Colors

My memory of art college was spending every Saturday buying what my son needed for his next week’s projects.
 “More colored pencils?” I asked; “You have at least a hundred by now.”
 “But I don’t have these,” he replied.
“Haven’t you learned to blend colors yet?” I asked… as I paid.

 Months later while we were traveling to Grand Rapids to spend a relaxing weekend, my son asked me to count the number of greens I saw. It was lovely spring day, my favorite season; and I wasn’t on-call for two whole days. So I smiled and began counting, but within a few minutes I lost track of whether that was a new green or not. The Creator of the Universe had painted the waking of nature with myriads of greens in all its shades, tints, and hues.

“The soul becomes dyed with the color of its thoughts;” wrote Marcus Aurelius.

And this mother told her son, “You can have as many colored pencils as you’d like.”

Today, my son is a successful graphic designer and I am a colorist a.k.a., a color-er. I started with a set of colored pencils and an adult coloring book to pass the time and to keep from being bored.

 Soon I added gel pens…








                                                     then a cart to hold all of them.

 I never seem to have just the right shade. Sound familiar?

I love the flow of ink on the paper and seeing the combination of multiple shades of a color group form a flower. I’ve graduated from a 12 per box to 120 and still want more choices.

 The transition from threads and yarns to ink actually came first. The colors I use for my needlework add dimension and texture. My grandson called it threading (drawing with thread) when he was a toddler. 

Coloring does pass the time for this homebound woman. As a bonus, I have discovered bright colors becoming bridges to happy memories and problem-solving becomes easier while coloring. Best of all, coloring connects me to the author of all colors.

 I am thankful we earthlings were given eyes with “some of the most complex structures in all of nature. The human eye can take in a million simultaneous impressions and can tell the difference between eight million different colours.” (@http://www.eyesite.co.uk/news/humans-vs-animals-who-has-better-vision/)

 Jürgen Moltmann wrote, “Our disappointments, our loneliness and our defeats do not separate us from him (God); they draw us more deeply into communion with him.”It is when I’m coloring that I understand that the best.

 And it is through the eyes of others I see what my walls hide from me: [As I run each day] “ I learn to notice perfect strangers who go out of their way to share a smile; I pay attention to dogs grinning as they walk their owners; and my eyes are drawn, again and again, to nature waking up.” ~ Ryan J. Pemberton

The Red Balloon

Last week I felt like setting aside the book I was reading to switch to something more relevant to the current COVID-19 crisis.

Scanning my bookshelves I found several possibilities; then my eyes settled on:

                                                  Study Book

Because I purchase books ahead when I find something I might enjoy, I often find I already have what I'm looking later on. Fight Back With Joy and it accompanied study book is about the author's physical, emotional and spiritual battle with breast cancer.

True joy is not dependent on being happy or feeling good. It is like a rainbow with multiple hues and layers. 

Fight Back With Joy is her journey of discovery "using joy to fight back fear, regret, and pain while learning a new way of living - a life radiant with joy." Her humorous writing style makes you want to join her when she gets into her jammies, laughing and being silly. By the way, the workbook is as good as the book. I did not purchase the DVD, but I'm sure it's an added bonus.                                                                                           

As I was reading the book, which is touching my heart, and doing the pages in the workbook, I had a AHAH moment.

I am going to "fly" a red 🎈 balloon in my front window until this COVID-19 is tamed... to symbolize my fight back with joy. 

I highly recommend all my readers to read this uplifting battle plan! And maybe fly a red balloon? 🎈

Heart of Wisdom

It's been over a month since my last post and I am approaching another birthday...#76!

My Christmas celebration with my family was very special this year as I am feeling so much better and able to do more. I went to the Christmas Eve candlelight service. [It's been at least five years since I've been inside a church.] I wrapped my own gifts and, with the help of my caregiving elves, I made Christmas dinner and some goodies to share!

Then on New Year's Day, I pondered my 3/4 of century life and once again chose the above verse as my 2020 goal. In keeping with that goal, I would like to recommend the book I am using as a daily devotional: Jonathon Cahn's The Book of Mysteries. 

