The title that I am using today is what an elderly pastor in South Carolina used to say to us.  It was his instructions for when the times got hard.  Well, I have to say that when I hear the news and read the headlines, I am discouraged by all of the evil in the world.  A young college student attacked and killed when she was jogging, a mother kills her infant, a father kills his entire family.  The world has gone crazy!  What is God’s instruction for me?  I am to “keep on keepin’ on”, doing what I have been doing:  telling others about Jesus and His free gift of salvation, praising, and praying.

Do you see the word ALWAYS in this scripture verse?  Always does not mean sometimes or just when we are feeling like it, or even when things are going well in the world.  We are always to be faithful and have a heart totally dedicated to God.  We are here to fulfill a purpose.  God knows the big picture.  Don’t you think that He is concerned about what is going on in the earth?  I know that He is because He created us and doesn’t want us to destroy each other.  One of His commandments was “Thou shalt not murder.”  He knows the hearts of men are evil so He instructed us how to follow His way and His plan.  His way leads to life; choosing your own way leads to death and destruction.  Many in our world have chosen to go their own way, so there is chaos all around us, death and destruction.  However, their doing bad does not eliminate God’s instructions for us to serve Him faithfully and with a whole heart.  He knew that we would get discouraged at times and sends words to encourage us.

We are to stand firm and keep on working for Him.  What we do for Him is eternal.  How do you stand firm when all around you there is chaos?  Sometimes, I don’t really know the answer, but I do know that He said to stand firm.  It is God’s way of saying to “keep on keepin’ on.”  We are not to be distracted by what is happening in the world.  Politics, murders, gangs…they will still be there when we arise from our prayer and Bible reading time, but we will be stronger and more able to stand firm for Him, no matter what is happening in the world.  

So, as I meditate this morning, God speaks and tells me that God is with me.  He will be with me in the bad times when the news on the media overwhelms me.  God has not changed.  He is the Mighty Warrior who saves.  I pull that truth deep into my soul and I praise His Name, knowing that all is not lost because He still saves.  The Good News is still true.  The innocents who are killed are resting in the arms of the Mighty Warrior, and the evil in this world will one day be totally destroyed.  I will probably not live to see the return of the Lord and His victory over sin in this world, but I have lived long enough to proclaim the truth of His love and victory over the evil that is so prevalent in the world.   I am one person; I cannot do all things, but I can do one thing.  I can “keep on keepin’ on” until the Lord calls me home or until His glorious return.    I have read the end of the Book and we win!  Do you want to be on the winning side?  Accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior today!  Then,  you can work for the winning side…the side of the Mighty Warrior, the One who will help you to stand firm.  

I think that everyone has a lot of good memories of childhood.  After my stroke, I have a few memories that I can call on, and one of them is my favorite toy.  I used to play this game daily, alone or with my sister or with friends.  I wasn’t great at it, but I was good enough that it didn’t embarrass me to play with others.  Today, I look back and know that the game required a little dexterity, so I’m pretty happy that I could play it at all.  It could be an outdoor game, played on our front porch, or an indoor game, on the kitchen floor.  We had to have a hard surface to play so that the ball bounced straight up and we could catch it.  I have since tried to play the game with my grandddaughters and I’m not very good at it now.  Arthritis in the hands has a tendency to make it difficult to move your fingers quickly enough for this game.  But I am delighted that my grandchildren have this fun and cheap tool for entertainment and they still play it.  Bounce, pick up; bounce, pick up, repeat.  What game is it? Jacks!   Did you have one?  Do your children play it?  You can still buy a set on Amazon, pictured below.

I am participating in a challenge established by Sarah Elizabeth Moore. Today’s challenge is to choose one word to describe myself.  I choose:

I am blessed beyond belief.  I am alive.  I am well, and I am blessed.  I thank God for sparing my life when I had a stroke on January 23, 2015.  I thank God that I have had three beautiful grandchildren added to the family since my stroke.  I thank God that I got my new kitty on my birthday in 2016.  I am blessed.  Today is the day of my birth, and I want to celebrate it giving thanks to God for all of His goodness.  Are there bad things in my life?  Yes, of course!  But I choose to focus on the positive things.  I am blessed to be writing this because after my stroke, I had difficulty with words and language.  I still have problems remembering words sometimes, especially if I am tired, but I am blessed because I can read, write and speak again.

