Write Plan B First

Environmental Caretakers by Lorilee Guenter

 The earth is the Lord's and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it; Psalm 24:1

This sentiment directs much of my activity. Since at least high school the environment and our impact on it has been a topic I am drawn to. There is much harm happening to the world around us, a world God gave to us for our provision and our pleasure. He instructed us to rule over it and care for it. We have a choice to be a benevolent caretaker or to take all we can.

My interest in caring for our physical surroundings is not just for the benefit of the land, but for the people this land holds, people who are created in  God's image. Our treatment of our surroundings impacts those we share this place with. Our choices can help or harm.

As a writer and artist my words can influence others to consider their choices. I can recite the mantra of "reduce, reuse, recycle" until no one hears it, or I can invite others into the conversation. I try to listen and create, sharing the story of respect. This story, if told well, balances the needs of all. We need to use the resources around us to survive. We need energy to heat our homes, to grow and cook our food. We also need to recognize these resources are not evenly distributed, and those of us who have been blessed with more need to consider how we can help others. This recognition can help us as we care for God's creation, both His people and the world He gave us.

My words, no matter how compelling the story, are not enough. There are actions I can take, and so I must. I do not mean tossing recyclable materials in the correct bin and letting others deal with it although, for some things, that may be the best option I have at this time. I mean considering my impact and making small changes that can become large changes later. I must be aware the easy or popular choices are often not the most effective choices. I recognize my changes are not the same as changes others take. I must respect the places God has put them in, but I can use my actions coupled with my words to show respect and to inform.

I could list all the different actions I have taken or seen others take. I think respect and observation are much more effective because it lets us take the steps we can where we are. Many people have offered ideas. I choose to encourage people to consider the world around them and what they can do to be a good steward of what God has given us. Hopefully, as I watch and listen, I can learn how to be a better caretaker of the gifts I have been given, and encourage others to do the same.

Welcome to My Garden of Words by Nina Faye Morey

Spring is the time of year when everyone gets anxious to get outside in the fresh air and sunshine. Those of us who are gardeners have already been planning what to plant for months. We’ve been studying our seed catalogues throughout those last cold days of winter, choosing the seeds we want to grow. We may even have started germinating some seedlings indoors in preparation for planting. My favourite spring ritual is the annual trip to a local nursery to choose which flowers I want to transplant into my flowerbeds and flowerpots. The warm, moist, fragrant air; the sunshine streaming down; and the glorious rainbow of colours that greets you once you step inside the greenhouse is enough to cure anyone’s winter doldrums and awaken a yearning to create that prize-winning garden.

Writers are the gardeners of words. We spend plenty of time planning what to write. We read, study, and research the Scriptures and various writings, searching for those special seeds that inspire us and so titillate our senses that we want to plant them in our next nonfiction book or novel. We hope that if we do our groundwork properly and sow these seeds under just the right conditions, they will germinate and flourish. So we diligently toil to transplant them into vivid, descriptive words and sentences that will likewise captivate our readers. As a writer, I pray that I will be able to skillfully sow the seeds God has given me in such a way that they will grow and blossom in readers’ hearts, souls, and spirits.

Writing, like gardening, not only demands preparation, but also a lot of perspiration and patience. Beyond selecting what seeds to sow, we need to carefully prepare the plot in which to plant them if we want them to take root, sprout, bloom, and bear fruit. As Jesus explained to His followers in the Parable of the Sower, if seeds are sown into ground that is not properly prepared, they will not germinate and grow (Matthew 3: 4-8). We can’t just scatter our seeds indiscriminately; we first need to sketch an outline of our plot. Then we can plant them seed by seed, working our way methodically line by line, watering and fertilizing them with just the right components, so that the entire composition contains rhyme and reason. As we work section by section, according to our plan, we must make sure that each part contributes to the overall composition. Placing faith in our creativity, we work patiently to ensure these seeds gradually germinate and grow into an intriguing garden of words.

