Sorry I missed last week. I've been busier these days now that I'm working for the holiday season.
Anyway, today I wanted to tell you about what I learned this morning in my devotions. It's a truth most of us know already, but it bears repeating since we so often forget things we learn. "Surely there is a vein for the silver, and a place for the gold where they fine [refine] it. Iron is taken out of the earth, and brass is molten out of the stone. . . The stones of it are the place of sapphires: and it hath dust of gold." Job 28:1-2,6. I read these verses this morning and alongside it I read Matthew Henry's commentary on the chapter. It really helps dig deeper into the verses, and that's where I found this quote. "As we have our food, so we have our fuel, out of the earth. There the sapphires and other gems are, and thence gold-dust is digged up. The wisdom of the Creator has placed these things, 1. Out of our sight, to teach us not to set our eyes upon them, 2. Under our feet, to teach us not to lay them in our bosoms, nor to set our hearts upon them, but to trample upon them with a holy contempt." There are precious stones, gems in this world that we value and some that are so rare. Yet they are hidden, buried away in the earth. Why? Because our God knows there is something--SOMEONE--even more valuable than those precious stones. Faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. "If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God." Colossians 3:1-3. Join me today in seeking those things that are above. . . eternal treasures that are of far more worth than any we could find here on earth. And now this brings me to my end-of-the-month writing update. I took a really LONG break from my writing and it took a couple weeks of indecision and starting one project and dumping another before settling on the current work-in-progress. I did something with this one that I have never done before. I am very meticulous about plotting out the story before I do it, but this time, I decided to "wing it" and with an idea of the direction I wanted the story to go, I started out yesterday and wrote 3,000 words in a little over 2 hours. All this to say, that it is going to be quite the adventure to see how this story turns out. I don't know what's going to happen next so that will certainly be fun to figure out as I go along!
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I'm guessing that over the past five days, some of you have been following along with Amie's blog tour for her poetry book, FIFTEEN. If so, welcome to stop #6 on my blog, Words that Speak! Today, I am going to give you my review of the book. Hope you enjoy!
How many of you like poetry? I admit that not long ago, I wasn't that into poetry. I'd read some here and there that I liked but never a full book till I read Helen Steiner Rice's, "Showers of Blessings." Not long after that, I signed up for Amie's cover reveal for her new poetry book coming out, Fifteen. Guys, this book is AMAZING! It's emotional and full of the highs and lows of teen depression and you see how the character gradually changes as each poem goes on. When I was reading the e-Arc, I found myself tearing up, feeling the pain, then soaring with hope. Amie really showcased how we matter--and that we all have a purpose here. She also showed how we shouldn't get stuck, caught, or even overwhelmed with our inner battle. We know the One who can break us free from these chains. We are not going through this alone. And let me say this, Fifteen is not only for those struggling with depression. This book is for anyone who was gone through some tough mental battles and dark times in their lives. Through this book, you'll find that there's hope and that beauty can shine through our deepest pain. Great job with this one, Amie! I give it 5 stars and beyond! :-) I'm definitely adding this one to my book recommendations. ;) Here is more about the book: You're not alone. You’re not the only person who struggles with mental health issues, not the only person with demons floating in your mind. Amie Woleslagle wrote Fifteen because she deals with them as well. Not to fix your pain, but to reach out and hold your hand. To remind you that you are not alone, to ask you to stay and make the world a better place. Because the world will never be the same without you and your unique take on life. Fifteen is a book of poems crafted from one teenager dealing with mental health issues to another teenager in the same place. It walks through the battle of pretending to be okay, of having people you thought were trustworthy shatter your heart, and the battle of not giving in when your brain has given up. Fifteen covers true friendships, embracing joy, self acceptance, and living your faith while struggling with mental illness, all the while showing that, in the end, flowers will bloom in the ashes of your pain. Now, everyone, it's time to go pre-order yourselves a copy! For those who pre-order the paperback, you'll receive a bundle of goodies. See below for more info on that. Pre-order Paperback: https://www.etsy.com/listing/848898366/fifteen-a-compilation-of-poems-preorder?ref=shop_home_active_1&crt=1 