Blooming in the Dark ~ Valerie Ronald

image by Leuchtturm81 from Pixabay

A tiny yellow flower wobbled atop a skinny stem pushing stubbornly through a crack in the unyielding pavement. I stopped to look at it, admiring its tenacity to sprout in such a hostile environment. I glimpsed hope in its brave stretch toward the sun. Could my dream of writing ever grow amid the relentless emotional abuse and humiliation I lived with every day? Could the seed of my creativity find a way to bloom in the dark?

During the years when I was raising children and trying to survive in a dysfunctional marriage, my writing ambitions were buried under constant struggles. As I limped from one crisis to another, my dreams faded from neglect. Whatever efforts I made to write were quickly crushed and ridiculed by my husband. He felt threatened by any personal pursuits I might have. In his version of marriage there was room for only one person to shine, and that was him. 

He did not succeed in completely stamping out the writer in me. I wrote often in my journal as a way to process my emotions. I wrote letters to friends and family. I even invented a game with my children where we wrote stories together. When I accepted Jesus into my life, I realized it was He who gave me the gift of writing. That is why the dream of being a writer never left me. As the giver of the gift, He would not let it die. 

Eventually, my children and I were left more on our own as my husband chased his selfish pursuits. Although his neglect created new stress, his absence gave me time and freedom to begin writing for publication. The few of my articles accepted, and writing contests I won bolstered my depleted confidence, yet I felt guilty for keeping these small successes from my husband. When I finally told him, he insisted the only writing I should do was for his business, developing brochures and newsletters. According to him, personal creative writing stole from his income. 

I quit writing for publication and contests, but I still wrote in private. It was impossible for me not to write at all. The deep joy and fulfillment I experienced as I wrote could only come from God, who created me to write for Him. Time I spent reading His Word gave me limitless inspiration and material to write about. 

When my marriage reached its breaking point after numerous betrayals and emotional abuse, writing was a lifeline for me. I poured out my heart in my journal where I could honestly express my deepest struggles and emotions without being judged. 

Through this traumatic time God taught me deep truths about Himself that I would not trade for any number of easier days. Often my journal entries began with angry rants or great sadness, but in the process of writing down my feelings, the hurt and anger gradually transformed into prayers of gratitude and devotion. When I surrendered my circumstances to Almighty God, I knew I could trust Him to work them out for His good purposes. 

Those days are now a distant memory. Eventually I married a godly man who wholeheartedly supports my call to write. He encouraged me to publish a recently released book in which lessons I learned in the hard times show up in many of the devotional pieces. 

Whenever I see a flower growing out of a crack in the pavement I think about the tenacity of God-given hope. His purposes for the gift He has given us will not be set aside. Even if buried for a time, He keeps alive our desire to exercise and enjoy the gift, like a small seed buried under the pavement. Reaching for His light, it will bloom again.

Valerie Ronald writes from an old roll top desk in Portage la Prairie, Manitoba, with her tortoiseshell cat for a muse. A graduate of Langara College School of Journalism, she writes devotionals, fiction, and inspirational prose. Her purpose in writing is to encourage others to grow in their spiritual walk. She has recently published a devotional book, "Each Shining Moment - Lingering in God's Light."

Give Thanks Anyway by Carol Harrison

 

         photo by Carol Harrison

It’s the season when our thoughts are directed towards giving thanks. Yet it should be something we do continually. But the question becomes, “How do we accomplish that in the midst of the difficult times of life?”

One of the worst times in my writing journey happened decades ago. Yet it remains a vivid memory. A single comment from a teacher negated the good mark on my short story and I believed I couldn’t write well. A second comment a few months later along with a failing grade from an English professor convinced me of my inability to write. Thankfulness never entered my mind. Discouragement did. I stuffed my enjoyment of writing deep inside, telling myself I’d focus on passing my classes. I’d forget the idea I could write anything remotely reader friendly.

Looking back, I dwelt in that belief for a few decades before giving in to pressure from my husband to try and write. I argued I wasn’t a writer. I didn’t know how. He encouraged. I grumbled and then tried. Thankfulness didn’t enter my mind.

