by Cathy Baker | Faith |
by Cathy Baker
Today, I’d like to introduce you to my friend, Lori Roeleveld. She’s incredibly talented, downright inspiring, and a witty disturber of Hobbits.
Lori’s NEW book, Running from a Crazy Man (and Other Adventures Traveling with Jesus) was released in December 2014.
Frankly, it’s unlike any book I’ve read. Brief essays, if you will, that take aim at the soul, penetrating the heart on its way with truth through beautifully told stories. I’ve yet to sit down and be content to read just one. I double dare you to try! And I’m in good company. Check out what Jerry B. Jenkins had to say about Running from a Crazy Man:
You’ll find yourself saying as I did: just one more chapter. And one more. And one more. ~ Jerry B. Jenkins
I’m sharing Lori’s book not only because it’s relatively NEW on the market but because of her voice—her fresh Gospel-driven perspective. One moment you’re giggling like a girl and in the next, your soul is dropping to its knees in recognition of Who is truly speaking to you through these shared adventures.
I highly recommend this book (as well as Lori’s blog) for all the serious travelers of Christ out there. In fact, I’d like to share a copy with you. Simply leave a comment on this blog sharing ONE thing that stood out to you in her story, Are You Stuck in the Wrong Story?, below. I’ll draw a name via Random Name Picker on February 1st and announce it that week. If you would like it signed, I can mail it to you at the end of May (I see her at the conference mid-May.)
In the meantime, enjoy this excerpt — and don’t forget to leave a comment on the blog for your chance to win a FREE autographed copy!
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| Lori Roeleveld |
Are You Stuck in the
Wrong Story?
Following Jesus When Life Is No Fairy Tale
Cinderella knew the truth. She was intended for greater things than sweeping
ashes from the hearth.
Are you sometimes haunted by the notion that you were meant for more? You
should examine that idea. It may be from God.
My daughter got me interested in a Sunday night television show called Once
Upon a Time. It’s the story of a town inhabited by storybook characters trying
to find their way back into the world in which they really belong.
But really, it’s the gospel.
That’s probably not what the writers intended, but Jesus, in an effort to reach
His people, will even inject Himself into the primetime lineup of network
television.
In the first season, Once Upon a Time was all about the characters awakening and
remembering that they were once part of a glorious land. It features one child
who still believes in their story and is willing to take drastic measures to
remind everyone else of their former glory. Because of him, they are awake.
Now, they remember they’re not just librarians or shopkeepers or waitresses,
but they have “once upon a time” bloodlines with ancient stories full of magic
and adventure.
Even though they’re awake, they are not yet back home in The Enchanted Forest.
They remain trapped in a foreign place hostile to their former way of life.
Dark forces oppose them. An enemy works against their return, trying to keep
them in bondage to their everyday, ordinary, lesser selves—to rob them of their
redemption.
It’s the gospel, don’t you see? Can you acknowledge the playfulness of our
amazing Creator as He inserts His homecoming beacon into our modern culture and
cries out for us to remember who we were designed to be?
Doesn’t your heart cry out after a long Monday, or in the face of another Tuesday,
to be part of a greater story? Isn’t there within you a longing for a home you
don’t remember ever knowing? Don’t you sometimes feel trapped in a minor role
when all your dreams and passions create a force that threatens to destroy you
if you don’t find the role you were born to play?
Jesus created everything. His story is in His Word, yes, but He roams,
unconfined, across genres. He appears in the music we write, the movies we
make, the art we create, and the stories we tell.
He is calling to us—calling to us from every medium—to remember who we are.
For you are all children of light, children of the day. We are not of the night
or of the darkness. So then let us not sleep, as others do, but let us keep
awake and be sober. For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get
drunk, are drunk at night. But since we belong to the day, let us be sober,
having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of
salvation. (1 Thessalonians 5:5-8)
Feel stuck inside a lesser role than you were intended to play? Wake up. Like
Sleeping Beauty, you need the kiss of true love. There is a High King and He
will free you if you come to Him. There is a rider on a White Horse coming. Can
you hear His hoofbeats?
Wake up, loved ones! You have a part in the greater story. Everything your
heart whispers to you in the night is true. There is more, and you were meant
to be part of it.
Once upon a time, there was a King who shed His blood to ransom His people back
from the grave. It is the greatest and truest story ever told.
And it is the place where you belong.
Lori Stanley Roeleveld is a
disturber of hobbits who enjoys making comfortable Christians late for dinner.
