Worth Repeating - A Few Words to "The Mother Club" on Behalf of the Hurting Ones Outside

 

Here is a new article I wrote on the Home Maker’s Corner. I hope that you will make the time to read this if you are a Christian woman. It is something that has been heavy on my heart and the Lord brought about a situation that forced me to get this said. (First published in 2014.)

A Few Words to "The Mother Club"
on Behalf of the Hurting Ones Outside

1 Corinthians 13:4-5 Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own...

Recently I read a blog post by a well-meaning lady who was addressing an important subject.  She was debunking the "perfect family" ideal that has developed, thanks largely to Quiverfull, Hyper "Biblical Patriarchy" and Family Inclusive Churches.  This is the ideology that large families are more special, more blessed, have better "quivers" and are generally more to be admired by Christians than small families.  (And, let me say here that I have no problem with large families if that's what the parents want.)  The attitudes of some become almost idolatrous, if not fully so.  I was very glad to see her dealing with this subject as it is a serious issue.  No mother should be made to feel like a failure or inferior because she "only" has one or two or three kids!

However - my heart was also very deeply hurt by this lady's article (which is one reason I'm not sharing the link or quotes).  As I read her article I was so glad she was saying many of the things she said and yet so torn because of all the things she missed and even the things she was making worse and more hurtful for others.  You see, for all her good intentions she totally missed the fact that mothers of small families are not the only ones that are hurt by the "motherhood IS our identity" ideal.  She pointed out that women who are mothers to one or two or even adopted children are still "in the club" of motherhood.  I sat there and grieved in my heart for all of us who are mother to none.

Continue Reading.

Letters to My Friend - What Heritage Are You Leaving Them?

Dear Friend,

Psalm 16:5-6 The LORD is the portion of mine inheritance and of my cup: thou maintainest my lot. The lines are fallen unto me in pleasant places; yea, I have a goodly heritage.

In honor of Mother's Day I was thinking that I would post something From Mom's Collection since I haven't posted anything there for awhile. As I was poking through my file folder with loose pages and bits I began to appreciate again how much my mom loved poetry. A majority of what I have in her collection is poetry.

Both of my parents taught me to love poetry as I was growing up. My dad quoted poetry to us from the time we were kids - still does sometimes. :-)  He also would read poems in church services occasionally. He loves old hymns so much he once traded The Treasury of David by Spurgeon for an antique Methodist hymnal.

My mom collected poems more than she quoted them or read them out loud to us. She also loved hymns and songs. She, in turn, had inherited her interest in poetry from her mother who always enjoyed a well-written poem with something worthwhile to say. Gramma had a number of poems she could quote from memory.

Continue Reading Here.

Guest Post - Social Media - Why Jump Ship?

My sister-in-law wrote this last year and gave me permission to share it. 

Editor's Note: This issue about social media and jumping to alternate, sketchy services to make a point over politics happened in 2021, but it is something that Christians need to think about soberly and wisely.  One service some Christians were going to and supporting at that time ended up in the midst of criminals, filth, and others who were looking for freedom from the law and decency, not freedom of speech to say right things. Please consider my sister-in-law's useful observations on the matter and ask yourself this question: Why am I really on social media in the first place, and should persecution or opposing political views change that objective?

Continue Reading.

Evening Song - How Long Has It Been?

1 Peter 5:6-7 Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you. 

I have no control over ads or suggested videos.

Fewer Gifts Could Actually Be Good - A Different Perspective on the Threatened "Gift Shortages"

Well, the talking heads have been threatening Americans with less availability of gifts this year for the holiday season. I'm not sure if this is a legitimate thing or just another way to fan the flames of fear, capitalism, and compulsive buying. I guess some areas are being affected more than others.

Those who have been reading my blog for awhile may remember that a few years back I did a "Holiday Challenge" to Christians that observe Christmas encouraging them to make the holiday more about the birth of Jesus Christ and glorifying Him since that is the claimed reason for it. In short, to act upon the claims and celebrate in a way that makes Him the center and object entirely instead of bowing to the idol of consumption and worldly pleasure.

