Promises, Warnings and Praise
Review of A QUILT FOR CHRISTMAS by Melody Carlson
This is such a heartwarming, toasty feel-good book that I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys family stories, even if the family is not the traditional one. Vera Swanson moves to a new town to be near family, but her family moves away for a new job opportunity. When she befriends a young neighbor named Fiona, Vera’s eyes become open to the possibilities of new friends and a substitute family. The pace is perfect for a Christmas novella, moving along at a good clip and resolving all of the conflicts along the way. The characters were realistic and relatable, even curmudgeonly Eleanor who seems to have no heart for the holidays or anything else. There was even romance included between a young couple that was fun to get to know. I enjoyed the entire story and especially enjoyed how the group came together to help each other and a struggling family. The themes are having hope and reaching out to others to meet their needs. Faith is a theme here but it does not overwhelm the story. A lovely, sweet tale that deserves to be read any time of the year!
Disclaimer
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions 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 Testimonials and Endorsements in Advertising.”
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Mercy and Compassion
Just a short encouragement today to do what God says and to show mercy and compassion to all that we meet. We don’t know what others are going through, but we know that everyone is facing something new every day. Instead of looking at ways to get back at someone who offended you, how about looking at the ways that you can show love to them. After all, isn’t that what Jesus told us to do?
May your day be blessed with others who will show mercy and compassion to you just as you extend it to them.
Our Battle and Wars
If you watch the nightly news (I don’t) or get news online (sometimes, for me), then you cannot help knowing that the world is in a mess of hurt. There is still a war going on in Europe (remember Ukraine) and there is a lot of unrest in the Middle East, too. Those are the hot spots right now, but there are skirmishes in various locations. But we who know the Lord know that His hand is on the earth and we don’t have to fret about these events. We need to be looking up and waiting for the Savior to appear, knowing that He is indeed coming although we don’t know when.
We fight a daily battle against our enemies, sin and all of the upheaval it creates in the world around us. The Bible gives clean instruction about how we are to go into battle, fully girded and ready. More importantly, He promises to be with us in our battles.
We are not called to shrink back from the enemy but to go boldly into battle. We are at war daily with the enemy of our soul, working at rescuing others from the snare of death and eternity without God.
Our victory is promised if we just hold steadfastly to our faith and keep pressing forward. The enemy thinks that he is pushing us back. After all, the entire world has gone “woke” which basically means that the enemies of God are dismissing the Bible as irrelevant for today. But we who stand on the battle lines for Christ know that the Bible will stand forever and God will never abandon us to fight alone.
May your day be blessed with the knowledge that the war is already won and that our King of Glory is victorious!!
Watching and Being Watched
Did you know that someone is always watching you if you are in a public space? No, I’m not talking about stalkers or anyone creepy. I’m just talking about regular people whom you encounter in your daily life. If you say you are a Christian, then you are under a microscope because someone will always be watching for you to fall or to fail. That’s why the Bible exhorts us to be aware of being watched and to present ourselves like we want to be seen.
We have to make an extra effort (pains) to do what is right because the world wants us to make wrong choices so that they can say, “Ha! And you call yourself a Christian?!?” How do I know this? Because I have experienced it from both sides, both watching and being watched.
I’m a people watcher, not necessarily one who enters in easily, so I watch what others do instead. I listen to their words and see their actions and hope that if they are called by the name of Christ that it will all match up. Sometimes, I’m pleasantly surprised and other times I’m deeply disappointed. I have learned in my watching that not everyone who says that they are a Christian has any idea what that means. Many people think that they can go around and do the same things that they did before and not be accountable for it as long as they aren’t “caught.” Well, not only am I a people watcher, God is, too and He always sees everything that we do and hears every word that we speak. We may be having a bad day and be too demanding in the restaurant or at the check out counter. God hears, God sees and so do those around us. Bad days don’t mean that we get to take off the robe of righteousness that Jesus paid for and just be ourselves. We have to die to that self and always remember whom we are representing to the world. We destroy our testimony at the time and in the future if we are not always on the alert to how our actions and words can affect others. I am not saying not to be your genuine self, but what I am saying is to make sure that you have “put on Christ” before you go in public so that you are showing a lost world how they should be acting.
