Vacation Bound!

Hubby and I, along with daughter Kristin and son-in-law Shawn, are headed to the mountains for a little R & R, a lot of fun, and truth be told, probably more activity than a person should have on vacation :) Hopefully, a sizeable portion of peace and deep soul rest will be found by us all as we enjoy the beauty of God's creation.

I won't be posting again until next Sunday night -- I have a little something ready to go upon our return. As for today, I don't want to run off without giving you the R & R you come looking for when you visit my blog. Enjoy these words of Henry Van Dyke -- some perfect thoughts for this vacation bound post. God bless!

"To be glad of life because it gives you the chance to love and to work and to play and to look up at the stars; to be satisfied with your possessions but not contented with yourself until you have made the best of them; ...to think seldom of your enemies, often of your friends, and every day of Christ; and to spend as much time as you can with body and with spirit in God's out-of-doors --these are little guideposts on the footpath to peace."

Flickr photo by naturalpapa

Summer Fun -- My "No Real Post" Top Ten

Time for some summer fun with my blog. Since writing meaningful posts twice a week can be a challenge at times, I'm giving myself permission to kick back and just have some fun.

Actually, Mike Hyatt, CEO of Thomas Nelson, handed down that permission with his 8 Blog Tips from Tim Ferriss post. Tip #7 encourages bloggers to keep it fun, and I love it when I find advice that's not too technologically challenging for me to follow :)

So today I give you my Top Ten Reasons (some might call them excuses) for No Real Post:

10. I'm a gal who's always up for some fun.

9. Vacation is next week so might as well start it a few days early.

8. Counting on this not taking as much writing time as a real post.

7. Agent Rachelle Gardner did it so I figure I can, too (thanks for the idea, Rachelle!).

6. Waiting to see what news story the media will beat to death next.

5. Making time to avoid writing by arranging my paper clips and the like (writers will understand this!).

4. Marathon Man has finally crashed, and now I can't think for his snoring.

3. Trying to lose 3 or 4 pounds so I can splurge on vacation -- am dark chocolate and Peanut M&M deprived and too on edge to concentrate.

2. My competitive nature just wanted to see if I could hang with David Letterman.

1. Too busy celebrating -- just found out about a Harry & David store near our vacation destination! Chocolate truffles, here I come!

So what would be on your Top Ten list for taking a break from your regular routine? Go ahead -- have some fun! I give you permission :)

"Our mouths were filled with laughter, our tongues with songs of joy..." Psalm 126:2a

p.s. See how I couldn't resist giving you something meaningful from the Word of God? Can't help it -- it's who I am! :)

Remembering Those Who Aren't So Free -- Persecuted Christians

As we celebrated the birth of our nation this past weekend and enjoyed the privilege of living in the land of the free, I couldn't help but think about those who are not so free. Those around the world living each day in nations where their governments restrict -- or allow the restriction of -- their freedoms. Among them are persecuted Christians.

It's almost beyond what our minds can grasp. Since here in America we've always known the freedom to worship as we please, we can't imagine what it must be like for fellow believers and followers of Christ who in some nations risk their very lives by any public show of faith in Him. Many die -- some at the hands of their own families.

Those who don't lose their lives are often imprisoned or beaten. Many are rejected by their communities as well as their families. Their livelihoods are threatened as no one will do business with them. Most cannot meet openly as a church or freely have a Bible in their possession. You can learn more about the plight of persecuted Christians through The Voice of the Martyrs, a non-profit inter-denominational Christian organization involved in assisting our persecuted brothers and sisters in Christ around the world.

We can also learn more by staying in touch with missionaries in nations where religious freedom is restricted. Our church body partners with a missionary couple who minister to other missionaries throughout North Africa and the Middle East. It suddenly puts a face on the problem when we hear first-hand some of the atrocities our brothers and sisters endure.

It seems fitting that as we rejoice in our own freedom of religion, we take time to remember and pray for those who long for such freedom. God's Word tells us about persecuted people of faith in Bible times and says, "the world was not worthy of them..." (Hebrews 11:38). I believe the same could be said today.

Join me today, won't you? Let's remember... and pray!

"Remember those in prison as if you were their fellow prisoners, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering." Hebrews 13:3

Flickr photo by PearlyV

Keeping It Real...Rejected but Pressing On

Remember the celebration I threw for myself a couple of weeks ago? You know, the one where I told you about my recent successes on the writing front? Well, it didn't take long for that run of good luck to come to a screeching halt. Today I'm keeping it real and fessing up to the other side of a writer's life -- rejection.

In the 2 1/2 weeks since I announced my good news, two rejections have torpedoed me back to reality -- and they've arrived in record time, I might add. Those of you who are my Facebook friends might have caught the rejection report about the piece I submitted to a back page column of a major women's magazine. That one came back so fast the mailman had to run to keep up with it. Given the fact the magazine guidelines required snail mail and it had to go to New York and back, I seriously don't know how it had time to make it to an editor's desk. Shoot, I think it got rejected in the mail room.

Don't worry about me, though. I know rejection goes with a writer's territory and am well experienced with it, in fact. I'm not getting down -- not yet anyway. However, if rejections keep arriving at the rate of one per week, I can't guarantee how long my positive attitude will last :)

Writers must put on perseverance every day. It's a basic part of a writer's wardrobe. It ranks right up there with hard work and a teachable spirit. I wouldn't want to venture out without the vital accessory of encouragement, either. I certainly appreciated the mini pep rally several of you gave me via Facebook when you read my rejection status report. Encouragement is the sweetest medicine I know.

