Hope Renewed!

The Gazebo by Donny Finley

“I know what I’m doing. I have it all planned out – plans to take care of you, not to abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for.”

        (Jer. 29:11, The Message)

            I believe that one assignment allotted by God for me comes from the New Living Translation of Exodus 10:2: “You will be able to tell wonderful stories to your children and grandchildren about the marvelous things I am doing.” And I understand His specific instructions to be: write a series of Christian, hardback, beautiful-picture storybooks that appeal to all ages (children through senior adults) that I may use as tools to transform people for the Kingdom of God.   

            Somedays I battle discouragement knowing that The Schoolhouse needs additional marketing, Secrets of Shiloh needs a publisher, Mystery of Hoot Owl Hollow needs divine inspiration to bulldoze writer’s block, and Across the Coosa on the Chancellor Ferry needs a story!

            God kindly reminded me this morning that He sets the plans and the appointed times; my part is to follow and obey Him.

            The Lord has said, and He cannot lie, that He is able to make all grace abound to me, so that always having all sufficiency in everything, I may have an abundance for every good work (2 Cor. 9:8).

            Therefore, “O Lord, I wait for You, my soul waits, and in Your word I have put my hope!” (Psalm 130:5)

Goldfish by Donny Finley

She found a step-stone path that led to a small fishpond and paused to watch iridescent-orange goldfish weave gracefully in and out of their lily pad palace. A toad croaked loudly and with one hop, disappeared under a display of concentric rings dancing across the water.

Rachel followed the pathway that ended at a gazebo in the center of a lovely rose garden. Under the shelter’s cedar shingled roof hung a face-to-face bench swing. Col. Hamilton stood behind the gazebo carefully pruning a pink and yellow peace rose and didn’t seem to hear Rachel approaching.¹

¹Secrets of Shiloh, A storybook in the making, by Jill Watson Glassco