I am not always consistent with my desires, but so far I've followed through by reading the devotion for the day every day for 31 days. That's how much I am enjoying it. Each one-page mystery challenges me. It stirs up my little gray cells and leads me to think where I haven't been before. It prompts me to look at myself and note my shortfalls and to fix them. Truly, the "heart of wisdom."

To my delight, I have been able to write again. Two short stories have been submitted to the Chicken Soup for the Soul books and more are in process.

Before sending my stories, I have shared them with my caregivers. Their responses have encouraged me and I hope my stories have encouraged them. For 1 Thessalonians 5:11 says "Encourage one another and build each other up." Being home-bound doesn't free me from that command.

I also finished reading Billy Graham's last book, Nearing Home, which he wrote seven years before his death at age 99. I related to much of his writing as I, too, am nearing home. He wrote several bits of wisdom that touched my heart. I'd like to share a few with you.

      "...every day--without exception--is a gift from God, entrusted to us to use for His glory."

      "Old age does not exempt us from fulfilling our purposes in life...for the time He has given you is not without purpose."

      When asked what surprised him the most in the aging process, Billy Graham replied, "The loss of strength to do the simplest things: getting up from a chair, having the endurance to visit with someone longer than an hour, or just going to the doctor's office... the loss of strength, the sheer inability to keep going." Wow, can I relate! This week I had four doctor appointments. The last one I agreed to use a wheelchair. I am exhausted.

      There is no fountain of youth. "The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life (Proverbs 14:27)." I love how he explained "the fear of the Lord."

      "It is contrary to being afraid of Him. God would not have sent His Son to earth to communicate with us if He wanted humanity to be fearful of approaching Him. This wonderful phrase throughout Scripture is a reminder to be in reverential awe of God, to love Him with our whole being and commit ourselves joyfully to Him in all things."

I'll let you ponder those thoughts.

'Til next time,

             4Him2u, I am Connie

Pain Is a Microphone, Part 4

Nothing Is Wasted

But be of good cheer. There is a connection between the strength of our pain and the volume of our voices. Jesus said in John 12:32,

And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself.

The more we hurt, the louder we become.

This is why, though it is tempting, you must not be selfish with your pain. The things God deposits in your spirit in the midst of suffering are the same things that someday other people will desperately need.

When you’re going through a trial, it’s easy to block out other people who are hurting. You might think, I can’t worry about them. I’m sorry other people have it bad, but I’m just barely coping. I’m hanging on by a thread. I could hardly get out of bed this morning, so I just need to focus on me right now. No one will blame you. But you are wasting the anointing oil your crushing produced. If you would be willing to step out in faith and serve other people when you’re in the fire yourself, you will find a huge boost in volume, because you are plugged into a microphone called pain.

There are two reasons why your volume gets louder as life gets harder. First, when you’re going through a great time of trial, people around you tend to get quieter. Their voices hush out of respect.

Smart people walk on tiptoe around hearts that are on fire.

When you’re a Christian and you’re going through a great time of difficulty, you will notice that those around you who don’t know Jesus Christ — especially those you’ve shared your faith with before — will lean in extra close. Their ears perk up. They want to see if what you have advertised is going to prove true in the product demonstration. You told them that Jesus is the light of your world. Well, now your power has been cut, and they want to see if you can glow in the dark. You’ve told them that Jesus is the anchor for your soul; He is the solid rock you can stand on. Now everything around you is giving way, and they want to find out if you’re going to sink in the sand. If they do see your claims proven true, you’ll find a greater willingness on their part to trust Christ in their own lives.

The second reason your volume gets louder when life gets harder is because in trials, you can hear God better. Why is this? Because He comes closer! That’s what we find in Psalm 34:18:

The Lord is near to those who have a broken heart.

1. C.S. Lewis wrote, “God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pain; it is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world.”2 And the nearer He is, the better we can hear Him and the more we can do for Him.

You’re actually better fit for ministry in the crucible of pain.

You have a stronger voice to project and to declare, and it’s easier to belt from the diaphragm of your soul when you’re hurting. It’s counterintuitive, but in the middle of my hardest mess, I’ve found ministry to be a great strength waiting to be tapped into. It was welling up within me — a greater desire than ever before to tell the whole world that Jesus Christ can turn off the dark — because I experienced it myself. Right there, at ground zero, in the valley of the shadow of death. As hard as it was to claw our way through on hands and knees in those moments, Jennie and I found that when we poured our pain into ministry, whole new levels of usefulness opened up.

