Scattering of Love :: Batch 8

Original picture taken by a dear friend.

I am following Crystal Stine's lead once again and sharing some Friday Favorites, on a Thursday.

Read

My dear friend Dawn writes so beautifully on His grace. And her post, Reflecting His Grace, speaks to how we need to give and receive His grace.

I  so appreciate writers who devote space on their websites to encourage others in their marriage. This past week Jennifer Dukes Lee told a beautiful story on How to Make Your Happily-Ever-After Last and Sheila Kimball writes on how staying in love in marriage takes daily devotion.

Need a reason to take a break from blogging? A friend who I have come to admire for so many reasons shares 5 simply splendid reasons to take a break.

Here was my comment to Linda's post on this semi-blogging break of mine: "While I may appear with a post here and there, it's all as the spirit leads. Seems like the right way for me. It can be a heart struggle as numbers go lower and lower but if I make it about the numbers I'm doing it for the wrong reasons. So day-by-day I'm learning to be okay with whatever God wants blogging to be for now. He's blessing me in so many other ways. His plans are always far greater than we can imagine."

And I'm sending you over to a new friend of mine who shares beautiful poetry. But mostly I share her with you because God bringing her into my life this past month has been such a blessing. It's a "for such a time as this" connection. Come meet Elizabeth. You will love her.

Books I'm reading:

I love the new devotional, Savor, by Shauna Niequist. She stays true to her awesomeness.

Donald Miller is quickly become a favorite author of mine. His new book, Scary Close, is a must read. This quote from page 19 of his book hasn't left me . . . "Because the more we hide, the harder it is to be known. And we have to be known to connect."

Something more:

I am considering a blog series devoted to sharing things about me that I have never openly shared out of shame. Maybe it's time to bring them to the light and then let go. Such as this one thing. . .

Shame: I got a 16 on the ACT = I'm not smart enough. I'm stupid. I'm not capable.

Truth:

"If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him." ~ James 1:5

"God has united you with Christ Jesus. For our benefit God made him to be wisdom itself." ~ 1 Corinthians 1:30a

Thoughts?

Watch

It has been a season of watching our boys deal with hard things. My heart hurts when their hearts hurt. A friend said it so well: "Our boys are our joy and our heartache."  But I also watch God weave His way into their lives. They may not yet see Him but I do.

Life will not always be easy. We have a choice to run from the pain or to run through it. As one runs through the pain, we pray He invites God into the midst of His pain to carry him through toward transformation. (Prayer taken from pg. 86 of Shauna Niequist's new book.)

Thank you, God, for the few days you are giving us to witness such profound growth in these two young men you have blessed us with. We are blessed.

Wear

Oh, how I need to clothe myself this way . . .

"So, chosen by God for this new life of love, dress in the wardrobe God picked out for you: compassion, kindness, humility, quiet strength, discipline. Be even-tempered, content with second place, quick to forgive an offense. Forgive as quickly and completely as the Master forgave you. And regardless of what else you put on, wear love. It’s your basic, all-purpose garment. Never be without it.

Let the peace of Christ keep you in tune with each other, in step with each other. None of this going off and doing your own thing. And cultivate thankfulness. Let the Word of Christ—the Message—have the run of the house. Give it plenty of room in your lives. Instruct and direct one another using good common sense. And sing, sing your hearts out to God! Let every detail in your lives—words, actions, whatever—be done in the name of the Master, Jesus, thanking God the Father every step of the way."

~~ Colossians 3:14-17 (MSG)

Image by Lisa Kerner

Listen

"The King is among us
And His glory surrounds us
And His fire is falling as we sing
The Savior is for us
And His love is victorious
And revival is rising in His name"
By Elevation Worship

I seriously cannot make it through this song without tearing up. And when we sing as part of our worship time at church . . . oh my.



Blessings upon blessings.
Grace upon grace.

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Scattering of Love :: Batch 7

Crystal Stine does a weekly Friday Favorites post which is rather delightful and fun so I thought I would follow her lead with my not-so-consistent Scattering of Love post today. I do love to share with you the things I love and adore.

