Free Easter Devotional by Ann Voskamp

You know Ann Voskamp's book One Thousand Gifts is an absolute fave of mine so it comes as no surprise that her blog A Holy Experience is also at the top of my list.

I considered blogging on this tomorrow as my Friday Fave, but it's too good to delay...even one day, as Ann is offering a FREE Easter devotional, Trail to the Tree, to all her subscribers in preparation for the resurrection celebration.

The devotion itself takes a few minutes to download, which seems like forever in our instant gratification culture, but if I'm willing to wait ten minutes for pizza at Bertoli's to feed my body, I should be more than willing to wait five minutes to feed my soul -- and not only for one meal, but for an eternity, right?

I hope you'll take advantage of this opportunity with me. Visit her site here and you'll find instructions on downloading Trail to the Tree.

And for the men wondering if Ann's work focuses primarily on women, you may enjoy this posting by Rory Noland.

I'll see you on the trail...

Who Am I To Complain?

Cold rain falls outside,
summer dwells within.
Perfumed lilacs and
ripened red berries.
Who am I to complain?

A New Reason to Love Kindle

Why I still love my Kindle almost 6 months later:

• Numerous FREE books
• One click, and in less than a minute, a book is anxiously waiting to be read.
  
• My reading has increased exponentially.
• It helps to redeem time by staying in my purse, taking captive every idle moment.
  
• It makes time on the torture elliptical machine fly by.

The best part of owning a Kindle, however, was discovered this week when I learned a friend of mine, Lori Stanley Roeleveld, made the quarterfinals of Amazon's Novel Contest with her Thriller/Suspense novel, "Far from the Tree".

I encourage you to read the excerpt before the contest ends in mid-April -- and then leave feedback afterward, if you like. I read it yesterday -- you won't be disappointed.


Just when I thought I couldn't love my Kindle anymore...


P.S. If you don't own a Kindle, don't despair! You can download a FREE Kindle App to use on your phone or laptop. Visit Amazon's homepage for more details. It's a very easy and well worth the effort.

A Melodious Monday

Melodic sounds of my day...

• Breath - life itself
  

• Rain - renewal & rest
  

• Humming of the heater - God's daily provisions
  

• Three beeps - the sweet nectar of wide-awakeness awaits, along with its sidekick French Vanilla creamer
  

• Spoon clanking against a bowl - thankfulness arises for my hard-working hubby
  

• Tick-tocking of my clock - redeeming every moment

• Huffing and puffing - temple maintenance (1 Cor. 3:16)
  

• Birds chirping - Let everything that has breath praise the Lord!

What melodious sounds are playing in your life today?

-image courtesy of dryicon.com

This Teacher was Taught

Preparing lessons for Sunday mornings always proves to be an eye opening experience. Certain Scripture passages and quotes stick to the soul like gum on a shoe.

This week's sticky Scripture: Do everything without grumbling or arguing... (Phil. 2:14a)

In an attempt to set up our classroom before a teacher's meeting this morning, I ran in, threw my bags down, and got to work cleaning the whiteboard, picking up trash, and moving furniture. Can people not pick up after themselves? Or erase boards when they're finished? While wiping the final words from the board it became obvious that someone had been teaching children in the room. The Scripture that adhered to my mind had now quickened in my Spirit.

I began praising the Lord that children were being taught the Word by someone who was obviously passionate about their lesson, and more importantly, about their God.

To live out what I believe requires not only a desire to avoid grumbling, but also an intentionality in choosing praise over grumbling. Lesson learned.

Complaining about our lot in life might seem quite innocent in itself, but God takes it personally. -- Erwin W. Lutzer

My Friday Fave

I treat myself to a medium cookie dough explosion once a week so it's only fitting that the Ice Cream Station, located in Simpsonville (125 S. Main St.), be a Friday fave! The ice cream is amazing, reasonably priced, and the friendly service can't be beat.


Zach and Sarah introduced us to a slightly healthier option last night at the newly opened Blueberry-Frog, also located in Simpsonville.

The plain base is a bit tart, but nothing a few scoops of chocolate chips and pecans can't improve.

It's nice to have options, but the Ice Cream Station is still my fave.

What's in Your Box?

Imagine a box.

This box can hold only one thing -- the primary driving force of your life.

Who or what is in your box?

It's vital that we're honest with ourselves, as this driving force will influence every area of our lives.

If earning "x" amount of money, pursuing personal pleasure, or gaining approval of others lands in our box, it won't take long for our time, energy, and focus to reflect as such.

For the Apostle Paul, the answer was clear:

For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.
Philippians 1:21

The love of Christ so compelled Paul that everything he did was driven by the desire to bring glory to God.

So, how does one live such a sold-out life? I don't pretend to have the answer, but I want to have a teachable spirit and learn from Paul's example.

