Tag Archives: Christianity

An Amazing Surprise~Part 2

29 Jun

SUNDAY MEMORIES

 Judy Wills

JUDY

A few years after we arrived in Virginia, as Christmas was approaching, the wives of the officers were invited to help make up cookie bags for the enlisted personnel who were stationed at that Air Force Base, but would be alone and working over the holiday – unable to go to their respective homes.  We were asked to bake about six dozen cookies (or more), and then bring them to a certain place on a certain day, and a bunch of women would make an assortment and bag them up.  That was something I enjoyed doing, so I set to work.

When the appointed day and time arrived, I went to the assigned place.  As we were working (I didn’t know anyone else there – we were just a bunch of wives working together), one of the women looked at me and said, “Judy, are you by chance from Albuquerque?”  A bit startled, I told her yes.  And then she proceeded to ask if I had gone to Highland High School in Albuquerque.  Again I said yes.

 

 

Then I asked her what her name was.  When she told me her maiden name, I literally had a jaw-dropping moment!  This woman had not only grown up in Albuquerque, but she had lived just across the street from our elementary school.  And, as I recall, I had been in her house.  I had actually known her at some point in my life.  She was two years ahead of me in school.

SURPRISE!!  Amazing!!

After we finished up, I ran home and dug out my old high school year books, and then my brothers year books (he had entrusted me with his books – he had graduated three years before me).  And there she was.

My questions were:   after all these years and worlds apart, HOW did she recognize me?  And how, after all these years, did we wind up stationed at the same AF base?  Fred was in the Weather Wing there, and her husband was commander of one of the flying units, so we had no other connection together.  But it was fun while it lasted.

 

I do SO enjoy these kinds of happenings!!

 

 

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Winning Against Worry

27 Jun

From My Heart

Louise Gibson

author of Window Wonders

 

 

 

All the water in the world,
however hard it tried,
could never sink a ship
unless it got inside.
All the hardships of this world
might wear you pretty thin-
But they won’t hurt you one least bit
unless you let them in.
(Anonymous)

 

Lord, why did it take so long
to reach this plateau-
to savor the moment I am in?
An acceptance of things I cannot change
has wondrously eased my chagrin.

 

The “serenity prayer” holds such wisdom-
Simply apply it to your heart.
God has not promised skies always blue,
But from our heart He will never depart.

 

There is no use in carrying around “worry and regret”.
They only weigh you down.
Always keep yourself open to hope and to love.
A smile will replace a frown

 

Make these words your battle cry
as you take on the Giant of Worry.
Louise Gibson

“Don’t dwell on tomorrow’s stress
Jesus told us that “tomorrow will take
care of itself.” (Mathew 6:24)

 

“Look inside, be kind to yourself”
Psalm 63:3 “Thy loving kindness is better than life.”

 

” The night doesn’t last forever,
and tomorrow will surely come.”

“Worry about nothing-
Pray about everything”

“When God pushes you to the edge,
trust Him fully, because only two things can happen.
Either He will catch you when you fall,
or He will teach you how to fly”.
Author unknown

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Circle of Love

26 Jun

Thrive

On the Porch

Onisha Ellis

I'm a winner

When we left Florida last week, we traveled to Raleigh, North Carolina to celebrate the 80th birthday of my uncle, the youngest brother of my mother. My mother came from a family of twelve children and these aunts and uncles have been a blessing to me as well as to my children. I never doubted their love.

My mother and her ten other brothers and sisters have all passed on now, each one dearly missed. I’m not a poet but I wrote the poem below many years ago as my precious aunts and uncles began slipping away.

 

My circle of love grows smaller

As one by one, they fall,

The molders of my life

The molders of my soul.

 

Once so strong and sure

They led me from child to middle age,

Now they are shrunken, unsure or gone.

 

Still, memories of them-

Their laughter, scoldings and love

Echo in my heart.

 

Looking at those remaining,

My heart is heavy with dread,

They are so fragile, even frail.

I want to cling to them.

 

Yet, they loved me and released me

Allowing me to live my life,

So must I release them to live

A new life with God.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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A Passion for Work

23 Jun

My Take

DiVoran Lites

Author, Poet and ArtistHave you noticed that when you are doing work you enjoy, life can be full of excitement? Do we realize that when we retire to nothing but TV or grousing, life can become deadly dull—literally? Dullness kills, it brings complaining and bitterness.