Colossians 3:5-7 Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry: For which things' sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience: In the which ye also walked some time, when ye lived in them.

This seemed like a good opportunity to repost a couple of the challenges specifically and the series in general.

The 6 part series can be found here: Running In Vain? A Holiday Challenge

The two parts that I want to especially emphasize, though are these:

Spend Less, Don't Buy Stuff, Plan Ahead 

This one is to help you think about simplifying your gift giving - ideas for homemade gifts, ways to cut back, etc. Spending and giving less in order to take the focus off of getting and stuff. This would be a great year to begin this if you haven't already. 

Simplify Your Holiday Activities

This could help reduce spending and also, as you reduce the spending and giving, this could give you the time to focus on some more intentional together times and ministry.

As I was writing this I also thought about all the people who have lost loved ones in 2020 and 2021 and it seemed like I should encourage you to think about them as well, so here is the challenge that deals with that. 

Seeing With Compassion

Quote: "Making your celebration quieter and less intense, less cluttered with the myriad of holiday junk that China has put at our disposal, will give more opportunity to notice people and to focus on their real needs. If this is done with the mind of Christ it will result in compassion and conscious acts of kindness and love. In short, Christ-like behavior will follow."

John 13:35 By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another. 

How about if you stop hoping the ships get unloaded and that the stuff gets delivered in time and think about ways that you can do more with less - more that will glorify the Lord Jesus and show people what His love looks like with shoes on. :-)

Letter Writing Challenge for February

 

A fellow named Eric has started a February challenge based on NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month in November). His idea is to write one letter or note to someone every day in February. It is called InCoWriMo - International Correspondence Writing Month. 

Laura at Harvest Lane Cottage extended the challenge to her readers here: Snail Mail Excitement - Let's Spread Some Joy.

Yes, you read that correctly. The challenge is to write snail mail - a good old fashioned letter on paper...or a notecard or postcard or a greeting card. You get the idea. You can mail them or deliver them by hand. I'm guessing a note sent by carrier pigeon would be acceptable too, even though I don't expect any of us would actually do that. Just covering all the bases here. ;-) 

The point is not to use electronic devices. He stipulates no typewriters, but if someone wanted to write to me on an old fashioned manual typewriter I would find that delightful. :-) I sometimes wish I still had mine...except when I think about how heavy it was. But, I digress.

My love for writing actually was birthed in letter writing, thanks to the example of my mom, so this seemed like an appropriate challenge to share with my readers. If you are interested, give it a go. If 28 letters or notes in one month seems overly ambition to you, make adjustments. You can write short notes. You can do 14 instead. You can write several a day and not write on every single day. I have a lot of letters and notes that I have been meaning to write for awhile, so maybe this will inspire me to actually get some of those done. :-)

I am sure there are a lot of people out there who would be extra delighted to receive a snail mail right now.

If you would like a copy of the graphic above to make your own notecards or postcards, you can find it here. 

The Unfruitful Works of Darkness

An Australian friend of mine brought this statistic to my attention recently. Americans are expected to spend $8,000,000,000 on Halloween this year. Yes. That says 8 Billion dollars. Think: enough money to put a big dent in involuntary homelessness if it were donated appropriately.

I also found this:

Percentage of Americans who plan to decorate their homes for Halloween: 53%.

Those who plan to dress up (in spite of Covid limitations): 46%.

Are you getting a picture here? There is no remorse or repentance going on due to the COVID19 drama this year. Based on those numbers, I would guess that very few of the Christians who celebrate Halloween have even bothered to re-evaluate their behavior and make changes that honor Christ. This despite all the calls for us to follow 2 Chronicles 7:14 (If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.) 

Do you know what true repentance looks like? It looks like turning from wicked ways. It looks like renouncing evil deeds and discarding the works of darkness.

