Happy New Year!! Here we are in 2021! I am expecting God’s blessings in this new year!

I am excited to introduce you to my new, updated website and blog. This is truly a new re-beginning. I plan to be more faithful to blog about my writing projects and events that are happening in our family, community, and country. I pray my posts will honor the Lord, my Savior.

Therefore take no thought saying, What shall we eat? Or, What shall we drink? Or, wherewithal shall we be clothed?… For your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you. Matthew 6:31-33

2020 was an unusual year, to say the least. Almost all of our norms have been shaken to the core. In March we were inundated by an unknown virus called COVID 19. Everyone was required to stay-at-home for what seemed like an eternity. Schools were closed and students had to have virtual classes. Retirement homes closed to all visitors, even family members. The churches could not meet and had to have services on Facebook live or Zoom. The word of friends and family who had contacted the virus came in waves.

Eventually, restaurants and businesses were allowed to open with distancing requirements and masks. Thankfully, churches opened back up with strict limitations. Parents are scrambling to work their schedules around part-time virtual learning and school attendance as the schools try to comply with all the regulations. 

In spite of all these strange and often uncomfortable restrictions and mandates God’s name and His plans are still lifted up. In spite of churches being shut down, the message of Jesus Christ went out over social media like never before. We came to realize that the church is the people, not the building. We could still meet together even if it was virtual. The circumstances we are living through have given us an opportunity to share the Gospel and the love of Jesus even more to an uncertain world.

I am so thankful to know that God is bigger than all these seemingly overwhelming situations. He has it all in His hand and is still in control of it all. He knows what we have need of and He has promised to supply our needs. But He does require that we put Him first in all things. “But seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you.” Matthew 6:33

Great Writing News My novella, “Inconvenient Love,” is in the final stages of editing and I hope to have it published before Valentine’s Day. It actually takes place between my first and second novels and is Tessa’s story. She was Elise’s roommate and friend in “Romance Along the Rails.” I finished the first draft while at the Women’s Get-Away Writer’s Retreat near Joplin, MO. last March right before the pandemic shutdown. What a great group of writer friends. They are so encouraging. I was having a difficult time with my next planned novel. One of my friends, Marty Knox, suggested I place it during the 1918 flu epidemic and WWI. Thank you for that inspiration, Marty! My next novel will be “Beauty from Ashes” and Rachel, who was Liz’s little sister in “Home for the Heart” is the main character.     The pictures below were actually taken at our March 2019 retreat. (I didn’t have any from 2020.) I hope we can meet again in March of 2021!

I Corinthians 15:3 “For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures: And that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the scriptures.” That, my friend, is the Gospel of Christ! Have you heard the Gospel? Are you ashamed of it?

When I was five-years-old, I knew I ‘d sinned and asked Jesus to be my Savior. I remember looking at the picture in my Bible Story Book of Jesus on the Cross. I realized that He did that for me! He also did it for you!

I am so thankful that Jesus came to Earth as a human being. He was completely God and completely man. You and I were born knowing how to sin. My mama didn’t have to teach me how to tell a lie or take something that didn’t belong to me. I just knew how. I know you did too. Because we are sinners, we were separated from God the Father. He is Holy and cannot look on sin. There was no way for us to get to God on our own!

But God loved us and wanted a relationship with us. John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” Luke 1:27-35 tells us that Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit, through Mary, His earthly mother. He did not receive the sin passed down through Adam to every other person who has ever lived. Even though He was tempted to sin like we are, He never sinned, so He could pay the penalty for our sins when He died on the Cross.

That’s the first part of the Gospel, but the best is yet to come. He didn’t stay dead!! He was buried and on the third day, He arose from the grave. He was fully God. That sets Him apart from every other god that the world claims. He is alive and is our mediator with God our Father. His shed blood covers our sins.

Have you accepted Him as your Savior? I’m not ashamed of the Gospel because it is the Power of God unto Salvation, to everyone who believes!! You can have that assurance too if you just call on Him, confess your sins and accept His free gift.

Our Bible study yesterday evening at church was taken from this portion of scripture. We have so many things to be thankful for.  (1)We need to Bless the Lord. That refers to bowing down before Him in humble adoration. (2) Remember all the wonderful things He has given us. 