Then God sent others into my life to encourage and give direction in how to become unstuck. I began to learn what I’d hidden away for years. I learned lessons in giving thanks in between but in that one area involving writing, I remained unthankful; fearful of letting others reading what I wrote.

Over the years, God in his patience and mercy kept nudging me towards lessons in giving thanks in all situations including writing. I still struggle with being obedient to His command when life is hard and words won’t come. Yet God reminds me He’ll use my pain for His glory and my good when I give him the broken pieces of my life. I don’t have to like the dry times, the lack of ideas, and words to fill a blank space won’t appear but I still need to give thanks.

Then I remember to reread Psalm 103 and am reminded of all there is to give thanks to God for.

Psalm 103:2-5 (NIV)

² Praise the Lord, my soul and forget not all his benefits—

³ Who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases,

⁴ Who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion,

⁵ Who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's.

The Psalm continues with so many reasons to praise the Lord and give thanks for all God is and does for me. For that I can give thanks in all situations of my life, even when facing a blank page that waits for ideas and words.

Carol Harrison writes from her home in Saskatoon, SK. She enjoys reading, family times and history too.

By Lorilee Guenter

 

Photo by Lorilee Guenter;
Grasslands National Park

In the Psalms we often read a mix of lament and praise. David and others often cry out to God in difficult times. How long oh God, how long will you forsake me? How long must I face this alone? Even as they cry out, their words show they know they are not really alone. They just feel alone.

In Psalm 13:2 David cries, "how long must I wrestle with my thoughts and day after day have sorrow in my heart? How long will my enemy triumph over me?" By the end of the song, he will sing the Lord's praise, "for he has been good to me." There's no evidence in this psalm that David's situation has changed yet he trusts.

I wrestle with my thoughts. I cry out, "why Lord why do I have to face betrayal by my own mind, my own body? You created me in reverence with wonderful complexity (Psalm 139) so I can serve you, love you and glorify you. How Lord? How do I do that with a traitorous brain?"

I trust because I know in the depths of who I am, the place the Holy Spirit speaks, I know I am not walking this path alone. I know, but my traitorous humanity tries to convince me that my trust is misplaced. It calls me to turn away, to turn back. It councils me to trust only what I can see.

Like David, I'm learning not to stop at "how long?" But move through to, "even so I trust." I still sit with unchanged circumstances, my body falters, my brain betrays me. Even so I trust.

God is with me in the desert. Jesus spent 40 days in the desert after his baptism. He walked with the Israelites through the wilderness, leading them and teaching them. He walks with me, with us, even in the desert places. He is with us in the wilderness.

How long oh Lord, must I feel dry, ideas withered, stillborn? Challenging me to hide with sorrow for myself and for others. How long Lord, until I learned this lesson and can move on? And yet I trust. The answers don't come and yet I trust because I know I don't walk alone. I trust because the only one who can perfectly keep his promises, says he will be with me. And so in the middle of the storm, I will sing his praises as I trust. The Holy Spirit will walk this road with me.

Lorilee Guenter is a Saskatoon based artist and writer. Her writing stems from the many questions she finds herself pondering and from the things she observes on her wanderings. One such question is how did events she lived through become the subject of history. More of her writing can be found on her Substack.       

                                                                                                                   

Sincere and Prayerful, but Unprepared by Michelle Joy Teigrob

 

With the dream of winning a big-name secular contest several years ago, I sat down to write my story.

Hours sank away as I oh-so-carefully crafted my article. Like a carpenter putting together the most delicate fine furniture, I tried to select only the finest verbs and adjectives, glued together by the most exquisite sentence forms. Here’s just one example: “Her wing of polished, brown hair is hemmed by morning sunlight, but her face is shaded.”

I really did try to put out my writing best.

I also did not compromise my deeply-held values. My main message in the story is to show that we are all bound together as humans, regardless of our background and race. The story is based on my real-life experience of supporting a young refugee who is blind and cannot speak. While language and cultural differences loom like large walls all around us, his mother and I share tears of joy when the boy is heard saying a few words.

