The Game of Life

I am excited to have my tween daughter Sunshine as my special guest on my blog today. She has written her very first devotional, and has graciously allowed me to share it with you. She also provided the beautiful artwork.

I’m excited to hear what you think of Sunshine’s devotional, so please feel free to leave her an encouraging comment. (I’m hoping she’ll write more of these for me. As an author, nothing is more exciting to me than seeing my daughter share that same love!)

Sunshine is an athlete who loves soccer, swimming, and volleyball, so it came as no surprise that she wanted to write about sports.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all of your ways, acknowledge Him; and He will make your paths straight. ~ Proverbs 3:5

That verse is hard to live by, isn’t it? Being a sports fan, as well as, a participant, I thought of some sports to go with this verse.

Volleyball: You can’t set, bump, serve, and spike without the other five players.

Soccer: In soccer, you can’t play sweeper, defense, mid-field, and offense all by yourself. Too hard, right? You can’t try to be making a goal and defending your goal all at once. Playing all eight positions by yourself all at once is not only hard, but it’s impossible.

Baseball: You can’t pitch, play outfield, be a baseman, and bat all at once. Impossible.

The point I am trying to make is this: you can’t be a one-man team. Think of it like this…you can’t play the game of life without God. Just like you can’t play offense and defense all at once. You need a team. Don’t know where to get a team?

Here’s your answer: God is your team. With God’s help, you can make goals in life instead of just kicking and missing it. Let God be your referee, your team, and your coach. Let Him help you in all things.

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Lessons from the garden

To this day, I still hear the story from the time I was a little girl and despised one of my chores – weeding the garden.

My mom tells of how she would ask me to please weed between the cornrows of our sizeable garden. I found the request difficult to digest. It was a gorgeous summer day – perfect for playing volleyball or running through the sprinkler. And I had to weed?

Don’t get me wrong. I didn’t mind helping my parents and doing chores. But weeding?

An hour after I was assigned the task, my mom came outside to find me just how she had left me. “PENNY ANN!” she said sternly, causing me to jump. I had been sitting there, my little blond head tilted back and my face turned heavenward. My legs were crossed and I lounged between the tall cornrows while daydreaming about stories I would write.

My mom was further disturbed when she realized I’d not pulled a single weed. I have to admit this wasn’t the last time this happened.

Today one of my most favorite pastimes is gardening. Being outside in God’s creation and admiring His handiwork brings joy to my soul and makes any day happier. I take pride in keeping my garden and flowerbeds weed free (or almost!) I also harbor an addiction to trees. My mom still laughs at the 180-degree change in me.

Such a change reminds me of the change that comes over us when we become a child of God. That gift of salvation, that indwelling of the Holy Spirit, that passion to live for Him. Being without Him is much like a weed growing aimlessly and for no real purpose. Growing in Him is much like the tall proud corn stalks with their faces lifted toward heaven.

Thank You, Lord, for drawing us to You. May we always continue to grow in You and impact others for Your glory.

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The Ultimate Competition

I am incredibly honored to have a very special guest on my blog today. Radio talk show host, author, and blogger Lisa Buffaloe is here today sharing a devotional about keeping our eyes on Jesus. I hope you will be as inspired by Lisa’s words as I am…

The Ultimate Competition

By Lisa Buffaloe

Being the only female in the house brings many opportunities to watch “manly” movies and television shows. Okay I’ll admit, I do enjoy several of them. One is a Japanese television show where competitors attempt to complete a punishing obstacle course set up to use ever muscle group in the body.

To be contestants, people literally set up their own mini-courses at home and train for years. Each level becomes more difficult, and anyone who makes it through the first stage has my admiration. Whew, I’m out of breath just thinking about the competition.

I wouldn’t make it past the starting gate.

Life is hard and often downright tough. Every day we face obstacles — illness, death, job issues, parenting issues, children issues, people issues, life issues, issues with issues…. Argh!

However, what if we faced the day like athletes? The harder the difficulty, the more the honor, and the more prizes received at the finish line.

When we keep our eyes on Jesus, we flex our faith muscles, learn more of who we are, discover more of God, and win our race. And if your race is extremely difficult, your ultimate prize will be all the greater. So let’s lace up those spiritual tennis shoes, enjoy the wild journey, and compete to win! Remember, you’re always guaranteed to win when you’re on Jesus’ team.

“Keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished this race we’re in. Study how he did it. Because he never lost sight of where he was headed—that exhilarating finish in and with God—he could put up with anything along the way: Cross, shame, whatever. … When you find yourselves flagging in your faith, go over that story again, item by item, that long litany of hostility he plowed through. That will shoot adrenaline into your souls!… It’s the well-trained who find themselves mature in their relationship with God. So don’t sit around on your hands! No more dragging your feet! Clear the path for long-distance runners so no one will trip and fall, so no one will step in a hole and sprain an ankle. Help each other out. And run for it!”  (Hebrews 12:1-13 MSG).

About Lisa Buffaloe…

Lisa is contributing author for The One Year Devotional of Joy and Laughter. Her articles have appeared in Angels on Earth magazine, as well as Guideposts, Rest Ministries, (in)courage.me, and others. Her manuscripts have placed in the finals the last two years in the Women of Faith writing contest, the 2010 ACFW Genesis writing contests, and won awards with other distinguished writing contests. Lisa also hosts a radio show Living Joyfully Free. Lisa is an avid blogger, writer, speaker, and radio host for Living Joyfully Free. Her past experiences—molestation by a baby-sitter, assault, rape by a doctor, divorce, being stalked, cancer, death of loved ones, seven surgeries, and eleven years of chronic illness from Lyme Disease—bless her with a backdrop to share God’s amazing promises. She loves to share with others how God’s love is unending, and through Him we find healing, restoration, and renewal.

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Grabbing the Moment

I am excited to have a special guest writer on my blog today – my friend, Jennifer Slattery. Today, Jennifer shares with us of the importance of spending time with the Lord.  Be blessed as you read her fantastic post!

Grabbing the Moment

By Jennifer Slattery

Something happens during the teen years. That child that used to follow you around with wide-eyes and constant questions disappears and an independent, resident expert on all areas of life takes their place. Or at least, that’s the way things are in the Slattery home–most days.

It’s almost comical how far the tables have turned. My doting little princess is growing up and now I’m the one following her around, bombarding her with questions, hoping to find a way into that ultra-independent heart. Which makes those rare moments when my adult-sized, emotionally-childish teen curls up beside me, special. A stop-all-time-and-grab-the-moment-with-both-hands special.

One morning, before my daughter left for school, she curled up on the couch beside me. We sat for a good ten minutes, not saying anything. As I held her, my mommy instincts took over and I had an urge to protect, even though there was nothing to protect her from. I didn’t want her to do anything for me. I didn’t need her to say any magical words. All I wanted was her. And I could have sat there indefinitely.

She left and I turned to my to-do list. After four days zonked out in bed with the flu, it had quadrupled. The house was a mess and laundry was piled so high I was ready to send out avalanche warnings. But another voice called just as urgently, although much softer. In fact, it was just the faintest whisper. If I chose, I probably could have ignored it. Even convinced myself I didn’t hear it. But somehow that tender moment with my daughter had opened my heart, reminding me of another parent recently forgotten.

In Isaiah 6:5 I hear the tender heart of an ever-pursuing father in God’s words, “I was ready to respond, but no one asked for help. I was ready to be found, but no one was looking for Me. I said, ‘Here I am, here I am.”

And in Isaiah 65:12, “For when I called, you did not answer. When I spoke, you did not listen.”

Only this time I did. I ignored my to-do list, let the clutter piled around my house wait, turned on some praise music and grabbed my Bible. And I could have sat there in my Father’s arms, indefinitely. He didn’t need me to do anything. I didn’t need to say any magical words. All He wanted was me. It was one of those stop-all-time-and-grab-the-moment-with-both-hands experiences.

Jennifer Slattery writes for Christ to the World Ministries, the ACFW Journal, The Christian Pulse, Internet Cafe Devotions, and Jewels of Encouragement.  She loves to hear from her readers at http://jenniferslatterylivesoutloud.com

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Favorite devotional posts for 2011

Today is the first in a fun series I’ll be posting about for the next couple of weeks highlighting the “favorites” of 2011.

To kick it off, today I’m featuring my readers’ favorite devotional posts for 2011 (in random order). I have been blessed to have several guest bloggers on my blog in 2011. A HUGE thank you to Kerry, Jo, Joy, Rhonda, and Theresa for sharing their inspiring devotionals! Be sure to check out their websites (listed in their individual devotionals) for more of their inspirational writings.