Acts 19:17-20 And this was known to all the Jews and Greeks also dwelling at Ephesus; and fear fell on them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was magnified. And many that believed came, and confessed, and shewed their deeds. Many of them also which used curious arts brought their books together, and burned them before all men: and they counted the price of them, and found it fifty thousand pieces of silver. So mightily grew the word of God and prevailed. 

Just to be clear, fifty thousand pieces of silver in that ancient economy was a tremendous amount of money, each piece of silver representing a day's wage. Based on an average day's wage today of $247 that comes to about $12,350,000. Definitely not pocket change. Yet they willingly burned those things for the glory of God. They cleared themselves from their previous involvement in Satanic arts and practices. 2 Corinthians 7:11  For behold this selfsame thing, that ye sorrowed after a godly sort, what carefulness it wrought in you, yea, what clearing of yourselves, yea, what indignation, yea, what fear, yea, what vehement desire, yea, what zeal, yea, what revenge! In all things ye have approved yourselves to be clear in this matter. 

By the way, this is the New Testament church equivalent of the 2 Chronicles passage, but the two are not exactly the same thing. 2 Chronicles was written to the Jewish nation. We, the church, don't seek to heal our land. We strive now to show ourselves approved unto God. It isn't the same thing.

But, I digress.

For years and years now there have been people crying out against the Satanic history of Halloween. My own parents were confronted with it when I was a child and made the choice to leave it behind. Many of their generation would not make that choice.

Yet here we stand, in 2020, with nation in decay and Christians of various persuasions calling for America to turn back to God and become a "righteous nation," but so few who are willing to give up the works of darkness and lead the way by example.

And it isn't just Halloween. I poke around the web. I see and hear things. People often tell you a lot more about themselves than they probably wanted you to know.

For example, there are professing Christians who claim they are not bothered by the violent sex scenes in shows like "Game of Thrones." Really? That makes me wonder what sort of stuff they watch that has anesthetized them to such vile filth. I guarantee you that it isn't the Holy Spirit doing this, who guides us into all truth (Jn. 16:13-14) and glorifies Jesus Christ. Jesus is not making them comfortable with scenes of rape and sex that are so disturbing even one of the actresses is reported to have been bothered by it. No, I've never watched it. I don't have to. There is plenty to read about it without filling one's mind with the visual depravity of it. And, may I just say? I'm not really that keen on having men (or women) like that being "on my team" in allegedly bringing the U.S. to a righteous place. In fact, to be blunt: it isn't possible for people with those proclivities to bring anything or anyone to the righteousness of God because they don't understand it themselves.

Many Christians have embraced the adventures and wizardry of Harry Potter and justify it as good reading for kids because "good wins out over evil in the end." But it isn't God's good winning over Satan's evil, no, it's Satan's good wining over Satan's evil. Much as in the Star Wars movies. 

Oops. Did I just say that? Yes, at the risk of being told I'm no fun and too picky. It is definitely not popular to say this among today's Christians, and yet it's still true. The golden calf of Star Wars is a shrine at which many bow. But have you ever considered that the "the Force" can be used for both good and evil? That both good and evil are supposed to be different sides of the same entity? That isn't God. That is Satan. That is the basic principle of so-called "white" and "black" magic or witchcraft. It all goes back to the same "source," and that is the devil. So, yeah, Harry Potter and Star Wars are Satanic at the most basic level. How can I say that?

How can I not?

1 John 1:5 This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. 

Psalm 5:4 For thou art not a God that hath pleasure in wickedness: neither shall evil dwell with thee. 

Any entity or power that has "two sides" - both dark and light - isn't God. Never has been. Never will be.

And while I'm on this little jaunt, may I bring up the subject of Superheroes? Especially Thor? Oh, yeah. The  heathen god of thunder from Germanic mythology who has become a Marvel superhero. And, to be clear, all of the superheroes portray god/goddess-like attributes that remind one of the idols of various religions - counterfeits of the one true God and Jesus Christ, His Son. Isaiah 42:8  I am the LORD: that is my name: and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images.

Now I understand that it can be easy to pick up something not realizing the origins or connections it may have. I have learned the hard way to check the other books of authors that are new to me to see what other types of books they may be writing. Sometimes we may accept something that seems innocent only to find out later that it has evil connections.

