Damaged Goods

8 Jul

My Take

DiVoran Lites

Author, Poet and Artist

 

We’re all damaged, except maybe you. Congratulations.

As for the rest of us we have, like saplings all been bent

in different ways.

We’re not like anyone else,

No matter how hard we try to conform.

When we decide we’re never going to be invincible in ourselves

God can use us.

Do we have strengths that God can use?

Sorry, no. it is not our strength He wants.

He has plenty of his own.

What He wants from us are those weaknesses

He allows to be textured into our character.

When we are weak. He is strong.

So in muddling through, we find joy and sometimes sorrow.

Trust Him. His strength is there for us and in us. It is enough.

It is everything. He can do wonderful, miraculous, surprising things with it.

 

Bear

 

 

 

 

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Corky and Angel

5 Jul

From the Heart

Louise Gibson

These two are my feline friends,

So precious, a gift from above.IMG_1693

Born during Hurricane Charley,

Their heart is a “garden of love”.

They were two of a family of eight,

And bonded from the start.

As I watched from my kitchen window,

Their antics touched my heart.

They were tiny, but, oh so feisty!

They, chased, and wrestled in play.

I confess, I prayed for their safety,-

That they would survive another day!

It is almost eight years later.

They live in the house with me.

IMG_1695I would like to share my pictures,-

Illustrations of activity.

The activity is mostly due to them

(as they curtail most of mine)-

They demand my full attention

(which, secretly, suits me fine!)

The “guest room” provides a window

That satisfies Corky’s curiosity-

“Is that racoon still out there?

I’m glad he can’t see ME!”IMG_1699

It is a wonder that I pay my bills on time-

Angel tries to steal my pen.

She even lays on my check book,

(IMG_1700Help me, please, Lord-Amen!)

There are no signs of aging.

As far as the eye can tell-

They have so much energy

That seems to serve them well.

I must confess they have a little help-

When bad weather comes our way-

A  little “catnip” lifts their spirit-

It’s a joy to watch them play!

I am so grateful to the Lord,

He is with us every day.IMG_1692

I couldn’t begin to count my blessings-

He provides in every way.

It is now almost eight years later.

They live in the house with me.

I have taken many pictures.

IMG_1697

IMG_1694

Corky and a Halloween cat

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Indie BookFest iPad Mini Give-A-Way

5 Jul

Indie BookFest 2013 is all
day long event (starting at 8:00 AM and ending at 5:00 PM) celebrating
Indie Authors and Artists and their freedom
of expression. Join some of your favorite Indie Authors for a day filled
with book signings, sessions, and lots of good food and great fun! You
won’t want to miss the sessions throughout the day, where several
panelists will be speaking on a variety of topics relevant to writing,
publishing, promoting your books, and all things indie.


Indie BookFest 2013 will be held at the Buena Vista Palace
in Buena Vista, FL, on August 3rd, 2013 … just minutes from all the
Disney and Universal parks! Everyone attending Indie BookFest 2013 will
have access to special room rates while staying at the Buena Vista
Palace. Turn this one day event into a fun little getaway and indulge in
the sunshine and parks while you are visiting the Orlando area.

Register for Indie BookFest 2013

Sessions, refreshments, morning gourmet coffee bar, lunch, & much more? = $20

Fun hanging out with a great group of your favorite Indie Authors? = PRICELESS! 

Eventbrite - Indie BookFest 2013
Not only is Indie BookFest going to be a day filled with a lot of fun and fabulousness, but it will also be a time to come together and help a local organization, A Gift For Teaching. We will be raffling off an AMAZING prize to one lucky winner, so be sure to come prepared to purchase a few tickets, rub a lucky 8 ball, and by doing so, help out local teachers and children in the process!
** Be sure to bring in some school supplies to be entered to win another wonderful prize … everyone who donates will receive some special Indie BookFest swag!** 
Learn more about the 2013 charity Indie BookFest will be featuring HERE. We hope to see you all on August 3rd in Orlando, it is sure to be a great time!
 
Indie Bookfest is proud to announce that along with our stellar line up of over 45 indie authors such as: Shelly Crane, Kristie Cook, Tabatha Vargo, Amy Miles, Michelle Madow, Shanora Q. Williams, Quinn Loftis, C.A. Kunz, Tiffany King, G.P. Ching, Rachael Wade, Tawdra Kandle, Sarah Ross, and MANY OTHERS, that Isaac Marion (Author of Warm Bodies) will be a special speaker at the event!
Be sure to stop by the blog and show your Indie pride and love of books by picking up one of these AWESOME tees! All proceeds go to finance the event! 
(Click on the pictures below to go to the blog to purchase!)

