tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-60924297929469825312024-03-04T22:30:07.023-08:00Life In My Father's WorldLisa Worthey Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01774215163979519292noreply@blogger.comBlogger127125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6092429792946982531.post-35508446002917625032018-02-13T15:05:00.003-08:002018-02-14T08:40:21.825-08:00The Cody Musket saga continues! Author interview with James Miller<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZjAtsJATZ6Bq9GxiI7xUeY1bjws_FYh5i3yB61kkbbcTRgEjDTNG9IY3Rt17XzN5Nrq_1UbbsEd9AaQ61210eQYZ4Y8P3t7xtwWZMqmExbw-JPJfYuIE03DSfvDigD28gAhCEtqICaEuE/s1600/Part+3+promo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZjAtsJATZ6Bq9GxiI7xUeY1bjws_FYh5i3yB61kkbbcTRgEjDTNG9IY3Rt17XzN5Nrq_1UbbsEd9AaQ61210eQYZ4Y8P3t7xtwWZMqmExbw-JPJfYuIE03DSfvDigD28gAhCEtqICaEuE/s640/Part+3+promo.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
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<span style="font-family: "gungseo"; line-height: 115%;">I have an exciting update for you, about the Cody Musket series! You may remember the prediction I made when I first featured him here.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/No-Pit-So-Deep-Musket/dp/0692857303/ref=as_sl_pc_tf_til?tag=biblestudy101-20&linkCode=w00&linkId=2af3b95b861e0ca714f13f63dda124b1&creativeASIN=0692857303"><span style="background-color: yellow;">Click here</span> </a><br />
to see Part 1 on Amazon</td></tr>
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<i><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">"I fully expect this author to have the </span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i>"best-selling" prefix added to his name </i><i>shortly </i></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">with the release of his book! </span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I read it, loved it, and think you will too! " Lisa Smith</span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">This is where I get to say "I told you so!" My prediction was correct! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">This award-winning, #1 Amazon best-selling author has written a new chapter for us,<i> <b>Knoxi's World</b>.</i> In this part of the saga, Knoxi has practically grown-up, and is still involved in the same page-turning adventures you have come to expect from this heroic family. </span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: yellow;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/No-Pit-So-Deep-Musket/dp/0692857311/ref=as_sl_pc_tf_til?tag=biblestudy101-20&linkCode=w00&linkId=1f00b2f11278e475005edfdb738cefce&creativeASIN=0692857311">Click here</a></span> <br />
to see Part 2 on Amazon</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">James Miller's debut series <i>No Pit So Deep - The Cody Musket Story,</i> was written as fiction, but based on real heart-stopping events that he masterfully wove around a strong but vulnerable couple, and one smart and savvy young girl, with God at the helm of their epic adventures. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Part 2</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> took us even deeper into their relationship with each other and their dependence on God, while Knoxi showed her great faith and courage in the most dire of circumstances. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Now, in part 3, Knoxi is once again in the middle of a life and death situation. She is smart and courageous, but will that be enough to get her through this?</span></div>
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<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><b>Excerpts from Part 3, Knoxi's World</b></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPOY2nSxr0oFoMIyN2OLTYm0CvCRN0vCc-5LLb85cm3jd8DRHiWdvnAgDLIZ75_O4foyA6ydwBChjIyt_zDTKIuoSnaynD7sQmfccDK89aW2jawA7-kRJoJHtrdVjv4plDbvm0ndz1D4T7/s1600/part+3+front+only.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="338" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPOY2nSxr0oFoMIyN2OLTYm0CvCRN0vCc-5LLb85cm3jd8DRHiWdvnAgDLIZ75_O4foyA6ydwBChjIyt_zDTKIuoSnaynD7sQmfccDK89aW2jawA7-kRJoJHtrdVjv4plDbvm0ndz1D4T7/s320/part+3+front+only.jpg" width="216" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Knoxis-World-Musket-Story-three/dp/1982019514/ref=as_sl_pc_tf_til?tag=biblestudy101-20&linkCode=w00&linkId=19d326b8247257e7314788df42b0d1a3&creativeASIN=1982019514"><span style="background-color: yellow;">Click </span>to see Knoxi's World on Amazon</a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">The coach addressed the crowd. “Eight
days ago, I received a text from Knoxi Musket which simply said, “<i>I’m all in!”</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">A deafening applause erupted as the
coach now confirmed the rumor that had been circulating all week — Knoxi Musket
would soon play basketball for the Lady Longhorns. Texas University T-shirts
with Knoxi’s facial image imprinted had already appeared around campus.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">Knoxi’s head was exploding with
each heartbeat. The cold gun barrel against her right temple and the huge left
hand choking her windpipe darkened her vision. She could hear the triggerman’s
teeth grinding. Was he as nervous as she? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #313131; font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">Knoxi folded her hands. “So, you’re the mouthpiece for the
corporate elite? You help them stay above the law? How does a brilliant man
like you consider himself free?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #313131; font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">“Look, the corporate elites pay me big because they need a
mouthpiece to tell their side. They call me their wiseguy. Like I said, Knoxi,
don’t be a fool. Just walk away.” He leaned back, stuck the cigar between his
teeth again, and crossed his arms. “So, aren’t you gonna quote the Bible verse
that says, ‘What does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses his
own soul?’”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #313131; font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">“No, Rolfe. You
already know that verse.” She headed for the door, stopped, and looked back.
“Frankly, I would rather be a fool for Jesus than a wiseguy for somebody else.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">The reservoir was nowhere in sight,
her altimeter showed less than 300 feet. They were going to crash. As the
reality took her, she heard familiar words in her mind: “<i>Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no
evil, for You are with me</i>.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">“Oh, God. This is not a good night
to die. For the children, for the little one on board, for the sake of —”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">Suddenly, a deep male voice
interrupted her thoughts. “A little crowded in this cockpit, isn’t it?” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">She startled and swiveled her head
right and left but saw nothing. Where had the voice come from? <i>I imagined it, right?<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">________<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihPdirm9RiwOPBCX7ULWR-nLJ68CtYXAXAe6BpdgkEyDtROKeNxHzmFvBIs7t8l4M3xph7NnEhObQMrXTZkzVcQXwO3YGBCGiwHQlS3xIa1vzBIgRmuoiYQdrY-0xd7H38qL6cKUXwTFSm/s1600/part+3+Knoxis+world.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1161" data-original-width="1600" height="290" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihPdirm9RiwOPBCX7ULWR-nLJ68CtYXAXAe6BpdgkEyDtROKeNxHzmFvBIs7t8l4M3xph7NnEhObQMrXTZkzVcQXwO3YGBCGiwHQlS3xIa1vzBIgRmuoiYQdrY-0xd7H38qL6cKUXwTFSm/s400/part+3+Knoxis+world.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Knoxis-World-Musket-Story-three/dp/1982019514/ref=as_sl_pc_tf_til?tag=biblestudy101-20&linkCode=w00&linkId=19d326b8247257e7314788df42b0d1a3&creativeASIN=1982019514"><span style="background-color: yellow;">Click to see Knoxi's World</span> on Amazon</a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span style="color: #3d85c6;">About the Author</span></b></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOEWBQabFpV8rqkHeOIPQOkOv7xAhl4isomFFqX2VS4ovkzhWr0WZxjNDppelwydsSzH5cLOq58ec379WP0fWLHnyD1AFdzfT3CniOhEtE3jWxODjTU-d7gP59Nx0QSam7Mpfv7OY2pTgc/s1600/Jim+Miller+author+photo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="438" data-original-width="432" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOEWBQabFpV8rqkHeOIPQOkOv7xAhl4isomFFqX2VS4ovkzhWr0WZxjNDppelwydsSzH5cLOq58ec379WP0fWLHnyD1AFdzfT3CniOhEtE3jWxODjTU-d7gP59Nx0QSam7Mpfv7OY2pTgc/s200/Jim+Miller+author+photo.jpg" width="196" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span style="color: #3d85c6;"><br /></span></b></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #111111;">JAMES N. MILLER </span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #111111;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">In the 70s and 80s after college, I wrote and performed contemporary Christian music as Jimmy Miller. (Several songs made the charts.) As a pilot, I logged in 8,000 hours in the air, and owned several aircraft businesses which have been involved in ministry support throughout the world. It was a complete surprise to me that I would become an author!</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "gungseo"; line-height: 18.4px; text-align: justify;">The summer of 2017 the</span><span style="background-color: transparent; text-align: justify;"> Cody Musket novel series was dead in the water. It had made a nice run, but after one year, sales had finally flattened. Had it simply run its course?</span><span style="background-color: transparent; text-align: justify;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; text-align: justify;">My series stood at only two books, and I decided against writing a third. The motivation wasn’t there. </span><span style="background-color: transparent; text-align: justify;">My prayer was,</span><i style="background-color: transparent; text-align: justify;"> </i><span style="background-color: transparent; text-align: justify;">“God, if You still have a use for this series, I’m waiting on You to move. I can do nothing else.”</span></div>
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Suddenly, in late summer, things began to happen. Book one was awarded a bronze medal in the 2017 Readers Favorite International Book Awards! Amazon pronounced it a #1 Best-seller in three categories, and reviews began to roll in from several continents. </div>
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With this answer to prayer, I was motivated to write a third book, <i>Knoxi's World.</i> This installment begins where the second ended, but this third book has an added intrigue. Knoxi, who was less than two years old in Book 1, has now come of age, and the story focuses around her as she carries the Cody Musket legacy into the next generation.</div>
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Knoxi’s World, blends Biblical Christianity with next-level technology and depicts how Kingdom-minded believers who are bold, adventurous and committed can impact the world even in a futuristic culture.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Find his books on the Amazon links below.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmHjVQf7UOHf5i_hDoixmmOMV1I06fRNgSnIrAkB9Sr6ucsw1c0aT61uSZ83JRqYwFwz6EqJqYVlxPj5PG3D24k2gp-lP5V0Fhfq3rSgRnUPV35j_LyJR8bew4SjSGdEg8WQoSCdlVkjIA/s1600/Medallion+centered+at+bottom.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="720" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmHjVQf7UOHf5i_hDoixmmOMV1I06fRNgSnIrAkB9Sr6ucsw1c0aT61uSZ83JRqYwFwz6EqJqYVlxPj5PG3D24k2gp-lP5V0Fhfq3rSgRnUPV35j_LyJR8bew4SjSGdEg8WQoSCdlVkjIA/s200/Medallion+centered+at+bottom.jpg" width="112" /></a> </td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: yellow;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/No-Pit-So-Deep-Musket/dp/0692857303/ref=as_sl_pc_tf_til?tag=biblestudy101-20&linkCode=w00&linkId=2af3b95b861e0ca714f13f63dda124b1&creativeASIN=0692857303">Click to see</a> </span><br />
Part 1 on Amazon</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/No-Pit-So-Deep-Musket/dp/0692857311/ref=as_sl_pc_tf_til?tag=biblestudy101-20&linkCode=w00&linkId=1f00b2f11278e475005edfdb738cefce&creativeASIN=0692857311" style="background-color: yellow;">Click to see </a><br />
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/No-Pit-So-Deep-Musket/dp/0692857311/ref=as_sl_pc_tf_til?tag=biblestudy101-20&linkCode=w00&linkId=1f00b2f11278e475005edfdb738cefce&creativeASIN=0692857311">Part 2 on Amazon</a></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN8ItyVH2RlQUxkOwFunx498MPQHYRAldlbDKHwRTz8TBfrTb0w0g2HgClh-DI0qWl36W7lV2og7PItPVyrnZesGpeM-7EI1MbgDUTVv1mo6RQqtJvCHwKSxesrkfsHnR_7rYXgq57e9ah/s1600/part+3+front+only.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="338" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN8ItyVH2RlQUxkOwFunx498MPQHYRAldlbDKHwRTz8TBfrTb0w0g2HgClh-DI0qWl36W7lV2og7PItPVyrnZesGpeM-7EI1MbgDUTVv1mo6RQqtJvCHwKSxesrkfsHnR_7rYXgq57e9ah/s200/part+3+front+only.jpg" width="135" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Knoxis-World-Musket-Story-three/dp/1982019514/ref=as_sl_pc_tf_til?tag=biblestudy101-20&linkCode=w00&linkId=19d326b8247257e7314788df42b0d1a3&creativeASIN=1982019514"><span style="background-color: yellow;">Click to see</span> <br />Part 3 on Amazon</a></td></tr>
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All three on Kindle<span style="background-color: yellow;"> <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0799RCVT3/ref=series_rw_dp_sw">here</a></span><br />
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<a href="https://lifeinmyfathersworld.blogspot.com/p/christian-authors-i-think-you-should.html">For more Christian author interviews, <span style="background-color: #fff2cc;">click here.</span></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN8ItyVH2RlQUxkOwFunx498MPQHYRAldlbDKHwRTz8TBfrTb0w0g2HgClh-DI0qWl36W7lV2og7PItPVyrnZesGpeM-7EI1MbgDUTVv1mo6RQqtJvCHwKSxesrkfsHnR_7rYXgq57e9ah/s1600/part+3+front+only.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div>
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Lisa Worthey Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01774215163979519292noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6092429792946982531.post-20836630771077398482018-01-04T09:30:00.001-08:002018-01-04T09:30:13.156-08:00The Sugar Cookie Saga<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">The Sugar Cookie Saga<br />Broken Cookies Are Useful and Wonderful!</td></tr>
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I had a wonderful plan! It was only a small part of my Christmas goodies plan, but I fully expected it to be a spectacular part of the table. I imagined the little pies stacked neatly on a lovely tiered stand, filled with chocolatey goodness. It would be wonderful, just like I planned. (Recognize those famous last words?)</div>
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I started my plan from the ground up, or crust up as the case may be. I divided up the sugar cookie dough into small pecan-size balls, coated them with sugar and pressed them into the tiny muffin tins. They looked just perfect. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwdX0zEu8A_sHkLgPs1KNZ9TsrSVmaUofzIMW3a-UooU-rKA07NpiPk9IPphuMBgeYkA752Gc40o-SCpPpTzD8U8_LENrnK1UyW12w-ShvZwsB-zjq4wfc6fMoKWV8OmpbhVLpqicInH1V/s1600/IMG_20171222_133604230.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="894" data-original-width="1192" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwdX0zEu8A_sHkLgPs1KNZ9TsrSVmaUofzIMW3a-UooU-rKA07NpiPk9IPphuMBgeYkA752Gc40o-SCpPpTzD8U8_LENrnK1UyW12w-ShvZwsB-zjq4wfc6fMoKWV8OmpbhVLpqicInH1V/s200/IMG_20171222_133604230.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sugar cookie stubbornness.</td></tr>
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The trouble started in the oven. They mushroomed out far beyond the limits I had discussed with them, but finally settled into a reasonable compromise. I am a seasoned baker, so I knew they would need to cool slightly so they wouldn't fall apart coming out of the tins. </div>
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After a few minutes, they were cool enough to touch, so I began the careful surgical extraction of my little sugar cookie pie crusts. The first one put up a fight, but these things happen even to the most seasoned bakers, so I persevered on to number two. This little guy fell apart too. So did numbers three, four and on and on. Apparently in the oven, they cooked up a conspiracy.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMxQzRniUB3TKwk0Ddo-L6LvHGAY1c5pXaNPaAJ1l_lud39tYqH4YeOASeII4FIuUhRwjhaO0iRY8JIhaPn_BvKa56b8IOoVWSxHwikOO6qEM19eDn5N2KQbsPQ8pRetA_iSDewbte8VDM/s1600/IMG_20171222_133901914.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="832" data-original-width="1110" height="149" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMxQzRniUB3TKwk0Ddo-L6LvHGAY1c5pXaNPaAJ1l_lud39tYqH4YeOASeII4FIuUhRwjhaO0iRY8JIhaPn_BvKa56b8IOoVWSxHwikOO6qEM19eDn5N2KQbsPQ8pRetA_iSDewbte8VDM/s200/IMG_20171222_133901914.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">No pie crust here.</td></tr>
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Rather than give up entirely (after all I had a Christmas goodie table to prepare and I am a seasoned baker) I implemented plan B. I took the little conspirators and pressed them into a glass pie dish to form a single pie crust. They weren't having any of it. With that many holes in any "crust" I could read the "this is going to be a mess" writing on the wall. Time for this seasoned baker to find a plan C.</div>
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Sometimes rather than force my plan to work when it obviously isn't, I have the wisdom (sometimes) to go with what is working (sometimes.) I have sixty years under my belt and wisdom does pop up sometimes. This time I sought it out, and found it waiting right under my nose, well, on my kitchen counter.</div>
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They are sugar cookies, an unruly lot, but sugar cookies nonetheless. The chocolate mousse, and whipped cream awaited their company. So, I layered the crumbs, mousse, and whipped cream into a clear glass bowl and topped it with some more crumbs and chocolate hazelnut star cookies. It was lovely and delicious.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIxaeVbysvn5LCiKN0IjqcbiqoXQUdyuPYenALMCspmn4MY_OwRLMBstGUB4nUOcjuqqZ9m5aLDFIBZlyIbvBc78lF9JWI1U7zeidJmcqAOTk-l_KC0L6rFVm9DlGGyQggsSqfJsaxuLre/s1600/IMG_20171222_144700812.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="833" data-original-width="625" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIxaeVbysvn5LCiKN0IjqcbiqoXQUdyuPYenALMCspmn4MY_OwRLMBstGUB4nUOcjuqqZ9m5aLDFIBZlyIbvBc78lF9JWI1U7zeidJmcqAOTk-l_KC0L6rFVm9DlGGyQggsSqfJsaxuLre/s320/IMG_20171222_144700812.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>~ What God taught me in this process ~</b></span></div>
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<b>Be Patient</b>. </div>
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When explaining the gospel, or encouraging someone in the faith, I must be patient. </div>
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They have a place in the kingdom, and I can't push them into my preconceived notion of where that might be, or bully them into submission. </div>
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We are all a little broken.</div>
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<b>Persevere. </b></div>
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Don't give up when it seems your plan might be futile. </div>
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Even if they resist, try again. </div>
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Even the most seasoned have to learn new ways of completing the task, </div>
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especially when dealing with brokenness.</div>
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<b>Pray</b>. </div>
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Even though I may be seasoned in teaching and encouraging others in the faith, </div>
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God may have a plan that I might not have considered. </div>
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He gives wisdom to those who ask. </div>
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<b>Point to Him.</b> </div>
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The project did not have to be my vision of tiny bite-size pies to be successful. </div>
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It was completely successful as one big bowl of chocolatey goodness </div>
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with sugar cookie crumbles and whipped cream deliciousness. </div>
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He uses my brokenness, and yours too, to make us beautiful and fruitful, </div>
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even before we see the outcome.</div>
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<i>Dear Father,</i></div>
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<i>Thank You for your patience with me as I try to do things my way so often. Thank You for loving me enough to place adversity in my path, so I will learn to persevere and look to You even more. That will always be my ultimate goal ~ to draw nearer to You.</i></div>
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<i>I ask that You give an extra dose of patience and perseverance to me and the one reading this right now, that we will remember to both call upon You and point others to You even in the midst of our struggle.</i></div>
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<i>I pray in Jesus' name,</i></div>
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<i>Amen.</i></div>
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What is your struggle today? Can you (will you) apply this to your circumstance? Have you found this to be true in your walk? Please leave your comment below. It might be the encouragement someone needs today! </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://about.me/lisawsmith57">Click here for more about me</a><br /><div style="text-align: left;">
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If you have a chance, please check out these books with more faith-filled stories. I pray they will be an encouragement to you in your walk.</div>
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Blessings to you, friend! </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Oscar-Extraordinary-Hummingbird-Other-Fathers/dp/1490882170/ref=as_sl_pc_tf_til?tag=biblestudy101-20&linkCode=w00&linkId=12ac6e9c4d314fb0bbb8685071ada7ec&creativeASIN=1490882170">Click here to see <br />(the true story of) <br />Oscar The Extraordinary Hummingbird on Amazon.com</a></td></tr>
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Lisa Worthey Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01774215163979519292noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6092429792946982531.post-16321239952719916382017-10-29T07:36:00.002-07:002017-10-29T07:36:31.415-07:00Butterfly Prayer<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjudFebFHCCUD3oqo3VjGWS13yySvwYlngXYm_QuaLlhbhWlf0M_d00towOer-LAsaei4VEKK9M6FAKXsQBzpG1O10HVKWgUyyMjseQK93UNMHSRuhp97-0M54Y5ZYg69SDii5Srdzznkhp/s1600/Butterfly+Prayer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjudFebFHCCUD3oqo3VjGWS13yySvwYlngXYm_QuaLlhbhWlf0M_d00towOer-LAsaei4VEKK9M6FAKXsQBzpG1O10HVKWgUyyMjseQK93UNMHSRuhp97-0M54Y5ZYg69SDii5Srdzznkhp/s640/Butterfly+Prayer.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pause, open your arms to soak in strength from God before you face the day.</td></tr>
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In late October it is chilly here in my part of the world. So chilly that the hummingbirds have headed to warmer parts of the world and the rest of us are pulling out long sleeves and sweaters to ward off the chillbumps. The maple trees have already dropped almost half their leaves to blanket their roots for the coming winter.<br />
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Meanwhile, this little guy finds himself a sunny spot and silently opens his wings. I thought at first he was posing for a picture, but I realized he purposely landed in a sunbeam and was simply soaking in the warmth. Isn't that a beautiful picture? Not of the butterfly, but of how we can live. Life all around us may be cold and harsh, but we can always come to Him and find comfort and strength.<br />
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I watched him for a few minutes as he gathered his strength for his mission and then fluttered to the pickerel reed and the Mexican petunias and some wildflowers (I refuse to call them "weeds') that are still bravely blooming. He was created for a mission, and he was brilliant enough to pause to soak in what he needed before he faced the day.<br />
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I am guilty of rushing into the day headlong sometimes, and I can tell you it leads to a frustrating tizzy (Southern for "discombobulated") kind of a day, maybe you are too. What if we dollowed the example of this butterfly? What if you and I opened our arms up to the One who created us, and paused to soak in His Word to strengthen and encourage us for the path God has set before us today?<br />
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Come'on! Let's do!<br />
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Father,<br />
I look to You today first and foremost. I do not know what the day ahead holds for me, so I pause and remember that rather than looking at the problems down here I need to <i>"Lift up your eyes on high And see who has created these stars, The One who leads forth their host by number, He calls them all by name; Because of the greatness of His might and the [fn]strength of His power, Not one of them is missing...Yet those who [fn]wait for the LORD Will gain new strength; They will mount up with wings like eagles, They will run and not get tired, </i><i>They will walk and not become weary."</i> Isaiah 40:26,31<br />
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Thank You for strengthening me. Help me to focus on You and be obedient to You. I trust You and love You, and pray these things in Jesus' name,<br />
Amen.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Oscar-Extraordinary-Hummingbird-Other-Fathers/dp/1490882170/ref=as_sl_pc_tf_til?tag=biblestudy101-20&linkCode=w00&linkId=12ac6e9c4d314fb0bbb8685071ada7ec&creativeASIN=1490882170">Click to find about Oscar the Extraordinary Hummingbird on Amazon</a></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Wisdom-Tree-Lisa-Worthey-Smith/dp/1546400893/ref=as_sl_pc_qf_sp_asin_til?tag=biblestudy101-20&linkCode=w00&linkId=034e8920d3be2da053ff665262cb2c26&creativeASIN=1546400893">Click here to find see The Wisdom Tree on Amazon</a></td></tr>
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<br />Lisa Worthey Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01774215163979519292noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6092429792946982531.post-3330453771757507502017-10-06T07:23:00.000-07:002018-02-03T14:59:45.972-08:00The Wisdom Tree<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHzmLeLA-L1FepW8FXoajO0_GRG_g23GAJhh8E0nsROjLmHDP1c6cA6zVNWBJIu6GsJ0x_BlEhpixFmhdrPjTYXTEL_BSR8Wlb3RX6_LmETOYN3dQqZEaAPDDWNJ85Atrlq5gmiIODA81X/s1600/ordinary+tree+extraordinary+time.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHzmLeLA-L1FepW8FXoajO0_GRG_g23GAJhh8E0nsROjLmHDP1c6cA6zVNWBJIu6GsJ0x_BlEhpixFmhdrPjTYXTEL_BSR8Wlb3RX6_LmETOYN3dQqZEaAPDDWNJ85Atrlq5gmiIODA81X/s640/ordinary+tree+extraordinary+time.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Wisdom Tree <span style="background-color: #b6d7a8;"> <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Wisdom-Tree-Lisa-Worthey-Smith/dp/1546400893/ref=as_sl_pc_qf_sp_asin_til?tag=biblestudy101-20&linkCode=w00&linkId=034e8920d3be2da053ff665262cb2c26&creativeASIN=1546400893">Click to see on Amazon.com</a></span></td></tr>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
He wasn't always known as the Wisdom Tree. </div>
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Like my life, and maybe yours too, </div>
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his life began in a most ordinary way. </div>
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This parable reveals how his choices, and </div>