But how hard is it so figure out that Harry Potter is about witchcraft and is essentially dark in its origins? How hard is it to realize that Thor is a heathen god? Or to figure out that Game of Thrones is a vile show? Or that Halloween is a festival of death and darkness? Not that hard, really.

Ok, I'm done venting. But, just let me finish with this. I find it very strange to hear and see Christians talking about turning the U.S. around for God and making it a God-fearing nation again, a righteous nation, when they aren't willing to give up the patently evil things in their very own lives. Halloween is just one of many.

Hosea 10:12  Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap in mercy; break up your fallow ground: for it is time to seek the LORD, till he come and rain righteousness upon you.

Ephesians 5:8-11  For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light: (For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth;) Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord. And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them.

Christmas for Lonely People

Christmas Eve for Lonely People

Here is a blog post written by my dad. I only wish I’d seen it yesterday. But it isn’t too late to show compassion on someone today or this week.

By the way, don’t forget New Year’s Eve. Some people, unmarried young adults especially, get very stressed about that when they have nowhere to go and/or no one to go with. If you run across someone like that invite them over or take them to your church function with you on New Year's Eve or New Year's Day.

John 13:35 By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another. 

Matthew 11:28-30 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. 

1 Corinthians 13:4-5 Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own...

James 1:27 Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world. 

Guest Post - Jesus Is In the House

John 14:23 Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.

My friend, Marsha Burkholder, our former pastor's wife, shared this item in the church newsletter a few years back (March 2015). She has kindly told me that I am free to post any of her articles here.

--------------

Jesus Is In the House

At some point during my teenage years, I read the following poem, and it made me think about many things in my life. It has been a poem that has had more impact upon my life than almost any I can remember. It had been a long time since I had seen it. As I was looking through a book the other day, I saw it and wanted to share it in my column this month. I'm sorry that I could not find the author. [Editor's note: It was written by Lois Blanchard Eades.]

If Jesus Came to Your House

If Jesus came to your house to spend a day or two --
     If He came unexpectedly, I wonder what you'd do?
Oh, I know you'd give Him your nicest room -- this honored Guest,
     And all the food you'd serve to Him would be the very best;
And you would keep assuring Him you're glad to have Him there,
     That serving Him in your home is joy beyond compare.

But -- when you saw Him coming, would you meet Him at the door
     With arms outstretched in welcome to your Heavenly visitor?
Or would you have to change your clothes before you let Him in?
     Or hide some magazines and put the Bible where they'd been?
Would you turn off the television and hope He hadn't heard?
     And wish you hadn't uttered that loud, nasty word?

Would you hide your worldly music and put some hymn books out?
     Could you let Jesus walk right in, or would you rush about?
And I wonder -- if the Saviour spent a day or two with you,
     Would you go right on doing the things you always do?
Would you go right on saying the things you always say?
     Would life for you continue as it does from day to day?

Would your family conversation keep up its usual pace?
     And would you find it hard each meal to say a table grace?
Would you sing the songs you always sing, and read the books you always read?
     And let Him know the things on which your mind and spirit feed?
Would you take Jesus with you everywhere you'd planned to go?
     Or would you, maybe, change your plans for just a day or so?

Would you be glad to have Him meet you closest friends?
     Or would you hope they'd stay away till His visit ends?
Would you be glad to have Him stay forever on and on?
     Or would you sigh with great relief when He at last was gone?
It might be interesting to know the things that you would do
     If Jesus Christ in person came to spend some time with you!

Of course, the Christian has the Lord Jesus indwelling his earthly house all the time. 1 Corinthians 3:16, "Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?" We would do well to remember that, and be aware of those things we have in our lives that quench the Spirit and hinder His work in our lives.

--------------

Colossians 3:17 And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him. 

Writing Challenge #10

Psalms 45:1  My heart is inditing a good matter: I speak of the things which I have made touching the king: my tongue is the pen of a ready writer.