If we want our creation to develop and mature into a true work of art, it will require the sweat of our brow throughout its entire season of growth. And we will need the patience to labour on through several seasons if we want to create a perennial masterpiece. If we tend our creation carefully, it will flourish. If we fail to regularly water, weed, and fertilize, it will become dry, barren, and lifeless. Weeds may resemble pretty flowers at first glance, but they will overgrow and overshadow the beauty of our budding creation if allowed to proliferate. If we make no effort to uproot them, they will sap the strength and smother the life out of our precious creation. Therefore, it’s vital that we keep reseeding and reworking our garden of words over and over again until we’re absolutely convinced that we’ve created a beautiful piece we can be proud of. Then we may even dare to daydream about winning that coveted award or creating a work that will someday become a classic.

Photos: Pixabay Free Images

Thankfulness in Every Season by Nina Faye Morey

I will extol the LORD at all times;

His praise will always be on my lips.

Psalm 34:1 (NIV)

In his Psalm of praise, David vows to always give glory to the Lord. No matter the time or season of our lives, we should never cease to honour Him and give Him thanks and praise (Psalm 106:1).

Give Thanks to the Lord

I find it easy to be grateful to the Lord for most aspects of our changing prairie seasons. I even enjoy the sound and fury of a sudden thunderstorm on a hot summer day. However, I find it more difficult to maintain this thankful attitude during winter’s storms. I really don’t appreciate the frigid temperatures or icy sidewalks that keep me indoors. However, there are mornings when I wake up to find that my little corner of the world has been magically transformed into a winter wonderland. I’m treated to a spectacular view of a world adorned with sparkling snow and hoarfrost. Then my spirits lift once more. I find myself thanking God and echoing His Word that all His creation is good (Genesis 1:31).

God’s Glorious Creation

Like the seasons of nature, I sometimes find it difficult to be thankful through all the seasons of my life. Just as the turn of seasons causes some of nature’s fiercest storms, we face our stormiest times during major life changes—illness, death, divorce. I may not have control over these stormy phases, but I do have control over how I react to them. I can call on the Lord, or I can choose to turn my back on Him. Even though I may not always understand God’s ways, I need to trust in Him.

Trust in the LORD with all your heart

and lean not on you own understanding;

In all your ways submit to him

and he will make your paths straight.

Prov. 3: 5-6

So although it’s sometimes hard to remain thankful through the stormy seasons of my life, I’m assured that I can stand firmly on the solid rock of God’s promises. He will provide me with stability and strength despite the shifting sands beneath my feet. If I trust in the Lord, I can be assured that He loves me and hears my cries for help. He sits at the right hand of God and intercedes for us in times of trouble (Romans 8: 31-39). He will hear my prayers and come to my rescue, giving me a firm foothold once more in the midst of my emotional turmoil.

My salvation and my honor depend on God;

he is my mighty rock, my refuge.

Trust in him at all times, you people;

pour out your hearts to him,

for God is our refuge.

Psalm 62: 7-8

No matter what negative things are presently occurring in my life, I can be confident that God is working to turn them into something positive. Just as He works in the natural realm to transform a bitter winter into a winter wonderland, He works in the spiritual realm to transform the bad into the good.

And we know that in all things God works for the

good of those who love him, who have been

called according to his purpose.

Romans 8:28

When I get discouraged during life’s storms, I remember David’s advice to always give thanks and praise to the Lord. Accepting that God’s in control of my future lifts my spirits and brings peace to my heart. If I remain focused on my faith, I know God will have something wonderful in store for me on the other side of the storm (Col. 3:15-17).

My Spirits Lift Once More

Seeing Things Differently by Steph Beth Nickel

It's so easy to go through life on fast forward and miss the wonder all around. And at this time of year, if you do take the time to slow down, the biting cold, the blowing snow, and the overcast skies may get you down. We must choose to see things differently, to focus on the beauty in the midst of it all.

I love to take pictures. There's nothing that cheers my heart like going for a photo walk and looking at life through the lens of my camera.

God created an amazing world. And Romans 1:20 says, "For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made" (ESV). Amazing!

Below are some of the pictures I took in years gone by (when we had far more snow). What warms your heart when the cold winds blow? What have you learned about God from His creation?

My Battle With Summer by Alan Anderson

Did the title of this blog grab your attention?  Are you a sun worshipper and have already resented the thoughts the title brings to your mind?  If so, you may have to stop reading now because this post may not be pretty!  Turn away now before it’s too late and you read the musings of one who has a battle with summer!  The term “battle” may call to one’s mind a serious contentious disagreement between two or more parties!  Yup, you guessed it, I have a battle with another party by the name of summer!

