"An Open Book" - 5 new articles
Old Glory's Tears - Friday Fiction Welcome to my contribution to Fiction Friday, hosted this week by Sherri at A Candid Thought. Make sure that you head over to her blog and link up with your own fiction. Or, if you just want to read some great fiction (ALWAYS great in my opinion!), head over to Sherri's blog and check out the links there. This is actually my most recent challenge entry and I wrote it for (gasp!) last week! Enjoyed writing it. Hope you like it too (I've been told to add a tissue warning - so here it is!). The topic was purple.
OLD GLORY'S TEARS
It was sideways. This just wouldn't work.
Daniel sighed. "Can I put it on the floor, Mama?" "Put what on the floor, DJ?" Mrs. Harris looked up from the newspaper she was reading and turned toward her son. "The paper." He pointed at the easel in frustration. "I have to paint it wideways, and it's hanging longways." Mrs. Harris rose slowly and grabbed the pad of paper off the easel. She turned it ninety degrees and hung it back up. "Does that work?" DJ nodded, licking his lips and staring at the angle of the paper. "Thanks," he mumbled. He went digging through the art box, pulling out a paintbrush and two containers of paint: red and blue. "What happens when you mix blue and red, Mama?" He held the paintbrush up in front of him and stared at the blank canvas. "You get purple. Why?" "There isn't purple on the flag, right? Isn't it Daddy's favorite color?" "The American flag? No, there isn't, hun." She wiped her eyes. "And yes, it was Daddy's favorite." "I shouldn't mix the colors, then. Or it won't be a real American flag." DJ chewed on the end of the paintbrush and furrowed his brow. "I think a little bit of mixing would be okay, DJ." She rested her hand on the top of his head and tousled his hair. "Like you said, purple was his favorite color. I think he'd like it." DJ whipped his head from side to side. "It needs to look like a real American flag, cuz daddy's a real American hero." He looked at her, eyes blazing. "That's what you said, right?" Mrs. Harris nodded, her eyes shut tight. "That's what I said, DJ." He nodded himself and turned back toward the easel. He uncovered the blue paint and dipped his brush in. He slowly and meticulously painted a large blue square in the upper left corner. Dropping the brush in water, he looked up and licked his lips. He opened the red canister, picked up and shook off his brush, and dipped it into the paint. With careful yet childlike brushstrokes, he painted each of the seven red stripes, glancing occasionally at a picture on the table. As the paintbrush got closer to the blue field, DJ slowed his strokes and stared, his tongue peeking out from between his closed lips. Not once did the colors mix. Finishing the last stripe, he put the brush down, stepped back, and looked over his creation. He picked up a pencil and wrote on the white stripe below the blue field "my daddy is a hero" in uneven block letters. He grabbed a sheet of star stickers and carefully placed them, one by one, in the blue field, just dry enough to touch. As he placed the 50th star, he felt a hand on his shoulder. "We leave for the cemetery in about ten minutes. You about ready?" DJ nodded. "Why don't you go wash your hands and change into the outfit on your bed? I'll be up to help you in a minute." She kissed him on the head. "And that's a beautiful flag, Daniel. Your father would be honored to see what you made." A few minutes later, Daniel entered the car. Once buckled up, he held the flag across his chest. "I miss him so much, Mommy." "I know, sweetie, I do too." Tears dripped down his face and further, a few landing in the flag's blue field. He glanced down a moment later and sighed, his crying increasing. "There's purple, mom. The red stripe under the blue part has a purple smudge. My crying ruined my real American flag!" DJ bowed his head. Mrs. Harris pulled over to the side, turned her body, and shook her head. "No it isn't, Daniel." She lifted his chin with her hand. "It's perfect. It has your own tears of love on it. Daddy is looking down on it right now, so glad you made it for him." Daniel sniffled and looked into his mother's eyes. "Really?" She nodded. "I think your tears will remind people of the tears we all cry when a hero dies for our country. A crying flag makes sense to me. Don't you think?" DJ cracked a smile. "Yeah, I guess you're right." He closed his eyes. "And purple tears are kinda special too." "They sure are, sweetie. Especially when they come from a special boy and his special flag." ** Thanks for reading! Be sure to stop by A Candid Thought for more great fiction. 