November is NaNoWrMo - National Novel Writing Month. This is the challenge to write a 50,000 word novel during the month of November. You can read more about it at the link, but suffice to say that it has grown into a rather large yearly writing event.

Now, I do not plan to participate in that, although I have been toying with writing a novel. I don't think I'd do well trying to meet a specific deadline of 50,000 words in one month on one specific project, and also I don't want to submit my writings to a web site which may or may not keep a copy of my work for their own purposes. (Yes, I'm a suspicious person when it comes to certain areas of human nature. Not without cause, as thousands of years of human history have shown.)

But, as I was thinking about that challenge, it occurred to me that a more possible challenge for November, from my perspective, would be to strive to write every day. I know. Someone may be surprised to learn that I don't do that anyway. I do write a lot, but I tend to write in "spurts." Although I've wanted to make the effort to write at least something daily, I have not done so yet to date. I made some progress this year for sure, but definitely didn't get there and I would like to be a more "ready writer." So...

------------------------------

This month's challenge is write something at least 100 words long every day.

------------------------------

It doesn't have to be a lot or well planned, in fact it can be a very rough draft. It can be in your journal, on you blog, a letter or email to someone, a poem, a love note to your spouse or family member, or a larger project on which you want to make progress. It doesn't have to be a complete post, letter, chapter, etc. as long as it's progress toward a goal. It can be a short outline of something you want to write more completely at a later date. I am possibly being too easy on us, except that I know how hard it is to form a daily habit of writing and I want to address that myself. :-)

We also won't count the first day since I'm posting this so late. :-) It's already November 2nd in a lot of places!

Updates on other challenges and a question:

I did write a new nature themed poem for the September challenge, but I didn't get it done until early October. It was an autumn themed poem, but I am not happy with the results, so it needs more work and won't be published until later.

I don't know if anyone else is participating in any of these challenges, but I have quite enjoyed them so far and so I'm continuing on with it for now. If you are interested and/or participating I would really like to know either in the comments or in email. As we approach the end of the year I would like to know if it is worth while to continue to share these challenges, or if I should do them for my own private enjoyment only. Would you, the reader, rather see something more like the old challenges that I did before? Or would you like to see both types - the writing challenges, and something for a wider audience to do as well? Please let me know your thoughts. :-)

See the other writing challenges here.

-------
Photo in title: unknown source
Bottom graphic created at AZQuotes.com

Writing Challenge # 9

Are you ready for a new writing challenge?

This month it will be a little different. Instead of actually writing, we're going to share information.

--------------------

Share (on your blog or in the comments here) some of your favorite online resources for writing helps.

--------------------

This could be a fairly wide variety of resources - anything from online classes you recommend to dictionaries and things like that.

Here is a list of some of mine:

These are actually on my tool bar at the top of my browser for easy access.

Thesaurus.com - This is helpful when you want to say a certain thing but you're looking for a better word or a word that you haven't already used but means the same thing.

A Dictionary of the English Language by Samuel Johnson - This dictionary compiled by Johnson in the 1700s is a tool that I have used in an abridged form (in print) for years. I was happy to learn that they are putting it online, and I have used it here as well.

KJV Dictionary - This is helpful for those of us who use the KJV. It gives the definitions of over 11,000 words found in the King James Version of the Bible as taken from Webster's 1828 dictionary of English.

---

Of course, Google is always helpful for doing research. I use it often for simple definitions of words and concepts - whether to check my usage or to provide my readers with a more concise explanation of the meaning. Type in the search box the word or phrase you are looking up with "definition" after it. Example: "persecution complex definition"
I also use it a lot for random research purposes on many varied subjects. For writing it can be very valuable. User discretion required. :-)

Wikipedia can be useful for some research, but on more sensitive subjects or things that have controversial aspects, it is not always completely reliable since the content can be biased by the contributors. Keep this in mind as you use it.

