The Written Word – A Vital Part of My Life by Elizabeth Volk (Guest Post)

Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash

 

Early in life, I developed a love for reading and books. By junior high, writing was added to my literary list. And thus began my relationship with words. I wrote stories. I wrote poems. And I wrote in lieu of speaking. My most meaningful conversations with friends were via letters.

By the time I was in High School, I spoke very little on a personal level. I had some Christian friends who welcomed me back when I attended their youth meetings for a second time. I was recognized and acknowledged, which is much more than I got from the crowd I had, until then, hung out with. That drew me to Jesus, and I came home from a youth retreat at Briercrest Bible Institute (as it was then known) knowing HIM personally.

I continued to read and to write, and received my discipleship training via the printed word. The next major event was Bible school, and along the way, I was taught (by friends) to talk as well as write. I couldn’t believe that they actually encouraged me to say what was on my mind without carefully choosing words!

That was all many years ago, and much has happened in the intervening years. Yet, one thing that remains a vital part of my life is the written word. My vision is deteriorating and I have fewer opportunities to read and write, but it does not lessen my yearning to do so.

When I was first learning to express myself in writing, a song that caught my attention has within its lyrics the line “It’s only words, and words are all I have, to take your heart away.”  In a sense, this defines my communication – I am not in the habit of taking people’s hearts away, but I do seek to impact them with what I write.

The message I desire to share with others most is the Good News of the Gospel. I know that words are not sufficient – the things done display the love and grace of Jesus most eloquently. However, words can have an important role in helping people to understand and eventually express their faith. To confess Jesus as Saviour and Lord is a specific act that demands the use of spoken (or written) words. And the Word of God is, of course, written.

I do believe that the communication by word is as vital as the works we do to share the Gospel.  ^“So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.” (Romans 10:17 ESV). There are many who are much more fluent in writing than in speaking, and at times it can be intimidating to be told we need to share the Good News vocally. Not all are gifted to speak – some really are gifted in writing instead of speaking. God uses both according to what He has blessed His children with. (And some folks read more comprehensively than they listen!!) The onus is on us to share the Good News – in whatever manner God enables.

 

A Matter of Conscience by Marcia Lee Laycock

    A Matter of Conscience by Marcia Lee Laycock

                                                   Photo by Tim Mossholder on Unsplash

I read the notice with rising interest and excitement. There were grants available for writers in Alberta! Really? The government would pay me to write? I clicked on the icon and began reading. It didn’t take long for me to decide I needed to print out the information so I could absorb it more readily.

The printer was almost done when my husband arrived home from a ministerial meeting. I knew the pastors in our area were discussing an important issue that would have a serious effect on our community, so I stepped out of my office to greet him.

“How did it go?”

“Well, pretty well I guess. Everyone’s on board, but no one stepped up to spearhead the initiative, so I guess it’s going to be me.”

I knew having another thing on his agenda was not what he wanted right now, but I also knew that he was passionate about doing whatever he could to slow or perhaps even stop the installation of video lottery terminals (VLT’s) in the hotels and bars in our town. We’d seen the devastating effects of gambling addiction. The idea of our government sanctioning the terminals that would make it even easier to fall into that addiction was high on our list of things to fight against.

“How about you? How was your day?”

I remembered the document I’d just printed out and explained that I was pretty excited about it. “From what I’ve read so far, I think I might qualify.”

He smiled and nodded but I could tell the other topic was heavy on his mind and heart. I headed for the kitchen. A hearty lunch and a good cup of tea might help.

It was a couple of days before I found the time to read that document about writers’ grants. My excitement built again as I read and ticked off the criteria for applying. Then I read the ‘fine print,’ and my excitement was quickly dampened. Part of the funding for these arts grants came from gambling proceeds collected by the government. I groaned and almost tossed the sheets of paper into the recycle bin. I stared at them for some time before placing them on the corner of my desk. I’ll have a look again later, I thought.

A few weeks went by. My husband was interviewed by local media, both print and radio, about the problem with VLTs, explaining that though it looked like the money raised would stay in the community, the opposite was true. He detailed the devastating effects of gambling that got out of control, telling the story of a friend who had lost his home and his family because of the addiction. It noted that it seemed ironic that part of the government’s plan was to set up more facilities that would deal with gambling addiction, while still installing more and more terminals.