I am blessed by the Lord who made Heaven and earth…and Me!  I have believed in the Lord and His goodness, so I am blessed.  I trust in the Lord, so I am blessed.  I am claiming the Deuteronomy promise now and from this day forward.  I am blessed and I will be blessed.  For now, what I have is enough.  It’s enough for feel the Lord’s love and care for me.  And He has given me so much more!  Here are my blessings that the Lord has given me in my old age:

My beloved grandchildren in a collage created by my daughter for my birthday.  Aren’t they beautiful?  I love them so much that my heart cries to be with them every day!  But I will be satisfied for when I can be with them.  Little Iris, the girl on the swing, is with us for another week and a half.  I will see Hope’s children in September and Steven’s two little darlings in October.  I see Scott and his children as often as his work schedule will allow, as he lives only about an hour away.  What a blessing they all are to me!  And I would not know this joy if God had not restored me to health after my stroke.   I am blessed!  I hope that you are, too.  In your comments, please share your blessings with me.  That would be such a special birthday gift, to know that my online friends are also counting their blessings.  Love to you all.

I have heard people say that they don’t have a map or a guide for life, that they are doing the best that they can.  Well, so are we all.  But I have chosen the world’s best guidebook, called the Holy Bible.  In it is all of the wisdom that I could ever hope to receive, but to get from it, I have to spend time with it.  This morning, I was very busy trying to get my autistic granddaughter to eat her breakfast and then giving her a bath.  I almost decided to skip my Bible reading for the day so that I could do other chores.  Nope!  I felt a strong tug from the Holy Spirit to read and to post today.  I didn’t post yesterday because I had a medical appointment and we took Iris to the gym to swim.  It is one of her favorite things to do, so we took time to do it with her.  Anyway, here is the Scripture that God gave me yesterday:

See what I mean?  God has already told us what to do in His Guidebook.  We have to act with justice, be kind and walk humbly with God.  Sounds easy, but it isn’t always. We can’t go around judging people because that is God’s job.  We need to treat all people the same way, regardless of whether we agree with them politically or any other way.  We are to treat people kindly.  The only people that I recall in the Bible that Jesus had a problem with and treated harshly were the moneychangers in the temple.  He dealt justly with them.  We need to be careful how we treat others whom we think are sinning.  God judges sin; we are just to tell others the truth of God’s Word.  That is sometimes hard for me, especially in our society that accepts sin so readily.  I hate that there is a whole generation that has been raised to think that they have to live together, to “try out marriage” , before they get married.  Do I think it is sin?  Yep!  But is it up to me to go around shouting, “Adultery” everywhere?  No, that is up to God to prepare the way and convict them of the sin.  My part comes in when it is time to tell them the truth that God loves them, has a better way and forgives them. I am not the Holy Spirit.  I have to remind myself of that a lot.

God has been dealing with me recently about settling scores, about getting even with those who have hurt me. Some of the people who were closest to me in the past have really hurt me.  But God says that He is taking care of it.  I am called to forgive them, try to heal the relationship and move on.  I am not the Judge.  God keeps telling me that because I need to be reminded a lot.  I’ve never been slow to learn, but in this case, it is taking me a while.  I see someone who offends me or who is sinning and I want to tell them immediately, “Repent, or you will go to hell!”  Hmm. Probably not the way Jesus would tackle sin today.  He did everything with love and purpose.  So, there is a lot more prayer needed and a lot less judging a lot more love and praying.  I hope that you will join with me in praying for those who need God in their lives and in asking for opportunities to share God’s love with them.  Let’s add to the family of God, not turn people away with our poor, judgmental attitude.  Let’s point them to God’s Guidebook and let them know that He loved them enough to die for them.  Let’s do good, because that is what Our Father expects us to do.  We need to follow the Guidebook so that we can help others find their way to it.

I have already told the story here about when I had my stroke and lost the ability to speak.  Actually, all I could do was stutter.  But as I rode to the hospital in that ambulance, I was praying in tongues.  I had no idea what was happening to me, but I knew that it was serious by the talk of the paramedics and the speed of the ambulance.  However, I knew that no matter how fast we were going, my prayers were going up to the Lord and He was with me, comforting me.  These prayers are not just meant to be for ourselves, though.  We are also to pray for others.  If the Lord brings someone to your mind, pray for them.  The Holy Spirit will tell you what to pray if you wait in silence before Him. It is absolutely imperative that you pray for others!  When they hurt, you are hurting also, although you may be only vaguely aware of the pain.