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the faithfulness of his worm friend, </div>
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were all woven together </div>
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by the loving hands of the Master of the Garden </div>
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into something completely extraordinary.</div>
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Even today, just outside Jerusalem, </div>
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there is a garden of olives known as Gethsemane. </div>
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If you go there, listen closely</div>
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you might just hear a descendant of the Wisdom Tree whisper </div>
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"Trust, </div>
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believe, and </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
look up."</div>
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~</div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe width="320" height="266" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/gofjFXpkpnY/0.jpg" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/gofjFXpkpnY?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
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Sometimes compared to the writing style of Max Lucado, this story magnifies the sovereignty of God in the smallest of creatures. </div>
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A special little seed, and a wise old worm experience the trials of life alongside the Master of the Garden, Who never leaves or forsakes them.</div>
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<div style="text-align: left;">
Half parable, and half Bible study (with biblical answers to the most basic and some difficult questions in Christianity), this is a great book for </div>
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<ul>
<li>Bible study groups, </li>
<li>book clubs, </li>
<li>homeschool, and </li>
<li>personal growth toward a deeper understanding of how the hand of God continually works in our lives. </li>
</ul>
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Recommended for middle readers and up and new Christians. (Although mature Christians who are familiar with the New Testament love hearing the familiar story from a fresh perspective!)<br />
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<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
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Click <span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><a href="https://about.me/lisawsmith57" style="background-color: #cfe2f3;">here</a> </span>for more about me.</div>
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Lisa Worthey Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01774215163979519292noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6092429792946982531.post-21328993086784859222016-10-16T14:23:00.003-07:002016-10-21T07:58:06.598-07:00A Cuckoo Conversation<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-xyKkwXp93SmU_4Ue9ehmCYkazciipS0dxEYa6Ubj35w557z2_Xtc2JlWQ6-ucWjQ2UGh3h8s6JfmWWTJoCwRZ7sBHjs7jRGbiUmaqOnmdvrVfKkR39f45bzNoR8GvSq-p3zdR0metHi4/s1600/Cuckoo+Conversation.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-xyKkwXp93SmU_4Ue9ehmCYkazciipS0dxEYa6Ubj35w557z2_Xtc2JlWQ6-ucWjQ2UGh3h8s6JfmWWTJoCwRZ7sBHjs7jRGbiUmaqOnmdvrVfKkR39f45bzNoR8GvSq-p3zdR0metHi4/s400/Cuckoo+Conversation.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Unhappy Cuckoo</td></tr>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
I never had been formally introduced to a cuckoo (bird, that is) before today. This meeting was not one of niceties, but of necessity. <o:p></o:p></div>
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This one made a bad decision; a really bad decision. He flew
into a garage. Mind you, that in itself isn’t such a bad thing – unless you don’t
know the way out. He didn’t. <o:p></o:p></div>
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After a long while of avoiding his rescuer and trying to fly
out of the ceiling and knocking down the garage door rails, he tired enough for
my husband (you will remember Mr. Tall Dark & Handsome) to nab him. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Mr. TD&H presented his catch to me wrapped in a chamois,
from said garage. Mr. Cuckoo was a mess.
His bloodied little head told me he butted against walls with all his little
bird strength to find his way out. A closer inspection (much to his disliking)
revealed that his little head feathers were broken off at the nub. Just a guess but, he might have a stubborn streak.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/kie2yUXHC6A/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/kie2yUXHC6A?feature=player_embedded" style="clear: right; float: right;" width="320"></iframe>Once a rehabber, always a rehabber (you may remember my
adventure with <a href="http://lifeinmyfathersworld.blogspot.com/2015/06/introducing-oscar-extraordinary.html" style="background-color: #ead1dc;">Oscar the extraordinary hummingbird</a>, <a href="http://lifeinmyfathersworld.blogspot.com/2015/07/baby-bluebirds-and-worm-soup.html" style="background-color: #cfe2f3;">baby blue birds</a>…) I
gathered supplies. Rubber gloves, paper towels, water, aloe were my initial
tools for this job. <o:p></o:p></div>
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We found a spot in the shade and started to work. From the
look in his eyes he didn’t appreciate it one little bit, but he needed
attention so, I took the end of a paper towel and wet it to clean his bloody
head. His protests quieted so the cool water must have been some comfort. After
a few dabs I found no lacerations, so I finished cleaning and applied a little
aloe for healing. <o:p></o:p></div>
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With him safely wrapped like a chamois cuckoo burrito, and turned
him over. There were no other obvious wounds. His screams of protest began again when he
was upright. I can’t give you an exact translation because I am not fluent in
Cuckoo. I can tell you if Mommy Cuckoo was listening, he may be in for a “washing
of the beak!” The video only includes his "nice words."<o:p></o:p></div>
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We found him well enough to try for a release. With his
patience with me drawing to an end, I took a picture. Notice his "sweet smile?" Stubborn and unhappy. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We
no more than unwrapped his burrito than off he flew. No thank you. No tender
good-byes. Off to the nearest tree and life as before. He may have some
explaining to do about his head injury but, should be fine.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
If the little guy had used a helmet – he could have avoided
his injury. I am sorry he had such a rough day. Because he didn’t listen when
Mr. TD&H tried to explain the way out for him, he probably wouldn’t have
listened to me either. We did what we could in light of his situation. It is up
to him whether or not he learned any lessons.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The same is true for us. The <u>helmet of salvation</u> protects us
from injury to our heads. Indeed our enemy wants to get in there and bloody us
up with false teachings. He is the father of lies and will do his best to fill
our heads with them – unless we have our helmet.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Things I learned</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<ul>
<li>Without God, we are likely to go places and be found in
situations that cause us harm and from which we can’t find our way out.</li>
<li>When (Christian) help comes, it would be beneficial to
listen.</li>
<li>When offering help (Truth) to one in distress, you may encounter
screams of protest. Be willing to wait and offer Truth anyway. Earnestly
contend for the faith.</li>
<li>When offering Truth you must be prepared for both reception
and rejection. Offer Truth anyway.</li>
<li>When you give life-saving
Truth to one and they reject it today, it may open a door to another day. Don’t
be discouraged – one plants, another waters – God gives the increase.</li>
<li>If you reject the Truth, you can expect to make harmful
decisions over and over again.</li>
</ul>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5xRys-ghnDtkGeCu2Z9s_Cvsvqq0YaZcE-X8hKKpvVx2uUjjVFty-LbQfTJpmNBaSRw1SM40rZ_bNIS0znTyh_OrmcxbboiqvafcVgMdzrAP3jQpfKQx2V4UWtdEE87U93i4lphnvN0Bl/s1600/cuckoo-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5xRys-ghnDtkGeCu2Z9s_Cvsvqq0YaZcE-X8hKKpvVx2uUjjVFty-LbQfTJpmNBaSRw1SM40rZ_bNIS0znTyh_OrmcxbboiqvafcVgMdzrAP3jQpfKQx2V4UWtdEE87U93i4lphnvN0Bl/s200/cuckoo-2.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">If you see a little guy who looks like this,<br />
tell him I said "hi!" and he is<br />
welcome to come back and visit,<br />
and finish our conversation.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Cuckoos are
considered “brood parasites.” They often lay their eggs in another’s nest. If
you find a cuckoo in your nest,</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
</div>
<ul>
<li>Take care of them as if they are your own.</li>
<li>Teach them the Truth.</li>
<li>Give them access to a helmet.</li>
<li>Realize – the decision is theirs.</li>
</ul>
<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "papyrus";">“Stand firm therefore, <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "papyrus";">HAVING GIRDED YOUR LOINS
WITH TRUTH, <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "papyrus";">and HAVING PUT ON THE
BREASTPLATE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS, and having shod YOUR FEET WITH THE PREPARATION <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "papyrus";">OF THE GOSPEL OF PEACE; <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "papyrus";">in addition to all, taking
up the shield of faith <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "papyrus";">with which you will be
able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "papyrus";">And take THE HELMET OF
SALVATION, <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "papyrus";">and the sword of the
Spirit, <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "papyrus";">which is the word of God. “<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "papyrus";">Ephesians 6:14-17<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>Dear Father in heaven,<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>I confess that I was
just like this little bird, lost without a clue how to get out of my sin. Thank
You for Your patience and love toward me while I was still flying on my own. <o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>Father, it was Your
love that provided my escape from sin. Your love paid a price above
comprehension to rescue me from the eternity that I deserved. Thank You for
your provision for eternity and Your provision for today. I especially thank You for Your Word that lights the path for my feet, that I will not stumble or stray.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>I pray for all those
reading this right now, that they will know You and know of Your love for them.
Make Yourself known to them in a real and personal way today. Help them to see
the need for You and help me find ways to minister to those who need to hear. <o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>I am so thankful that
You have provided all I need for the battle while I am here on earth. I trust
You with my today and my eternity.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>I pray in the precious
name of Jesus, my Rescuer and Redeemer, </i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>amen.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://about.me/lisawsmith57">Click here for more about me.</a><br />
<br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
For more faith-filled stories, including a hummingbird I named Oscar read the first chapter of our story<span style="background-color: #ead1dc;"> <a href="http://lifeinmyfathersworld.blogspot.com/2015/06/introducing-oscar-extraordinary.html">here.</a></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Lisa Worthey Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01774215163979519292noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6092429792946982531.post-39565614955396834012016-10-06T18:17:00.003-07:002016-10-06T18:17:56.426-07:00Droughts and deep roots<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs6e60QURj2BkAU1CRaT1KKVyrQy8jgYP4ko0l-_AXhJcKA6Oi0D42woskGsy1jF8oZ2SUxKNoLZ30YhLQjKzO7j8IkT1IVps_ckj-xGRLTAnDCsIGZ1o49Ga2q-hWnq0bID-B3uuzIKcq/s1600/Drought%252C+roots+and+the+Word.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs6e60QURj2BkAU1CRaT1KKVyrQy8jgYP4ko0l-_AXhJcKA6Oi0D42woskGsy1jF8oZ2SUxKNoLZ30YhLQjKzO7j8IkT1IVps_ckj-xGRLTAnDCsIGZ1o49Ga2q-hWnq0bID-B3uuzIKcq/s400/Drought%252C+roots+and+the+Word.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Droughts and deep roots</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<i>“How blessed is the
man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked,<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<i>Nor stand in the path
of sinners,<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<i>Nor sit in the seat
of scoffers!<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<i>But his delight is in
the law of the LORD,<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<i>And in His law he
meditates day and night.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<i>He will be like a
tree firmly planted by streams of water,<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<i>Which yields its
fruit in its season<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<i>And its leaf does not
wither;<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<i>And in whatever he
does, he prospers.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<i>The wicked are not
so,<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<i>But they are like
chaff which the wind drives away.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<i>Therefore the wicked
will not stand in the judgment,<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<i>Nor sinners in the
assembly of the righteous.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<i>For the LORD knows
the way of the righteous,<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<i>But the way of the
wicked will perish.”<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<i>Psalm 1:1-6</i><o:p></o:p></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
After many days of heat, and several weeks without any rain,
we are in a drought. The earth is baked and cracked, the local ponds are about
a foot lower than usual, the grass is as brown as if it were winter, and the
leaves on many plants and trees are withering and dropping. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Today, as I inspected the garden, I saw these two plants. I
planted both of them, the maple in the sun and the hydrangea in the shade. The
maple is mature and deeply-rooted and is withstanding the searing drought very
well. The hydrangea is a shallow-rooted plant that is visibly suffering, even
in the shade. Without intervention, it will give up and drop its leaves.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
What a picture of the contrast between those who have spent
time in the Word of God and with Him, and those who have not. Those nourished
by the Word have deep roots and do not wither but, produce fruit. Others do not
rely on the Word of God, but on counsel of the wicked. They will be blown away
like chaff and will perish.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Another picture of the power of the Word from the parable of
the sower in Matthew 13. You will
remember that seed was sown with differing results. Some fell among rocks, some
were eaten by birds, some fell among thorns and others rooted and yielded a
good crop. Those sown by the rocks did not take root “when the sun had risen,
they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away.” Jesus explained the parable; “The one on whom seed was sown on the rocky
places, this is the man who hears the word and immediately receives it with
joy; yet he has no firm root in himself, but is only temporary, and when
affliction or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he falls
away.” <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>How is the Word in your life? </b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Is It a constant source of
nourishment that establishes your roots in Him or, is It something you turn to
now and then as the need arises? What does that tell you about your roots? What
can you expect when the difficulties come? What is the solution? The only
solution is being firmly planted by the Word in order to be nourished and
thrive. Merely dipping your toes in It now and then will not be the same as
being firmly planted, and depending on It for constant nourishment, and building
strong and healthy roots that will hold you when the hard times come.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>Dear Father in heaven,<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>How thankful I am for Your Word. It has been such a source
of strength for me and for so many others. I pray today for those who are drawn
to You and Your Word. I pray You will give them renewed strength and they will
realize their need to remain by You. I trust You to give them just what they
need to flourish and produce fruit today. <o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>I pray for those who have only dipped their toes into Your
Word and are withering. Give them strength and encouragement to come back for
more. <o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>I pray for those around whom the birds are circling, ready
to snatch them away. I pray You will make Yourself known to them today in a
real and fresh way that they too will look to You. <o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>Your Word is indeed a blessing, and I delight in It! Thank
You for providing such a stream of living water in this dark and dry land!<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>I pray these things in the precious name of Jesus, my
Savior.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>Amen.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><br /></i></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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</tbody></table>
<br />Visit <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Bible-Study-101-1587207938246881/"><span style="background-color: yellow;">Bible Study 101 </span>facebook page</a> for tips and tools for a deeper Bible study and coming seminars and workshops.<br /><div class="MsoNormal">
<i><br /></i></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
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Lisa Worthey Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01774215163979519292noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6092429792946982531.post-39769162853646217382016-09-30T08:59:00.001-07:002016-09-30T08:59:11.570-07:00Introducing Paulette Stamper, author of Sand Surfers<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiObUa5nuRSgjiim6VVmiqQTQ1ujkfvEsDRg4xHNV_MTanP-_hgvmd_0br05v5JrmED803L2kAhE5GIj72qQ-9hBNYn6p6vvd61k-BdLvnXU5r8yRZU8z-c24hdYAOYyI6jR5FdyrwC6Tfx/s1600/Paulette+Stamper+banner.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiObUa5nuRSgjiim6VVmiqQTQ1ujkfvEsDRg4xHNV_MTanP-_hgvmd_0br05v5JrmED803L2kAhE5GIj72qQ-9hBNYn6p6vvd61k-BdLvnXU5r8yRZU8z-c24hdYAOYyI6jR5FdyrwC6Tfx/s400/Paulette+Stamper+banner.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sand Surfers author, Paulette Stamper</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I am so happy to introduce you to Paulette Stamper, author of <i>Sand Surfers - Encountering God and Discovering Divine Purpose in the Desert, </i>a 9-week bible study based on the Israelites journey out of slavery in Egypt and into the Promised Land. She wrote the study "because I was blown away in my own personal study of how Jesus showed up in the desert! Everything the Israelites went through in the desert pointed to the person of Jesus. There is so much hope for us in their story of redemption."</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<iframe width="320" height="266" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/lZLH0W7dfyk/0.jpg" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/lZLH0W7dfyk?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><o:p> </o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Do you have a favorite scene or story?</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Absolutely. Hands down my favorite story in all of Scripture
is Moses’ encounter with God in the burning bush in Exodus 3. This is where God
revealed everything about His character that we need to know – that He is the
God who SEES, HEARS, KNOWS and RESCUES. These truths never get old! <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p><br /></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>What do you want your readers to take away from it?<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I believe that through the study of the Israelites in the
desert, readers will find new hope and encouragement that Jesus is speaking to
them, leading them, and revealing Himself to them even in the midst of their
life deserts.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Author, Paulette Stamper</td></tr>
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<b>~~~~~About Paulette~~~~~</b></div>
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I actually don’t have a background in writing. I never dreamed in a million years that I would end up writing and teaching bible studies!</div>
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A lot of people are surprised to find out that I’m a girl with simple tastes. One of my favorite restaurants is Waffle House! I love a good commentary, I love horses and the smell of a barn. But my favorite thing ever is diving deep in the Word of God.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<o:p>Follow Paulette</o:p></div>
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<a href="http://www.paulettestamper.com/">website</a></div>
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<a href="https://twitter.com/PauletteStamper">twitter</a></div>
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<a href="https://www.facebook.com/paulette.staffordstamper">facebook</a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVQRR_5FcrNOu8jeiWoPn6e6TsySaR6ZwXA8m_h-KW-8aP5NUoQ3QMJTTo1Kds-MzLleXhFDtiJiKSe7g2iW6QzwGeM4aGlx7Es7H0Ylj5xgyS0cL8xGwCrnalGqAxpGdHh0yx0z2kX9Tv/s1600/Paulette+Stamper.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVQRR_5FcrNOu8jeiWoPn6e6TsySaR6ZwXA8m_h-KW-8aP5NUoQ3QMJTTo1Kds-MzLleXhFDtiJiKSe7g2iW6QzwGeM4aGlx7Es7H0Ylj5xgyS0cL8xGwCrnalGqAxpGdHh0yx0z2kX9Tv/s400/Paulette+Stamper.jpg" width="307" /></a></div>
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Find <i>Sand Surfers</i> on <span style="background-color: yellow;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Sand-Surfers-Encountering-Discovering-Purpose/dp/0985011440/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1425918465&sr=8-2&keywords=sand+surfers">Amazon</a> </span></div>
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<o:p>~~~~~</o:p></div>
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<o:p><br /></o:p></div>
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<o:p>For more Christian authors, click <a href="http://lifeinmyfathersworld.blogspot.com/p/christian-authors-i-think-you-should.html" style="background-color: yellow;">here.</a></o:p></div>
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Lisa Worthey Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01774215163979519292noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6092429792946982531.post-8360165711073213882016-09-14T09:42:00.001-07:002016-09-14T09:43:42.714-07:00Meet Carol B. Round<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimTcMIxXCNNdlzMf7Jl4HisAtdDtnO7OiAd-2Y5FiBAc5m8wT4LUBdjLpSsqFbSA13Yb3b4Qod5SzLFJny6xfYgS1EzfHi1Ba7AgHMC9WpVq_VpjFTyPI9kRkFE0jIfwOB1uzlFuyHVspn/s1600/Carol+Round+banner.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimTcMIxXCNNdlzMf7Jl4HisAtdDtnO7OiAd-2Y5FiBAc5m8wT4LUBdjLpSsqFbSA13Yb3b4Qod5SzLFJny6xfYgS1EzfHi1Ba7AgHMC9WpVq_VpjFTyPI9kRkFE0jIfwOB1uzlFuyHVspn/s400/Carol+Round+banner.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Meet author and columnist, Carol B. Round</td></tr>
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Join me in welcoming christian author, Carol Beck Round! She has<span style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 17.12px;"> "always loved to write. As a child, I wrote poetry. My college major was journalism/English. I taught those subjects in high school for 17 years before becoming the high school library media specialist for the final 13 years of my teaching career." </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 17.12px;">Carol has written several books , </span><span style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 17.12px;">including a book on prayer journaling and a companion workbook in addition to her latest series of chilren's books. "My other three books are collections of my weekly Christian column which I’ve been writing for almost 11 years. My column now reaches readers all over the world."</span></div>
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<i>Tell us about your latest book.</i></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">My latest
book is a series of children’s books to teach youngsters about the importance
of giving, saving and spending money. The series title is “Nana’s 3 Jars.” Each
book has a subtitle. The first is <i>Giving
Generously. </i>The second is <i>Saving
Pennies </i>while the subtitle of the third in this series is <i>Spending Wisely.<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">My main
characters are siblings, Charlie and Emma. Charlie is in elementary school but
Emma is still too young to go. Most children can relate, I believe, to being
excited about going to their grandparent’s house for a visit. For Charlie and
Emma, it’s fun to visit their Nana because she lives in the country and has
animals and a garden. They get to do things they might not otherwise get to do
at home and, at the same time, they learn valuable lessons from their
grandmother. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">I have three
grandchildren and I thought this series would not only help them to learn about
money and the wise uses of it, but would help others as well.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIeAtNIN8Hp2H2E2wnf74K4SGPxa8SDrbGIRLjnVHeJyEArqtJb_F2WPQO2gPrwgW_o_VJWU8gT4GVimvHudfL8DADLL3hO-jeqJe550ryUAsco2hSUL1Ylm0y9N8-v3BX544VFdVKaiiR/s1600/Carol+Round+book+giving+front+cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIeAtNIN8Hp2H2E2wnf74K4SGPxa8SDrbGIRLjnVHeJyEArqtJb_F2WPQO2gPrwgW_o_VJWU8gT4GVimvHudfL8DADLL3hO-jeqJe550ryUAsco2hSUL1Ylm0y9N8-v3BX544VFdVKaiiR/s200/Carol+Round+book+giving+front+cover.jpg" width="151" /></a><i>Do you have a favorite?</i></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">I think the
first of the series is my favorite. In this book, the siblings make chocolate
chip cookies and share them with the residents of a veteran’s center.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i>What do you want your readers to take away from it?<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">That money
and how we use it is important. Each book is also interactive so children get
to complete an activity at the end of each book to reinforce the lesson learned
in each.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><b>Excerpt from Nana's 3 Jars</b></b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfpQLK0n7rlcIzLB9f_bqchZtjqoQV911AG7s7E7T4CWmebGpdetDV8V-Mfgs2xk8JHgKdgAUJAqWZdRvE3wBtIuf6mQsZ4yShwhyphenhyphenjLl-qxNobR6OL3w6qU_0rL0YiUECu2nXpjjMvNxNT/s1600/Carol+Round+front+page+final+second+book.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfpQLK0n7rlcIzLB9f_bqchZtjqoQV911AG7s7E7T4CWmebGpdetDV8V-Mfgs2xk8JHgKdgAUJAqWZdRvE3wBtIuf6mQsZ4yShwhyphenhyphenjLl-qxNobR6OL3w6qU_0rL0YiUECu2nXpjjMvNxNT/s200/Carol+Round+front+page+final+second+book.jpg" width="150" /></a><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Sitting at Nana’s kitchen table, Charlie and Emma dipped
their cookies into the milk. As they enjoyed their treat, Charlie noticed three
jars on Nana’s kitchen counter. They weren’t empty. Each was filled with coins.