I have more wonderful guest bloggers scheduled for 2012 on Thursdays, along with the usual fun Thursday book giveaways. I’ll also be continuing my Movie Monday Movie Reviews each Monday, (in case you missed any, they are archived here: http://pennyzeller.wordpress.com/mom-approved-movies-for-families/ ) and of course, on Tuesdays, I’ll give you a humorous glimpse inside the life of a wife, mother, and author. Mixed in will be some family and marriage posts and a few other miscellaneous items.

For now, kick back and relax and enjoy these devotionals!

Training for God http://pennyzeller.wordpress.com/2011/03/10/training-for-god/  (guest blogger Kerry Johnson)

Hidden treasures http://pennyzeller.wordpress.com/2011/05/11/hidden-treasures/  (my devotional)

How to train a deer http://pennyzeller.wordpress.com/2011/03/30/how-to-train-a-deer/ (my devotional)

Back in business http://pennyzeller.wordpress.com/2011/11/10/back-in-business-devotional/ (guest blogger Jo Huddleston)

Lessons from a sage grouse http://pennyzeller.wordpress.com/2011/04/12/lessons-from-a-sage-grouse/ (my devotional)

Word games by heart http://pennyzeller.wordpress.com/2011/04/07/word-games-by-heart/ (guest blogger Joy Avery Melville)

The fifty cent prayer http://pennyzeller.wordpress.com/2011/03/24/the-fifty-cent-prayer/ (guest blogger Rhonda White)

Mamma, I need my pants! http://pennyzeller.wordpress.com/2011/02/10/mamma-i-need-my-pants/ (guest blogger Theresa Miller)

A HUGE thank you to you, my readers, for your encouragement and support in 2011. May God bless you in 2012!

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Back in Business (Devotional)

 

I am honored to have talented fellow author Jo Huddleston as a guest on my blog today sharing a wonderful devotion about God’s sustaining power in our lives…

Back in Business

By Jo Huddleston

And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every work.  (2 Corinthians 9:8, NIV)

Relaxing in my den one July afternoon, I glanced out the window to discover my colorful impatiens weeping for attention. The scorching heat had drained the tiny flowers and leaves into withering ugliness. Choking in the high humidity, the flowers begged for their daily watering I’d missed yesterday and today

Pushing fatigue aside, I rushed outside to their rescue. I let the garden hose’s thin spray gently cool the plant, drench its soil and soak deep around its roots. I continued until the hanging basket overflowed, water splattering to the parched ground below.

After supper I checked on the impatiens. To my delight, the flowers that had drooped their heads near death a few hours earlier now perked up like it was the cool of an early spring morning. They’d become their old selves, displaying vivid colors as proudly as ever before. They were back in their business of adding beauty to their surroundings.

I was reminded how the same thing can bring us down in our Christian living. If we neglect our commitment to God, even for a day or two, we give Satan the opportunity he’s waiting for to destroy us. When we don’t do daily Bible study, meditate with God, spend time in prayer with Him, we are neglecting necessary maintenance of a Spirit-filled life.

Just as I didn’t care properly for my impatiens, if we don’t tend our relationship with God on a regular basis, we’ll have to start a rescue procedure. We’ll have to renew our efforts, get back in a balanced lifestyle with Christ.

But it can be done. My withering impatiens revived when they received what they needed. They again burst forth, fulfilling their purpose of creation.

Without God’s daily sustaining power, we will fall short of God’s purpose us. We will wilt when facing temptations and disappointments. We can actively pursue His direction by listening to His voice through the Bible, through prayer, and through fellowship with other believers.

We don’t have to spend our days in wilting uselessness for God. God can refresh us. He still provides our needs daily just as he did for the wondering Israelites following Moses’ leadership. His grace is sufficient for us. Then like my flowers, we can be back in business with God, living as he intended. Are you depending on God’s grace to provide your needs? Are you seeking His grace daily?

—–

Jo Huddleston is a multi-published author of books, articles, and short stories and teaches at writers’ conferences. You can visit with her at http://www.johuddleston.com.

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hidden treasures

I just love my grandma. Nanie is a tiny 82-year-old Swedish gal with a fiery spunk and a kind heart. Not long ago, we were talking on the phone (she lives 650 miles away) and she was telling me about how difficult it was to go through all of my grandpa’s things after he died. “But,” she announced, “I have discovered some interesting things.”