As I aim to do with all my writing, I prayed for God to guide and anoint my work.

In the end, despite my prayers, hard work, and good intentions, the story did not place at all in the contest.

It took several years before I could whisper sincere thanks that the article had not been recognized. My gratitude flowed as I realized that with my story I had been wading into a political tide that I was not prepared to handle. I had been writing sincerely but quite naively, and I see now God’s hand of protection.

Proverbs 19:2 says, “Zeal without knowledge is not good; a person who moves too quickly may go the wrong way” (NLT).

Having pure and prayerful hearts as we write is a must. It’s also wise to do our research and be astute about the possible implications of what we are publishing. This is where going slowly can be helpful as it gives us time to deeply think through all sides and angles of the content we are creating.

This is not to say we never publish for fear of backlash. Instead, I am learning, it is wise to be aware that we might receive backlash and are prayerfully prepared to respond.

As for that article I crafted with such diligence, I’ve since made revisions and shared it elsewhere. Potential political ramifications still exist, but I believe I am now better prepared to respond to them, with God’s help.

Michelle Joy Teigrob blogs on Substack and at michellejoybooks.ca. Her mission is to share true stories and articles from a heart seared by this message after being shattered by the deaths of 3 sisters: In the end, one thing will remain above all.

 

Rejection is Just Redirection by Peggianne Wright

Photo credit: P. Wright, 2026

WOW…that hurt! When my dearest friend told me via email that she didn’t want to study the Bible with me any longer, that was about as gut-wrenching as it gets. We’d been sharing the Lord’s Word for over a year so it was truly heartbreaking news. Through days of flooding tears and agonizing self-recriminations, I couldn’t think of much else. It dogged my every thought, coming back over and over as I reread her email in my head again and again. The sting of the words and the feeling of abandonment. The REJECTION.

Rejection. Just writing the word makes me sad. But when it’s coupled with something sacred like sharing scripture together, it feels so much more sorrowful. It stirs a plethora of shattered feelings in my heart and soul.

God’s timing is perfect. We all know that. In fact, when my father passed away in April of 2020, just as COVID was ramping up, I cried at his bedside that I wouldn’t have anyone to share my faith with after he’d gone. It had been just him and me loving the Lord together after Mom had passed away two years earlier. Then, out of the blue and totally unexpectedly my friend asked if I would like to do a Bible study with her. God did that!

For an entire year, I created and wrote a weekly Bible study walking us through the New Testament. But when she decided to quit, I was shattered and stunned. I kept asking God for answers. Was I too much this or not enough that? In my love of the Word and zest for learning, had I become too intense? Had my desire to share and teach overstepped boundaries? Had I been insensitive to my friend in some way? What had I done or not done? Was I simply a COVID distraction? On and on and on.

The Lord knows I am a “bottler” and I don’t always hand my problems to Him right away. At the first hint of a negative situation, I roll up in a tight ball like an armadillo. So, my first impulse was to go into hiding; basically isolate myself from the rest of the world. After all, in my deep humiliation of being rejected, it was a natural human reaction. Right? Sure, human but absolutely not Christian.

A few days later, as I was driving home from an errand that had taken me over an hour’s highway drive east, the “replay button” in my head still kept clicking. Why? Why? Why? And then, “What do I do now?”

But then God decided enough was enough! Enough tears. Enough sad feelings. Enough self-pity.

All of a sudden, I began to realize that this was God’s message to me to get serious about pursuing plans I had put on hold for over a year already. Plans I had never had time to act on because of this study with my friend.

A huge burden seemed to melt and I immediately began to feel some excitement. I realized at that moment that this was God’s planning all along!

“Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.” (Proverbs 3:5-6 NIV)

Often, if we’re quiet in our pain, God will come alongside and provide the guidance we need to navigate a dark time. During that solo car trip, He laid out a fresh two-forked path that blessed me enormously.

Fork 1: The Launch of a Dream.