As time went on we began to realize that we were fighting an uphill battle that we probably would not win. But we kept trying. My husband gave one last interview just before the first VLT was installed in a local hotel. On that same day I found that pile of paper that detailed the opportunity for writers to acquire grants for pursuing their careers.

I mentioned my dilemma to a writer friend. She did not seem to understand. “Why not redeem that money?” she asked. “You’ll be using it to promote the gospel, so I wouldn’t worry about where it came from.”

I could see her point of view. Truth be told, I wanted to agree. But as I prayed about it, something niggled at the back of my mind. How could I accept money that came from the very thing my husband had campaigned against? What if someone discovered that I had received one of these grants and pointed a condemning finger, accusing us of hypocrisy? Christians were often ‘called out’ for such things and I knew how damaging it could be to a person’s Christian witness in a community. As a pastor’s wife it could be even more serious.

In the end I tossed the document into the recycle bin. As I walked away, I felt the burden lift. The money would have been nice, but I knew God would provide in other ways. My conscience was clear and I could now focus on doing the work He had called me to do.

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 Learn more about Marcia's writing, teaching, and speaking ministries on her website.

 

Be Mine by Marcia Lee Laycock

 

Be Mine by Marcia Lee Laycock

Photo by Gaelle Marcel on Unsplash

I ripped the cellophane wrapping off the small package with delight. The cards my mother had bought that morning were perfect. They were bright red with hearts all over them and short funny sayings appropriate for Valentine’s Day. I spent all that evening addressing the envelopes and signing my name to all the cards. All, that is, but one.

There was one card in the package that was larger than the rest. It said, “Be Mine,” and the verse inside was not funny. In fact, to me, it was so serious that my heart beat faster. This card was going to someone I thought was deserving of something so special. His name was Darryl. I was ten years old and I was “in love.”

I did not sign my name to the card addressed to Darryl because I was afraid. I did not want to admit my feelings for fear of being rejected. What if he just laughed? What if he threw the card in the trash and someone else saw that it was from me? What if he left it behind on an empty desk for anyone to see? No. I would not put my name on that card, but I would pray that Darryl would know who it was from.

Giving your love and affection to someone is a risk. You become vulnerable to being hurt, to rejection, perhaps even to ridicule. Jesus knew all about that when He agreed to be born as a tiny babe on earth. He knew that many would spurn His love. Many would scorn his affection. Many would just laugh. And then a mob would demand His death. No one would understand. None of it would look like a fairy-tale and the ending was anything but happy. It would look like defeat and it would stink of death.

But it was the greatest act of love this world has ever seen. Christ gave up the glories of heaven, took on the physical limitations of a human body and then allowed that body to be tortured and killed. He did it all so that we would be able to live in the presence of His Father’s love eternally. He did it with an anguished cry of, “Be Mine!”

Jesus was neither afraid nor embarrassed to sign his name on the card that revealed His love for us. His card was a cross erected on a hill outside the city of Jerusalem. He signed it with His own blood and when it was delivered to the world at the moment he died, all the barriers between us and God were torn down. Forgiveness was ours for the asking and hope became a reality.

It was therefore true when the apostle Paul said to the people in Rome – “For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:38-39, NIV)

That is a Valentine worth cherishing.

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Thank you for taking the time to read. My name is Marcia Lee Laycock and I invite you to follow me if you’d like to read more of my work about finding your way home, into the arms of Jesus. 😊 You can find me on Medium at Pond’rings and Words on the Wing and a few other publications along the way.

For more information about my writing and speaking ministry, check out my website 

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Breaking the Cycle With Prayer By Marcia Lee Laycock

photo by author

I often heard Iya before I saw him. He was usually singing on his way to work in our gardens in Ukarumpa, Papua New Guinea. But one morning when he arrived at our door, he was quiet and I could tell there was something wrong. He had come to tell me he couldn’t work that day. He had to go to the hospital, to take food to his wife’s “Papa” (her maternal uncle), who had been attacked. He’d been beaten, slashed with a machete, and left with twenty arrows in his back. Iya looked me in the eye (a rare thing in his culture), and asked me to pray for their village.  

