THANKFUL FOR MY FAITH

Today I want to give thanks for my faith in Christ--He has carried me through dark days and joyful days! I became a Christian at age 28 by accepting Jesus as my personal Savior. I asked for forgiveness of my sins and acknowledged Him as Lord of my life. Such peace, such joy, such reassurance!

My Christian faith makes me a better person than I was, not because of anything I've done, but through the love of Christ. He has never left me or forsaken me; He helps me in my daily walk and my ups and downs, and I am eternally grateful for His love and for my heavenly home awaiting me
when I leave this life.

For those who are searching for that same kind of peace and eternal reassurance, look no further. The Bible is God's love letter to His children, and He wants all to know His eternal plan of salvation. You see, God will always win in the end. He allows us to make our own choices, but He has promised that for those who have turned their lives over to Him, we will be with Him in eternity. What a blessed promise: Romans 3:10, 6:23, 5:8, 10:9, 10, 13. Read these verses to find out about salvation.

I have never regretted accepting Christ as my Savior. My faith sustains me and gives me peace and joy.

FAMILY IS MY FAVORITE!

Clark and me with the grandchildren: 

Annika 8, Alexa 7, and Asher will be 3

next month!

Our son-in-law and daughter, Philip and Holly

We had the joy and privilege of spending a few days with them, returning home yesterday.  They live in Georgia, and we live in North Carolina.  Such is life these days!  Our younger daughter Bethany and hubby Kurt live in Arizona, so we don't see them as often.

Everyone was here for Christmas, and then returned the first week in January for my mother's funeral.

I've always believed family is special, but especially since Mom's death, I am even more thankful now for my loved ones.  God is faithful and will sustain us in life's sorrows, but I so enjoy my family, my major joy on this earth.

How about you?

TRIBUTE TO MY MOTHER: THE PURPLE IRIS

We lost my mom last week, January 8, 2013, after a long and debilitating illness.  I'd like to share the poem we included in her funeral program:

God's Garden

God looked around his garden

And found an empty place,

He then looked down upon the earth

And saw your tired face,

So He put His arms around you

And lifted you to rest.

God's garden must be beautiful,

For He always takes the best.

He knew that you were suffering

He knew you were in pain.

He knew that you would never

Get well on earth again.

He saw the road was getting rough
And the hills were hard to climb.

So He closed your weary eyelids

And whispered, "Peace will now

Be thine."  It broke our hearts to lose you,

But you didn't go alone,

For part of us went with you

The day God called you home.

And below is the Mother's Day tribute I wrote for her on Mother's Day, 2011:

"After Dad retired from the military and they settled in North Carolina, on visits home when we lived out of state and many hours away, (if during flower season), she so loved showing off her flowers and plants in the yard--they were like her friends, or at least family members :). Her favorite flower has always been the purple iris, and I will always think of her when I see irises."

My mom is 83 years old, and I am so thankful to still have her with us! Although her mind is clear, she has numerous health issues that affect her quality of life. Always a fighter in spite of those, she now spends much of her time reading inspirational fiction at her skilled nursing facility only a few miles from our home. She's always loved crossword puzzles, too.

With advanced COPD, diabetes, neuropathy, congestive heart failure (to name a few), she is not able to do much physically these days. In younger days and better health, she was always busy, and could work rings around me! She loved to garden, tend to her flowers, sew (she made most of my clothes as I was growing up), cook, and read. She often said that there were not enough hours in the day to accomplish everything she wanted to do, as her mental curiosity knew no bounds. There were boxes of recipe clippings attesting to the fact that she loved to try new recipes (and our family, the recipients of those efforts, always enjoyed that!).

As mentioned, she made most of my clothes, but she still sewed when our daughters were young, making them sundresses, rompers, Easter outfits--she even made our oldest daughter's piano recital dress, a floor-length yellow semi-formal gown, when Holly was ten or eleven. She had tackled making neckties for my late dad years ago, and he enjoyed wearing them. For those of you old enough to remember men's leisure suits, she made one for my brother as a young man, in blue to match his eyes. She also made my wedding dress in white velvet, trimmed in lace and chiffon. She made her own apparel for the wedding, too: a dress and matching coat, as well as the bridesmaids' white muffs and rose headpieces (it was a December wedding--their dresses were dark red velvet).