Another source for information can be Facebook if it is used wisely. If you want to know what the people of a specific group think, searching for their Facebook pages that are public can give you a lot of insight as to how they actually are thinking and arguing their own position. It is important to remember when using this source that the main perspective is that of the individual(s) who moderate the page, so don't assume that it is what all _________ think on a given subject. You will definitely find the opinions of the "common man and woman" in abundance!

---

These sites are useful for working on poetry.

Rhymezone.com - This tool offers help with rhyming words and phrases, but it also gives a lot of other helps in the drop down box on the right. Click the little down arrow for a long list of ways to use this tool.

Rhymer.com - This page has some interesting technical options, along with an explanation on how to use it.

---

One of the quote sites that I have liked and used the most is AZQuotes.com. They even have a way to make your own memes with many of the quotes offered there. Also there are many by known Christians, which is useful.

I strongly encourage discretion in using quotes. There are many people who have said interesting or even true things who are of dubious reputation, and some should not be used at all in most instances. It always bothers me to see someone quote a person who was known for their godless life on subjects where we should be sticking strictly to those who are had in honor for wisdom and godliness.

---

So, there you are. I hope someone finds something useful here. :-)

See the other Writing Challenges.

----------------------
Photo in title - unknown source. This probably came from an advertisement since it was said to be a Smith-Corona that the lady is typing on. I learned to type a later model, portable Smith-Corona, so I liked this picture for that reason as well as the historical content and the way it was setup by the photographer. :-)

Writing Challenge #8

Well, as you no doubt know if you've been around here any length of time, I love poetry. So, it would hardly be acceptable for me not to include some challenges relating to poetry. Since I consider nature one of the easier subjects to address, we'll start here.

-------------------------

Write a poem about something in nature.

-------------------------

It can be anything in nature.

It can be as short as you like.

It doesn't have to rhyme.

Personally I prefer rhyming poetry for the most part, but it is up to you in this case since it is your poem and this isn't school. :-)

Here is an example of a poem I wrote on something in nature: The Reflecting Tree.

I will try to do this challenge this month also, but I wanted to include this example now. Please don't assume this will be easy for me. I tend to only write poetry when the right mood hits me, so it's uncertain if I'll be able to work myself into that mood for this challenge or not. haha

--------

Painting in logo: Faraway Thoughts by Langley Walters

Writing Challenge #7

Some of you may possibly have noticed that I haven't done a writing challenge for awhile. I took July off intentionally, but August has just gotten away from me. Due to the fact that the month is half over at this point, I'm going to give what will hopefully be an easier challenge. It was for me, at any rate.

--------------------------

Find something you wrote three or more years ago and edit it or rewrite it.

--------------------------

It's always interesting to me how many mistakes I find in things I've written when I go back to read them. I also usually notice ways I could improve them, and sometimes I even have more information to add that will be helpful or important to the subject. Sometimes it's just a pleasure to clean up and tighten the wording or thoughts.

This doesn't have to be something you wrote online. It could be an old journal entry or a poem you wrote. Whatever you like, and however private you want it to be. :-)

My effort is the article I posted Sunday, although I have been working on other things along this line as well in recent months, this one is actually completed and reposted in its improved form.
Jacob - Family Troubles.

[Photo by Rudolf Duhrkoop, 1909.]

Writing Challenge #6

Ecclesiastes 12:12  And further, by these, my son, be admonished: of making many books there is no end; and much study is a weariness of the flesh.

It's time for another writing challenge! I haven't even gotten the May challenge done yet (ack!), but I'm hoping to soon.

This month I thought it would be interesting to think about something we enjoyed reading.

-------------------------------

Write about a book that you especially like.

-------------------------------

This is not a "book report" in the strict sense. Discuss the feeling, emotions, lessons, etc., but if the book has a plot, try not to give spoilers that may ruin it for others. If you do write about the plot or give away "surprises" give a spoiler alert to warn your readers. :-)

For those among us who do book reviews often, this won't be a challenge, but for those of us who do not, this should stretch us a little. But that is the beauty of these challenges, some will fit our style more closely, but others will stretch us; and what stretches one person will not necessarily do so for another.

