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Hope for 2024

16 Feb

Scrolling social media, especially X, hope seems to be almost a foreign idea. Each day I come across many people asking for prayers and not just for illness. So many are fighting depression, addiction and loneliness..

Our daughter, Rebekah blogs at Rebekah Lyn’s Kitchen and she has begun a blog series on the subject of Hope. In her series she writes, “how do we keep our hopes from fizzling out or falling by the wayside in the hurry of life?”

I’ve decided to reblog her posts here, and hope that our readers find them encouraging.

Hope in Being Seen

Reblogged February 16,2024

Sometimes, even among friends, I feel unseen and unheard. Part of that is because I gravitate towards individuals who talk a lot, so I don’t end up contributing much toward conversation. When I’m in group conversations, it’s easy to sit back and listen, never adding my own voice, then go home and feel I might as well have been invisible.

I didn’t get to share whatever was troubling my heart or bringing me joy and wasn’t that what this time of community was all about? Self-pity can quickly seep in, blotting out the pearls of wisdom I gained from listening. Sometimes we need to listen more than we need to speak.

There is a longing deep inside our hearts to be seen and heard, to make deep connections with others. God created us for community. In Genesis 2:18, “The Lord God said, ‘It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.’”

Finding those who understand, respect, challenge, and encourage us is a difficult task, possibly even more so with all the digital connections we have in our modern society. We have far-flung digital acquaintances with people we may never meet in person and with whom we don’t share deeply personal feelings. Despite having friend lists and followers numbering in the hundreds or thousands, we still long for meaningful in-person connections.

In Psalm 139, the psalmist writes, “Where can I go from Your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, You are there; if I make my bed in the depths, You are there. If I rise on the winds of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there Your hand will guide me, Your right hand will hold me fast.”

If you’re feeling alone or unseen, remember these words. God sees you no matter where you are, even if you’re trying to hide from Him. He created you and He loves you more than you can imagine. Unlike friends of this world who may judge you, ridicule you, drown out your voice, or try to tear you down, God is always waiting with open arms. He is ready to forgive you, heal your wounds, catch every tear you cry, carry you when you can’t take another step, and encourage you to hold on. He’s always listening, waiting for you to call out to Him. You are seen, heard, and loved.

If you would like to read the previous posts of hope, Visit her blog, Rebekah Lyn’s Kitchen.

  • Hope in Suffering
  • Hope in the Father
  • Hope in Seeking
  • Hope Delayed
  • The Beginning of Hope

About Rebekah

I’m a sandal-loving native Floridian, but love spending time in the mountains of North Carolina. I believe God has called me to use my writing to spread the word of His love and the gift of salvation He freely offers. So many seem to believe when a person gives their life to Christ they become infallible or perfect. I want to write stories that show we are still human and do make mistakes, but through God’s grace there is forgiveness when we truly repent.

I love cooking, especially baking, and food tends to show up in all of my books. I enjoy sharing the recipes I find along the way as well as sharing insights into the writing journey. I love to hear back from readers and would welcome the chance to connect with you on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, or Pinterest.

You can also learn more about my books and some other Christian writers I have partnered with on my website, http://rebekahlynbooks.com

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Debbie’s Story

4 Feb

On the Porch

Onisha Ellis

Two weeks ago when I learned my friend, Debbie, had tested positive for Covid and was symptomatic, I was concerned. My 65 year old friend’s health has not been optimal. On the plus side I knew that she had overcome many physical challenges and that she would be covered in the prayers of her large circle of family and friends.

This week I learned Debbie was a Covid survivor and I thankfully put a capital H next to her name on my Covid prayer list. She posted her Covid experience on Facebook and I found it to be a powerful testimony. She gave me permission to share it with you, unedited.

Debbie’s Story

Today I tested Negative for Covid!

But being home alone these past 18 days has shown me some things:

-God loves me! Be still and Know that he is God!