Read

Making Right Choices by Meredith Bernard. Not only is Meredith a favorite writer of mine but her photography is stunning. Check her out here.

Speaking of photographers, you should also get to know my friend Lisa Kerner of Simply Living Photography. She has agreed to help me with a special project so expect to hear more from me about this lovely lady. I loved a recent post of hers titled "5 things to capture during each season."

Since we are on a roll, here's one more photographer I adore. Come meet June by reading her post, Inspired by . . . the rhythm of the rain.

Why I ate Chicken Spaghetti in the Bathtub by Jennifer Jackson Linck. Jennifer shares with such beauty and authenticity about daily life. It's inspiring. Her recent posts remind me of a quote by Bob Goff: "Your worst day doesn't define you." Thank you, God!

I spend lots of time over at the Institute for Faith, Work & Economics lately. An Invitation to Consider Jesus As Your Constant, Unchanging Source of Confidence As a Leader was a good read.

Creatively and Soggy Celery is an encouraging read by Amy Sullivan for those who create. “Those who create share stories of life, but if we forget to live, there's nothing to create.”

A recent favorite quote: “Kindness in words creates confidence. Kindness in thinking creates profoundness. Kindness in giving creates love.” ~ Lao Tzu

Watch

I'm missing my Thursday evenings with the Parenthood clan. With the series now over I am open to recommendations on shows to watch. Basically the only thing being watched these days in our home are car shows {hubs choice, not mine, but I go along for the ride}. Seriously, there are endless options out there.

Wear

A little fact about me . . . most of what I wear comes from The Loft. Quite honestly, I hate to shop (another about me fact). Their is a particular sales lady at my local store whose oh so kind in helping me put outfits together so she makes shopping a little less hateful. And did you know the color of the month is Mint? I think I need to get myself something minty.

Listen

Take in the lyrics of these two songs. Just beautiful. They tend to be on repeat around here.





If you missed my last post, catch up on the one new thing I'm up to these days here.

How about you? Do you have a favorite read? Are you wearing a particular color lately? What are you listening to? And be sure to share any show recommendations. I don't watch much TV but I do enjoy having at least one on my radar.

Happy Friday!

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Not Writer's Block [and God's goodness]

The fewer posts are not a result of writers block. It has nothing to do with not having anything to write about. As I wrote in my last post, there’s a wrestle that happens when I write but maybe the wrestle will always be there. Maybe it has to do with how God created me. It simply takes time for me to process my thoughts.

That’s okay. What God creates is always good.

There's a wide range of topics I could cover in a post because life is full these days. The days are filled with good and hard stuff. In the midst of everything my heart still sings of His goodness. There are truly ten thousand reasons (and more) for my heart to find.

Yet, I do not feel prompted by God to write. Well, there are words still written. Bits and pieces of my heart scatter around me in different forms. These things on my heart though, sometimes they are more sacred and not meant to be shared.

Some of the writing happens via prayer requests; there's a big one circling right now. Thank you to those who are praying. You are teaching me the power found in gathering with sisters and brothers in Christ in prayer. Prayer does works.

A friend wrote to me today and left words which encouraged my heart. Her words remind me of how God puts people in our life for a reason. We are called to be the body of Christ and this body has many parts. And every one of us is a vital member of the body (1 Corinthians 12:27). I am also reminded of words from Jesus in in Matthew 18:20: "For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them." He created us to gather with others. The way we gather is not limited. Oh, how unlimited the ways we gather can be.

For example, online friends are real friends who gather together via the web. Online friends continue to bless me daily. They give me at least a thousand reasons, likely many more, to sing praises to God.

The friend I mentioned above wrote the below in her email to me:

"I love how you write - truly from the heart and I miss your more frequent posts, but am excited to hear what new things God is calling you to?? So tell me...what is new...what are you up to?  In what direction is God tugging your heart?"