Continue reading →

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Hope For Our Country

4 Jul

My Take
DiVoran Lites

Happy Independence Day. Will you be having a cookout, going to a parade, going to the beach, setting off firecrackers, or sitting in the shade drinking lemonade? Author, Poet and ArtistMaybe all of the above?
I love our beautiful world and this country called America, which God has made. Some people may malign us, but at the same time others are doing everything in their power to come here for a new start. No red-blooded American is going to argue that we still have the greatest country in the world. Is it possible God had a hand in that?

I have to admit I am shocked when I hear some of the things politicians in this great country have done. Think of when they killed off the bison so the Indians would die out and when they deliberately infected Native Americans with smallpox so they could take their land.

It appalls me to learn more every day about how bad slavery was. Yet I personally met an African man who explained the scars carved in his cheeks by saying they were proof that he belonged to a tribe that had once captured other villages and sold them to become slaves. He and his wife were in America getting an education. If we focus on badness we will see it everywhere, not just here.
The Dust Bowl was a result of our leaders manipulating the mid-American grasslands until they were exhausted and turned to dust.

The Great Depression was influenced by the Dust Bowl and both came from foolish decisions by the money-mongers in the country, not by ordinary families.
I hear people talking as if they believe the present time is the worst in our history, but what I always wonder is whether those who experienced the disasters I’ve mentioned knew their own time was the worst in American history. It was and they did, but we want to remember this one thing. Our country is a survivor due to those little people that some leaders and officials think don’t count.

Who are we to believe, then? The gov? Or God?

My take is that we are making a mistake if we think politicians good or bad are in control. They are not. Guess who really is. Right, God. God has His plans and He will see that they are fulfilled, every single one of them whether we vote for Him or not. He does however appreciate our cooperation as he does His work through us.
While the events I’ve mentioned were deeply hurtful and themselves left terrible wounds, they have all passed. In 1956 President Dwight Eisenhower signed legislation making the phrase, “In God We Trust,” the official motto of the United States and required it to be included on all U. S. currency. Do we believe it or don’t we? Taking it off the money will cost a lot, but won’t change the answer.

Voting is good. Voting is essential. Peaceful demonstrations are still legal as far as I know. We still have freedom of speech even though we are afraid we’re going to lose it. Signing petitions helps our elected officials know what we little people want. Telling the truth helps and so does morality. Trust and faith in God make us stronger, wiser, and happier. Let’s hear a cheer for the grassroots givers, teachers, helpers, mothers and fathers and the people who lift up holy hands in all kinds of service to their country. It is not we who are in charge, this is not our country, it is God’s country and He still has a plan for America.
“…the rockets red glare, the bombs bursting in air
Gave proof through the night that the flag was still there.

For whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.

LUKE 14 : 11

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Shocking! I Am Praising a Car Dealership

27 Jun

 On the Porch

Onisha Ellis

Onisha

We took our Toyota to the dealership today to resolve some recalls that we had been putting off.  The closest one is around one hour and forty minutes south of us so we decided to combine our weekly breakfast get together which is also south with a trip to the dealership.

When I called to set up our appointment the service manager asked if we could arrive earlier than our planned 11am since the repairs would take around two hours. When I told him earlier just wouldn’t work (because we do have priorities and breakfast out is high on our list) he was very accommodating and agreeable.*5

When we purchased our truck from the dealership, one of their selling points was that they provided loaner cars if you need service so I was surprised when I enquired about getting a loaner to learn that they no longer provided them. We had plans to do some shopping while we were in a “big city”. BUT, he said and this is a big but the dealership provides a shuttle that will take you anywhere you want to go. Hmm I thought, this could be interesting, picturing a dusty passenger van.

So with minimal traffic and after a short wait we were handing our truck over to the service manager. He verified the recalls and asked if he had our permission to check the truck for any other problems. We told him sure, expecting the old up sale routine. He then asked if we were waiting on the truck and we answered we were and would like to use the shuttle to go to lunch. I really expected a frown and maybe some excuse making but instead we got a big smile and assurance he would call the shuttle driver right away.

.I had done an online search for shops and restaurants and decided I would like to have lunch at Olive Garden. We were pleased to see the shuttle was a very nice Camry and the driver was a delightful middle age lady. She chatted easily as we made the short trip, delivered us to the door and told us to call when we were ready to return.

After a leisurely lunch we made the call for pick up and were pleasantly surprised at how quickly she arrived. Our driver had been listening to a pastor on the radio and left it playing softly as we talked.