 

I knew what he meant. In P.N.G., there is a system called pay-back. It works well in a positive sense - if someone is in need, he asks for and receives help. When the one who has supplied that need finds himself in a similar situation, he can demand that his needs be met. It’s a system of caring for one another. But in the negative sense, pay-back creates a cycle of violence. Because Mifao’s Papa was attacked, it was expected his family and friends would retaliate by attacking the neighbouring village. Then, of course, that village would strike back. In the best scenario, several men, women and children would die. In the worst, the whole village would be wiped out. 

 

Iya asked me to pray because the men in his village were making arrows. 

   

My first instinct was to try and fix the problem - send in the police to keep them from killing one another, send someone to talk sense into them. But Iya said no. “Just pray.” 

 

The next day, he told me Mifao’s Papa was still alive and he and the other Christian men in the village were having opportunities to talk to the people about loving one another, the way Jesus taught. When they brought Mifao’s uncle home, he was unable to walk, but asked them to put him down on the edge of the village. He crawled his way to the place where the men were making arrows and begged them not to fight.

 

They put their arrows away.

 

Those who had expected to be attacked were so amazed they came to ask why. God was glorified, because a handful of faithful people stood still before Him and asked for His help.  

 

In Exodus 14:10-14, the Israelites had a chance to do the same. Pharaoh had finally let them go. They were camped at the Red Sea, when the Egyptians, suddenly enraged, surrounded them. With their backs to the sea, the Hebrews accused Moses of leading them to their deaths.

 

Moses replies – “So not be afraid. Stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which He will accomplish for you today… The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.”  (Exodus 14;13,14, NKJV).

 

Stand still?! I don’t know about you, but that’s a hard thing for me to do - I want to do something! When I see injustice, I want to fix it. When I see someone in pain, I want to fix them and their lives.

But we must learn to let God be God. Let Him fight the battle, let Him work the miracle, let Him display His awesome love.

 

Only then will our cycles of pain and violence be broken. 

 

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To learn more about my writing/speaking/teaching ministry please visit my website. 

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My Shadow Mentors: A Poem by Wendy L. Macdonald

  

My Shadow Mentors

When I consider who

Shadow mentored me

I think of all the books I’ve read

Since I first learned to read

It started with Dr. Seuss 

Who showed me words are fun

And then there was Trixie Belden books

About finding the guilty one

~

When I consider who

Shadow mentored me

I think of Catherine Marshall

And her famous book: Christy 

There’s also her nonfiction

Which taught me Christ is close

When I’m humble and honest

Within the prayers I pose

~

When I consider who

Shadow mentored me

I must nod to all the books I’ve read

For they’re part of my history.

~ wlm

   

Many of your blog posts are part of my history too, dear writing friends.

Blessings ~ Wendy Mac

I'm nosy-to-know if you loved reading Dr. Seuss?  

I read his books to my grandson now. So much fun. 

A City of Lights by Susan Barclay

Partway through this year I discovered that the United Nations had designated 2015 as the International Year of Light and Light Based Technologies. According to Wikipedia, the observance  "aims to raise awareness of the achievements of light science and its applications, and its importance to humankind."

Did anyone else know about this?

There are a few ironies here: 

1. The proposal for the International Year of Light (IYL) was made in Paris, "the city of lights," in 2012.

2. The IYL launched in Paris on January 19, 2015, just 12 days after the Charlie Hebdo attack.

3. One of the launch activities was the unveiling of "the world of Ibnal-Haytham," an Arab scientist who lived from 965 B.C. to 1040 A.D.

4. Paris experienced a second terrorist attack in 2015 on November 13.

5. From the standpoint of world events, 2015 has been anything but a year of light. Boko Haram and ISIS are just two examples of a greater darkness into which humankind seems to have plunged. For more on the events that took place this year, I recommend visiting InfoPlease.

I administer a private Facebook group called 'Light.' This is a group where members can encourage one another and discuss living as salt and light in a world that seems to have lost its flavour and to prefer darkness. If you are interested in joining, let me know and I'll invite you. Just a few days ago, I posted 'Here I Am to Worship,' a song that begins with the words, 'Light of the world, You stepped down into darkness...' I'm so thankful that He did, and that God has not yet removed His Holy Spirit from the earth.