Recently, the Lord posed a difficult, but necessary question: What's driving your motivation to write? I opened my mouth to respond when His Spirit quickened, as if to say "not so fast." Back to the box I went, asking God to search my heart (Ps. 139:23, 24). And search He did, revealing motivations I'd not considered nor wanted to own, but they were mine nonetheless. I didn't leave the red club chair in my den that morning until the only name in my box read "JESUS".

I found it no coincidence to receive notification the next day that a couple of ideas I'd submitted in November had been accepted by an organization I'd sought to write for since the beginning of my journey. My first paycheck will be minuscule, but the best part? There are no bylines -- the ideas are published as part of a family summer calendar. God will receive all the glory as thousands of parents teach their children about Him through creative hands-on ideas offered by many writers, inspired by one God.

And I wouldn't want it any other way.

"You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God..." 2 Corinthians 3:3

And the story continues...

What a nice surprise to find my devotion posted on Christian Devotions this morning. (I didn't think it would be published until April.)

But that was only chapter one of God's story. Consider:

• Years later, our oldest son, Brandon, met a couple of leaders at an out-of-state Christian camp where he was leading music. Soon afterward, the couple introduced him to their beautiful daughter, Megan. As of July, he and Megan will be married four years. Oh, and the couple who introduced them? They were Jim's sister, Desi, and her husband, Steve. Neither Desi nor Brandon knew who the either was when they met. So Jim and Lesa (featured in my devotion) are now our relatives by marriage almost twenty years later.
  
• Megan's father, Steve (Jim's brother-in-law), was the person whom God used the most to influence Jim's coming to know Christ years before he and Lesa first tapped on our door.
  

Talk about the circle of life. Eternal life, that is.

And the story continues...

In Celebration of the First Day of Spring...

Things I most appreciate about the season:

• the celebration of Easter
• cool evening breezes
• birds nesting under our porch
• the return of hummingbirds
• flower buds emerging, trees awakening from their sleep
  
• Ice Cream Station in Simpsonville re-opening
• longer daylight
• the ability to use yard work as my form of exercise instead of going to the gym
• the gentle movement of our old metal yard glider as we watch the sunset
• opening the front and back screen doors allowing a cross breeze like none other
• the smell of freshly mowed grass
  

How about you?

- image courtesy of Fantom Wallpaper

My Friday Fave

No eye has seen...
No ear has heard...

But the perfume-filled flower Winter Daphne could possibly be heaven scent.

God is the God of Open Doors. Or Is He?

The old adage When God closes a door He opens a window rolls off the tongue without an ounce of effort on my part. I like to imagine God flinging open doors and windows to make my passage through life a bit easier to navigate. After all, God is the God of open doors. Or is He?

Acts 16 tells of an incident in Philippi when Paul and Silas were imprisoned in the inner cell. The only thing heavier than the weight of total darkness was the weight of their chains. They were probably hungry--but it wasn't whining their fellow prisoners heard, only praises.

"Suddenly, there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken. At once, all the prison doors flew open, and everybody's chains came loose."

If I'm Paul, I'm thinking it must be God's will for me to escape because, after all, He opened the doors and loosened my chains. Thankfully, Paul was more discerning, but it's easy to see why we often fall prey to the enemy when relying on open doors as our go-to answer to prayer. Think of how differently that account would have been if Paul had seen his open door as a divine means of escape.

Not every opportunity or opened door is presented to us for passage.

Perhaps this is why Paul prayed for the Christ followers in Philippi to "be able to discern what is best". (Philippians 1:10)

Can God open a door (job or business opportunity, a relationship, etc.) to bless us? Absolutely! But the true blessing dwells in a discerning heart, for one such as this is never dependent on doors that appear to be opened or closed, but rather the unmistakable voice of the Father saying, "This is the way, walk in it." (Isaiah 30:21)

--image courtesy of Kitchen Factory, UK

A Writer's Journey, Part 1

While it remains difficult to refer to myself as a writer, it's becoming increasingly difficult to ignore this fact as God continues to set our journey ablaze with an energy and excitement I find hard to contain.

As with any journey, packing the essentials is a must. Anyone who's forgotten their toothbrush on a camping trip can attest to this fact (as can their fellow campers!). Below are a few things I consider essential as I continue down the path of writing:

• The right seat. God, my co-pilot? No thanks! He is my Captain, Pilot, Driver, and King. Too many times I’ve caught myself trying to scooch over to His seat---and I have the scars to prove it. He leads, I'll follow.
  

• Groups - UFCW is an invaluable source for every writer. And huddled within that larger group is my Four Corners group, offering wisdom, encouragement, critiquing, and prayer support on a much more personal level. We do happy dances when even the smallest accomplishment is shared (we’re burning lots of calories these days!) and meet regularly to keep one another focused on our goals. Online groups also play an integral role in staying informed and encouraged.

• Silence, Daydreaming, & Details. As one who often equated success with busyness, this sharp curve along the journey’s path continues to stretch and mold me. Using God’s time wisely is no longer black and white, but a royal shade of purple.

