There is a time.

Ecclesiastes 3:
3 To everything there is a season,
A time for every purpose under heaven:
2 A time to be born, And a time to die;
A time to plant, And a time to pluck what is planted;
3 A time to kill, And a time to heal;
   A time to break down, And a time to build up;  . . .
8 A time to love, And a time to hate;
   A time of war, And a time of peace.

I don’t see a time to write.

Have you ever forgotten the names of your characters. I have. Amazing you say. What is wrong with you, you say. Well let me explain to you what has happened.

There I was writing my novel. I have all of 35 pages written. Now that is double spaced so really it isn’t a full 35 pages long. These 35 pages took me more than a year to write. Yup, more than a year.

Why so long .. must have been something tragic happened and I couldn’t write, right?

Ummm No. Life got in my way. Life seems to have a way of doing that, just kind of getting in the way.

Every Sunday evening I make out my “To-Do List”. I know all will 
not go as planned, but it gives me someplace to start.

• Doctor appointments
• Lunch Dates
• Meet with friends
• And of course the everyday – laundry, cleaning, cooking

I even plan a basic menu, even though I normally don’t stick real close to it.

I was so excited Monday evening when I realized that I was ahead of schedule for my list of things to do. I had even done a few things that I had scheduled for later in the week.

Then comes Tuesday morning. I get up and go to an appointment I had. I drive 40 miles one way and sit there thinking “Where is everybody”? I was a day early!!!

What – how can that be? I pick up the papers I had read them over and go yep, yep, right place, right time, right day – What – I take out my phone and look at the date. No it can’t be. Oh, yes it is. Talk about messing up my schedule for the week. I could have just come home, gone back to bed and pull the covers over my head.

I get home to find my repair man telling me I bought the wrong kind of fan to be installed on the deck. Really? What next?

Then I get a phone call reminding me that I have the devotion for Saturday. What?

So you can see how easily I get distracted.

How can I forget my characters name and what they are doing? Because I am not focused.

The point to this story is, we have to make the time to write. Prioritize the time to write. It may be once a week or every day, whatever works for your schedule. But we need a schedule.

Writing should be close to the top of my list. Right up there with brushing my teeth and my prayer time if I want to be successful. It should stay on my list and all other appointments should be made around my writing time.

So I ask you, are you making the time you should be making for your writing?

Seek God Today

After attending a funeral, I think everyone takes a moment and reflects on their life and the comments that may be said about them when they leave this world behind. This beautiful Christian woman that left the earth last week was everything that I want to be. Would it be wrong to say, "I wish she were my mother"? I don't feel that I am being disrespectful of my mother in saying that. Mrs Marlow was soft, meek, humble, soothing, radiant, giving, submissive and comforting in every way. Her family laid her to rest Saturday in the most graceful way a family can after losing a loved one.

Now I am home and life goes on. However, I will try harder on being more compassionate, humble, meek, giving, submissive and radiant. Not so people will say these things about me when I am gone, but so I can touch those around me while I am here. So I can be an example and lift their spirits in hope and love. Show those around me that there is so much good in this world.

Life is good and we are blessed by our Heavenly Father. He wants us to continually seek Him out and enjoy the life we have here on earth. He gives us all that we have and all that we need. Seek happiness and God today.

A Challege This Week

Remember when you became a Christian and where baptized into Christ?  I do believe that for those few moments afterwards you were sinless.  But all you had to do was enter back into the world of everyday living and you soon became a sinner again.  The bible teaches us that we are sinners, however, by the grace of God and following His biblical outline for our lives we can be saved.  

I remember how elated I felt that day many years ago.  I knew it was the right thing for me to do and that is how I was choosing to live my life.  No I have not always done it well, I’ve made many a mistakes, but God was there to help me through them.

My question to you today is do you have the same vigor and love for the Word as you did the day you were baptized?  Have you become complacent? It is not unusual for us humans to fall into the trap of everyday living and lose our excitement about God and His word.  

This week I challenge you to do, say or act just a little more enthused about your Heavenly Father and the wonders that He can bring into your life.

I Can’t Handle Anymore!

Have you ever wanted to look to the Heavens and say, “that’s it God, I can’t handle anymore”?  Sometimes things just pile up on us and we can’t see a way out, but we know that God provides us an escape route every time.

1 Corinthians 10:13 – There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to beat it.

That is where I am right now.  I know God has my back, but……  Isn’t it odd how things always come at you together and at the same time?  Death, heartbreak, loss of a job, financial problems, vehicles breaking down, home repairs and any other thing you can think of.  Day after day you wake up and something else shows up on your door step. 

It happens to all of us, none of us can free our self from these times in our lives, but how to get through them is the question. Of course there is prayer and we know we will survive, but how to manage our day during these times calls for real strength.  What if you are not strong?  It is OK; acknowledging that you are not strong right now is being smart and taking control of the situation.  You are allowed to hurt, you are allowed to cry and feel low.  Take the day and close off the world and be with yourself (remember you are not really alone, God is there), do what your mind and body needs.  Cry, take a long walk, take a long bath, and watch movies – whatever is needed to get you through that day.  Just remember tomorrow is another day, but you can’t repeat this method every day or it would not be healthy.  I normally only need one or two days at the most, then – yup, up go the “big girl panties” and I move on and deal with the problems one by one.