Sometimes I find myself singing the old hymn, 'Let the Beauty of Jesus be Seen in Me'. Sometimes I've sickened myself because it has come out of my mouth on the heels of unChristlike behaviour. Only as I'm writing this today do I realize and accept that this is exactly the reminder I need at such times. 

Let the beauty of Jesus be seen in me

All his wonderful passion and purity

O Thou Spirit divine, all my nature refine

Till the beauty of Jesus be seen in me

As Christian writers we need to examine our hearts and motives around writing. What do we hope to accomplish? Do we have a message we want to share with readers? Do we want to connect? Are we looking for personal glorification or to glorify God? Our answers to these questions are important, so be honest. If you need to, ask God to give you a clean heart.

I like the chorus of Francesca Battistelli's 'He Knows My Name,' which goes (in part) 

I don't need my name in lights

I'm famous in my Father's eyes

Make no mistake/He knows my name

Friends, the battle between light and darkness is ongoing, within and without. In the end, Jesus wins. Let's let His light shine through us like a city on a hill that cannot be hidden (Matthew 5:14).

_________________

For my website, please visit www.susanbarclay.wordpress.com

God's Unfailing Love -- Janet Sketchley

The NIV declares of God, “his love endures forever” 43 times. “Unfailing love” appears 40 times, always describing God’s love. These results are just from the Old Testament. The New Testament overflows with God’s love too, so I assume the writers used phrases that translate differently.

But Old Testament life seems to have a harsher edge to it than New Testament and into today. God was preparing the way, but the Messiah had not yet come. The Holy Spirit came to individuals but not to all. If God spoke to a person it was usually through a prophet or an angel.

God was preparing a people for Himself and there were a lot of growing pains. There still are, even now when we can rely on the Holy Spirit living in us, Christ in us, the hope of glory.

In the middle of the hardship of Old Testament life as God sculpted a reluctant people for Himself, when their actions often required correction in the form of invading armies and exile, His Holy Word proclaims His unfailing, forever-enduring love.

Whatever we face today, we can know and rely on God’s love God for us. There is hope.

© Janet Sketchley, 2011
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For devotionals, reviews and conversation, stop by Janet Sketchley's blog, God with Us: Finding Joy.

Jesus glows in the dark - Nesdoly

It was the day the kids were to get their Christmas presents. Excitement electrified the air in Bill Wilson's bus as he drove around the Bronx, picking up kids for Sunday school.

At one stop, the little girl who clambered up the steps stopped beside him and handed him a ball of newspaper, covered with Scotch tape. "For you," she said.

He took it from her. "Thank you very much," he said, placing it aside and easing the bus back into traffic.

But the little girl kept standing beside him. "Open it," she said. "You have to open it."

"But we're driving," he said.

"You have to open it now."

"It's a woman thing," Bill said when he told us the story at my church on a Sunday in 2007. "I knew it wouldn't do to argue. So I pulled that big school bus as far over as I could on that narrow street, took that taped ball and started unwrapping it."

The kids from the bus crowded around as he peeled off the layers of newspaper. Finally he came to the center and a little plastic creche. It was broken and dirty. She'd obviously found it.

"Thank you," Bill said. "That's great." Cars were honking behind him and on the street a couple of traffic cops approached. He made the motion of putting the gift down, but the little girl wasn't done.

"We have to cover it," she said. She took the manger ornament from Bill, cupped it in both hands and reached it up to him. "You cover it."

Bill did.

"Now look at it," the girl said.

Bill peeked under his hand and saw that from the baby Jesus figure came a greenish glow.

Beaming, the little girl said, "See - Jesus glows in the dark!"

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I first posted this story on my blog in November 2007 after hearing Bill Wilson speak in our church. As the founder of Metro Ministries, Bill Wilson, has brought that Jesus-glow to the ghettoes of New York for almost 30 years.

He, himself was abandoned when he was 12. "You stay here," his mother said to him one day as she and Bill came to a street corner. "I'll come back for you."

Bill waited and waited, but she never returned.

