Tag Archives: Hope

Finding Hope and Purpose in Everyday Life

17 Jul

On the Porch

Onisha Ellis

My friend and blogger sister, DiVoran sends a daily email that she calls a blogette, to her friends. . She shares encouraging words with us that she has found in her in her reading and devotional time. Almost always she includes a video from You Tube.

I especially loved this one.

Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.

Prov:19:21

I can totally relate to the verse above. I am learning to hold loosely the plans I make.

Though you may stumble, you will not fall, for the Lord upholds you with His hand.

Ps.37:24

Oh how often I stumble quite literally and in trusting God. So thankful for the promise of my hand being held up by my Lord.

Having hope will give you courage. You will be protected and will rest in safety.

Job 11:18

So much chaos across the globe. So much division. I find myself wanting to withdraw from it all. Thankful that I love our God of hope. My hope comes from Him.He gives me courage.

The video of the children singing reminded me of my childhood at their age. I loved to sing and I really belted it out. I’m pretty sure it was more like shouting . Thinking back, I don’t remember my parents ever chastising me for being a loud singer.

As i look at these joyful singers, I wonder about their future. Will they remember that they once sang loudly ad joyfully about the coming of the king? Or will life trials dilute their fervor and discourage them? I pray that the words of the songs are planted firmly in their young hearts, as they were for me.

I'm a winner

After 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’m a general  “mom Friday” for my author daughter, Rebekah Lyn. I also manage her website, Rebekah Lyn Books  

My 2025 goal is continue to use my love of photographs and words to be an encourager on social media.

Tags: , , , , , , , ,

Choose Hope for 2025

31 Dec

It’s 8:30 pm on New Year’s Eve and I haven’t heard any booms or bangs celebrating the passing of the old year and the beginning of the new.

I am a bit surprised at the quiet. I live in a rural area where the sound of target shooting is the norm and fireworks are ignited for any celebration. I really don’t mind the booms and bangs. To me they are happy sounds.

I’m sure a lot of words will be written, breaking down and analyzing 2024. This can indeed be useful, but it need not be all consuming.

Let’s choose hope for 2025. I take hope in this verse from Isaiah.

So from all of us at Old Things R New, we wish you a very happy and blessed New Year.

Tags: , , , , , ,

Be Still Means Stop Striving

12 Aug

My Take

DiVoran Lites

Photo Credit:Pixabay

God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Psalm 46:1

The Lord of Heaven’s Armies is here among us. Who could defend us better? The God of Israel (our personal God)

See to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Because God is our refuge (fortress and strength, we need not fear. Even when natural disasters strike (Ps 46:2-3.) 

Even during national conflicts 

The Lord of Heaven’s Armies is here among us. Who could defend us better? The God of Israel is our fortress. What better protection could we have? God is also working to end all wars. He will win and be exalted in the end, which will surely come. 

The nations will be still and know He is God; it means they should stop striving and lay their arms down. God will fight and eventually end all conflicts. Isaiah 2 is a parallel passage describing the latter days when metal will be used for farming and fishing tools, not weapons. We can personalize this psalm by remembering that God will fight our battles. Stop striving and know that He is God our refuge and strength. 

Almighty God, I run to You for refuge; I depend on You for strength, remembering to let God fight our battles. Stop striving and know that He is God, our refuge and strength. 

Almighty God, I run to You for refuge. I depend on You for strength. Help me to stop fighting for my rights and let you be God! I rest in you. 

DiVoran has been writing for most of her life. Her first attempt at a story was when she was seven years old and her mother got a new typewriter. DiVoran got to use it and when her dad saw her writing he asked what she was writing about. DiVoran answered that she was writing the story of her life. Her dad’s only comment was, “Well, it’s going to be a very short story.” After most of a lifetime of writing and helping other writers, DiVoran finally launched her own dream which was to write a novel of her own. She now has her Florida Springs trilogy and her novel, a Christian Western Romance, Go West available on Amazon. When speaking about her road to publication, she gives thanks to the Lord for all the people who helped her grow and learn.  She says, “I could never have done it by myself, but when I got going everything fell beautifully into place, and I was glad I had started on my dream.”

Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,

Wisdom, Our Hiding Place

3 Jun

My Take

DiVoran Lites

Proverbs  3:21-24

My child, never drift off course from 

These two goals for your life:

To walk in wisdom and to discover discernment.

Don’t ever forget how they empower you.

For they strengthen you inside and out and inspire you to do what’s right,

You will be energized and refreshed by the healing they bring.

They give you living hope to guide you, 

And not one of life’s tests will cause you to stumble.

You will sleep like a baby, safe and sound. 

Your rest will be sweet and secure. 

You will not be subject to terror, for it will not terrify you.

Nor will the disrespectful be able to push you aside,

Because God is your confidence in times of crisis, keeping your heart at rest in every situation. 