-I can survive being alone because God never leaves me.

-If you really listen you can hear God- maybe not in a human voice but in the silence around you- a bird singing, rain drops, wind chime blowing, leaves blown across the grass, music from a passing car, a train whistle and just the stillness of late at night. 

– Its ok and Good for you to allow others to help you.

– There are many things to do with time on your hands: read, write letters, color, clean out drawers, sit outside and listen to the birds, pray for others. 

On day one I cried all day – scared of Covid and scared to be quarantined ! 

I know that sounds crazy- I am 65 yrs old- widowed for 19 years- being by myself should be normal. It wasnt- it was a Normal I never embraced!! I surround myself with people- even at times unhealthy relationships just to keep from being alone. I have tried to work on this at different times but no luck. 

Well the Lords timing is always perfect!

The first 6-7 days I was so sick- I prayed and slept and cried! 

Once I got over that first hill I started seeking God for comfort and peace

With being stuck inside! 

Daily God would show me how to use 

Time to heal my body and soul. He used my family and friends to call at just the right time not at a time I was broken or lonely. Those were the times he ordained for Me and Him.

Romans 8:28

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

Side Note: 

The night of Our accident that killed Doug- we had been reading a daily devotional- the Bible reference was Romans 8:28. The devotional was about Bad things and good people! 

Yes this is the truth- so for years I have not really liked that verse and I associated it with Doug’s untimely death. This quiet time that I did not choose to go thru has opened up a new understanding of this verse:

This verse is speaking to Christians , believers -“those who love God,” and “those who are called according to His purpose.” This promise is for Christians: for saved believers, who have placed their trust in Jesus Christ (John 3:16). No matter our feelings , loving God is part of what it means to live in Christ. That’s who we are. Each of us is also called to fulfill God’s purposes.

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Sow Your Seeds

15 Nov

Coleus seeds are tiny! But when they are planted and nurtured they produce a beautiful and strong plant.

I purchased this coleus as a small plant. Someone else sowed the seed and the result is beautiful.

Humbled and Encouraged

5 Jun

Reblogged June 5, 2019 from Rebekah Lyn Books

I am humbled and encouraged when I see the way God works in my life. 

My last book, Destiny’s Call, launched without much fanfare and has limped along at an unsatisfying pace. For a variety of reasons I haven’t put forth much effort to market this new venture, so I’m not complaining about the slow progress, but I had been feeling rather discouraged. Then, a few weeks ago, a friend mentioned a new christian bookstore had opened in town. I immediately went to check it out.

It’s a lovely shop, but I was surprised when I first walked in and didn’t see any books. There were unique children’s games, collectible figurines, and a variety of other gifts. Along a back wall there was a large variety of Bibles and then in one corner was a bookshelf with a dozen or so books. 

It was the middle of the day and not very busy so the owner, Nadia, started talking to me, telling me they’d only been open about a week and sharing some of the plans she and her husband, Sam have for the store. Nadia has an infectious energy that draws people in. She mentioned she wants to work with local vendors so the shop will have unique items rather than things that can be found in any box store. 

I felt so comfortable talking to her that I, without a single hesitation or gulp of fear, asked if she was interested in working with local authors. She emphatically agreed that she was and I took a few minutes to tell her a bit about myself. When she asked if I would mind leaving her a copy of one of my books for her to look at, I was thrilled to tell her I had some in the car and I would run get one for her. 

Of course I gave her Undaunted, since it is a local story. Nadia and her husband, are still relatively new to town, and Jessie Cole’s story is a great way to learn about the history of the community. 

Within 48 hours, Nadia had emailed me to say she would be very interested in working with me. We quickly set up a plan and my books now appear on her shelves alongside several other local authors. 

As soon as I walked out of the store that first day, before we even had an agreement, I felt God at work. Energy filled my heart and the discouragement that had weighted me down for months lightened. 