Back at the dealership, the truck was going to require about forty-five more minutes.  The service manager was so upset we would have to wait and offered the shuttle to drive us to the mall. Truth to tell, I was tempted by the idea of a trip to a shopping mall without having to hunt for a parking place but we decided to just wait.

This dealership had two waiting areas, one for buyers and one for service. They each have large overstuffed leather furniture, large screen televisions and free coffee but the service waiting room was really impressive. It had two computer stations, fresh fruit that was frequently replenished and free packaged snacks. The dealership had made every effort to make it’s customers feel valued and cared

Governors Prayer Breakfast

Governors Prayer Breakfast

about. The wait didn’t seem very long before they called our name. As we went to get the truck I thought, “oh no, now we have to deal with the up sale”. You know what I mean; you need a transmission flush or when was your last lube job? But none of that happened. The service manager apologized again about the delay, chatted for a minute then sent us on our way.

What makes this dealership different? They have bibles in the waiting area. I’ve lived long enough to realize that every business that claims to be Christian owned doesn’t exactly live out the principles, but after buying two vehicles and today’s visit, I have to think this business does put Christ first. I can spot the phony smiles and everything I experienced today was genuine.

I’ve done my share of bashing car dealerships so it is only fair that I give some praise to  Milton Martin Toyota an outstanding one.

 

If you would like to visit their Facebook page click here

 

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For Such a Time As This

26 Jun

A Slice of Life

Bill Lites

Have you ever wondered what God’s plan for your life really is?  I’ve been told Billmany times throughout my life that God’s plan is perfect and that all I have to do is trust Him and He will direct the events of my life according to His perfect plan.  Well, over the years, I’ve had enough experiences with this concept that I believe it.

As an example, several years ago, while attending another church, the congregation had started a building program to accommodate the added growth of our church.  DiVoran and I had been asking the Lord what we should give as our part, and we were having a hard time hearing from Him about that.  Then finally He got through to us and impressed upon us to give some bank stock we owned to the church as our part.  This was really strange, because of how we had come to own this bank stock in the first place.

About 12 years before this particular building program was set up, a good friend in the banking business had suggested we buy some stock in a new bank. This investment looked good to us because we were getting in on the ground floor, and our friend and his business partners had made money starting banks before.

After DiVoran and I bought the new bank stock. that’s where the value of the stock stayed–on the ground floor.  Every year we looked forward to receiving the bank’s annual report to see how much we had made, but there always seemed to be some good reason no dividend was paid.  Now, we weren’t losing money, we just weren’t making any.  There were times during those 12 years when we really could have used the money, and several times we tried to sell the stock, but nobody wanted to buy it.

Well, as it happened, it was about this time that we started hearing rumors of a bank merger.  These rumors culminated a month later with our bank merging with a larger bank, and suddenly our stock was worth 4 times what we had paid for it!   Why didn’t it increase in value or sell in all those years?   We felt God was saying, “It was for such a time as this.”   So, we signed the bank stock over to the church, and when they asked us what value to put on the stock, we said, “We have no idea, that’s up to God, and you will know its value when you sell it.”

We originally had made the investment thinking we would make some money for ourselves, but God had other plans for that money.  How did He do that?  We don’t have a clue.  All we know is that God’s thoughts are not our thoughts and His ways

are not our ways and His timing usually doesn’t match up with ours.  He is able to plan everything way ahead of us.  Then, if we can be still long enough, and listen to His voice, and obey Him, He is able to work out good things for us.

Isaiah 55:8

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Christian Book Lovers Blog Hop

25 Jun

If you enjoy Christian fiction the blog hop today offers a great chance to win some books. Make sure you comment here and follow the link at the bottom of Rebekah Lyn’s Ktchen.

Rebekah Lyn's Kitchen

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Welcome to my kitchen. I hope you’ll take a break from all your hopping and have a cup of coffee. I write what I like to call real life fiction, stories that we can all relate to, and that I hope will inspire you. I’m giving away a copy of each of my books via Smashwords to one lucky winner. Just leave a comment and you will be entered into the drawing. Here’s a little about each book.

new book cover
Julianne Finnegan lives in the shadow of her adored but wildly successful brother, Michael. Her professional life is a disaster, she has no sense of herself outside her family, and she can’t face another Monday. A chance encounter with Oliver, a handsome young actor, gives her the courage to leave her job and prove her real potential. Julianne’s confidence soars as she meets the challenges of revitalizing the failing community theater. The…

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There’s Always Hope

24 Jun

My Take

DiVoran Lites

 Author, Poet and Artist

A few years ago, a tall handsome young man we knew, we’ll call him Dexter, wanted some help writing a letter to his dad. The young man was sixteen years old. He had a good guardian, but he wanted to write a real letter to his real dad who was in prison.

