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Starting the New Year Face to Face

8 Jan

Last night the bloggers for Old Things R New met face to face for the first time in our history. It was an incredible and laughter filled evening.

photo

From left to right, Judy Wills, Divoran Lites, Onisha Ellis, Lynn Shepherd (web genius and daughter of Louise) Louise Gibson, Janet Peres Eckles. Back row, Bill Lites

I created the blog January 13, 2012 and my first post was to announce my daughter, Rebekah Lyn’s debut novel. I had no idea what I was doing, but knew I needed a platform to help promote her work.

In Febrauary 2012,  DiVoran Lites, my long time friend and mentor, brought her fun and inspiring wrting to our blog. She has now published three novels which you can find here.  Her husband Bill, loves travel and vintage WWII airplanes and we were pleased to add him on April 19,2012. In September of 2012  we welcomed Judy Wills, a talented pianist,  whose life as a military spouse brought us an inside look at family life both in and out of the military. In 2013 we were blessed with two new bloggers, Louise Gibson, whose poetry about nature, feline friends and life touches many hearts and brings smiles to the readers face, and last but certainly not least is Janet Perez Eckles, a dynamo of energy and faith, who shares her life experiences with us through weekly posts that encourage us to dig deep into our own faith and challenges.

Janet was recently interviewed on Emotional Mojo   a nationally syndicated show that  combines the best of Psychology, personal development, life coaching, and daily inspiration in a single Mojo brand.

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Angels, Lambs, Ladybugs and Fireflies

2 Jan

On the Porch

Onisha Ellis

I'm a winner

When my daughter was in elementary school the second and third grade performed a Christmas program entitled “Angels, Lambs, Ladybugs and Fireflies.” She was a firefly and their job was to light the way to Bethlehem for Mary and Joseph. As they sang their song with dimmed lights, each child waved a lit flashlight and one child, I think, it was mine had this line “When everyone works together, a lot can be accomplished.” Isn’t that a great line?

This week I was notified I had won a month long  contest, a writing contest at that. It involved writing a story using only one hundred and forty characters. That is 140 letters people!  They even paid me money; fifty dollars and that is not the best part, the part that makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. The only reason I won is that I have an incredibly supportive group of friends on Facebook and Twitter. Together they retweeted my story over sixty times, more than any other contestant.

When everyone works together a lot can be accomplished. I think that is my motto for 2014.

I know you have been dying to read my winning story, so here it is, don’t blink or you will miss it!

 Birthed in pain to a life of shame. Hooker by night, student by day, paying her way, trying to escape and change her fate.

Not my daughter’s performance but it’s a cute play. The wise fireflies speak around the 7 minute mark

PLUS, I wanted everyone to have the song stuck in their heads like I do right now.

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Throwback Thursday

5 Dec

My Take

Onisha Ellis

On Facebook and Twitter, Thursdays have become “Throw Back Thursday. People post old photos of themselves, their family or places with fond memories. Then there is the Facebook page, You Grew Up In…. There is a lot of nostalgia going on, I wonder why that is?

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My thoughts linger on the past, remembering all my loved ones who have moved to heaven. I miss them and remembering makes me feel close to them. Sometimes I look back on my life with regret, wishing I had make better choices and been wiser but I am also thankful for how far I have come and the sure knowledge that even when I was distant from Him, God was not distant from me. He was just waiting for me to move forward.

Are we looking to the past, which has a safe, secure feeling because we subconsciously don’t feel secure about the future?  I have always loved Matthew 6:26

Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?

Or as my mother would say, “What do you have a Lord for?”

“The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God endures forever.” Isaiah 40:8

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I Decided to Change Thanksgiving

28 Nov

On the Porch

Onisha Ellis

This year, I decided to change Thanksgiving. Every year since my parents passed away and my Thanksgivingbrother’s chose to not spend the holiday with me, I have mourned, cried, tried denial and even went on a Thanksgiving cruise. Nothing has worked to chase away the Thanksgiving blues.  This year I am changing things up.

First, I am working on my attitude. To be truthful, I have tried this every year and haven’t been successful. I would be fine up to “THE DAY” but would find myself in tears as my heart listened to the echo of years past, of kitchen banter, sharing recipes, children stories and just being family.

Secondly I needed to find something new and challenging on which to place my focus. I decided instead of roasting a whole turkey or even a turkey breast, I would purchase fresh turkey breast in a half-breast size. I chose four; each between two to three pounds and each adult in the family would be responsible for seasoning one. I seized the opportunity to try brining a turkey.  I plan to rub it with poultry seasoning and garlic infused oil before popping it into the roaster. I can’t wait until my son and his wife arrive to find out how they are seasoning theirs. I think the mixture of flavors will make the house smell delicious.

Why am I, a woman who knows she is truly blessed sharing this story? Because very few people have perfect lives. At some point most of us will face sorrow, loss and possibly rejection. This is my way of coping and I wanted you to know that this Thanksgiving I will be praying for you, that your heart will be made whole and maybe you could do the same for me?