She’s authored a disturbing blog since 2009; a pursuit that eventually resulted
in her first book, Running from a Crazy
Man (and other adventures traveling with Jesus). Lori’s blog has a modest
but faithful daily readership and yet, in the past year, one post was viewed
over 1.7 million times and another was shared over 275,000 times on Facebook. Lori
has published newspaper and magazine articles, poetry, and plays. Her novels,
short stories, and Bible studies have won several awards. Besides degrees in
Psychology and Biblical Studies, Lori earned her Masters in Motherhood
homeschooling her two children through graduation. Now, she draws energy from
helping writers find their voice and see God’s vision for their work. In her
day job, Lori writes the stories of real families in crisis so others see their
strengths and values, not just their problems. You’ll find Lori at her website www.loriroeleveld.com or on her front porch writing. If not, know
she’s somewhere slaying dragons.
by Cathy Baker | Faith |
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| Image Credit: Blogworld |
by Cathy Baker
Happy New Year’s Eve!
To close out 2014 in the blogosphere, I decided to share ten things I’ve learned this year. Hopefully, I learned more than ten (ha!) but it was first come, first serve in the memory bank so here goes (in no particular order):
1. I have two new favorite authors!
Actually, it’s because of Emily P. Freeman that this post exists at all. The idea originated on her site, Chatting at the Sky. Emily’s book, A Million Little Ways, remains at the top of my all time fave books.
Another favorite author is Lori Roeleveld. Her recent release, Running From a Crazy Man (and other adventures with Jesus), forwarded by Jerry B. Jenkins, is a must read for those who are serious about putting the gospel on display. (It’s 1.99 on Kindle right now!)
2. Every choice I make either moves me closer to my goals or draws me
further away from them.
When I consider my self-talk at the brink of an unwise choice it often goes like this: What difference will one frappe make in the big scheme of things? Truth is, that one frappe does make a difference. Every single time I say “no” to an unhealthy choice I’m actually saying “yes” to my goal of becoming healthier.
by Cathy Baker | Faith |
OK, I just caught the typo in the above graphic and it sent shivers down my spine but then I realized it’s hopefully probably intentional to get the point across that there’s no room for perfectionism when doing Morning Pages.
In
this post a couple weeks back, I issued a challenge of sorts to see who might be interested in giving Morning Pages a try—and then I realized my end date fell on a holiday week. Lesson learned but I still received some great feedback:
I noticed several themes when writing my pages. I’ve had to address some issues and pray about others. I realized I felt overwhelmed at times. Some needs as well as dreams surfaced as I put pen to paper. I enjoy writing my pages and plan to continue. Thank you for sharing this exercise with me.
It’s been very freeing. The mornings I’ve done this, it’s cleared my mind and I’ve been able to focus easier. I tried it a couple of evenings as well and found it helped quiet my mind for sleep. Thanks again for the challenge!
Tammie Fickas:
I
found it just as hard to make time for the morning pages as I do for
any journaling. That’s just me, though. Journaling has always been hard
for me. However, I found that when I did get the Morning Pages done it
really helped with getting my thoughts out of my head. Began to see
things more clearly in some things that I’ve ben struggling with for a
while.
Lori Roeleveld:
One
way Morning Pages helps me is that it’s like a mind-purge. It’s like a
mental defragmenter that dissolves the thought clogs that keep me from a
free flow of ideas. It’s also a free form of therapy as it reflects
back to me my own thinking in a way that confronts me with my daily
truth. When I see myself write something over and over, it forces me to
either face it or do something about it.
Like Lori, Morning Pages highlighted for me the need for a mind-purge. Debris from days past floated in my head much like orbital objects with no place to land. But once the nonsensical thoughts descended on the page, they disintegrated, readying my mind for the day ahead. I plan to do Morning Pages two mornings a week, at least for now.
Thanks to everyone for participating and especially for sharing your feedback. Lori Roeleveld is the winner of the Starbucks gift card. (Thanks
Random Name Picker) A cup of coffee (or tea!) is on its way for you to enjoy while writing away.
Several requested we do this again in a few months so stay tuned!
Happy 4th, my friends.
It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. Galatians 5:1
by Cathy Baker | Faith |
Today I was nominated for the Liebster Blog Award by Allison over at
The Budget Maven!
The Liebster Blog Award is given to bloggers by bloggers. It’s a way to acknowledge each other and say “you’re doing a great job”. It is for blogs with 200 or less followers, so it’s also a nice way to spread the word about smaller blogs and get them more readers and followers!