Enjoy!

Writing Challenge #5

This time our challenge is going to relate to mothers since this month is Mother's Day in the U.S. I don't generally make a big deal out of this holiday, but this particular challenge seemed to fit well this month, so here it is.

-------------------

Write about something that happened to you from your mom's perspective. You may ask her questions about this if you wish to and can. Otherwise, strive to write about how she would have felt based on what you know of her.

-------------------

I think this one could be a little more challenging than some. You may write this in the first person if you want to, but that isn't necessary if you don't prefer it. I won't be writing in the first person. :-)

Ephesians 6:2  Honour thy father and mother; (which is the first commandment with promise;)

Enjoy!

[Photo by Rudolf Duhrkoop, 1909.]

Meanwhile Elsewhere - Malaysia

Photo property of Rachel at The Random Writings of Rachel.

In case you hadn't noticed, there has been a rise in the United States of bad attitudes toward people of other nationalities. This is not limited to people living within this country who are viewed as "aliens" or immigrants. I have run across Americans being really rude to people who live in other countries. I could say A LOT about this subject as it is something that really puffs my tail, but I'll refrain at this time. :-)

What I thought might be interesting is to make some posts from time to time about other countries, cultures, nations, etc. Those of us who are Christians should be seeing our fellow believers in other countries (whether nationals or expats) as our fellow saints; and personally, I think it is healthy to show an interest in their culture and the things they have to deal with on a daily basis.

Strangely, it makes some professing Christians very angry when anyone says this, but: The United States of America is not God's favorite nation. Some of us are ambassadors for Christ here, and some are in other countries, but if we're saved, we're all members of the same body of Christ and this world is not our home! Praise God for that!

1 Corinthians 12:27  Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular.

Galatians 6:10  As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.

2 Corinthians 5:19-20  To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.  Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God.

Revelation 5:9-10  And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation; And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.

-----------------------

So here is a post at another blog about what it is like to live in Malaysia. I hope you take the time to read it. I found it very interesting.

What Do You Want to Know about Malaysia? by Rachel

Writing Challenge #4

It's time for another writing challenge. I don't seem to have many people following along with this as compared with the other challenges that I posted for two years, but I have found the writing challenges to be really beneficial for my own writing, so I intend to keep on with it. Maybe more will join in eventually. I hope that some home school moms might realize that the challenges could be used for writing assignments to help improve their students' skills. They are also useful for adding content to a blog - so far. :-)

-------------------

Get a phrase from the Random Phrase Generator and write about it.

-------------------

I really do like this generator of ideas because it can make us take on topics that we might otherwise never think to write about.

Enjoy!

============

Here is my attempt at this: Words Mean Things - Son of A Gun

Writing Challenge #3

Hooray! It is time for another writing challenge.

-------------------------------

Write a story from your family history. Strive to make it interesting while staying as close to the facts as possible.

-------------------------------

This can be anything you want - sad, happy, funny, heart-breaking, recent, long ago, etc. It did not have to happen to you personally. The choice is up to you. One way to stretch your abilities here would be to interview some family members about their memories of the event: how they felt, what they remember about it, etc.

My effort will be posted later this month. :-)  And here it is: Mom Prays in the Night.

Enjoy!

Writing Challenge - Introduction and Challenge #1

Colossians 3:17 And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.

As 2016 was winding down I was struggling with the "Monthly Challenges". We did them for two years, but I was not keeping up with them like I should, and I was running out of fresh ideas. I wasn't sure if I even wanted to do any kind of challenges this year, or just let it go entirely. However, I've been thinking a lot about improving my own writing skills and in order to do that I need to stretch myself. It occurred to me that at least some of my readers might like to participate. Perhaps some new readers will join us along the way.

Obviously writers, especially those with blogs, might enjoy the challenges the most. Homeschoolers might like to add some of them to their children's learning plan. Some who journal or just write for their own enjoyment might also find some of them interesting as well.

"Rules"

The "rules", for lack of a better word, will be fairly loose.