Each jar had a label on the outside.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Curious, Charlie asked, “Nana, why do you have coins in those
three jars?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Nana picked up the first jar. Charlie read the label.
“Saving,” he pronounced. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">“What does that mean, Nana?” Emma asked.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Nana explained the money in the “Saving” jar was for
emergencies, like car repairs or a broken washing machine.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Picking up the second jar labeled “Spending,” Charlie asked,
“What do you do with the coins in this jar, Nana?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA4z5oV2s3Lw3J1y26LXRTWvjVr421ZqAin5XeTSOIQJO49vt24UDgIq_q6KgIVOV1fukPf0nHjS2J_hiZffm3Gnj90CTacUaWQBcEdfalRyOoJ2WMiH-PVu3awshXX7nbyioXWyBSxowV/s1600/Carol+Round+front+cover+book+three.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA4z5oV2s3Lw3J1y26LXRTWvjVr421ZqAin5XeTSOIQJO49vt24UDgIq_q6KgIVOV1fukPf0nHjS2J_hiZffm3Gnj90CTacUaWQBcEdfalRyOoJ2WMiH-PVu3awshXX7nbyioXWyBSxowV/s200/Carol+Round+front+cover+book+three.jpg" width="154" /></a><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">“The money in this one is for buying things I need, like
groceries,” Nana said.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Emma picked up the third jar. She couldn’t read yet. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">“Then what’s this jar for, Nana?” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Charlie read the label for Emma. “Giving,” he said.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">“What does that mean, Nana?” Emma asked.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">“Well,” said Nana, “all of the coins I put in this jar will
be used to help others.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">“Help others? How?” asked Charlie.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">“How?” chimed in Emma.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">“In the past, I’ve used money from this jar to buy the
ingredients to bake a pie to welcome a new neighbor,” said Nana. “I’ve also
used my giving money to buy canned goods for the church food pantry or socks to
donate to the homeless shelter in town.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">“Why?” asked Emma.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Find her books on <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Carol-Round/e/B0083ZEAWI/ref=dp_byline_cont_book_1">Amazon</a> here.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfZsW5V4j0Sa66yColx1XDxOxuVss5jfkTzeEoGpJ4mdXeX_32jGTowo21TSEdh92tYq2B_bnaHzTxM8vN3yWzO-bphiByMrRxATzvukSdVV6ZxfyzDI7xZPnND7ydYKleO9mifqg5fU98/s1600/Carol+Beck+Round.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfZsW5V4j0Sa66yColx1XDxOxuVss5jfkTzeEoGpJ4mdXeX_32jGTowo21TSEdh92tYq2B_bnaHzTxM8vN3yWzO-bphiByMrRxATzvukSdVV6ZxfyzDI7xZPnND7ydYKleO9mifqg5fU98/s320/Carol+Beck+Round.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Carol Beck Round</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">I also have
a Christian speaking ministry but readers might be interested to know that the
only “C” I made in college was in speech. I was so terrified of speaking in
front of my peers that I gripped the podium tightly—so tightly that sweat
poured off my palms and dripped onto the floor. However, I no longer fear public
speaking. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">My hobbies
include photography, volunteering, spending time with my grandchildren and
reading.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Keep in touch with Carol at <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><a href="http://carolaround.com/">her blog carolaround.com</a></span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br />
Facebook page: </span><a href="http://www.facebook.com/carolaround" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">http://www.facebook.com/carolaround</span></a><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><br />
</span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Twitter: </span><a href="http://twitter.com/carolaround" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">http://twitter.com/carolaround</span></a><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br />
Amazon author page: </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Carol-Round/e/B0083ZEAWI/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">http://www.amazon.com/Carol-Round/e/B0083ZEAWI/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1</span></a><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Click <a href="http://lifeinmyfathersworld.blogspot.com/p/christian-authors-i-think-you-should.html" style="background-color: yellow;">here</a> to meet more christian authors.</div>
Lisa Worthey Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01774215163979519292noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6092429792946982531.post-70287424340147494502016-08-31T07:31:00.000-07:002016-08-31T07:37:29.083-07:00Meet C. L. Wells, author of Memoirs of a Girl Who Loves God<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf0uOXHVP5gKso6eT2RpVZnk9khuvAPHUdJBiGwK8pL_40cOtWkOJgYxQwAJ-kq9wnO8EJTcofYWgR22uwro-O3wWw0fhLnojyGMTBudzNGh3DkRvjnXvjYR5NST2AIDgkyP4faCSP-Us8/s1600/Life+can+be+hard.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf0uOXHVP5gKso6eT2RpVZnk9khuvAPHUdJBiGwK8pL_40cOtWkOJgYxQwAJ-kq9wnO8EJTcofYWgR22uwro-O3wWw0fhLnojyGMTBudzNGh3DkRvjnXvjYR5NST2AIDgkyP4faCSP-Us8/s400/Life+can+be+hard.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
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I am happy to introduce you to author, C. L. Wells! She describes her writing background as "my love for
stories." At the time of this interview her debut novel, <i>Memoirs of a Girl Who Loves God</i>, was listed as #2 on Amazon in its category! Published in June 2015, <i>Memoirs</i> is inspirational fiction, but the main character is a real girl and
much of her true story is woven into the fabric of the plot. While is is listed in the young adult reader category "I’ve found that readers of all ages have enjoyed the story immensely." </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidDhza3WClIIaHr3Gdi5ziNanfNwGLNjI7N2u_imFdvPSEtjqYHFwsxyzvtn8fjiLlZo5uILtUSuQhzwJ3Wbs3ddRpyt_m7-6r2aIwQtG-eD4xxcC1dmwZOjjHY9MlMImEv_I7PcK1FJfJ/s1600/Carisa+Wells+headshot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidDhza3WClIIaHr3Gdi5ziNanfNwGLNjI7N2u_imFdvPSEtjqYHFwsxyzvtn8fjiLlZo5uILtUSuQhzwJ3Wbs3ddRpyt_m7-6r2aIwQtG-eD4xxcC1dmwZOjjHY9MlMImEv_I7PcK1FJfJ/s200/Carisa+Wells+headshot.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Author C. L. Wells</td></tr>
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"I’ve always wanted to write a book but hem and hawed for years telling myself I couldn’t do it, wasn’t qualified, etc. When ‘Krystal’ talked to me about her experiences with self-harm, it sparked something in me. It was meant. Never waste time on self-doubt. We can do so much more than what we realize."</div>
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"Krystal is a teenager who is struggling with her parent’s
separation. She is like so many other teenagers out there. She is smart,
talented, and her own person. She begins cutting as a way to cope with her
emotions and becomes addicted. Nearly half of all teens have engaged in
self-harm in some form at one time or another. We all know someone who is or
has self-harmed. We may not know who it is, but we all know at least one
person, likely more."</div>
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<b>What do you want your readers to take away from it?</b></div>
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Many things, but I want them to take away whatever was meant
for them to receive based on who you are and what experiences you’ve had.
However, there’s an overall message that says, <i>Hey! Life can be hard and unfair but in the midst of it all, you have a
purpose. There’s work to be done and fun to be had, so chop chop, there’s no
time to lose!” </i><o:p></o:p></div>
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<i> ~~~~~</i></div>
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<b>Excerpt from </b></div>
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<i><b>Memoirs of a Girl Who Loves God </b></i></div>
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<span style="color: windowtext; font-family: "garamond" , serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Em and Krystal ladled
soup into cups behind all the action. Krystal had chicken and noodle. Em had
chili. While the tight quarters were challenging, they found their rhythm and
stayed a cup ahead of Mike and Sharon. It wasn’t a difficult task with both of them
serving, but oh, the heat! Between the stoves, warmers, and bodies, the heat
was downright stifling.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: windowtext; font-family: "garamond" , serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Em glanced up at Krystal
and started laughing.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: windowtext; font-family: "garamond" , serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">“What?” Krystal asked.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: windowtext; font-family: "garamond" , serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">“Before we leave, I’m
taking a picture of us with our hairnets on,” she answered.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: windowtext; font-family: "garamond" , serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"> “Okay!” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: windowtext; font-family: "garamond" , serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">“You should take your
hoodie off,” Em said, looking over at her. “You’ve got to be sweating to death
with that on in here.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: windowtext; font-family: "garamond" , serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">“It’s all good,” Krystal
said. She wasn’t going to admit that her pits were thoroughly soaked. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: windowtext; font-family: "garamond" , serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Em shifted her weight and
began using her bossy mom voice. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: windowtext; font-family: "garamond" , serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"> “At least roll your sleeves up. You’re going
to get soup on them.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: windowtext; font-family: "garamond" , serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"> “No! I said I’m good.” Inwardly flinching, she
knew she’d overreacted. Frustrated, she would love nothing more than to strip
off her hoodie, which was now at least four times its weight because of the
sweat. But that didn’t have anything to do with Em. “I’m fine,” she said more
softly, wishing she could take back her harsh tone.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: windowtext; font-family: "garamond" , serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Em eyed her from under
her bangs as she poured another cup of soup. Krystal turned around to see how
many people were in line, and noticed the room was entirely full. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="FreeForm" style="text-indent: 27.35pt;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/eTcD2_-bkqM/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/eTcD2_-bkqM?feature=player_embedded" style="clear: right; float: right;" width="320"></iframe><span style="color: windowtext; font-family: "garamond" , serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">She watched the little
old man at a back table against the wall tear off a piece of bread and offer it
to his dog, which it took gently from his hand. Glancing around, she still
didn’t see anyone else with a pet. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: windowtext; font-family: "garamond" , serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">It saddened her to see
the old man. She was happy he had a companion, but hated that he had to find
food in this place. He should be in a cozy home, sitting in a recliner with his
dog curled up next to him. Maybe she’d
paint him that way. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: windowtext; font-family: "garamond" , serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">She turned back to the
soup station, lifted the ladle, and filled another cup. More than ready to go,
she looked at the line of people again, hoping it would be shorter than it was
ten seconds ago. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: windowtext; font-family: "garamond" , serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">No such luck. Worse yet,
Em was still acting wounded and made it a point to not look at Krystal at all.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: windowtext; font-family: "garamond" , serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Suddenly, she sucked in
her breath and held it when through a gap in the line, she saw a boy from her
school sitting at a nearby table. Brandon, she thought, his name is Brandon,
and he’s in my French class. She didn’t know much about him other than he was a
sophomore. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: windowtext; font-family: "garamond" , serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">What was he doing here?
She wondered frantically. It was clear he was eating, but how could that be?
She couldn’t stop staring. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: windowtext; font-family: "garamond" , serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">He sat hunched over, with
his head slightly turned the opposite direction. Had he spotted her first,
hoping to not be seen? Sitting with his left cheek propped on his fist, elbow
resting on the table, he kept his eyes down as he ate. As she was about to turn
away, she saw him peek over his hand in her direction and their eyes met. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: windowtext; font-family: "garamond" , serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Krystal’s face went hot.
A tingle shot up her spine and danced on her scalp.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: windowtext; font-family: "garamond" , serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Frozen, she gazed into
her soup. Why did she stare so long? What the heck is wrong with her?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: windowtext; font-family: "garamond" , serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">“Krystal?” Mike said. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: windowtext; font-family: "garamond" , serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">“Sorry.” She scooped a
cup of soup and handed it to him. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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To read more, </div>
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find <i>Memoirs</i> at these online retailers</div>
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<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Memoirs-Girl-Who-Loves-God-ebook/dp/B0100W0G7O">Amazon</a><o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/memoirs-of-a-girl-who-loves-god-c-l-wells/1122204912?ean=9780996431705">Barnes and Noble</a><o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/memoirs-of-a-girl-who-loves-god/id1012532536?mt=11">iTunes</a><o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="http://www.christianbook.com/memoirs-of-girl-who-loves-god/c-l-wells/9780996431705/pd/431706?product_redirect=1&Ntt=431706&item_code=&Ntk=keywords&event=ESRCP">Christianbook.com</a><o:p></o:p></div>
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Kobo - <a href="https://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/ebook/memoirs-of-a-girl-who-loves-god">Kobo</a><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="color: #1f4e79; mso-themecolor: accent1; mso-themeshade: 128;">It’s in other places too!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<o:p> </o:p><b>What's next? </b><i>Memoirs</i> is written as a standalone but I’m currently writing the unintended sequel.</div>
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My latest is a short story titled, ‘That’s How She Rolls.’ Currently, it’s included in an anthology with five other authors and their short stories. The anthology is titled ‘Where the Light May Lead.’ Later this year, I’ll put ‘That’s How She Rolls’ out on her own. *smile* </div>
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Contact and keep in touch here...</div>
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Click <a href="http://lifeinmyfathersworld.blogspot.com/p/christian-authors-i-think-you-should.html" style="background-color: yellow;">here</a> for more author interviews!</div>
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Lisa Worthey Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01774215163979519292noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6092429792946982531.post-34053937835015494742016-08-20T20:16:00.001-07:002016-08-20T20:16:26.522-07:00Walk in Righteousness<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<i><br /></i></div>
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<i>“But immorality or any
impurity or greed</i></div>
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<i>must not even be named
among you,<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i>as is proper among saints;<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i>and there must be no
filthiness<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i>and silly talk, or
coarse jesting,<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i>which are not fitting,<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i>but rather giving of
thanks.”<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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Ephesians 5:3,4<o:p></o:p></div>
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Dear Father,<o:p></o:p></div>
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By paying
for my sin debt with the precious life of Jesus, You redeemed me out of a life
tainted with sin. I confess that I allow immorality to seep back into my life in the form of greed or silly talk and other things that are not fitting or proper for a child
of Yours. Forgive my tendency to walk into the trap of my enemy and follow his
worldly ideals.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I long to
walk in a manner worthy of being a joint heir with Jesus. My desire is that my
mind, and soul, and thoughts, and words, and actions all be in obedience to You
and Your will. I want my life to be such that no one will even think I am participating in any type of impurity. Let my ears not even listen to coarse or silly talk. Instead, may my thoughts be of You and Your love - Your love that bought me, and Your love that I need to be sharing.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Father, You alone can lead me in paths of righteousness. Today, I will set my steps to follow You.
Today, no matter what the circumstance, I will listen to You and obey You. Restrain me from anything I am tempted to do
that is unfitting. I thank You and honor and glorify You for molding me into that which I
cannot be without You. <o:p></o:p></div>
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I pray in
Jesus’ precious and holy name.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://about.me/lisawsmith57">Click <span style="background-color: yellow; color: black;">here for</span> more about me.</a><br />Click <a href="http://lisawsmithauthor.blogspot.com/"><span style="background-color: yellow;">here </span>to go to my author page.</a><br /></td></tr>
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<i>C.O.F.F.E.E. with God,</i> a book of devotions like this, coming soon. </div>
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Some free samples <a href="http://lifeinmyfathersworld.blogspot.com/p/devotions.html" style="background-color: yellow;">here</a>.</div>
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Lisa Worthey Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01774215163979519292noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6092429792946982531.post-25355781861993704742016-08-17T12:48:00.001-07:002016-08-17T12:48:06.935-07:00Su-Ny Kluckow and Cupcakes for Breakfast<div class="MsoNormal">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Cupcakes for Breakfast</u> by Su-Ny Kluckow</td></tr>
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Christian author Su-Ny Kluckow knows the two little
words “the scale” is enough to send most people running for the hills. “The
truth is that when we weigh ourselves, we often do it in hopes of obtaining
that magical number of perfection that exists in our heads. Sometimes, we
become a slave to that number – I was a slave until God redeemed me and showed
me how I have made an idol of what physical perfection is and how to dethrone
it.”</div>
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In her book <i>Cupcakes for Breakfast,</i> Su-Ny' shares "insight and encouragement for anyone fighting
the ugly monster of not being at peace with who they are because if we find our
identity in the scales of this world, we become either heavy with pride or
crushed with the weight of our inadequacies. The truth is that our true
identity is discovered through the lens of God’s Word. Living out of this
acceptance changes our attitude about our bodies. And living out of God’s
acceptance keeps us from living for the acceptance of others. We should
approach the world as confident men and women. We’re well-loved by a great God.