 

Update Friday November 29,2013

Thanksgiving was so wonderful I don’t have words to express it. Thank you for your prayers.

One of our turkey breasts was brined with red pepper, garlic powder and peppercorns, one used A1 dry rub and the last one was brushed with rosemary and lemon infused oil. Everyone was eager to test each one. They were all delicious but hands down the brined one was the favorite.

Rosemary and Lemon
Brined
A1 Dry Rub

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What a Friend

14 Nov

What a FriendLast Sunday one of our hymns was What a friend. Out of curiosity (I have a lot of that) I looked to see when this beautiful poem was written and who was the author. Fortunately our church uses an older hymnal which has the information at the bottom of the song. What a Friend was written in 1855 by Joseph Scriven. Apparently the longing for friendship and comfort is not new to mankind. The song has three stanzas and I would love to share them with you. I am taking the words from a Broadman Hymnal that was used in my church when I was a very young child. It is so old there is no copyright/publication page.

What a friend we have in Jesus,
All our sins and griefs to bear!
What a privilege to carry
Everything to God in prayer.
How those words speak to my heart! Someone wants to bear my
pain.
O what peace we often forfeit
O what needles pain WE bear
All because we do not carry
Everything to God in prayer!
How silly am I when I choose to wallow in my pain when I
have friend who will bear it for me!
Have we trials and temptations?
Is there trouble anywhere?
We should never be discouraged.
Take it to the Lord in Prayer.
So many times have I felt discouraged. Who hasn't known 
the utter exhaustion of raising a family, trying to meet 
everyone's needs and no one meeting our needs.
Can we find a friend so faithful?
Who will all our sorrows share?
Jesus knows our every weakness.
Take it to the Lord in prayer.
Have you been at the end of yourself, longing to share your
 heartache with someone? I have.
Are we weak and heavy laden,
Cumbered with a load of care?
Precious Saviour, still our refuge,
Take it to the Lord in prayer.


This brings to mind a modern song, Strong Tower by Kutlass


“You are my strong tower. Fortress when I’m weak”


What a blessing to know that my friend will be strong for me,
 and be my refuge.






Do your friends despise, forsake thee?


Take it to the Lord in Prayer.


His arms he'll take and shield thee,


Thou wilt find a solace there.




My friend, DiVoran once shared with me her personal picture of a grandfatherly God who would take her upon his lap, wrap his arms around her and just rock and love her. That has always stayed with me and often when praying for someone I ask for them to know  that blessed feeling of being wrapped in God’s arms of love.

You can read a short biography here or a more detailed account here.

				
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BooktoberFest and Chocolate Covered Potato Chips

	
		4
		Oct
	

	

	

		
It’s Booktoberfest time! We are excited at our house about Booktoberfest. Rebekah Lyn will be one of twenty authors at a meet and greet in the quaint town of Mount Dora, Florida. Since this is being held in October, the month of Fall festivals and Halloween, authors and guests are taking up the costume of their favorite book characters.


Rebekah writes Christian fiction and her characters are of the everyday  sort so it has been hard to decide who to portray. Finally she chose  Michelle of Winter’s End, the lead singer and guitar player for her band Tangled Web. It has been fun turning the very professional  Rebekah into a rocker and in the process throw in some clever branding. Pictures will be up at  Rebekah Lyn Books .


Be sure to click the link below for all the details of Booktoberfest. It is going to be a great event!


JLB Creatives -Bringing Fairy Tales to Life…One Novel at a Time. HIDDEN EARTH is a six novel series by best-selling author, Janet Beasley. Janet is the founder/owner of JLB Creatives, a company designed to bring light to the literary world. It is a company built on the fantastical imaginations of Janet and her family.


via Author Janet Beasley – BOOKTOBERFEST! 10/5/13.


At the event we will be inviting readers to sign up for the Rebekah Lyn Books newsletter and as a reward for signing up, we will  have a drawing  for a box of Grimaldi chocolate covered potato chips delivered right to your front door.


Booktoberfest
You Can Win These!


Not going to Booktoberfest? Sign up for Rebekah’s newsletter here and you are in the drawing. Good luck!


We will draw the name of one lucky winner from those who sign up between now and Sunday October 6, 2013 and you will be notified by email.

				
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Christians and Clichés

	
		26
		Sep
	

	

	

		
On the Porch


Onisha Ellis


Recently DiVoran published a writing tip for  Rebekah Lyn Books entitled  “I love Clichés.” We all use them and the comments ranged from “I use them, it’s my dirty little secret” to “guilty as charged”.




One of my favorite ones was written by author Bob Nailor. “I enjoy a good cliché’ or idiom when I write but have found those who edit me don’t seem to care for them one iota.” He goes on to say ” So how does an author explain “between a rock and a hard place” when writing? Easy. It was a conundrum where either choice was difficult. Oh, yeah, that made it much clearer and added the impact.”




After I stopped giggling at the funny comments I began to think about how many times I speak in clichés.