Unfortunately, I am not known for my graceful movements, so I have broken my right elbow twice.  The first time, I slipped on some gravel and fell and broke it.  The second time, I was walking on a wet hallway at school and slipped and fell and broke it.  My orthopedic surgeon told me that the reason I kept breaking my right elbow is because the natural tendency is to put out your hand to stop your fall…thus your elbow snaps and breaks.  After the second break and round of physical therapy, Dr. Fleming told me to always use my quad cane.  So, I carry cane with my everywhere. I introduce my cane to others, saying that “he makes me able.”  (Pun intended). Now, back to my point.  When my elbow was hurt, it affected my entire body.  I had difficulty doing simple tasks like washing and brushing my hair or even brushing my teeth.  And don’t get me started about how hard it was to teach and grade papers without the use of my dominant hand and arm!  The same thing applies to the Body of Christ.  When one part is hurting, it affects everyone else.  The body doesn’t work as well.  As the Body of Christ, we are a well-oiled machine, working together to speak the truth to a lost world.  Sometimes, however, one of us is hurting…physically, emotionally, spiritually.  So, we have to take time to pray for others.  As soon as the Lord brings someone to mind, pray for them.  If you don’t know what they need, remember that the Holy Spirit knows exactly what the need is, so pray in the Spirit.  Pray as if your life depended on it, because it may.  Part of your body is hurting and you need to do all that you can to bring comfort and/or healing to that part.  Listen to the voice of the Lord.  Be obedient and pray for others.  

Scottoline knocks it out of the park with her latest Rosato and Dinunzio legal thriller!  Her acerbic wit adds to the story of the firm being sued, an associate being murdered and Mary being pregnant.  What is most memorable about the book is the family relationships and the support of Mary’s family, no matter what she is going through.  It is also the family relationship that Mary establishes with Judy, determined to help her during a great loss as well as to act as her friend and loyal supporter.  It was relevant that two law firms were suing each other at the same time that Bennie’s firm was filing a huge lawsuit against a tech firm, so that was a very modern touch.  The author’s knowledge of law practice is very evident in this novel, shown directly in the dialog between the characters, in the police station and in court.  Fans of Scottoline will definitely want to read this new installment of the series, and new fans will be thrilled to find someone who writes with expertise about lawyers and their dealings with each other.  The whole book was a delight to read, with fast-paced action and cutting-edge banter between the characters.  Scottoline is a master at the craft of drawing the reader in quickly and keeping them enthralled throughout the story.  I highly recommend this book!

Disclaimer

Disclosure of Material Connection:  I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher and Netgalley.  I was not required to write a positive review.  The opinions that I have expressed are my own.  I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

This third book in the Evelyn Talbot trilogy will be available on August 28th at all of your local and online bookstores.  I need to let my readers know that this book is rated M for mature audiences and V for violence.  

Wow!  What an intensely dramatic thriller!  I just could not put it down because it included my favorite Brenda Novak characters, Amarok and Dr. Evelyn Talbot.  The saga of Dr. Talbot versus her nemesis Jasper Moore continues in this third book in the series.  Although the reader will be able to understand the story by not reading the first two, I highly recommend that the books be read in order so that you get the complete backstory.  That being said, this book would be an excellent standalone with all of its drama and tension and the story about Jasper’s prior attack of Dr. Talbot is thoroughly explained.  Jasper is in Alaska and is determined to catch, torture and kill Evelyn.  Amarok, an Alaska state trooper and Evelyn’s lover, is equally determined to catch him before he can wreak havoc in their small town of Hilltop and kill the woman with whom he has planned a future.  I enjoyed meeting Evelyn’s sister Brianne in this story and finding out more about Evelyn’s family, including her parents back in Boston.  I also enjoyed t he interactions between Evelyn and the prison guards at Hanover House.  Evelyn is a very strong woman and shows this in how she exerts her authority at the prison.  My favorite character was Amarok.  He is a hero with a big heart, and I know that anyone who reads the book will sympathize with him and his need to protect Evelyn at all costs.  This was the best Hanover House book so far!  It kept my heart thumping and my eyes reading late into the night, and even when I put the book down, I was still thinking about it.

