tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7845115119155568222024-03-19T06:00:34.212-04:00Beverly Varnado at One Ringing BellPeals of words on faith, living, writing, and artBeverly Varnadohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05190251885118181305noreply@blogger.comBlogger1026125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-784511511915556822.post-734964646636275992024-03-19T06:00:00.002-04:002024-03-19T06:00:00.130-04:00Ten verses for encouragement <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">The tulips at our State Botanical Gardens
of Georgia are astonishing right now. I’m sharing a few photos I captured along with ten
verses God has used in my own life in recent times. I hope the beauty and
encouraging verses will speak to your heart. Blessings.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig2irDqelMvdvCb93LwFWcasfbZA7uMhmqW5rkhWjD7mn997Z1GbTIK7VVY5Bh_qqCxDNhPcCuBSq0MTtKR3dSZpDEwu8qRTsoNxnQ_HFpB368bfzRenEjaIGUiBS8OzJwXyFb5dZJv8orscjH-4F9a69ou403ZGuGu66dHgRGlf7Z69mf82pJiByaV7iD/s4608/Red%20Tulip-24-1.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="4608" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig2irDqelMvdvCb93LwFWcasfbZA7uMhmqW5rkhWjD7mn997Z1GbTIK7VVY5Bh_qqCxDNhPcCuBSq0MTtKR3dSZpDEwu8qRTsoNxnQ_HFpB368bfzRenEjaIGUiBS8OzJwXyFb5dZJv8orscjH-4F9a69ou403ZGuGu66dHgRGlf7Z69mf82pJiByaV7iD/w640-h480/Red%20Tulip-24-1.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLbUj_nsPmPlkHP3h-7lUNbL9jML3EGqRdWm_2szmPl0rlzBRr7v9Xyj02Z5z-XiLr3d2BYgPAStW4Y_ECRX_BKgZJRGeBHqqlvkfhZb1LABw5iwlvbqSwtqnIy1O3wlNyv6eVmbaw0rdTEGtuy6g0E0Wy72f-1KJFozAbf2u2fdgO0ZfMxZRqpb1NOOFj/s4608/Red%20Tulip-24-2.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="4608" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLbUj_nsPmPlkHP3h-7lUNbL9jML3EGqRdWm_2szmPl0rlzBRr7v9Xyj02Z5z-XiLr3d2BYgPAStW4Y_ECRX_BKgZJRGeBHqqlvkfhZb1LABw5iwlvbqSwtqnIy1O3wlNyv6eVmbaw0rdTEGtuy6g0E0Wy72f-1KJFozAbf2u2fdgO0ZfMxZRqpb1NOOFj/w640-h480/Red%20Tulip-24-2.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: x-large;"><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div>Ask and it will be given to you; seek and
you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks
receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be
opened (Matthew 7:7-8).</span><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi51cQJzJatH77DbyOBg-4F9aBdhqmOXinaRnlbmx-j27BbNXVBiF6gg0IoA_aF7PxfMoht6sQ9aDCT2s8ELVBSsFGEC5je1v74Hpx5tpdD8hNyg9Ejr_N3K26jkjJ5WKrCE022Urg3Fb2iVBdnR3c0L2IR_W3TAExXOdOqoXS8CAtAhz5FJ88M2YQGKKbz/s3999/single%20yellow%20pink%2024-2.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3351" data-original-width="3999" height="536" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi51cQJzJatH77DbyOBg-4F9aBdhqmOXinaRnlbmx-j27BbNXVBiF6gg0IoA_aF7PxfMoht6sQ9aDCT2s8ELVBSsFGEC5je1v74Hpx5tpdD8hNyg9Ejr_N3K26jkjJ5WKrCE022Urg3Fb2iVBdnR3c0L2IR_W3TAExXOdOqoXS8CAtAhz5FJ88M2YQGKKbz/w640-h536/single%20yellow%20pink%2024-2.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">I am still confident of this; I will see
the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living (Psalm 27:13).<o:p></o:p></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBBLpXlQu-wWEpZGEPmjk6iKyQFxLUT_zLwBkQAPpyQ3trtVvnzBuH_tRKn5oUqBYuDEpofGlhV4j4AOxrtUoIN9CuvzhT5ukSpGgOVIXzuyowg1wyyh0qsOLdiyx2pvaWHITamp-jarX1ma4wInwLpaGqG9zuqe3ue6c2he0-EoWjVUW5tnb_4NmWl8Hl/s4608/Tulip%20Walkway%2024-1.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="4608" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBBLpXlQu-wWEpZGEPmjk6iKyQFxLUT_zLwBkQAPpyQ3trtVvnzBuH_tRKn5oUqBYuDEpofGlhV4j4AOxrtUoIN9CuvzhT5ukSpGgOVIXzuyowg1wyyh0qsOLdiyx2pvaWHITamp-jarX1ma4wInwLpaGqG9zuqe3ue6c2he0-EoWjVUW5tnb_4NmWl8Hl/w640-h480/Tulip%20Walkway%2024-1.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirfUH0vedhWE2V8gQu1WKdRrlyDxVCPu2mRZbBni-qtnAe5fdyQDaSjmA_O4smtkL58pVz15CH2k6IHM9AoyrReEN7DhY1MQLHrXTdHMjkO2Ou4d1RXaJBIQjrARs9D7ejItEY1Ok-0g1kZUI5f_EgKNGZrwnsSwrC7veZrLPqLz4YsDEiTqp8SOhNU-vb/s3975/tulip%20walkway%2024-2.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="3975" height="556" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirfUH0vedhWE2V8gQu1WKdRrlyDxVCPu2mRZbBni-qtnAe5fdyQDaSjmA_O4smtkL58pVz15CH2k6IHM9AoyrReEN7DhY1MQLHrXTdHMjkO2Ou4d1RXaJBIQjrARs9D7ejItEY1Ok-0g1kZUI5f_EgKNGZrwnsSwrC7veZrLPqLz4YsDEiTqp8SOhNU-vb/w640-h556/tulip%20walkway%2024-2.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: x-large;">I will strengthen you and help you; I will
uphold you with my righteous right hand (Isaiah 41:10).</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnM4B2ndIHPujoPxTmaS82ddH_D1sOyIfC2nNcTU6x98elnaoiq6AgWLx_AunPsqsc9R_z-cRDufAuUoGdrcV9SC_wdj3TbAUrxKizYCVUMUf-l1-vqeoV9k1mDWm7IqWsPKOyvJnT8ndhYF4hUw4fjdtU8frTlzqO8cjBE7H46Q6MPE06WCsa71h3mC53/s4315/Tulip-24-4.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3198" data-original-width="4315" height="474" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnM4B2ndIHPujoPxTmaS82ddH_D1sOyIfC2nNcTU6x98elnaoiq6AgWLx_AunPsqsc9R_z-cRDufAuUoGdrcV9SC_wdj3TbAUrxKizYCVUMUf-l1-vqeoV9k1mDWm7IqWsPKOyvJnT8ndhYF4hUw4fjdtU8frTlzqO8cjBE7H46Q6MPE06WCsa71h3mC53/w640-h474/Tulip-24-4.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: x-large;"><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">I have made you and I will carry you; I
will sustain you and I will rescue you (Isaiah 46:4).</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmo-ruGEh3pT6FxugpOhijsEODUhwem3DxmaFumsS5M9mKsZ8euOz3EQn26xFoCJnjX6G1WeTIIQZqYrWBNgb0bYkvTQG_JK_-LJiGvmU7zzYLNAkcaWNsHGWPaI5Cau1vKjBMb1b6VctTJBdcRbVlEmpKPAHd_FYNAyOk1pZLsLV3YiipvnpU6N4m5f62/s4608/Red%20and%20white%20tulip%2024-1.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="4608" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmo-ruGEh3pT6FxugpOhijsEODUhwem3DxmaFumsS5M9mKsZ8euOz3EQn26xFoCJnjX6G1WeTIIQZqYrWBNgb0bYkvTQG_JK_-LJiGvmU7zzYLNAkcaWNsHGWPaI5Cau1vKjBMb1b6VctTJBdcRbVlEmpKPAHd_FYNAyOk1pZLsLV3YiipvnpU6N4m5f62/w640-h480/Red%20and%20white%20tulip%2024-1.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">People will dwell again in his shade; they
will flourish like the grain; they will blossom like the vine . . . (Hosea
14:7).</p></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">For the bread of God is the bread that
comes down from heaven and gives life to the world . . . I am the bread of
life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will
never be thirsty (John 6: 33,35).<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjikjEtrYSKcdW4B402CtoQc7wY5cOxtACrbEUzpdrLs-D5T7mnMP4VQLRyPh4VbBMX0gsngEQBUnT8Z_zHInYlQGuhol9LpE8AskLkf9hLo5U9IDPbriCam22dBCvLZFNfEgdIEZVmk6HdIJpLjGYMwOIsHr7pLu8lbxvctuuDbwjzlXn0KlEIjcEOMM4Q/s4608/orange%20and%20yellow%20tulips%2024-1.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="4608" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjikjEtrYSKcdW4B402CtoQc7wY5cOxtACrbEUzpdrLs-D5T7mnMP4VQLRyPh4VbBMX0gsngEQBUnT8Z_zHInYlQGuhol9LpE8AskLkf9hLo5U9IDPbriCam22dBCvLZFNfEgdIEZVmk6HdIJpLjGYMwOIsHr7pLu8lbxvctuuDbwjzlXn0KlEIjcEOMM4Q/w640-h480/orange%20and%20yellow%20tulips%2024-1.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: x-large;"><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">The Lord will guide you always; he will
satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You
will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail.
(Isaiah 58:11).</p></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">You are the God who sees me . . . (Genesis
16:13).<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVDv1Yh8xKule8Rwl5BbfwLk6a8VOeBpiMpgWB-oY5dVj89LrKva44lKDkJu5MxNdshGVKlMzPB2PV26I8KzOh_y27quPwDLyqWzbZoyk83kc-Lr7AcCFdApqN9rqXAlHLUTa9fkJgTokwmNL9nP18qUtnP_ECMKqDMvwvjBkglGycTF2ZO5fgvFyy0Ho9/s3317/Tulip%2024-2.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2999" data-original-width="3317" height="578" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVDv1Yh8xKule8Rwl5BbfwLk6a8VOeBpiMpgWB-oY5dVj89LrKva44lKDkJu5MxNdshGVKlMzPB2PV26I8KzOh_y27quPwDLyqWzbZoyk83kc-Lr7AcCFdApqN9rqXAlHLUTa9fkJgTokwmNL9nP18qUtnP_ECMKqDMvwvjBkglGycTF2ZO5fgvFyy0Ho9/w640-h578/Tulip%2024-2.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: x-large;"><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">Then will the lame leap like a deer, and
the mute tongue shout for you. Water will gush forth in the wilderness and
streams in the desert. (Isaiah 35:6).</p></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Forget the former things; do not dwell on
the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive
it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland (Isaiah
43:18-19).</span><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: x-large;"> </span></p><script type="text/javascript">
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</script></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">Beverly Varnado's most recent book is In Search of the Painted Bunting, a middle grade historical from Elk Lake Publishing, #1 in new releases in its category. She is also the author of several small town romances from Anaiah Press including her latest, A Season for Everything. All are available at Amazon.
To explore the web version of One Ringing Bell, please visit bev-oneringingbell.blogspot.com
To sign up for her newsletter, go to http://eepurl.com/dHNdsX
Beverly Varnado copyright 2023</div>Beverly Varnadohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05190251885118181305noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-784511511915556822.post-57448431009985467472024-03-12T06:00:00.002-04:002024-03-12T08:52:13.862-04:00When you just need to ask<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhkPp_XO-LU3HiMyIyemWTeyzzMxZUA_Z5Lnsp73tXnjJJgscjcRIKbDD7eRg8gLAWinhA71b2SV1kvrYf9Ts2ObhqTjKUjTsZSDDeREe8Hc34d4uwyDNdI-Ce4CrsJ3qOVEIIM6ps_-Ty-c3rbKPRhcvhW43n5_RZ7OhF7UVhmQ-Z4XMqPFAVQvq2KnHQK" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><img alt="" border="0" height="558" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_7345458067968662978" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhkPp_XO-LU3HiMyIyemWTeyzzMxZUA_Z5Lnsp73tXnjJJgscjcRIKbDD7eRg8gLAWinhA71b2SV1kvrYf9Ts2ObhqTjKUjTsZSDDeREe8Hc34d4uwyDNdI-Ce4CrsJ3qOVEIIM6ps_-Ty-c3rbKPRhcvhW43n5_RZ7OhF7UVhmQ-Z4XMqPFAVQvq2KnHQK=w640-h558" width="640" /></a></div><div dir="ltr"><br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">“Don’t bargain with God. Be direct. Ask
for what you need. This isn’t a cat-and-mouse, hide-and-seek game we’re in” (Matthew
7:7).</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Wilbur and Lucy enjoy a little squirrel gazing together above, but one of our daughters has a pet cat who is
very friendly with her pet mouse, an unusual relationship. I don’t think the
way they relate to each other is what Matthew is talking about in this verse.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">He’s saying instead of playing games, hesitating,
and avoiding, we need to go directly before God with our requests.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">It’s interesting how often we will do
everything in our own strength to solve a problem and suffer the consequences
of doing so before we stop and ask God to help us.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Of course, our asking should be filtered
through the line in the Lord’s prayer, “Your will be done on earth as it is in
heaven” (Matthew 6:10). What the author Jan Karon calls “the prayer that never
fails,” which her character, Father Tim, often refers to. And of course, we
need to check our motivations for what we’re asking. Is a thirty-foot yacht
really in keeping with what the Lord has for us? Could be, but the answer to our request depends on
His purpose--not our desire alone, but our need.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Paul wrote to the Hebrews, “Let us then
approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy
and find grace to help us in our time of need.” When we approach the Lord, we
go as His children. We go with confidence before the Lord knowing He hears our prayers.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">And when the Lord replies, we need to
receive the answer and not resort again to our own devices if God’s response
doesn’t look like what we imagined. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">So, if you’re realizing you haven’t asked
concerning a situation you’re in, now would be a good time. Who knows what the
Lord may do?</span></span></p></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">Beverly Varnado's most recent book is In Search of the Painted Bunting, a middle grade historical from Elk Lake Publishing, #1 in new releases in its category. She is also the author of several small town romances from Anaiah Press including her latest, A Season for Everything. All are available at Amazon.