“Oh really?” I asked. “Do tell.”

“I discovered he has a stash.”

“A stash?” I was afraid of what she might say next. You see, my grandpa, or Papa, as we fondly referred to him, was a “collector.”

“Yep. As I was going through his things, I found several places of wadded up dollar bills he had been saving,” said Nanie. “He was always making sure I would be taken care of after he was gone.”

I felt a bit choked up after her statement. You see, my grandparents have never had much money. For Nanie to have found a few wadded up dollar bills placed strategically among Papa’s belongings had been a real treasure.

“I even found a note from your aunt and uncle that said ‘Take Nanie out for dinner sometime,’ with a $20 bill,” Nanie continued.

I wondered if Papa was saving that special $20 bill for just the right time to take his sweet bride of over 50 years to lunch at the local diner. Money was hard to come by for my grandparents. Papa had been a vet in several wars and had nearly been killed by a drunk driver while working as a police officer in California.

In total, Nanie’s found treasure didn’t amount to much (not even enough for Nanie to fill her car up with gas), but the fact that her husband, whom she had devoted her life to, had saved up for a rainy day in between the folds of his work pants and winter coats, meant a lot to her.

Sometimes it’s the small things that we do for others, or that they do for us, that mean so much. It’s not the big glamourous things that remind us of one’s love for us.

Awhile ago when I was sick, my youngest daughter made me a princess crown out of orange construction paper. She had cut out a pink heart and taped it with an entire roll of Scotch tape to the front and had written the words “I love you Mom” on the side. Then she made a matching green bracelet out of construction paper to go with it. Could my heart be any more touched by her love and thoughtfulness?

It’s the few dollars our late husband left us to make sure we are cared for after his death; it’s the homemade princess crown and matching bracelet from our little girl; it’s the prayer someone prays with you at just the needed time that means so much. These things are truly hidden treasures.

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Lessons from a sage grouse

Not long ago on my way home, I noticed in a neighbor’s yard several sage grouse. I pulled over and stopped the car so I could take in the amazing site. I never miss an opportunity to watch one of my favorite of all God’s animals – birds.

Most of the sage grouse appeared perfectly content while sitting calmly in the blanket of snow. The chilly 30 degree weather meant nothing to them. Others rested peacefully on bare tree branches with nary a problem in the world.  But there was one sage grouse, who while he looked just like the rest, had one major difference. He wasn’t relaxing in the snow, nor lounging on a tree branch. Instead he trodded through the snow on skinny legs, every step taken seemed painstakingly difficult.

I stared for awhile longer and realized it didn’t appear that the sage grouse was injured. Now I know that birds don’t have facial expressions, but this sage grouse just seemed to have a scowl on his face that told me it wasn’t his day. Perhaps he woke up on the wrong side of the nest that morning. No, birds don’t have shoulders, but this bird appeared to carry the weight of the world on his feathers.  He plodded through the thick snow, exaggerating each step he took.

We’ve all had days like the sage grouse above. Days when things go awry and we feel frustrated and discouraged. Days when we feel we have to bear all the burdens of the world on our shoulders and nothing goes right. As I watched the grouse, Isaiah 41:10 came to mind: do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you, I will uphold you with my right hand.

Thank you, Lord, that when we have difficult days that You never stop loving us and You never stop being there for us. Thank You that You are but a prayer away, offering comfort and strength to burdened hearts. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

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Word Games by Heart

 

I am thrilled to welcome my guest blogger, writer Joy Avery Melville, to my blog today.  I met Joy through ACFW.  She is such a ray of sunshine and seeks to touch the lives of others with her joyful personality (hence her name!) Feel free to leave Joy a comment and let her know how God is using your words (whether written or spoken) to make a difference for His Kingdom.

I pray you’ll be blessed by Joy’s blog post…

WORD GAMES BY HEART

I think God was playing a word game with me last week. I was reading an article and it had the word ‘hearts’ in it. For some reason the word ‘hears’ jumped out at me. Now, that’s not a normal response for me when I see the word ‘hearts’ and especially when you consider the ‘s’ isn’t next to the ‘hear’ so why that happened at that particular time is a mystery to me. The chuckle I had to myself would normally have been the end of the incident, but not that evening. Seeing those two words played back and forth in my head off and on for several hours.