Having made a connection with a couple who have a bold love of God and a desire to serve our community encourages me that a spirit of service and fellowship will fill our streets, our businesses, our churches, and our homes. I feel like God has big plans in store for Nadia and Sam and I am honored that my books may be a part of that journey for them. 

If you live in Titusville or you come to see a launch, be sure to stop in and say hello to Nadia (and Sam if he’s there) at New Beginnings Christian Bookstore in the Titusville Mall on US 1. 

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Christmas 2018

28 Dec

My friend, Pam has lived for 13 years without her much loved husband, Bill by her side. She shares her love and positive personality in her church WIdow’s ministry and also serves on the bereavement committee as a coordinator. When she emailed this to me, I was honored to be allowed to read her intimate thoughts. I asked permission to share it on our blog-Onisha

 

 

 

Christmas 2018

by Pam Gheen

I don’t normally write those Christmas letters that people place in their Christmas cards each year; mostly I don’t even get my Christmas cards out in the mail; maybe next year!

I especially don’t write or talk about the sad, deep things one may think about at Christmas.  I am a widow of 13 years, and I certainly should have moved on when it comes to “Christmas milestone sadness”. But……

But you know what? – our Christian journey, until we end it in Heaven, is alive and changing each day. Perfect healing for sadness comes daily if we need it!

“Earth has no sorrow that Heaven can’t heal”  Irish Poet-Thomas Moore

 

This Christmas, I deal with my emotions, as each one needs to do.

The house is quiet but my thoughts are not.  My fingers are itching to say something with words.

Think on this thought: God made us human and we feel feelings, we ponder the past, and we have empathy for others. Thank You God!  

I think of the little page that comes up on the computer, when I shop on-line, “I am not a Robot”! Check that little box on that little page and say you’re not-NOT made of hardness and steel, but made with a pliable, caring heart.

Maybe your normal tendency is to “shove down” and “ignore” the very attributes of our humanness, our “made in the image of God” capability to love, to embrace loss, and to reach out to others.  Some isolate, some want to become as busy as they can to forget and move on.

So how do you run away from the way God made you and me?  I’m thinking you can’t run fast enough; you turn around and face and embrace the “learning moment” from God.  

You may even find a quiet place in your home and light a candle in remembrance of the home-goings this past year of a loved one or friend. 

Or you may think of the ones in fragile health this Christmas, or those who have precarious relationships that still need to be healed.  You think of friends who say to you, “enjoy the time with your family; I have no one.”

You lift up your prayers and you wait in stillness.

Silence, communion and love is received in your heart and you know you are better; you turn TOWARDS the Father, to the WORD, Jesus, and to the COMFORTER, Holy Spirit.

“Now let your unfailing love comfort me, just as you promised me, your servant”. 

Psalm 119:76 NLT

This Christmas, as in the last twenty-years, I am enjoying my youngest daughter and her family, here from California.  I am blessed in so many ways when they come “home” to family and friends.

This past Sunday, we all filed into a beautifully decorated sanctuary and took our seats in a comfy pew after greeting numerous friends with hugs.  As we sit there, I’m tapped on the shoulder from behind; there’s my friend who’s husband went home to the Lord a few months ago; she is sitting beside her daughter and family also.  “Good”, I think, “she has family with her.”

Another widow walks in and sits in front of me. She is my “new widow friend”, as I didn’t really know her until I helped with her celebration meal for her husband this past year.  She sits beside her loving sister and her husband.

The choir sings and leads us in uplifting songs, and then disperses themselves into the congregation to hear the message.  Another beautiful choir widow of three weeks slips into a pew; how is she strong enough to resume her place in the choir so quickly, I wonder. She hugs her friends and smiles through her tears.  Our close friends become our family even more when we need them.

By now, it is hard to think of anything else except of all the victory memorial services of the past year. My thoughts rush to two other friends I’ve know almost fifty years, who have said to their spouses, “goodbye, see ya later”, this year. They are making their way through the grief process and through one of the many “firsts” that come along during the year.