To explore the web version of One Ringing Bell, please visit bev-oneringingbell.blogspot.com
To sign up for her newsletter, go to http://eepurl.com/dHNdsX
Beverly Varnado copyright 2023</div>Beverly Varnadohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05190251885118181305noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-784511511915556822.post-10529767462114958302024-03-05T06:00:00.001-05:002024-03-05T06:00:00.142-05:00Hidden Figures<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi7qw208UXetK4jogoFfpeORTI-BGwH31tZzwLfBIt6q_CzJim3C9zImGWTsEVRDIw-miblDxyMnNBuDoIEHYbytn057jS8vfjteV5WFl_8r3sL28Hw8I9MBpgX2hjsVN0dQBiR61DJmL_V7-8wrCRfRNRfmjvy6B8tXFolWM36CsiH6-q2xgmMU056DqEX" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="480" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_7342549792365797266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi7qw208UXetK4jogoFfpeORTI-BGwH31tZzwLfBIt6q_CzJim3C9zImGWTsEVRDIw-miblDxyMnNBuDoIEHYbytn057jS8vfjteV5WFl_8r3sL28Hw8I9MBpgX2hjsVN0dQBiR61DJmL_V7-8wrCRfRNRfmjvy6B8tXFolWM36CsiH6-q2xgmMU056DqEX=w640-h480" width="640" /></a></div><div dir="ltr"><br /><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Here at our house, we recently rewatched <i>Hidden Figures,</i>
a movie which highlights the story of Black women who computed mathematical equations
that helped put our American astronauts into space in the early 1960’s. These
women’s names were not known or forgotten by most of us until the movie brought
them to our attention. With this story fresh on my mind, my daily Bible reading
took me to the twentieth and twenty-first chapters of Acts. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">I came across Sopater, Aristarchus, Secundus, Tychicus, Trophimus,
and Timothy. Except for Timothy, these names are not household words, but they
had been chosen to accompany Paul as delegates from the various churches to take
money to the Jerusalem church—important
work.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Then In chapter
twenty-one, with Paul still on his way to Jerusalem, we find this verse, “Some
of the disciples from Caesarea accompanied us and brought us to the home of
Mnason, where we were to stay. He was a man from Cyprus and one of the early
disciples.” Mnason (correct spelling), provided lodging for Paul and his
companions just before they reached their destination. Luke, the writer of
Acts, thought his contribution to the church significant enough that he noted
him as an “early disciple.” Yet, though I had read this verse many times
through the years, I did not remember his name. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Though several
of these names are mentioned other places in the New Testament, still, they
remain mostly “hidden figures.” <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Jerry pastors
a church which started in the 1820’s probably as a brush arbor birthed
out of the second great awakening. I’ve often thought of the “great cloud of witnesses”
who have passed through the church in the two hundred years since its founding
but who may only be remembered now by a weather worn monument in the cemetery.
And yet, their faithfulness continues to help spread the gospel in this corner
of the world. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">If there is a
marquee in heaven, I wonder if on it we might see names we never knew on this
side, but whose lives were integral in what God wanted to do in the world. Those
would be the ones who prayed behind closed doors, who labored in unseen jobs
which supported the church, who persevered despite criticism, and who did not
seek recognition.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Though our
work may not be footnoted in the annals of church history, our faithfulness
matters. If you sometimes feel as if your work is unseen, God sees it. His
smile is on you. From his perspective, you will never be a “hidden figure.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">“Therefore,
since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off
everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run
with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the
pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the
cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God”
(Hebrews 12:1-2).<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"> </span></o:p></p></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">Beverly Varnado's most recent book is In Search of the Painted Bunting, a middle grade historical from Elk Lake Publishing, #1 in new releases in its category. She is also the author of several small town romances from Anaiah Press including her latest, A Season for Everything. All are available at Amazon.
To explore the web version of One Ringing Bell, please visit bev-oneringingbell.blogspot.com
To sign up for her newsletter, go to http://eepurl.com/dHNdsX
Beverly Varnado copyright 2023</div>Beverly Varnadohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05190251885118181305noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-784511511915556822.post-75046917905057460632024-02-28T09:22:00.004-05:002024-02-28T14:18:03.154-05:00When things don't turn out the way you hoped<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhCLKTX9T3F8Pxq7eLtLHLZYPU-eohGIAZfN611yP7YLde-9Mow0WMmmtX1HLNC4Oj5kGZPrj0hm2b-AVuBEpx_xFFOkFfysMDY5xw9VItg_XjdjnE7Irym8CEKnPSTVBJH20wcSAlLa2uCIDWtwG9CaVdu1gimA0psrCDgcpq8Sk3b76GU1y8JHB9U2UG6" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="512" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_7339960285276740642" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhCLKTX9T3F8Pxq7eLtLHLZYPU-eohGIAZfN611yP7YLde-9Mow0WMmmtX1HLNC4Oj5kGZPrj0hm2b-AVuBEpx_xFFOkFfysMDY5xw9VItg_XjdjnE7Irym8CEKnPSTVBJH20wcSAlLa2uCIDWtwG9CaVdu1gimA0psrCDgcpq8Sk3b76GU1y8JHB9U2UG6=w640-h512" width="640" /></a></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-indent: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; text-indent: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;"></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-indent: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; text-indent: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;">According to Mr.
Webster, to disappoint means “to fail to satisfy the hope, desire, or
expectation of.”</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-indent: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">We speak of times
of disappointment in sentences which begin with should have or could have.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-indent: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">I’ve found
disappointment to be one of the most finely honed weapons in the enemy’s arsenal.
If we’re not watchful, disappointment can lead to a root of bitterness which
can quickly take root in our lives and like cancer, eat away all that’s good.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-indent: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">When
disappointment leaves us protesting, “I didn’t know it was going to turn out
like this,” we must make a choice not to embrace toxic thoughts by choosing to
replace those thoughts with God’s word.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-indent: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">I keep coming back
to this quote, “Can it be that which seems to oppose the will of God
actually is used of Him to accomplish the will of God? That which seems evil
only seems so because of perspective, the way the eyes see the shadows. Above
the clouds, light never stops shining.” —Ann Voskamp<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-indent: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Faith only begins
to flex its muscles in times when the darkness settles in around us. Faith is
“our handle on what we can’t see” (Hebrews 11:5 Hebrews).<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-indent: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Even in times of
great disappointment, through faith, we choose to fix our eyes on Jesus.
Whatever situation left our hopes, desires, and expectations wanting, we may
trust God will use it for our good and His glory. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-indent: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">“…those who hope
in me will not be disappointed” (Isaiah 49:23).<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-indent: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">“We continue to
shout our praise even when we’re hemmed in with troubles, because we know how
troubles can develop passionate patience in us, and how that patience in turn
forges the tempered steel of virtue, keeping us alert for whatever God will do
next. In alert expectancy such as this, we’re never left feeling shortchanged.
Quite the contrary—we can’t round up enough containers to hold everything God
generously pours into our lives through the Holy Spirit!” (Romans 5:3-5 The
Message).<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-indent: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">“And hope does not
disappoint us…” (Romans 5:5).</span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: x-large;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-indent: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">(I'm using a new theme on my blog. If you'd like to share, it's the little arrow on the bottom left. Thanks!)</span></p><script type="text/javascript">
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</script><div class="blogger-post-footer">Beverly Varnado's most recent book is In Search of the Painted Bunting, a middle grade historical from Elk Lake Publishing, #1 in new releases in its category. She is also the author of several small town romances from Anaiah Press including her latest, A Season for Everything. All are available at Amazon.
To explore the web version of One Ringing Bell, please visit bev-oneringingbell.blogspot.com
To sign up for her newsletter, go to http://eepurl.com/dHNdsX
Beverly Varnado copyright 2023</div>Beverly Varnadohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05190251885118181305noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-784511511915556822.post-77446297967764956942024-02-20T07:58:00.000-05:002024-02-20T07:58:35.071-05:00The lost sheep, a tax collector, and what might have happened<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhQbQwsLdBaQnrR0eRtkKaGRSUA6k717MYZzh9DgFUC9oW_5usoBh_or0iVNew8Cd20yZOsRnDg_NMP8TwW9LdVq-8tN0Ersnsjyp8DWk_K3bdpu26Hrs0x0Albr307-4ve7oVNcxjhK3payY3S3Sp03QFJtbZP-3lKfDv2Ss6dyDInppzVsHI8R64kQuFW" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="480" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_7337490420805342674" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhQbQwsLdBaQnrR0eRtkKaGRSUA6k717MYZzh9DgFUC9oW_5usoBh_or0iVNew8Cd20yZOsRnDg_NMP8TwW9LdVq-8tN0Ersnsjyp8DWk_K3bdpu26Hrs0x0Albr307-4ve7oVNcxjhK3payY3S3Sp03QFJtbZP-3lKfDv2Ss6dyDInppzVsHI8R64kQuFW=w640-h480" width="640" /></a></div><div dir="ltr"><br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">I pushed in closer to hear the teacher, Jesus.
The gaze of the Pharisees burned on my back —those religious men who wouldn’t speak
to me in the street and paraded around like kings in their fancy garments meting
out their judgements. I didn’t speak their language, and they sure didn’t speak
mine. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">One of them said about Jesus, “This man
welcomes sinners and eats with them.” The shame washed over me as the words found
their mark—they thought little of people like me.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Though some called him Rabbi, Jesus seemed
different from the other religious people. He told stories and spoke in ways I could
understand. Wearing a simple garment, he didn’t set himself apart by the way he
dressed. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">But following him might be more difficult
than I imagined—he’d just told us a person has to give up everything to be his
disciple.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">My fingers tightened around my money bag. All
right I’d admit it, I’d taken a cut of the taxes. Did this Jesus know? A woman
I'd met by the well said he could look right into a person’s heart. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">The teacher lifted his hand as he spoke, “Suppose
one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Before my tax collecting job, I worked as
a shepherd for a while—too lonely and dirty for my taste. I knew I would have been
in big trouble had I lost one of the flock. </span><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: x-large;">I knew about being lost, too, me being an orphan from an early age, never had a home to speak of. I've traveled from place to place, doing various jobs, finally stopping here as a tax collector--only to be despised.</span><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: x-large;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">“Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine in the
open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it?”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">All the shepherds I knew would have. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">“Then he calls his friends and neighbors
together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.’”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Another sheep herder I knew once lost a sheep and was sure glad to find it in a
thicket, because he wouldn’t have to report it to his boss. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Jesus shifted his gaze before he spoke
again. And now, he stared straight at me. I swallowed hard.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">“I tell you that in the same way there
will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over
ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Those eyes. He could see. He knew what I’d
done. Not just taking the money, but all of it—the lies, the envy, the jealousy,
and the bitterness that controlled me at times. And yet, love radiated from
him, not condemnation, and it overwhelmed me with its power.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">For a moment I stood unable to move, and
then, I broke away, slipping back through the crowd, as fast as my sandals
would carry me. The teacher continued to speak, words about a lost coin
ringing out over those gathered. My chest grew tight as I tried to hold myself together. I needed
someplace private to do what I needed to do. I kept walking, almost running to get
beyond the crowd, and then I saw it, out of sight from everyone—an empty sheep pen, the perfect spot.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">I was that sinner Jesus spoke about who
needed to repent—the lost sheep—hated by most. I collapsed, my face to the ground, and cried out,
“Oh God, I have sinned against you and
others, too. Please forgive me.” My tears made tracks mingling with the dust
and dirt on my face, and the sound of my sobs rose in the air. I threw my money bag, my pride,
my self-will, and my hatred of those who looked down on me in that same dust. I
decided somehow, and I didn’t know how, I’d try to make it right about what I’d
taken.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">It didn’t matter anymore that the religious
people hated me, because this Jesus saw everything about me and yet His love, His
presence changed everything. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">From a distance, the words of Jesus echoed again, “I tell
you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner
who repents.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">As if on cue, a shepherd with a flock of sheep arrived from the field to spend the night in the pen.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">I couldn't help but think that like them, it was good to be under the shepherd's care.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">(Luke 15:4-7 in quotes, the rest fiction, but maybe not.)</span></p></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">Beverly Varnado's most recent book is In Search of the Painted Bunting, a middle grade historical from Elk Lake Publishing, #1 in new releases in its category. She is also the author of several small town romances from Anaiah Press including her latest, A Season for Everything. All are available at Amazon.
To explore the web version of One Ringing Bell, please visit bev-oneringingbell.blogspot.com
To sign up for her newsletter, go to http://eepurl.com/dHNdsX
Beverly Varnado copyright 2023</div>Beverly Varnadohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05190251885118181305noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-784511511915556822.post-62793013915206525862024-02-13T08:51:00.003-05:002024-02-13T08:53:11.983-05:00Walking, love, and sacrifice<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiHBAfXzyXQFMlHD5l-vEKp7JLe_If46SFLl1F1xqeo9sr9iGocVxhpiSAN3sbVT-j4LMFeoQG6Ee-hsNmE-M1ZOEbeOGsaejv9wO165phP2I-vN9354d6hCyqXrGdLXjYa8rO4cYsEjdpIl1WMw7mlohHjbB_W2z03-kOEKaDtOhdWoB-RpI_9w5cIIlv6" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="572" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_7334836685953473698" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiHBAfXzyXQFMlHD5l-vEKp7JLe_If46SFLl1F1xqeo9sr9iGocVxhpiSAN3sbVT-j4LMFeoQG6Ee-hsNmE-M1ZOEbeOGsaejv9wO165phP2I-vN9354d6hCyqXrGdLXjYa8rO4cYsEjdpIl1WMw7mlohHjbB_W2z03-kOEKaDtOhdWoB-RpI_9w5cIIlv6=w640-h572" width="640" /></a></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">From a recent Bible lesson, this verse from
Ephesians keeps coming back to me: “ . . . walk in the way of love, just as
Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice
to God” (Ephesians 5:2).</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Tomorrow is Valentine's Day, a day set
aside to celebrate love, but it is also Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent—a
season for contemplating the price Jesus paid on our behalf, the cost he
expended out of His great love for us. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Love and sacrifice are often two sides of
the same coin—most parents know this truth. But there is no greater example than
that of what Jesus did for us on the cross. Because of what He did, the apostle
Paul instructed the people of Ephesus, to “walk in the way of love” just as
Jesus did. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">The amplified version reads, “. . . walk
continually in love [that is, value one another—practice empathy and
compassion, unselfishly seeking the best for others] . . .” These are high aims
and certainly will involve sacrifice. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">When we value another, we spend our time
and thought to see them as God sees them and bring encouragement to their lives.