It was Christ that bound us together across the interweb as I read her email.

As I pondered my response to my friend, I thought I might share with you at least one thing I am up to these days. It's all kinds of exciting. It has everything to do with Him becoming greater in my life.

One of the best yeses I have given to God since becoming a Christ follower is joining a local Bible Study Fellowship (BSF) class. Every Monday, since September 2014, I gather with 200+ other women to be in God’s Word together and have meaningful conversations. Every day of the week, since the first meeting I attended, I wake early to be with God and study His Word.

This time has drawn me closer to Him. You do know it’s what He wants must from us, right?

The above has led me to give God another yes. Last weekend I started training to be a Group Leader for BSF. Oh friends, I have wobbly knees over this yes but I am also super-duper excited to lead other women in going deeper in their relationship with Christ.

I happen to be writing a lot these days as I give daily lesson questions more thought and attempt to figure out how the heck to do homiletics. More hours per week are devoted to my studies but it’s so worth it.

God’s Word is indeed alive and active (Hebrews 4:12). It’s rocking my world!

There are other new things to talk about but until we make the rounds with family I am holding off on talking about those things here. My husband and I both come from large families so give us time.

Oh, by the way, the friend of mine who so encouraged my heart today has a beautiful blog. I would be most grateful if you would hop on over to say hello to her. You will love her, I promise. Meet Beverly of Walking Well With God

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Scattering of Love :: Batch 6

I am not quite ready to fully return to this place here. The below, which I shared on my blog Facebook page, comes from my heart on where I stand with writing for now.

"Go into the day today with confidence, and with a heart aligned with the One who knew your name before time began. He sings songs over you and quiets you with His love. If you are brave enough to listen, you might hear the sounds of your own name echoing back from the great I Am." @angiesmith19 ‪#‎incourage‬ ‪#‎perpetualcalendar‬

I'm thinking God's asking me to do more listening these days than writing.

This blogging break of mine may last longer. I have grown tired of the wrestle to find the words for all the thoughts twirling around in my head.

On my drive to work this morning I considered taking a stab at yet another post. This attempt would be to tell you how I have always wanted one thing that I am good at. And I thought writing was finally my one thing.

But maybe placing my hopes on one thing I am good at is still me finding my worth in the wrong place. What if the one thing is simply this: to completely embrace that I am His.

He gave up His own life for me by dying on a cross. Shouldn't that alone tell me just how valuable I am to Him?

So yes, I will go into this day with confidence and with a heart aligned with Him. And I will be brave enough to listen..

::

But a desire remains to connect with you, so I thought I'd carry on with the Scattering of Love series I started a while back. And really it goes with a desire I always have to share what others write that so encourages my heart.

Here are a few recent faves:

Courage Is A Heart Voyage (or an Eastern Bluebird) by my dear friend Tammy who has done so much to encourage this heart of mine. I just love her. Don't miss her presence in this beautiful online world.

Let's Lay Down our Swords by Michelle DeRusha. Just Yes and Amen to all of this. And ditto the "Yes and Amen" to A Quiet Appeal to Us, in the Spirit of Matthew 18 by Deidra Riggs

The Golden Rule - Loving Myself?? by Sharon. I had the absolute pleasure of meeting Sharon in real life last week while in California. What a delightful time we had. She really truly spoke to my heart with this post because loving myself . . . yes, that's still a wrestle.

Four Choices That Will Improve Any Marriage from Refine Us Blog. I couldn't agree more with these four choices. Especially #4 because I witness it often and it makes me sad.

Grace in the Neighborhood: A Promise, A Dare, and a Turquoise Table from Grace Table which happens to be one of my favorite places to pull up a chair these days. I'm so getting us a picnic table and painting it turquoise before the warmer temps fall upon us.

And this by Denise Hughes because it's truth us bloggers need to remember: How to Blog with Focus via Allume.

::

If we are not "friends" on Facebook or you do not follow me on Instagram (@SimplyBeth3), here are a few pictures from my time in California. God . . . well, He pretty much left me in awe once again of His love and goodness.