DiVoran has been writing for most of her life. Her first attempt at a story was when she was seven years old and her mother got a new typewriter. DiVoran got to use it and when her dad saw her writing he asked what she was writing about. DiVoran answered that she was writing the story of her life. Her dad’s only comment was, “Well, it’s going to be a very short story.” After most of a lifetime of writing and helping other writers, DiVoran finally launched her own dream which was to write a novel of her own. She now has her Florida Springs trilogy and her novel, a Christian Western Romance, Go West available on Amazon. When speaking about her road to publication, she gives thanks to the Lord for all the people who helped her grow and learn.  She says, “I could never have done it by myself, but when I got going everything fell beautifully into place, and I was glad I had started on my dream.”

Tags: , , , , , ,

Hope in the Steadfast

22 Mar

Guest Post

Rebekah Lyn

Reblogged from Rebekah Lyn’s Kitchen

The word anchor has many definitions, most obviously an item used in boating to secure the vessel, but also, according to Webster’s online dictionary: “a reliable or principal support; something that serves to hold an object firmly; a broadcaster (as on a news program) who introduces reports by other broadcasters and usually reads the news; the member of a team (such as a relay team) that competes last; a large business that attracts customers to a shopping center or mall.”

Most of these definitions are positive. When you go out on a snorkeling excursion, you want your boat to be anchored, so it doesn’t float away and leave you behind. In planning a shopping center, you want to secure big-name stores to anchor the property and generate business. During a hurricane, homeowners may use heavy weights to prevent outdoor furniture from blowing away. Vendors at craft fairs often use anchors to prevent their tents from flying away.

However, there can be negative sides to anchors. If a storm comes up and drags the anchor while you’re snorkeling, you can get tangled in the rope, trapped underwater until you drown. Or an anchor can be something invisible: guilt over past mistakes, unforgiveness, career, worry. These can weigh you down, taint the way you look at the world, and enslave you until you feel just as overwhelmed as the swimmer tangled in the anchor rope.

There is another anchor, though, one that a storm can’t dislodge, one that only has positive outcomes. That is the hope that believers have in Jesus Christ. He is steadfast, unchanging, unshakeable. His character is the same from the beginning of time to the end. Throughout the Bible, we are told we can call on God in any circumstances. Before Jesus returned to Heaven, He promised His disciples that He would send them a helper, the Holy Spirit, to live inside them. He followed through on that promise on the day of Pentecost and he continues to follow through as new believers join the faith each day.

We experience the Holy Spirit’s presence in different ways during our walk of faith. When we first believe and accept the gift of grace God offers us, we are excited and feel completely alive in the Spirit. But as time wears on, if we don’t nurture that relationship and seek time in God’s presence, we feel more distant from the Spirit. However, we are the ones who moved away, not the Spirit, not God, not Jesus. They are right where we left them, steadfastly waiting for us.

In this week leading up to Palm Sunday, consider where you’re at in your walk. Are you communicating with God, reading His word, listening for His direction? Or are you distracted by colorful adventures and sights that have led you astray? Are you ready to sincerely proclaim: “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David! Hosanna in the highest heaven!”?
Jesus is our living hope. As I’ve mentioned before, the world’s hope is uncertain, built upon sand, but the living hope of Christ is solid and steadfast, able to overcome all difficulties. Isn’t that something to shout about?

Don’t forget to check out the resources page I am developing with content I have found encouraging, has taken me deeper in my walk with God, and generally builds my hope.

Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

Hope in Comfort

16 Mar

Guest Post

Rebekah Lyn

Reblogged from Rebekah Lyn’s Kitchen

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ.”
~2 Corinthians 1:3-5

Catch your breath now. That’s one long sentence. A modern editor would viciously restructure it into something simpler. I’m glad it wasn’t stripped down into less of a tongue twister, though, because it causes us to slow down as we read it. While I was writing one of my first books, Summer Storms, I was thumbing through my grandmother’s Bible, looking for inspiration, and noticed she had underlined these words.

Not only did these verses fit nicely with the scene I was working on, they spoke to my own need. You see, the catalyst for Summer Storms was the intense grief I felt after my grandmother died. I wanted to tell a story that would touch the hearts of those suffering loss and show some ways we deal with grief. Learning this message had captured her attention, brought me comfort and a new connection to her. I read it out loud several times, in different rhythms to allow it to penetrate my soul and heal areas still raw years after her death.

I wondered what was happening when she underlined these words. She didn’t have an easy life; one of twelve children growing up on a farm in eastern North Carolina during the depression and World War II. She wasn’t one to complain, though, and she had a wonderful smile. She loved to laugh and found joy in simple things. Yet, she found the need to take note of these words of comfort.

When we’re in the midst of trials or facing great loss, we tend to question why God would allow our circumstances. Sometimes we’re suffering the consequences of our actions, other times it’s part of the decay ushered into the world after the first sin. Either way, if God didn’t allow us to experience these trials and provide the comfort we need to get through them, how could we ever be a comfort to others?