One of my pet peeves is seeing a bumper sticker all about being a Christian and then watching the driver speed recklessly around cars, cut others off in traffic or even do a one-finger salute to a fellow driver. I feel like following them and lecturing them about what a poor rep they are giving Christ. But I don’t. It is not my responsibility to police the world and their actions. I can only be responsible for my own actions and hope that what I am doing is a good testimony to the power of Christ in my life.
Being aware of being watched is half the battle. Look around you. See the other people? They are just human like you and many of them need the hope that you have inside you. They want you to be different, to speak differently (more kindly) and to act differently (with love), and when you don’t, you aren’t just letting God down but you are letting them down, too. Why become a Christian if you aren’t any different than the rest of the selfish and egocentric world? The answer lies in your actions and your words. Be a Christian, 24-7. That’s what the world needs and what God expects.
May your day be filled with blessings and opportunities to show others Christ inside of you so that others will want what you have!
Self Care
Many days, in fact most days, I get out of bed after a quick “good morning” prayer to God and start my day frantically trying to rush through all the tasks that I have before me. Now that I am retired, I don’t have a set time to get up, but I still arise most mornings before six, take care of our cat, mix my flavored water and sit in my recliner to do my Bible devotional and my blood pressure. Some mornings, I have book reviews that are due so I work on posting those on social media. Then, I read the next book that is up for review, eat, take meds, etc. My day is not a busy one as many define busy, but it is busy enough for me that sometimes I get to the end of the day and find that I have not taken time just to be quiet, to relax and to wait to hear God’s voice.
Jesus called His disciples away to a quiet place, just to relax and eat and rest. Sometimes, I need to do that, too, and I’m certain that all of us do. We get so caught up in what has to be accomplished for the day that we forget to take time for self care. I know that I need to sometimes just take time to let myself relax, to not worry about online shopping that needs to be done or the reviews that are awaiting me, but just to be quiet and rest my mind and just be. Jesus thought self care was important, so I plan to take more time taking care of me. Don’t get me wrong. I don’t intend to be selfish or ignore needs, just to make sure that I take time to renew my spirit and to build up the energy I need so that I can better focus on what needs to be done and the priorities that I have to establish.
Self care is not being selfish, I don’t think. I believe that it is taking care of the vessel that God has given you to occupy until He takes you home to be with Him. Thus, I’m going to just set aside some time for me today and tomorrow and all of the other days that are coming. I need to just be with Jesus, rest and eat the spiritual food that He has set before me to nourish my soul. That is ultimately how my physical body will find renewal, too!
Have a wonderfully blessed day, but I strongly recommend some self-care be built into your busy schedule! Its an Rx from Jesus!
God’s Directions
God is always ready to teach us the way that we should go. This is a sad verse for the Israelites because God is telling them that they have not paid attention to His commands and thus they do not end up having peace like a river or well-being like the waves. But this verse is also a warning for us…listen, obey, have peace and well-being. God shows us, tells us, teaches us, directs us. We have the responsibility to listen and obey, to follow what he says.
I’m certain that many of you, if not all, did not always do as your parents instructed you. The consequences that followed were probably less than pleasant. I remember rebelling over and over again and always reaping the consequences, during a time when physical punishment was acceptable. In fact, I was sent outside to get a sturdy stick for my mom to “switch” me with and if I came back with one that was too thin or weak, she sent me back again until I came back with one that would “get the job done.” I bore those marks on my legs for days, the marks that showed my disobedience.
The marks of our disobedience to God are not visible but rather invisible in God’s removing His protection from us and our not receiving the blessings that He has prepared for us. Nevertheless, those marks are there and we know when we have failed to listen and follow as God has directed, just as surely as I knew when I had broken a rule from my mom. God is loving and wants the best of us. As His children, it is up to us to choose to follow His directions and then receive the blessings that He has for us.