There’s perhaps no time you are as powerful as when you minister in the midst of pain.

Selah ~ think on this
Connie

1. A. W. Tozer, The Root of the Righteous (Harrisburg, PA: Christian Publications, 1955), 137.
2. C. S. Lewis, The Problem of Pain (1940; repr. San Francisco: HarperSanFrancisco, 2001), 91.

Excerpted with permission from Through the Eyes of a Lion by Levi Lusko, copyright Levi Lusko.

Start Your Day with Devotionals Daily

Get FREE daily devotions from bestselling Christian authors

Featured Products

Pain is a Microphone, Part 3

Note: a hospitalization delayed this posting. Series continues with part 3.

Crushed Like an Olive

The Bible calls us kings and priests (Revelation 1:6). An interesting thing that a king and a priest have in common is that, in Old Testament times, both had to be anointed. They went through a symbolic ritual of being smeared with oil to show that they were set apart for the platform, the microphone they were called to.

A king couldn’t take the stage, the mantle of authority of leadership, without being anointed. Priests had to regularly be anointed and consecrated into their service. That’s why it’s striking that before Jesus, who is both King and Priest forever, went to Calvary, he first went to the Garden of Gethsemane.

Gethsemane means “olive press.” Olive oil is made by pressing olives with a giant stone until the oil runs out. Because olive oil was used in the anointing process, olives had to be crushed so that someone could be anointed. There could be no anointing without a crushing.

Beyond the actual ceremonial oil, Scripture says that there in the Garden, Jesus knelt down and was in such agony, under such great pressure, that he began to sweat great drops of blood (Luke 22:44). At Gethsemane we see Jesus being crushed before going to the cross. The cross was His stage, the nails the proof of His love. He was willing to take up that dreadful microphone, to use the influence He had been called to:

For this purpose I have been sent. — Luke 4:43

But getting there meant first being pressed like an olive. There are no shortcuts; you simply cannot get to Calvary without going through Gethsemane. You and I have not been called to die for the sins of the world, but we do have a divine assignment, a mission we’ve been called to fulfill. And to fulfill it we must be crushed; we must be pressed if we are to see it accomplished. We cannot be used in a great way without experiencing pain. A. W. Tozer wrote, “It is doubtful whether God could ever bless a man greatly until He has hurt him deeply.”1

Your calling involves suffering. There’s no way around that.

Selah ~ think on this
Connie

Pain Is a Microphone, Part 2

When the apostle Paul was saved, a prophecy was given to Ananias, who had the unique challenge of discipling this recently converted terrorist. God told him that Paul would stand before kings, gentiles, and the nation of Israel and that he would suffer many things for Jesus’ sake (Acts 9:15–16). There are two elements there that we must not miss: (1) Paul would be used powerfully, and (2) Paul would suffer greatly. But I believe those are actually two sides of the same coin that exists within every calling. It would be while he was suffering for Jesus that he would do the great things (speaking to the Jews, speaking to the children of Israel, and speaking to kings).

Here’s where this concept comes to your front door. Just as Ananias was to tell Paul that he was a chosen vessel, so you are part of a chosen generation. No ordinary child. You are royalty, remember? A unique part of God’s forever family. But there’s a catch: just like Paul, you will suffer many things on the way to your destiny being fulfilled.

Pain is guaranteed. The Bible says that the rain falls on the evil and the good alike (Matthew 5:45). Part of living on this fallen planet cursed by sin is that trials are inherent. That’s just the way it is.

What about for the child of God? What happens when you give your life to Jesus Christ? The difficulties ramp up to a whole other level.

Jesus said that He wants us to shine brightly. He didn’t just say,

I am the light of the world. — John 8:12;

He also said,

You are the light of the world. — Matthew 5:14, emphasis added

Daniel said that those who turn many to righteousness will shine like the stars forever and ever (Daniel 12:3). Guess what? God wants to make a star out of you. That’s wonderful — but as the great theologian Spider-Man said, “With great power comes great responsibility.”