When we express empathy or compassion, we risk feeling pain ourselves. When we
seek the best for others, we often relinquish part of ourselves to see that goal
accomplished. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">When Jerry and I take our daily walks with the big brown Aussiedor Lucy, sometimes we don't look forward to the long trek, but we take it one step at a time. It's down a hill, around the corner, up a hill--not a level course. It's that way with walking in love--it will be up and down sometimes, but eventually we make it home.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Ephesians 5:2 comes under a
section in my Bible titled, “Instructions for Christian Living.” Really, all
the instructions are summed in these few words, “ . . . walk in the way of love
. . .” Living this way is costly, but always the best way. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Aiming to walk with you, friends.</span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p><script type="text/javascript">
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</script><div class="blogger-post-footer">Beverly Varnado's most recent book is In Search of the Painted Bunting, a middle grade historical from Elk Lake Publishing, #1 in new releases in its category. She is also the author of several small town romances from Anaiah Press including her latest, A Season for Everything. All are available at Amazon.
To explore the web version of One Ringing Bell, please visit bev-oneringingbell.blogspot.com
To sign up for her newsletter, go to http://eepurl.com/dHNdsX
Beverly Varnado copyright 2023</div>Beverly Varnadohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05190251885118181305noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-784511511915556822.post-61828196268494428322024-02-06T08:36:00.001-05:002024-02-06T08:36:12.696-05:00Not a Tourist<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh-ZBGDPUe8rF4ke3e886pF47tqLWXb6_YdHX9krP3uHR95bbgywic9ilGHARCnznyXeIQm4rF6sOfDooN0_rDBZV3qB4mFSjfGuyFaGaXkFf3Oqgyco7oYLKzJuSvI5Z1WU4Rnbaq4qkdll9PfAeAldKszMuXB1-3-RPp0MNpKaqZPsvdZwM_QscMRRNB4" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="480" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_7332243478216804850" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh-ZBGDPUe8rF4ke3e886pF47tqLWXb6_YdHX9krP3uHR95bbgywic9ilGHARCnznyXeIQm4rF6sOfDooN0_rDBZV3qB4mFSjfGuyFaGaXkFf3Oqgyco7oYLKzJuSvI5Z1WU4Rnbaq4qkdll9PfAeAldKszMuXB1-3-RPp0MNpKaqZPsvdZwM_QscMRRNB4=w640-h480" width="640" /></a></div><div dir="ltr"><br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">On a chilly January day, I visited Driftwood
Beach on Jekyll Island, one of the Golden Isles off the coast of Georgia. I’d
been there years before, but I decided to make another visit. I parked my car
along the road and read license plates of vehicles mostly from points north,
likely snowbirds looking to get out of the frozen tundra. A beaten sandy path emerged
onto the shore where giant trees and roots had turned to driftwood—stark and
somewhat eerie wood pieces made this way by the wearing of countless tides.
Even on a grey day, a steady stream of visitors came and went. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhSgWO2T0IOds5g73euRwBbJLANCcYpH3RBzBSBbe2CfKTqiY8OQISDHEmoBRuRQcMvXzeyMULZKSxudqRKvZFdGmAUieBA8HSK1kRVUMKVfbtbaKDtSM-w4Jr5p0jLBbhJ5iChrgPO70UTEGa796uHAVNNf1Skv9V9ZpCVRvsWwxNWLpSh3SUFqGA8xKEI" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="480" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_7332243807316835842" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhSgWO2T0IOds5g73euRwBbJLANCcYpH3RBzBSBbe2CfKTqiY8OQISDHEmoBRuRQcMvXzeyMULZKSxudqRKvZFdGmAUieBA8HSK1kRVUMKVfbtbaKDtSM-w4Jr5p0jLBbhJ5iChrgPO70UTEGa796uHAVNNf1Skv9V9ZpCVRvsWwxNWLpSh3SUFqGA8xKEI=w640-h480" width="640" /></a></div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhZ0eNnyPZ3Wr4NTqdmM_trW2rviTS0RHFUP6AQRbFACF1sum7ttDqoqcD9KgmHc6FIdVU5cWBxizrBSx3iHBQVLKRiBxDKy32HvrGJbJhMYLZcjbSwFGkceh6bYNjGX8HPl6aFGF5zTRou0h-CkB38KvcZHKOY6UasbcyQTFPzQ5ha2U8BF5kYoMGXp0BD" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium;"><img alt="" border="0" height="480" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_7332244454657569266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhZ0eNnyPZ3Wr4NTqdmM_trW2rviTS0RHFUP6AQRbFACF1sum7ttDqoqcD9KgmHc6FIdVU5cWBxizrBSx3iHBQVLKRiBxDKy32HvrGJbJhMYLZcjbSwFGkceh6bYNjGX8HPl6aFGF5zTRou0h-CkB38KvcZHKOY6UasbcyQTFPzQ5ha2U8BF5kYoMGXp0BD=w640-h480" width="640" /></a><br /></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">The flow of sightseers resonated with me
and connected with a point I sensed the Lord had been bringing to mind. A
tourist by definition is one who tours for pleasure— they only stay for a moment
or a season as it suits them. You won’t see a moving van at the Eiffel Tower or
Mount Rushmore or the Statue of Liberty.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">In the spiritual sense, true followers of
Jesus don’t buy a ticket, take a look
around, and then leave when their feet start hurting. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">One of my all time favorite verses is Matthew
6:33, here in the Amplified, “But first and most importantly seek (aim at,
strive after) His kingdom and His righteousness [His way of doing and being
right—the attitude and character of God} and all these things will be given to
you also.” Our seeking His kingdom is at first a onetime surrender of all we
are and then a daily surrender. We strive for it above everything else in our
lives and leave the rest to Him. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">The antonym of tourist is inhabitant—we
inhabit the kingdom of God and God inhabits us—an exchange of our life for His.
We don’t change our itinerary because a storm is rolling in. We take up
residence in Him who is our “refuge and strength.” <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">We’re not looking to only get a passport
stamp that reads “Saved” but we’re looking to live out the daily walk with
Jesus. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">In the spiritual sense, let’s aim to not
be tourists. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">However, I will admit being a tourist at Driftwood Beach is nice,
especially in January. </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><i style="color: red;">As Valentines Day approaches, an author colleague is hosting fourteen other authors (including me) in a giveaway. My day is tomorrow, February 7 and I'll be giving away a signed copy of </i><span style="color: red;">A Plan for Everything</span><i style="color: red;"> and a Valentines Day mug. The details are on her site. Click on the image below to www.SuzieWaltner.com. I hope you win!!</i></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://suziewaltner.com/" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" height="400" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_7329883012130665986" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj0LXeoIrunCRKfgzgcut_P39UFp5y0Ab4jLllo6MgEdgMpaEYUeEMK6x0l4RGNYlpqlftqixVVp3jrjj21xwPIQh-h11XDSo5Hu9-wOiC-IMffz_Sdbl3HMN0BiLZYdc0Rk7dmeC_o0k5ZpzO7ApXDOK4kzs_8qhBiVIe9a2V9IDtU033akC438L-K5wwD=w400-h400" width="400" /></a></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><i style="color: red;"></i></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p></div><br id="lineBreakAtBeginningOfSignature" /><div dir="ltr"><div><div><br /></div></div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">Beverly Varnado's most recent book is In Search of the Painted Bunting, a middle grade historical from Elk Lake Publishing, #1 in new releases in its category. She is also the author of several small town romances from Anaiah Press including her latest, A Season for Everything. All are available at Amazon.
To explore the web version of One Ringing Bell, please visit bev-oneringingbell.blogspot.com
To sign up for her newsletter, go to http://eepurl.com/dHNdsX
Beverly Varnado copyright 2023</div>Beverly Varnadohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05190251885118181305noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-784511511915556822.post-79655931160240485912024-01-30T08:38:00.004-05:002024-01-30T14:17:10.130-05:00What you can hear in the fog<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgI0OLWtmICk-0iZDL0bfU7YPqDlw5Np68JwnCCf2jNJey4ZsOte-4tEzqE_fIzbFJIb0Sim6CiwrZRBTqiAN8WPW7QGUgsiskXvaOP9Y50ZwJvH7SbMTvtqRusNIN2neiIsJcWWiPd7nRF9LRn-VmyfyGkqdu7-NXLTaUMwCgiZn1UEahC6zuKtHPiDek-" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="640" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_7329607199598237218" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgI0OLWtmICk-0iZDL0bfU7YPqDlw5Np68JwnCCf2jNJey4ZsOte-4tEzqE_fIzbFJIb0Sim6CiwrZRBTqiAN8WPW7QGUgsiskXvaOP9Y50ZwJvH7SbMTvtqRusNIN2neiIsJcWWiPd7nRF9LRn-VmyfyGkqdu7-NXLTaUMwCgiZn1UEahC6zuKtHPiDek-=w480-h640" width="480" /></a></div><div dir="ltr"><br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span>I awoke
in the night to intermittent horn blasts while staying on the coast for a short
writing retreat. What were they? My mind rifled through possibilities. Were
ships making the sounds or were the British invading again as they did back in
1815 ? Early in the morning I went to check it out by car and as soon as I crossed the
causeway to the beach, I realized the issue</span><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">. I found myself in dense fog which must have set those horns blaring.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">But what was the source of the sounds? I’ve since read in the local
paper they originated from a couple of dredges working in the shipping channel.
The article cited rule thirty-five of the International Navigation rules which
I investigated. To paraphrase it says vessels standing still in the water when
in limited visibility are required by law to sound blasts at not more than two-minute
intervals. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Later, I hopped on my bike and headed toward the beach. Folks sitting
in beach chairs could see each other but not the water and my visibility was
just enough to stop my bike if something were in front of me.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">The fog was with us off and on for days and so were the horns trying to
help those huge cargo ships coming through the channel avoid collisions. As I
stood at the pier one morning, I couldn’t see it, but engines churned
as a giant vessel made its way through
the channel, courtesy of the horns and navigation technologies. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">The apostle Paul wrote to the Corinthians, “We don’t yet see things
clearly. We’re squinting in a fog, peering through a mist” (I Corinthians 13:12
The Message). <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">We’ve all experienced times in life when we can’t see our hands in
front of us and have no idea what could happen next. For us, it feels like a
collision could be imminent. But God is present in the fog of circumstance and faithful
to be with us to guide us, sounding the warning like the fog horns, helping us
know in limited visibility how to avoid a crash. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">And sometimes, with everything else cloaked in mist and distractions minimized, that is when we can hear most clearly the voice of the Lord. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">In a recent sermon, my pastor husband pointed out that in our
difficulties, God has set limits just as he did with Job when he allowed the
enemy to test him. The foggy time will not last forever, so let’s continue to
trust and listen to the Lord. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Prayers for you, friends, who may find yourself in the fog. God is
close.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="color: red; font-family: georgia; font-size: large; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><i>As Valentines Day approaches, an author colleague is hosting fourteen other authors (including me) in a giveaway. The details are on her site and will go live on February 1. On that date, click on the image below to www.SuzieWaltner.com. I hope you win!!</i></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://suziewaltner.com/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="400" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_7329883012130665986" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj0LXeoIrunCRKfgzgcut_P39UFp5y0Ab4jLllo6MgEdgMpaEYUeEMK6x0l4RGNYlpqlftqixVVp3jrjj21xwPIQh-h11XDSo5Hu9-wOiC-IMffz_Sdbl3HMN0BiLZYdc0Rk7dmeC_o0k5ZpzO7ApXDOK4kzs_8qhBiVIe9a2V9IDtU033akC438L-K5wwD=w400-h400" width="400" /></a></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><br /></p></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">Beverly Varnado's most recent book is In Search of the Painted Bunting, a middle grade historical from Elk Lake Publishing, #1 in new releases in its category. She is also the author of several small town romances from Anaiah Press including her latest, A Season for Everything. All are available at Amazon.