Finally, I think of my brother-in-law who is not seeing his only son this Christmas, and I pray for him, “God, comfort him in his sadness this Christmas.”

So today, after going through highs and lows, tears and hugs, I light my candle and I lift up my friends and family on Christmas Eve, the night of HOPE and RENEWAL and EMBRACEMENT of my very own “image of God’ . 

My fingers finish their clatter on the keyboard, my whole being asks God to fine-tune me into His loving image, and I wait…..wait for the Holy comfort and joy to fill-in the sad places in my heart, and help me overflow to others.  

I am “good again”, and move on, finding JOY in my sad thoughts, and HEALING in my communion with my Maker.

Signing off now….I need to make a few love phone calls before the day is done.

“You have made known to me the paths of life; you will fill me with joy in Your Presence.”  Acts 2:28 NIV

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Excitement from diverse places

7 Feb

Reblogged 2/7/18 with permission from Rebekah Lyn’s Kitchen

 

For an author to be without words is never a good thing, but AND today I am struggling to find the right words to describe the emotions coursing through me.

It started this morning when I woke up grumpy. I’ve been fighting some type of sinus/cold virus for almost a month and I’m at my wits end. I wanted to whine, but didn’t want to subject anyone I love to that self-pity so I cocooned in my room, putting away laundry and trying to pray.

When my cell phone started chirping with text after text I grabbed it in frustration, then smiled. A dear friend was announcing the release of her first book. She’s been working on this for quite some time and I’m delighted it has all come together. The multiple texts from other members of our writers group showed all were just as happy. Reports of orders being placed on Amazon warmed my heart and energized me to get dressed and head out the door.

 

 

It was 10:15 and I wanted to see how many people were already in town for the much anticipated SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket. Growing up during the Space Shuttle program, I admit I grew jaded with the crowds that tromped into town for launch days. Cars clogged the roads and every empty field along the river. Families wandered into the road without looking and causing us locals to be extra vigilant as we went about our daily lives. This morning, though, I reveled in the cars parked along the side of the road and the visitors milling around. I ached to stick around and be a part of this historic day, but work called and I had to get home to get ready.

 

Early birds get the best views

Be careful! Eager spectators crossing.

By the time I arrived at the office, the launch had been pushed from 1:30 to 2:20 due to upper level winds. I felt a selfish sense of hope that the launch would be scrubbed and rescheduled to tomorrow when I would be home to see it. When the next delay pushing back to 3:45 was announced, again that selfish spirit perked up.

As 3:00 approached, I prepared to access the SpaceX livestream. The minutes ticked down and there was no announcement of another delay or a scrub so I chose to hope that all would go well. My pulse quickened when we reached five minutes before launch. I focused on my work until we were just under two minutes then my eyes couldn’t be torn from the video. Steam billowed around the three rockets strapped together and I clasped my hands in front of my face, whispering words of encouragement as if the machine could hear me.

With the last seconds my throat tightened and my breath caught. Would it fire? Would it rise off the ground? Would it explode on the spot or a few seconds into flight? Memories of Challenger gnawed at the back of my mind. The rocket rose higher and higher, three flames of fire blended into one. The excitement of the SpaceX team was tangible as each milestone was ticked off. I watched in awe, knowing how unheard of a successful test flight such as this is. I felt the tears gathering in my eyes and longed to share the excitement with a crowd of like-minded spectators.

The adrenaline has faded away and I think about how long it has been since the American people had a hope for exploration beyond our own planet. We have sent machines to gather data, but we need to send people to experience the outer regions first hand, to provide information only a human can express. Today, was the first step toward sending humans beyond the International Space Station and I feel an excitement that I hope you all can share.

In case you missed the launch, you can watch a replay below.

