Just a Little Diversion..."Prescription-Strength Chocolate"

photo © 2008 Kirti Poddar | more info (via: Wylio)

I’m afraid it’s one of “those” mornings…woke up feeling like my eyes were resting on my cheek bones. I’m fighting a major headache, a little edgy, a little crampy and I’d almost bet money that someone came into my room during the night and stole all the clothes that used to fit me!

Gotta confess: after my “breakfast” of coffee and leftover dinner rolls (had to have SOMETHING on my stomach to soak up what was to follow), I grabbed a few Advil and…yes…a piece of chocolate! But only one! Yeah, I'm quite the health nut.....not!

When I’m propelled by excitement, like this event I’m having tomorrow, I find that sleep eludes me. I spend the night restless. I try to shut my mind down, to stop thinking of all the possible scenarios, all that could go wrong and of all the things that haven’t been done or still needs attention.

There’s just something soothing about chocolate that helps to smooth out the rough edges of the day. This morning, melting away with that little truffle in my mouth, I thought of how wonderful it would be to have prescription-strength chocolate…for days like this J

Blessings Abundant

photo © 2011 Berkeley T. Compton | more info (via: Wylio)

Sunlight pours in where it didn’t before.

I stood watching as tree trimmers climbed and chopped away at the old pine in the corner of the yard; the stripping of branches and needles and the rush of light.

Through the buzz of chainsaws and the dropping of limbs, I thought of the years it took for the tree to stand so straight, to soar free and unyielding,…and how in a moment, all is stripped away.

Somehow, I desired the same.

Less of me - more of You, I breathed as the sway of branches gave way to blue skies.

Less of me – more of You.

Me, sometimes up with limbs arching Heavenward. Me, some days feeling much like the pieces breaking and plunging to the ground below.

Yet, it takes the shedding of branches, the tidying up of what is unneeded if the light is to shine through.