Yes, I agree that God tells us to focus on Him. God in Christ, Christ in us, the hope of glory. But if you’ll think about it, the Bible, especially the parables of Jesus, are full of stories of people doing practical and artistic things while focusing on God. The first person to praise God in the Old Testament was an artisan. Jesus was as much human as he was divine. He put God’s will first, as we hope always to do, and he spoke of living every day to its fullest. He did the work for which He had an all-consuming passion.

Some people love making bread, making music, or making plans. Do you write, iron, clean engines? No matter what it is, God put it in you to do that thing with all your love, passion, and might. Don’t hold back. Ask Him for help and inspiration and you’ll find your life filled to the brim with joy. And, he can use your joy to lift other’s out of their darkness, too.

Divoran and cat

 

Here’s a Bible paraphrase from Romans 12:6-7, The Message

 

My Beloved Child,

Don’t become so well adjusted to your culture that you fit in without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on Me and you’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what I want from you and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you that is constantly dragging you down to its level of immaturity; I bring the best out of you, and develop well-formed maturity in you.”
 
When you walk, your steps will not be hampered; when you run, you will not stumble.

Proverbs 4:12

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An Amazing Surprise~Part1

22 Jun

SUNDAY MEMORIES

Judy Wills

JUDY

 

 

Back in 1967, as we were about to embark on our first venture to Germany, we were contacted by our military “sponsor” from there. He had been assigned to us to help us transition into a different culture. When we told him that we would be stopping in Albuquerque on our way, he told us to enjoy it – because that was his hometown as well. Hmmmmm………..did we know him?

In case you weren’t aware – it’s a loooong flight from the U.S. East coast to Germany. I was seven months pregnant with our first child, and we were exhausted when we arrived in Frankfurt. It was about 5:30 a.m., and our sponsor apologized that it was just him – but they had a small child, and didn’t want to wake him just to come pick us up and drive back to Wiesbaden. He told us to check into the hotel, rest, take a shower if we wanted, and they would see us about 6:00 p.m. for a tour of Wiesbaden, and then dinner. We were asleep before our heads hit the pillow!

6:00 p.m. arrived, and we were making our way down the sidewalk toward him and his family. I saw a smiling woman and a small boy. As we got closer, she called out “Judy Lites!!”   Now, remember….I was VERY pregnant (pregnancy fog)….I was still suffering from jet-lag (more fog)…so when I heard my maiden name shouted out like that, I looked up and said “who are you?” When she gave me her name, I realized that she and I had been in Rainbow Girls together in Albuquerque! As a matter of fact, she was one of my installing officers when I was installed as Worthy Advisor back in 1959, right after my high school graduation.

SURPRISE!! Amazing!!

We went on to have a nice relationship for the remaining two years they were in Wiesbaden. And it turned out that Fred and Don had been in several math classes together and the University of New Mexico.

We have lost track of them now, but it was a great time to renew friendships at a time when we needed it most.

I do SO enjoy these kinds of happenings!!

Rainbow girls

 

 

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“Scarlett”

20 Jun

From My Heart

Louise Gibson

author of Window Wonders

 

 

 

Love is such a great motivator-
It is amazing what it leads us to do.
We rise up to defend the helpless,
in spite of the danger in view.

 

I want to share a story with you
that truly touched my heart.
Such love in action was newsworthy,
heart rendering from the start.

 

Overnight, a scrawny New York City feline
went from anonymous to international fame.
The transformation happened in a “flash”..
A flash of fire gave Scarlett her name.

 

Her story:

S C A R L E T T

The Cat Who Became An Action Hero

 

The saga began in 1996, when a blaze consumed an

East New York garage.  As the battle against the fire

wound down, firefighters noticed three four-week old

kittens huddled near the building’s front door crying in fear.

Across the street sat two more.  A badly burned calico female

paced nervously between the two groups.

 

It didn’t take long for firefighter Davfid Gianellii to figure out what had

happened. Gianellii, whose soft spot for pets earned him the nickname

“the animal guy” in  East New York’s Ladder Company 75, guessed that

during the fire, the mother cat had dashed repeatedly into the blaze

to rescue her kittens. Now she was in the process, in spite of her severe

injuries, of moving them to a new hiding place.