We are His Masterpiece – His best work. We are perfectly made in the image of
the King Almighty."<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkV4Q_7h6RVo5eVFMQW75UTvJbulb7leVJIZ_DUFvsvFhRwqjD0NUP6YgCXpxxBsiggX8krzhKZCkCjWBJtYOK7DnU5Rv8xVj-tJDv_tzYAmhTXOx0XJ6Nre4rzouN3ij6JFc_j33SQt7_/s1600/Cupcakes+for+Breakfast.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkV4Q_7h6RVo5eVFMQW75UTvJbulb7leVJIZ_DUFvsvFhRwqjD0NUP6YgCXpxxBsiggX8krzhKZCkCjWBJtYOK7DnU5Rv8xVj-tJDv_tzYAmhTXOx0XJ6Nre4rzouN3ij6JFc_j33SQt7_/s320/Cupcakes+for+Breakfast.jpg" width="232" /></a>'To every man and woman that has ever been unhappy with the
way they look – I pray that God will lead you to and through this book. I pray
that God will lay the foundations in your heart so that whilst you are reading
this book, He will bring you the same revelations and healing that He has done
for me. I pray that God helps you to accept yourself for who and what you are
and to know and believe that you are perfect in God’s Eyes. I pray that you see
yourself the way our Abba Father sees you - the perfect version of you.'<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="background-color: yellow;">Click to find <i>Cupcakes for Breakfast</i> on:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Cupcakes-Breakfast-Making-peace-cupcake-eating-ebook/dp/B01HFJ45G8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1466688594&sr=8-1&keywords=B01HFJ45G8" style="background-color: yellow;">Amazon</a></div>
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<a href="https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/645227" style="background-color: yellow;">Smashwords</a></div>
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<a href="https://www.scribd.com/author/322229835/Su-Ny-Kluckow" style="background-color: yellow;">Scribd</a><o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPRizmJWITJy5rnMRmpdOSKCb2H66yJkpF1d11bLIPWZ97lFXa55313IFnhCz_A28CogrUguzHWuqdHP6g46R8ND7t7wq4wdbLP23NWSPMMylFpdIXCY4-5suzkc0uOHjlpYa95st_pIc7/s1600/Su-Ny+Kluckow.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPRizmJWITJy5rnMRmpdOSKCb2H66yJkpF1d11bLIPWZ97lFXa55313IFnhCz_A28CogrUguzHWuqdHP6g46R8ND7t7wq4wdbLP23NWSPMMylFpdIXCY4-5suzkc0uOHjlpYa95st_pIc7/s400/Su-Ny+Kluckow.jpg" width="271" /></a><span style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">I’m from a small coastal town called Jeffrey’s Bay on the Eastern Cape of South Africa, where I live with my husband and two baby boys whom God gave to us after an 8-year walk of faith. I believe that I am wonderfully and fearfully made in the image of God. I am His devoted daughter and princess of the Almighty King.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Would I write if no one would ever read it? I look at writing as a form or worship, a time to be intimate with God. When I am writing He is inspiring me, prompting me to engage Him on a level that sometimes is deeper than prayer or the words that I might speak otherwise. I feel close to Him when I hear my keyboard chatter with anticipation, each keystroke inviting Him to bless my thoughts and interact with my soul. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Writing is a way that I bless others, with words of encouragement and love via, E-mail, text or a physical letter. If I was the last person on the planet...you could find me at any coffee shop banging away at my laptop; provided being the last person on the planet there were electricity or coffee shops...wait who would make my coffee?</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">It is my mission and purpose to advance His Kingdom and love His people.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: small; line-height: normal;">Keep up with Su-Ny </span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: small; line-height: normal;">Facebook: </span><a href="http://www.facebook.com/authorsukluckow" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium; line-height: normal;">www.facebook.com/authorsukluckow</a></div>
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Twitter: @sukluckow<o:p></o:p></div>
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Blog: sunykluckowblog.wordpress.com</div>
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<span style="background-color: yellow;">Click <a href="http://lifeinmyfathersworld.blogspot.com/p/christian-authors-i-think-you-should.html">here</a> to meet more Christian authors!</span><br />
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Lisa Worthey Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01774215163979519292noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6092429792946982531.post-60198250092039677412016-08-08T07:33:00.001-07:002016-08-08T07:33:50.125-07:00Miss Polly, the Caterpillar<div style="text-align: left;">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLX8WfRe_Em_0Tr-ROX3F6PHyZIhbpc3Xnkm8PyKHtS5JBs_gSk-xyrO62bkEjokd5Y3Nvz1WJNeTwVkY0vDdT_DyCZRfa7YFakjZwz-tDbippS5C7xdYjydyLzXNZmfqZk-VmhkfXjTvT/s1600/Miss+Polly+caterpillar.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLX8WfRe_Em_0Tr-ROX3F6PHyZIhbpc3Xnkm8PyKHtS5JBs_gSk-xyrO62bkEjokd5Y3Nvz1WJNeTwVkY0vDdT_DyCZRfa7YFakjZwz-tDbippS5C7xdYjydyLzXNZmfqZk-VmhkfXjTvT/s400/Miss+Polly+caterpillar.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Miss Polly, the caterpilllar</td></tr>
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She is as prettty as they come, don't you think? She is a grand caterpillar, plump and colorful! Her full name is Anamalia Arthropoda Insecta Lepidoptera Papilionidae Papilionini Papilio P. <span style="background-color: #d9ead3;">poly</span>xenes. I call her Miss <span style="background-color: white;">Polly</span>. You may too, if you like.<br />
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Her story began right here in my back yard, on a nice stand of fragrant heirloom dill. (She doesn't know I planted it just for her but, that's OK.)<br />
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It was a warm day in June (aren't they all) when her mother laid her there. After about a week of being a baby, she "hatched" into a tiny black larvae - her childhood. I first noticed Miss Polly when she entered her young adult time as a caterpillar. She was bright yellow/green with luxurious black stripes that accentuated her curves in all the right places. Her numerous (although stubby) legs were just right for holding a fancy little caterpillar onto a dill stem.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBlWREfTr83Kxxeh6Q7KZaixn5p8E0h-YzF1SHorEF-mnwNUe42uCC_3yUqXItWhcOsX_B5J6ZogrZDW74V6mJBHF-eN7TO3enzVgmv_BI3_wKERSc9Yu3AgbiX2ayQW4lB3qSzXjWWjG7/s1600/Miss+Polly+as+caterpillar.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBlWREfTr83Kxxeh6Q7KZaixn5p8E0h-YzF1SHorEF-mnwNUe42uCC_3yUqXItWhcOsX_B5J6ZogrZDW74V6mJBHF-eN7TO3enzVgmv_BI3_wKERSc9Yu3AgbiX2ayQW4lB3qSzXjWWjG7/s400/Miss+Polly+as+caterpillar.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Miss Polly, the caterpillar,<br />
ready to leave her caterpillar life behind.</td></tr>
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I marvelled for a good two weeks at her beauty and voracious appetite. Then, just as God designed, the time came. She was about to leave her brothers and sisters and she knew it. Her itty bitty legs took her all the way down the dill to a new place, somewhere she had never been before. She found a good sturdy stick from a neighboring daylily and bravely climbed into this new territory. Her time had come.<br />
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She knew she was about to let go of this life, and prepared for it. I watched as she rubbed her face against the stem and released a silken lasso that attached to the stem. She put her head through the loop of the lasso and scooted it down to just the right segment. She also released a silken pad for a posterior anchor.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Miss Polly in her chrysalis.</td></tr>
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After she had the lasso in just the right spot, the time came to surrender to the inevitable. She was leaving her caterpillar life. No more munching on tender dill strands with her family. That part of her life was over. In faith, she released her legs from the stem and allowed the lasso hold her. Her faith was rewarded. Now it was time for the transition to begin.<br />
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July 19 she set herself on the stick. The next morning, she was encased in this chrysalis of a casket. Her earth-bound caterpillar life was behind her.<br />
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Nine days later - she emerged from her temporary casket. No longer a pudgy caterpillar, she emerged a lovely long-legged beauty with glorious wings! It only took her about an hour to dry out her brand-new wings, say goodbye, and take flight. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidS1JVcSfzXDQ3bU7PhGPNw2fkW_Y8XQYozhn4LjrrWFqcvB6yRUU7W8lumUjQDxbPNBql89iGdvt0ZpbPbC8m_qil_HZ07MXXTa5zZBuQrNIrcxFRpTGl-ganzQN-kWuNh4QI9RVl-tTl/s1600/butterfly+7+29%252C+cropped.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidS1JVcSfzXDQ3bU7PhGPNw2fkW_Y8XQYozhn4LjrrWFqcvB6yRUU7W8lumUjQDxbPNBql89iGdvt0ZpbPbC8m_qil_HZ07MXXTa5zZBuQrNIrcxFRpTGl-ganzQN-kWuNh4QI9RVl-tTl/s400/butterfly+7+29%252C+cropped.jpg" width="261" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Miss Polly just out of her chrysalis,<br />
ready to begin her new life.</td></tr>
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She is still the same little girl of a caterpillar that I visited over the course of her lifetime yet, she is now different! That part of her life, limited to crawling less than three feet off the ground, is over! She has a new life, with wings to fly her wherever her little heart desires! I seriously doubt that Miss Polly's caterpillar friends are grieving over her. They are probably rejoicing at her new life; full, free, and glorious!<br />
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I have several decades under my belt, and have watched the process over and over. Maybe you have too. We are born. We grow. We change. We <u>all</u> change.<br />
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My friend, we are all destined to leave this earth. Whether we die before Christ comes or we are changed when He comes, the time will come for each of us to let go of this part of our lives and be changed into an eternal state. <a href="http://blb.sc/0031a6">Read a part of 1 Corinthians 15 here.</a> The question is where do we go from here? What happens next?<br />
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As a Christian (one who has placed full trust and faith in Christ Jesus as Savior) my next life, the eternal one, will be with Him (<a href="http://blb.sc/004hIi">read part of 1 Thessalonians 4 here</a>). I have given Him my life and have trusted Him with the details of how it will play out. Meanwhile, I will do my very best to be obedient to Him while I am still here. When He decides the time has come for me to begin my new/eternal life, He will prepare and eqip me for the transition. Any casket will be temporary. My new body will be glorified yet, still me.<br />
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Those who have not accepted Jesus the Christ as their personal Savior will also wake up to an eternal life. Theirs will be one of everlasting torment. (<a href="http://blb.sc/004hIs">2 Thessalonians, When He comes reward and retribution</a>, <a href="http://blb.sc/0033U9">Mark 9, fire never quenched</a>, <a href="http://blb.sc/002UYs">Rev 21, lake of fire and brimstone, second death</a>.)<br />
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Truths you and I can see from God and Miss Polly;<br />
<ul>
<li>We are alive now.</li>
<li>This life is temporary.</li>
<li>God determines our days.</li>
<li>God designed and equips me for every stage.</li>
<li>This body will be left behind and we will be changed (while still ourselves.)</li>
<li>The next part of our life is eternal.</li>
<li>I can trust God with my today and my eternity. You can too.</li>
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<i>Dear Father in Heaven,</i><br />
<i>I marvel at Your truths You demonstrate in all of Your Creation! How blessed I am to see Your hand at work all around me everyday. Thank You for the example of this little butterfly. Her faith is a powerful example to me. </i><br />
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<i>I pray for those grieving today. I pray that they will remember the butterfly as an example of the eternal life of a Christian, and let their grief be covered with joy. I know it won't remove their pain but, I pray You will give them joy through their pain, just as You have comforted me in my suffering so many times.</i><br />
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<i>I pray today for those reading this, that they will be assured of Your presence in their lives. I pray that every one of them will know You as their personal Savior and have the promise of eternity with You. </i><br />
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<i>For those who have not yet come to know You, I pray You will make Yourself known to them right now, in a very real way. </i><br />
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<i>I trust You in every aspect of my life here on Earth and my life to come, with You. I pray today that I will be faithful to do that which You have created me to do. I pray I will be obedient to You and Your will for my life. When the time comes for me to leave this life, I will trust You with that too.</i><br />
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<i>I pray all these things in Jesus' precious name.</i><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiimgmuE7PrnkrnppSpvq5kaphVd4OLuLmSLP1CUeyvGvsZg3ixAr2M4JnMPb8wusmrkHoJstSnFXblTL3dr6mScr5J9SZq89e66U7oveQvd5HajmXTWYvuoH_1u5OLaL-xPQb9vYE1fPuI/s1600/Why+I+write.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiimgmuE7PrnkrnppSpvq5kaphVd4OLuLmSLP1CUeyvGvsZg3ixAr2M4JnMPb8wusmrkHoJstSnFXblTL3dr6mScr5J9SZq89e66U7oveQvd5HajmXTWYvuoH_1u5OLaL-xPQb9vYE1fPuI/s400/Why+I+write.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://about.me/lisawsmith57">Click here for more about me.</a><br />
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~~~</div>
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For more faith-filled stories, and one precious hummingbird I named Oscar,<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_YysPgLQBkQxsLvp8Nb-4svE6QbbzzoEr8WjT-8XiB3BW-8LvSgMYBy7VMsiLNcWQor2v40ovbnzAg96ZyUKvZsNnbnHI_q006L_FH4cv6PVwyw7L71I-ZfUdmDGhWcF6hyphenhyphenH0RTnjq_mE/s1600/Cover+final+high+res+plus+seal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_YysPgLQBkQxsLvp8Nb-4svE6QbbzzoEr8WjT-8XiB3BW-8LvSgMYBy7VMsiLNcWQor2v40ovbnzAg96ZyUKvZsNnbnHI_q006L_FH4cv6PVwyw7L71I-ZfUdmDGhWcF6hyphenhyphenH0RTnjq_mE/s640/Cover+final+high+res+plus+seal.jpg" width="418" /></a></div>
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<br />
read the first chapter <a href="http://lifeinmyfathersworld.blogspot.com/2015/06/introducing-oscar-extraordinary.html" style="background-color: #ead1dc;">here.</a><br />
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Want to read the rest of our story?</div>
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Oscar-Extraordinary-Hummingbird-Other-Fathers-ebook/dp/B00ZBJPF64/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1434225982&sr=1-1&keywords=oscar+the+extraordinary+hummingbird&pebp=1434225986524&perid=9C161B0435F043CD9198" style="color: #888888; text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: white;">Click </span><span style="background-color: #ead1dc;">here</span><span style="background-color: white;"> to see Oscar on Amazon</span></a></div>
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<br />
<a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/oscar-the-extraordinary-hummingbird-lisa-worthey-smith/1122075111?ean=9781490882192" style="color: #888888; text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #888888; text-decoration: none;">Click </span><span style="background-color: #ead1dc; color: #888888; text-decoration: none;">here</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #888888; text-decoration: none;"> to see Oscar on Barnes and Noble</span></a></div>
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<div style="color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px;">
<a href="http://bookstore.westbowpress.com/Products/SKU-000990255/Oscar-the-Extraordinary-Hummingbird.aspx" style="background-color: white; color: #888888; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px; text-decoration: none;">Click</a><a href="http://bookstore.westbowpress.com/Products/SKU-000990255/Oscar-the-Extraordinary-Hummingbird.aspx" style="background-color: #ead1dc; color: #888888; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px; text-decoration: none;"> here</a><a href="http://bookstore.westbowpress.com/Products/SKU-000990255/Oscar-the-Extraordinary-Hummingbird.aspx" style="background-color: white; color: #888888; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px; text-decoration: none;"> to see Oscar at Westbow Press</a>, a division of Thomas Nelson and Zondervan</div>
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Lisa Worthey Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01774215163979519292noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6092429792946982531.post-91701067582827573542016-08-02T12:29:00.000-07:002016-08-02T12:34:05.489-07:00Meet author Lori Wildenberg<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lori Wildenberg, author</td></tr>
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Lori Wildenberg is a mom who loves the Lord and is "passionate about being a parent (4 kids now 5 with a daughter-in-love). "Parenting is tough. We all need support and encouragement with this important task."<br />
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"I thrive on encouraging parents through writing and speaking to be the parent their children need them to be. This passion has actually grown a ministry co-founded by Becky Danielson and me to a team of 24 moms and dads, from all places of parenting. 1 Corinthians 13 Parenting seeks to be a parent’s one stop shop for all his or her parenting needs. Our 24 experts relate well to parents and all have a heart to support moms and dads in this important journey."</div>
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Parents wanted the material she was developing and teaching in published form, so from speaking and teaching the writing "came through the back door." Her two most recently co-authored books are: <b style="font-style: italic;">Raising
Little Kids with Big Love</b>(for parents of toddlers to age 8) and <b style="font-style: italic;">Raising Big Kids with Supernatural Love </b>(for those with tween to young adult children). </div>
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<i>Tell us about the book(s)</i>. </div>
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Typically 1 Corinthians 13 (The LOVE Chapter) is read at
weddings. The principles in 1 Corinthians 13 (Love is patient, love is kid) are
applied to parenting and growing the 15 attributes of love found in 1
Corinthians 13 in parents and in their children, The book(s) is very
practical, easy to apply, and based on God’s word. </div>
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My favorite chapter "<b><i>Choose Goodness."</i></b> It deals with how to grow a child’s conscience (<i>Little Kids</i> book) and what to
do about common temptations our kids face today (<i>Big Kids</i> book)." There is also a study for each book.</div>
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~~~ Excerpts~~~</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9z6283h1K6-t0LjK5i9xKOHXM6GTsSiv8eYCezY9A_MqfO85tQMu4ks3Km1qXtXd-m0TVjZVopEPO7NAummfZqz7lLvqN5c3xedvTsgBYLvcmdYiQwoeuYlfctJ4cmd9wvY91cb2TSK7S/s1600/Lori+Wildenberg+book+Little_Kids_Cover1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9z6283h1K6-t0LjK5i9xKOHXM6GTsSiv8eYCezY9A_MqfO85tQMu4ks3Km1qXtXd-m0TVjZVopEPO7NAummfZqz7lLvqN5c3xedvTsgBYLvcmdYiQwoeuYlfctJ4cmd9wvY91cb2TSK7S/s320/Lori+Wildenberg+book+Little_Kids_Cover1.jpg" width="216" /></a><b></b></div>
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<b>Raising Little Kids
with Big Love</b><br />
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Parents discover how to: increase a child’s self-worth,
build family unity, foster sibling relationship (not rivalry), control parental
anger and deal with kid tantrums, be their child’s advocate, support their gifted
or special needs child.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhnjHI7YbJOejiHWF8P-l2AR8iDXFVbMs9IWH6sYy1Q3hVLZglApIR1zEd8k4znnEFTDBSHvVWfA-NlAKf-jLUw7lvbozD7jqIGw1Ms0cehVm6UE_kSZXCIYq0AdWl4KN2aZnVcLtywYpe/s1600/Lori+Wildenberg+book+Big_Kids_Cover1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhnjHI7YbJOejiHWF8P-l2AR8iDXFVbMs9IWH6sYy1Q3hVLZglApIR1zEd8k4znnEFTDBSHvVWfA-NlAKf-jLUw7lvbozD7jqIGw1Ms0cehVm6UE_kSZXCIYq0AdWl4KN2aZnVcLtywYpe/s320/Lori+Wildenberg+book+Big_Kids_Cover1.jpg" width="216" /></a></div>
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<b>Raising Big Kids with
Supernatural Love<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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Parents discover how to: be kind but not enable, adjust
parenting approaches as kids age, increase family cohesiveness, deal with
anger, and gain wisdom and tools regarding current day temptations.</div>
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Find both books on <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Raising-Little-Kids-Corinthians-Parent/dp/0991284240/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1466550118&sr=8-1&keywords=raising+little+kids+with+big+love%20https://www.amazon.com/Raising-Big-Kids-Supernatural-Love/dp/0991284275/ref=sr_1_sc_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1466550175&sr=8-1-spell&keywords=raising+big+kids+with+superatural+love">Amazon</a>, <a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/raising-little-kids-with-big-love-lori-wildenberg/1119913508?ean=9780991284245%20http://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/raising+big+kids+with+supernatural+love?_requestid=880602">Barnes and Noble</a> and <a href="https://store.1corinthians13parenting.com/">1Corinthians 13 Parenting Store</a> (the proceeds go toward the 1C13P (1 Corinthians 13 Parenting) ministry. Go to the website and click on store—the store also has gift items, t-shirts, etc. .it is like going into your local Christian bookstore.) </div>
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<o:p>Lori has</o:p> another book coming out in the spring of 2017 to be published by New Hope about prodigal kids. </div>
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To find out the latest news, and keep in touch with Lori;</div>
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<o:p> <a href="http://www.loriwildenberg.com/">her website</a></o:p></div>
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<a href="http://www.1corinthians13parenting.com/">1 Corinthians Parenting blog</a><o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="http://loriwildenberg.blogspot.com/">her personal blog Eternal Moments</a></div>
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<b>Facebook: </b></div>
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Lori Appel Wildenberg</div>
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<a href="https://www.facebook.com/1Corinthians13Parenting">1Corinthians13Parenting on facebook</a></div>
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<a href="https://www.facebook.com/MomsTogether">MomsTogether on facebook</a></div>
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<b>Pinterest:<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<a href="https://www.pinterest.com/loriwildenberg/">https://www.pinterest.com/loriwildenberg/</a><o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Twitter:<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<a href="https://twitter.com/loriwildenberg">https://twitter.com/loriwildenberg</a><o:p></o:p></div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/oEYVBBhfjtQ/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/oEYVBBhfjtQ?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
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Click to watch a sample of Lori's teaching and some testimonials. She is available for speaking engagements, parent training
sessions, workshops, and private parent consulting. The 1C13P team is available
to bring a HeartCORe Family Conference to your church or school. For more information: <a href="http://www.loriwildenberg.com/contact.html">http://www.loriwildenberg.com/contact.html</a><o:p></o:p></div>
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~~~</div>
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To meet more Christian authors, <a href="http://lifeinmyfathersworld.blogspot.com/p/christian-authors-i-think-you-should.html" style="background-color: yellow;">click here</a></div>
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Lisa Worthey Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01774215163979519292noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6092429792946982531.post-7383206979476718332016-07-24T18:02:00.000-07:002016-07-26T08:10:08.267-07:00Socialism, Capitalism and Scripture<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNLcqbGqnzta32HOCx5ZNkoW0E6Xx8ozKMS49B4q3_VXYHPj4PDWhgLiVEcwK550QTCD6oQFGHMIennYlscgA6uI5v50KHjcbDO6fnf1Jb0NLEhYCJjdtJ4B8gGV_25yF02uf2k5PYvOhyphenhyphen/s1600/Socialism+capitalism+and+Scripture+What+direction+shall+we+take.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNLcqbGqnzta32HOCx5ZNkoW0E6Xx8ozKMS49B4q3_VXYHPj4PDWhgLiVEcwK550QTCD6oQFGHMIennYlscgA6uI5v50KHjcbDO6fnf1Jb0NLEhYCJjdtJ4B8gGV_25yF02uf2k5PYvOhyphenhyphen/s640/Socialism+capitalism+and+Scripture+What+direction+shall+we+take.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">George Washington praying</td></tr>
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There is a battle for the direction these United States is to travel
in the coming four years. Which direction will we choose? Some believe the left
and socialism is better, because they give so much to so many. Some believe the
right and capitalism is better because they step aside and encourage people to
work for their income. Many have allegiance with one party or the other because of long-standing traditions or what one party of the other used to stand for. Putting all that aside, let's look at what they stand for today and see if we find a clear choice for Christians.</div>
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First, some unbiased <u>definitions</u> from Miriam Webster<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br />
<ul>
<li><b><span style="background-color: #fce5cd;">Capitalism </span></b><u>Simple Definition of capitalism</u> - a way of <span style="background-color: #fce5cd;">organizing an economy so that the
things that are used to make and transport products (such as land, oil,
factories, ships, etc.) are owned by individual people and companies rather
than by the government.</span></li>
</ul>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<u>Full Definition of capitalism</u> - an economic system characterized by private
or corporate ownership of capital goods, by investments that are determined by
private decision, and by prices, production, and the distribution of goods that
are determined mainly by competition in a free market.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<u>Definition of capitalism for Students</u> - a system
under which the ownership of land and wealth is for the most part <span style="background-color: #fce5cd;">in the hands
of private individuals.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<ul>
<li><b style="background-color: yellow;">Socialism</b> - a
political and economic theory of social organization that advocates that the
means of production, distribution, and exchange should be owned or regulated by
the community as a whole.</li>
</ul>
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Synonyms include leftism and welfarism. <span style="background-color: yellow;">It is policy or
practice based on the political and economic theory of socialism. (in Marxist
theory) a transitional social state between the overthrow of capitalism and the
realization of communism.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<u>Definition of socialism for Students</u>- a social system
or theory in which <span style="background-color: yellow;">the government owns and controls the means of production (as
factories) and distribution of goods.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<u>Simple Definition of socialism</u> - a way of organizing
a society in which major industries are owned and controlled by the government
rather than by individual people and companies<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<u>Full Definition of socialism</u> - any of various economic and political
theories advocating<span style="background-color: yellow;"> collective or governmental ownership and administration of
the means of production and distribution of goods. A system of society or group
living in which there is no private property.</span> A system or condition of society
in which the means of production are owned and controlled by the state. A stage
of society in Marxist theory transitional between capitalism and communism and<span style="background-color: yellow;">
distinguished by unequal distribution of goods and pay according to work done.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Because communism is part of the previous definition,</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<ul>
<li><span style="background-color: yellow;"><b>Communism</b> </span>– <u>simple
definition</u> - a way of organizing a society in which the government owns the
things that are used to make and transport products (such as land, oil,
factories, ships, etc.) and <span style="background-color: yellow;">there is no privately owned property.</span></li>
</ul>
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<u>Full Definition</u> - A theory advocating <span style="background-color: yellow;">elimination of
private property.</span> A system in which goods are owned in common and are available
to all as needed, capitalized. A- a doctrine based on revolutionary Marxian
socialism and Marxism-Leninism that was the official ideology of the Union of
Soviet Socialist Republics B- A system
of government in which <span style="background-color: yellow;">a single authoritarian party controls state-owned means
of production</span> C - A final stage of society in Marxist theory in which the state
has withered away and economic goods are distributed equitably D – Communist
systems collectively<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<o:p> ~~~</o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Simply put, with socialism the government controls my income
as it sees fit. Capitalism lets me control my income as I choose. Some argue
that is unfair to the poor. Is it?<o:p></o:p><br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
From the beginning, we are told to <u>work for what we eat</u>. Gen
3:19 “<i><span style="background-color: #cfe2f3;">By the sweat of your face You will
eat bread,</span> Till you return to the ground, because from it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you
shall return.</i>” <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Those who neglect working have no right to ask someone else
to work for them. 2 Thessalonians 3:7-12 “<i>For
you yourselves know how you ought to follow our example, because we did not act
in an undisciplined manner among you, <span style="background-color: #cfe2f3;">nor did we eat anyone’s bread without
paying for it, but with labor and hardship we kept working night and day so
that we would not be a burden to any of you;</span> not because we do not have the
right to this, but in order to offer ourselves as a model for you, so that you
would follow our example. For even when we were with you, we used to give you
this order: if anyone is not willing to work, then he is not to eat, either.