 Sheltering Protection - Word-Filled WednesdayWelcome to my contribution to Word-Filled Wednesday, hosted this week by the lovely Christy at Critty Joy. Be sure to stop by her blog for more visual inspiration from Scripture.
 Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me, for in you my soul takes refuge. I will take refuge in the shadow of your wings until the disaster has passed. Psalm 57:1 NIV Thanks for stopping by! Be sure to stop by Christy's blog for more 
 Ultimate Faith: Monday Manna Anyone is welcome to participate. Just put a link to your Monday Manna blog entry in the MckLinky gadget below, and check out others' thoughts. This week's verses are from one of the greatest stories of faith in all of God's Word. I wonder sometimes if I would be able to say these same things in the face of difficulty and trial. Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to the king, "O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king. But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up." Daniel 3:16-18Looking forward to reading your thoughts. Link up below! ** It's been a bit of a busy week/weekend for me. I have been thinking a lot sbout these verses, and my thoughts keep coming back to some "stuff" I've already written on this subject. So, I'm going to share two of them. First is a story I originally wrote over a year ago for the writing challenge. It is not Biblical fiction, but this character (who still haunts me a bit, by the way) is living the life of Daniel 3:16-18. Check out "The Pain of Gain," and let me know what you think. Also, back in August of last year, I wrote a devotional on this very story. I'm sharing it here. Each year, I read through the entire Bible, and I just finished the book of Daniel. In the early parts of this amazing book, I foun, once again, one of the most incredible statements of faith in God in the Bible—in my opinion, anyway. Let me set the scene. Daniel’s friends, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, are in the service of Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon. He has recently built a 50-foot statue, and demanded that every one of his subject bow down and worship it. These three men of God, high up in Nebuchadnezzar’s organization, refuse to worship anyone but their Lord. The king approaches the three men and gives them one more chance to obey: "If you are ready to fall down and worship the image I made, very good. But if you do not worship it, you will be thrown immediately into a blazing furnace. Then what god will be able to rescue you from my hand?" Daniel 3:15 NIV Now, if I had been one of those men, I'm fairly certain my panic alarm would have gone off at maximum volume. Doubts, anxiety, and fear would have dominated my thoughts. I might have even bowed (with my body) just to save my life (admit it--you might have considered it too!). But not these guys. Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to the king, "O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king. But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up." Daniel 3:16-18 NIVNow that, my friends, is faith. These men knew He could save them, but were willing to pay the ultimate price even if He chose not to do what they wanted. That is faith no matter the circumstances--faith despite circumstances. There are many around the world who are faced with the same dilemma as Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego: men and women who risk their lives, families, finances, possessions and everything else every day just to share the Gospel, or to live it out. The persecuted church is huge, yet it is the fastest growing part of the body of Christ. These people are willing to look their oppressors in the face and say "but even if He does not." And in some cases, He does not. But they still say it. That is the kind of faith I want. Heavenly Father, I pray for all those who are suffering for their faith, for those who risk death daily because of their love for You. Give them the strength to say, and life "but even if He does not" each day. Strengthen them, and hold them close to You. And Lord, I pray that you would give me that kind of faith. Help me to trust You enough to live for You no matter what the consequences. Make me an "but even if He does not" Christian. In Jesus' name. Amen. ** Thanks for reading! Be sure to link up below, and check out other folks' thoughts on these verses. 