Who else needs the encouragement to persevere today? Let me be the first to offer it. After all, perseverance works. Without it, I could never have had that little celebration a couple of weeks ago. Without it, this blog post would never have been written. Remember, the Lord gives us the strength to persevere. How about it? Let's press on together!

"You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised." Hebrews 10:36

Job Hunting...Pray With Us, Please

Like many of you, the reports of massive job loss across our nation didn't really sink in until it hit close to home. When it finally touched our family, it put a face on the problem. A face near and dear to our hearts -- the face of our son-in-law. All of a sudden, the problem of unemployment became all too real.

Three months ago, our daughter Kristin called one afternoon in total shock with the news that Shawn had lost his job. His boss didn't want to let him go, but he had no choice. His business, like so many others, was suffering under the struggling economy. In the blink of an eye, Shawn became one of the casualties.

Since then, he's been working hard day in and day out to find a job in his field, and as many of you know, job hunting can be a roller coaster of emotions. What a blessing to know that Shawn and Kristin are trusting in God through it all. Even in moments of discouragement, they know where their hope lies. They know God will provide, that He will open a door at just the right time.

When I asked Shawn if I could post about their situation and ask for your prayers, he welcomed the prayer support. Please join us in asking God to bless his job search and open the door to the perfect job for Shawn in a place where Kristin can continue to use her abilities as well. (She is a professional pianist and currently collaborates with students and faculty at a university in their area.)

Some of you may even know of a job possibility or contact that might be helpful to Shawn. His field is in video production. He's hoping for an editing/producing or production management position but is open to related jobs as well. He even has some business and banking interests. Just contact me if you have any leads for him, and I'll get the info to him.

We all have times in our lives when we need each other's support and prayers. Charles H. Brent, an American Episcopal bishop (1862-1929), once said, "Intercessory prayer might be defined as loving our neighbor on our knees."

Shawn and Kristin aren't the only ones who need this kind of love right now. If you have a prayer need, please share it with a comment. Allow us go to our knees for you today! (And thanks so much for praying for my kids!)

"I urge you, brothers, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to join me in my struggle by praying to God for me." Romans 15:30

Marathon Man -- Pressing On

Don, my amazing husband, has morphed again. You read about him first as Canyon Man. A couple of months later, he became Paint Man, and this past March, Tax Man made an appearance. But June calls for yet another persona, a supercharged persona. June calls for Marathon Man.

Usually Don's alter egos take over when he's on break from his teaching duties, but the intense demands of teaching Micro as well as Anatomy & Physiology in a 4-week time frame require the energy and stamina of a superteacher. And that superteacher is none other than Don, my mighty Marathon Man.

Teaching these courses in the summer keeps him moving as fast and as hard as he can. Since he's in the classroom from 8 to 5 with only a break for lunch, all his prep and clean-up have to be done after the students are gone. With these particular lab courses, that translates into hours and hours of additional work.

This summer session has proved to be even more difficult than most because his classes are so large. More students means twice as much lab prep and clean-up. Many nights he doesn't get home until 9 or 10, and two or three times a week it's been midnight or one before he comes dragging in. He's had only two early nights the entire month of June -- one 7 p.m. and one 8 p.m.
Sometimes he's even had to go in early after those late nights to finish setting up lab tests.

I'm not sure where he gets the strength to carry on, but I know he's kept the finish line in sight at all times (by the way, it's this Friday!). He always knows exactly how many days remain and how many lectures and tests he has left. He simply perseveres and presses on toward the goal -- which this month has become making it out alive! Only a true Marathon Man could accomplish it.

I know some of you are running marathons of your own. You're wondering how you're going to face another day or where you'll get the strength to carry on. I encourage you to take a lesson from Marathon Man and keep the finish line in sight. Like Don, "...press on toward the goal to win the prize..." (Philippians 3:14)

And then? Give God the glory. After all, He's the one who gives the grace and strength needed to finish our marathons.

"I lift up my eyes to the hills -- where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth." Psalm 121:1-2

Resting in His Hands

Look closely. What do you see resting in my nephew Gavin's hands? No, it's not a little plastic toy. It's a real, live lizard -- a Missouri lizard that decided to accept Gavin's friendly overture during our Memorial Day family gathering at Mom and Dad's. In all honesty, I don't know if there's such a thing as a Missouri lizard, but since that's where we were, that's what I'm calling him :)

I came upon this scene exactly as you see it above. I never did hear the story of how this little guy ended up hanging out with Gavin, completely at ease while several of us drew near snapping photos. For whatever reason -- whether he was simply content with a warm place to rest, scared to death, or maybe even sick -- he decided to trust himself to Gavin's caring hands.

Gavin certainly rose to the occasion, becoming very careful and attentive. Hands that busied themselves that weekend with everything from playing badminton to playing Wii to putting up bunny ears behind unsuspecting victims quieted themselves long enough to give refuge to another of God's creatures. And both, I might add, seemed quite pleased with the arrangement.

Does a refuge sound pretty good to you about now? We all need one in our lives each and every day. Sometimes we just need a warm and loving place to rest while at other times fear consumes us and finds us desperate for a safe place, a shelter from all harm.

That shelter, that refuge, awaits us in the hands of God. It's there for all who will accept His loving overtures, to all who will trust themselves to His tender and capable hands. If Gavin, in all his 7-yr. old glory, can provide a safe place for a little lizard, how much more will God, the Creator of the universe and the Lover of our souls, give refuge to all who will trust their lives to Him?

I don't know about you, but I'm going to trust my mighty God, my heavenly Father. I'm going to rest in Him. I'm sure we'll both be quite pleased with the arrangement. Join us, won't you?

"My soul finds rest in God alone; my salvation comes from him." Psalm 62:1