BOOK REVIEW: A Symphony of Seasons by Connie Arnold

FREE...FREE... Leave a Comment For A Chance to Win!!!

Us bloggers try to help each other and will do almost (I said ALMOST)

anything to entice YOU -  to leave a comment.

My friend Connie Arnold, has just come out with her

 4th book of poetry called A Symphony of Seasons and this post is part of a two week blog tour she is doing to feature its March 29th release.

So what's in it for you?

A chance to win some cool FREE stuff!!

Anyone who leaves a comment on this post TODAY will be entered in a drawing to win either: 

 

 A Vivaldi Four Seasons CD or a hummingbird suncatcher windchime.

Enter the drawing for these two prizes by leaving a comment below. Additional entries can be earned for comments left on the blogs listed below during the tour, for following this blog, and for sharing this post or any of the posts during the tour on Facebook or Twitter (be sure to post a comment here when you do that so you'll get your extra entries).

You will receive a free gift with your purchase of a signed copy of A Symphony of Seasons from me during this tour, a beautiful framed season photo with one of my verses on it. A beautiful gift for Mother's Day, graduation or other special occasion! Photos are by photographer Gary Strader.

More details about a chance to win can be seen on Connie's blog.

I first discovered Connie's poems a few years ago when we

were in the same online author's group.

What I liked most about her poetry site and books was the way she

coupled photography with simple poems that resonated  truth.

Obviously, since this is her FOURTH BOOK she's hit on a

winning combination of incredible photography taken by Gary Strader

and heartfelt poems that write heavenly words of truth on our hearts.

To be perfectly honest I am not a genuine poem lover but Connie's

poems refresh, challenge and inspire me.

I ordered a few copies of her last book and found them to be fabulous gifts.

Rich enough visually to appeal to almost anyone and gentle enough in the

 word-truths presented that believer and non-believer alike would enjoy them.

A Symphony of Seasons has many different types of poems that could be used for special occassions. There is a birthday poem, a Fourth of July poem and the one featured below:

A Hymn of Thanksgiving

By Connie Arnold

Join in joyful singing to God,

your voices in harmony raise,

with grateful love offering to God

a hymn of thanksgiving and praise.

Join in worship and giving thanks

to God throughout all of your days,

with gratitude singing to God

a hymn of thanksgiving and praise.

Join in expressing thanks and joy

for all of God’s marvelous ways,

with adoring hearts lifting to God

a hymn of thanksgiving and praise.

******************* 

So now it's time to comment for a chance to win!

You could comment on the post itself.

You could comment on poetry in general.

You could comment on Connie's books.

You could comment with YOUR OWN poetry.

Or you could help me with a tag team poem just for fun.

I'll start it... and you add a line and so on.

It doesn't matter what you comment as long as you for a chance to WIN WIN WIN something FREE FREE FREE!!

********************

Here's my very feeble attempt at what I hope will be a funny tag team poem.

See what you can add to it in the comment section:

"Blogs are green

Posts are red

Commenting might just ____________ "

(you write the next line!)

Connie's other sites are:

www.conniearnold.webs.com

www.conniearnold.blogspot.com

www.childrensbooks.webs.com

www.childrensauthorconniearnold.blogspot.com

FEELINGS... Nothing More Than Feelings...

In Hinds Feet for HighPlaces Hannah Hurnard tells the story of Much Afraid and her desperate attempt to be free from her emotionally abusive Family of Fearings.

 Her cousin, Craven Fear is the worst.

 He bullies Much Afraid and tells her she will never be anything more than a limping, dwarfed, good-for-nothing loser. And every time she starts to make progress towards the High Places, Craven Fear shows up and tries to browbeat her into going back to the Valley of Humiliationwhere the rest of the fearing family lives.

 For awhile, Much Afraid cowers in Craven Fear’s presence until she realizes that every single time she cries out for the Good Shepherd He shows up and Craven Fear flees.

Much Afraid soon learns that although the Good Shepherd will be with her at all times, she alone must choose to face the pain required to get to the High Places. The following excerpt explains the process well:

“She bent forward to look, then gave a startled little cry and drew back. There was indeed a seed lying in the palm of his hand, but it was shaped exactly like a long, sharply-pointed thorn… ‘The seed looks very sharp,’ she said shrinkingly. ’Won’t it hurt if you put it into my heart?’

He answered gently, ‘It is so sharp that it slips in very quickly. But, Much-Afraid, I have already warned you that Love and Pain go together, for a time at least. If you would know Love, you must know pain too.’