If you’re suffering right now, open your heart to God. Look to Him for hope that the hurting will end. Allow Him to pour out His comfort on your pain and heartache. He is an overflowing well of comfort, so never fear that He will run dry and leave you in pain. God is filling you so that one day you will be able to pour into others. Soak up that comfort, remember it so you are prepared to pass it on. 

Don’t forget to check out the resources page I am developing with content I have found encouraging, has taken me deeper in my walk with God, and generally builds my hope.

Tags: , , , , , , , ,

Hope in God’s Reminders

8 Mar

Guest Post

Rebekah Lyn

Reblogged 3/8/34

Some weeks, the topic for these posts comes easily. Other times, I struggle to find the words. This week, I had written most of the post but when I went to finish; the document was missing. I guess it’s just another way God is trying to remind me what 2 Corinthians 4:17-18 says, something He’s done multiple times over the past several weeks. I wasn’t sure why this verse has continually popped up in my devotionals and other readings, even a post here on February 19.

I thought to myself how thankful I am that I’m not facing any trials at the moment. But when I felt led to write about this verse again for today’s blog, I took a step back and realized there are trials I’m facing.

The greatest of these is a situation I have absolutely no control over. I can’t fix it. I can’t even think about it without becoming physically ill over all the horrific ways it can turn out. I pray for resolution daily, and several months ago I surrendered it completely into God’s hands, but there are still moments of deep pain and worry.

On another front, there is uncertainty at work as we go through corporate restructuring. I’ve been with the company long enough to see these shifts come and go, always bringing with them drama and rarely working out as hoped. Fortunately, God burst the “my job is my identity” bubble long ago, so I don’t feel threatened by the change. Still, tension and uncertainty try to wiggle into my mind, and I wonder if it’s time for me to move into a new department.

Then there’s my current novel. I’m ready to be done with it, but there’s still work to do. The hours I spend editing fly by faster than any other hours of the day, except perhaps the hours I sleep, those fly pretty fast too.

It’s March and I haven’t even gathered my papers for the tax man. I have a to-do list that never seems to shrink. There are plans to be made for an upcoming trip. The dog needs a bath, the car needs the oil changed, weeds need to be pulled. Does anyone else ever feel like there are more jobs to do than hours in an entire lifetime?

It’s no wonder God keeps telling me the trials of this lifetime are momentary and I need to stop focusing on what is seen because it will all fade away. Instead, I need to focus on the unseen, the coming glory of eternity in His presence.

Stop where you are today and unload your worries. Ask God to show you where your priorities need to be and let Him lead you. There will always be struggles in this life, but they are fleeting. They may be outside our control, but He knows exactly what needs to happen. Find hope knowing that God wants the best for you, even if it means you have to walk a hard road for a time. He is there with you and will bring you through to the other side.

Don’t forget to check out the resources page I am developing with content I have found encouraging, has taken me deeper in my walk with God, and generally builds my hope.

Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,

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

Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

Whom Shall I Fear

16 Oct

My Take

DiVoran Lites

The Lord is my light and my salvation 

Whom shall I fear?

The Lord is the stronghold of my life

Of whom shall I be afraid?

Photo Credit: Pixabay

DiVoran has been writing for most of her life. Her first attempt at a story was when she was seven years old and her mother got a new typewriter. DiVoran got to use it and when her dad saw her writing he asked what she was writing about. DiVoran answered that she was writing the story of her life. Her dad’s only comment was, “Well, it’s going to be a very short story.” After most of a lifetime of writing and helping other writers, DiVoran finally launched her own dream which was to write a novel of her own. She now has her Florida Springs trilogy and her novel, a Christian Western Romance, Go West available on Amazon. When speaking about her road to publication, she gives thanks to the Lord for all the people who helped her grow and learn.  She says, “I could never have done it by myself, but when I got going everything fell beautifully into place, and I was glad I had started on my dream.”

Tags: , , , , ,

A Strong Tower

22 May

My Take

DiVoran Lites

Prov. 18:10

The name of the Lord is a strong tower; 

The righteous run into it and are safe.

Photo Credit:Pixabay

DiVoran has been writing for most of her life. Her first attempt at a story was when she was seven years old and her mother got a new typewriter. DiVoran got to use it and when her dad saw her writing he asked what she was writing about. DiVoran answered that she was writing the story of her life. Her dad’s only comment was, “Well, it’s going to be a very short story.” After most of a lifetime of writing and helping other writers, DiVoran finally launched her own dream which was to write a novel of her own. She now has her Florida Springs trilogy and her novel, a Christian Western Romance, Go West available on Amazon. When speaking about her road to publication, she gives thanks to the Lord for all the people who helped her grow and learn.  She says, “I could never have done it by myself, but when I got going everything fell beautifully into place, and I was glad I had started on my dream.”

Tags: , , , , , , ,

← Older Entries