Behold, The Winter is Past

My mama's tulips
1990s


"Behold, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone.
The flowers have already appeared in the land;
The time has arrived for pruning the vines.
And the voice of the turtledove has been heard in our land."
(Song of Solomon 2:11-12)

Seasons come, seasons go across a land, across a life. Next week, the three-year season of cooking supper and teaching the Bible to young women on Tuesday nights ends, and preparing for a new season of encouraging mothers of prodigals through God's word and God's promises begins.

Whatever season you're in, beloved, be careful how you live - not as unwise but as wise - making the most of every opportunity. Understand what the Lord's will is and do it! (Ephesians 5:15-17)

~

(NOTE: For those of you who had trouble with the free shipping option at deepseapublishing.com for Sea Billows, I apologize. It's now working! Use the coupon "free ship" when you go to your cart. Thank you for your support!)

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10-Star Good News

"Bull shark"
 by my talented grandgirl
(illustration from Sea Billows)

"Like cold water to a weary souls is good news from a distant land." (Proverbs 25:25)

I'm jumping for joy over the good news that Sea Billows just earned a 5-star review with Readers' Favorite!

England's Mamta Madhavan wrote:

"The story is wonderful as it weaves the glorious work of God and protecting an endangered species together seamlessly, and both topics are given equal importance as the story progresses. The reflections at the end of each chapter reintegrate our faith in God and His protection during adversities. The characters in the story are real and relatable, and young readers will find it easy to connect with them. The sea turtle facts are good for children to known, and these are interesting to read as they are knitted into the story.

I will not forget this vacation taken by Elizabeth and her family. It is definitely a book for children as it helps them understand the importance of prayer, having faith in God, and taking care of the environment by protecting endangered species."

~

In these bad-news times, we have a mission by the mercy of God to bring weary souls the 10-star Good News of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Let His Light shine through you, beloved, into the darkness, giving the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ! 

Now available:

amazon.com

barnesandnoble.com

deepseapublishing.com

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Big Parade

Granddaddy, Memaw, and grandboy

"The Right and Justice are the roots of Your rule; Love and Truth are its fruits. Blessed are the people who know the passwords of praise, who shout on parade in the bright presence of GOD!" (Psalm 89:14-15 The Message)

Coming into our subdivision on Friday, we drove down the hill and ran into this:

From the backseat, our three-year-old grandboy piped, "Oh, man! Look at that BIG parade!"

Close to the middle of the book of Psalm, we find a prayer by Ethan the Ezrahite. According to the NASB study Bible, Ethan mourned the downfall of the Davidic dynasty and pled for its restoration, but not before singing of God's love and faithfulness:

Your love, GOD, is my song and I'll sing it...

Let the cosmos praise Your wonderful ways...

GOD-of-the-Angel-Armies, who is like You,

powerful and faithful from every angle...

Blessed are the people who know the 
passwords of praise, 

who shout on parade in the bright 
presence of God...

They cannot keep quiet...

All we are and have we owe to GOD!

Beloved, all that we are and all that we have we owe to God.  We cannot keep quiet. Today, let us shout on BIG parade praises to Jesus, our God of angel armies!

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Absolutely FREE

"For the wages of sin is death, but the FREE gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 6:23)


I'm very excited to announce that Deep Sea Publishing has released my new children's book: Sea Billows! Out of the generosity of my publisher, Eddie's, heart, he's offering FREE shipping for a limited time. Please order your copy today at: 

www.deepseapublshing.com

Out of the goodness and generosity of God's heart, He offers the absolutely FREE gift of forgiveness of sins and eternal life for whosoever believes on His Son, Jesus, and calls on His name. Have you received God's FREE gift, beloved? 

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Foot-Stomping'-Hand-Clappin'-Shoutin' Day

Is the bird in the grass an egret?
Coosa River Farm

"But you are a chosen people...God's special possession, that you may declare the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light." (1 Peter 2:9)

It's a glory-hallelujah day!

The grass is green.

The sky is blue.

Spring has sprung.

Jesus, I praise You!!!

Beloved, I tell you: today, if you keep silent, the rocks will cry out in praise to God!

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P.A.L.O.

my grandgirl, 2015

"If My people would only listen to Me...[and] follow My ways." (Psalm 81:13)

When a new friend asked my advice on writing and publishing children's books, I answered, "Pray, ask, listen, and obey."

"P.A.L.O.," she said.

Need direction, beloved? P.A.L.O. - Pray to Jesus, Ask His advice, Listen to Him, and don't neglect to Obey!

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bumbleBEE

grandboys on the run

"Submit yourselves to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you." (James 4:7)

The way one of our two-year-old grandboys says "bumbleBEE" is the cutest thing ever. Yesterday, when our three-year-old grandboy spotted red wasp around the park slide, he ran, stood beside his younger cousin, and told him, "Say bumbleBEE, and they'll go away."

Is the devil buzzing around you, beloved? Humble yourself before God. Resist that ol' dragon in Jesus' name, and he'll fly away from you. 