For we hear that <span style="background-color: #cfe2f3;">some among you are leading an undisciplined life, doing no
work at all,</span> but acting like busybodies. Now such persons we command and exhort
in the Lord Jesus Christ to <span style="background-color: #cfe2f3;">work in quiet fashion and eat their own bread</span></i><span style="background-color: #cfe2f3;">.”</span>
Did you notice those who did not work were <i>undisciplined</i>
and caused <i>burden</i> on those who
worked?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Yet, individually we are to freely <u>share with those who are unable to earn,
the poor.</u> Deuteronomy 15:7-11 <i>“If there
is a poor man with you, one of your brothers, in any of your towns in your land
which the LORD your God is giving you, <span style="background-color: #cfe2f3;">you shall not harden your heart, nor
close your hand from your poor brother; but you shall freely open your hand to
him, </span>and shall generously lend him sufficient for his need in whatever he
lacks. Beware that there is no base thought in your heart, saying, ‘The seventh
year, the year of remission, is near,’ and your eye is hostile toward your poor
brother, and you give him nothing; then he may cry to the LORD against you, and
it will be a sin in you. You shall generously give to him, and your heart shall
not be grieved when you give to him, because for this thing the LORD your God
will bless you in all your work and in all your undertakings. For the poor will
never cease to be in the land; therefore I command you, saying, ‘You shall
freely open your hand to your brother, to your needy and poor in your land.’<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Taking that which does not belong to you (things that you
haven’t earned) is not an option. Ephesians 4:28 <i>“<span style="background-color: #cfe2f3;">He who steals must steal no longer; but rather he must labor,</span>
performing with his own hands what is good, so that he will have something to
share with one who has need.”</i> <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In case you missed it, we are instructed to earn <u>more than</u>
we need “<i><span style="background-color: #cfe2f3;">so that he will have something
to share</span> with one who has need.</i>” Acts 20:35 <i>“In everything I showed you that by working hard in this manner you
must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He Himself
said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’</i> <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
You will remember in the book of Ruth, she gleaned for the
remnants as the harvesters gathered the crop. Leviticus 23:22<i> ‘When you reap the harvest of your land,
moreover, you shall not reap to the very corners of your field nor gather the
gleaning of your harvest; you are to leave them for the needy and the alien. I
am the LORD your God.</i>’ It was an instruction from God to <u>leave some for "<i>the needy and the alien."</i></u><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In fact, there is a b<u>lessing that goes along with that
obedient sharing.</u> Deuteronomy 24:19 <i>“When
you reap your harvest in your field and have forgotten a sheaf in the field,
you shall not go back to get it; it shall be for the alien, for the orphan, and
for the widow, <span style="background-color: #cfe2f3;">in order that the LORD your God may bless you</span> in all the work of
your hands.” </i>A blessing for those who share, and a provision for those
unable to earn a sustainable living – the orphan, the widow.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Jesus even explained that when we share with one who needs,
<u>it is like sharing with Him</u>. Matthew
25:35-40<i> ‘For I was hungry, and
you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to
drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; naked, and you clothed Me; I
was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.’ Then the
righteous will answer Him, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or
thirsty, and give You something to drink? And when did we see You a stranger,
and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You? When did we see You sick, or in
prison, and come to You?’ The King will
answer and say to them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that <span style="background-color: #cfe2f3;">you did it to
one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.’</span><o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
So, if we can get someone to give us what we need, <u>why work</u>?
Proverbs 24:30-34 “<i>I passed by the field
of the sluggard and by the vineyard of the man lacking sense, and behold, it
was completely overgrown with thistles; its surface was covered with nettles, and
its stone wall was broken down. When I
saw, I reflected upon it; I looked, and received instruction. “A little sleep,
a little slumber, A little folding of the hands to rest,” Then your p<span style="background-color: #cfe2f3;">overty will
come as a robber</span> And your want like an armed man.</i>”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<u>Why not just demand those who have plenty to share?</u> (Find the contrast between the prudent and
the foolish.) Matthew 25:3-10 <i>“For when
the f<span style="background-color: #cfe2f3;">oolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them</span>, but the prudent took
oil in flasks along with their lamps. “Now while the bridegroom was delaying,
they all got drowsy and began to sleep. “But at midnight there was a shout,
‘Behold, the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.’ “Then all those virgins rose
and trimmed their lamps. “The foolish said to the prudent, ‘Give us some of
your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ “But the prudent answered, ‘No, there
will not be enough for us and you too; go instead to the dealers and buy some
for yourselves.’“And while they were going away to make the purchase, the
bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding
feast; and the door was shut.”</i> The prudent were prepared. The foolish
should have prepared for themselves.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We should work, and earn, and sow while we can in order to
<u>be prepared for an unexpected events</u>. Ecclesiastes 11:1,2,6 “<i>Cast your bread on the surface of the
waters, for you will find it after many days. Divide your portion to seven, or
even to eight, for y<span style="background-color: #cfe2f3;">ou do not know what misfortune may occur </span>on the earth. Sow
your seed in the morning and do not be idle in the evening, for you do not know
whether morning or evening sowing will succeed, or whether both of them alike
will be good.”</i><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
If capitalism, (working for a living) is what God expects
from us, <u>why do so many think socialism is better?</u> When did capitalism become a
dirty word? Perhaps it began when we stopped looking to God for instruction and
looking to our government instead. Socialism was used by Marx as “a
transitional social state between the overthrow of capitalism and the
realization of communism.” “Communism is a religion of the state, committed to
the extinction of the Church.” —Flannery O'Connor, The Habit Of Being, 1979<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The transition to communism from socialism is an easy one.
The people are already primed to give the government most of what they earn and
they look to it as the giver of all good things. It easily becomes an idol before
which the people must bow in order to receive anything; a secular religion. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
The seeds were planted in the last few decades giving
credence to anything but godly wisdom, and looking to the ideas of men and
“science” are now bearing fruit. With relative ethics, and lack of consequence
for wrongdoing, we are now primed for this transition from following God to
following what seems right in our own eyes.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Neither the republican nor the democratic party is without
flaws in regard to God’s laws, but their difference is striking. These are
excerpts from their respective platforms for 2016.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b>The 2016 Democratic
platform v. Republican platform<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Democratic – “</b>Guaranteeing
Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Rights… Democrats applaud last year’s
decision by the Supreme Court that recognized that LGBT people—like other
Americans—have the right to marry the person they love. We will combat LGBT
youth homelessness and <span style="background-color: yellow;">improve school climates. </span>” <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Republican</b> – “The
Declaration sets forth the fundamental precepts of American government: That
God bestows certain inalienable rights on every individual, thus producing
human equality; that government exists first and foremost to protect those
inalienable rights; that man-made law must be consistent with God-given,
natural rights; and that <span style="background-color: yellow;">if God-given, natural, inalienable rights come in
conflict with government, court, or human-granted rights, God-given, natural,
inalienable rights always prevail;</span>…T<span style="background-color: yellow;">raditional marriage and family, based on
marriage between one man and one woman, is the foundation for a free society</span>
and has for millennia been entrusted with rearing children and instilling
cultural values.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
~~~<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Democratic</b> - “every
woman should have access to quality reproductive health care services,
including <span style="background-color: yellow;">safe and legal abortion”</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Republican</b> – ““The
Constitution’s guarantee that no one can “be deprived of life, liberty or
property” deliberately echoes the Declaration of Independence’s proclamation
that “all” are “endowed by their Creator” with the inalienable right to life.
Accordingly, <span style="background-color: yellow;">we assert the sanctity of human life and affirm that the unborn
child has a fundamental right to life which cannot be infringed. </span>We support a
human life amendment to the Constitution and legislation to make clear that the
Fourteenth Amendment’s protections apply to children before birth.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
~~~<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b>Democratic – “</b>Democrats believe that
today’s <span style="background-color: yellow;">extreme levels of income and wealth inequality are bad </span>for our people,
bad for our businesses, and bad for our economy. Our country depends on a
thriving middle class
to drive economic growth, but the middle class is shrinking. Meanwhile, the top
one-tenth of one percent of Americans now own almost as much wealth as the
bottom 90 percent combined. These trends create problems beyond insulting our
sense of basic fairness. Social mobility is far lower than most believe it to
be. Children who are born to families in the lowest fifth of earnings are more
than 10 times more likely to remain there as adults than they are to earn as
much as those in the top fifth. Unless we <span style="background-color: yellow;">invest in building a level playing
field, </span>we all lose. 11 Reining in Wall
Street and Fixing our Financial System To restore economic fairness, Democrats
will fight against the greed and recklessness of Wall Street.
Democrats will not hesitate to use and expand existing authorities as well as
empower regulators to downsize
or break apart financial institutions when necessary to protect the public and safeguard
financial stability, including new authorities to go after risky shadow-banking activities.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Republican</b> – “P<span style="background-color: yellow;">rosperity
is the product of self-discipline, enterprise, saving and investment by
individuals,</span> but it is not an end in itself. Prosperity provides the means by
which citizens and their families can <span style="background-color: yellow;">maintain their independence from
government,</span> raise their children by their own values, practice their faith, and
build communities of cooperation and mutual respect.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
~~~<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Democratic – “</b>Appointing
Judges… We will appoint judges who defend the constitutional principles of
liberty and equality for all, and <span style="background-color: yellow;">will protect a woman’s right to safe and
legal abortion,</span> curb billionaires’ influence over elections because they
understand that Citizens United has fundamentally damaged our democracy, and
believe the Constitution protects not only the powerful, but also the disadvantaged
and powerless. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Republican</b> - "Only
a Republican president will appoint judges who respect the rule of law
expressed within the Constitution and Declaration of Independence, including
the inalienable <span style="background-color: yellow;">right to life and the laws of nature and nature’s God,</span> as did
the late Justice Antonin Scalia."<o:p></o:p></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
~~~<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<b style="background-color: #ead1dc;">My Conclusion</b><br />
In reading these excerpts, it seems one party has chosen to
look for laws that suit their liking and either overlook or deny completely the
conflict with the laws God has already in place. The elements of "wealth inequality" in the democratic platform are inline with the socialism step into communism. The republican party acknowledges “that
man-made law must be consistent with God-given, natural rights; and that if
God-given, natural, inalienable rights come in conflict with government, court,
or human-granted rights, God-given, natural, inalienable rights always prevail.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
My original question was to whether or not there is a clear choice for Christians. What do you think?<br />
<div>
I welcome your comments.</div>
<div>
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Lisa Worthey Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01774215163979519292noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6092429792946982531.post-9773516550812108582016-07-22T18:15:00.004-07:002016-07-22T18:17:40.001-07:00Love, Forgiveness, and the Bond of Unity<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Devotion: Love, Forgiveness, and the Bond of Unity</td></tr>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">
<i>“So, as those who have
been chosen of God,<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">
<i>holy and beloved,<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">
<i>put on a heart of
compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience; </i></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">
<i>bearing with one
another, and </i><i>forgiving each other,</i></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">
<i>whoever has a
complaint against anyone;<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">
<i>just as the Lord
forgave you, so also should you.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">
<i>Beyond all these
things<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">
<i>put on love,<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">
<i>which is the perfect
bond of unity.”<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">
Colossians 3:12-14<o:p></o:p></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Dear Father
in Heaven,<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Before I
came to know You, my heart was filled with the things of my desires, my dreams,
and my pleasure. How thankful I am that all those selfish things are forgiven. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Help me now
to put on a heart like Yours, filled with humility that thinks of others before
myself. Mold my heart into a heart of compassion and kindness when I deal with
others – no matter how they deal with me. Give me an extra measure of
gentleness and patience to bear with those who try to pull me into selfishness
and anger and strife.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Today, I
pray You will give me the heart of forgiveness. Let my spirit be like Yours
when You forgave me, although I did not deserve it. Let all that I do and say
today be with the love You have given me. Let Your love be seen in my life
today and the rest of my days.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I pray in
Jesus’ name.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<br />
For more devotions click <a href="http://lifeinmyfathersworld.blogspot.com/p/devotions.html" style="background-color: yellow;">here.</a></div>
Lisa Worthey Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01774215163979519292noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6092429792946982531.post-89641976406568042192016-07-19T15:36:00.002-07:002016-07-19T15:40:52.702-07:00Meet Scott Boucher, author of When Goodness Finds You<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcr15U8i7EHssrs1HtAUQihj_FnuWqT0tDhguwoTbJ2gz9x3sK3mpzihffQ2piyFZWxTV_1E5hyO01wVkZQRWlg2Ykb3hRfEEu4RfjCy8YIRNftH0s-6-Fs4DG6iwD7xbOprIbc6ScMCwY/s1600/Scott+Boucher+banner.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcr15U8i7EHssrs1HtAUQihj_FnuWqT0tDhguwoTbJ2gz9x3sK3mpzihffQ2piyFZWxTV_1E5hyO01wVkZQRWlg2Ykb3hRfEEu4RfjCy8YIRNftH0s-6-Fs4DG6iwD7xbOprIbc6ScMCwY/s400/Scott+Boucher+banner.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Author Scott Boucher</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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I am pleased to introduce you to author Scott Boucher. He has been involved in numerous aspects of Church
ministry for over 30 years and served as Administrator of Mount Carmel Bible
Institute from 2004-2006. </div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Scott describes himself as a teacher at heart. “I love to inspire others to experience the
freedom that intimacy with God provides.” Although he doesn’t have a writing
background, he is a man “who simply adores God, and enjoys spending time with
Him.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">“</span></b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">When you are passionate about something, and you know
that millions are longing to experience God in the same way that I have been
experiencing Him for years—it makes it easy.
By the grace of God, I began seeking the Lord passionately when I was
just a teenager. I planted my roots deep
into God early in my walk with Him. One
of the important truths to developing intimacy is this: you can’t be in a
hurry! I patiently waited on the Lord
till I found Him—you have to search with all your heart. God taught me about the concept of approach. I grew in confidence and did away with the
performance-oriented approach I used to have toward God. The deeper I believed His Word, and the more
I meditated upon it—the more real He became to me.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<u><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">When
Goodness Finds You</span></u><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">, was
written to “help people discover the 5 keys to intimacy with God that empowers
them to approach God with confidence and begin to exhale in His presence. Millions are longing for a breakthrough in
their life. Many are frustrated; they
have been a Christian for years, but they feel like something is missing—there
has to be something more. You won’t find
many books like this one. There are countless
books on prayer, but the focus of those books is how to pray. The focus of my book is on how we relate to
God, and how that affects our approach to Him, which ultimately affects whether
we will experience intimacy with Him or not.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">“One of my
favorite stories from the book is how I used to delight myself in the
Lord. I used to call it “taking God golfing”. It was typically rather spontaneous. It was similar to a man and woman saying to
each other, “Hey, let’s do something tonight.