To explore the web version of One Ringing Bell, please visit bev-oneringingbell.blogspot.com
To sign up for her newsletter, go to http://eepurl.com/dHNdsX
Beverly Varnado copyright 2023</div>Beverly Varnadohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05190251885118181305noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-784511511915556822.post-77951819450107857152024-01-23T08:43:00.000-05:002024-01-23T08:43:16.621-05:00Broad strokes<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEikOSqUavveSD9llnwYjZC5m-yjAhw3UcJngQ5Um2adkHVzjBuvPN_BriGEDf8Xcy5QrihCm_jyIbMk_2E0CWNbIU0HAbEe6ue17UPm8nWXzxeNkodNETDulZ_Dc4wwa8SI5RWZpCGpR4mLsHIeVoidaWmVZodEIpDcLusau-w9WgQ9cwlwVDOvhvMNfhLu" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="426" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_7326940763051746930" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEikOSqUavveSD9llnwYjZC5m-yjAhw3UcJngQ5Um2adkHVzjBuvPN_BriGEDf8Xcy5QrihCm_jyIbMk_2E0CWNbIU0HAbEe6ue17UPm8nWXzxeNkodNETDulZ_Dc4wwa8SI5RWZpCGpR4mLsHIeVoidaWmVZodEIpDcLusau-w9WgQ9cwlwVDOvhvMNfhLu=w640-h426" width="640" /></a></div><div dir="ltr"><br /><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">As
an artist, I struggle to capture a subject with broad strokes. Representational
art at least in the range of my ability requires smaller brushes to capture
detail. There are exceptions to this—works of art that lean more toward the contemporary or more abstract
pieces can be executed with larger brushes. Granted, experts in their craft can
do anything. I have a way to go to reach that level. My point in all this is
that broad strokes, at least for me, often miss the details. And details can make
all the difference.</span></div><div dir="ltr">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">And
yet, in our culture, we are leaning more into the use of painting others in
wide swaths. We place folks in a broad category whether it be political, faith, or something else and assign
them characteristics that we have already predetermined go with a person in
that category. When we do that, we’ve stopped listening, because listening is
the only way we find out the details. We’ve thrown away our small brushes. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">It hurts my heart when I see or hear this done. Recently, I heard
someone use a broad-brush stroke referring to others with a differing view as
God-less. I had a friend who fit the category referred to, and knew they were
not God-less, in fact they were God-full. Someone who has a differing view may
be wrong (or not) in their thinking, but it doesn’t mean they are apart from
God. I may have seen things differently than the person referenced but their
hearts were after God. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Rather than jettisoning others because of wide categories and broad
strokes, let’s look and listen for the details that may bring us together. You
may be saying, well, if they think “x, y, or z” then I don’t want to hear
anything else they have to say. Really? We have to ask ourselves what would the
Biblical response be? If we truly see these folks apart from God, then we have
an even greater burden to build a bridge. Paul said, “I have become all things
to all people so that by all possible means I might save some” (I Corinthians
9:22). <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">I understand this is not easy. It’s less trouble to just lump folks into
categories and try to get away from them because we don’t want to hear differing
views. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">But please, let’s get rid of those big brushes. Let’s take out the
smaller ones that can capture the fine points that may change everything. I’m
here painting alongside you, friend!<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><br id="lineBreakAtBeginningOfSignature" /><div dir="ltr"><div><div><br /></div></div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">Beverly Varnado's most recent book is In Search of the Painted Bunting, a middle grade historical from Elk Lake Publishing, #1 in new releases in its category. She is also the author of several small town romances from Anaiah Press including her latest, A Season for Everything. All are available at Amazon.
To explore the web version of One Ringing Bell, please visit bev-oneringingbell.blogspot.com
To sign up for her newsletter, go to http://eepurl.com/dHNdsX
Beverly Varnado copyright 2023</div>Beverly Varnadohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05190251885118181305noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-784511511915556822.post-5822479196117064722024-01-16T06:00:00.002-05:002024-01-16T09:16:53.748-05:00High Places and the words that made such a difference<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="color: #b4a7d6;">I am
working on a couple of writing projects. Every time I start a big project, I go through the
angst of wondering if I can do it. Staring at a blank page can be intimidating,
especially when you know you have at least two hundred and fifty more of them in front
of you. But I keep hearing words I received years ago--words I believe came from the Lord. I originally wrote this piece as a segment in a travel memoir called "Dream Summer," which you can search for on my blog. I’m dropping in
as our family navigates Yellowstone. This is an excerpt from a piece called “High
Places.”</span><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoLyEOwomWimSpHKUj2z1LaTUpzU5XS6R8hTfL0zYzRfuMGFdEILJIwHVBg3y8Z89H1MkYeQultO5uq2HLjn_RGuTaR2Yf7VJaoceJSAsHtWh1kqccgqTNiQNm4nc9kcAJuaUTFThsMns6VOtD7l3-HsJhQ4ZH4EPYPh4a0-hINxYCSVSUTykfe7QCIGRC/s1093/Lower%20falls%20of%20yellowstone%20edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1093" data-original-width="695" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoLyEOwomWimSpHKUj2z1LaTUpzU5XS6R8hTfL0zYzRfuMGFdEILJIwHVBg3y8Z89H1MkYeQultO5uq2HLjn_RGuTaR2Yf7VJaoceJSAsHtWh1kqccgqTNiQNm4nc9kcAJuaUTFThsMns6VOtD7l3-HsJhQ4ZH4EPYPh4a0-hINxYCSVSUTykfe7QCIGRC/w406-h640/Lower%20falls%20of%20yellowstone%20edited.jpg" width="406" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;">At the
lower falls of the Yellowstone, it seemed we perched on a few rocks thrown together
along the canyon walls. I peered over a ledge and gasped. It had to be a drop
of at least 50,000 feet.</span></p></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">But I
forgot my fear as I gazed at the thundering falls-- awesome, powerful, and
astoundingly beautiful. An incredible work of God—a high place, indeed.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">“Mommy,
you’re hurting my hand,” our youngest daughter said. I loosened my grip a bit to
give her relief but continued to hold it. My seven-year-old had proven herself
untrustworthy by jumping off the walkway at Mammoth Hot springs to inspect a
little hole in the ground. Thankfully, her landing spot was solid earth and not
molten lava. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">On our
exodus toward the North Gate of Yellowstone, meadows and wildlife surrounded
us, and then we went through a pass in the mountains gliding on to nothing. I
didn’t know we’d been in a hanging valley and the road at this point was
supported at times not by good solid earth, but suspended over the canyon by I
don’t know what. When the road did lie on terra firma, the wheels of our
converted van barely made traction along the top of the sheer cliffs. I’d look
out the window at the drop and feel my stomach leave me. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">We were riding
through the air on four wheels—another
high place.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">But as
high places go, nothing could prepare us for the spiritual heights to which God
would take us as we headed to a family camp high in the Montana mountains. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">It was
here, near the timberline, that God confirmed in my heart the long-held dream
of writing a book. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">“Beverly,”
I heard the worship leader say one evening as I was leaving a meeting. He
approached me, “I sense God saying that you’re afraid to go after what God is
telling you.” <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">He was
right about that.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">He went on,
“I believe he’s saying, ‘Do it afraid.’ And that he will confirm whatever this
is to you.’<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">I’d just
met this man days before and wondered if he was indeed hearing from the Lord.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">But, that
night in a dream, I saw a book, and the title was, “Ask and it shall be given
you.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">As I began to ask that old enemy of self-doubt continued to hound me, but I repeated those words, </span><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: x-large;">“Do it
afraid,” often through the years.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Just like
Peter wanted to put up shelters on the mount of transfiguration, I wanted to
stay on this mountain. But, if we want to get to beauty, we must face our fear.
So, when we left the camp on Friday, we were making a descent in more than one
way. Oswald Chambers says, <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">“We have
all had times on the mount when we have seen things from God’s standpoint and
have wanted to stay there; but God will never allow us to stay there. The test
of our spiritual life is the power to descend; if we have power to rise only,
something is wrong. It is a great thing to be on the mount with God, but a man
only gets there in order that afterwards he may get down among the
devil-possessed and lift them up. We are not built for the mountains and the
dawns and aesthetic affinities; those are for moments of inspiration. That is
all. We are built for the valley, for the ordinary stuff we are in, and that is
where we must prove our mettle”(My Utmost for His Highest).<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">In the
weeks after our return home that summer of 2001, it felt like a valley. The
situation with my mother who had been in rehab, spiraled downward as she received
a terminal diagnosis days after our return and died six weeks later. We began a
yearlong fight against cancer for a dear friend, faced a difficult ministry
situation, and of course suffered 911.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">I
remembered in my pain, and sadness, and grief that God had called my name one
Wednesday night on a Montana mountain. I remembered that I’d seen the rare
beauty of the wild earth God created. I remembered and prayed that I’d be able
to give away the hope God had planted in my heart in the high places and that I
would be able to “Do it afraid.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">As a 2024
addendum, I later used the theme “Do it afraid” in my book <i>Home to Currahee</i>.
When I see the wall in my office with my book covers now numbering seven, I often
remember those words I received on a Montana mountain. If I’d let my self-doubt
which had been so huge continue to hold me, those covers would not be on the
wall. Those books would never have been written. The people God hopefully
touched through those books would not have received words of encouragement they
needed. If there is a situation in your life from which you draw back because
it seems so daunting, press ahead. God will help you to “Do it afraid.” All the
glory goes to Him!<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">"Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you" (Matthew 7:7).</span></p><script type="text/javascript">
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</script><div class="blogger-post-footer">Beverly Varnado's most recent book is In Search of the Painted Bunting, a middle grade historical from Elk Lake Publishing, #1 in new releases in its category. She is also the author of several small town romances from Anaiah Press including her latest, A Season for Everything. All are available at Amazon.
To explore the web version of One Ringing Bell, please visit bev-oneringingbell.blogspot.com
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Beverly Varnado copyright 2023</div>Beverly Varnadohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05190251885118181305noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-784511511915556822.post-78562863991772723892024-01-09T06:00:00.001-05:002024-01-09T06:00:00.142-05:00Looking for new life<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhBOy0uSjZQyUh7o0owrztf_l7XPRdDi3QkePoFkbfZtzCxW6eTM7ll48uEtiw8h7Ygl47eaEt2HsWi2OQYPWnQzjfyvmA-4JyJAtpQNYfOW8DdDey2JtXBctb63bCA6aqJuME-C3g4gAMxlRuR-BvNF9g_azJNSrCzlSsQkz7Wst8-WfRsc29QfrJMM6Sz" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="632" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_7321775085939407778" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhBOy0uSjZQyUh7o0owrztf_l7XPRdDi3QkePoFkbfZtzCxW6eTM7ll48uEtiw8h7Ygl47eaEt2HsWi2OQYPWnQzjfyvmA-4JyJAtpQNYfOW8DdDey2JtXBctb63bCA6aqJuME-C3g4gAMxlRuR-BvNF9g_azJNSrCzlSsQkz7Wst8-WfRsc29QfrJMM6Sz=w640-h632" width="640" /></a></div><div dir="ltr"><br /><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">While reading I came again to
that question in chapter 37 of Ezekiel when he is led to a valley full of dry
bones and the Lord asks, “Son of man, can these bones live?”</span></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">As Ezekiel surveyed the boneyard
he seemed to respond with as much faith as he could muster, “Sovereign Lord,
you alone know.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">The Lord told him to prophesy
life over the bones. He did and sure enough, the breath of God entered them. I’ve written a note in my Bible that the
average adult has 206 bones and scripture says when the bones stood on their
feet, they appeared a vast army. Can you imagine the sound of those people
rising?<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">This story is a reminder that no person
is beyond redemption—that the breath of God can bring new
life to any one if they would give themselves to Him. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">When hope
has dwindled, time has passed, and it feels as if nothing will ever change,
this story gives us renewed hope that it is never too late as Ezekiel notes for
God to open the graves. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Months ago,
the cat we call Mama Kitty grew extremely sick. She was jaundiced, and had
stopped eating, which was complicated by other chronic issues including being
allergic to many kinds of food. In the scheme of world events, she was just one
formerly feral cat, but she had always been special to me because she showed up
at our door at a challenging time in our family’s life. On a Monday in October,
the vet gave her a couple of days. She was as good as dead, but I couldn’t give
her up yet. I brought her home and continued to do everything I could, but it
seemed there wasn’t anything that would move the needle. I awoke crying every
morning that week wondering if that would be the day I’d have to make the
dreaded decision to let her go. In the meantime, she laid in my lap while I was
working at the computer and any time I was sitting down. I prayed and prayed. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">We didn’t
know if she was even drinking water at that point. Because Jerry’s back had
been acting up in a serious way, I covertly dug a grave for the cat. Jerry
would have intervened if he’d seen it. It was hard and I cried the whole time,
but I did it. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">On the
third day I sat down with my dinner, a piece of salmon. She stood and sniffed—the
first time she’d shown interest in food in days. I gave her a bit and she ate
it. We knew salmon didn’t have all the nutrients she needed but it was better
than nothing, so we continued giving it to her finally finding a different kind
of limited ingredient food that included
salmon and addressed her allergies. That was over three months ago. The
jaundice disappeared from her skin after about a month, and I caught her
playing with a toy a couple of weeks ago. No, she’s not one hundred percent,
but we’ve had months with her that we wouldn’t have otherwise had. I have no
explanation for it except God did what only he could do. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">That grave
I dug is still out there, the overturned earth mound beside it. I think I’ll
fill it in and plant spring flowers. But meanwhile, when I see it, the message
is nothing is impossible with God, and I’m encouraged about situations for
which I’ve long prayed. Because God can and He does bring the dead back to
life. <o:p></o:p></span></p><div dir="ltr"><div><div><br /></div></div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">Beverly Varnado's most recent book is In Search of the Painted Bunting, a middle grade historical from Elk Lake Publishing, #1 in new releases in its category. She is also the author of several small town romances from Anaiah Press including her latest, A Season for Everything. All are available at Amazon.