Disclaimer

Disclosure of Material Connection:  I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher and Netgalley.  I was not required to write a positive review.  The opinions that I have expressed are my own.  I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s CFR 16, Part 255 “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Praising God seems to be different from praying, doesn’t it?  Really, they are two sides of the same coin. One does not exist well without the other.

Who is to shout for joy and praise?  We are, the whole earth is to do so.  We sing for joy before God, our Creator and the Savior of our souls.  We praise Him because of Who He is, and because of all that He has done for us.  He is God and deserves our worship and praise.  We kneel before Him as our Soverign Lord, the King of all the earth.  Would you stand silently before the God of the Universe if He were to suddenly appear at your door?  I don’t think so!  Your soul would burst out into praise to Him.  He is the Lamb who was slain, the God of our ancestors and the One who breathed the breath of life into us.  Indeed, He is worthy!  Hallelujah!  Bless His Name!

On the other side of the coin is the admonition to pray.  Those of us who call ourselves Christians are to repent and pray, not just for our own sins but for those around us, for our friends, our neighbors, our enemies, our leaders…for everyone that we can think of who needs to repent and turn from their “wicked ways.”  We need to pray for our entire nation.  If we want God to hear us, forgive the sins of our land and restore us, then we have to pray.  Prayer is not optional, nor is it on a timetable.  This is something we should do daily.  The lost depend on us…and God has called us to be partners in His plan of salvation.  We praise and then we pray.  How long do we continue to do this?  Until everyone has heard the gospel…just keep praying.  Remember Dory in “Finding Nemo”?  She just kept saying to herself, “Just keep swimming.”  We should be saying to ourselves, “Just keep praising and praying.”  

Integrity is something that you either have or you don’t.  But it starts when you are young and you build a foundation that is based on integrity.  So, what is it?  It’s more than honesty.  It’s more than being morally upright.  It is choosing consistently to stand for what is right, no matter who is looking, and even if no one is looking.  My students used to tease me that they would pay me big bucks to change their grades so that they could pass.  My answer was always the same, “I refuse to compromise my integrity because of your lack of studying.”  Then, I would explain that integrity is the choice you make when you think no one is looking.  

I would then explain further that there is a Higher Power who is always watching.  I had to be careful with my words because I was in a public school, but I made sure that they understood that the Higher Power that I was referring to, the One that I answered to was God, and I hoped and prayed that they would follow my example.

The above is a great quotation, but who gets to decide what is right and wrong?  God established that in His Word.  You can’t know what is right or wrong unless you refer to the guidebook that He has provided.  We had a pastor once who told us that the Bible is our Operator’s Manual for Life, likening it to the manual that comes with all cars.  I don’t know about you, but when a light flashes on in the car that is a trouble light, I open my Operator’s Manual to find out what that light means and what I am supposed to do about it.  Well, my manual for life has all of the answers, and I open it daily to find directions for that day.  I can’t consistently make right choices if I don’t know what they should be, and I find that out by reading God’s Word, by meditating on what He is trying to tell me.

It was important to me when I was a teacher that my choices be evident to my students, that I “walked the walk and talked the talk” before them.  But even more important was when I was home, how I acted in my comfort zone.  Did I continue to always make right choices?  I am sad to say that many times I fell short, I missed the mark, I dropped the ball…all of the sayings that one uses to say that I messed up.  However, what was more important is that my children and husband stuck around, knowing that under the anger and thoughtless words was the person that they knew and trusted to come forth…the real me was one of integrity.  Once I got over a temporary upset, I apologized, we prayed, forgave each other, and I went on, striving each day to be a better person and a better example of Christ.  I’m retired now, and I can only hope that the seeds of integrity that I planted with my students and with my own children will bear fruit, to the next generation and the one after that and the one after that…unti the Lord returns.  He is good!  He wants us to follow His manual that He gave us so that we can enjoy an abundant life.  I hope that you will pick up a copy of that “manual” today and make it a part of your daily routine.  The Holy Bible is our manual to help us to live with the integrity that we need so that others who are following us will make right choices, too.  You never know who might  be watching, but you can count on one thing…God is ALWAYS watching!