The enemy is not going to let you capture his flag without some serious flak. When you stand up as a Christian, attempt to share your faith, and live to see lost people won, you’ll invite suffering, persecution, and opposition your way. This is why Paul told Timothy,

All who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution. — 2 Timothy 3:12

Adversity is going to happen. In fact, it’s part of your calling. We’re told in 1 Thessalonians 3:3,

No one should be shaken by these afflictions; for you yourselves know that we are appointed to this. (emphasis added).

Jesus warned His followers that the world hates Him, and if you’re trying to follow Him, the world’s going to hate you too.

Selah, think on this

Connie

Part 3 Crushed Like an Olive next post.

Or go to https://www.faithgateway.com/pain-is-a-microphone

Pain is a Microphone: Part 1

  I am pleased to share this excerpt from Through the Eyes of a Lion by Pastor Levi Lusko 

There Will Be Blood 

Pain is a microphone. And the more it hurts, the louder you get. 

Suffering isn’t an obstacle to being used by God. It is an opportunity to be used like never before. 

This truth leaps off the pages of Scripture again and again and again. Joseph suffered for years as a prisoner for crimes he didn’t commit, but it only made him louder. In the end he was raised to the right hand of Pharaoh and put in a position to save the lives of his brothers, who had tried to kill him (Genesis 45:5).

Esther went through the unspeakably difficult trial of becoming an orphan when both her parents died (Esther 2:7). Yet her adoption by Mordecai set into motion the events by which she would become queen of Persia and prevent a holocaust.

David was forced to go on the run, like Harrison Ford in The Fugitive, while he was hunted by his lunatic of a father-in-law, Saul. David was homeless, living in and out of caves in the wilderness of Israel, and yet it was in those caves he poured out his heart to God in worship (1 Samuel 23–24, 1 Samuel 26). His greatest praise came from his darkest days.

To be continued...

Selah, think on this,

Connie

Original source:
https://www.faithgateway.com/pain-is-a-microphone

Do You Write? Are You a Writer?

When Can You Call Yourself a Writer? 

Guest Post by Jerry Jenkins

Do you ever wonder whether you’re really worthy to call yourself a writer?

You have a deep desire to impact people with your words.

But doubt creeps in and you ask yourself:

• “What makes me a writer? I’ve never published anything, let alone a book.”

• “What I have written is no good. I’m not even sure I should be doing this.”

• “I can’t honestly call myself a writer. I’m nowhere near good enough!”

Sound familiar?

If you let it, that voice will keep you from ever sharing your message with the world. So let’s fight the voice of doubt with a dose of truth.

How Does a Person Actually Become a Writer?

Every once in a great while you’ll hear of someone who decided to write something, or was badgered into it, and surprised everyone by becoming known as a writer.

But, usually, becoming a writer takes a normal course. You become a writer the way you become a bicyclist or a gymnast or a dancer, singer, cook, or plumber.

See where I’m headed with this?

You walk—and trip and tumble and plop—before you run.

Your bike tips over and you skin your knee, perhaps a dozen times, before you catch on to riding a bike.

You ruin a lot of recipes, burn cakes and pies and assorted fowl and bovine, before you become a cook.

You soak your clothes and floors and everything else in sight before you learn the ins and outs of plumbing.

Being bad at something we want to succeed at is part of the process. It’s how we pay our dues.

If you’re not willing to fail, to stink, to be lousy, to make mistakes, to accept correction and criticism and counsel from experts, you’re not likely to progress.

So When Can You Call Yourself a Writer?

As soon as you’re willing to dive in—regardless how good or bad you are.

Just do me one favor:

Don’t decide you’re not a writer before you’ve mustered the courage to try.

Accept that you will be bad at first, just like we all are at everything we try for the first time. Humility is not only a good starting point, it’s the posture to adopt for your writing career.

Wannabe Vs. Writer

But if you’re only talking about being a writer, only reading blogs about it, only going to writers conferences, hobnobbing with writers, dressing like a writer (whatever you think that means), you’re not a writer. You’re a wannabe.

Wannabes talk about writing. Writers write. They may not write well yet, but they write.

When your seat is in the chair and your fingers are on the keyboard and the words are appearing on the screen, you’re in the game.

Otherwise, you’re talking, but no one is listening.

There’s nothing wrong with wanting to be a writer.

But if you want to call yourself a writer, you have to write.