::

On Monday we will celebrate this guy's birthday. One of these days I really need to write a post fully devoted to what a delight this youngest child of ours is to the world.

He's rather talented too. Juggling is only one of his many talents. Friends of the hubs call him "the talented one." But he's so much more than that.

::

Watching our sailors ship return home with HIM on board . . . all kinds of goosebumps!

Oh, how my heart continues to burst with joy. There are no words. Just joy. Lots and lots of joy. Praising God for returning him home safely to us.

"For all Your goodness I will keep on singing, 10,000 reasons for my heart to find."

Good and hard things lie ahead for me and my family. But with God as our anchor, we move forward one step at a time knowing He holds all things in His loving hands. He holds us. And this much I know . . . we can trust in Him.

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A Blogging Break

Some call it blogging suicide. I'm choosing to view it as an opportunity for Christ to fill me up so I can continue to pour out.

In the words of the lovely Holley Gerth: "Jesus promises us 'living water' that fills us up with what we need to offer others (John 7:38). We can always go to him—not just in the times when we can get away for a significant time but also moment-to-moment."

There are also birthdays to celebrate, a valentine to kiss and a son to welcome home. Oh, how I have joy-filled moments ahead of me in the coming weeks. I intend to savor each and every one.

Below are recent images shared on my blog Facebook page to leave you with for now. I will remain semi-active on the page during my blogging break if you want to join me there.

Original photo by friend and co-worker Judd Johnson

Original photo by friend and co-worker Judd Johnson

Do you see a theme in the images? The theme I see . . . God has everything we need no matter the need. Trust in Him. He is faithful.

You make my life richer, friends. Thank you!

I will return mid-March.

P.s. If you missed my last post, you can catch up here: Remember His Faithfulness

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Remember His Faithfulness

I sit here in my office and stare at a picture of me and my husband which sits on my desk.

The picture was taken a month before he departed for his first deployment. A photo session offered by a friend became much more than a photo session. The photos captured tender moments between the two of us knowing our See-You-Later moment neared.

There are other pictures scattered around my desk too.

Our last gathering as a family happened in August 2013. It feels like many moons ago.

Soon we will gather again to welcome home our eldest son from his deployment. When I daydream about the day (which I do often) it leads to tears every single time.

At the same time, there’s much remembering these days. I remember the good and not-so-good seasons of the twenty six years with my husband and raising two children together. The not-so-good seasons are preferred forgotten. But God has us remember to see His faithfulness. Like He did with the Israelites, He wants us to remember how He delivered us.

We preserve our faith and trust in God by remembering His grace in our lives. And we make His grace known for generations to come. It’s what brings me here to tell our story.

“Only take care, and keep your soul diligently, lest you forget the things that your eyes have seen, and lest they depart from your heart all the days of your life. Make them known to your children and your children’s children.” ~~ Deuteronomy 4:9

Oh, the grace . . . undeserved grace.

We have experienced our share of trials and temptations. In our four years as Christ followers, our faith has been challenged and it will continue to be challenged for years to come.

For this reason we “hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for He who promised is faithful” (Hebrews 10:23). We fight for our faith always, not only in the not-so-good times.

How do we fight for our faith?

We fight for our faith by remembering. We remember that God did not promise a trouble free walk with Him. We are promised the direct opposite by Jesus in John 16:33. He does promise to walk us through the storms of life toward an eternal life with Him.

“Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses.” ~~ 1 Timothy 6:12

I keep identifying with the Israelites.

In Leviticus 9 when the glory of the Lord appeared to all the Israelites (v. 23) it says they “shouted for joy and fell facedown” (v. 24).

Whether I look back or look forward, I see the glory of the Lord. For God is in all things. He’s omniscient: past, present and future. He is Immanuel, God with us. What else should our response be to such grace other than to fall on our knees with shouts of joy?

