by Cathy Baker | Faith |
Welcome to the first Saturday of the month! Today, Edie Melson invites us to sit alongside her to simply catch a glimpse of how her one-on-one time with the Lord often unfolds.
To say that Edie has impacted my life is an understatement. She teaches me something about the craft of writing everyday via her blog, meets with me over grits to catch up on life, and most importantly, models what a true prayer warrior wears.
Please remember, I share these glimpses not to say that a quiet time should look a particular way, but rather the opposite. My heart is to invite you into the freedom that awaits when we meet with our heavenly Father {thank You, Jesus!} in a variety of ways.
So, welcome Edie!
by Cathy Baker | Gatherings, Ideas |
When I think of biblical community done well, the Rhodes family immediately comes to mind.
I had the pleasure of getting to know them through a former church, and I’ve enjoyed staying updated with the many adventures God has taken them on over the years. I marvel at the openness of their hearts, hands, and homes.
Today, I’ve asked Kim Rhodes to share about some of the things they’ve done to extend the love of Christ on Valentine’s Day. {Thank you, Kim!}
|
| The Rhodes Family |
“We have been a part of many neighborhoods over the past 18 years of married life and with each place we have tried to get to know those that live around us. It always shocks me to find out that people living just a few doors down have never taken the time to meet or engage with each other.
“Sometimes the greatest influence you can have is to the lives of those that live in closest proximity to you.”
We value the unique advantage and connection we have with people that live specifically on our street or around us. One of my personal core values is “Open Home”⎯that everything we have is a missional tool that needs to be used. And so we truly believe in the power of an open home, always making space to invite people in through our front doors, not into our perfect life but into our messy, lived, and present life.
I remember at one dessert gathering we had after we moved into one of our new neighborhoods…two families engaged in conversation. Each of them had lived on the same street a few houses down for over 9 years and had never met each other. They engaged for the first time in our home.
Just recently we moved to a new city and state. And as I met our neighbor living next door, she was sharing about the families that surrounded us. She wasn’t quite sure of who lived in the house behind her because of the 15 years they had lived in their home they had never had a conversation with them. And this is not abnormal. This is shockingly normal for most streets and neighborhoods across the country. Somehow we have lost the value of opening up our homes, as well as our lives, to those around us.
One of the ways our family tries to engage our neighbors is to use holidays as times to go knock on their doors. We normally give them a gift or treat and then it’s always attached to a future invite of something happening in our home. We have found this to be something very low pressure. It allows us to engage others through an offering of a gift, and an invitation to a future time of connection. It’s that simple. There is no pressure. The worst scenario is we are able to say hello and offer a gift. The best scenario is that we get the opportunity to invite them into our home and they actually show up!
The past few Valentines Days we have used different gifts. We’ll be hitting up our new neighbors this Valentines Day with a single rose and and invite to a coffee and cobbler night at our home at a specific date in March. We’ve used Valentines day to give candy and invite people over to our “Jolly” Rancher and we’ve used Valentines Day to offer a single rose to our neighbors and just let them know they are “Loved” and that we would “Love” to have them over for dessert sometime soon.
Whether you live in an apartment or a large castle, everyone has the opportunity to open up their home and lives. My husband and I are both introverts and we’ve found it very easy to gather large groups of people engaged in conversation with little or no effort. We have found our biggest gift is giving space for those that come into our home to be able to find each other in their own stories and build a connection. In some ways our open home is a place of connection for people. And the connection and stories and life engagement that comes from those times are always beautiful and abundant.”
Thank you so much for sharing, Kim. Both you and Dave have impacted our lives and countless others. You’ve definitely inspired this introvert!
If you’ve been encouraged to think outside the box for the sake of the gospel, I’d LOVE for you to share about it in the comment section. 🙂 Thanks!Â
Coming up this Saturday, Edie Melson will give us a glimpse into her one-on-one time with the Lord. And on Monday, I’ll share a simple but meaningful way to show L-O-V-E to the singles in your life on Valentine’s Day!
by Cathy Baker | Faith |
This is not what I’d planned.
Today was supposed to be about sharing numerous ways to use our prayer journals, but something my pastor’s wife, Emily, shares in an upcoming post made me re-think the premise of this post.
So, what did she say?Â
It went something like this, and I should’ve said it from the get-go.
While having a regular time with the Father is a holy, beautiful privilege⎯our salvation, His love for us, His acceptance of us⎯is not dependent on it.