Pretty soon the sun is shining again in my soul and my life reverts back to its abnormal way.  Because normal is just a setting on the dryer – not real life.

So you want to be a Writer!

I have decided to follow my dream and try my hand at writing.  No not the great American Novel, just lovely Christian romance novels.  I love reading them and think I can do a good job.  So I joined a group, immediately jumped in and became active with this group form ACFW (American Christian Fiction Writers).  All is well, except I am finding out that there are all these rules for writing.  I had no idea that there were so many things to know before just sitting down and belting out a book.  I am having a great time learning all the new stuff.  Who knew this old lady could learn things at my age :).  I guess it is true, you are never to old to learn.  I'm taking on-line classes and have met some of the most wonderful people while persueing this new avenue of my life.  Most of you know I have always written here and there, but now there is a purpose to it all.  Now is the time for me to focus and learn the craft and put to use the things I am learning. 

I'm so excited about this new adventure that I am taking. I hope to take you along with me as I go.  I will share what I learn and show you my attempts at writing here on my blog. 

So follow along and have some fun.

Who was Mary - Mother of Jesus?

She was a young woman from Nazareth in Galilee. Mary would have been approximately 12 or 13 yrs old when the angel of Gabriel came to her and told her that was going to deliver a baby boy and He was going to be the Holy One. Can you even wrap you mind around that thought. I can’t even imagine what it would be like to be the mother of Jesus.  As a mother I know how I love my children. I would do anything to protect them and keep them safe.  Imagine raising your child knowing all the time that He was special, and not just to you, but to the world. You were carrying God’s child and raising Him for the Heavenly Father. This had to be an awesome responsibility that Mary carried with her always. 

Fast forward to the days of Jesus’ teaching. Jesus is a grown man now around 30 and starting His journey spreading God’s word, the Gospel. Mary must have been so proud of Him. I know when I am proud of my children I feel like I could explode and normally do with tears, and telling everyone about them and their accomplishments and how wonderful they are.  But --- Mary, we aren’t told much about how she felt about her son or the days of her raising Him. She was a human mother just as you and I are. Did she have bad days? Did Jesus act up as a child like other little ones do? I don’t know, I guess that will need to wait till I get to Heaven and ask God.

Fast forward to His crucifixion. What was she feeling on that day?  Can we even think or comprehend the depth of her pain as she watched Jesus being beaten. Your child being whipped with straps that had nails or razor like items on the straps to make sure the whipping cut His flesh. She would have seen His beaten body, the look in His eyes, His broken spirit. She would have felt His pain as her own while she watched Him being nailed to the cross. As they ripped His clothes from Him, as they laid Him on the cross and spread His arms to drive long ragged nails through his writs and feet.  Was Jesus crying? He was human, I believe He did. Did He scream in pain? I believe He did, He was human. Did He understand why this was happening? Yes, he did, He was Christ the Son of God.

But Mary was all female, all human, with all our understanding and feelings as a mother. Was she standing, or had she crumpled to the ground unable to stand on her own feet from grief. Her precious son was dying before her eyes and she could not stop this event from happening. She could not go to Him and hold Him in her arms while He took His last breath. Do you feel her pain? Think about Mary and her emotions, and then go hug your family. God allowed Mary and Christ to go through all this pain and agony for you and for me.

May God Bless!

Lillian Humphries

“Oh, it’s good enough for Wednesday”

This article has been on my heart for some time, almost a year now.  I am talking to myself in this one, not at anyone so please remember that as you read it.

 I was getting ready for Bible study one Wednesday evening and had been doing stuff around the house.  Finally 5 minutes before it was time to leave I decided it was time to change my clothes.  I was changing my clothes and looked in the mirror and said, “Oh, it’s good enough for Wednesday”.  That thought has not left my mind.  What am I thinking? It is good enough for Wednesday!!!  This is God I am going to see (I know He is everywhere)!  I also know that God will take us as we are.  Sinners that we are, homeless, broken, pieces of shattered clay, we can come to Him in any physical or mental state and He loves us, as long as we come to Him.  I know this!!

But don’t you think God appreciates us putting some effort into how we present ourselves to Him?  I know it is not necessary, but if we can get dressed up to go out, or dressed up to go to work, don’t you think we can get dressed up to go worship and praise our Lord?  It just seems like sometimes we don’t put any effort into things anymore. 

 Remember growing up with your “Sunday” clothes.  Mom would always say, don’t get your Sunday clothes dirty, or save that dress for Sunday and special occasions.  Aren’t the ability and the pleasure that we have in worshiping our Father in heaven a special occasion?  It is to me, and I want to start being that way more.  I want to start taking more time getting ready to worship my Father in heaven.  This would include being physically and mentally ready to worship.  Going to worship with a song in my heart, the Lord on my mind, and extra special attention given to what I put on my body.

 God wants our best and wants the best for us, so I’m going to try harder.  Don’t expect to see me in one of the fancy hats though, because I don’t look good in hats, wish I could, but just can’t pull it off.   :)

Praise God!!