Praise God for the sunlight that pours in where it didn’t before.

~~~*~~~

Sharing a praise…

The invitation came last Friday. It would be my very first book signing event. So exciting. So sudden. So scary.

photo © 2007 Martin | more info (via: Wylio)

What will I say? What will I wear? What if I sit there all day and don’t sell a book? Will I look desperate behind my stack of books and my pathetic little bowl of chocolates used as a bribery tool? Will my books even get here in time or will I have to print rain checks instead?

I spent the next several days in contact with the book publisher asking, begging, pleading my case. Yes, big book publisher – I realize I'm asking a lot here, but it’s my very first book signing and I absolutely HAVE to receive my order in time. SOMEONE there has to care! I shared the urgency of my order, but for 2 days, I received only apologies; “We’re very sorry for your inconvenience, but our system is fully automated. Once your order is placed, it’s placed. An order of this size takes between 6-8 days just to print BEFORE it even ships, etc….”

I spent the morning going from disappointed to tossing my hands in the air and talking to God, giving Him my frustration. “All right, God. If I’m to have my book order here in time for my signing on Saturday, then I need a miracle, plain and simple. I’m trusting in You, Lord. This whole thing will play out as You want it – it’s out of my hands, and there’s nothing I can do about a publisher’s printing schedule.”

Less of me – more of You…less of me…more of You.

Rinsing plates at the sink with a bright afternoon sun in my eyes, I happened to glance over at my email page on the computer screen. Could it be???

There, the words across the subject line of an email brought me to tears and laughter all at once: “Good News, Mrs. Dillon. Your book order has shipped! You are scheduled to receive it on Thursday!”

God is amazing.

Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. (Mark 11:24) NIV

Join me this Saturday from 10am to whenever for the grand re-opening of the Camarillo Village Square. I'll be one of 12 vendors outside of Homespun Treasures! Book signing, music, DJs, food, fun, WOO-Hoo!

His Grace is Sufficient

photo © 2007 wheatfieldbrown | more info (via: Wylio)

I’d wasted the whole day in a deep, personal rut; the kind where the waters swirl muddy but you’re not sure why. You just feel that all is not right when you step outside of yourself and look back – if you could just figure out what “it” is that has captured your spark, stolen your smile, you could start back down a productive path.

But that was the problem: I had everything to be thankful for; every reason to be happy. I couldn’t justify the turmoil. Sure, the day started out with a minor “disturbance” between me and my husband, but he’d even called later in the morning to apologize, and all was well again. There was no reason for my selfish frustrations or my calling out to God to make the good better!

Still I went about my day unsettled. I muttered my thanks for the many reasons to celebrate, and good things are happening. So how could I be so selfish as to want more of them and to come at me faster and in bigger, brighter packages?

The late afternoon would find me sitting in the bank setting up a new personal account.

“What kind of account are we setting up for you today?” the 20-something bank clerk asks.

“Well, I’m an author and freelance writer, so it’s sort of a business account,” I smile noticing the few photos sprinkled about her work space.

“Aaww, is that your son?” I ask the obvious – he looked exactly like her.

“Yes,” she filled with mother’s pride, but the smile quickly faded.

“He’ll be 3 soon - and I’m missing it. I have to work, you know?” she shrugs.

photo © 2006 Jaine | more info (via: Wylio)
Conviction poured over me like those muddy waters and I realized it instantly as God’s gentle correction. He reminded me of sweet afternoons with my little ones spent with bare feet in the garden, and the blanket spread in the shade of the old tree in the corner with chocolate pudding spread across baby-teeth smiles, and pointing out shapes and colors in board books, and blowing bubbles for the dog to chase, and pudgy baby hands holding perfect bouquets, and the little boy now a man and the little girl with honey-colored hair who still gives the best hugs. He reminds me of the full freezer and pantry, the home intact while others in our country suffer loss too great for words, His countless blessings wrapped up in every single day….and I melt inside.

His grace is sufficient, and I should never forget

But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me.

(2 Corinthians 12:9) NIV

Tilling the Soil of the Spirit

photo © 2009 Fiona Shields | more info (via: Wylio)

Bent over in sun and determination, I raked and hoed and dug most of the day.

I’d left her alone far too long again; the forgiving friend who waits just beyond the garden gate. And, once again, it was I who would pay the price for neglect in righting the wrong of untilled soil, now deplete of nutrients, and the weeds left to roam on their own.

Trying to dig holes for new plants and amendment jarred my whole being as the shovel hit dirt like a fist to stone. It was nearly an impossible task. If the soil would just loosen a bit, I struggled through clenched teeth…but the heat burned and the beads of perspiration dripped down my neck and just when I considered closing the gate and waiting yet another day, I saw myself. There, like the compacted soil was my stubborn, defiant self, set firm and unyielding – and the shovel, the sharp-edged tool equally determined to break through to allow for the bloom of beauty and growth…For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart (Hebrews 4:12) NIV.

photo © 1972 The U.S. National Archives | more info (via: Wylio)

Oh, the abundance that awaits a hardened soul! If those twisted tight in pride and self could truly know the fragrance of the Holy Spirit once the soil has been tilled and the seeds of righteousness planted!

Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. (Gal. 6:7-8) NIV

His Compassions Never Fail!

Demands and gotta dos rain down hard today. The dark clouds hover and guilt pounds loud at the door. The strain and pressures of life weave a chaotic pattern, pulling and scraping at me like rose thorns tugging at shirt sleeves as I struggle to reach the garden gate – searching for any possible exit. Then, just as I inch my way toward the latch, the words come slow…

“Why have you forgotten who you belong to?”

photo © 2009 tinyfroglet | more info (via: Wylio)

Such burdens and confusion are not handed down by the father, so why heap them onto your shoulders? Why do we attach ourselves to stress and all the things that drain us of our faith and our strength? If only we would remember the answer is lying right there in front of the tears we shed when it all gets too much…

I remember my affliction and my wandering,
the bitterness and the gall.
I well remember them,
and my soul is downcast within me.
Yet this I call to mind
and therefore I have hope:

Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed,
for his compassions never fail.
They are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.
I say to myself, “The LORD is my portion;
therefore I will wait for him.”

(Lamentations 3:19-24) NIV

It’s a new day. His compassions never fail. They are new EVERY morning. Praise God today for His great faithfulness!

In Your Moment

photo © 2008 Don & Tonya Christner | more info (via: Wylio)

Where will God find you today? When your thoughts run far off and distant, will you hear him when he speaks? Will the sound of his voice be heard and his direction taken? When you feel his very breath brush through your hair, will you pause…and know it’s of him? What will he find you doing with the time he’s freely given? Will he be pleased? Will your heart be intact when he finds you there in the middle of your busy day…the middle of your dreams at night? Will it bear ragged edges of deceit or malice, hurt or rejection? Will it be full of praise? What will he hear when he listens to your thoughts…your words?

Shouldn’t we live as if each day could be the end? As if each word spoken could be our defining moment, our last memory. As if living out our last “I love you”…

Where will God find you today?

“But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the

angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. As it was in the

days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man.”

(Matthew 24:36-37) NIV

Contagious Joy?

After a recent conversation with a fellow Christian, I hung up the phone realizing one importantphoto © 2011 Narin BI | more info (via: Wylio)
thing: joy is only contagious if you can somehow manage to maintain it when you’re around those who clearly aren’t joyful! Wouldn’t you agree?

The world may be falling down, crumbling all around us, but those who truly live in the light of the Lord don’t allow their faith to crumble along with it (of course, there are those exceptional circumstances, but I'm talking about the basic stuff of life). I have to think of all the time God has invested in me. He’s heard and answered my every prayer. He’s taken me by the hand and walked with me through the fire. He’s dried my tears, and he’s opened my eyes each morning to hope and opportunity. I owe it to him to live out what I profess, to stand defiantly against the enemy’s attempt to drag me down with those whose praise is mumbled, buried beneath layers of negativity. As a Christian, I’ve invested years strengthening my faith, my prayer life and my walk with the Lord. If I can’t even stand firm on that faith around other “Christians,” what kind of testimony am I to the non-believer? Pray it like you mean it, and then live it out. Don’t let the enemy steal your joy and the passion from within that you and the Lord have worked so hard together to create – use it for God’s glory!

Lord Jesus,

Help me to hold on to the joy of knowing you. Help me to remember, as I interact with others, that I am yours and you are mine. Your promises, your Word and your Truth will never fade or weaken with time, but prove to only strengthen in your people. Help me to respond in love to those whose joy has been diluted and weakened by the struggles of life that they may draw closer to you with renewed faith and trust. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

“So with you: Now is your time of grief, but I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy.” (John 16:22) NIV