 Friday Fiction: "Litter Box Ministry"Welcome to my contribution to Fiction Friday, hosted this week by Vonnie at My Back Door. Make sure that you head over to her blog and link up with your own fiction. Or, if you just want to read some great fiction (ALWAYS great in my opinion!), head over to My Back Door and check out the links there. AGAIN, I'm posting non-fiction. Hope you don't shoot me through the toes and hang me by the holes ;). Wrote this one a year and a half ago, when I was first working out how I was going to write/format my non-fiction book Ailing Body, Nourished Soul. This is in the style of my book (which is VERY close to ready for its professional edit!!!), but not an actual excerpt. Hope you enjoy it!
LITTER BOX MINISTRY It felt like a completely ridiculous and uncomfortable request, but I had to make it. Our needs at the time were wide and deep: money, day care, prayers, meals, transportation, companionship, clothing, groceries, yard work. Some we had graciously received from our church family without even a request on our part. Others had been granted after we made the need known. Every person in our family had been blessed by the gracious and giving natures of the body of Christ. Whether it was a church member mowing our three-acre yard so my husband wouldn't have to, a ready-cooked meal so I could stay out of the kitchen, or a toy to keep my son occupied, each member of our household had been blessed abundantly by the giving of fellow Christians. Well, almost every member. It seemed our two "feline children" needed ministering to as well. Twix and Squeak were already getting food and water, and even a bit of love. Their needs were a bit more sanitary in nature. You see, for the past several months, my husband had been taking care of the cats' "business" after they relieved themselves. Prior to this, cleaning up after the cats had always been my chore, as my husband's sense of smell was a bit more acute than mine. This was certainly not a job he enjoyed, but he had done it, nonetheless, because of the warning in my most consulted book (besides the Bible, of course): "What To Expect When You're Expecting." My second child was on the way, you see. Every pregnancy book known to man, it seemed, discouraged expectant females from contact with cat poo (I can be straightforward, can't I?). It seems feline fecal matter can carry a disease called toxoplasmosis. This disorder, though having little effect on the mother-to-be, can be spread to the unborn child and cause serious complications, including blindness. Well, my husband was now physically unable to take care of this, and cats will only put up with an unsanitary lavatory for so long. And, as much as I adored my kitties (and hated asking for yet another favor), I was unwilling to risk my newborn child's eyesight. So, I called Barb, our pastor's wife and a dear friend, who had been coordinating our assistance (do you know what a Godsend it is to have someone coordinating your assistance?). Apparently attuned to my plans, our calico curled up on my lap, gazing up at me with that "rub me or else" look. I obliged, of course. "Hi Barb." "Hi, dear! How are you doing?" "We're doing okay. Barb, thank you so much for all you've done. You don't know how much we appreciate it." "I just thank the Lord that I can." I sighed. "I have one more thing I need help with." I could hear her shuffling papers. "What do you need, hun?" "Well, I need someone to come and clean out the litter box." I paused. "Of course, my husband can't do it, and I'm not supposed to because I'm pregnant." Barb went right to work, with a smile I'm sure. Within a day or two, she had found a cat lover (had to have been!) and sister in Christ willing to come to our home and take care of Squeak and Twix's "leavings." Now if that doesn't require a selfless attitude, I don't know what does. And she performed her litter box ministry cheerfully and without complaint for three months. The body of Christ blessed every living being in our home during our trial, it seemed. Some prayed. Some gave us rides. Some watched our son. And some cleaned up our cats' waste. Every one was a blessing. Questions: Do you ever feel embarrassed to ask for help when you really need it? Do you let your pride get in the way of asking for, or performing, assistance that may seem "below you"? Do you feel like you need to do something important in order to really help someone? Prayer: Heavenly Father, help us to remember that Your Son was willing to do the lowliest of jobs when He was on earth. Help us not to be ashamed to ask for help, and not too prideful to do even the lowliest of tasks for Your sake. Thank You for hearing our prayers in Jesus' name. Amen. Thanks for reading! Be sure to stop by Vonnie's blog for great fiction!  Monday Manna for November 16 - Even if... Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to the king, "O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king. But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up." Daniel 3:16-18Look forward to YOUR thoughts on these verses. See you back here on Monday, I hope! Blessings!  More Recent Articles |