As we bring the Drawing Close to the Father series to a close I want us to embrace grace and freedom through Christ, rather than finding another way to do something. Please don’t hear me say that journaling (or using any other tool) should be shunned — no way! Otherwise, I wouldn’t have my own well-worn journals lining the shelves, nor would I be giving away one of the most beautiful journals I’ve come across in a long time.
This month, we learned valuable insights from friends who graciously allowed us to get a glimpse of their personal times with the Lord. Thank you Marcia, Lori, and Dee Dee. Although the series is coming to a close, the glimpses will continue every first Saturday in 2016. In February, Edie Melson will be our guest. You will not want to miss it!
If you’ve followed my blog for long you know I love to share a little treat (my grandfather always referred to this type of treat as a “sercy”) at the end of every monthly series. So, last week I came across this Dayspring journal. While tempted to keep it for my own {just keeping it real!} I knew it had a bigger purpose. I pray this sercy will bless one of you during your time with the Father. And I love the saying on the front cover: When God speaks, take good notes.
To enter the drawing, you simply need to answer this random question in the comment section. (If you have trouble leaving a comment for some reason, please private message me on Facebook.)
So here’s the question: What book are you currently reading OR what’s the next book you plan to read?
Me? I’m currently reading Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear, by Elizabeth Gilbert. Love it!
Oh! In case you’re wondering about our February series you need wonder no more. Check out the image below. (Loving my new camera, thanks to the hubster! The snowy day did its part, too.)
 Beginning Monday, February 1st…
by Cathy Baker | Faith |
by Cathy Baker
Greetings! Today, I’m sharing how I bring a blog post to fruition, as well as what I’m learning along the way. Some parts of the process are more fun than others, but make no mistake—churning out regularly scheduled blog posts each week is hard work. But it’s worth it. Here goes!
It all begins with coffee and complementary music. I write upstairs by the window but it’s muggy hot in the summer. This fall, I hope to blog from the bench seats in Buttercup, our ’63 Shasta Airflyte camper. Wherever I go, Pandora music follows. Nothing boosts my writing power like George Winston’s station. Did I mention it’s free?
What I’m learning: Writing/blogging in the same spot on a consistent basis alerts the brain that it’s time to stop playing and get to work. I’m also learning that Starbucks Cold Brew provides a swifter kick to my energy level than a latte. Go figure.
Brainstorm. I try to remain aware of how God might prompt a thought or idea. I also plan regular brainstorming sessions with Dee Dee Parker, my go-to stormer. A tiny Moleskin journal (with pen) is tucked in my front purse pocket to fetch promptings, random thoughts, and obscure words. Also, I’m beginning to use Evernote, along with the notes app on my iPhone.
What I’m learning: I need to consolidate my ideas to two places max. Having them scattered in too many places breeds frustration.
Peck away anyway. Sometimes an idea comes quickly and fiercely (love those!) but most take their own sweet time. I type anyway. More often than not, once I begin the process of pecking away at the keys, the idea begins to unfold in unexpected and delightful ways. Also—and yes, this is crazy—unless I use the Trebuchet font while working on a post, the idea tends to cross its arms, pout, and storm off. Silly fonts.
What I’m learning: Mentor and friend, Edie Melson, has advised many of us for years (I’m a slow learner) to first type everything in Word and then upload it to Blogger or WordPress. This prevents the loss of our masterpiece if something goes wonky on the site. {While typing the final few words in this post, my delete button became stuck, erasing all the words one-by-one. Um, Lesson learned.}
Spend quality time titling and formatting the post. I kid no one. I’m no Lori Roeleveld when it comes to titling blog posts. I do, however, try to allow plenty of time for developing the right title. For me, “right” would be pithy and SEO friendly, with a hint of panache. See below.
What I’m learning: I stink at titling. I continue to study online and I’m also learning the importance of SEO (Search Engine Optimization).
Check grammar, photos, and links. Then do it again. I usually save the photo search for last as I enjoy it the most. I currently use some of my own photos but plan to increase that exponentially in the coming months. For now, I pull from Can Stock Photo (buy credits at minimal cost), Pixabay, and other free sites. I’m always looking to promote others via linking in my posts and including them in the Labels section.
What I’m learning: No post is to be published until I’ve read it aloud at least once. Much is learned when reading our work aloud.
When you consider the above quote, what ONE word best describes your idea of a GREAT blog?
by Cathy Baker | Faith |
by Cathy Baker
It gives me great pleasure to introduce Edie Melson as my guest blogger today. She’s a prolific writer who has poured herself into numerous writers, such as myself. But more importantly, Edie is a woman of prayer.
If you know or love someone serving our country, you’ll especially resonate with Edie’s story. Welcome, my friend.