To explore the web version of One Ringing Bell, please visit bev-oneringingbell.blogspot.com
To sign up for her newsletter, go to http://eepurl.com/dHNdsX
Beverly Varnado copyright 2023</div>Beverly Varnadohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05190251885118181305noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-784511511915556822.post-17360858716969953272024-01-03T09:02:00.001-05:002024-01-03T09:02:42.212-05:00Taking New Ground<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">At
a critical juncture early in my life, when I was trying to make sense of a
jumbled situation, a wise Godly man said, “Sometimes you just have to take new
ground.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjRHeR1bUdpzqiZyD1IEmZDOjH8uHqOIcI-_rOjaI9zvYXy89p9sHOOZWAtVpQAWCx5UhYvFIvnYG3z2ZtKjxzYSeFv58hnKwIFRUobRWpJe3s0_QM1xQDCuhBZpfCaWKTR_1Za9ci8NeDLR8vOhrgX71dTcODoAv4phjUVLfyhCTOhi5QeOj4MRVEDchvF" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="178" data-original-width="320" height="356" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjRHeR1bUdpzqiZyD1IEmZDOjH8uHqOIcI-_rOjaI9zvYXy89p9sHOOZWAtVpQAWCx5UhYvFIvnYG3z2ZtKjxzYSeFv58hnKwIFRUobRWpJe3s0_QM1xQDCuhBZpfCaWKTR_1Za9ci8NeDLR8vOhrgX71dTcODoAv4phjUVLfyhCTOhi5QeOj4MRVEDchvF=w640-h356" width="640" /></a></div><br /></span></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">One
of our biggest challenges can arise in the tension between perseverance and
taking new ground. We don’t want to give up if God is calling us to persevere,
but we also don’t want to hang back in fear if God is calling us to move
forward to a new place. It takes hearing from God and watching for Him to
confirm it. But for me, taking new ground came in a literal and spiritual
sense. For me, it had involved a geographical move, but it also involved a move
in perspective—allowing God to
change the way I thought. And that didn’t happen in one swoop. No one waved a
wand and made it happen. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">It was as if my brain had to be reprogrammed and that came from daily focusing
on God’s word and allowing him to change me from the inside out.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">But that was only one time when I had to take new ground. Often and especially
at the beginning of every year, I still need to ask God, “Where do I need to
persevere, and where do I need to take new ground?” This continues to be one of
the most difficult challenges I face. I like my ruts, my comfort, and my
routine. But God is all about pushing us out of those zones into areas that we
can only face with Him. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">In an extreme example of taking new ground, I recently read this in a <i>Springs
in the Valley </i>devotion<i>,</i> “After a long trying march over perilous
Antarctic mountains and glaciers, a South Pole explorer said to his leader, 'I had
a curious feeling on the march that there was another Person with us!'”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">If we have given our lives to Jesus, we can be sure that there will be
another Person with us on any trek. This recalls the words God spoke to Joshua
before he faced taking his own new ground in the promised land, “Be strong and
courageous. Do not be afraid do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will
be with you wherever you go” (Joshua (1:9). Just as God was with Joshua, He
will be with us. We will never be alone.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Many of you read Oswald Chambers, so you may remember a quote from the
end of December, which always rings in my mind this time of year. I leave you
with it, “Let the past sleep, but let it sleep on the bosom of Christ. Leave
the irreparable Past in His hands, and step out into the Irresistible Future
with Him.”</span><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: x-large;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p><script type="text/javascript">
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</script><div class="blogger-post-footer">Beverly Varnado's most recent book is In Search of the Painted Bunting, a middle grade historical from Elk Lake Publishing, #1 in new releases in its category. She is also the author of several small town romances from Anaiah Press including her latest, A Season for Everything. All are available at Amazon.
To explore the web version of One Ringing Bell, please visit bev-oneringingbell.blogspot.com
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Beverly Varnado copyright 2023</div>Beverly Varnadohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05190251885118181305noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-784511511915556822.post-9844135802231680902023-12-27T06:00:00.002-05:002023-12-27T10:17:51.696-05:00The best gift of all<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiqNXLT8VQSvNk7lFnQg_Ydd6xZ7Us2GDK2TZLmXWeeHSa14nyTbwCkttNYHLnxiyCmyHjj22aHSUkSm9TuHV-TGSU97Mgjpc3CKlBQkemHUi6IZnwHfofZ5yjtgDp7JZJc8AOEQPH9hGyLafqX9xzVyoN6miDSkXYx3JShr5pNWff80G2x4vMapmjlO-ER" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="640" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_7317024436928650930" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiqNXLT8VQSvNk7lFnQg_Ydd6xZ7Us2GDK2TZLmXWeeHSa14nyTbwCkttNYHLnxiyCmyHjj22aHSUkSm9TuHV-TGSU97Mgjpc3CKlBQkemHUi6IZnwHfofZ5yjtgDp7JZJc8AOEQPH9hGyLafqX9xzVyoN6miDSkXYx3JShr5pNWff80G2x4vMapmjlO-ER=w414-h640" width="414" /></a></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">At
2:30 a.m. on Christmas Eve morning, the steroid shot I’d had the day before for
a respiratory issue fully kicked in and had me wide awake. Running through my
mind was a verse from Isaiah 53:5, “But he was pierced for our transgressions,
he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him,
and by his wounds we are healed."<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Those
words about healing resonated with me in my current state and yet, this verse seemed
more suited to meditate on at Easter rather than Christmas. I sensed God had something more to show me. Just to see if another writer might have connected this verse to Christmas, I put Isaiah
53:5 and Christmas together into a search engine. Mostly what came up was what
I expected—commentary written
on the verse itself. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">But lower down in the list of options was a link to a post written by Christine
Drews entitled, “When your Worst Day Becomes the Best Gift Ever.” I’ve not read
anything by this writer before, and she had no idea that a post she wrote seven
years ago would be meaningful to a woman in the middle of the night on
Christmas Eve. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">In this piece she shares about a day in the life of her family that at
first seemed a big disappointment, but in the end was a huge blessing. She uses
that illustration to point out that the day described in Isaiah 53:5 was Jesus’
worst day and yet it has become our greatest gift. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">It is the gift that weighs more, lasts longer, and has the biggest bow—he
took our sins on himself and bore our punishment so that by believing in Him we
could have the gift of life eternal. And once I read her piece, I couldn’t believe I hadn’t
seen the strong connection and why God might have brought it to mind.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">That tiny baby came destined to deliver on his worst day the present that
changed the world.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">So, enjoy those gifts you’ve received, but let’s remember none of them
compare to what Jesus has done for us. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">And at 2:30 in the morning or any other time, that’s something worth
meditating on. </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><script type="text/javascript">
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</script><div class="blogger-post-footer">Beverly Varnado's most recent book is In Search of the Painted Bunting, a middle grade historical from Elk Lake Publishing, #1 in new releases in its category. She is also the author of several small town romances from Anaiah Press including her latest, A Season for Everything. All are available at Amazon.
To explore the web version of One Ringing Bell, please visit bev-oneringingbell.blogspot.com
To sign up for her newsletter, go to http://eepurl.com/dHNdsX
Beverly Varnado copyright 2023</div>Beverly Varnadohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05190251885118181305noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-784511511915556822.post-58428585011710065352023-12-20T08:37:00.002-05:002023-12-20T08:37:36.155-05:00Merry Christmas!!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">A
dear pastor friend used to recite words from Chesterton's "House of Christmas" this time of year. In
his last years, we received a Christmas card where he had painstakingly written
them for us in his distinctive but by that time shaky hand. What a treasure his card is!! <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">I
shared Chesterton's words this year on our Christmas card along with a painting I did this year of a snowy scene from a few years (White Christmas, anyone?). If I could, I would have written
them in hand to each of you to let you know how much it means to me to have you
spend a bit of your time here reading my ramblings. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Merry
your Christmas be especially blessed and may the year ahead hold unexpected
blessings!</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">"For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given . . . " (Isaiah 9:6).</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: left;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivzb81OIIVMpJIMdGNkcxDnU4xFYusnqEdM4UdYSel9QMcV4fPSAWHHu9L1X8eqDNOpLHhZVyUbqy6bHn-hZk0edUDS_eXPojO68Os_wCMnktFOB5lQyJ-M-cs-B4pjBFC2pkF7LTxH5jsQO56-R_k6hvd-kuFfgOFSS4N_eNp73ektnZeX1f6NkJDzk17/s2000/Varnado%202023%20Christmas%20card%20(B).png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2000" data-original-width="1429" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivzb81OIIVMpJIMdGNkcxDnU4xFYusnqEdM4UdYSel9QMcV4fPSAWHHu9L1X8eqDNOpLHhZVyUbqy6bHn-hZk0edUDS_eXPojO68Os_wCMnktFOB5lQyJ-M-cs-B4pjBFC2pkF7LTxH5jsQO56-R_k6hvd-kuFfgOFSS4N_eNp73ektnZeX1f6NkJDzk17/w458-h640/Varnado%202023%20Christmas%20card%20(B).png" width="458" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span><p></p></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p></p><script type="text/javascript">
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</script><div class="blogger-post-footer">Beverly Varnado's most recent book is In Search of the Painted Bunting, a middle grade historical from Elk Lake Publishing, #1 in new releases in its category. She is also the author of several small town romances from Anaiah Press including her latest, A Season for Everything. All are available at Amazon.
To explore the web version of One Ringing Bell, please visit bev-oneringingbell.blogspot.com
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Beverly Varnado copyright 2023</div>Beverly Varnadohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05190251885118181305noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-784511511915556822.post-10712837783041674062023-12-12T06:00:00.001-05:002023-12-12T06:00:00.135-05:00So Worth It<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiGEzmPpSisFBhQT9rnP3LV21kqTUl9TBM6U-68WjmCm90YebMPFC3ZqWV7Nv9FG0tbTc4AbNw5n2Iz3908uJDHxqDHUCdhnrCtdir_oAWDz3I6PwNTVsceMWJ1m9mx1mPn8fzFYcvSxeOEAqWg3pxsq45U79f2Z3y0FV6708rI5456ObMQRIWmOKZK1cZX" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="376" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_7311403498106615298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiGEzmPpSisFBhQT9rnP3LV21kqTUl9TBM6U-68WjmCm90YebMPFC3ZqWV7Nv9FG0tbTc4AbNw5n2Iz3908uJDHxqDHUCdhnrCtdir_oAWDz3I6PwNTVsceMWJ1m9mx1mPn8fzFYcvSxeOEAqWg3pxsq45U79f2Z3y0FV6708rI5456ObMQRIWmOKZK1cZX=w640-h376" width="640" /></a></div><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">It’s the rehearsal before dress rehearsal for the Christmas
Concert, and the concert master stands to tune the symphony. She nods to the
oboist who plays that long A—woodwinds, brass,
and strings follow. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">For me, it’s then, even before the conductor lifts his baton,
that all those long October and November Sunday afternoon practices are worth
it. Just to get to that point where we leave the chorus sectional rehearsals
behind and join the symphony makes me glad I made the time to show up when
there were so many other things pulling at me.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Perseverance can be challenging when the objective seems
distant, but oh, how glad we are when we finally arrive at our goal.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">In a much greater way, it’s important to remember the
instruction Paul wrote to the Hebrews, “. . . let us throw off everything that
hinders, and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us,
fixing our eyes on Jesus . . . “ And also Paul’s words to the Corinthians, “’What
no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived’”—the things God has prepared for those who love him—" (1
Corinthians 2:9-10).<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">When we arrive at our final destination,
it’s going to be worth it. No matter what’s happening right now, those
sufferings are “not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be
revealed in us” (Romans 8:18).<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">A song we sometimes sing at our church
includes this chorus, “When we all get to Heaven, what a day of rejoicing that
will be. When we all see Jesus, we’ll sing and shout the victory.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Arriving in heaven will be an occasion we
have spent a lifetime preparing for, and when that heavenly symphony begins to
play there will be some raucous carrying on—at least on my part.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Hope to see you there!!</span><o:p></o:p></p><script type="text/javascript">
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</script><div class="blogger-post-footer">Beverly Varnado's most recent book is In Search of the Painted Bunting, a middle grade historical from Elk Lake Publishing, #1 in new releases in its category. She is also the author of several small town romances from Anaiah Press including her latest, A Season for Everything. All are available at Amazon.
To explore the web version of One Ringing Bell, please visit bev-oneringingbell.blogspot.com
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Beverly Varnado copyright 2023</div>Beverly Varnadohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05190251885118181305noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-784511511915556822.post-60851165246767483772023-12-05T09:27:00.000-05:002023-12-05T09:27:01.464-05:00When we just don't see it<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj_2ElGLl5G__tKvkcyOdjsLh_WBZIOeXuiDtL-6-TVAwA1qiYhHXKcY_rU_s0utHJHcAenzO3ouwzfNg6dgmM3HBL8r5r5AkFHsv3b4jVpWgGJrtWYIZUXWiCy0YWp4xmOU2CoZ1E5lWbYv4QTuqdSBk6yqssLoqQ7-K5Iu_EfFrkEbhwsfTr2fHFLJ_Jh" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="640" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_7308844503646142850" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj_2ElGLl5G__tKvkcyOdjsLh_WBZIOeXuiDtL-6-TVAwA1qiYhHXKcY_rU_s0utHJHcAenzO3ouwzfNg6dgmM3HBL8r5r5AkFHsv3b4jVpWgGJrtWYIZUXWiCy0YWp4xmOU2CoZ1E5lWbYv4QTuqdSBk6yqssLoqQ7-K5Iu_EfFrkEbhwsfTr2fHFLJ_Jh=w480-h640" width="480" /></a></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">As
I read Psalm 106 recently, I was struck by the words of the Psalmist as he confessed
the sins of his ancestors in prayer to God
because they “gave no thought to your (God’s) miracles” and they failed to “remember your
(God’s) many kindnesses.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">I’ve
been reflecting on how I sometimes do these very same things. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">We
can easily highlight a few of God’s obvious kindnesses to us but we might be
tempted to say that we don’t often see miracles.
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">And yet we do. All the time. At least we have the opportunity to see
them.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">C.S.
Lewis once wrote, “Miracles are a retelling in small letters of the very same
story that is written across the whole world in letters too large for some of
us to see.” <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">In
other words, we live in a miracle—a huge miracle of creation. And into that creation God sent himself as
a miraculous tiny baby. It ‘s a huge story that we celebrate this time of year,
but we forget the wonder of it. This God in human flesh is a tale so gigantic
that we stop seeing it. We reduce it to something rendered in plastic that we
hang on a tree or hear as song lyrics piped into our lives like elevator music
that we simply tune out. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Wouldn’t it be great if we asked God to open our eyes once more that
we could really see this miracle he’s done? Maybe see it as we never have
before. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">I have a tee shirt that I wear this time of year that has a silhouette
of the nativity figures on the front and above the image are two simple words—“True
Story.” <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">This miraculous true story should be something to which we give much
thought. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Let’s do it together.</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p><script type="text/javascript">
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</script><div class="blogger-post-footer">Beverly Varnado's most recent book is In Search of the Painted Bunting, a middle grade historical from Elk Lake Publishing, #1 in new releases in its category. She is also the author of several small town romances from Anaiah Press including her latest, A Season for Everything. All are available at Amazon.