SYLVIA STEWART, AUTHOR OF KONDI'S QUEST

I am very pleased to interview Sylvia Stewart today!  A godly woman who has led an interesting life with so many wonderful experiences, I know readers will love her new book, KONDI'S QUEST.  Let's begin with her bio:

Sylvia Stewart grew up in the (then) Belgian Congo. She spent 21 years as an Assemblies of God missionary in Malawi, East Africa, with her husband, Duane. In 1992 they were asked to go to Ethiopia to found a Bible College. They spent 11 years in Ethiopia doing mostly Bible College ministry. She taught college-level English to students who had never taken a grammar class before.

Sylvia has been published in Assemblies of God denominational magazines: The Pentecostal Evangel (now Today’s Pentecostal Evangel); Advance (now Enrichment); Woman’s Touch, and their missions magazine, Mountain Movers, which is no longer in print. She has also been published in WASI Writer, a writer’s magazine published under the auspices of the University of Malawi.  She wrote under contract with Network211.com, a Christian website, for a year and a half.

Sylvia’s book, Kondi’s Quest, was published in August 2011, after she worked on it for 24 years.  Kondi’s Quest is a novel for middle-school readers.  It shows that God’s love and presence is with us, even in very hard times.

                                             

Welcome, Sylvia.  What are some things you enjoy doing when you're not writing?  

I crochet, needle-point, and do hand crafts.

When did you decide that you wanted to be a writer?  

The first sample of my writing that is still intact was from the 6^th grade.  I’ve always loved a good story and read a lot.  Our tiny town library was great fodder for my hunger for a good book.  I think the desire to write starts with a fascination with reading a great story.

I agree with that sentiment.  In order to be a good writer, one probably has to enjoy reading!  By the way, how many books have you written, and what are their titles? 

KONDI’S QUEST is my first book.  However, I’ve written numbers of articles in Assemblies of God periodicals.  Also, for a year and a half I wrote under contract for Network211.com, the A/G’s website.

Why do you write the type of books that you do?  

They say, “Write what you know.”  I lived and worked in Malawi for 21 years, so it seemed natural to produce a novel set in Malawi.

I received that same advice, so when I began writing, I wrote about my family as well.

One question I like to ask other authors is: What was your greatest obstacle in writing, and how did you rise above it?  

My greatest obstacle in finishing KONDI’S QUEST was the distance between where I lived in Africa and the U.S. publishers I wanted to accept my book.  Back then, when everything was sent by mail, sending return postage from a small African country was almost impossible. 

How has writing changed your life? 

My house isn’t nearly as clean as I would like it to be!  Also, I’d rather interact with family and friends more than I do – if I just didn’t have to spend so much time at the computer.

Oh, I know whereof you speak!  We seem to have the desire for a cleaner house and more time with family and friends in common, I see.  

What Bible scripture has impacted your life the most?  

I couldn’t say just one scripture text.  I was raised in a godly home where scripture was read and prayers were said on a daily basis.  I’ve loved and memorized scripture texts since I was small.  My life verse is:  “You . . .  are a letter from Christ, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts,” (II Cor. 3:3 NIV).

Do you have a favorite song and/or movie?  

There would be too many songs to count.  I love the old hymns.  Probably my favorite hymn, though, would be, “Great is Thy Faithfulness.”  God has been very good to me.

As to movies, I love the Jane Austen movies:  Pride and Prejudice, Emma, and Persuasion.  She knew how to write a great romance story.

Who is your favorite author?  

Again, there are many.  I love D.E. Stevenson’s novels.  Also Miss Read’s books about English country life.  Mary Stewart, another English writer, writes a wonderful suspense novel.  (The English writers were easily accessible in Africa.)  We have a collection of Louis L’Amour books – saving them for our son.  As for favorite current writers:  Angela Elwell Hunt and Francine Rivers.  Also, our daughter, Lynnette Bonner, is an up-and-coming new writer.  Her historical romance series, The Shepherd’s Heart series, is just coming out with OakTara.  ROCKY MOUNTAIN OASIS is already in print.  HIGH DESERT HAVEN will come out in a few days.  Hopefully, FAIR VALLEY REFUGE and SPRING MEADOW SANCTUARY will be in print by Mother’s Day.

What are some interesting places you’ve lived/visited?  

We’ve been privileged to travel quite a bit, mostly between Africa and home.  However, our travels in Africa have to be the most memorable.  We’ve been in Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe, South Africa and Swaziland.

What’s one zany thing you’ve ever done?  

I’ve ridden a camel a couple of times; once when I visited in Egypt with my parents when I was a girl, and once in Ethiopia, where we worked for 11 years.  And anyone who’s lived in Africa for very long will have eaten some strange things:  fried flying ants, wild African game meat, sun-dried fish, etc.