For the better part of 18 months before all the turmoil unfolded, I had been harbouring a dream of launching a unique ministry and writing career. At that very moment, my Paws To Pray pet parent ministry was born. And, in the five years since, I have also been blessed to have written and published five books. I’ve been published in Guideposts and collaborated with a group of Christian women writers on a writer’s devotional.

Fork 2: Personal Growth.

Dealing with rejection isn’t a one-size-fits-all strategy. Working through it takes courage and strength and honesty. When broken down into a few steps, I found that dealing with a wide range of emotions became manageable, allowing each one to be recognized and attended to.

Acknowledging the hurt we feel is one of the most important steps. If possible, put down thoughts on paper and then even put them into prayer.

Be kind to oneself in the process. Write a short list of some positive things about yourself including some of your strengths and values. This will help face self-doubt. Then pray over it.

Take time to process your feelings. Be sure to reserve reaction for later. Ask God to hold your hand.

Look for the positive take-aways. It may take time for this to happen but, with the right attitude and mindset, you’ll realize that a lesson of some kind, a new opportunity, some other positive experience, or even the removal of a negative circumstance has come from this.

As part of this rejection, I had considered stepping back from this friendship altogether. But, I realized that I was acting completely opposite to what Jesus expects of me. Putting myself in my friend’s shoes helped me accept that the time had come to make a change and I should be grateful that we shared those many months growing our faith together.

Facing rejection head on with God’s guidance, I realized a dream that has given me purpose; pointing others to Him. When I wondered with whom I would share my faith after that, God whispered, “I created a whole wide world out there for you to share your faith.”

His gentle reminder tells me that rejection isn’t bad if it’s view as an opportunity. In fact, today’s rejection is really God’s redirection.

Peggianne Wright is a published author and is the founder of the pet parent ministry Paws To Pray, blending her passion for the Lord and all-things-K9 to form this unique, faith-based community. Peggianne is an ardent Bible study student, devoted dog mom, wife of 44 years, and lover of music. Her blogs Spiritual Scribbles and Fur-Kid Fanatics can be found on her website www.PawsToPray.ca and you can follow her on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/PawsToPray/ and on IG @Sister_In_Prayer.

Unthankful: 0 Files Found by Bob Jones

 Photo by Ato Aikins on Unsplash

 

Have you ever transferred computer files from one server to another? It should be simple, right? You move the files. You check that everything arrived. You move on.

At least, that's what I thought.

For more than a year, I had been piecing together a book. I had collected quotes from books I was reading, sections from sermons I had preached, and stories about people who had inspired me. Slowly, the pieces were beginning to form something I cared about.

The title was going to be Believe Well, Live Well: The Essential Faithful Life.

The premise was simple: learning to believe what is true is essential to learning to live faithfully. What we believe about God, ourselves, other people, suffering, truth, and the future inevitably shapes the way we live.

Then our organization changed servers.

An IT technician was assigned to transfer the files of our staff, including mine. The process was completed, and I thought nothing more about it.

Until a few weeks later. I went looking for the file containing my book.

It wasn't there.

I searched again.

Nothing.

I searched all my files by the title.

Zero files found.

The technician did his own search.

Same result.

I felt sick.

Eventually, we discovered that a segment of my files had never transferred.

The technician was as mystified as I was. "This doesn't make sense. I don't know what happened to your files."

The files were gone.

So was a year of work.

This happened more than thirty years ago,

but I can still remember the feeling of despair. My colleagues encouraged me to reconstruct the manuscript from memory, but I couldn't bring myself to do it. I didn't have the heart for it.

I couldn't get my head around trying to recreate something that had taken me more than a year to assemble. I wanted the manuscript back. And when I couldn't have it back, I gradually convinced myself that perhaps it didn't matter.

My own worst enemy of an inner voice began whispering:

The book probably wouldn't have been very good anyway. Maybe it's just as well the file disappeared.

And my busy schedule provided a convenient excuse to move on.

Looking back, there is an irony I completely missed at the time.

The book was called Believe Well, Live Well. And I certainly wasn't believing well.