To explore the web version of One Ringing Bell, please visit bev-oneringingbell.blogspot.com
To sign up for her newsletter, go to http://eepurl.com/dHNdsX
Beverly Varnado copyright 2023</div>Beverly Varnadohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05190251885118181305noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-784511511915556822.post-78007352096500741612023-11-28T06:00:00.002-05:002023-11-28T08:05:39.983-05:00When you really need to take a moment<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjLPZDp7UDda3KFFeYM7SFxmGlI6hyrlRGf79eLATMWlKAjMTVUD1r33uzzmexPFnS2EVHijyoTftFEZQahMVTI_avc3juVHdvSSCo7M-wyAQSAA7L6YMgsMQKGKYu_Eyp0Nbue31wy4a8PEivoTCWbDo3Zbl9-bUFeaLw0tL780HMg0FeqyFSyy3ldz7EO" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="440" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_7306161129517759234" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjLPZDp7UDda3KFFeYM7SFxmGlI6hyrlRGf79eLATMWlKAjMTVUD1r33uzzmexPFnS2EVHijyoTftFEZQahMVTI_avc3juVHdvSSCo7M-wyAQSAA7L6YMgsMQKGKYu_Eyp0Nbue31wy4a8PEivoTCWbDo3Zbl9-bUFeaLw0tL780HMg0FeqyFSyy3ldz7EO=w640-h440" width="640" /></a></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">A
couple of days after Thanksgiving, I slid my belongings into a bag and thought
through my list of what I still needed to do before we took our long return
trip home. I wondered if I had enough time to take a final bike ride along the
shore before the rest of the house stirred. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Bike
riding is at the top of my list of favorite things to do in this world. I imagine
it’s for the same reasons that people ride motorcycles, but I like the wind
against my helmet at a more moderate speed, say, five miles an hour. I’ve had spills
and near misses over the years, but I still go for it even when the weather is
a little iffy.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">The
practical side of me weighed in and answered my question, “No, you still have
more work to do.” So, I kept zipping along. As I worked, I’d occasionally glance
outside where the sun rose on the horizon. As it sometimes does, my watch binged
and I checked it to see if I had a text message, but instead these words appeared,
“Take a moment.” <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">I
guess my activity level had signaled my watch to deliver a reminder to slow
down a bit. But for me, it was just the encouragement I needed to tip the scale
in favor of the bike ride. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">I
strapped on my helmet, grabbed a jacket, and took off. I’m so glad I did. I
would have hated to face hours riding in the car knowing I gave up those
moments of joy. The ride held bird song, lapping waves, glinting sun, and a
whole host of egrets camping out in the marsh. It was a marvel to be in all
that God has created.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span>Here
at this juncture between Thanksgiving and Christmas, maybe we need to take a moment
to reassess and decide how we’re going to spend our time. We need to factor in
the moments to just be, to really enjoy the lives we have instead of as I am prone
to do</span><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">—allowing our lists
to rule us. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">A wise man once wrote, “We should make the most of what God gives,
both the bounty and the capacity to enjoy it, accepting what’s given and
delighting in the work. It’s God’s gift” (Ecclesiastes 5:19 The Message). <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Let's remember to offer Him thanks
for His amazing gifts. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Enjoy your moment. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"> </span></p><script type="text/javascript">
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</script><div class="blogger-post-footer">Beverly Varnado's most recent book is In Search of the Painted Bunting, a middle grade historical from Elk Lake Publishing, #1 in new releases in its category. She is also the author of several small town romances from Anaiah Press including her latest, A Season for Everything. All are available at Amazon.
To explore the web version of One Ringing Bell, please visit bev-oneringingbell.blogspot.com
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Beverly Varnado copyright 2023</div>Beverly Varnadohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05190251885118181305noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-784511511915556822.post-69212968905329359452023-11-21T06:00:00.001-05:002023-11-21T06:00:00.151-05:00The Things that Never Happened<script type="text/javascript">
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</script><div><br /></div><div><div class="mobile-photo"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><i>Something Jerry said in his sermon this past Sunday about being thankful for what never happened reminded me of this post from a few years back. I'm praying for each of you that your Thanksgiving will be blessed in the midst of whatever circumstances you may find yourself. </i></span></span></div><div class="mobile-photo"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="mobile-photo"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">I’m at a friend’s house after returning from a doctor’s appointment with her. She had a major surgery a few weeks back and complications set in. According to information given her by the doctor earlier, we anticipated what might be a very difficult appointment. Perhaps even a return to the operating room.</span></span></div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /><span style="font-size: large;">But it didn’t happen.</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"></span><br /></span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Her status was better than expected.</span></div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: large;"></span><br /></span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: large;">I’m sitting on her screened porch as the sun sets and glints off a maple. So thankful. So very, very thankful for God’s grace in the things that never happened.</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"></span><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfXvHrvV5EVolBGFGvBZMh-yccIXroictIlhalK6OnQ1Ggw0WA1C54xWJtejuLYTZ35VbYsZ3wOYq-4IOP2NPqaWiiXJwthY1yjaoeysKK-27xYNVKXhk-6yXlPSqFhwetO_vVum99ixSL/s1600/IMG_3655-768143.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><img alt="" border="0" height="640" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_6760755133424611954" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfXvHrvV5EVolBGFGvBZMh-yccIXroictIlhalK6OnQ1Ggw0WA1C54xWJtejuLYTZ35VbYsZ3wOYq-4IOP2NPqaWiiXJwthY1yjaoeysKK-27xYNVKXhk-6yXlPSqFhwetO_vVum99ixSL/s640/IMG_3655-768143.JPG" width="480" /></span></a></div><div class="mobile-photo"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div></div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: large;"></span><br /></span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Perhaps this is a different take on Thanksgiving this year<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">―</span>being thankful not only for what we have but for what we don’t have, all that God has kept from us. Like the sickness we never had, the accident that never happened, the financial problem that failed to develop, the car that didn't quit, or the friend that never left. The list goes on.</span></div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: large;"></span><br /></span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">The sunbeams hit my hand as I type and leaves shower down around the porch. Up the street, a father plays basketball with his sun, their laughter scattering in the air. In the beauty of this afternoon, I’m taking time to remember God’s gracious goodness demonstrated in so many ways.</span></div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: large;"></span><br /></span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">The Psalmist might have been experiencing something similar when he wrote Psalm 145:6-9. Here taken from The Message, “Your marvelous doings are headline news; I could write a book full of the details of your greatness . . . God is all mercy and grace<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">―</span>not quick to anger, is rich in love. God is good to one and all; everything he does is suffused with grace.”</span></div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: large;"></span><br /></span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">As we enter this season of thanksgiving, friends, I pray we are more aware than ever of the all the ways God has “suffused” our lives with grace, especially for the things that never happened.</span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Please check out my social pages big deal info on my small town romance series, <i>The Key to Everything, A Plan for Everything, and A Season for Everything. </i></span></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">Beverly Varnado's most recent book is In Search of the Painted Bunting, a middle grade historical from Elk Lake Publishing, #1 in new releases in its category. She is also the author of several small town romances from Anaiah Press including her latest, A Season for Everything. All are available at Amazon.
To explore the web version of One Ringing Bell, please visit bev-oneringingbell.blogspot.com
To sign up for her newsletter, go to http://eepurl.com/dHNdsX
Beverly Varnado copyright 2023</div>Beverly Varnadohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05190251885118181305noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-784511511915556822.post-61886573732117106342023-11-14T08:11:00.001-05:002023-11-14T08:11:16.800-05:00What is the greatest?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEganbf4guxitd8cUQ7SUqnnK0ncbxwhSiCVztdq1sfn3GIqGtJ8xy7zj22BP5LB6I5PtqG1eASp9XXDnOLUl2TjzkJJ-7HreNH2RudFJdQocpeYSBHKdWpY-mpkrYARU74oIA00W8sKzIkqldck7FOVVzSv6lIPdqJI7gduF3jythrS4e75JSJaiNfSjxhJ" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="640" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_7301070201700307250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEganbf4guxitd8cUQ7SUqnnK0ncbxwhSiCVztdq1sfn3GIqGtJ8xy7zj22BP5LB6I5PtqG1eASp9XXDnOLUl2TjzkJJ-7HreNH2RudFJdQocpeYSBHKdWpY-mpkrYARU74oIA00W8sKzIkqldck7FOVVzSv6lIPdqJI7gduF3jythrS4e75JSJaiNfSjxhJ=w630-h640" width="630" /></a></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">I leave
early from Sunday School because I’m involved in providing music for the church
service, but as I tiptoed away from class this past Sunday, the teacher’s words etched
into my brain as she explained this verse in I Corinthians 13. “And now these
three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.”</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Paraphrasing
here but, in heaven we won’t need faith because we will “know fully even as I am
fully known” (I Corinthians 13:12). And in that place, all that we have hoped
for will be fulfilled. It is only love that will continue eternal.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Already
on my heart was a story that I had the privilege to be a part. Jerry for many
years prior to covid time was a volunteer chaplain at a local hospital. He rotated
with other pastors who took calls at night and on weekends to give the regular
hospital chaplains a break. One Sunday he received a call that a woman in hospice
care wanted to be baptized. Since the patient was a female, for propriety’s sake, I went with him. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">That
afternoon, we arrived at a modest dwelling. When the door opened to the small
space, the furnishings were also humble. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">But
what was in no way modest was the sense of the Lord’s presence and the amazing
love poured out in that place through the family members and the woman herself.
It was almost palpable.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">As
we sat with this bedridden sweet soul, near the end of her earthly journey,
Jerry spoke with her about her relationship with the Lord, and we saw her faith
and how before she passed, she wanted to do what she had meant to do before. As
he poured the water on her head, we were all in tears as we witnessed this
beautiful thing. It seemed to me that tiny bedroom became the gate of heaven. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">The
experience gave me a greater understanding of how love is the greatest. There’s
a cliché that goes “You can’t live on love.” But I’m thinking that maybe we can.
The love that filled that home amid such suffering was sustaining and beautiful.
Love is the most important thing to our earthly existence, and love will be
with us in heaven, wrapping and filling us with God who is love. (I John 4:16).<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Missionary
Heidi Baker writes, “The love of God manifested through you is what people
really need.” It's what the world is crying out for and it's up to us as believers to live it out. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">The apostle John also wrote, "Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him." It's a high calling, and sometimes challenging when the love is not returned, but God's love is unconditional and so should ours be.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">So the greatest? </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">It's love. Now and always.</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p><script type="text/javascript">
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</script><div class="blogger-post-footer">Beverly Varnado's most recent book is In Search of the Painted Bunting, a middle grade historical from Elk Lake Publishing, #1 in new releases in its category. She is also the author of several small town romances from Anaiah Press including her latest, A Season for Everything. All are available at Amazon.
To explore the web version of One Ringing Bell, please visit bev-oneringingbell.blogspot.com
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Beverly Varnado copyright 2023</div>Beverly Varnadohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05190251885118181305noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-784511511915556822.post-38125252262772625812023-11-07T06:30:00.002-05:002023-11-07T07:45:12.432-05:00Looking for the sparkle<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">This post from a few years ago recently came to mind, and I thought I'd share it again. Still continually searching for that sparkle.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Standing in the church parking lot I glanced across the road to the tree line along a pasture. The setting sun illuminated a fringe of branch tips in a remarkable way. I tried to capture the moment with my cell phone, but it was one of those situations where a photo doesn’t do it justice. I wondered how I could depict the sparkling scene on a canvas.<o:p></o:p></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXSGOMswkk3DSQXQzbbCwMVxOxJZ4XtZVy2M8ryOENouanL6Fz5_E2SFHQiU5FaYUfDC-pze7wTxiEt_hm640Ki5Pqw_qsi-vv05AOee-nMTGjxM6YoyYN30osSamh81U-esDy63x4AyTO/s1600/IMG_6447-705310.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="480" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_7020471109171330626" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXSGOMswkk3DSQXQzbbCwMVxOxJZ4XtZVy2M8ryOENouanL6Fz5_E2SFHQiU5FaYUfDC-pze7wTxiEt_hm640Ki5Pqw_qsi-vv05AOee-nMTGjxM6YoyYN30osSamh81U-esDy63x4AyTO/w640-h480/IMG_6447-705310.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Since I’ve had a brush in my hand more often, I spend time watching the way light moves across the grass in the early morning and how it glints off the side of the pine trees. I get lost in the clouds studying how lights and darks interact with each other. It doesn’t have to be a dramatic scene. Just one cloud in the sky will distract me with its own unique signature of puffy white and billowing dark.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">As I’ve followed more landscape artists on social media, what I’ve noticed is most don’t select well known scenes to depict. They make a career out of really seeing and painting the commonplace.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">It almost always has to do with the light. So, in the past few months, I’ve been often searching for the brilliance of it and how it’s moving—hoping, hoping to somehow capture it in a bottle.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">I still have a lot to learn and a long way to go.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Spiritually speaking, I’m also trying to keep the mindset of looking for light—to hunt for it in the everyday happenings we all encounter. Despite annoying and sometimes tedious situations, if we have the mindset to seek the light, we’ll often see the flash and shimmer of our mighty God at work right where we are.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Of all the verses about light I could choose, one strongly comes to mind. “The Lord is my light and my salvation—whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life—of whom shall I be afraid?” (Psalm 27:1). There have been times I clung to this verse with everything in me— like when I had cancer twenty-one years ago. In times of crisis, we are intent on consistently seeking God’s light, but as a crisis abates, our will to do so may ebb.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Let’s renew our determination to be on the lookout for a glimmer of God no matter where we find ourselves. We may not capture it with a brush and paint, but we can for sure be encouraged as we hold the glow in our hearts.</span></p><script type="text/javascript">
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</script><div class="blogger-post-footer">Beverly Varnado's most recent book is In Search of the Painted Bunting, a middle grade historical from Elk Lake Publishing, #1 in new releases in its category. She is also the author of several small town romances from Anaiah Press including her latest, A Season for Everything. All are available at Amazon.