I'm sure our readers will find those things quite out of the ordinary.  I am fascinated :).

Since you've written your book about Africa, please tell us about the featured book.  

KONDI’S QUEST is a story for pre-teens.  It tells the story of a young Malawian girl who has one desire – to win the love of her alcoholic father.  She has many adventures in her quest, and also finds out, in the midst of all her troubles, that her heavenly Father loves her. The story was told as true to the culture as I could make it, so adults find the glimpse of an African culture and way of life interesting, too.

Here is your golden opportunity: what would you wish to say to your readers?  

God loves you!  Others may seem not to, but He loves you.  No matter what you’re going through, no matter what wickedness you may have done, He’s with you, loving you and helping you each day.

Wonderful advice, Sylvia.

Include your links so readers can find you on the internet.  

Website link: http://www.sylvia-stewart.com

Book trailer link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8SPtgTLa7q8

Blogtalkradio: http://www.Blogtalkradio.com/krvr/2011/11/07/sylvia-stewart-talks-about-kondis-quest-for-tweens

I urge everyone to get a copy of KONDI'S QUEST!  Thank you for being here today, Sylvia.  It has truly been my pleasure.

'NUFF SAID!

Papa Duke, one of the beloved characters in THE DACHSHUND ESCAPADES series of dachshund books, so aptly states our feelings about dogs:

"A dawg loves you no matter what. You can be ugly, old, even dumb--but a dawg don't care. All he wants is your love and some food now and then. I think dawgs represent the unconditional love God has for us--maybe that's why He created them, to show that to us."

VALENTINE'S DAY? BAH, HUMBUG!

Call me the Scrooge of Valentine's Day.  Declare that I'm lacking something.   Wait!  I'm not against love and giving gifts; I'm just against all the over-the-top hoopla for Valentine's Day.

I plan on giving my hubby a gift for Valentine's Day, and he'll give me one, too.  TV commercials suggest giving pajamas, teddy bears, and the usual chocolates and/or flowers.  All of those are just fine, but why limit "it" to one day a year?  I mean, shouldn't we demonstrate our love in ways other than just candy, flowers, or the like?  True love is with you at your worst moment, worst illness, worst event, and even your worst behavior.  There isn't anything superficial about true love. 

Do  you know the best Valentine's Day gift I ever received?  Decades ago when my hubby was in college, we didn't have money to buy each other anything for Valentine's Day.  For my present, he washed, waxed, and detailed our one car for me.  He spent hours doing that, and it was done out of love.

The Bible puts it this way:  "Love is patient, love is kind.  It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.  It is not rude, it is not self-seeking:  it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.  Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.  It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.  Love never fails."  (I Corinthians 13:4-8a NIV)

I always want to display that kind of love to my family and friends.  I fail sometimes, as we all do, but what a wonderful example the Bible gives us to follow!  I wish each of you a Valentine's day filled with blessings, joy, and fulfillment.

THE SUN IS ALWAYS SHINING

As a small child around nine years old, I remember an incident when my mom, brother, and I were flying to Germany to join my dad for his tour of duty there (he was in the U.S. Army).  The pilot's voice came over the speakers:  "Ladies and gentlemen, we are approaching a bad thunderstorm, so make sure your seatbelts are fastened--I'm taking this plane above the clouds."

As I looked out my window, I saw dark gray thunderheads, lightning flashing, and I was scared.  In the next moment, I felt the plane banking as the pilot took us up above the clouds.  In a few moments, I was amazed to see that the sun was shining brightly up there, and below us was a carpet of cotton balls.  I turned to my mom, who was sitting beside me, and exclaimed, "Look!  The sun is shining now!"

Gently, she said, "Honey, the sun was shining all along--it always is, even when we can't see it."

As I grew older, I recalled that experience, realizing that it had deep spiritual parallels:  in this life, the thunderclouds of doubt and circumstance often blot out the sunshine (God's love and care), but it is always there, even when we cannot "see" it.  We have to get beyond those barracades in order to experience God's unfailing love and care.

If you are going through a difficult time right now, I sincerely hope you realize that God's love is there for you.  How do you claim it?  Become His child in order to experience His abundant love and grace:  "For whosoever calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved" (Romans 10:9). 

Does that mean your difficulties in this life will be over?  Not at all--but He will guide and direct you, watching over you all the while.  Everything that happens down here has a reason behind it.  God is in control and knows the beginning and ending of every circumstance in my life--and in yours as well.

"If He takes you to it, He will take you through it."  Trust Him--when you cannot see His hand, trust His heart.