"I run in the path of your commands, for you have set my heart free."
Psalm 119:32

-image courtesy of Wide Open Spaces

Saturday in the Park

You're right! I'm not referring to the 1972 classic song from Chicago but a morning walk at Falls Park in downtown Greenville.

Plans are already underway for another trip to the park, but next time we'll take more than our walking shoes and camera. We're thinking:

• A picnic basket packed with chicken, potato salad, ice water, Coke, and lots 'o napkins
  
• Cash for Starbucks (and maybe Spill the Beans - good thing we'll have our walking shoes)
• Paper and my fountain pen (talk about inspiration!)
  
• A larger memory card for my camera

Where's my calendar?

My Friday Fave

I knew the moment I saw a five star review with 253 readers there was something special about this book. One need only turn a few pages to see why. Ann Voskamp is a master wordsmith as she reveals one thousand gifts found in her daily life -- gifts I often miss.

I'm reading One Thousand Gifts much like I would savor a piece of Godiva chocolate. The thoughtfulness discovered in her choice of words is too rich to devour. It's simply something to enjoy.

And enjoy it, you will.





--photo courtesty of www.cottagechick.com

Next Time

...we will purchase, shall we say, a not-so-cute dog.

Rupert knows he's adorable
and he uses it against us
every chance he gets.

A Story Board for Inspiration!

In addition to being part of the Upstate Fellowship of Christian Writers group, I'm extremely blessed to be one of the "4 Corners" in a small writer's accountability/critique group.

Carolyn, one of the three amazing "corners", challenged us to create our own story boards (or purpose boards) as a visible tool for inspiration.

My storyboard actually begins at the bottom, to illustrate foundational truths for my writing. First, an image of the woman at Jesus' feet, to always remind me where my journey began. It's also foundational for me to keep my "spiritual tank" full. How can I share from an empty one? I'm also to remember that writing is a journey. I will never "arrive" on this side of heaven. And as the picture of the waiting room shows, I must be patient and willing to wait for God's timing.

Mid-way up the poster, I have pictures of pure inspiration that include places we've visited (Lake Lure, Carl Sandburg's home, Thomas Wolfe's home, etc), pictures of flowers from our garden, my grandmother's house, and a picture of a sower sowing seed smack dab in the center of the poster to remind me that everything written is to be done so with the mindset of sowing God's seed and bringing Him alone glory.

At the top, you'll find pictures of what I pray the result of my writing to be, beginning with an act of worship. Also, that my writing will have a divine ripple effect much like a pebble being tossed into the water. One quote completes the board: "Write so that heaven is different." - Lee Roddy. Thankfully, the results are all in God's hands and out of mine.

I feel incredibly blessed to share my little corner of the world with such amazing women like Carolyn, Cynthia, and Beth. Thank you, friends!

So, how could you use a story board to get those creative juices flowing?

My Friday Fave

I knew when I overheard Vonda's kudos for this book it was sure to be a favorite...and it is!

Sarah Young wrote this devotional from Jesus' point of view so as I read it, it's as if Jesus is speaking directly to me--and He did exactly that as I opened the devotion last night and read the first sentence:

I LOVE YOU FOR WHO YOU ARE, not for what you do.

As well as the last sentence:

Refuse to let other voices tie you up in knots.

Two truths He knew I needed to hear...and believe.

Are You Reading Across America?

After all, that's what millions of children (of all ages!) will be doing today in celebration of NEA's program, Read Across America. It is no coincidence that this celebration falls on the birthday of the famous children's author, Dr. Suess.

Green eggs and ham for everyone!

"So the writer who breeds more words than he needs,
is making a chore for the reader who reads."
- Dr. Suess

Goodbye, Mr. Thunder!

I've never been a fan of storms.

As an eight year old, I remember sneaking down the stairs at my grandmother's house during an overnight storm to quietly curl up on the floor next to their bed. Just when I thought I'd gotten away with it, I heard Ma-Ma (my dad's mother) whisper, "Cathy, if you're afraid, you only need to pray. God will protect you in the storm." She proceeded to pray aloud that night and I fell fast asleep.

Storms continued to be my foe throughout childhood and early adulthood, so much so that I became physically sick at just the mere mention of a storm in the area.

Fast forward to last night. The rain fell so fast and furious that I couldn't see the buildings across the street. Brian wasn't there, but all was well. I scooped up Rupert, two pillows, my ginger ale, and the one thing every person needs in a blinding storm, their Kindle.

A call from my Aunt Elaine jolted me from my novel, and a sweet jolt it was. The storm had reminded her of a time when, in an attempt to help me see thunder as a friend rather than a foe, my mom taught me to look up, smile, and say, "Hello, Mr. Thunder!".

I smiled as I realized how life had come full circle. I'm still not a fan of storms, but I'd prayed while gathering my things and was at such ease that I'd actually read long after the storm had passed. Ma-Ma would be proud.

Nevertheless, the little girl inside of me was more than happy to say "Goodbye, Mr. Thunder!" last night.