To explore the web version of One Ringing Bell, please visit bev-oneringingbell.blogspot.com
To sign up for her newsletter, go to http://eepurl.com/dHNdsX
Beverly Varnado copyright 2023</div>Beverly Varnadohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05190251885118181305noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-784511511915556822.post-48328880936606109272023-10-31T06:00:00.004-04:002023-10-31T06:00:00.138-04:00The Mystery of this One Butterfly<div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">I absolutely had to run this post again, because I took the best pictures ever last week of the monarch's annual visit. Their story is astounding to me.</span></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2wkE_yKZtT2yrrS_pXVDkOI-2eIDolVtrVX0MFiW_6H8UVupSpeipN_3w7VP-iPD66dTfDOywNO0YcKB06n9VA2Avv4v2LS7ofc1T8JhxI3oNRGrrTibT0J9LVbcVaqH-Ro4QXmhE2k9SIaMaLfRDnTPrmntyqJQ-fQmrFKJc7AUZfIlRBxs0ANZtCeTU/s4608/best%20monarch%20October%2023.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="4608" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2wkE_yKZtT2yrrS_pXVDkOI-2eIDolVtrVX0MFiW_6H8UVupSpeipN_3w7VP-iPD66dTfDOywNO0YcKB06n9VA2Avv4v2LS7ofc1T8JhxI3oNRGrrTibT0J9LVbcVaqH-Ro4QXmhE2k9SIaMaLfRDnTPrmntyqJQ-fQmrFKJc7AUZfIlRBxs0ANZtCeTU/w640-h480/best%20monarch%20October%2023.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja3ebnUlZ9hOC6q5zR7YO8ARb7JKYkWICuOvXjRjZd1xYSJCrdJT4G7CKUc0VJto_60yc7Q72o4vWxPVW81HlEKJcgYbrmcGU3udDYqH8EVNVc5GI5l43e0SDp5mM8UI6J485_2jqW9uj766agG0YYI8ojzDa-Zegsqcm4E3yiqNEWB8cPZnHwjc_I1n5p/s4608/second%20best%20monarch%20Oct%2023.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="4608" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja3ebnUlZ9hOC6q5zR7YO8ARb7JKYkWICuOvXjRjZd1xYSJCrdJT4G7CKUc0VJto_60yc7Q72o4vWxPVW81HlEKJcgYbrmcGU3udDYqH8EVNVc5GI5l43e0SDp5mM8UI6J485_2jqW9uj766agG0YYI8ojzDa-Zegsqcm4E3yiqNEWB8cPZnHwjc_I1n5p/w640-h480/second%20best%20monarch%20Oct%2023.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZMvNi0fxeV9y7M-pKA6EyqjaIleYMRLV9leqB5X0AIe98yJBtCAMuJqQZ-ly4z7GDpLQ59ELe9HQy_KfFSrtZ6zEJTJzH2NXIpkn3jLCLykBJF8NNNX0jHiXus1E5f0bpXOIT3a_Sqb0Rf_TmSv__6h2jfnyh_G_LF4DozdigvLdWS95IeveO7tt9-Nqk/s4608/third%20best%20monarch.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="4608" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZMvNi0fxeV9y7M-pKA6EyqjaIleYMRLV9leqB5X0AIe98yJBtCAMuJqQZ-ly4z7GDpLQ59ELe9HQy_KfFSrtZ6zEJTJzH2NXIpkn3jLCLykBJF8NNNX0jHiXus1E5f0bpXOIT3a_Sqb0Rf_TmSv__6h2jfnyh_G_LF4DozdigvLdWS95IeveO7tt9-Nqk/w640-h480/third%20best%20monarch.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">The 2023 visitation occurred on October 23. These visits are within days of each other every year for many years. Here's the rest of the story from a couple of years ago:</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">One day last week in the late afternoon, October 19, to be exact, a monarch butterfly fluttered into the backyard to pay a visit to a giant lantana. I edged up on it trying to get a photograph, but he was a little too wary of me, so I had to back off. It was the only monarch I’d seen this year. As I studied his movements, it occurred to me that it was about this time last year when I saw a monarch. I scrolled through my pictures and found where I’d captured a shot—on the exact day, October 19.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Could it be the same butterfly?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">No, it couldn’t.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">There have been four generations of butterflies between the one I saw last year and the one this year. They only live about six weeks.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">I looked back further in my phone and also found a photo of one on October 14 in 2018.<o:p></o:p></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsa5MeImSQ4F8HL3Esz0k1Mz1a_4q-fX_LBTTT7Ujry-WsKWADUkLxQYtE4DPJxJ9fGp4dQc2q5hH3zaNbWMwNYePItpc5QjmoK9blIijVxTRJJinHtVxbdV1c6AejsVLbqxt2RcBpCKJz/s1600/IMG_1881-734157.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="640" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_7023010414854158114" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsa5MeImSQ4F8HL3Esz0k1Mz1a_4q-fX_LBTTT7Ujry-WsKWADUkLxQYtE4DPJxJ9fGp4dQc2q5hH3zaNbWMwNYePItpc5QjmoK9blIijVxTRJJinHtVxbdV1c6AejsVLbqxt2RcBpCKJz/w600-h640/IMG_1881-734157.jpg" width="600" /></a></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">The last generation of monarchs in the year lives longer and do not reach maturity until the next spring. That generation makes a 2000-mile migration from here to Mexico weighing less than a gram. Sometimes, they will take up residence in the exact same tree every year. No one knows how or why because none of the butterflies have ever been there before.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">The butterflies I see are likely migrating from points north. Maybe it’s the earth’s gravitational pull, the huge lantanas and butterfly bushes in my yard, or a factor we don’t even know about, but one butterfly shows up here the exact same week every year.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Seeing a monarch is a very special thing to me and a privilege I do not take lightly. Their populations have diminished more than eighty percent since the 1990’s due in large part to the spraying of herbicides. We don’t use herbicides in our yard, and we will never win a yard of the month award because of it, but we are rewarded in other ways like the opportunity to be visited by this rare butterfly.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">The mystery of the one butterfly that shows up every year in my yard could remain unsolved. But this yearly visitation is highly valued reminding me of the greatness of God and His loving care. God knows I love these creatures and somehow, I happen to be in the right place at the right time to see them and pray for their survival when they make their calls.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">It brings home what Jesus said about the sparrows, “Not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care” (Matthew 10:29). He’s not talking about a million sparrows or a hundred sparrows but one sparrow. One solitary, run of the mill, sparrow. That brings me great comfort when my internal worry machine starts cranking about seemingly irresolvable problems, especially these days with world events being what they are. I see the one butterfly and I’m reminded of a God so great he can guide them back again and again to a place where they have never been to bring amazement and wonder.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">So, take comfort from my one butterfly and through him, let God bring you encouragement, too, in whatever difficulty you may find yourself. God cares about the tiniest things—even those that weigh less than a gram. Nothing and no one escapes his tender care.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOSOnnzGph5V_WtvUcPTZl9yZ7e2sXDOdXkFaA6ELkl7lLoPLuJeMAvFBIVr-7HEipqal8SJml7xoNBCQMl8jUgukFwOi94kswHuQkcme15sol4S_OpZA6Sil08MvjNW6yJzxSFCPp8zjlNuJPpMmyak3GNoxi8h3fVN4pwLJZxK-qdIWPvmoDWzkF7NP0/s828/nov%202%20%20book%20signing%206.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="315" data-original-width="828" height="245" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOSOnnzGph5V_WtvUcPTZl9yZ7e2sXDOdXkFaA6ELkl7lLoPLuJeMAvFBIVr-7HEipqal8SJml7xoNBCQMl8jUgukFwOi94kswHuQkcme15sol4S_OpZA6Sil08MvjNW6yJzxSFCPp8zjlNuJPpMmyak3GNoxi8h3fVN4pwLJZxK-qdIWPvmoDWzkF7NP0/w640-h245/nov%202%20%20book%20signing%206.png" width="640" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br />If you are in the area, I'm having a book signing for<i> In Search of the Painted Bunting </i>on November 2 from 6-8 hosted by Mackay Dental Consultants. I'll have giveaways, too. Hope to see you there. Blessings. </span><p></p><div class="blogger-post-footer">Beverly Varnado's most recent book is In Search of the Painted Bunting, a middle grade historical from Elk Lake Publishing, #1 in new releases in its category. She is also the author of several small town romances from Anaiah Press including her latest, A Season for Everything. All are available at Amazon.
To explore the web version of One Ringing Bell, please visit bev-oneringingbell.blogspot.com
To sign up for her newsletter, go to http://eepurl.com/dHNdsX
Beverly Varnado copyright 2023</div>Beverly Varnadohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05190251885118181305noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-784511511915556822.post-74627446031151620802023-10-24T06:00:00.002-04:002023-10-24T06:00:00.132-04:00It's Time. Please Do This. <div dir="ltr"><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: x-large;">Every year, I write a post like
this asking you to make a shoebox for Operation Christmas Child, a ministry of
Samaritan’s Purse. It seems each year the need is greater, but this year especially.
This is not a sponsored post and I receive no remuneration for doing this, but
I do it because I believe in this cause.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">In the years since Operation
Christmas Child began, Samaritan’s Purse has given 209 million children shoeboxes
in over 170 countries. Each shoebox carries the message of God’s love. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Children are also invited to
attend a study called The Greatest Journey sponsored by Samaritan’s Purse
partners as a follow up to receiving their boxes. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">I mentioned a few years back that
a woman attending my collegiate alma mater had been adopted as a child from an
orphanage in another country. In that orphanage, the only gift she received each
year was the shoebox through Operation Christmas Child. Her favorite thing in
the box was not the toy but the toothbrush, because in her facility many
children lined up to share one toothbrush every evening. She was delighted to
have her own for the first time ever. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">These boxes are important and
have lasting effects. The woman above in gratitude for Operation Christmas
Child organized her own drive for boxes in her college community. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">This year collection week is November
13-20 and those drop off locations are listed on the Samaritan’s Purse site
which I will link to at the end of this post. <o:p></o:p></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj0FSg2n0hhmegKKITbBUWmL1b-MoQ5E4y8o_dHG6H9c3LLmO3wkpm3-LTfyY_HJk-L0t6dDtLfuyjuMZmgTEcfRjlHSEyFu_3fMRy-rRC0XtTNLO0fYa_cZxOGB5cXZ0i2gnbdEm24-Q8WylFTt-h4jjfC-yhZ5AQc3jxSlHjp0xliatLzcGXZeBT8srPr" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="640" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_7293227228262069426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj0FSg2n0hhmegKKITbBUWmL1b-MoQ5E4y8o_dHG6H9c3LLmO3wkpm3-LTfyY_HJk-L0t6dDtLfuyjuMZmgTEcfRjlHSEyFu_3fMRy-rRC0XtTNLO0fYa_cZxOGB5cXZ0i2gnbdEm24-Q8WylFTt-h4jjfC-yhZ5AQc3jxSlHjp0xliatLzcGXZeBT8srPr=w468-h640" width="468" /></a></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">This year, my sister and I again
packed twenty-five boxes. I tell you not to brag about us, because that number
is small compared to a friend of mine who has packed as many as 160 a year. I
tell you because I shop all year for deals on school supplies, toys, and hygiene
items so that I can make more boxes. Consider doing that as well and increase
your boxes each year.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">I’m including pictures below of a
boy box and a girl box as examples of items you can include in your box. We
include a soccer ball (air deflated from it) and pump in the bigger boy boxes, because that gift can wind
up being one for a whole village. And I heard from someone who had traveled with
Samaritan’s purse to deliver these boxes, that you must include a metal car for
the boys. That’s one of their favorites. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEii_AFKBk41YmtxYH6Mzh12C2QohyNGgaPr6u7uh34g3Y0yZUqUSPwTrMnC_PtJfn2PLrPM18AD5lKxvVEnnaM1_M2L8J1-_nnUPhTv8sbS201XGyhSNfytBgmi7_yBLz70bpg_eiuIP1YtJSMgPvMSk4LmETSwBtt1y3b79Z37c-By9RCfXv0buxsfBMOE" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_7293227754617554178" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEii_AFKBk41YmtxYH6Mzh12C2QohyNGgaPr6u7uh34g3Y0yZUqUSPwTrMnC_PtJfn2PLrPM18AD5lKxvVEnnaM1_M2L8J1-_nnUPhTv8sbS201XGyhSNfytBgmi7_yBLz70bpg_eiuIP1YtJSMgPvMSk4LmETSwBtt1y3b79Z37c-By9RCfXv0buxsfBMOE=s320" /></a></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhP5BpYcXlwvKHy5z3f3xsqeoCV7lMDUscN8WmYPB6SfAFlrOccYWOdSfPW6IMSn0vByE3u1JJuYsXY8mWobrutPsCRzuz5_jL2ms4k7yNb5KXHrZAEz9hNQ3zVZW3VreYAV8U3aldlvSs3UFW8fFG7O1IuQ9WtBla_hf37CKFlvzJp_RMA0nrUtcssnvoq"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_7293232688506127970" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhP5BpYcXlwvKHy5z3f3xsqeoCV7lMDUscN8WmYPB6SfAFlrOccYWOdSfPW6IMSn0vByE3u1JJuYsXY8mWobrutPsCRzuz5_jL2ms4k7yNb5KXHrZAEz9hNQ3zVZW3VreYAV8U3aldlvSs3UFW8fFG7O1IuQ9WtBla_hf37CKFlvzJp_RMA0nrUtcssnvoq=s320" /></a></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">When you pack the box, pray for
the child who will receive it, and imagine the joy on their faces when they
remove that lid. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">If you’re stretched for time, you
can donate, and Operation Christmas Child will pack the box for you. But take a
moment right now and make the choice to click on over to the Operation
Christmas Child site and investigate the opportunities. You’ll be very glad you
did.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">“Whenever you did one of these
things to someone overlooked or ignored, that was me—you did it
to me” (Matthew 25:40 Message).<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjibAsM9njlZnW_RM0M7FnpY1dd31Hjkw7f7MZZP4cfdiny2vW28HOfrzNOBGwRcyyOB5g0oEfhiGRI-rFUZWxiSAezQKLssDwoWJ6Ru7HvJQChivzwm8wselXK7hWX5ep5qRkiV94ANmJRMpgT6Zfen_ezXOCzKMeCxn5VUmMf1p3JbR3Adlxz7wX81yQZ/s500/Celebrating%20Christmas.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="323" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjibAsM9njlZnW_RM0M7FnpY1dd31Hjkw7f7MZZP4cfdiny2vW28HOfrzNOBGwRcyyOB5g0oEfhiGRI-rFUZWxiSAezQKLssDwoWJ6Ru7HvJQChivzwm8wselXK7hWX5ep5qRkiV94ANmJRMpgT6Zfen_ezXOCzKMeCxn5VUmMf1p3JbR3Adlxz7wX81yQZ/s320/Celebrating%20Christmas.jpg" width="207" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">I have a story in another
Christmas Anthology,<i> Celebrating Christmas</i>, from Grace Publishing. No author
receives royalties, but they are donated to Samaritan’s Purse. So, here’s
another way to support this cause. Many thanks.<o:p></o:p></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.samaritanspurse.org/what-we-do/operation-christmas-child/">OPERATION CHRISTMAS CHILD HERE. </a></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Celebrating-Christmas-Terri-Kalfas/dp/1604950773">CELBRATING CHRISTMAS HERE.</a></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><br /></p></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">Beverly Varnado's most recent book is In Search of the Painted Bunting, a middle grade historical from Elk Lake Publishing, #1 in new releases in its category. She is also the author of several small town romances from Anaiah Press including her latest, A Season for Everything. All are available at Amazon.