Yeah, let’s go out on a date.” I
would usually wait for a laid-back Sunday afternoon in the summer when the
weather was pretty much perfect. Then I
would say to God, “Hey, let’s go golfing today, just you and I.” God would always say yes. So off on our date we would go. I’ll leave the rest of the story for the
readers of my book to enjoy. Don’t want
to spoil you.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">What do you
want your readers to take away from it? “I want them to not only be inspired,
but start taking the steps that will lead them toward intimacy with God. I want to see them turn experience into
relationship…a relationship where intimacy is an everyday reality for
them. I want each and every one of my
readers to fall so deeply in love with God that their desire for God is taken
to a much higher level.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgygJEsvtxGfZsywL1nirBTKWJ1f0AhaPZAO2izZXzWNSt01LIvOJNh0KsC4eB_kxSZojsNy78bNqwTrmHD62OzeSHVAGxqAucCksLe1i6kBMMm4HFdrHZw88pe98s0oK_oEhUJTA7gU5eD/s1600/Book+cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgygJEsvtxGfZsywL1nirBTKWJ1f0AhaPZAO2izZXzWNSt01LIvOJNh0KsC4eB_kxSZojsNy78bNqwTrmHD62OzeSHVAGxqAucCksLe1i6kBMMm4HFdrHZw88pe98s0oK_oEhUJTA7gU5eD/s640/Book+cover.jpg" width="433" /></a></div>
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An excerpt from <u>When Goodness Finds You</u> -<br />
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">“We are all just trying to find
our way through life. Some of us might
not even be aware of that, but it’s true. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">Unfortunately for the majority of us, we rush expeditiously through this
adventure called life. We don’t take the
time to smell the flowers, dance in the puddles, or linger at the
crosswalk. We rush right past a thousand
faces on our way to…nowhere. The beauty
and delight of a dream is lost to the reality of a life of busyness.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoBodyTextIndent">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-font-kerning: .5pt;">I’ve watched my daughter several
times from the front window of our house as she dances in the puddles during a
rainstorm—with boots, a raincoat, and an umbrella. The funny thing is that she ran outside to do
that a few years ago—when she was eleven years old! I think I’ll join her next time. Oh—the simple pleasures that life
provides! What an opportunity that has
been bestowed upon us. If only we would
allow ourselves the freedom to dance in the puddles, to linger at the crosswalks
of life. But we are too mature for all
of that, of course. That is how we
think; that is who we are. Hence, the
longings go unfulfilled; the dreams remain a wish that never comes true. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-font-kerning: .5pt;">Indeed, we all have deep
longings inside of us. Some of them are
as simple as the desire to dance in the puddles. Most would admit that they are unsure as to
what those longings really are. The
reason we have a hard time identifying them is because we are largely unaware
of who we are, and what we are to be. So
we spend precious little time in pursuit of the discovery of these longings. The admission of their existence reminds us of
the harsh realities of life—too painful, too complex, and extremely boring at
times. We look the other way; we don’t
even want to consider it. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">To find a way
through the dream is to find God in the midst of the dream. Someone may say, “I have forgotten how to
dream. I don’t like to think about my
days of innocence—they are gone. How can
I return to a life of innocence and begin to dream again?” If that’s you, I’m glad you asked. Here’s the answer: <i>Find God in the midst of your dreams</i>. God can enable you to dream again. Set yourself free to allow the dreaming to
begin in your life.” </span><b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Find </span><u style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Goodness</u><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"> on </span><a href="https://www.amazon.com/When-Goodness-Finds-You-Intimacy/dp/1490850279/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1468966271&sr=1-1" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Amazon</a><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">, </span><a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/when-goodness-finds-you-scott-boucher/1120545233?ean=9781490850283" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Barnes and Noble</a><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">, </span><a href="http://www.christianbook.com/goodness-finds-living-life-intimacy-with/scott-boucher/9781490850283/pd/850283?product_redirect=1&Ntt=850283&item_code=&Ntk=keywords&event=ESRCP" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Christian Book Distributors</a><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"> and </span><a href="http://whengoodnessfindsyou.com/" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">WhenGoodnessFindsYou.com</a></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8EJuq9x6j7COHvY63bZtw3H6Y5YFpXM51zmLyqGBGSsp7GDz_aq07fmeeI4rBxgh5QP74DAE6dSDemvQk7ep5y2RrCxVk7UHOguaHuIDow3vmpK1pm7rttloXcLrOskCXDP-_xRyVZOG-/s1600/Head+shot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8EJuq9x6j7COHvY63bZtw3H6Y5YFpXM51zmLyqGBGSsp7GDz_aq07fmeeI4rBxgh5QP74DAE6dSDemvQk7ep5y2RrCxVk7UHOguaHuIDow3vmpK1pm7rttloXcLrOskCXDP-_xRyVZOG-/s320/Head+shot.jpg" width="228" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Scott Boucher</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<i><br /></i></div>
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<i>I live in Menasha, Wisconsin with my wife, Mary, and our two children, Josiah and Victoria. </i></div>
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<i><br /></i></div>
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<i>Fun facts: I used to trade highly-volatile stock options on a regular basis. And the most adorable looking cat in the entire world lives at my house. She goes by the name of Macy.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i><br /></i>
<i><br /></i>
<i><br /></i>
To meet more Christian authors <a href="http://lifeinmyfathersworld.blogspot.com/p/christian-authors-i-think-you-should.html">click here.</a></div>
Lisa Worthey Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01774215163979519292noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6092429792946982531.post-2973535661447308362016-07-14T11:09:00.000-07:002017-07-14T08:09:53.052-07:00Grapes Grace and Glory<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuM15Pl73qQlchRhiS-hwi0D-esLHnkbjEOh5F-2gs_O6Nf0AjsxnLqtf2oPzHJ3xi3iyb3yYiSv_PHxKZMh_ggQcGlsth5APAu6AwfvO4KiRwFGk7jL2kFhGRR61t3E4YQWtSWA6wMv1H/s1600/Grapes+Grace+%2526+Glory.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuM15Pl73qQlchRhiS-hwi0D-esLHnkbjEOh5F-2gs_O6Nf0AjsxnLqtf2oPzHJ3xi3iyb3yYiSv_PHxKZMh_ggQcGlsth5APAu6AwfvO4KiRwFGk7jL2kFhGRR61t3E4YQWtSWA6wMv1H/s400/Grapes+Grace+%2526+Glory.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Grace grapes and glory.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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You may remember when I shared about how happy I was to plant the these "sticks in the ground."( <a href="http://lifeinmyfathersworld.blogspot.com/2014/07/grapes-and-gardener.html">Read Grapes and the Gardener here.</a> ) No
root, no leaves and certainly no fruit. I soaked them in a rooting hormone for
a week, then babied and sweet-talked the sticks in their infancy with all the
encouragement I could muster. You can imagine how very proud I was of their first tender pink leaves. They soon put out
lovely little tendrils and held on to their line (clothes line strung between
posts) for dear life. The more the vine held to the line, the more the foliage
grew and gathered nourishment for the root system and the fruit to come later. <o:p></o:p></div>
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There was some pruning involved now and then. I didn’t enjoy
it one little bit, cutting those beautiful vines that I encouraged to grow, yet
it was necessary to train the vines into the proper position and to make the
vine able to bear the fruit that was yet to come.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxPXuxSvV3qNDNhclzt6AQlW5irrxNfWUth9GAym_K_vx0Ssd3Vs6zDvtbw2O3KafFYs5kNkuscL8rovoo9pTvlFEEvcJl-Q8E0OjS8ZTCmTM_w4FelRNdor5QvvA_rVjCd2qflBOY3wB-/s1600/grapes+on+the+vine+cropped.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxPXuxSvV3qNDNhclzt6AQlW5irrxNfWUth9GAym_K_vx0Ssd3Vs6zDvtbw2O3KafFYs5kNkuscL8rovoo9pTvlFEEvcJl-Q8E0OjS8ZTCmTM_w4FelRNdor5QvvA_rVjCd2qflBOY3wB-/s200/grapes+on+the+vine+cropped.jpg" width="176" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Grapes oon the vine.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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The purpose of a grape vine is to (you guessed it) produce
grapes! This was the year, and it was worth the wait. Cluster upon cluster of
lovely purple pods of juiciness hung from vines that showed extraordinary brute
strength and stamina to just to bear the load. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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More pampering for each little cluster, flicking off
Japanese beetles and spreading out the vines to avoid crowding. They were
inspected every day for health and readiness for consumption, until this week
when their color revealed they were ripe for the picking. <o:p></o:p></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvqE3VF-KMBmGRTNCVwzMIjEgSQbu3tGQ8Ro-LesjvEIMC8Ed0e0CjzMtBodE8ETy1yIw6FEit_yT8RoXpzmfP_cVnwSgUA75cHJI-HmToNLddXtjNnI5KA7rCWTyOKNvZe5PBPAH2iKFF/s1600/grapes+on+the+counter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="112" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvqE3VF-KMBmGRTNCVwzMIjEgSQbu3tGQ8Ro-LesjvEIMC8Ed0e0CjzMtBodE8ETy1yIw6FEit_yT8RoXpzmfP_cVnwSgUA75cHJI-HmToNLddXtjNnI5KA7rCWTyOKNvZe5PBPAH2iKFF/s200/grapes+on+the+counter.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Brought from outside<br />
into the master's house.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br /></div>
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I didn’t have a way to explain to them why I was doing it
but, I carefully selected and snipped these precious bundles and brought them
in, so the canning could begin. They couldn’t have known they were chosen for a wonderful purpose. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Their first stop is the sink for a washing. I gently removed
each grape from its family stem and tossed them into a colander. Now, they
appeared pretty clean so when a large hairy spider ran for his life, (over my
finger) I almost did too. He didn’t make it. I did. (May he rest in peace.) Two
more crawlies were discovered and removed, along with those grapes that did not
mature.<o:p></o:p></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNzVU-ahyphenhypheneLcz8AbJ76_82W0jndX-5HpwGv3m00h9VMaeyMWNtIf6Dh_n2HkR5gF-zBcrqqC595OrOcEUjSWfD0hfjk0gWhjuLyDyIN9FiZP7I0yOXw2R-WE92SHeuxCJYSt5s0zafC901/s1600/grapes+being+washed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="112" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNzVU-ahyphenhypheneLcz8AbJ76_82W0jndX-5HpwGv3m00h9VMaeyMWNtIf6Dh_n2HkR5gF-zBcrqqC595OrOcEUjSWfD0hfjk0gWhjuLyDyIN9FiZP7I0yOXw2R-WE92SHeuxCJYSt5s0zafC901/s200/grapes+being+washed.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Washed grapes, <br />
minus a spider and two crawlies.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Their next stop was the cook pot. Now grapes have a tough
skin, so it is necessary to crush them to get the best flavor. The crushing
revealed the succulent insides that would ultimately provide the flavor for the
jelly. The skin and seeds and insides are boiled all together for a good ten
minutes. A full rolling boil that cannot be stirred down. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVtdozcga_vBJkWEPlWoResMDk8z9cjTsIIeParxV0ThsIY-AyBsPhIfSqLl1NsZDXqgWX8wByH4Dnyu-1yjhLl_zyd2ysIb39MMTH9s_mH5XxXctKyKui2rsAILk05lfQ1foX5Jx9KE1A/s1600/grapes+to+be+left+behind.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="112" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVtdozcga_vBJkWEPlWoResMDk8z9cjTsIIeParxV0ThsIY-AyBsPhIfSqLl1NsZDXqgWX8wByH4Dnyu-1yjhLl_zyd2ysIb39MMTH9s_mH5XxXctKyKui2rsAILk05lfQ1foX5Jx9KE1A/s200/grapes+to+be+left+behind.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">What is left behind.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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That is when you get the first sniff of the real inside of
the grapes. With the skin off and the heat rising, the aroma of each grape is released.
Their grapeness filled the air and anyone nearing my kitchen would have no
doubt of what was happening.<o:p></o:p></div>
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</div>
Then the grapes, skin, juice, seeds and all go into a strainer
to remove the unnecessary parts. While the pulp will be used for another
purpose, it will not go into the jelly. Then, this luscious juice goes back
into the pot for another heating and mixing then carefully ladled into jars. The
jars are then yep, placed into a boiling water bath.<br />
<div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiBMbQKbRBWsmpKy2PQixSvtt0qfdXcBNrb3-f8mKSkanxZa5Vd9uKbmJUOpxvZR2-cuRnLLNBt5hdP57XMjAP0EOTXDuJm0JXMAhtdfLF6gAi8QI0tswjZdA_FSWffNT0dMgjkgI3uwsU/s1600/grapes+in+water+bath.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiBMbQKbRBWsmpKy2PQixSvtt0qfdXcBNrb3-f8mKSkanxZa5Vd9uKbmJUOpxvZR2-cuRnLLNBt5hdP57XMjAP0EOTXDuJm0JXMAhtdfLF6gAi8QI0tswjZdA_FSWffNT0dMgjkgI3uwsU/s200/grapes+in+water+bath.jpg" width="112" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Back into the heat.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
The result? Beautiful
sparkling grape jelly that will bring delight to our tongues for the coming
year! Still grapes? Yes, but different.<br />
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<o:p></o:p></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSgcak_Huwl9lWhK7aXtBKBXwRWFj8HbAjgnvwj8fkyyUlo62vZ0KkqOCDxeWAXOSTKDF7hQEovcbKPxB7MTfcllX7t7Za4Y05vJJoFc1MSvpxHKisHkjECBfWAzOLBlxUennxGhQfRTEn/s1600/grapes+as+jelly.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSgcak_Huwl9lWhK7aXtBKBXwRWFj8HbAjgnvwj8fkyyUlo62vZ0KkqOCDxeWAXOSTKDF7hQEovcbKPxB7MTfcllX7t7Za4Y05vJJoFc1MSvpxHKisHkjECBfWAzOLBlxUennxGhQfRTEn/s320/grapes+as+jelly.jpg" width="257" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Glorified grapes.<br />
Refined and preserved.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I have felt like those grapes, maybe you have too. Pruned,
snipped, crushed…and at times plunged into heat that seems unbearable. I
have learned that God uses those times to make something better out of me. He
truly is the Master Gardener Who tends to His vines. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Things to remember when
life gets hard<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<ul>
<li>God planted you in love. He will tend you and nurture you.
He expects you to grow and mature.</li>
<li>God will prune you with love. He wants you to be strong and be
able to bear fruit.</li>
<li>God will cause you to bear fruit in His time. He will bring you from outside, into His home.</li>
<li>God has a plan for you. You may not understand it but, He
wants to clean you and remove anything that would be harmful to you.</li>
<li>He will allow you to be squeezed to the point of being
crushed – what is inside comes out. It proves your faith is real to you and to
those around you.</li>
<li>He will allow you to go through a refining fire. It will
cause you to release the unnecessary, the dross that contaminates you. The
refining is a process that is repeated more than once but, His grace will not allow
it to consume you.</li>
<li>You will leave your skin and seeds behind. You will still be you, but you will be changed into something glorious! You will be sealed and preserved into His
kingdom!</li>
</ul>
<o:p></o:p><br />
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<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>Dear Father,<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>Thank You for Your
loving care through my life. Thank You for watching over me and tending me and
pruning me when I needed it. <o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>While I long to be
beautiful in Your sight, I struggle in the times of the refining fire. It is
hard. Thank You for staying by me side through it all. May I be an example of perseverance
in my trials, that another would look to You for that same faith. I pray You
will give comfort to those in the fire today. I pray You will encourage those
who feel alone today in their time of testing. Thank You for the grace to
endure it.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>Father, may any fruit
borne be to Your glory and leave seeds of righteousness sown for Your kingdom.
I trust You with my eternity and I trust You with my today. <o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>In Jesus’ name I pray.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<br />
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<br /></div>
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<i>~~~~<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: wave windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 1.0pt 0in; padding: 0in;">
<i>“In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if
necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, so that the proof of
your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though
tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the
revelation of Jesus Christ;” 1 Peter 1:6,7<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i>“After you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who
called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm,
strengthen and establish you.” 1 Peter 5:10<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i>“Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial; for once he has been
approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to
those who love Him.” James 1:12<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i><br /></i></div>
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<i><br /></i></div>
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<i><br /></i></div>
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<i><br /></i></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjZE6ZZw52p3ebeu011O7hcz9hO4QxPcr4Nd8-kX2xR1d5hFsIov_T-r1FRpQ3838OUnuayK85tWm0xIl4HKt6LD_-pPFzBuionWxTTVZ6ajJqwS_SZOHaanrql5OXG0P69KcpV6pIBkJT/s1600/headshot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjZE6ZZw52p3ebeu011O7hcz9hO4QxPcr4Nd8-kX2xR1d5hFsIov_T-r1FRpQ3838OUnuayK85tWm0xIl4HKt6LD_-pPFzBuionWxTTVZ6ajJqwS_SZOHaanrql5OXG0P69KcpV6pIBkJT/s200/headshot.jpg" width="140" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://about.me/lisawsmith57">Click here for more about me.</a><br />
<br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<br />
For more faith-filled stories, including a hummingbird I named Oscar, read the first chapter <a href="http://lifeinmyfathersworld.blogspot.com/2015/06/introducing-oscar-extraordinary.html" style="background-color: #ead1dc;">here.</a><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7svYUd6bNMQSYIjzX5cms2a0f_bND_bIaIBqiuRh3mvlHAt34HJUfiVvtpt3UM8rpyr7aHKJW82aPjPbBsGoFb_u6fefcq2zlNRIvwHEiP_enQfDjQ9qFyRYm1HpcdTZzw2g7Fw5l8870/s1600/Cover+final+high+res+plus+seal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7svYUd6bNMQSYIjzX5cms2a0f_bND_bIaIBqiuRh3mvlHAt34HJUfiVvtpt3UM8rpyr7aHKJW82aPjPbBsGoFb_u6fefcq2zlNRIvwHEiP_enQfDjQ9qFyRYm1HpcdTZzw2g7Fw5l8870/s640/Cover+final+high+res+plus+seal.jpg" width="418" /></a></div>
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<i><br /></i></div>
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For the rest of our story, find Oscar on these online retailers</div>
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<div>
<span style="background-color: #ead1dc;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Oscar-Extraordinary-Hummingbird-Other-Fathers/dp/1490882197?ie=UTF8&qid=1434117054&ref_=tmm_hrd_swatch_0&sr=1-1" style="color: #888888; text-decoration: none;">Amazon</a></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px;"><span style="background-color: #ead1dc;"><a href="http://bookstore.westbowpress.com/Products/SKU-000990255/Oscar-the-Extraordinary-Hummingbird.aspx" style="color: #888888; text-decoration: none;">Westbow Press, a division of Thomas Nelson and Zondervan</a></span></span></div>
</div>
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<div style="color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px; margin: 0px;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: #ead1dc; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px;"><a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/oscar-the-extraordinary-hummingbird-lisa-worthey-smith/1122075111?ean=9781490882192" style="color: #33aaff; text-decoration: none;">Barnes and Noble</a></span></div>
</div>
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Lisa Worthey Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01774215163979519292noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6092429792946982531.post-76936627681808995192016-07-13T07:31:00.002-07:002016-07-23T09:03:00.827-07:00Meet Christian Author, Debbie Wilson<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMFKB2W3AwS-yyFAv5x0feLcmKwhP_1CeUn8EAb4Oqdur-GKdJpRgz98aIU_n3Sdvr7Mvb4-KTpfvF6TfaEVezDmkOg2B8N2UJol7M4HF0PDJGm54D6sz0_wMnyIH4txdINHN_NqtlspaR/s1600/Debbie+Wilson+banner.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMFKB2W3AwS-yyFAv5x0feLcmKwhP_1CeUn8EAb4Oqdur-GKdJpRgz98aIU_n3Sdvr7Mvb4-KTpfvF6TfaEVezDmkOg2B8N2UJol7M4HF0PDJGm54D6sz0_wMnyIH4txdINHN_NqtlspaR/s400/Debbie+Wilson+banner.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Author Debbie W. Wilson</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 17.12px;">Debbie describes herself as</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"> "an ordinary woman who has experienced an extraordinary God. Drawing
from my personal walk with Christ, twenty-four years as a Christian counselor,
and decades as a Bible teacher, I speak and write to help others discover
relevant faith</span><b style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">."</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">"When I
decided to explore publishing I attended a Christian writer’s conference and
took a couple of classes through their guild. I majored in nutrition in college
and served on the staff of Cru (formally Campus Crusade for Christ) after
graduation."<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">"I love
interior design, reading good mysteries, and walks on the beach in the spring
and fall (when it isn’t too hot and sticky!). My two standard poodles keep me
entertained. My husband and I founded a Christian non-profit, </span><a href="http://www.lighthouseministriesnc.org/" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Lighthouse Ministries</span></a><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">,<b>
</b>in 1991. While I no longer work as a counselor, I still coach, mentor,
teach Bible studies, and write a weekly blog for it. We count our two grown
children as our best friends."<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Her nonfiction book </span><i style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Little Women,
Big God: It’s not the size of your problems, but the size of your God </i><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"> looks at the five women Matthew
listed in Jesus’ genealogy. "Using my background as a counselor and Bible
teacher I relate their challenges to ours."</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">"Readers will relate to Tamar, Rahab, Ruth,
Bathsheba, and Mary as they face failure, loss, betrayal, and a murderous hunt.
They will discover God’s care for ordinary women and how He uses human weakness
and failure as an opportunity to reveal His strength and grace. They also have
an opportunity to record God’s faithfulness in their own journey of faith and
see how everyday women who walk with Christ have meaningful stories worth telling."<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span>
<br />
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">"Thought-provoking questions and insights
reveal how to apply faith when walking through grief, selecting a mate, facing
rejection and temptation, and forgiving oneself and one’s enemies. These women show
us that faith in a big God is life’s only unshakable foundation."<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">"The lessons resonated with women every time I
taught it. So I decided to see if a publisher would be interested in it. At
first, publishers wanted it to be a regular non-fiction book. Finally my agent
found Leafwood Publishers who liked it as a Bible study."<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><i>What do you
want your readers to take away from it?</i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Jesus is
bigger than any problem we’ll ever face. Nothing is too difficult for Him!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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~~~~~~~~~~~~</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFsy6npxXCtH4OYb3_sMC5aAupJLQxpB9ckNxX1OV-8IqAZS8XTfLub27wh1wSnueiFMvNjJfTdgFLL3OlD23rJRxkQ3GLrOmC5b4zDusIeS2fW9NhDdv0sMi_xoW4nTGkMUyxFGPjXs9p/s1600/Debbie+Wilson.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFsy6npxXCtH4OYb3_sMC5aAupJLQxpB9ckNxX1OV-8IqAZS8XTfLub27wh1wSnueiFMvNjJfTdgFLL3OlD23rJRxkQ3GLrOmC5b4zDusIeS2fW9NhDdv0sMi_xoW4nTGkMUyxFGPjXs9p/s320/Debbie+Wilson.jpg" width="212" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Debbie W. Wilson</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 17.12px;"><i>I welcome questions and comments at my blog and try to address the issues brought up in future posts or emails. I hope to do some videos or youtubes to augment the study.<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 17.12px;"><i>Your readers my also be interested in my other Bible study</i> </span><em><u><span style="color: blue; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 17.12px;">Give Yourself a Break.</span></u></em> </div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 17.12px;"><a href="http://debbiewwilson.com/">debbiewwilson.com</a> ,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 17.12px;">twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/DebbieWWilson">@debbiewwilson</a>,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 17.12px;">FB: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Debbie-W-Wilson-1550329398571406/?fref=ts">https://www.facebook.com/Debbie-W-Wilson-1550329398571406/?fref=ts</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Below is an
excerpt from Ruth. I also invite your readers to download a free chapter at
<a href="http://littlewomenbiggod.com/">LittleWomenBigGod.com</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b>Weeding Out Mr. Wrong<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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Barbara
Nicolosi said her mother continually gave her the following reasons not to get
married: “(1) Because you are bored; (2) Because you want to get out of the
house; (3) Because you think you can save him; (4) Because you are curious
about sex; (5) Because you are pregnant.”<sup>10</sup> Here are [is one of] five
keys to choosing a great mate.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b><i>Character or Chemistry<o:p></o:p></i></b></div>
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“Should I date
the men I’m attracted to or the ones with solid character?” My young client
didn’t think she could have both. <o:p></o:p></div>
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I believe you can have both. But character trumps chemistry every time.