Later, I was sitting in the living room with my husband and our dog when I began thinking a little out-of-the-box in regards to the combination of hearts and hears and a spiritual application suddenly hit me. I shot out of my chair,  my Yorkie went nuts, my husband, no longer able to hear  his television program, went just a little crazy himself, but I kept moving and managed to shut myself in our library, much to my hubby’s  relief and the Yorkie’s chagrin.

Before the dust-up I’d envisioned an old, old picture depicting Jesus at a door that had no outside latch with his hand raised to knock. I’m sure many of you have seen that some copy of that picture.

What do you do when someone knocks at the door of your house? You hear the knocking, right? Then what do you do? Usually you go answer it by opening the door to whomever is standing on the other side.

Remember what I said about the picture? It has no latch on the outside of the door. The door can only be opened from the inside. That’s how it is with the door of our hearts - Jesus won’t force His way in. He stands and knocks, pleading for the owner to hear Him knocking and willingly open his heart’s door to forgiveness and life eternal.

I’m not sure why God used that word in the article I had been reading. I just know He really impressed the word hears from the word hearts and asked me to write about it. There might be someone just a bit hard-of-hearing due to the hardness-of-their-heart needing to read it at this time.

If that someone is you, please, don’t waste time. Only you can open your heart’s door  to welcome Him in by unlatching it from the inside.

And now, a bit about Joy: 

Joy has written several short stories, one of which one second place in a regional literary contest resulting with a monetary prize. Family obligations and then a severe, debilitating disease separated Joy from her beloved writing for over a decade but through God’s
leading and provision, she has recently been revising and rewriting a full-length Christian Women’s Fiction novel for the September 2011 ACFW Conference. 

Falling in love with words and books at a very early age, Joy listened each night as her parents took turns reading a variety of books to one another before they retired to bed. The old farm house the family lived in had open registers to the second floor from the first and her parent’s voices carried clearly as they read to each other.

In the 8th grade, Joy wrote a twenty page short story for a year end assignment and received an A+ along with a meeting with her teacher at the end of the day. That concerned teacher encouraged Joy to take as many writing/English courses as she could and in her sophomore year of high school, Joy co-authored, co-composed with three other students, an entire operetta that the school’s choir, band and speech class produced for the public as a Spring Play. Five performances and the credits included not only her scene writing for several scenes, but lyrics as well as musical melody to three songs performed by soloists during the play. It was an exciting transition to writing on a new level. In her senior year Joy had enough credits to leave her high school at noon and go to the local community college to take college credit creative writing courses.

 

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how to train a deer

The other day as my daughters and I were driving home from school, we came across a herd of deer in a field by the side of the road.  “I wish I had a pet deer,” said my youngest daughter, Doodle.

“Deer can’t be pets,” muttered my oldest, Sunshine, who is perhaps one of the most realistic and literal children I know.

Doodle brushed Sunshine’s comment aside, and I watched in the rearview mirror as her face lit up with excitement. “If I had a pet deer, I would do two things.”

“And what would those be?” I asked, knowing Doodle possessed the same overactive imagination as someone else we know.

“Well, first, I would train the pet deer not to poop in our yard.”

“That would sure be nice,” I agreed.

“You can’t potty-train a deer,” Sunshine muttered, acting far older than her young tween years.

Ignoring her literal sister’s comment once again, Doodle continued. “And you know what else I would do, Mom?” she asked.

“What’s that?”

“I would train the deer so I could ride it to school!”

“That would be a fine idea,” I agreed. “With gas prices as they are, that would really help out the family budget.” I could see in the rearview mirror that Doodle had it all planned out.

“I just need a saddle,” Doodle quipped.

I love the imaginations of little children and how their minds are filled with creativity, dreams, and possiblilites.

Such a thought brought to mind the words of Jesus in Luke 18:27 “What is impossible with men is possible with God.”  Our family was discussing this morning during devotions the blessings God has bestowed on us throughout our lives. That we have each other; that we have shelter, food, and clothing,  just to name a few. That we can see the sunrise, hear the birds sing, and feel the soft fur of a fluffy puppy; and that He has healed us so many times from illness and protected us from disease. And of course, the most humbling of all, that He gave us the precious gift of His Son so we might have eternal life.

Yes, so many impossibilities through our human weakness, but so many possibilities with God!

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