God will provide: Philippians 4:19


Trust God : Proverbs 3:5


They’re in a better place John 14:3


God has a plan for you: Jeremiah 29:11


I sincerely believe it when I say these things but better still would if be  every time I  speak  a cliché of comfort, I take the time to offer up prayers claiming God’s promises?

							


	


		

		


	




			
                



	
	
What If Something Bad Happened

	
		19
		Sep
	

	

	

		
On the Porch


Onisha Ellis


Onisha


In the midst of your quiet time have you ever breathed the prayer, Lord use me today and then gone about your day? Many of us do this hoping that God will bring someone into our life to whom we can minister. But what if something bad happens? Do we see that as a fulfillment of our prayer?


Ten years ago my purse was stolen in Wal-Mart. I was in shock and very angry. We had to change our door locks, car locks, cancel cards. I didn’t even have ID to go to the bank and get money. It was an awful experience and one I wouldn’t trade for a million dollars. You see, God took me up on my request to be used. My purse-snatcher was a young woman on drugs and unknown to the girl, her mother was my co-worker. When it was time for the restitution stage of her trial, I asked the judge in lieu of restitution to please send the young woman to drug rehab.


I ran into her mother today, funnily enough, at the same place we both worked ten years ago. We have each moved on to different jobs. What a wonderful time we had rejoicing in the news that her daughter continued to be free of her drug habit and doing very well. We just had a little praise session right there in the parking lot.


I have shared this story before but today it hit home to me that being used by God doesn’t mean I will lead a Bible study, share a scripture with eloquence and passion or lead hundreds of people to Christ. It means I surrender myself to His use and that includes when bad things happen.

				
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Clean Indie Reads Authors Launch Big Sale

	
		15
		Sep
	

	

	

		
Finally Fall Sale
Clean Indie Reads Fall into Savings Sale


Are you tired of blood, guts, gore, and scenes that might make grandma (or even grandpa) blush?   Our wonderful author DiVoran Lites along with the authors of Clean Indie Reads have joined together to promote books that you’ll be happy to share without blushing.  NOW we’re running a one-week sale from Sept. 18 to 25.  Every book shown on the following website will be on sale at 99 cents or possibly FREE.  No contests to enter or hoops to jump, just click and buy.  Worry-free reads at rock bottom prices.  Support Indie authors by buying a “clean” read today.  For a “sneak peak” click here 



				
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Walking

	
		19
		Aug
	

	

	

		
My Take


DiVorarn Lites




I started walking when I was a baby. My first steps were into my curly headed daddy’s arms. I practiced a great deal and garnered a lot of praise. Author, Poet and ArtistFalling didn’t phase me. My memory doesn’t go back that far, really, but I know that’s the way it was. The first time I actually recall walking was when I went next door to my little friend’s house to play. I was about five. My brother and I took off walking to town one day in Crowley, Colorado when our puppy got lost. We never did find him, just caused our parents a lot of worry. When I was older, my brother and I walked to the creek looking for a goose we had let escape on purpose because we didn’t want to eat him for Thanksgiving dinner. When I was a teen-ager, on warm evenings, I walked in the neighborhood after supper in Albuquerque. Anyhow you get the picture. Every day, except Sunday, I walk about a mile and a half. In the summertime in Florida, if you get up early enough you can catch a lovely breeze. Using the IPod to amuse myself while I walk helps if I get a bit bored. That doesn’t happen on a wooded trail, only in the neighborhood. I can still stop and say hello to neighbors, I just pull the ear bud connector out and the IPod stops right where it is.


One day a couple of weeks ago I was getting ready to put some water in the


Bad Hose!
Bad Hose!


bird-bath. I dragged the hose over to the cement sidewalk, but before I could take another step the bad hose snaked around my foot and threw me down. As I fell, I had the fleeting thought that if I broke anything, I wouldn’t be able to really walk for a long time. However, when my hands and knees hit the pavement, I knew I was still intact. One knee had a bloody gash and the other had an eventual bruise, but I took my regular walk the very next day.


When it was time for visit to the chiropractor, he found about a dozen places in my knees, hands, and  arms, that had gone out of alignment and needed fixing them. Once again I thanked God for him. He has kept us in good shape for over thirty years. I was still thanking God I hadn’t broken anything. A break can result in so many complications. I told Doc Z. that I was thankful to Mother her good bones, too. She fell many times without any breakage. He said, “It wasn’t your genetics that saved you, it was your walking.” Wow! I was thrilled.


He also said that the reason people fall and have accidents is that they rush around most of the time. That’s me. I don’t know why I think I must hurry through things. I am retired and life is good. Although I can still walk as fast as I want when walking is my purpose, I’m slowing way down in every other aspect of my life. Eat more slowly, listen patiently without thinking of what I’m going to say, or how I can correct somebody, chew food well, don’t multi-task. I must admit that multi-tasking has caused more mistakes than anything else ever has. Life is better now. I’m so glad I learned how to walk. Aren’t you glad you did, too

				
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