 

The firefighter scooped up the mother and babies and took them

to the North Shore Animal League.  The staff, sensing a chance

for a little publicity, told the story to a local TV station.  The agency got

more than a little publicity. Everyone from CNN to the BBC picked up the

tale, and soon people from as far away as Cairo and Japan were

writing and phoning the shelter.

 

The mother was named Scarlett because of the vivid color of her burns.

Sadly, one of the kittens died of an infection.  But the other four made strong

recoveries.  As the family convalesced together, thousands of adoption

offers flooded in from around the world.  Finally, two kittens named

Samsara and Tanuki were given to a Port Washington family; the other

two, Cinders and Oreo found their way to Hampton Bay, New York.

 

Heroic Scarlett found a home with the Wellon family in Brooklyn.  Her

scars healed and the only remaining signs of her travails were her

rather poor vision and the amputated tips of her ears.  Her new owners

have also helped heal any emotional scars. “She’s a total love machine”

a family member told the New York Times. The former scrawny stray

is also, apparently, an eating machine. After her rescue she ballooned to

seventeen  pounds quite a change from her days as an action hero.

 

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A Florida Whirlwind.

19 Jun

On the Porch

Onisha Ellis

I'm a winner

It has been a busy three weeks in Florida, kind of a whirlwind. It’s so much fun to re-connect with some of the best friends one could ever be blessed with, leisurely chats on the porch or lunch at the Cracker Barrel and dinner at the local pizza ristorante. Precious times.

Then there is all the work that was accomplished. Rebekah and I work well together through iChat and Dropbox, but sometimes, it is just better to be in the same place. July 16,17 and 18 Rebekah will be on a virtual book tour, her words traveling around the country and maybe even the globe, as she prepares to launch her new release Jessie. Even though she hired a tour company, a lot of blog posts and interviews had to be written and perfected. She still has a few more to write, but I believe we are over the hump. Thankfully, our friend Pam joined our  team and pulled together a great media kit for the tour.

Along with the work was a lot of fun. Elaine Wessinger  opened her home to host one of Rebekah’s Tea with the Author events.  The table theme was an elegant Victorian tea and conversation and laughter flowed easily.

Tea Table at Elaines

The following weekend was the Titusville Sea Turtle Festival and I wish you could have been there. Rebekah had a table displaying her books as well as DiVoran Lites novels. Pam Gheen and DiVoran, wearing an adorable sun hat, visited the various vendors chatting them up. Rebekah dubbed them her “streetmosphere”.streetmosphere-feature

Since the festival targeted children, Rebekah’s father built a spinning prize wheel to attract people to her table. While I helped the children, Pam talked about the books and loaded the parents up with rack cards, book marks and paper bags to hold it all. Of course the bags had Rebekah Lyn Books logo on them, working on that brand angle. Then a thunder-storm rolled in and like a  knock off  purse seller running from the law, the festival cleared out.

As much fun as this has been, Florida is getting too hot and it is time to head for the hills. Before we get there though, we will make a visit to eastern North Carolina to visit with family plus Mike wants to check on the progress of the Cabella’s sporting goods store being built near my aunt’s home.

Rebekah’s new release Jessie will be releasing July 20, 2014 which is the forty-fifth anniversary of the first moon landing. She is offering a pre-release price of $1.99, Regular price is $4.99

 

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Roots

16 Jun

My Take

DiVoran Lites 

 

Author, Poet and ArtistOne day I was wandering in the cleared area behind our house and I came upon a miniature liquor bottle. I have a penchant for bottles, so I picked it up, washed it out, and stuffed a small spider plant into it. The spider plant then proceeded to grow roots. I have a penchant for roots.

Yesterday I had breakfast with a friend who is a professional photographer. We like to talk about our gardens and share cuttings and clippings. I gave her some purple heart.

She gave me some plants, too. When I looked in the succulent’s bag, I saw a long root. “I’m into roots, right now,” I said pulling out a beautiful aloe plant.

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Then she asked the big question. “Why?”

I’m still not sure I can answer it, but I have a book, Finding What You Didn’t Lose, by John Fox CPT. In a chapter called, “Leaving the Roots on Your Writing: Revealing Yourself in Your Poetry.” Fox says, “When I lead workshops and people share their spontaneous poems, one of the first qualities people recognize in the atmosphere of the place…is that there is a deepened level of genuine intimacy. People begin to leave “roots” and “dirt” on their words. This intimacy is first self-honest, which then extends into the group experience.”