May we never take for granted God’s blessings and may each of us look for the lessons He is trying to teach us and learn what we should be learning, moving forward in this life with Him as our guide.
The Narrow Way
I know you have heard it, that lie from the pits of hell that Heaven is not hard to get into. You just have to do good, be good and God, because He is good, will take you to Heaven when you die. I have heard this falsehood from friends and family. “What kind of God would send someone to hell?” The reply is that God does not send anyone to hell; they choose to go there because they did not choose to believe in the only way to salvation that God provides, His Son Jesus. Don’t be deceived. God is a God of love and mercy, but He is also the great “I Am,” the God of Justice. He wants to set things right in the world that have been wrong for so long and the only way He can do that is to banish sin. There will be no sin in Heaven and no one can be good enough to earn their way there. No confessions to a priest or last rites will guarantee your way through the narrow gate. Only Jesus! It seems so simple, yet so many are perishing because they choose to keep living in sin and ignorance rather than accept truth and life. Since none of us knows when we will die, we need to live like it may be the next moment or as though Jesus is coming back imminently. God provided a way for us, narrow though it may be. We have to find our way back to Jesus and then stay on that pathway for the rest of our lives. God’s desire is to save all, that no one would spend eternity in hell, but He is a God of justice and He will allow us to go there if that is what we choose. Choose and live wisely…the narrow way leads to life!
May you be blessed with the knowledge of God’s great love for you and may you stay on the narrow path until He calls you home.
Anxiety vs. Peace
I must confess that some things that happen cause more anxiety than others. Like when Tyler, our grandson, was badly injured in an accident. I was immediately caught up into the world of “what ifs” instead of using my God given gift of faith. Only a few seconds of heart-racing anxiety reigned before I recalled God’s love, power and faithfulness and began praying and calling on others to join me in prayer.
The peace that I felt as I prayed defied all logic. I was nine hours away and waiting for word from my daughter at the ER about Tyler’s condition. Many hours later, we got the news that his brain was not damaged. Again, hours passed, and we received the news of the extent of his injuries and that he was being sent home and later to specialists.
But the waiting did not end there. Neither did the prayers. So, an update on Tyler. He returned to the ENT this week about his ruptured ear drum. The doctor was amazed at the fact that Tyler’s ear drum had already repaired itself. He said that almost never happens so quickly. So, praise God! Continued prayer is needed though because Tyler’s ear drum did not totally attach itself to the surrounding tissue, so it is flapping around and creating annoying noises for him. And he cannot hear anything in that ear. The ENT says there is nothing else he can do but wait and see if the ear drum attaches and if the hearing returns to normal. However, I believe in the God of miracles, so I am believing for the ear to be made whole.
Tyler’s clavicle was fractured and when he want to the orthopedist, they told him that it was not aligning correctly and gave him a brace to wear for a few weeks, in hopes that it will pull it back where it belongs. When he returns to ortho, they will determine if he needs corrective surgery or not. Again, this is reason for anxiety, but more, it is a reason for my faith to kick in and for me to pray for his clavicle to get back where it belongs and to heal properly.
So, it’s my choice, just as it is yours. Are you overcome by anxiety or ruled by faith? Sometimes, the fear rears its ugly head and I have to choose to push it back and pray through the fear to the peace. God is always waiting there with open arms, offering me His peace. He has told me repeatedly that Tyler is His child and He loves him and is working things out for him. I believe…help my unbelief, and my anxious thoughts!
May your day be blessed with the peace that only comes from God and many answered prayers.
Run Away
Sometimes, we must stand our ground and fight for what is right. But other times, we should flee, especially when it’s our own evil desires from our past that are tempting us. Just a little food for thought. Run away instead of being captured by the past! Run towards righteousness, faith, love and peace!