The writing prompt for this month brought that memory back to me:

"Share a story of when you found it difficult to give

thanks in your writing life. What did God teach you

through that experience?"

I wasn't thankful thirty years ago. And, honestly, I'm not particularly thankful for losing the manuscript today. But I am thankful for this writers' group.

I'm thankful for a writing prompt that reached back three decades and pulled an unfinished story back into the light.

And perhaps I'm beginning to understand what God might have been teaching me.

I still believe the premise of that long-lost book:

Believing well doesn't mean believing that everything

will go well. It means believing what is true

even when things don't go well.

Maybe the book wasn't lost after all.

Maybe only the first draft was.

Have you ever lost a manuscript? A file? Or simply the motivation to continue something you once believed was worth doing?

Maybe it's time to begin again.

 

Thank you for reading.

A Prayer to the Giver of Words by Lorrie Orr

 

October's Prompt: Believers are told to “give thanks in all circumstances.” Share a story of when you found it difficult to give thanks in your writing life. What did God teach you through that experience?

Photo: Lorrie Orr

Sometimes the words come easily and sometimes they don't. This was a month when writing a post was like pulling teeth. Hence, a prayer, always a good idea.

A Prayer to the Giver of Words

O God and Word come to earth

In your mysterious gifting you have given me the desire

To fashion words into beauty and meaning.

On mornings when the leaves dance in the light,

and my garden is alive with dahlias bright and sprawling cosmos;

when hummingbirds whirr in the top of the birch tree,

and the Dark-eyed Juncos dart in and out of the hedge,

A sense of wellness sinks deep into my being.

Words, like flocks of feathers, alight on the page,

And I am satisfied with their shape.

Yes, I say, and thank you.

 

On mornings when the wind curls around the corners of my soul

And rain batters my heart

When words are mere marks on paper or screen,

ugly and stupid,

when beauty is trapped as I wrestle –

this word or that one,

this sentence here, or there, or nowhere --

I sit empty and frustrated.

Then.

In despair,

I remember your words and I find shelter.

And steadiness. And hope. And love.

I trust you, the giver of blessings and of words,

And I believe beyond my feelings

that in days or weeks or months,

the words will once again fly lightly and land with grace,

shaped into beauty that honours your gift.

Lorrie Orr writes from Vancouver Island, BC.

She is the author of one book, a memoir, Life is Short but Wide,

and has a number of other books waiting to be worked on,

as well as a vast amount of writing in her head.

She also writes on Substack and her personal slice of life blog.

 

Ten Things in Four (Actually Three) Months by Colleen van Nieuwkerk

 

Photo by Colleen van Nieuwkerk

Fall is my favorite season. I always loved the beginning of a new year of school, whether that was for me, or for my children as they were growing up. My years in church ministry also felt the same as the summer break ended and a new focus for the next year was usually presented.

And now, in retirement, especially this particular fall, I seem to have several projects that need completion.

This theme has proven to be appropriate.

1. I try to read my Bible every day, and I love to read in Chronological Order—God’s Big Story which shows me my story within it. This year I am reading in The Bible Recap which is in Chronological Order with a short write-up to explain the Scripture passage for that day. My desire is to complete this by December 31. It has been good, and I have been encouraged and convicted as I have read new insights.

2. My first step in fall is usually to set up my Planner and Journal for the next year. As it happens, I have not done this yet for August 2026 to July 2027. Life has hurried by and so this is a priority as there are family and personal events and projects to track.

3. Since 2015, I have been creating, writing and teaching a course for women, Heart2Heart: Strength and Dignity. I have written a Full Course with five units, and then a singular, year-long course for each of those units. This year I am completing the final singular course as I write and teach it. There are many details involved in this ministry, but the next step I hope to complete before the New Year is to begin to create a coiled workbook for each of those units. This will simplify the process of teaching in future years.

4. I have the opportunity to teach a weekend overview as an introduction/ refresher to Heart2Heart in November. This will require the opposite of writing and expanding units, instead taking the basics and reducing the information while keeping it relevant. The Full Course is intense with Bible and Book reading besides projects. The Unit Courses are less intense but include Bible and Book studies. This new cohort will be retreat-style.