As I understand it, roots are the opposite of pretension. Pretension is like a plastic string—it doesn’t grow anything new or nourishing while a root does.

My mother always said, “Make yourself the best you can, and then be yourself.” I was still working on the first part, but I began to see that it was time to bring the second part into play. It seems that one way to start living with the roots is to quit trying so hard. So what if I drop the g’s off words when I get excited? So what if I wear my shorts and no lipstick to Wal-Mart? So what if I ask dumb questions or snort when I laugh? At least I’m laughing. I will soldier on as if it were none of my business what THEY THINK. Like Popeye, I yam what I yam. Ain’t we all?

 

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Another Father’s Day

15 Jun

SUNDAY MEMORIES

Judy Wills

JUDY

Here we are with another Father’s Day dawning upon us. It just doesn’t seem like Fathers get the same acknowledgment as Mothers do. Seems a bit unequal to me – since it takes two to tango. But Mothers traditionally – and Biblically – are the ones who nurture in the family, while Fathers are bread-winners and head of the household.

And so, because I am so very proud of my Father and what he accomplished in his life, I would like to add another connection in his life.

For many years, I have heard of B.B. McKinney. He’s rather well known in Baptist circles. According to his history (from Google), he wrote over 149 hymns, composed the music for 114 others, and arranged more than 100 more. While not as prolific as Fanny Crosby (1800 hymns) he was still quite talented. He was heavily involved with Texas Baptists and Southern Baptist music. Except for the current up-coming generation, if you ask if they know who B.B. McKinney was, they can usually tell you he wrote a lot of the hymns in our hymnbooks. He was born in 1886 in Louisiana. (Daddy was born in 1892)

The main connection I know of with Daddy and him, is that my Father was born in Louisiana, as well. Daddy and B.B. McKinney both attended Louisiana College in Pineville, Louisiana. Daddy also was involved with Texas Baptists, since he was the Associate Sunday School Secretary for Texas from 1926 until 1945, when he moved us to New Mexico, where he became the New Mexico Sunday School Secretary. He was in that position until 1961, when he retired. I always knew that Daddy knew B.B. McKinney, but didn’t know just what that connection was. I distinctly remember seeing Daddy approach Mother at church, and with a stricken look on his face, tell her that B.B. had been killed in a car wreck (1952).

It wasn’t until recently that a cousin of ours sent via FaceBook a picture he had found in the “Pine Knot” yearbook from Louisiana college. It was a picture of a male quartet from Louisiana College. The four (plus the director) in the picture, were B.B. McKinney, my Father (W.J. Lites), and his brother (E.O. Lites). They had been in a college quartet together all those years ago! There isn’t a date on the picture, and the best we can figure, it was probably somewhere around 1913 or 1914. (Daddy’s college education was interrupted by World War 1)

So that’s the connection. Daddy had many accomplishment in his life, but this was one that I had not expected, but was proud to see.

The Quartette - Louisiana College

 

 

 

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Just the Two of Us.

14 Jun

Walking by Faith, Not by Sight

Janet Perez Eckles

Reblogged from Janet Eckles Blog

Posted on June 13, 2014by 

With permission Wiki.

There he was, the main character, doing what he does best as the stunt man for one of the most popular action-packed shows in Disney World.

Among the audience of thousands, on the third row, nestled in her grandma’s lap, his 3-year-old daughter’s eyes danced with delight. She followed his leaps in the air, daring walls of fire and dropping from incredible heights. His skill displayed in the midst of the action that exploded all around that huge stage.

Then it happened. For a second, he glanced into the crowd and locked his eyes with his little girl’s. Then with a subtle move, he lifted his right hand and gave her an “I love you” sign.

Her chubby legs wiggled back and forth, making her brown curls bounce around her cheeks. And with a grin of delight, she made the same sign with her tiny hand back to him.

For a few seconds, there was a magical connection between daddy and daughter. The sign was for her. And her response was for him only.

Isn’t that the way God also connects with us? In the midst of His divine performance of making the universe happen, the sun  radiate, the moon shimmer and the stars light up the dark night, He’s sending an “I love you” sign to each of us, individually, personally and directly.

Visit Janet Eckles Blog to read more!!

 

His Way

 

 

 

 

 

 

Grateful for the privilege of inspiring you…

My website in English

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My story (video)

Inspirational video  just for you.

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