Attraction can grow, but character is hard to change. Looks alter with wear and
time. And remember, the Bible says, “Charm is deceitful.” The person we marry
will affect us—and our whole family—for the rest of our lives. It’s wise to
consider where the character of the person we date will take us in the years to
come. Let me illustrate. <o:p></o:p></div>
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We were building our house in Raleigh when Hurricane Fran tore through
North Carolina. We climbed into bed in our apartment expecting to dodge the
worst of it. We woke up to devastation on a level I’d never seen before.
Seventeen large pines mercifully missed my son’s bedroom while he slept. The
foundation of the house we were building, which we’d so carefully placed
between two large oak trees, was filled with a hundred-year-old fallen beauty.<o:p></o:p></div>
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We fell asleep sending up prayers for our neighbors in South Carolina,
thinking we were safe. We awoke to crashing trees and howling winds, smack dab
in the middle of Fran. How could the weather forecasters have been so off? We
learned that, far out in the ocean, the hurricane had moved north—just a few
degrees. A few degrees doesn’t seem like it would make much of a difference.
But a few degrees extended over hundreds of miles put the hurricane in a different
state. <o:p></o:p></div>
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What is true for storms is also true for people. A few degrees off in
character extended over several years can put people in a different state of
being from who we thought they were. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Who is the person beneath the charm?<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Excerpted
from <i>Little Women, Big God: It’s not the
size of your problems, but the size of your God.</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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10. Barbara
Nicolosi, “Mom Was Right,” <i>Church of the Masses</i>,
May 11, 2014<o:p></o:p></div>
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Find <u>Little Women BIG GOD</u> at these online retailers </div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><a href="https://www.cokesbury.com/product/9780891123866/little-women-big-god/?rank=0&txtSearchQuery=little%20women,%20big%20god">Cokesbury</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/little-women-big-god-debbie-w-wilson/1123286547;jsessionid=A689EF65C175628552F46057E9D621B3.prodny_store02-atgap03?ean=9780891123866">Barnes and Noble</a> </div>
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<a href="http://www.christianbook.com/little-women-big-god/debbie-wilson/9780891123866/pd/12386X?product_redirect=1&Ntt=12386X&item_code=&Ntk=keywords&event=ESRCP">Christian Book Distributors</a><br />
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To meet more Christian authors...click <a href="http://lifeinmyfathersworld.blogspot.com/p/christian-authors-i-think-you-should.html">here.</a> </div>
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Lisa Worthey Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01774215163979519292noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6092429792946982531.post-42362256394746789972016-07-08T15:59:00.000-07:002016-07-09T08:25:45.875-07:00Hope in Despair<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDNdsPLVakizEJvtVx5zmrctmOKG-CaNRF-GX9UqdCe5PwWEb1uT7uj5O7a3a5HyDpb-XtsmcKr-hTIjQ0HK9vaJN1lAg1I1o4KXgtx3cVYh6e8Ilphro-LHJ4Ectpaj9Tw8Nx_hIlLh-N/s1600/Dec+11+Hope+in+Despair.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDNdsPLVakizEJvtVx5zmrctmOKG-CaNRF-GX9UqdCe5PwWEb1uT7uj5O7a3a5HyDpb-XtsmcKr-hTIjQ0HK9vaJN1lAg1I1o4KXgtx3cVYh6e8Ilphro-LHJ4Ectpaj9Tw8Nx_hIlLh-N/s400/Dec+11+Hope+in+Despair.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<i>"As a shattering of my
bones, <o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i>my adversaries revile
me,<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i>While they say to me
all day long, <o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i>“Where is your God?”<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i>Why are you in
despair, O my soul?<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i>And why have you
become disturbed within me?<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i>Hope in God, for I
shall yet praise Him,<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i>The help of my
countenance and my God."<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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Psalm 42: 10, 11<o:p></o:p></div>
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Dear Father,<o:p></o:p></div>
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There are
times when the words of my enemies seem to shatter my bones, my soul, and my
strength. My adversary prompts them and my own voice is even tempted to join in.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Yet, I
rejoice that I can stand upon the Rock of my salvation! In You I can stand
unafraid and unwavering. No one can snatch me from Your hand!<o:p></o:p></div>
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I will wait
on You today, LORD. I will not lash out in return, I will not fall into despair.
I choose to praise You through no matter what comes today and the rest of my
days. I not only trust You with my eternity, I trust You with my today.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I lift my countenance to You! I pray in
the name of Jesus, with praise on my lips, and hope in my heart.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw88p8V6UYBm4c7m0lChi1WBOrC1JVw1lgrqO0SbOJ_m8na2gy8fiml09H69La5vaY51fg2ArHlkXIcZcIaKmIXOfDACq1hdW_1bQBHv3s5RuuigeH5BJy_ObU56NEjE3VMzrJEwJ1Vy-k/s1600/headshot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw88p8V6UYBm4c7m0lChi1WBOrC1JVw1lgrqO0SbOJ_m8na2gy8fiml09H69La5vaY51fg2ArHlkXIcZcIaKmIXOfDACq1hdW_1bQBHv3s5RuuigeH5BJy_ObU56NEjE3VMzrJEwJ1Vy-k/s200/headshot.jpg" width="140" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://about.me/lisawsmith57">Click here for more about me.</a><br />
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For more devotions...<a href="http://lifeinmyfathersworld.blogspot.com/p/devotions.html"><span style="background-color: yellow;">click here</span>.</a><br />
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For faith-filled stories including a hummingbird I named Oscar. Click <a href="http://lifeinmyfathersworld.blogspot.com/2015/06/introducing-oscar-extraordinary.html" style="background-color: #ead1dc;">here</a> to read the first chapter. </div>
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For the rest of our story, find Oscar at these online retailers</div>
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<span style="background-color: #ead1dc;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Oscar-Extraordinary-Hummingbird-Other-Fathers/dp/1490882197?ie=UTF8&qid=1434117054&ref_=tmm_hrd_swatch_0&sr=1-1" style="color: #888888; text-decoration: none;">Amazon</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px;"><span style="background-color: #ead1dc;"><a href="http://bookstore.westbowpress.com/Products/SKU-000990255/Oscar-the-Extraordinary-Hummingbird.aspx" style="color: #888888; text-decoration: none;">Westbow Press, a division of Thomas Nelson and Zondervan</a></span></span></div>
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Lisa Worthey Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01774215163979519292noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6092429792946982531.post-53128501383708693752016-07-08T09:24:00.001-07:002016-07-08T20:01:12.936-07:00The Anger Danger, How to Close the Door on Your Enemy<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirvionmb50oD4xEXAKLkzBUje4uO6AASaHtuwu8ztqM9mIc7Ko7Ii16hir-EXd7JgCPbdDWC6vTrnT4455Tgp-nee8AmBPTcaFbc3SflThXRwicP2zBGEHHllH7YP5Jt01S_OpTUUHNf2F/s1600/The+anger+danger+2+.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirvionmb50oD4xEXAKLkzBUje4uO6AASaHtuwu8ztqM9mIc7Ko7Ii16hir-EXd7JgCPbdDWC6vTrnT4455Tgp-nee8AmBPTcaFbc3SflThXRwicP2zBGEHHllH7YP5Jt01S_OpTUUHNf2F/s400/The+anger+danger+2+.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The danger of anger.</td></tr>
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We have an enemy. His goal is to lead your heart away from
God and godliness. <o:p></o:p></div>
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This master of subtlety and conniving, knows your areas of
weakness and mine. He often uses our pride and our selfishness to prompt us to
action. In the first generation of mankind, our adversary was already using anger and
resentment as a lure. Notice the warning
God gave to Cain.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<i>“Abel, on his part
also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of their fat portions. And the
LORD had regard for Abel and for his offering; but for Cain and for his
offering He had no regard. So Cain became very angry and his countenance fell. Then
the LORD said to Cain, “Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen?
“If you do well, will not your countenance be lifted up? And if you do not do
well, sin is crouching at the door; and its desire is for you, but you must
master it.” Cain told Abel his brother. And it came about when they were in the
field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother and killed him.”</i> Genesis 4:4-6<o:p></o:p></div>
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Anger becomes a problem when we allow it to remain in us. <i>“BE ANGRY, AND yet DO NOT SIN; do not let
the sun go down on your anger, and do not give the devil an opportunity </i>(or
place). Ephesians 4:26, 27. Like Cain, when we allow anger to stay, we also allow
Satan a place in our heart. Cain allowed his anger to fester and grow and
overtake him. His anger opened the door for Satan (who was crouching just
outside the door) to work in him.<o:p></o:p></div>
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What is the remedy for injustice and our anger because of wicked
schemes? How do we respond? Not in anger…<o:p></o:p></div>
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<i>“<b>Commit your way</b> to the LORD,<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<b><i>Trust also in Him</i></b><i>, and He
will do it.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i>He will bring forth
your righteousness as the light<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i>And your judgment as
the noonday.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<b><i>Rest in the LORD</i></b><i> and<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<b><i>wait patiently for Him</i></b><i>;<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<b><i>Do not fret</i></b><i> because of
him who prospers in his way,<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i>Because of the man who
carries out wicked schemes.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<b><i>Cease from anger</i></b><i> and <o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<b><i>forsake wrath</i></b><i>;<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<b><i>Do not fret</i></b><i>; <o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i>it leads only to
evildoing.”<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i> </i>Psalm 37:5-8<o:p></o:p></div>
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<i>This you know, my
beloved brethren. <o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i>But everyone must be
<b>quick to hear</b>, <o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i><b>slow to speak</b> and <o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i><b>slow to anger</b>; <o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i>for the anger of man
does <b>not</b> achieve the righteousness
of God. <o:p></o:p></i></div>
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James 1:19, 20<o:p></o:p></div>
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<o:p><br /></o:p></div>
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My enemy wants to infiltrate my mind and my actions. How do I close the door on this adversary who is crouching just outside the door? </div>
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<ul>
<li> Commit my actions to Him</li>
<li>Trust Him to take care of it</li>
<li>Rest and wait patiently while He works</li>
<li>Do not be angry or fret over it</li>
<li>Listen with mouth closed</li>
<li>Do not act in anger.</li>
</ul>
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<i>Father in Heaven,<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i>You know the injustices, accusations, and
wickedness around us today. I pray that I will respond without anger and
resentment. I pray that I will respond with total trust in You to bring
judgment and not take judgment into my own hands. I pray that You will give me the
strength and courage to look to You and rest in You when all around me is
turmoil, strife and anger of men. <o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i>May I never fall for Satan’s lie and act in
my anger and distress. I pray I will behave in a manner pleasing to You, no
matter the circumstance surround me. </i></div>
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<i><br /></i></div>
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<i>I pray for those in distress today. I pray
that You will surround them and they will look to You instead of the enemy.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i>I pray these things in Jesus’ most holy and
righteous name, Who is my example of not returning insult for insult, and when
reviled, did not revile in return.<o:p></o:p></i><br />
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Lisa Worthey Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01774215163979519292noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6092429792946982531.post-87971240643644847252016-07-05T16:53:00.000-07:002016-07-05T16:53:07.691-07:00Submission and Standing in the Gap<div style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.32px; margin-bottom: 6px;">
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<span style="line-height: 19.32px;">My job is to be in subjection to those in authority over me, to pray for our leaders, all of whom are there because God has established it. (<a href="http://blb.sc/0037eP">Read Romans 13:1-7 here</a>) Having said that know that I pray for my elected leaders. I pray that God will guide and direct them. I pray that they are submissive to Him in every aspect of their lives and their decisions in regard to their position. I pray that for myself too. </span><br />
<span style="line-height: 19.32px;"><br /></span>
<span style="line-height: 19.32px;">I am obliged by Scripture to be obedient to those in authority over me. </span><span style="line-height: 19.32px;">The only exemption for that submission is when those rulers go against the Word of God. I will render unto Caesar that which belongs to Caesar, but I am also going to stand in the gap of a crumbling wall of righteousness. </span></div>
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I will not endorse those who call <b>right</b> wrong. My standard of <b>right</b> is according to His standard of <b>right</b> - His Word. The Word of Truth. I will not bow to political correctness and "fairness" according to what others believe. I stand on the Word of God.</div>
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I will not endorse those who believe more government will bring us into line, because I bow to God alone. My freedom came at great cost - from Him. More government is NOT the answer. More God is the answer. </div>
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Illegal is illegal. If it is against the law, that equals illegal. Illegal is not subjective. We have slid into a country that finds an excuse to argue escape from consequences. Aborting an inconvenient child, lying to avoid punishment...the list is long. The fact remains that sin earns a reward - punishment.</div>
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We are all guilty of sin. Those who bear the name of Christ, who are forgiven under His grace and mercy, must not shy away from calling out the Truth. I stand unashamed of the gospel. It is the power of God for salvation! If the truth is not accepted, then our sin is not recognized!</div>
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We are in the middle of a heated election. Regardless of the direction the U.S.A. takes, we MUST stand for God. We must stand for truth. I encourage you to recall the words of Daniel. This is spoken about the Antichrist - but applies today. “By smooth words he will turn to godlessness those who act wickedly toward the covenant, but the people who know their God will display strength and take action." <a href="http://blb.sc/00397v">Read Daniel 11:32 here.</a> Much of this land has turned to godlessness. It is up to the believers who know God to display strength and take action.</div>
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I believe that action is to preach the gospel in and out of season. I believe our job this very day is to proclaim the truth of God's Word, that people will recognize their sin, turn from their wicked ways and turn to Him.</div>
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<ul style="background-color: white;">
<li><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 19.32px;"><b>Submit</b> to God and His truth. Everything else will fall into place when that happens. To find His truth, study His Word. His Word will not change, It will not contradict Itself, and in It your life will find direction. study It diligently, over and over. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 19.32px;"><b>Submit</b> to the fact that you are a sinner. There are two types of sinners. Those who are saved (by His grace and mercy) and those have not. They are either in denial of their sin (perhaps trying to justify according to man's idea of right or fairness or what they think they deserve) or do not realize they are going against the will of God.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 19.32px;"><b>Submit</b> to the truth that the payment of sin is death. Granted, both the saved and the unsaved will lose their earthly lives. The unsaved will serve out the payment for their sin in an eternal Hell. The saved have their eternity in Heaven because their sin debt was paid by Jesus. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 19.32px;"><b>Submitting</b> to Jesus changes everything. Submission to Him means you admit your sin, turn away from it and accept His payment for that sin. It allows Him to direct your life in a <b>right</b> path going forward. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 19.32px;"><b>Submitting</b> to Him requires you submit to those in authority over you.</span></li>
</ul>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 19.32px;">For those who carry His name, are called Christians, our commission (job) is to share that good news! To make disciples of those who have not heard this truth! Submitting to those in authority does NOT mean we submit to things displeasing to God or stop sharing His Word!</span></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 19.32px;"><b>Stand in the gap</b> as Daniel's friends, Hananiah, Azariah, and Mishael, (you may remember them by their Babylonian names Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego) who obeyed the King who held them captive until they were told to bow before a golden statue and worship it. They did not. It is against the law of God to worship any graven image or any god other than the one Almighty God. They didn't launch a riot or a revolt they simply did not comply. It cost them a plunge into a furnace. You remember Who was there with them? Read their story <a href="http://blb.sc/003C6C">here, in Daniel 3</a>. God was with them and chose to allow them to go through the furnace unharmed, without even the smell of smoke. The King recognized their faith, and the power of God.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 19.32px;"><b>Stand in the gap</b> as Daniel who did not hide his prayer. When evil men made a decree against praying to anyone other than the King, they would cost them a visit to a den of lions. Daniel could have hidden to pray but he did not. He could have caused a scene, he did not. He simply prayed in the open window in unashamed obedience to God. It cost him a trip to the lion's den. Read his story <a href="http://blb.sc/003Fkn">here in Daniel 6.</a> God was with him and he was not even touched by the lions. The king recognized his faith and the power of God.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 19.32px;"><b>Stand in the gap</b> as Ezekiel who lived in a time when the judgment of God was upon his land. The people had turned from God and brought corruption into the land and their worship. God asked for someone to stand in the gap of the crumbling walls of His sanctuary to prevent this corruption, and there was no one. Read <a href="http://blb.sc/004Yn1">from Ezekiel 22:30 here.</a> Their sins (in chapter 22) included profaning the holy things of God, making no distinction betweeen the holy and the profane, not teaching the difference betweeen the clean and the unclean. Sounds familiar. </span></li>
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Dear friends, I fear we are in a similar time, facing the judgment of God for our wickedness and our lack of standing in the gap. I pray you will both submit to Him in every aspect of your life today AND share the truth with those in your reach that sin is sin. Their sin will require payment and the days are growing nearer and nearer for the payment to be due. </div>
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<i>Merciful and gracious heavenly Father,</i></div>
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<i>I see sin so rampant that it physically hurts me. I see those immersed in sin that will cost them an eternity of horrific punishment if they do not repent. Help them today to become aware of their sin. Make their hearts tender to You, that they will repent and serve You.</i></div>
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<i>Father, I see leaders on every level that have misguided goals. I see so many that neglect You and Your will. I pray You will make Youself known to them and they will seek You. I pray they will take a stand for Your Truth that will filter down to all those under their authority. Give an extra measure of strength and purpose to those who are serving You.</i></div>
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<i>I pray for my brothers and sisters in the faith. I pray we will be diligent to give proper honor to those You have put in authority over us. I pray will be will faithful to honor You above all. </i></div>
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<i>I pray these things in the name of Jesus, my Savior, Redeemer, and my Rock upon which I stand.</i><br />
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For faith-filled stories, including a hummingbird I named Oscar, </div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">To read the first chapter, </span><a href="http://lifeinmyfathersworld.blogspot.com/2015/06/introducing-oscar-extraordinary.html" style="background-color: #ead1dc;">click here.</a></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">Find Oscar on the online retailers below</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #ead1dc;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Oscar-Extraordinary-Hummingbird-Other-Fathers/dp/1490882197?ie=UTF8&qid=1434117054&ref_=tmm_hrd_swatch_0&sr=1-1">Amazon</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px;"><span style="background-color: #ead1dc;"><a href="http://bookstore.westbowpress.com/Products/SKU-000990255/Oscar-the-Extraordinary-Hummingbird.aspx">Westbow Press, a division of Thomas Nelson and Zondervan</a></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #ead1dc; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px;"><a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/oscar-the-extraordinary-hummingbird-lisa-worthey-smith/1122075111?ean=9781490882192">Barnes and Noble</a></span></div>
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Lisa Worthey Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01774215163979519292noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6092429792946982531.post-44317739184611860332016-07-01T20:10:00.001-07:002016-07-01T20:10:12.948-07:00Anger Without Sin<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Devotion, anger without sin.</td></tr>
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<i>“BE ANGRY,<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i>AND yet DO NOT SIN;<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i>do not let the sun go
down on your anger, and<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i>do not give the devil
an opportunity.”<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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Ephesians 4:26, 27<o:p></o:p></div>
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Dear Father,<o:p></o:p></div>
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My words and
actions can never be undone and are now listed in the sin debt You paid for me.