Three days later, a man passing by in a truck noticed him. He and his wife gave Bill water and something to eat, then paid the $17.50 it took (in 1961) to send him to camp. Five hours later, Bill was at an Assemblies of God youth camp where his life was turned around.

This Christmas, let's remember that Jesus continues to glow in the dark. And most of the time it's through ordinary people like the man who rescued 12-year-old Bill, that same Bill who now drives urchin-loaded schoolhouses through the streets of New York, and through you and me — people who are willing to stop and listen to a lonely person who needs to talk, to drop a bill instead of change into the Salvation Army kettle, to stifle a sharp tongued response and instead smile at the lady who barges ahead of us in the checkout lineup, and to react with grace to the chatter and seat-kicking of the toddler who sits just behind us at the Christmas concert.

Bill Wilson quotes:

"If you want something you've never had before, you've got to do something you've never done before."


"Whatever makes you mad -- that's what God will use you to change."


"If you see a need and can fulfill that need, that's the call."

© 2010 by Violet Nesdoly

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Website: www.violetnesdoly.com

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Oh Deer!

Wise Guy Son and I were driving a remote highway in rural New Brunswick (Canada) last month, and we kept seeing “deer crossing” signs – and “moose crossing”.

Deer grazing on the green slopes near the road are cute. Bounding across the road a safe distance in front of you, they’re still cute.

Deer crossing the asphalt right in front of your vehicle are not.

Apparently wise New Bruswick drivers avoid country driving after dark, at least certain times of year. We saw chain-link fences paralleling sections of the highway where the moose and deer were most active.

As it got closer to dusk (prime feeding time for deer) and I kept seeing the signs, I watched even closer for any sign of off-road movement. Sometimes the highway was elevated enough that a grazing deer would be out of sight until it decided to climb up and cross the road.

Vigilance is important, but I found myself getting tense. Each yellow warning sign felt more menacing than the last.

A person could really start to fear these creatures! Instead of gentle, liquid-gazed deer faces, my imagination caricaturized them as grim-faced, wild-eyed creatures surging up the slopes in a suicidal guerrilla raid to stop the traffic.

A good laugh restored my perspective and got me thinking about danger and about sin, how as important as it is to be vigilant, we need to be careful not to blow what we’re watching for out of proportion. That’s where unhealthy fear comes from.

Deer on the highway: something to see and avoid. Menacing, mutant killer-deer that stalk our nightmares: something fear can use to paralyse us if we let it.

To paraphrase the words of Jr. Asparagus from VeggieTales: We don’t need to fear what’s out there, because God is the biggest.

Click here to watch Junior to sing it in his own inimitable style.

© Janet Sketchley, 2010
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For devotionals, reviews and conversation, stop by Janet Sketchley's blog, God with Us: Finding Joy.

Shooting Ourselves in the Feet? -- Janet Sketchley

God came to Balaam and asked, "Who are these men with you?"

Balaam said to God, "Balak son of Zippor, king of Moab, sent me this message: 'A people that has come out of Egypt covers the face of the land. Now come and put a curse on them for me. Perhaps then I will be able to fight them and drive them away.'"

But God said to Balaam, "Do not go with them. You must not put a curse on those people, because they are blessed."
Numbers 22:9-12, NIV*

The people in question were the Israelites, en route to the promised land. For three chapters (22,23,24) the enemy King Balak tries to get Balaam to curse them, but God will not allow them to be cursed.

They are God’s people, and He chooses to bless them.

Then in one chapter (25)—actually verses 1-3 are enough—Israel causes its own trouble.

For me, this is a startling glimpse of God’s perspective. He wanted to do so much for and with His chosen people. He protected them from their enemies, was leading them to a spacious and rich land... and they did the enemies’ job for them!

I wonder what He wants to do in our lives that we’re preventing?

*New International Version (NIV) Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by Biblica.

© Janet Sketchley, 2010
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For devotionals, reviews and conversation, stop by Janet Sketchley's blog, God with Us: Finding Joy.

The winning equation

TODAY’S SPECIAL: Hebrews 12:1-15

TO CHEW ON: “Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” Hebrews 12:1-2

There is something inspiring about watching athletes win a medal – especially when those athletes are from your country and you know a bit about what it took for them to get there.