(3) He forgives our sins and heals our diseases.                  (4) He redeems our lives from destruction and crowns us with lovingkindness and tender mercies.                                            (5) He satisfies our mouths with good things so our youth is renewed like the eagles.  

(12) He has removed our transgressions, or sins, from us as far as the east is from the west. Aren’t you glad of that?      

But the mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear Him, and his righteousness unto children’s children. Psalms 103:17  I am so grateful for these verses. We claim them for our children and grandchildren.

Don’t forget to take the time to praise God for His wonderful goodness and care of us.

Have you been touched by the Lord? Rest assured He has your life in His hands. Psalms 37:23-24 declares that He has ordered your steps and He delights in your way if you are a good man. None of us are good in our own strength so this has to be referring to God’s righteousness which we receive when we accept Jesus’ sacrifice for our sin.

To have this incredible protection from the Lord a person must acknowledge that he or she is a sinner and needs forgiveness. I John 1:9 says: If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. You can receive salvation and be covered by God’s righteousness. Pray and ask Him for forgiveness.

That being said, it’s a wonderful thing to know that the Lord has ordered our steps and that He delights in our way. Even when we fall, or mess our life up by trying to work things out on our own, we won’t be cast down because He is there to uphold us with his hand. Don’t you just love God’s Word and the promises of His provision? 

It’s been a blessing to see God’s hand in the lives of our daughter and her family as they’ve moved closer to us here in the Ozarks. His leading has been undeniable. It hasn’t been easy, and sometimes it’s taken a lot of faith to wait for the next step, but God has worked out every detail, providing them housing and jobs as well as good schools for their girls. I’m so thankful He has our lives in His capable hands.

There have been several times in my life when I’ve felt God’s touch; in times of need, I’ve felt His presence or when I’ve experienced His direct leading as circumstances fall into place in a supernatural way. It’s also wonderful to witness God’s hand in the lives of family and friends. These times aren’t necessarily frequent, but that makes them extra special when they do occur.

Have there been times in your life when you’ve felt God’s touch? Please share in the comments.

God’s Love is immeasurable!

Thankfulness for God’s Love

For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world: but that the world through Him might be saved.      John 3:16-17

But God commendeth His love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.       Romans 5:8

I can never be thankful enough for God’s amazing Love!! He loved us so much, He sent His Son, Jesus, to be born, to live a sinless life among us, and to die in our place. He paid the penalty for our sins!  To show our gratitude for His great sacrifice on our account, we must ask Him to forgive our sins and receive His free gift of salvation.

But as many as received Him, to them gave He the power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name.      John 1:12

The Spirit itself bears witness with our Spirit, that we are the children of God. And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with Him, that we may be also glorified together.             Romans 8:16-17

 He gives us the marvelous gift of becoming His child with all the rights and privileges. To show our gratefulness for His amazing gift of Salvation, He asks that we love Him in return.

Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment.      Matthew 22:37-38

And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.      I Corinthians 13:13

Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us, and sent His Son to be the propitiation (substitute) for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another. We love Him because He first love us.               I John 4:10,11,19

If you have never received God’s wonderful love by asking Him to forgive your sins and receiving Him as your Savior, today would be a great day to do that!

Trust and acknowledge. They are not always easy acts to accomplish. One of my favorite verses is Proverbs 3:5-6. Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths. Trust is an attribute we have to practice. It is much easier to lean on our own understanding. We usually think we have a better plan. If God would only get busy and do things our way. Not so much!! God’s plan and His timing are always right. He says we are not to lean on our own understanding! We are to acknowledge Him. There’s that big word. We have to realize that He is in control. He has promised that He will direct our paths. What a neat promise!   

God used this verse in my life in a very real way when I was dating Bob. I had surrendered my life to be a missionary and Bob did not feel that call. I decided I’d have to break up with him, because how could that work out. Right? God brought me to this verse, and the phrase, “Lean not unto thine own understanding”, jumped off the page at me. I realized I was trying to work things out. I trusted and acknowledged God. Guess what! God used us as missionaries in the small town of Coldwater, KS. We lived there for 21 years while our kids were growing up. We have had many testimonies from friends and acquaintances who were touched by God just by our living our lives and sharing His love. Only Heaven will show the results. I’m sure glad I learned to trust and acknowledge the Lord!