Do You Have the Right Stuff?

I can tell within the first minute of critiquing a writing student’s work whether they have what it takes to succeed.

How?

I’m not mean, but I’m straightforward. I assume they want honest input on how to improve, and so I tell them. It can be hard to hear.

Their expression and body language tell me immediately whether they are eager to learn and grow or if they were merely hoping to be discovered.

I know it’s hard.

It can be scary to show your work to a professional, even more so to an editor or publisher who will decide whether to buy it or reject it.

But real writers want the feedback. They want to get better, to learn, to grow, to succeed.

Are You a Writer?

If you’ve failed and are still writing, if you’re scared and are still writing, if you’ve stood up to a stinging critique and made your piece better by applying what you learned, if you’ve stayed at it despite that pervasive fear of failure, you are!

How do you know when you’re really a writer?

When you’re writing. Good, bad, fearfully, courageously—regardless.

If you’re in the game and plying your trade, say it loud and say it proud:

I am a writer.

My response: 

YES! I am a writer. I love sharing life lessons. I love learning how to do it better. I am an encourager through spoken and written words.

I am still the seven-year-old who wrote stories in her head every night before falling asleep. Only now I write them down. And I am a forever student. Improving my skills includes sitting in silence while listening and watching what's happening around me. 

My last published story was written after sitting in my recliner with no sounds to distract me. I watched the robins in the tree outside my window. After a while, I looked deeper and was entranced by the dance of the trees. I moved to the computer and wrote "A Touch of Red." 

My writing was by choice when I was young. At age 60, it became a calling/a ministry.

YES, I Am a writer!

The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, a Tradition

I hope you've read Barbara Robinson's tiny book or seen the movie  The Best Christmas Pageant Ever.

The Denver Post wrote, "The book is outrageous, lively, funny and wonderful. The Christmas story takes on a strangely moving depth of meaning and shines through with a new brilliance."

As a retired Children's Choir Director, I could relate. Bathrobes, angel wings, arguments about who would be Mary are common in small church and Christian school's no budget Christmas programs. Fortunately, I never had to deal with six lying, stealing, cigar smoking Herdman kids.

Each year had it's challenges. Yet they had their blessings, too.

One year I named the most misbehaved child in our church to take the lead role. He had lots of lines to memorize and I had a special costume made for him. Everyone including his parents were upset. He was going to ruin everything!

This boy needed attention, approval and a challenge. He was very smart, and therefore, very bored. His behaviors resulted in negative attention and fostered more of the same. My challenge to him was coupled with the expectation that he wouldn't disappoint me. He played the part with no mistakes and no misbehaving. For a few minutes, he was in the limelight.

A few years later, my dream was being fulfilled: to have every age group involved in the musical. For a church of around 200, I managed nearly 100 playing a part in the pageant to a full sanctuary. But in the midst of organizing all this, 2 children begged to be included.

They came from a very poor home environment. So bad my Pastor would not allow me to visit them. Their grandmother brought them to Sunday School as often as she could convince their mother to let them go. They always arrived filthy, smelly, hitting, biting, screaming, fighting... and those were the good days. We worked with the grandmother. We bought a set of clothes for each boy. Grandma would pick them up on Saturday evening, give them a bath and feed them. After church, she removed the new clothes to wash for the next week. They returned home in the their dirty duds.

During this process, I was working with the youngest as his Sunday School teacher. The whole class burst into applause, the first time he shared a toy. We went to great lengths to award good behavior and over time it worked. He and his brother probably only received attention at home when they did something wrong.

But to have them standing for nearly an hour in front of the whole congregation? I sat with my choir and asked their assistance and understanding. Though reluctant at first, they agreed. We had a plan.

The plan isn't important. Neither is the fact that it was successful.

As I gave the downbeat to start, I saw someone slip into a pew at the last moment. It was their mother, who never had been inside a church nor had she seen her young sons dressed up and behaving well. She had the look of a bag lady-minus the bags, but had a radiant smile for her boys.

Children's musicals take lots of time and energy, but whether or not they remember their lines, they touch hearts no one else can reach.

Until I stopped driving, I attended a Christmas pageant every year. A tradition I miss, but it could be a new one for you!

Selah ~

Connie