Fireflies

"Fireflies" by Donny Finley
An illustration from soon-to-be-released:
Secrets of Shiloh

Jesus said, "I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in darkness, but will have the Light of life."  (John 8:12)




       One of my favorite things about summertime is the presence of fireflies. In evening's twilight between sunset and velvet darkness, lightning bugs add a twinkle to the cricket serenade. Glory!
       In Phil. 2:14-16a, God instructs His kids, "Do all things without complaining and arguing; so that you may become blameless and pure, 'children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.' Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky as you hold firmly to the word of life!"

Today, "let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father, which is in heaven!" (Matt. 5:16)

This little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine! Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine!1


Snippet from soon-to-be-released Secrets of Shiloh:

When the children reached Shiloh, they saw Col. Hamilton standing near the gates holding a flashlight and three Mason jars with holes punched in the lids. The sun had already dropped below the horizon, and a waxing moon glowed in the eastern sky. Crickets and July flies played a moonlight concerto under the trees while bullfrogs croaked in perfect cadence beside the fishpond. Tiny lights blinked on and off, on and off, in all directions.

1 THIS LITTLE LIGHT OF MINE, Harry Dixon Loes, 1920.

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Is this, Jill?

My precious, little friend, Lauren

"The voice of the Lord is powerful, the voice of the Lord is majestic...and in His temple everything says, 'Glory!'"  

(Psalm 29:4,9b)

       One of our favorite restaurants in the whole world is Old Town Grille in Childersburg, Alabama. They have the best hot wings ever! And one of our favorite waitresses in the whole world is Lauren.

       A few days ago, when I called in a to-go order, the sweet voice on the other end of the line (now that shows my age! should I say the other end of the cell tower?) said, "Is this, Jill?"

      How did she know it was me? She knew because, beyond our server/customer relationship, we're friends. And because we talk a lot, my friend knows my voice.

     Jesus said, "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand" (John 10:27-28). "And I have called you friends, for all things that I have heard from My Father I have made known to you" (John 15:15b).

     
Spend time with your Friend, Jesus, everyday and learn to know His voice!

Snippet from soon-to-be-released Secrets of Shiloh:

“Rachel, I’ve shared many things with you over the years, but I regret that I’ve failed to share the most valuable part of my life – my relationship with God. Tough, old birds from my generation keep our faith to ourselves, and that’s not good. Well, I want to change that today...I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and that He died in my place to take the punishment for my many sins. I’ve gotten to know Him over the years the same way you get to know anybody – by spending time together. Everyday, I hear His voice through the Bible, and I talk to Him through prayer.”  

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God and Granddaddy

Granddaddy (my sweet hubby) and our grandsons


"Like the finest apple tree in the orchard is my love among other young men."        (Song of Solomon 2:3)

              Our youngest grandson recently asked, "Mom, is God and Granddaddy da biggest mans in da world?"
I told my daughter, "Tell him Memaw says YES! God and his granddaddy are indeed this world's finest!"


Today, sing praises to our great Lord, 
and then encourage the one you love and build each other up!


A snippet from soon-to-be-released Secrets of Shiloh - 
a Christian storybook for families:

Over time, the Colonel became more like Rachel’s grandfather than a mere friend. Weeks rolled into months and months stretched into years. The old gentleman walked more gingerly nowadays and seemed to have a harder time keeping up the grounds of Shiloh. However, he never abandoned his three o’clock post near the iron gates to see Rachel when 
she got off the school bus. 