And “though [we] have not seen him, [we] love him; and even though [we] do not now see him now, [we] believe in him and are filled with inexpressible and glorious joy, for [we] are receiving the end result of [our] faith, the salvation of [our] souls.” ~~ 1 Peter 1:8-9

This is faith: Faith is belief in the one and only true God without actually seeing Him.

So, again, how do we fight for our faith?

We believe even though we do not see Him.
We remember His faithfulness in bringing us this far.
And we trust Him with the un-known future.

Trust requires us to put aside our own desires for His. We deny ourselves, pick up our cross and follow Him (Luke 9:23) because He has proven Himself faithful. We have come to know His ways are far better than our ways.

When we fight for our faith the result is a deeper and more intimate walk with Him. Oh, how He wants us to know Him. And there's always more for us to know. We are never complete in the task of knowing Him.

Knowing God makes all the difference no matter what we face, for over time our faith becomes bigger than our fears. And when God leads us straight into our deepest fear we are better equipped to trust that He knows what He's doing. We can respond to His call saying: "I will follow you no matter the cost because my trust is in You."

This is why we can consider it “pure joy” when we face trials, because we know the testing of our faith produces perseverance (James 1:2).

So “Let perseverance finish its work so that [we] may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” ~~ James 1:3

How do you fight for your faith? How do you persevere during trials?

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What I Want You to Know

I adore you! Gratitude overflows for all the ways you encourage and lift me up. My cup runneth over.

More so than the ways I love and adore you, you are loved by Him. And nothing you do can separate you from His love.  “But no matter what comes, we will always taste victory through Him who loved us.” ~ Romans 8:37 (Voice)

^^^ truth worth reminding ourselves of daily.

If you are feeling weary, like me, spend time reflecting on His promises. Jennifer Dukes Lee shares 15 Amazing Promises from God to You and 365promises.com features a promise from the Bible for each day of the year.

Let’s consider the rest of this post somewhat of a “State of My Blog Address.” Actually, I like the way Kristen Strong says it in her post What You Can Expect to Find at This Corner of the Internet.

The New Year has brought a realization of the need to strengthen my walk with Him. I need to be secure in His promises. For me to be secure in His promises, I must have roots deep in His Word.

With that being said, at this corner of the Internet you can expect to find fewer posts. Instead, I am practicing the spiritual disciplines of studying scripture, prayer, fellowship, and observing a Sabbath day to nurture my soul and strengthen me for whatever lies ahead.

Like many Christian bloggers, for the fourth year in a row I have chosen One Word to focus on instead of the commonly known practice of setting New Year’s Resolutions. Previous year’s words have been BELIEVE, LOVE, EMBRACE and JOY, respectively. Except for quick mentions here and there in posts, I have not written about my word for 2015.

My word is SELFLESS. It fits well with my new life verse from John 3:30.

Image created by Traci Michele Designs

It has proven to be a challenging word to date. I sense God will use it to bring much needed growth.

I'm learning God has given me this word not only because of the ways I can be selfish but more so for the ways I allow self-focused thoughts to hinder my walk with Christ. These thoughts are a stumbling block in claiming the victory found at the cross and also in my relationships with others.

Instead of being wrapped in thoughts of being un-worthy and not- enough, I want to wrap my whole self in who God says I am.

Therefore, practice of the spiritual discipline of taking “every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:5) and being "transformed by the renewing of [my] mind” (Romans 12:2) is a must.

“As long as I daily make the choice to be guided by His truth, He replaces my hollowness with a wholeness of love that has no gaps.” ~ Lysa Terkurst

More of my time will also be focused on my husband. After spending ten months apart from him I do not plan to take present and future moments with him for granted.

I intend to practice the art of selflessness on my husband. My goal is to imitate the humility of Christ in my marriage.

"That is what we signed up for. We have told God that we no longer want to live for ourselves. We want Him to take over." ~ Francis Chan, You and Me Forever

Watch week three from the seven week video series on the book "You and Me Forever" by Francis and Lisa Chan // This expresses the hopes and desires for my marriage. It's may be 16:44 in length but it's worth your time.