Canadian speed skater Cindy Klassen is one such inspiring person. Always a gifted skater, she was rejected for the Olympic women’s hockey team before she even tried speed skating. Once she put on those speed skates she began winning medals including a bronze in the 2002 Olympics. Then in a freak accident in 2005 she cut twelve tendons, a nerve and artery in her arm and was forced to take time off. But she bounced back, winning five medals at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin. However, in February of 2008 she again cut her season short to be by her sister’s side after Lisa Klassen suffered a near-fatal traffic accident. And later that year she had surgery on both her knees. Yet in December 2009, she qualified yet again to represent Canada in speed skating at the 2010 Olympics. Her story tells us something about the power of a goal and the strength of the human spirit when it comes to reaching that goal.

These elements also come into play in the race that is the Christian life. The ultimate goal for the Christian, as we said yesterday, is to hear Jesus’ “Well done!” when we break the finish-line tape. But the race is long, the obstacles many. That’s where we need determination, endurance, perseverance. Our inspiration and example is Jesus. I love how the Amplified Bible describes His role:

“Looking away from all that will distract to Jesus, Who is the Leader and Source of our faith, (giving the first incentive for our belief) and is also its Finisher (bringing it to maturity and perfection)” Hebrews 12:2 Amplified

The writer speaks of how Jesus’ finish (enduring the cross, despising the shame, seated at God’s right hand) inspires us. I also get inspiration from how He ran the middle of the race – His compassion, His single-mindedness, His wisdom, His ability to capture truth in little stories, His plain speech, His eye for the individual, and on and on… What a winner!

PRAYER: Dear Jesus, thank You for coming to earth to run this earthly race over 2000 years ago. Remind me to look to You for inspiration about how to carry on every day – and to finish well. Amen.

MORE: Find out more about Cindy Klassen at her web site.

Listen / watch her interviewed for 100 Huntley Street

Cindy Klassen’s Olympic schedule (her first race is tomorrow!)

(The above was first posted at Other Food: daily devo's February 13, 2010)

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Web: violetnesdoly.com
Blog: promptings
Poetry portfolio: Violet Nesdoly / poems
Daily devotions for adults: Other Food: daily devo's
Twitter: @vnesdoly

Expectant Living -- Janet Sketchley

The Message describes Joseph of Arimathea as “one who lived expectantly, on the lookout for the kingdom of God.” (Mark 15:43, MSG)

What does it mean to live expectantly? Joseph wasn’t expecting his will, he was waiting and watching for the kingdom of God—for God’s rule to be restored.

He wasn’t mired down in daily life thinking that was all there was. Instead, he probably examined what went on, looking to see God working.

Father, help me not get so bogged down in the now that I lose the bigger picture of Your Kingdom. Help me live alert, give me eyes to see and a heart to understand. Help me live expecting You to be at work—because You are. Protect me from false expectations, and help me to expect only You.

© Janet Sketchley, 2009
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For devotionals, reviews and conversation, stop by Janet Sketchley's blog, God with Us: Finding Joy.

Marriage as Art -- Janet Sketchley

“Because God created this organic union of the two sexes, no one should desecrate his art by cutting them apart.” Mark 10:9, MSG*

Jesus is talking here about marriage and divorce, reminding the Pharisees of God’s original intention and saying Moses only permitted divorce “as a concession to your hardhearted ways.” (Mark 10:5, MSG)

What catches my attention is Eugene Peterson’s use of words like organic union and art. Do we consider marriage as one of the many intricate and perhaps delicate pieces of creation?

Couples speak of guarding our marriages, but do we think of them as God’s art? It’s not just about us. Could it be a sacred trust?

Divorce may be the sad evidence of art damaged beyond repair, but what about the art that’s still in one piece?

Marriage is hard work. Two separate, imperfect wills are becoming an “organic union”. How often do couples struggle at this in our own strength? The Master Artist’s hands are poised to create something beautiful. Let’s remember to ask for His touch every day.

*The Message (MSG) Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson

© Janet Sketchley, 2009
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For devotionals, reviews and conversation, stop by Janet Sketchley's blog, God with Us: Finding Joy.