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Set Aside

photo by my Rebecca





"...My faithful love for you will remain..." (Isaiah 54:10)

Yesterday, I was feeling a bit set to the side. I picked up a personalized Scripture card a sweet friend gave me and read: "For the mountains may move and the hills disappear, but then my faithful love for you, Jill, will remain...says the LORD, who has mercy on you" (Isa. 54:10).

Later, I got a text from a new friend with much more severe set-aside blues and passed the nugget onto her.

Feeling that someone's put you on the shelf, beloved? Be encouraged. Jesus is your faithful friend!

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Joyful God

Brother Mark and me
atop Lookout Mountain, Easter 1961

"But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!" (Galatians 5:22-23)

Smile for the day:

Two well-remembered, old-maid school teachers at Forest Avenue Elementary School were the Deware sisters. One taught first grade and the other fourth. After fourth-grade Miss Deware chose my brother, Mark, as Frosty the Snowman for the Christmas play, she demonstrated his black-top-hat-and-candy-cane dance around the stage.

Little Mark watched the eye-opening performance and blurted out, "You go glamor girl!"

When play day arrived, Miss Deware accidentally (maybe) turned on the 45-record: "Rudolf, the Red-nose Reindeer" and pushed Frosty onto the stage as he blubbered, "But, but Miss Deware, it's the wrong...." (Daddy said that it was the longest dance he ever sat through.)  

What character trait is rarely used to describe our God?  JOYFUL. But truthfully, JOY is second only to love in the Holy Spirit's fruit list.

Today, beloved, I pray that you are filled with the JOY of our joyful God. "Go forth! Celebrate! The joy of the LORD is your strength." (Nehemiah 8:10)

 

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Happy Birthday to Me

L-R brother Mark, me, brother Rocky
My 2nd birthday, April 6, 1958



"And God blessed..." (Genesis 1:28)

I'm 62 today. It's 11:09 a.m., and God has already blessed my socks off with happy birthday texts, emails, phone calls, cards, and even a solo "Happy Birthday to You" serenade from my amazing son-in-law!

But a morning highlight for me was speaking God's message to 4th and 5th graders at Briarwood Christian Elementary School: 

"Children, when I say no to your prayers, trust that I love you, I am with you, and I am up to something good - even when sorrows like sea billows roll."

And, beloved, His message is for you as well.

Coming soon!

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Sagged and Bagged and Crook'd and Crinkled

My Phillip, my grandmother, and me
1977

"Even in your old age and gray hairs I am He, I am He who will sustain you. I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you." (Isaiah 46:4)

Years and years ago, my little cousin watched our grandmother rub cream on her face and pat her cheeks and cover her neck and pat under her chin. In fascination, Vicki asked, "What are you doing, Grandmaw?"

"I'm getting my wrinkles out," Grandmother explained.

"Grandmaw," said Vicki, "there a-comin' back."

Now, I look in the mirror and see Naomi from Phil A. Smouse' beloved children's book, I Love Ruthie. Naomi whined...

"Just look at me! I'm old and wrinkled,

sagged and bagged and crook'd and crinkled,

crumpled, puckered, nooked and crannied,

Rip-Van-Winkled, grayed and grannied!"

Today, beloved, let's turn our eyes from the mirror and onto Jesus.

O soul are you weary and troubled?

No light in the darkness you see?

There's light for a look at the Savior

And life more abundant and free.

Turn your eyes upon Jesus

Look full in His wonderful face

And things of earth will grow strangely dim

In the light of His glory and grace.1

1 TURN YOUR EYES UPON JESUS. Helen H. Lemmel, 1922.

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Powerless

the grandboy and his Tonka

"O our God, will You not judge [our enemies]? For we are powerless before this great multitude who are coming against us; nor do we know what to do, but our eyes are on You." (2 Chronicles 20:12)

I'm working on the laptop this morning because the electricity went out in our neighborhood. I keep flipping the light switches, but nothing happens because there's a disconnect to the power that makes them shine.

Up against a mountain, beloved, with no power to get up the hill? Plug into Jesus and God's supernatural power to get the job done. 

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New Every Morning

Chancellor Ferry Farm

"The LORD's loving kindnesses indeed never cease, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness." (Lamentations 3:20-21)


Jeremiah was an Israelite priest in Jerusalem called by God to be a prophet. His God-given assignment: Call out his people's sins, admonish them to repent, and forecast national doom. Talk about an unpopular job description! How did the people respond? They horrifically attacked him.

In the book of Lamentation, Jeremiah wrote: "My splendor is gone and all that I had hoped from the LORD. My soul is downcast within me. Yet this I call to mind and therefore have hope: because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness!" 

In hard times, beloved? Keep looking to Jesus. His mercies are new every morning. Great is His faithfulness!

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New Life

babygrand #7

"But because of His great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions - it is by grace you have been saved." (Ephesians 2:4-5)

Grandbaby #7 is on the way. Thank You, Jesus, and praise You,  Lord! This morning, through modern technology, our Dan and Mandy watched their little miracle wiggle in the womb. 

Two thousand years ago, Jesus did not come to make bad people good. He came to make spiritually dead people alive! 

Beloved, are you dead or alive?

Watch "Believe Again:" www.churchofthehighlands.com

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