Source: Excitement from diverse places

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Be Soft

10 May

be soft

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7 May

 

My ways are not your ways neither are your thoughts my thoughts-2

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Helping Hands in Hazleton, Pennsylvania

20 Apr

We are pleased to welcome a guest blogger today, Paul Cwalina of Hazleton, Pennsylvania. His church, Grace Fellowship, has an amazing community outreach program . 

Helping Hands in Hazleton, Pennsylvania

by Paul Cwalina

Shake the World

Two years ago, a member of Grace Fellowship Church in Hazleton, Pennsylvania, who works as a supervisor at a Wal-Mart distribution center, noticed that the center was donating food almost every week to one charity or another on a consistent basis. He saw an opportunity for the church to serve the needy in the community.

With the help of the church deacons and elders, as well as fellow members of the congregation, the first distribution was planned for the first Saturday of the following month. A handmade sign taped to a tomato stake and held up by two cinderblocks was placed at the side of the road in front of the church letting the community know about the event. We had no idea if it was going to be a one-time thing or a sustainable ministry.

Grace Fellowship Church in Hazleton, Pennsylvania

Grace Fellowship Church in Hazleton, Pennsylvania

On that first Saturday, food was set aside at the Wal-Mart distribution center and five volunteers with vans and SUV’s met at the church at 6:00am and made the forty minute trek to pick up the food. The vehicles were jammed with as much of the food that each could hold.

Upon returning to the church, about a dozen volunteers unloaded the vehicles and organized the food, in the church’s basement fellowship hall while members of the community began showing up and sitting in the sanctuary upstairs. Food was placed into cardboard boxes and grocery bags and carried upstairs.

There was little in the way of organization those first couple months. People simply lined up in the lobby of the church and volunteers handed them boxes of food. Seventy hurting families were served that day.

Two years later, there is no longer a need for vans, SUV’s or volunteers to pick up the food. A member of Grace Fellowship Church who owns a trucking company, personally picks up the food with his tractor-trailer and brings it to the church. The handmade sign has been replace with a professionally made banner that is placed on the front of the church. The dozen volunteers waiting at the church has grown to number close to fifty volunteers each month, with half of those volunteers coming from Iglesia Kairos, a Spanish-language church that uses Grace Fellowship’s church or their services.

Semi truck

The number of families served has grown, as well. In August of 2015, the Fish & Loaves ministry served just over 300 families. Since then, the number has averaged near 250 each month. They begin arriving as early as 5:30am, even though the doors don’t open until 7:00am and the food isn’t distributed until 9:15.

While they wait, a deacon leads a Bible Study for nearly two dozen attendees in the church’s conference room, while the rest wait patiently in the sanctuary. While they wait, a member of Grace Fellowship Church delivers the Gospel message from the pulpit followed by a Gospel presentation by a member of Iglesia Kairos.

The ministry has recently begun to expand beyond the walls of the church as two members take the extra food each month and prepare meals for a group of homeless individuals who were found living in the woods just outside of the city.

When the last box of food is assembled and distributed, the volunteers tear down tables and boxes, sweep, mop and clean the fellowship hall, leaving just as it was found at 5:30 that morning. Volunteers leave physically exhausted, but spiritually satisfied.

Thank you for sharing this story, Paul. I love reading stories of communities reaching out to those in need-Onisha

Paul Cwalina was born and raised in northeastern Pennsylvania and is the grandson of immigrant coalminers. By day, he is a marketing executive, an economics geek, and a politics junkie.

Citing Ernest Hemingway’s “Farewell to Arms” as the spark that ignited his desire to write, the author is now turning his long-dormant passion and hobby into a way to tell a story to the world.

“I don’t write ‘comfortable’ stories. I want my readers to be affected and to think; to get out of their comfort zones just a bit. The biggest compliment I receive on ‘Dropping Stones’ is that the story stays with a person long after they’ve read it. To me, that says ‘mission accomplished’.”

Paul lives with his wife and children in Drums, Pennsylvania.