Forgive me for causing You to suffer even more because of my sin. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Father, I
see the danger of harboring anger and listening to the lies of my adversary who
speaks about unfairness and revenge and hatred. I see the wisdom of Your truth that
speaks about humility and love and forgiveness and the wisdom of settling
disputes before the end of the day.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I choose
today to follow Your way, the way that does not leave an opening for the devil and
his lies to jump in. Today I will have victory over him because I will follow
Your way instead of his. Let the habit of my life be to always seek out and
follow Your righteous paths.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I pray in
Jesus’ name.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://about.me/lisawsmith57">Click here for more about me.</a><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">
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For more devotions like this <a href="http://lifeinmyfathersworld.blogspot.com/p/devotions.html">click here.</a> <div>
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Lisa Worthey Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01774215163979519292noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6092429792946982531.post-25111828633549656952016-06-28T13:42:00.001-07:002017-05-05T07:07:57.107-07:00Meet Author Pamela King Cable<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqD0_ymhe7TfVZ2fpRBj0PVnaJP3gfsE4B9wFEJqFWrTUyyYVlGILVGppukHszTYG9RAlSQnHQoMIeDpQc66pxFAzG91-SshiSHMPa3-lfOI34s49B3YM0TA3J0YJ-gsnvLg1sPZ8nbhil/s1600/2017+Selah+Award+finalist%2521.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqD0_ymhe7TfVZ2fpRBj0PVnaJP3gfsE4B9wFEJqFWrTUyyYVlGILVGppukHszTYG9RAlSQnHQoMIeDpQc66pxFAzG91-SshiSHMPa3-lfOI34s49B3YM0TA3J0YJ-gsnvLg1sPZ8nbhil/s400/2017+Selah+Award+finalist%2521.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Alabama author, Pamela King Cable is a self-described coal
miner’s granddaughter who was raised by a tribe of wild Pentecostals and
storytellers. She writes about “religion and spirituality with paranormal
twists unearthed from my family’s history. "I write about my passions, what
moves me, what shoots out of me like a rocket. My key inspirational force is my
spirituality.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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She is a multi-published author whose novel, <i>Televenge</i>, attracted national attention
from Fox News, CBS Atlanta, as well as book bloggers and media outlets
worldwide. Writing stories steeped in Bible-belt mystery and paranormal
suspense, Pamela has gained a reputation for piercing the hearts of her
readers. She has taught at writing conferences, and speaks to book clubs,
women’s groups, national and local civic organizations, and at churches across
the country.<o:p></o:p></div>
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“I was born in the South... My
memories of my childhood run as strong as a steel-belted radial tire and as
deep as an Appalachian swimming hole. The dusty roads in the coal towns of the
‘sixties are where my career as a writer was born.”</div>
<o:p></o:p><br />
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“On my thirteenth birthday, I received a copy of <i>Gone with the Wind</i>. I devoured it in a
weekend. Margaret Mitchell became my hero until I discovered Flannery O’Connor,
Harper Lee, and Eudora Welty. The rich story content of the south fans the
flames of many writers’ fires. But for me, their work was a springboard,
catapulting me into the possibility of creating my own unique stories driven by
compelling and unforgettable characters.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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<i>Have there been a-ha
moments that have shaped your life and writing? </i>Spiritual life-changing
moments in my life have consistently fed my desire to write. However, those
A-ha! moments came at a price. Compassion and love from my Heavenly Father
saved me from the bottom of my barrel, from the depths of despair. In the midst
of the darkest valley of my life, He raised me up and placed in me a desire to
pierce the hearts of my readers with the written word straight from my
sanctified imagination. He delivered me, saving my life more than once. It
wasn’t just the hand of God that moved; it was His whole arm. There is nothing
like experiencing the miracle hand of the Master first hand. No A-ha! moment
can compare. The undiluted and undisputed faithfulness of God molded me as a woman
of faith, and as a writer.<o:p></o:p></div>
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“For me, it is within sanctuaries of brick and mortar;
places of clapboard and canvas that characters hang ripe for picking. From the
primitive church services of the mountain clans to the baptisms and sacraments
in cathedrals and synagogues all over the world. From the hardworking men and
women who testify in every run-down house of God in America to the charismatic
high-dollar high-tech evangelicals televised in today’s megachurches, therein
lie stories of unspeakable conflict, the forbidden, and often, the unexplained.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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<i>What prompted you to
write your latest release, the historical Christian fiction novel, <u>The
Sanctum</u></i>? “Late in 2008, and for the next two years, I labored over a
new story to give myself a break from the heat and intensity of my novel, <i>Televenge</i>. Little did I know of the
fierce obsession and passion that would overtake me in writing <i>The Sanctum</i>. Wanting to include the
possibility of the paranormal and spirituality from different points of view, I
focused on a young girl with fuzzy, red hair who called herself Neeley, and the
story began.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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<i>Tell us about some more
characters in <u>The Sanctum</u>.</i> “This skinny, parentless
thirteen-year-old who wore thick eyeglasses and hand-me-down dresses captivated
me from page one. Placing my little redheaded girl on a tobacco farm in 1959,
and in the caring hands of an elderly African-American male, a rugged
individual who wasn’t afraid of his gentle side, I quickly fell in love with
them. The novel slowly wrote itself, dragging my heart behind it.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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Many of my stories are based on people I’ve known and places
I’ve been. History also plays a great part in my work. As a writer it is my
desire to transport a reader’s mind—but my ultimate joy is to pierce your
heart. When I was a little girl someone in my family taught me respect for all
people. He said we were related to the great Martin Luther King since after
all, my maiden name is King. I soon realized it wasn’t true, but I never forgot
what he said. Later, I discovered blatant prejudice had incubated for decades
within my family. My southern grandparents believed wholeheartedly in
segregation.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh003UV5uGdmI3lM_kicIWOhLo0SUH_HmsFzAIf5WzaD_kzN8qh-ubJbjqoHOXSlpD_KGy_faMI4qGLv73YDhyphenhyphenyp5LjhLfbgkUx0OxV2AmZKo8fnyvBMeu28hPKatToCVxU7RzCBpIRhx-k/s1600/Pam+Cable+land+of+Sanctum.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh003UV5uGdmI3lM_kicIWOhLo0SUH_HmsFzAIf5WzaD_kzN8qh-ubJbjqoHOXSlpD_KGy_faMI4qGLv73YDhyphenhyphenyp5LjhLfbgkUx0OxV2AmZKo8fnyvBMeu28hPKatToCVxU7RzCBpIRhx-k/s400/Pam+Cable+land+of+Sanctum.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The land of <i>The Sanctum</i></td></tr>
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For over a decade I lived near Summerfield, North Carolina,
located northwest of Greensboro. This area is historically saturated with horse
and tobacco farms, which today still dot the landscape. By chance I discovered
James W. Cole (1924-1967) was ordained into the ministry in Summerfield at the
Wayside Baptist Church in 1958. He toured as a tent evangelist and broadcast a
Sunday morning radio program, becoming an active member of the Knights of the
Ku Klux Klan, and eventually the Grand Dragon of North and South Carolina. The
man intrigued and appalled me, and since the first part of the book takes place
in Summerfield during that time period, I wrote him into the story.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The International Civil Rights Center and Museum is located
in the recently restored Woolworth’s building in downtown Greensboro, a
Woolworth’s that also found its way into my story. As I further studied the
Civil Rights Movement, I thought of it in terms of rights for all people. My
great grandmother was a full-blooded Cherokee, according to our family’s
historian. So I then researched the Trail of Tears.<o:p></o:p></div>
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And finally the wolf appeared. An animal that has fascinated
me all my life, the wolf is about family and order. It is a subtle character,
but a voice to be reckoned with. I studied wolves carefully, and found people
who loved the animal enough to create wolf sanctuaries. I spent time on a
sanctuary near the town of Bakersville in the Blue Ridge Mountains, a five-hour
drive from my home. When I arrived a sign read, The Wolf Sanctum. From that
moment I called my novel, <i>The Sanctum</i>.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<i>What do we need to
know about the main characters or topics?</i> On a November day in 1946, Neeley
McPherson turned five years old and accidentally killed her parents. Thrown
into the care of her scheming and alcoholic grandfather, she survives by her
quick wit, and the watchful eye of an elderly black man, Gideon. In 1959, as
equal rights heats up the South, authorities accuse Gideon of stealing a watch
and using a Whites Only restroom. Neeley, now thirteen, determines to break him
out of jail. <o:p></o:p></div>
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The infamous Catfish Cole, Ku Klux Klan Grand Dragon of the
Carolinas, pursues Neeley and Gideon in their courageous escape to the frozen
Blue Ridge Mountains. After Gideon’s truck hits ice and careens down a steep
slope, they travel on foot through a blizzard, and arrive at a farm of sorts—a
wolf sanctuary, where Neeley crosses the bridge between the real and the
supernatural. On this cascading landscape she discovers her grandfather’s
deception, confronts the Klan, finds her faith in God, and uncovers the
shocking secrets of the family who befriends her. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Set in a volatile time in America when the winds of change
begin to blow, <i>The Sanctum</i> bestows
sanctuary, invokes the healing power of second chances, and leads Neeley to
tragedy once again but in doing so, grants the desire of her heart.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<i>What do you want your
readers to take away from it? </i>That above all else, God is faithful. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Most of my readers have reported they feel drained. As
though they’ve stepped through a portal in time. They’ve been informed,
enlightened, and yet their hearts have been pierced clean through. They’ve said
to me many times that the characters became alive. I want all of my readers to
experience that. To want to linger inside the pages, to live in the story until
it becomes a part of them. Until the story is pressed into the recesses of
their memories.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pamela King Cable</td></tr>
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<i>You seem to have an
active relationship with your readers. Is there a way they can support your
work? What would you like to tell them personally</i>? They encourage me by sending a note, or a
Facebook message, or posting a review. Writers need encouragement, they need
love, and they need prayer. Writing is a tough, tough business. It's grueling,
actually. It takes no less than ten years of writing, rewriting, and learning
your craft before you are actually ready to publish. But writing is the easy
part. The length of time it takes from finishing the novel to publication is
painfully long. Social media, marketing, getting your book into the laps of
your readers, that's the hard part. I want my readers to realize this, and I’ve
let them know a few important ways to support and encourage their favorite
authors:<o:p></o:p></div>
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<ul>
<li><span style="background-color: #fff2cc;">REVIEW IT ON AMAZON</span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: #fff2cc;">TELL AS MANY PEOPLE AS YOU CAN</span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: #fff2cc;">RECOMMEND ON GOODREADS</span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: #fff2cc;">REQUEST AT YOUR LIBRARY</span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: #fff2cc;">PROMOTE ON YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA</span></li>
</ul>
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<i>Will you share an
excerpt of the book? </i>“My life had to change, and yet I knew, living in
North Carolina, danger arrived in winter. Southerners hole up during cold
weather. Food is tasteless, and the world around us smells like our rusted tin
roofs. Religious conviction freezes on our faces, but our sins are not
confessed. I was a child of winter. I had learned the consequence of snow and
cold. It was a dreaded time of year, knowing every cold and flu season brought
me bad luck and closer to truths too terrible to bear. But the day I turned
thirteen began a new chapter that taught me bad luck could turn into good luck,
even though it might take time. Even though the evidence of good luck is often
invisible as a bubble at first. Even though the evidence of things unseen can
make you think you’ve lost your mind.” ~ Neeley McPherson, <i>The Sanctum</i><o:p></o:p></div>
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<o:p></o:p><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: yellow;">Already a BESTSELLER!!!</span><br />
<span style="background-color: yellow;">and</span><br />
<span style="background-color: yellow;">2017 Selah Award Finalist! </span></div>
<br />
<o:p>Find <i>The Sanctum</i> on this</o:p> <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Sanctum-Pamela-King-Cable/dp/1938499034/">Amazon</a> link.</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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Any bookstore can order it for you, and you can also order
it from my publisher, Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJRpXLeUfxUb-yjKivbnEzGmvYPi32O6-QdllUiS1XbDQ9Kb-ziYRvR61o7fw2TRPqlyqmHzPyyLBtQuJz-8s3EatwHc4Zj94LLpl4_08RhemLdFMHY0Y140lO4uJG_6v5bwwdyag5OMyO/s1600/the+sanctum+with+medallion.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJRpXLeUfxUb-yjKivbnEzGmvYPi32O6-QdllUiS1XbDQ9Kb-ziYRvR61o7fw2TRPqlyqmHzPyyLBtQuJz-8s3EatwHc4Zj94LLpl4_08RhemLdFMHY0Y140lO4uJG_6v5bwwdyag5OMyO/s640/the+sanctum+with+medallion.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="background-color: #ffd966;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: #ffd966;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: #ffd966;">Keep in touch with Pamela on</span> </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/southernfriedwomen/">Facebook SouthernFriedWomen</a></div>
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<a href="https://twitter.com/pamelakingcable%20/">Twitter @Pamelakingcable</a> <o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2935883.Pamela_King_Cable"><b>Goodreads</b></a><o:p></o:p></div>
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<b><u>Website</u></b>: <a href="http://www.pamelakingcable.com/">www.pamelakingcable.com </a></div>
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<span style="background-color: #fff2cc;">Click </span><a href="http://lifeinmyfathersworld.blogspot.com/p/christian-authors-i-think-you-should.html" style="background-color: yellow;">here</a><span style="background-color: #fff2cc;"> to see more Christian author interviews.</span></div>
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Lisa Worthey Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01774215163979519292noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6092429792946982531.post-41915071111810181992016-06-23T17:52:00.004-07:002016-06-23T17:52:30.154-07:00Walk in His Path<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<i>“Therefore as you have
received Christ Jesus the Lord,<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i>so walk in Him,<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i>having been firmly
rooted and now<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i>being built up in Him
and<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i>established in your
faith, just as you were instructed, and<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i>overflowing with
gratitude.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i>See to it that no one
takes you captive<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i>through philosophy and
empty deception,<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i>according to the
tradition of men,<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i>according to the
elementary principles of the world,<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i>rather than according
to Christ.”<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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Colossians 2:6-8<o:p></o:p></div>
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My Lord and
my God,<o:p></o:p></div>
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Thank You
for saving me out of my sin and out of the philosophy of the world, and empty
deception that is rampant among men! Thank You for establishing me in the true
faith found in You. I truly am overflowing with gratitude to You!<o:p></o:p></div>
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As You have
firmly rooted me in the faith, my desire is to be built up even more as I
continue to follow You. May all my steps follow Your path of righteousness. May
I never detour into empty philosophies, traditions and other deceptions of the
world, but remain faithful to You throughout my days. May I walk today in a manner worthy of the One Who called me. <o:p></o:p></div>
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I pray in
the name of Jesus’ my redeemer, sustainer and example. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheXUi-vRmPsrkiWapC3UaqvpkwZHkfjke2T1etKIa98O-3OrQVKvlA7n8dgVC2yX7XjWpyszm1VG4vxvMcqgulEd5PRTgsZDnbVMBap8xHxTR_i-pC_cP_cVTwWOGz2J50h2gN8ah6NuwR/s1600/headshot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheXUi-vRmPsrkiWapC3UaqvpkwZHkfjke2T1etKIa98O-3OrQVKvlA7n8dgVC2yX7XjWpyszm1VG4vxvMcqgulEd5PRTgsZDnbVMBap8xHxTR_i-pC_cP_cVTwWOGz2J50h2gN8ah6NuwR/s200/headshot.jpg" width="140" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://about.me/lisawsmith57">Click here for more about me</a></td></tr>
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Coming soon, a book of devotions like this!</div>
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<span style="background-color: #fff2cc;">For more devotions <a href="http://lifeinmyfathersworld.blogspot.com/p/devotions.html">click here</a></span></div>
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For faith-filled stories pointing to the hand of God, including a hummingbird I named Oscar, </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-AACVtH4NIipa4pX_t_qpua3nkkqt0P6MNOdptd3O11ai2n8fiblkDBdtLfIGKu-wB0wtG2PqY-qZ9dv_pkzOMNjU7HmifI9_lhvvi1xGV0bokN825KPCFQt7t5Wts2ZFXx4Ra3Bi1m7z/s1600/Cover+final+high+res.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-AACVtH4NIipa4pX_t_qpua3nkkqt0P6MNOdptd3O11ai2n8fiblkDBdtLfIGKu-wB0wtG2PqY-qZ9dv_pkzOMNjU7HmifI9_lhvvi1xGV0bokN825KPCFQt7t5Wts2ZFXx4Ra3Bi1m7z/s640/Cover+final+high+res.jpg" width="418" /></a>read the first chapter<span style="background-color: #ead1dc;"> <a href="http://lifeinmyfathersworld.blogspot.com/2015/06/introducing-oscar-extraordinary.html">here</a></span></div>
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<b style="font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px; text-align: justify;"><br /></b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Oscar-Extraordinary-Hummingbird-Other-Fathers/dp/1490882197/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1434117054&sr=1-1" style="color: #888888; text-decoration: none;">Click </a><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Oscar-Extraordinary-Hummingbird-Other-Fathers/dp/1490882197/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1434117054&sr=1-1" style="background-color: #ead1dc; color: #888888; text-decoration: none;">here</a><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Oscar-Extraordinary-Hummingbird-Other-Fathers/dp/1490882197/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1434117054&sr=1-1" style="color: #888888; text-decoration: none;"> to see Oscar on Amazon.com</a></div>
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<b style="font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px;"><br /></b><span style="font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px;"><a href="http://bookstore.westbowpress.com/Products/SKU-000990255/Oscar-the-Extraordinary-Hummingbird.aspx" style="color: #888888; text-decoration: none;">Click <span style="background-color: #ead1dc;">here</span> to see Oscar at Westbow Press</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px;"><a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/oscar-the-extraordinary-hummingbird-lisa-worthey-smith/1122075111?ean=9781490882178" style="color: #888888; text-decoration: none;">Click <span style="background-color: #ead1dc;">here </span>to see Oscar at Barnes and Noble </a></span></div>
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Lisa Worthey Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01774215163979519292noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6092429792946982531.post-41421311991871067382016-06-21T14:28:00.000-07:002016-06-21T14:32:25.912-07:00Listen to the Word to Trust in God<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8_XCNrTEvhfgV9EKraClO9abJcCHDLtp-3yGEesKZb0i7RQv-mQqi-d396bsTg8zw_3n6s2sru1BW25WH9A2ZZHrvyxOpCg4L36Zc_27VHQNX4DoX7WW0mkdK2H_jHL6iVHbShrUIQGJI/s1600/May+5+Listen+and+trust+in+God.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8_XCNrTEvhfgV9EKraClO9abJcCHDLtp-3yGEesKZb0i7RQv-mQqi-d396bsTg8zw_3n6s2sru1BW25WH9A2ZZHrvyxOpCg4L36Zc_27VHQNX4DoX7WW0mkdK2H_jHL6iVHbShrUIQGJI/s640/May+5+Listen+and+trust+in+God.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Devotion - Listen to the Word to trust God</td></tr>
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<i>“Incline
your ear and hear the words of the wise,<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i>And
apply your mind to my knowledge;<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i>For
it will be pleasant if you keep them within you,<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i>That
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<i>So
that your trust may be in the LORD,<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i>I
have taught you today, even you.”<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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Proverbs 22:17-19<o:p></o:p></div>
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Dear LORD and Father,<o:p></o:p></div>
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King Solomon asked only for a discerning heart, and You gave him both
a wise and discerning heart, like no other man before or after him. In these
words from this wise king, he instructs his son to listen to wisdom; to lean
his ear toward the words of the wise and apply it to his mind.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Help me today to lean my thoughts and hearing toward wisdom. Help me
to digest and apply Your words of truth to my mind. Let me be nourished in the
truth over and over, that I will trust You more and more. Let Your Word of
truth flow from my lips that I will be able to wisely advise others. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Let my hunger for Your Word and the wisdom in it never diminish. Let
Your Word teach me, and fill me, and let It flow from me as a result. <o:p></o:p></div>
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This I pray in Jesus’ name.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://about.me/lisawsmith57">Click here for more about me</a><br />
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<a href="http://lifeinmyfathersworld.blogspot.com/p/devotions.html">Read more devotions here</a><br />
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AND look for a book of devotions (coming soon)!</div>
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Meanwhile,<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe8PzwIm3vQ1nRDHkm0IkMp3NPzjYJoYJGc8M4n22VJUc6-2P0lFji5fC3v5n_QMx0rw20FOqhtaVs5x4YkwTl7NU9CxuZYDOA-FlQEz2_bxKVH9a9zC-sZ_ZSK-_S-X-F986iXJoUV-xs/s1600/Cover+final+high+res.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; color: #33aaff; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-decoration: none;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe8PzwIm3vQ1nRDHkm0IkMp3NPzjYJoYJGc8M4n22VJUc6-2P0lFji5fC3v5n_QMx0rw20FOqhtaVs5x4YkwTl7NU9CxuZYDOA-FlQEz2_bxKVH9a9zC-sZ_ZSK-_S-X-F986iXJoUV-xs/s640/Cover+final+high+res.jpg" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 1px solid rgb(238, 238, 238); box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.0980392) 1px 1px 5px; padding: 5px; position: relative;" width="417" /></a></div>
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<b style="background-color: white; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px; text-align: justify;"><br /></b><b style="font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px; text-align: justify;"><a href="http://lifeinmyfathersworld.blogspot.com/2015/06/introducing-oscar-extraordinary.html" style="background-color: #ead1dc; color: #888888; text-decoration: none;">Click here to read the first chapter FREE!</a></b><br />
<b style="background-color: white; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px; text-align: justify;"><br /></b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Oscar-Extraordinary-Hummingbird-Other-Fathers/dp/1490882197/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1434117054&sr=1-1" style="background-color: white; color: #888888; text-decoration: none;">Click </a><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Oscar-Extraordinary-Hummingbird-Other-Fathers/dp/1490882197/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1434117054&sr=1-1" style="background-color: #ead1dc; color: #888888; text-decoration: none;">here</a><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Oscar-Extraordinary-Hummingbird-Other-Fathers/dp/1490882197/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1434117054&sr=1-1" style="background-color: white; color: #888888; text-decoration: none;"> to see Oscar on Amazon.com</a></div>
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<b style="background-color: white; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px;"><br /></b><span style="font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px;"><a href="http://bookstore.westbowpress.com/Products/SKU-000990255/Oscar-the-Extraordinary-Hummingbird.aspx" style="color: #888888; text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: white;">Click </span><span style="background-color: #ead1dc;">here</span><span style="background-color: white;"> to see Oscar at Westbow Press</span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px;"><a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/oscar-the-extraordinary-hummingbird-lisa-worthey-smith/1122075111?ean=9781490882178" style="color: #888888; text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: white;">Click </span><span style="background-color: #ead1dc;">here </span><span style="background-color: white;">to see Oscar at Barnes </span></a></span></div>
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Lisa Worthey Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01774215163979519292noreply@blogger.com0