He was in band that year and had vowed to make straight A grades. He wanted to catch up by taking online classes so he could graduate with his class. I don’t’ think he’d seen his father since he was a small child. Dexter had no money. He had no way to get to the post-office. Since we believe in teaching self-reliance, we didn’t automatically help out. But by the time a month had passed and he still had no stamp, we broke down and gave him one.

I really don’t know whether his dad got the letter or whether Dexter got a reply. I do know that the boy dropped out of school his senior year, left his stand-in father and mother’s home, and got a job at a fast food restaurant. This spring somehow, miraculously, he graduated from his class and his mother who has also been in prison was there to see him do it. Not his dad, though, I think he’s a lifer.

It wasn’t easy for his guardians to rear him and his sister, they have other children of their own. But what hope it brings to the whole world just to hear this one success story. The sister is doing well in school and plans to enter the military as soon as she graduates. Both of the young people have developed good common sense and the Lord is on their side. No matter how bad things look at first there’s always hope.

What are you praying for that may look a bit iffy right now?

 

 

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The Bearded Barbet

23 Jun

SUNDAY MEMORIES

 Judy Wills

 JUDY

 We have lived in Central Florida since 1995 – our retirement dream.  We had originally thought we would retire here and “work” at Disney, doing something mundane, so we could see the theme parks to our heart’s content.Well, it didn’t work out quite like that.  Within four months we had found the church where we felt God wanted us to be members, and so we joined it.

 1Within another six months – much to my surprise! – I became the Church Secretary.  Fred wasn’t too sure about turning in my application for the vacant position, but it just “felt right” to me, so I did.  And was hired (I was Church Secretary for nearly nine years).  I think it helped that I was an older woman, and my last position had been a Financial Secretary, and had learned to keep my mouth shut.  Financial and pastoral stuff is just something one doesn’t blab about.Within another nine months, Fred was the Church Administrator.  It was nice working together, and we made the distinction of working WITH each other – neither of us working FOR the other!  Even with our desks in the same room, we just worked together, as it should be.

In spite of all that “work” stuff, we found time to go to Disney, SeaWorld, and Universal Studios.  We especially enjoyed going to SeaWorld after a stressful day 3at work.  It just seemed like it was more restful there – not as frantic a pace as at Disney or Universal.  Perhaps it was the animals…I don’t know.  I just know that we enjoyed it and felt refreshed after spending a few hours at that theme park.

After we had been going to SeaWorld for a few years, we happened to go around a corner that we didn’t usually go around – and saw a bird “cage” along side one of the buildings.  We heard a strange sound coming from there, and stopped to see.  Inside the large cage were two of the most unusual birds we had ever seen!  And the sound was a raspy croak – called a “growling scrawk”! 4 WOW!  What were these birds??!!  The sign said “Bearded Barbet” – have you ever heard of that?  They, along with Toucans are mainly from tropical West Africa.

I rubbed my finger along the wire mesh, and one of them hopped right over to the metal frame, and took a good look at my finger.  The mesh was tight enough that I couldn’t be bitten – and it’s a good thing!  Look at that beak!!  But it did try to “peck” at my finger.  And it scrawked at me a few times, before it flew back to it’s perch.

Every time we went to SeaWorld after that, we would make sure we stopped to see 5the Bearded Barbet, and were thrilled each time.

Imagine our disappointment when we discovered that they weren’t there any more – and had been replaced by Australian Kookaburras.  Nothing wrong with Kookaburras, but they just weren’t the Bearded Barbet!

Ah – the wonders of God’s world.  They never cease to amaze me!

Psalm 8:1, 3, 8-9

Oh Lord, our Lord, how Majestic is Your Name in all the earth…

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The Disease to Please

21 Jun

From the Heart

Louise Gibson

author of Window Wonders

                                   
                                     I am suffering a debilitating disease-
                                     Self-diagnosed as “The disease to please”.
                                     I can’t even tell you when it began-
                                     I never knew it was common to man.
                                     It compels you to say “yes” to every request-
                                     It silently steals your time and your zest
                                     I struggled for years to form the word “No”-
                                     When I finally did, it amazed me so.
                                    I actually believe that is the cure for me-
                                    That one little word has set me free!
                                    Time is so precious, I must take control-
                                    New freedom for mind, spirit, and soul.
                                    Be aware, dear friends, I am working on me.
                                    No longer a prisoner to “yes”- I am free!
                                                “Pardon me, what was it that you wanted to know?
                                               I can’t hear you…..but the answer is NO.”
                               

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