I do hope you can expect to find me posting on this corner of the Internet at least once a week. And because community remains on my heart, there will be more engagement through comments, both here at my corner and at yours (if you are a blogger). I am giving Twitter more of a try too. It’s where I love to share what inspires me with others.

As for what you can expect to read on this corner . . . how about we let God decide? It could be random. I promise it will be God inspired. It might have more to do with making disciples, which seems risky and crazy. But God never promises what He has planned for us will be easy.

Because I am posting less frequently, I would love for you to subscribe to receive my posts via email. You can subscribe here.

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How I'm Saying Yes to Risk

As writers must of us, if not all of us, have asked the question: "Do my words matter?"

A writing friend took that question to an even deeper level by asking, “Am I legitimate in minimizing the reach my words have or am I constraining God by doubting His ability to use my words to further his kingdom?” Of course I know our words matter; especially if God asks us to write them. Obedience to God is rather important in our walk with Him.

Yet, I often find myself asking if the words I write matter.  My words are simple; not eloquent or poetic. In a sea of many voices mine feel less than. I allow doubt to rule my heart instead of sharing from my heart. I am learning that what the reader wants is authentic hearts, our own voice, not our view of perfection.

I may still wrestle with finding my worth in a wearied world of words but I can be confident of this, “He who began a good work in me will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus” (Philippians 1:6)

We matter. We matter to Him. Every breath we take and every word we speak or write matters to Him.

What if instead we ask God if we are still using our words in the way He intends? Like the changing of seasons, His mission for us could also change. I consider this question as I ponder these words from Jesus in Matthew.

 “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Matthew 28:18-20)

There are two words I have zeroed in on from this passage: Make disciples.

While one aspect of being a writer requires a trust in God to bring our words to those who need to read them, particularly non-believers or those who have turned away from God, I cannot help but to wonder how writing fits into Jesus’ command to make disciples.

Image by Cindee Snider Re

Please join me over at Outside the City Gate where I am sharing as a regular contributor today. You can read the rest of my post here.

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Scattering of Love :: Batch 5 [Cultivate a Thriving Marriage]

Ever since my husband returned home from his ten month deployment we have taken advantage of the opportunity God has given us to refresh our marriage.

With a conscious attempt to cultivate a thriving marriage, I have found many resources to assist us.

I highly recommend the book You and Me Forever by Francis and Lisa Chan. It will give you a new outlook on marriage and your relationship with God. The seven videos Francis and Lisa created to go along with the book will challenge you in mighty ways. You can even download a PDF of the book for FREE here. If you can afford to purchase a copy 100% of the net proceeds go towards various ministries.

My husband is not much of a reader but every two or three days we watch one of the videos together. As for me . . . my Kindle format of the book has become very colorful.

With my husband's deployment (thankfully now over), he is required to attend several Yellow Ribbon events. The events are held pre-deployment and post-deployment. The spouse is encouraged to attend too. At these events, educational sessions and resources are provided to help the service member and family through each phase of a deployment.

We attended our first post-deployment Yellow Ribbon event this past weekend. (I am much happier to be in the post-deployment phase.)

One of the break-out sessions was called “Making Relationships Work.” The session was based off of the book The Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work written by John Gottman. In the book Gottman speaks to how positive relationships invest an extra five hours each week in their marriages. He refers to this as the “Magic Five Hours.”

Hubs and I are trying out Gottman’s approach and so far it has proven to add some fun to our days. I thought I would take a moment to share how you too can work the “magic five hours” into your marriage or relationship.

1) Try a six-second kiss at the beginning of the day and learn something interesting about your spouse (Math: 2 minutes x 5 days = 10 minutes)

2) Give another six-second kiss at the end of the day and have a conversation about your day. (Math: 20 minutes x 5 days = 1 hour and 40 minutes)

3) Find ways to compliment your spouse (i.e. use "I admire" or "I appreciate" statements). (Math: 5 minutes x 7 days = 35 minutes)

4) Show physical affection for your spouse, whatever you define this to be, and learn your partner's love language. (Math: 5 minutes x 7 days = 35 minutes)

5)  Set a date night once a week to connect, dream, plan and enjoy each other's company. (Math: 2 hours per week)

These small things can allow for significant changes and growth in your marriage. Why not give them a try? Oh my goodness, holding a kiss for six seconds is pure delight!