5. My manuscript for my Memoir: An Unfolding Life, Giving My “Yes” to Jesus is presently in formatting and will be published before Christmas. I have published articles previously but never a book. The privilege of launching the book and inviting people to purchase it is my fifth project.

6. Since entering widowhood in 2019 my blog has basically been dormant. The Memoir and Heart2Heart are interconnected, and so the business side of writing for both includes creating a landing page for the book, setting up Substack or the blog space to reach more women, and social media to go alongside. This will take time.

7. I also have a family and we enjoy “hanging out.” Family dinners. Birthdays. Christmas. Grandchildren dates are all important.

8. Extended family time is also good. A wedding in southern Alberta will involve a thirteen-hour trip one way on Thanksgiving weekend.

9. My office space is a nightmare right now, and I never seem to have enough time to finish off organizing it like my plan says. Anyone else have that issue? I am the Family Historian/Scrapbooker and a Writer so the paperwork never ends. If you have any tips about how you do this, I would love to hear them.

10. Life is full. I also suffer with fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue which means some days no project work is done. My life is quiet these days, and I am so thankful for the privilege of having these assignments God has given me. In reality, as long as I can dream, think, write, and type, I have something to do. I also love to crochet, and even color sometimes, to justify my television watching in the evenings. I am blessed.

Thanks for the invitation to give you a glimpse into my quiet and not-so-quiet life. My motto is “stay in the day” and “just do the next right thing”. I loved reading your posts about this as well—blessings as you walk through fall and into the winter season.

Colleen van Nieuwkerk is GG to three sons plus 3; twelve grandchildren; and two great-grandsons. She loves to read and enjoys reading to the littles in the family as well as gifting books to them. Colleen writes curriculum for women as well as teaches and is currently writing the story in book form of how this all came about. She lives in northern Alberta and can be found online @colleenvannieuwkerk.com

Finishing Off 2026 by Sandra Rafuse

                                 Before                                                      After

"What ten things will you be doing in the last four months of 2026?" the September prompt asked. "Don't be limited by the number - choose any number you like," the last sentence stated. Oh good, I thought. It doesn't have to be ten. I'll try for five. I decided to look back over the previous blogs that had been posted so far this month and jot down any topics I thought I would want to be doing also. Here are the five I chose:

• a thorough house cleaning
• writing in my journal regularly
• renew a couple of friendships that I have let go
• reduce my time on my cell phone
• work on finishing up a story I started a few weeks ago.

 1. A thorough house cleaning. Actually it's not that I need to do a house cleaning so much as I need to do a "declutter and organize" campaign. I tend to put things down and leave them right there. I don't give them much thought after that because I figure I'll remember where they are when I'm ready to deal with them . . . or so I tell myself.  Really, my thought most often is, I'll deal with it later. But it's highly likely I won't.

Reading the following quote from Elisabeth Elliot convicted me strongly of the fact that I had no excuse to have a cluttered, unorganized house. I found it hard to read because I knew it was true and it showed me very clearly that the way I was living was not honoring God.

"The way you keep your house, the way you organize your time, the care you take in your personal appearance, the things you spend your money on, all speak loudly about what you believe. The beauty of thy peace shines forth in an ordered life. A disordered life speaks loudly of disorder in the soul." Elisabeth Elliot,  Let Me Be a Woman   

2. Writing in my journal regularly. I know this is so important. When it's happening, I'm feeling good.  When it's not happening, I'm feeling bad. I know I need a regular time and a specific place to do it everyday.  I'm determined to get there.

