the weather people predicted tropical storm force winds to move in over night. It’s kind of hard to know how to storm prep in a resort. We had debated cutting the trip short, but Michael was between our location in South Carolina and Florida where Pam and Rebekah live. My husband and I would have had to go west to the mountains, crossing the path of the storm. We “hunkered down” as did most f the vacationers at the resort.

 

Shameless mama plug. The sequel to my daughter Rebekah’s novel, Jessie is available in eBook on Amazon for pre-order. The release date is November 6, 2018.  Jessie is a coming of age story of a young boy growing up obsessed with becoming an astronaut and is set in our hometown of Titusville, Florida. Several of Jessie’s antics were taken from her father’s youth. The sequel, Destiny’s Call picks up on Jessie’s life as he struggles to make his impossible dreams come true.

 

 

 

Jessie was supposed to be a single novel but according to Rebekah, his story just would not end. In the near future, the title will be changed to Undaunted and the series will carry this tagline:  A Jessie Cole Novel

If interested you can find all of her novels on Amazon https://amzn.to/2SB1Tnn . They are also available for Nook, Kobo and Ibooks.

 

 

I'm a winnerAfter my retirement, I decided to re-learn the canning and preserving skills I learned from my mother but hadn’t practiced for twenty years. I titled the blog Old Things R New to chronicle my experience.  Since then I have been blessed to have six other bloggers join me, DiVoran Lites, Bill Lites,  Judy Wills, Louise Gibson, Janet Perez Eckles and Melody Hendrix

In addition to blogging, I work as the publicist/marketer/ amateur editor and general  “mom Friday” for my author daughter, Rebekah Lyn. I also manage her website, Rebekah Lyn Books  where we frequently host the best in up and coming authors.

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The gift you give that costs you nothing

27 Oct

Walking by Faith, Not by Sight

Janet Perez Eckles

 

The gift you give that costs you nothing.

 

Reblogged October 27, 2018

 

“Hey, what happened to my candy?” my seven-year-old son complained the day after Halloween.

I had done what any health-conscious mom would do. Once they were asleep, I emptied those buckets of candy, left only a handful, and tossed the rest in a bag to give away.

When they realized what I did, they complained. That was okay. And although I was a “mean Mom” for taking their candy, I went back to my daily routine—placing love notes in their lunch boxes.

Now years later, I wonder if that gesture made any difference. I decided to ask them.

Notes from a mother’s heart.

I looked in their direction one day. “Hey guys, do you remember the notes I used to tape to your pillows and put in your lunch boxes when you were growing up?” I asked.

“Got everyone of them; I saved them, Mom,” my oldest son said.

“I remember the notes that you’d put in our lunch boxes,” my middle son said. “One day, I almost ate one of them by accident.”

I smiled, glad they remembered. And also hoped they forgot those times I raised my voice, blurted instructions, made demands, and more than a few times, delivered harsh scoldings.

I also hope they lost the memories of times when I threw my hands up in the air, and, in utter frustration, commanded, “Okay, the three of you, in your room, and don’t come out until you know how to behave.”

As they grew older, longer notes that expanded on life’s insights, admonishments, praises and advice waited for them on their pillows.

But I confess. Often, I questioned my ability to discipline them. I doubted its effectiveness. Yet I don’t regret spending those moments writing words that expressed my love.

I got that idea from God’s Word which He wrote on the pillow of my heart. And His Scripture notes of love, unconditional and constant that kept me going through moments of insecurity.

Here are five rules that guided me:

Pray with conviction. “Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O LORD, my rock and my redeemer” (Psalm 19:14).

Ask for help. “Set a guard, O LORD, over my mouth; keep watch over the door of my lips” (Psalm 141:3).

Recognize the goodness our words can carry. “Gracious words are like a honeycomb, sweetness to the soul and health to the body” (Proverbs 16:24).

Remember the power of our words. “Our words can build up or tear down. As the tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit” (Proverbs 18:21).

Heed the warning. “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen” (Ephesians 4:29)

You may not be a mom or dad; but you’re special to someone. That someone is waiting for a word of encouragement to build them up. To offer warmth in a cold world. To reassure in moments of doubt. To show your presence and erase loneliness.

Words of love can be the gift no one else has the time to give, but they give what others need the most.

Let’s Pray

Father, help my life to be a note of gratitude for others to read. And may they see your love written between the lines. In Jesus name.

Who is that someone in your life who would welcome a note of love from you?

Hey friends…

I hope my weekly notes to inspire you help brighten your day. I love, love your comments. Please send them using the comment button. and if you share this blog post, it would mean the world to me.

Love you all!

Janet

______________________________________

Did you know I wrote a book filled with words of encouragement, uplifting thoughts and illustrations of real-life triumph to empower you? Its title, Trials of Today, Treasures for Tomorrow: Overcoming Adversities in Life. You can get it HERE.

CLICK HERE for a one-minute inspirational video.

Looking for a speaker for your upcoming event? A great speaker makes the difference between a so-so event and one that shines with impact. I invite you to view one of my two-minute videos HERE.

Please share: Feel free to share Janet’s posts with your friends.

 

Source: https://janetperezeckles.com/blog/encouragement/the-gift-you-give-that-costs-you-nothing.html

 

Janet Eckles Perez

Some say she should be the last person to be dancing. Her life is summarized in this 3-minute video: http://bit.ly/1a8wGJR

Janet Perez Eckles’ story of triumph is marked by her work as an international speaker, #1 best-selling author, radio host, personal success coach and master interpreter. Although blind since 31, her passion is to help you see the best of life.

www.janetperezeckles.com

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