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Links in Our Chains

My grandmother, 1916

"'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the Lord. 'Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you.'" 
(Jer. 29:11a and Jer. 1:5a)


       
       It's mind-boggling to ponder that long before you or I were even a twinkle in our mother's eye, God set in motion a chain of events that determined our appointed times and duties.
       I had no ambitions of becoming a writer; but a series of linked experiences revealed a purpose God had for me. 
       In 1916, a young girl chased her dreams and traveled by train, carriage, and on foot to teach at a one-room schoolhouse in the mountains of Tennessee. ~

Illustration by artist Cami Monet Webb,
 from my 1st storybook,  The Schoolhouse

     In 1955, on the night before her 59th birthday, that schoolteacher, my grandmother, wrote a letter describing her adventures and expressed hopes of someone turning those adventures into a short story for publication. ~
      My mother passed that letter on to me, and I planned to pass it along to my daughter until one morning in the fall of 2011 when my Lord said, "Jill, it's time to write her story."~
      Grandmother's story, The Schoolhouse, was released in 2012; however, shortly afterward, its publishing company closed. ~
      The voice of Truth said, "Take courage! You will be able to tell wonderful stories to your children and grandchildren about the marvelous things I am doing" (Ex. 12:2). ~
       As I worked alone to market The Schoolhouse, I wrote Secrets of Shiloh. ~
       Today, I'm partnered with Westbow Press, a division of Thomas Nelson Publishers, and God's dreams for me are coming to pass! ~
   ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~    

       Dr. Charles Stanley once said, "True success means becoming who God wants you to be and doing the work He has prepared for you to accomplish!" Seek ~ the ~ Lord ~ today ~ and ~ discover ~ His ~ great ~ dreams ~ purposes ~ and ~ plans ~ for ~ you! 

Jesus said, "Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him and he with Me." (Rev. 3:20)

Illustration by artist Donny Finley,
from soon-to-be-released,  Secrets of Shiloh

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SHILOH prayer

Illustration from Secrets of Shiloh by award-winning artist, Donny Finley

     "...the Lord revealed Himself to Samuel at Shiloh by the word of the Lord."       (1 Sam. 3:21b)


         God's people were in an awful state - dreadful days of darkness and turbulence. Determined to do what was right in their own eyes, they had turned their backs on the Lord. Bad choice! And the consequences? a "word from the Lord was rare in those days and visions were infrequent" (1 Sam. 3:1). 
         So in His redeeming love, the Lord revealed Himself to a little boy named Samuel at Shiloh, and Almighty God raised up for Himself a faithful priest: one who did according to what was in God's heart. 
         My new book, Secrets of Shiloh, is currently in the design phase of the publishing process. As the team of experts create the cover and generate the interior galley, I'm praying for the people God will orchestrate to read this little storybook. My prayer for you, the readers, is just as God revealed Himself to Samuel at Shiloh, that He will meet you on the pages of Secrets of Shiloh and reveal Himself to you! 
         I also pray that you will not only read the story but also apply it to your life by means of the thought-provoking "Reflections" at the end of each chapter, which take you to Scripture verses related to the chapter's theme and offer valuable personal application of Biblical truths.


From soon-to-be-released, Secrets of Shiloh:

         Rachel hesitated for a moment and then lifted the rusty latch. The hinges moaned in protest as the heavy gates slowly swung open. For the first time in months, the sixteen-year-old stepped through the entrance of Shiloh and walked toward the antebellum house. 

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Wonderful Child Ringtone

My wonderful children:
Rebecca, Ben, and Dan 1989
(sadly, this picture has water damage)

"He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God; many will (hear) and will trust in the Lord." (Psalm 40:3)

     For a long while, the Hallelujah Chorus was my cellphone ringtone. When it mysteriously stopped working a couple of weeks ago, I frantically searched for a new tune and selected:

Jesus! 
Jesus!
Oh, what a wonderful child!
Jesus!
Jesus!
So lowly, meek, and mild.
New LIFE!
New HOPE!
New JOY!
He brings!
Won't you listen, to the angels sing:
Glory, glory, Glo-o-ry!
To the newborn KING!1

...and I've been singing those promising, bright, hope-filled, uplifting, inspiring, encouraging, rest-assured, secure, faithful, sunny-side words ever since!

    Believe on the name of JESUS today and receive new LIFE, new HOPE, and new JOY from the KING of kings!

1 JESUS WHAT A WONDERFUL CHILD. Margaret Allison of the Angelic Gospel Singers, 1950s.

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