To explore the web version of One Ringing Bell, please visit bev-oneringingbell.blogspot.com
To sign up for her newsletter, go to http://eepurl.com/dHNdsX
Beverly Varnado copyright 2023</div>Beverly Varnadohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05190251885118181305noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-784511511915556822.post-27189377238411976082023-10-17T13:38:00.000-04:002023-10-17T13:38:10.316-04:00When the world shifts<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgt6qM2jkGP-TGE0ppi0ykXxZEVmVW_R9IonKguQuXMZhTCsZa-_rSeZMA2nO3_q3VT3SQtho3UGKil35yBaJomL6gitgOFvoh6gBXJBiwcYrX1tp2xB28VJohlDUETUz96o_S0Dc0gz_QExlX4IohwH29nzroZYcc5FM9n4wZVDchQMvfGRFN3D9qyKWzh" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="532" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_7290631979310697570" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgt6qM2jkGP-TGE0ppi0ykXxZEVmVW_R9IonKguQuXMZhTCsZa-_rSeZMA2nO3_q3VT3SQtho3UGKil35yBaJomL6gitgOFvoh6gBXJBiwcYrX1tp2xB28VJohlDUETUz96o_S0Dc0gz_QExlX4IohwH29nzroZYcc5FM9n4wZVDchQMvfGRFN3D9qyKWzh=w640-h532" width="640" /></a></div><div dir="ltr"><br />
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;">We are grateful things are finally settling down here
after Jerry’s serious health scare, but we are aware that the world has shifted
in the time he’s been sick. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;">It’s shifted on a personal level because his illness seemed to
happen so quickly, and we are even more thankful for every day we are
given. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;">But circumstances have moved in a huge way on the international
scene with the attack on Israel. Because of Jerry’s illness, we were not as
aware of world events as we normally would have been (television can sometimes
be annoying to those who are ill), and our screen time has been limited. But
what we have been doing is praying for the peace of Jerusalem (Psalm 122:6).<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;">What I did catch early on was a video from Mozambique missionary
Dr. Heidi Baker who “happened” (more like divine appointment) to be in Jerusalem holding a missions’
conference the weekend of the attacks. I’m going to paraphrase here what she said
from a balcony in Israel as smoke was seen in the distance behind her. She
lifted Habakkuk 2:14, “For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the
glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.” She spoke about how as
believers, we should be running into the darkness wherever we are. Like first
responders, we should carry God’s “love, his mercy, and his compassion” to
those who are hurting. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;">So, in these troubled times, what we can do is that, as best
we can with the Lord’s help wherever we find ourselves. And yes, we can pray,
pray, pray, and give financially as we are able to aid ministries. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;">And wherever we are means even in hospital rooms, where we
had opportunity to share about the Lord with others. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;">Friends, continuing to pray with you in these days.</span></p></div><div dir="ltr"><div><div><br /></div></div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">Beverly Varnado's most recent book is In Search of the Painted Bunting, a middle grade historical from Elk Lake Publishing, #1 in new releases in its category. She is also the author of several small town romances from Anaiah Press including her latest, A Season for Everything. All are available at Amazon.
To explore the web version of One Ringing Bell, please visit bev-oneringingbell.blogspot.com
To sign up for her newsletter, go to http://eepurl.com/dHNdsX
Beverly Varnado copyright 2023</div>Beverly Varnadohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05190251885118181305noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-784511511915556822.post-64733892376868561412023-10-10T17:13:00.001-04:002023-10-10T17:13:11.524-04:00God is in this story<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgorxbHL7CCPQubl8ogOSbezOM9YNz8-7t_EPoM0rH5gIQ-IC-wMHPBjhTgQFHFpeZtEF8craGT1e20nKPh-Vb4kzkUZGD3zgqMxm_fJW1mmJ6kvVLhpbpxlys5wM9hCQeycHlEooAJlj8vbCud84DJIC2rFxY0zkMIalgLscx5WK99YiqGwbJZbRyRQvrV" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="640" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_7288439755815918530" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgorxbHL7CCPQubl8ogOSbezOM9YNz8-7t_EPoM0rH5gIQ-IC-wMHPBjhTgQFHFpeZtEF8craGT1e20nKPh-Vb4kzkUZGD3zgqMxm_fJW1mmJ6kvVLhpbpxlys5wM9hCQeycHlEooAJlj8vbCud84DJIC2rFxY0zkMIalgLscx5WK99YiqGwbJZbRyRQvrV=w606-h640" width="606" /></a></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">I went out Sunday morning for a short time. “God is in
this story” by Big Daddy Weave and Katy Nicole played on the car radio. It hit
me in such a powerful way and has continued to be something of a mantra that I whisper
under my breath.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">At that point Jerry had been struggling
with some sort of infection for almost a week which had involved an urgent care
visit and many conversations with health care providers. The circumstances
escalated later Sunday making an emergency room trip necessary. And from there,
test results and symptoms necessitated hospital admittance. That is where we
still are, and I write this post from
his hospital room.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Hopefully test results will come in soon
giving us more insight into how to better treat this infection and turn this
thing around.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">I’m still whispering. God <b><i>is</i></b>
in this story. I don’t understand all the how’s of that, and I stopped asking why
many years ago when we encounter things like this. I’ve quoted C.S. Lewis often,
“We, in our agony, struggle to pull God down to where
we are and force Him to explain that which cannot be explained. Can a mortal
ask questions which God finds unanswerable? . . . All nonsense questions are
unanswerable. How many hours are there in a mile? Is yellow square or round?
Probably half the questions we ask―half our theological and metaphysical
problems―are like that.” </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Why is a
dead-end street.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">But what I do know about our situation is
that God planted us high in this hospital with a bank of windows that overlook a
portion of our city and a wide vista of sky. It’s like we are floating in the
air. He has given us caring health care providers that seem at the top of their
profession. He has blessed us with friends and family that send messages of
support and love and pray continually. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Oh, yes. God is in this story. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">And God is in your story, too.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">No matter how hard, or how long, or how devastating
it seems to be. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">When interviewed about this song, Big Daddy
Weave talked about the recent loss of his brother. He hoped this would be a
song of hope for others and remind that God is with us in “all the seasons of
our lives.” <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Katy Nicole has shared her story of
serious health challenges, and the resulting depression and anxiety. She said, “I’ve
seen how God has brought glory to His name and how He’s brought good from some
of these really, really bad things.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Paul seemed to echo these thoughts in his
letters to the Corinthians and the Romans. Here from the Message: “My grace is
enough. It’s all you need” (2 Corinthians 12:9 ). “That’s why we can be so sure
that every detail in our lives of love for God is worked into something good”
(Romans 8:28). <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">So here we are, in the middle of a process
for which there are not many answers at the present time. But since God is in
this story, we are trusting that He is at work in ways we cannot comprehend. And
that makes all the difference. </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><br /></p><script type="text/javascript">
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</script><div class="blogger-post-footer">Beverly Varnado's most recent book is In Search of the Painted Bunting, a middle grade historical from Elk Lake Publishing, #1 in new releases in its category. She is also the author of several small town romances from Anaiah Press including her latest, A Season for Everything. All are available at Amazon.
To explore the web version of One Ringing Bell, please visit bev-oneringingbell.blogspot.com
To sign up for her newsletter, go to http://eepurl.com/dHNdsX
Beverly Varnado copyright 2023</div>Beverly Varnadohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05190251885118181305noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-784511511915556822.post-41416491015392959552023-10-03T06:00:00.001-04:002023-10-03T06:00:00.143-04:00Oh, Happy Day<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEigYIhYs07u7LsOqgHR3W1s_m-Jjob42Vigwub_Y7rxSySjgx24zFQV2VKKR-wyou70CRs0l-8gx5CW_fbEaSl1t4u27TnDC0VZ62_331DHvrrtP328uolc8MLb1cX1lCbUdGoN-Y46_97LtBMbvkCA0EPAp8xmW4XnzpRnp1adUYlUC2OIIewlBfvTxC8j" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="640" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_7285381014111791170" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEigYIhYs07u7LsOqgHR3W1s_m-Jjob42Vigwub_Y7rxSySjgx24zFQV2VKKR-wyou70CRs0l-8gx5CW_fbEaSl1t4u27TnDC0VZ62_331DHvrrtP328uolc8MLb1cX1lCbUdGoN-Y46_97LtBMbvkCA0EPAp8xmW4XnzpRnp1adUYlUC2OIIewlBfvTxC8j=w360-h640" width="360" /></a></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><i><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;">For
my Toccoa friends, I will be at the Currahee Military Museum this Friday, Oct.
6 from 1-5. I’ll have all my books, especially my new middle grade book, In
Search of the Painted Bunting, (Vietnam era) as well as art prints and
notecards. I look forward to seeing you!!!</span><o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Jerry
officiated at a wedding recently which turned out to be one of the most joyous
occasions we’ve had the privilege to be part of in recent years.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Held
outside at a botanical garden, butterflies floated above our heads and at one
point before the ceremony, a pipe vine swallowtail lit in the exact spot where
the bride and groom would stand. It flapped its wings, rose, and swirled aloft
as the string quartet played Bach making it feel like a foretaste of heaven. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">This
sweet wedding made me think of other weddings through the years—some of them with funny stories. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">At Jerry’s first wedding just after he graduated from seminary, he was
nervous as anyone would be. It was in a big church with many attendees. When it
came time to ask who gave the bride in marriage, he mixed up the words a bit
and said, “Who gives this man to be married to this woman?” <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Without missing a beat, the bride’s father said, “His mother and I.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Then there was the one when a groomsmen must have done what we always
warn against—he locked his knees. Out he went right in the middle of the
service. Realizing what happened, two groomsmen next to him picked him up,
carried him out, and then returned. The ceremony continued. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">And my all-time favorite funny story which wasn’t so funny at the time,
at least at first. I was on a field trip to Lookout Mountain, Tennessee with my
son’s Boy Scout Troup when Jerry’s number lit up on my phone. I thought it
strange as it was about time for a wedding he was officiating. When I answered,
his voice sounded panicked. “Pray,” he said. “The bride is missing.” Of course,
the movie <i>Runaway Bride</i> flitted through my mind, and I wondered if she had
gotten cold feet and hopped on a FedEx truck or something. A search party was
dispersed to find her. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">They found her all right—asleep. She’d stayed up late in
the night working on favors for the reception, forgotten to set an alarm, and
fell asleep. Happily, Jerry Varnado was at the helm, and he provided funny
anecdotes for the wedding guests until the bride could arrive and get dressed
for the ceremony. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">But my very favorite wedding story is one that has not happened yet.
It is not a funny story, but it will be joyous. “'Hallelujah! For our Lord God
Almighty reigns. Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For the wedding
of the Lamb has come and his bride has made herself ready’” (Revelation 19
6-7).<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">One day, one amazing, wonderful day, those who love the Lord will be
invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb. And I wonder if on that day, we
will sing a song that the daughter of friends of ours chose to exit her wedding
ceremony on (another ceremony which strongly reminded me of heaven), “Oh happy day, oh happy day, when Jesus washed, oh when
he washed my sins away. Oh, happy day.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">We are grateful the experience of this recent wedding once again keeps us looking
forward to a time when there will be no more tears, no more death, no more pain,
everything will be made new, and we will dwell with the Lord forever. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">And to that we say, “Oh happy day!!!”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/784511511915556822/3452434576826269462">Related: A Wedding and A Little Bit of Heaven</a> </span></p>
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</script><div class="blogger-post-footer">Beverly Varnado's most recent book is In Search of the Painted Bunting, a middle grade historical from Elk Lake Publishing, #1 in new releases in its category. She is also the author of several small town romances from Anaiah Press including her latest, A Season for Everything. All are available at Amazon.
To explore the web version of One Ringing Bell, please visit bev-oneringingbell.blogspot.com
To sign up for her newsletter, go to http://eepurl.com/dHNdsX
Beverly Varnado copyright 2023</div>Beverly Varnadohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05190251885118181305noreply@blogger.com