I live in what is known as the Lower Mainland in British Columbia.  Other parts of our country have given us a reputation for having a lot of rain.  I ask you, what’s the big deal about rain?  Oh, the sweet memories I have of rain even summer rain!  Oh, how I love walking through a puddle I didn’t notice in time and feeling its contents soaking through my shoes and socks!  Rain at this point in time is but a memory.

In the past at least two months this summer our area and other parts of the country have endured heat waves that don’t know when to stop!  Stop I tell you, cease and desist right now!  Oh the misery of over 30 degrees Celsius day in and day out!  In my area it is not unusual this summer for us to be inflicted with 35 Celsius or even higher.  Isn’t that just obscene?

As I write this post I am becoming aware that some readers may think, “Man, this guy is a real whiner!  He must be a total thrill to be around at a beach party!"  Well my friends, if you are indeed thinking such thoughts here is my reply.  I don’t go to beach parties!!  They are usually held during hot, sweaty weather like this summer and there’s sand that gets into your bathing suit and hamburgers!  There’s the smell of coconut butter that people lather themselves in!  Not me I tell you!  I’m in the shade writing about my battle with summer sipping a beer and eating veggie chips!  Please don’t think I indulge in alcohol very often only now and then!  Okay, now that I ‘ve gotten that off my chest I will continue!

Even with what I have stated to this point I am reminded of something fundamental to my faith.  I thank God that He created the seasons including summer!  Now and then I show how I may take things for granted like the beauty of His creation.  I see how summer heat can lead to forest fires that in turn lead to destruction and panic!  I hear of the threat of drought and how this threatens our water supply.

When we panic or perhaps I should say, when I panic, I may take things for granted.  Perhaps God even sends such things as summer heat to the degree many aren’t familiar with to remind us that even the winds and summer heat obey Him!  Nature has also been given limits that perhaps only God understands!  I sure don’t!  I therefore pray that my battle with summer soon ends and that things cool down.  I doubt I will ever welcome summer heat but perhaps God in His mercy will allow me to see the beauty around me in spite of it!

If you dear friends enjoy summer heat I pray you have been thrilled this summer!  Now, bring on the rain!

Personal Blog:  ScarredJoy@wordpress.com

God's Many Faceted Love by Bryan Norford

Creation reflects the nature of God. Its varied splendour, its abundance, its joyful activities, and predominantly its faithful and loving relationships. That is a measure of God’s love for all humanity.

Of course, since Eden, humankind has been able to mess it up and introduce characteristics that are contrary to the nature of God, destabilizing the good earth, destroying its abundance, and turning joy into misery.

Even so, God provided a strategy that enables us to rediscover the missing joy we crave: He set out the Law—too often maligned by Christians and hated by those opposed to Him.

The Law was not an arbitrary set of rules to kill our joy—as many assume—but like creation, a further reflection of His nature; guidelines to a less natural, but temporary, refurbishing of His image formed in us at creation but lost at the fall.

The Ten Commandments summarize the components of love. Even Jesus summed up the Law as loving God with all our heart, soul, and mind, and loving our neighbour as we care for ourselves.

If we love God, we will not place other gods or goals before Him. If we love our neighbour, we will not kill him, steal from him, or covet his wife or anything else he has.

In fact, it was at the giving of the Law that God revealed His nature. As God set out a law that contained the ingredients of love, He also indicated the values by which He would apply that law: with compassion, grace, patience, love, faithfulness, forgiveness and justice. Exodus 34:6–7.

We humans recognize these characteristics because God has shared them as part of His image in us. Distorted though they are, as we express our love to one another with those values, we show evidence of our transformation to Christlikeness.

Does this sound like the love of a valentine? It should. For this is the standard of love God has set. Anything less is a thin veneer of self-serving affection posing as the real thing.

And that fullest expression of love: compassion, grace, patience, love, faithfulness, forgiveness and justice, should show first in our closest relationships, to our wives, husbands, and children, and then to the wider community.

Find God's direction in the Norfords’ marriage devotional, Happy Together, available in paperback or kindle from Amazon.