Note: I have not read the book by Gottman so this is simply me passing along wisdom from the seminar we attended.

They best way to cultivate a thriving marriage . . . read the Bible together. You could even use Bible Gateway to have a narrator read to you. These ten minutes with my husband every morning (almost every morning) have become my favorite time of the day.

What ways do you cultivate a thriving marriage?

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Every Writer's Dream :: The Book I Dream About

I do not mention it here often. Actually, I’m not sure if I have ever mentioned it here before. But a dream does dwell in my heart to write a book. Not shocking for someone who calls herself a writer, right?

There's a better chance you have heard me say I have no desire to write a book.

The process of writing a book does not appeal to me at all. It sounds more appealing to sit down with a "real" writer to tell them our story and have them write our book.

On occasion my husband will ask about "the book." However, when he brings up the topic he refers to it as my book and not our book. I give him the same response every time: It's our story; our book. He still says: "It's your book; our story."

Please do not misunderstand me. My husband supports telling our story. His point of view is simply that I am the writer, which makes it my book. My hope rests on his willingness to contribute his words too. In my opinion, the story would be incomplete without a contribution from him. The way he saw events matters to the whole of the story.

Only God knows if there will be a book. Maybe it's my desire and not His.

The topic of "the book" came up again last weekend. We were celebrating the New Year and our dating anniversary with an evening out on the town (downtown Chicago). For his Christmas present, I booked us a hotel room at the very place where he proposed to me. His proposal happened twenty-five years ago on December 16, 1989.

What a journey the twenty-five years have been. We have quite the story; a story I believe would make for a compelling book.

My husband asked me, as we waited to be seated at our table for dinner, if I had a title for my book.

Our book, my love.

There's no title. I am not even sure how one begins to write a book. It's only a dream.

He says to me, "You know writing a book means reliving those hard moments? Are you ready to go there? Do you remember everything? Do you remember . . .?"

He retells events he remembers while tears welled up in his eyes. There was forgiveness but the events have not been removed from his memory.

Our story includes two separations. Both separations were my decision. The first separation lasted a full year. We were separated the year of 1999. It's a year I would rather forget. The year holds lots of painful memories. Shameful memories. I was at my lowest.

A writing friend reminds us "when we let go of our yuck, God will replace it with a crown of beauty."

I reached over to my husband and placed my hand on his. My response to his tears was similar to my friends.

We have a But God story. Because of God, and with God, we overcame.  God used our mistakes to show us a new and better way. God gave us a new story. 

Julie Ackerman Link writes in January 6th of Our Daily Bread devotional, "Instead of magnifying every mistake, we can turn them into beautiful acts of forgiveness, healing, and redemption." She ends her post with these words: "Jesus longs to turn our mistakes into amazing examples of His grace."

And all God’s people said, Amen!

Our story, my love, is a But God story. He took our shattered pieces and made something beautiful instead.

“God has sent me to give them a beautiful crown in exchange for ashes, To anoint them with gladness instead of sorrow, to wrap them in victory, joy, and praise instead of depression and sadness.” Isaiah 61:3 (Voice)

Our book (if this dream comes to be) will share the mistakes made but it will not magnify them. It will be hard to look back on those mistakes. In the end, God’s beauty will be seen in both the sharing of our mistakes and in the redemption found through Him. Our But God story is one filled with "beautiful acts of forgiveness, healing and redemption" (Our Daily Bread). It's in our telling that others will discover His Kingdom is truly all about His grace and healing.

Maybe the title of our book should be: But God. They are my two favorite words in the Bible for they are always followed by good news.

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