1. My own original writing and ideas are my intellectual property and may not be copied or printed, except for personal use, without my written permission. (This is the most threatening rule and I state it because I don't know if I may someday wish to publish my ideas myself. It gets better, keep reading.)

2. You can post your participation projects on your blog or in the comments here - or not. You choose.

3. It would helpful if you use a challenge idea for a blog or web site post if you would link back to the challenge, but that is completely voluntary.

4. If you are an educator, while I am delighted to have you use my challenges, I would much appreciate credit for any challenges you choose to use with your students. (See Rule 1.)

5. You are not obligated to leave "encouraging comments" on other blogs or in the comments below in order to participate. (NOTE: Rude comments left here will more than likely not see the light of day on this blog.) ;-)

6. You do not have to connect to me through social media, and you are not required to follow my blog in order to participate.

7. You do not have to participate at all. :-)

8. You may participate in complete obscurity or anonymity (because I know that putting yourself in print online can be intimidating).

9. If you post your efforts in the comment section here, you accept the fact that I have the right to decide if I wish to publish it or not. All comments are moderated. This is my blog. You want to make sure it's seen - start you own blog. :-)  This blog is run by a Christian, so keep comments posted here family friendly, profanity free, and God fearing.

If You Wonder...

There will be no link-up parties for these challenges in the foreseeable future because I don't want all the extra work. I just want to write more, not manage. ;-)

While I want to improve my own grammar skills and such, I am not a teacher nor part of the "grammar police", so there will be no "correcting" or instructing of individuals along those lines. If you're looking for that type of thing I'm sure you can find something online to help you. I may post opinions in my own posts upon occasion, but I'm not here to help you correct your own mistakes. I just thought some others might enjoy coming along for this adventure, so I'm essentially inviting you to participate if you wish, nothing more.

Lastly, since we live in the best and worst of times, to reference Dickens, and very strange things seem to be common these days, if for any reason an ugly situation develops in relation to these challenges, I will discontinue them without warning or reference to the participants' opinions. Sad to have to say that, but as my Grandpa was wont to say, "People are stranger than anyone."

I think that about covers it. I haven't yet determined how often I will publish the challenges. Some will be easier than others. Some will relate to specific types of writing projects. Some may have either/or options.

Kick Off Challenge

Since January is already waning, we'll kick things off with something I've already been doing and am hoping others might enjoy.

CHALLENGE: Get a word from the Random Word Generator and write something about that subject. It can be as short or long as you wish.

Personally, I don't care how many times you hit the button to get a word you want to write about, but it's more challenging if you hold yourself to one to three clicks. :-)

I already did one of these this month.

----------
For those who are interested in participating: How often would you like to see the challenges go up? I'm just looking for some ideas on time frame.

Monthly Challenge - December 2016

The Quiltmaker by Tozer

James 1:27  Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.

As my long time readers know, I have a burden for those who are lonely, sad, and suffering during "the holiday season". I have also been thinking lately about some of our friends whom we have not had contact with for a long while. This month's challenge will touch on both of those things.

-----------------------

Visit or do something for a "shut in".

And/Or

Phone someone you haven't talked to for a long time.

-----------------------

In 2014 I did a Christmas Challenge post on Seeing with Compassion. One way to do that is to reach out to "shut ins" - those who cannot get out during the holiday season. Whether we celebrate or not, this is something that we can do that is in keeping with the example of Jesus Christ. He repeatedly reached out to the suffering and lonely (think of the Samaritan woman at the well and Zacchaeus the tax collector). Nursing homes may be an obvious place to look, but don't overlook all those people who are stuck at home for various reasons during the winter (or at any time).

As for the phone calls, think about someone whose friendship you enjoyed who has just drifted out of you life for some reason. Sometimes it was lack of effort on one or both sides, sometimes it was just the cares of life. If you have a phone number, give them a ring and have a chat. If it doesn't go anywhere, at least you tried. If it brings you back into contact, then you have gotten back a friend.

Proverbs 27:10  Thine own friend, and thy father's friend, forsake not...