3. Renew a couple of friendships that I have let go. There are two people in my life who I was once close to and with whom I no longer have any contact with. They have been on my mind lately and I believe it's time for me to look them up. This isn't going to be easy for me; there a lot of mixed feelings I need to deal with here and they are not all pleasant. I am reminded of one of the best pieces of advice I ever heard from a pastor, "You can't control how people will respond to you when you interact with them, but you can control how you respond. You can be the best person you need to be at that time."  I've never forgotten those words and they have helped me be a better person to many people in different situations. "A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger." (Proverbs 15:1 NIV) 

 4. Reduce my time on my cell phone. I want to break the hold I have allowed my cell phone to have on me. It is always with me and and it is rarely out of my sight. I put it down and then I reach for it again almost immediately. Worst of all, it takes me away from spending much needed time with my husband. Recently, I found an article on the internet called "7 Proven Ways to Break Your Cell Phone Addiction." And, yes, I'm on it!  After reading a few scary addiction facts and finding out the damage this usage can cause, I've started using two of the seven recommendations:

• Don't charge your phone near your bed:
• Change your phone settings.

5. Work on finishing up a short story I started a few weeks ago. The pictures at the top of this post come from the middle of the story, and if you've looked at them, I'm guessing you can figure out what the story is about. There's a very interesting beginning and a very nice ending. I figure it's about one third completed, and I want to finish it while the memory of what took place is still fresh in my mind.

WAIT! There's one more thing to add. No one else has mentioned this.  A couple of weeks ago, one of my sons told me he thinks I am a classic case of someone who has ADHD. When he said that, I felt my entire body relax. It was a very noticeable feeling. Then my brain said, Well that explains why . . . and my whole life flashed before my eyes! I'm going to research this in the coming weeks because I think he's right!

P.S. Elisabeth Elliot was the wife of Jim Elliot, one of the five men who were killed by the Auca tribe in Ecuador when the men went to spread Christianity to them in January of 1956.

 

Sandra Rafuse lives in the small town of Rockglen, Saskatchewan with her husband, Bob, a Gordon Setter named Sadie, and a Peregrine falcon named Peet. She is a retired elementary school teacher who still loves to go into used bookstores to comb through the shelves of books in the children's section to see what treasures she can find. Spring and summer are her favorite seasons and walking is her choice of movement.

The Original Ten by Brenda J Wood

 

Image by wal_172619 from Pixabay

Again, this year, instead of fifty things to do before I die, I determine to concentrate on the original ten. I intentionally examine my life for areas where I put anything before God and his will for me. I confess to making a few graven images over the years; whether by chance or happenstance. I ask God to help me recognize them and then help me clear them out of my life.

My tongue often slips a gear or two and drops words that disrespect God’s holiness. And I have to guard my eyes too. What am I reading or watching?

I will make the Sabbath Day a holy experience by setting aside my to-do list and connecting with God and others.

I honoured my parents the best I could while they were alive and now, I honour their memory, by remembering the good things about them, not dwelling on their human failures.

I haven’t physically killed anyone (that I know of), but I have slaughtered a few with unkind words and untruths about them. It is rumoured that canola oil is a bug killer and therefore will kill us. The truth is, it smothers bugs. but I doubt that humans will be dunked in it.

Physical adultery never crossed my mind, but my actions sometimes separated me from God, my spiritual spouse. I confess I sometimes withhold my thoughts, actions or finances from God when it suits my purposes. I’ve taken credit when the credit belonged to God, I’ve mistreated my own body, in contradiction to God’s commands for its treatment. And then I treat these failures as small and unimportant in God’s eyes.

I confess to bearing false witness. I’ve shared gossip and passed other untruths because I didn’t check facts. Currently, some stopped eating ketchup because it is now made with a slurry not tomato paste. A slurry to the mix of tomatoes not yet boiled down to the consistency of paste. Little knowledge and a big mouth bearing false witness against others.

And finally, I willfully crave what others have, like another anniversary with my dear husband, or abundant income or stable weight that includes daily quarts of ice-cream and brownies.

These ten set high standards, but they aren’t mine. They are God’s. (Exodus 20:1-17) Again this year, I aim to fulfill them in my life. Will I? Probably not. But my goal is to stop treading in the old footpaths of my errors and start a newly forgiven path with goals that count.

The Lord said to his people, “Stand at the crossroads and look. Ask for the ancient paths and where the best road is. Walk in it, and you will live in peace.” (Jeremiah 6:16, GN)

Brenda J Wood has authored more than fifty books. She is a seasoned motivational speaker, who declares the Word of God with wisdom, humour, and common sense.