When you receive the award, you post 11 random facts about yourself and answer 11 questions from the person(s) who nominated you. You pass the Award onto 11 other blogs (make sure you tell them you nominated them!) and ask them 11 questions. You’re not allowed to nominate the blog(s) who nominated you! (To get the button, right click the picture on my page and save the picture to your computer. You can then upload to your blog.)
11 Random Facts:
- I’m married to a bluegrass musician (and a darn good one at that!)
- I’m a germ freak. My hands may be chapped but I can’t remember the last time I caught a cold!
- I’m a closet NASCAR fan. Yes, NASCAR. The love-fest began in 2001 at Daytona. It just happened to be the first race I’d watched in years (my mom dated a NASCAR driver for many of my teen years). When I watched Dale Earnhardt Sr. hit the wall and not emerge from his car, I was emotionally hooked.
- Autumn is my favorite season. I’m convinced heaven will be fall-like for an eternity!
- I feed my spoiled Lhasa Apso by hand. Did I just admit that?
- I would like to write a children’s book.
- I collect vintage chenille bedspreads.
- I’m not partial. I have one of the cutest granddaughters God ever created.
- I have a weakness for McDonald’s Chocolate Chip Frappe’s. Can anyone say 18 Weight Watchers points? Ouch!
- I watched the 1995 version of Pride and Prejudice (with Colin Firth as Mr. Darcy) so many times that my DVD began to flicker—so I invested in a new one. 🙂
- The study of The Tabernacle was a turning point in my Christian walk. Forget the idiom “the devil is in the details” — it’s our awesome God who is interested in every minute detail of our lives. Thank You, Lord!
Allison’s Questions for me:
1.What is your least favorite color?
Blue
2. What smell makes you the happiest?
Crisp leaves in Autumn
3. What’s one thing from your bucket list that you’ve yet to do?
Make a bucket list.
4. Who would win in a fight between a hard shell taco and a grilled cheese sandwich?
Hard shell taco, hands down. Unless we’re at Mike’s on Main Street in Hendersonville NC. Their grilled cheese with a cold root beer is yummy. I’d best stop now or I may have to change my answer to #2.
5. What’s your favorite dessert?
Birthday cake. White cake and buttercream white icing. Sweet mercy!
6. If you could trade wardrobes with a celebrity, whose closet would you raid?
Sienna Miller’s – love her style!
7. What overused expression really gets on your nerves?
“politically correct”
8. Vintage or Modern?
Vintage
9. Coke or Pepsi?
Coke…it’s classic.
10. If you had to change your name, what would you change it to?
Aubree Sophia Baker (where did that come from?)
11. If someone gave you a check for a million dollars, how would spend it?
Truly,
I would give a generous check to Summit (my awesome church!) and other
Kingdom causes. Then I’d build a cabin in the mountains where my
family could vacation together (and we could live full-time!)
Here are my nominations for the Liebster Award:
4. Julie at Anti-Writing
My Eleven Questions for Nominees:
1. Would you rather see a movie at the theater or at home on DVD? Why?
2. If someone wrote a book about your life, what would they title it?
3. Who’s your favorite singer or band?
4. If you had to choose a favorite book of the Bible, what would it be and why?
5. Fiction or non-fiction? Why?
6. How would you spend a million dollars?
7. Walmart or Target?
8. Do you parallel park or drive around the block?
9. What’s your favorite cookie?
10. If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go?
11. What recent blessing from the Lord would you like to share?
A BIG thanks to Allison at
Budget Maven for this opportunity to share and to help other blogs get noticed.
by Cathy Baker | Faith |
Thanks to friends
Lori and
Lynn, I was introduced to the book
40 Ways to Get Closer to God, by Jerry (Chip) MacGregor with Keri Wyatt Kent.
I downloaded it via
Amazon, but I’ve not yet set sail on this journey, so I’m curious—would you be interested in joining me for
this summer challenge?
Here’s a brief description of what awaits us:
Practical Steps to a Deeper Faith. Sometimes faith demands action.
This practical book gives Christians ideas for how to adjust their
hearts to get closer to God.
Each chapter contains a unique
challenge and a brief explanation that puts the challenge in context. The challenges are broad in scope, allowing
people with varying personality types and learning styles to benefit
from them.
Everyone moves at their own pace, but as I post about the various ways, you could join in the fun, if you wish. Or, if you’re more comfortable sharing one-on-one, email or meet me for coffee.
Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. James 4:8
Are you ready for a summer challenge? Me too!
I look forward to hearing from you.
