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Summer Graces

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To every thing there is a season… Eccles. 3:1 KJV


If you’re like me and not much of a cold weather person, the excitement for January’s start can quickly fade once the heart and harshness of winter settle in around us. Though I love hot chocolate, a good bowl of chili, and being wrapped in my favorite blanket in my favorite spot on the couch, I have to be honest: summer can’t arrive soon enough! My bones yearn for sunshine and the graces of a new season – hurry, please!

Well, winter’s grey has left us, and spring has birthed a new set of days with promises for life to abound. Summer is here!

I do enjoy summer’s opportunity for spontaneity, but like you, I do make some semblance of a plan so as to get the most out of the season’s days (because winter WILL return, right?). Here’s my list of what I’m looking forward to!

Thankful just to be able to start again, to welcome the new!

My “shetreat.” No, husband, you ain’t going, sisters, friends, nobody! Just me and God. I’m headed to beautiful Charleston SC this year, and can’t wait to partake of my favorites.

Outside of Charleston, I don’t have plans for a lot of other travel, but an extra beach trip is always in order. I can sit and look at the ocean all day…

What’s summer without a book or two? Hope to dig into Fervent by Priscilla Shirer, Grace from Max Lucado, and maybe something fun and totally random. Any suggestions?

I’m glad to be able to give and help someone else along. Looking forward to volunteering this summer at a local charity that’s doing great work for those in need in the Triangle NC area.

Time spent with family and friends is made extra special when you can cut up and just have some good ol’ fun. My family and I know how to do this quite well. Join us, won’t you?

Well, your turn! Tell me what’s on your summer’s horizon. Whatever you set out to do, be safe and enjoy!

Faith of a Woman

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For she said, If I may touch but his clothes, I shall be whole. (Mark 5:28 KJV)


It is the belief that God is there, with her always. It is what keeps a smile on her face when times are hard. It’s the joy in her spirit when the world says she should worry. It is seeing it happen when no one else can or will. It is the size of a mustard seed, because that’s all it takes.

It is the faith of a woman – strong, hard, daring. Perfectly centered on her perfect God. Believing, seeing, knowing. How is faith achieved? How does one have faith? Have you ever met one of those women of God and witnessed the faith she has?

I believe faith is a gift. It is given of the same God to which it is aimed. He bestows it in a willing vessel for His glory and for others to behold. If received and used by the vessel, it is a powerful force, capable of moving mountains, opening and closing doors, making ways out of no ways.

The woman in Mark 5:28 had faith. She had no other choice. She was at the end of her rope; Jesus was her only option. Had been all along. Her faith brings her to Him. Or, to hem.

If I could only touch Him, she said. That will do it. That’s all I need. Just one touch. Her faith moved through Jesus so powerfully that He felt virtue leave Him. Where did it go? He had to know. He turned and saw a poor face. That’s where it went – to her.

I want to be that kind of woman, with that kind of faith. The faith that causes Jesus to stop in His tracks and look for me, to look at me, through me. To see it all. I want His love to heal me, save me, cover me, fill me. What a blessed way to live.

Nothing’s more beautiful than a woman with faith in her God – arms stretched out to hem, her first love.

Repost: New Day, May 2015

How have YOU demonstrated faith in God?

 

Tools and Tips: Putting Your Best Words Forward

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Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass. Psalm 37:5 KJV

tools and tips_ putting your best words forward-2

In my now 1.5 years of blogging, I’ve learned a few things. There’s a lot to do to keep blog space moving forward and maintaining a quality site and worthwhile content. No matter your focus – faith, fashion, lifestyle – it all takes work and commitment.

In this next entry in my Spring Blogger series, aimed at other faith bloggers, I’m offering my tools and tips for making your words shine, glorifying God all the while. That’s the point, isn’t it?

Well, speaking of: Center yourself and your blog in God and His word. If you’re a follower of Christ and rooted in the Word, then your blog should reflect that, even if faith is not necessarily the central theme. Your food blog can honor God through what and how you write, and your audience will know the spirit behind it. No matter your focus, pray first and always, stay grounded, and honor God with your gifts.

Get organized and committed and stay organized and committed. When I first started blogging, I kept a list of blog ideas, started an editorial calendar, and mapped out some social media goals (among other things), all before I read countless how-to’s, best blog practices, and this and that. It was important for me to stay organized on all levels of my blog and to find a system of organization that worked for me. If something wasn’t working, I’d try a different strategy. And, I committed myself to the work. I posted every Friday (at the time) like I said I would. I chose faith as my central theme because I’m a person of faith – there’s really no other viewpoint from which I could write, honestly (and sometimes this ain’t all that easy). Whatever you do, however you do it, stick to it and keep your word.

Another way I put my best words forward is investing in resources I believe I need in order to produce a successful blog. I’m currently a member of COMPEL Training, run by Proverbs 31 Ministries. COMPEL has allowed me to become a better, focused faith writer, and has connected me to new friends that share in this same journey. The expertise from the P31 team and the extra tools and resources are worth it. Also, don’t forget your Bible, dictionary, style guide, etc. Yeh, you know, those things. We want our best words, right?

Lastly I would say know your grace. Simply put, find your voice, know what God has called you to say and do. I’m no Bible teacher or scholar. I do know whose I am in the Lord, and I know and have accepted His message of salvation, grace and mercy. That’s where I write from.

Well, these may not have been tools per se, but they are my aids in keeping this space going. And I’m grateful for my space in the building (hee hee), and I intend to present this work as God has called.

What are some ways you keep your blog space moving along?