You can check out his novels on Amazon

Connect with Paul on Facebook

…and on Twitter: @PKC1963

 

 

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Review Or Die! (Not you, the Reader — the Author) | Elk Jerky for the Soul

22 Mar

I tend to keep separate the book marketing side of my world and the blogger side, but today I am merging them. Mary Findley wrote this entertaining and informative post on why emerging authors need you to write a review.

 

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It’s a pain to write reviews. If I liked a book, I liked it. I don’t need to review it. Maybe I’ll tell some friends. Maybe I’ll lend the book to someone else. And it sounds stupid to say, “This book was great! I loved it!” What good does that do anyone? Other readers don’t care about reviews. They pick a book because they get pulled in by the cover, they’re a fan of the genre, or a friend or some bigshot blogger they follow recommended it. Who cares about my little dumb reviews?

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Honestly, I can sympathize with those reasons for not writing a review. But I’m still going to shoot them down and give you some help to understand why every time you read a book but don’t review it, you are sucking just a little bit of life out of that author. If people keep taking these attitudes and not writing reviews, eventually, those authors will die, in a publishing sense. Their books will receive little attention and that’s death for a book and for its author. He really can’t keep his story alive by himself. He needs your help.

  1. “It’s a pain to write a review.” No, it’s not. It’s easy. I even gave you a pattern in a previous blog post. Take a look, follow the steps, and voila! The review is done before you know it. Here’s that link.  https://elkjerkyforthesoul.wordpress.com/2012/02/09/how-to-write-a-book-review-the-author-will-love/
  2. “Maybe I’ll tell some friends.” Please, please, do. But imagine how many friends you can tell if you write your opinion down. You can widen your influence and the author’s if you just take those few minutes and write that review.
  3. “It sounds stupid to say. ‘It was great! I loved it’” Maybe it does to you, but it sounds like music to the author. It’s like water on brown grass. It’s like food to an author’s empty stomach. Be that water. be that food. Say whatever you can say. Write whatever you can write. Just go there and do that review thing!
  4. “Other readers don’t care about reviews.” You might be surprised by how many do. Many people read reviews before deciding to buy a book. If there aren’t many, they might skip on to one that has some.
  5. “Who cares about my dumb little reviews?” But there’s another reason to give an author reviews. It helps give his book reality and credibility with sites where he might want to promote it. Real, genuine reviews are like seeds. They multiply opportunities for an author to get known, get read, and get more sales. You can help in this way that costs you so little. You can help a lot.

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I, as an author care about your reviews. They’re not dumb. They’re your thoughts and feelings. People who put their thoughts and feelings into writing a book welcome feedback. What’s the point in writing a book if no one cares enough to share their thoughts about it? I look at my beloved children, my books that I worked on to produce. I think, when some have ten or more reviews, and some have one or two, or even none, that nobody loves those children. Nobody cares about them, so it must be nobody cares about me either. And I wither a little. I get thirstier, and hungrier, and I die a little.

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I failed to mention one thing about reviews. They don’t have to be good ones. Sure, parents want everyone to love their kids, but if you’ve got constructive criticism on why a book isn’t what you hoped it would be, put that down, too. Don’t think all we want is a string of fives and maybe a few fours. Lay it out there — what you liked and what you didn’t. If we think our books are perfect, we need your humbling. We need your honesty. Help us be better authors. Even if we don’t do a rewrite of that book, it might help us do the next one better.

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So help us. That’s what reviews are really all about. We are flowers. Water us, feed us, encourage us, pinch off our dead blooms and help us grow new ones. Don’t let our books and our fire to write die in discouragement and dim corners. Shine a light on them. we need your help. We can’t do this alone. We are only the authors. You are the readers.

When you write a review, you become a “patron of the arts.” and you don’t have to donate $100.00 to be listed -Onisha

Source: Review Or Die! (Not you, the Reader — the Author) | Elk Jerky for the Soul

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