A nice bonus with pre-ordering the paperback version is that Amie is giving away a bundle of goodies. All you have to do is pre-order the paperback version at the link above, take a picture (or snapshot) of your receipt, and fill out the form in the link below. Pre-order goodies form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSenLfX2Nfb3veRryRdQRydtoSbFcu4kol_EeJvU9tPoXC6Oow/viewform?usp=sf_link If you prefer reading e-books, you'll be glad to know that you can pre-order the e-book version in this link! Pre-order Ebook: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08GP5ZC9D ANND, there's more! ;) If any of you have a Goodreads account, you'll want to check out the page for FIFTEEN. Goodreads page: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/55220906-fifteen For those of you following Amie's blog tour, you probably heard about the scavenger hunt by now. Each day, the blog tour host will have a *somewhat* hidden word in their post that is one word in a sentence Amie came up with. If you go back to the previous blog tour stops, you can collect all the words up till now. Once you have the complete sentence, on October 23rd, head on over to Amie's final blog post where she'll have the last word and a form for you to fill out. The first one who submits the correct sentence will win a hardcover book of poems by Emily Dickinson. Isn't that awesome? :) Don't forget to keep following the rest of the tour stops along the way! Have a great rest of your week, everyone. :) A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23
by: Phillip Keller This book is A-M-A-Z-I-N-G! I've read it twice already and I plan on reading it again soon to let the truths sink deeper into my heart. This is a non-fiction, Christian living-type of book that talks about the relationship we (as sheep) have with our Great Shepherd. It's just SO GOOD. I've always loved the analogy of the Shepherd and sheep, relating to our walk with God. My second-to-last story had a theme about being the lost sheep, running away, but then being pursued by the Shepherd, just like in the parable of the 99 sheep and the 1 that strayed. I recommend this book a 1000%! You can probably use it as a devotional or just read it in your spare time. I promise you, it's that good! =) P.S. Don't be surprised if I do another post that further discusses the analogy of the Shepherd and the sheep. There are so many good verses about it! Stay tuned. On a side note, watch for my post next week as I do a review of Amie Woleslagle's poetry book, "FIFTEEN," coming out later this month! It's a part of a blog tour she's hosting starting October 11th so be sure to head to her website: www.amieanne.blog. This is where the tour will start. "There is one political maxim which comforts me: The Lord Reigns." -John Newton
A friend shared this quote on her Facebook page and I could not agree with it more. This year is the big election, one that only comes every four years: the presidential election. More than ever, it seems like this election is the big one. The man chosen will take this country down a path either of success or defeat worse than it has ever seen. Now, I'm not here to tell you who you should be voting for, how you should be voting safely, or to offer you some solution to help fix our nation, aside from praying for our leaders in authority. I am here, though, to encourage you to take your minds off that for a few minutes and to redirect your gaze toward our true Leader. Earlier this year I was thinking ahead to the outcome of the election. Who would win and be in power? Would our country only get worse? These fears threatened to overwhelm me. They still do sometimes. In those moments, I fix my heart's gaze heavenward and I remember that the Lord reigns. "The LORD reigneth, he is clothed with majesty. . ." (Psalm 93:1) We may be worried about the presidency and who will win it in 33 short days, but think about it. The president doesn't rule over the whole world and kings don't either. Do you know Who does? We have the privilege, the gift, of knowing and having a relationship with the highest Authority out there--the greatest President and King that still reigns today--Almighty God. He reigns. He is in control. Isn't that comforting? "Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice: and let men say among the nations, The LORD reigneth." (1 Chronicles 16:31) Four years ago we had these same worries about the direction our nation was headed. Regardless of the outcome, after overhearing an idea that my aunt suggested, I went to my calendar and wrote: "God is still in control" for that Wednesday, November 9, 2016. By God's grace, our voices (or votes) were heard and our president was elected. God does not change. He was reigning then and He reigns now. I'll leave you with a verse to end this post. I hope it encourages you! "The LORD shall reign for ever, even thy God, O Zion, unto all generations. Praise ye the LORD." (Psalm 146:10) |
AuthorHi! I'm Carolyn, a writer seeking to glorify God with my words. Archives
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