A Loose Plan by Brenda Leyland

 

Image by Gizelle Kei from Pixabay

With summer gone by in a blur and September nearing the end of its allotted 30 days, this last quarter certainly has arrived in a hurry. And, in keeping with the pace, I am writing this post on the fly, as I don't have much spare time these days to ponder or plan more thoughtfully. Still, there is just enough room to squeeze in a '90-day project space' before Christmas (Sep 23 to Dec 21). It's long enough to achieve something, yet short enough to see the end in sight with a good chance of not losing all momentum.

So, what do I still hope to accomplish before the year's end? My list is a loose, slightly incoherent, collection of hopes for tiny steps forward.

1. Help Mom settle into her new home where she won't have to cook for herself ever again—which makes my almost-91-year-old mom (and all our family) relieved... and happy. Continue to tie up loose ends from the move and sort out unexpected glitches (of which there has been a pile to deal with). Continue to support and lend a hand and ear when and where needed.

2. Walk every day with my hubby. Being sure to enjoy the beauty of Nature around me as the season changes: watching the leaves flutter down like butterflies; crunching through the murmuration of leaves skittering across the road in shifting gusts of wind, spying glimmering vees of geese or a harvest moon on a clear night.

3. Try to slow the alarming loss of muscle mass happening in my aging body. I do cardio every day but now I'm definitely adding resistance, core, and strengthening to my routine.

4. Clear the clobber. From my desk; from my online files and social media; from the corners, cupboards, and rooms of my house (not to forget the basement and garage). I first stumbled across the word "clobber" in British novelist Rosamunde Pilcher's book, Winter Solstice. The person using the word had been referring to the collection of someone's life stuff left after they'd passed on. That word "clobber" tickled my funny bone. Although it wasn't quite so funny after having helped dear friends and my 90-year-old mom dismantle their homes this year as they prepared to move into small suites in assisted living facilities. The pressure and the stress of decision making for them, as well as those who came alongside to help, make me eager to get on with my own clobber clearing.

5. Read. For relaxation, comfort, and calming of my mind from all frets, worries, and to-do lists. I enjoy seasonal and historical novels. Nature anthologies. Poetry. Mysteries. Memoirs. Plus, I wouldn't mind focusing more on my ever-widening collection of books 'Yet Unread'.

6. Begin the dismantling of 40 years of journaling stored in over 200 notebooks. I saw someone recommending that people should, instead of endless scrolling on social media, dip into their own journals and notebooks for encouragement and ideas on what to write about. I like the idea of researching my own journals for writing fodder.  

7. Continue to write for my It's A Beautiful Life blog with the idea of perhaps transferring to writing on Substack at some point (still need to research that out). Continue to guest post here on the InScribe blog.

8. Think about how I could repurpose many of my blog posts (the number hovers now around 1500) to curate into a 'body of work'. Blogging has been my favourite place to share my writing—my blog has been home for my writer's soul for close to 20 years now.

9. Rest. I can't help anyone else if I don't take care of myself first. And listen for the word I need for each day: "Step here... and here... and here." Take things one day at a time when things get overwhelming. Not everything needs looking at, thinking about, or dealing with today. 

10. Remember to laugh. For the joy of the Lord is my strength. And humour goes a long way in restoring one's mindset. I remember years ago at work, when my office was piled high with photocopy boxes filled with incoming correspondence to deal with, I felt the Lord willing me, cajoling me to laugh at the piles. I also remember it was an effort, but I felt Him smiling at me... willing me to try. And I felt a lifting of my overwhelmed heart. I knew He was going to be there to help me through it all. And He was.

Note: The memoir I was determined to finish this year is on hold. There are no plans to pick it up in the near future. Other needful things presently take up my time and energy.

Brenda writes from her desk by the window that overlooks her garden, the sky, and the birds. You can find her 'slice of life' writing on her It's A Beautiful Life blog. She is also on Facebook and Instagram (under Bren Leyland).