Much-Afraid looked at the thorn and shrank from it. Then she looked at the Shepherd’s face and repeated his words to herself. ’When the seed of Love in your heart is ready to bloom, you will be loved in return,’ and a strange new courage entered her. She suddenly stepped forward, bared her heart, and said, ‘Please plant the seed here in my heart.’

His face lit up with a glad smile and he said with a note of joy in his voice, ‘Now you will be able to go with me to the High Places and be a citizen in the Kingdom of my Father.’

Then he pressed the thorn into her heart. It was true, just as he had said, it did cause a piercing pain, but it slipped in quickly and then, suddenly, sweetness she had never felt or imagined before tingled through her. It was bittersweet, but the sweetness was the stronger. She thought of the Shepherd’s words, ‘It is so happy to love,’ and her pale, sallow cheeks suddenly glowed pink and her eyes shown. For a moment Much-Afraid did not look afraid at all.”
― Hannah Hurnard, “Hinds Feet For High Places”

For Much Afraid, and for many of us, being willing to embrace the pain that put us in the Valley of Humiliation is the first and greatest step towards freedom from fear, bitterness, anger, resentment, jealously.

Christ Jesus dwells in the High Places, and He desires us to be in the High Places with Him.  But we cannot drag our human weights of resentment, hurt etc with us as we try to climb higher. Instead we must choose to leave them behind as we seek higher ground.
 
I have discovered that the letting go of unhealthy feelings is a decision; an act of obedience. Nothing more than a  simple choice to obey God’s word on the matter.  

Let me explain: 
 
I used to think that I had to wait until I felt the freedom from the pain of rejection in my life. I would pray often for God to help me feel better about the lifetime of bullying I had endured at the Craven Fear in my life.

• To be free from the FEELING of deep hurt and rejection.
• To be free from the FEELING of sheer panic every time I knew there was going to be an encounter with Craven Fear.
• To be free from the FEELING of shame that I wore as some sort of twisted security blanket.

But then I realized that no matter how hard I prayed, the FEELINGSwould rise up at the most unexpected moments and cause me to convulse like someone suddenly struck with food poisoning.  

• A childhood memory would flash fresh across my consciousness.
• The benign rejection of a co-worker would strike a blow at the soul level.
• Anger over the most insignificant of issues would threaten my peace.

“How can I get rid of these FEELINGS?” I cried to God.

And then, as is so often the case, the Gentle Shepherd came to me in His still small voice:

“The High Places are not attained through feelings, but through decision.”

• A DECISION, to honor the Craven Fear in my life because God’s word says to. (Exodus 20:12)
• A DECISION not to return shame for shame. (Matthew 5:39)
• A DECISION to forget the offences done to me. To stop mulling them over. To not base a current relationship on past injustices. (I Corinthians 13)

Dr. James Hughes, a Psychologist based out of Dallas, Texas confirms this:   

“Your feelings will get you nowhere in life. But your CHOICES will get you everywhere. It is your CHOICES that have brought you to the place in life you are at this moment.”

What feelings do you struggle with? How do you deal with them? Do you see the value in choosing to move forward - whether you feel like it or not?

Join the discussion. Your thoughts/opinions are important to me. Leave a post and let's talk about it.

-Debbie

ONE DEATH - ONE JUDGEMENT

Junior Seau's self-imposed death has once again shone the spotlight on the darkest, most slimiest trick of the enemy of our soul: SUICIDE.

 

And according the New York  Times, Seau's suicide follows close on the heels of other NFL players:

"Seau would be the second former N.F.L. player to commit suicide in the past two weeks. Ray Easterling, a safety for the Atlanta Falcons in the 1970s and a plaintiff in a high-profile lawsuit against the N.F.L. over its handling of concussion-related injuries, died on April 19 of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. In February 2011, the former Chicago Bears star Dave Duerson shot himself in the chest, saying in a note that he wanted his brain donated to the study of football head injuries." (New York Times, May 2, 2012)      

But NFL players aren't the only ones killing themselves lately. Consider these other high-profile attempts or complete self-imposed deaths:

Daniel Von Bargen, Seinfeld actor who shot himself in the head.

Nick Santino, Soap Opera actor who appeared on seven episodes of All My Children and six episodes of Guiding Light. He overdosed on pills and left a suicide note saying that he killed himself because he lost his best friend - his dog, a pit bull named Rocco.

Don Cornelius, The man behind Soul Train... shot himself in the head.

Tyler Clementi, Who jumped off the George Washington Bridge after his roommates posted an intimate video of him on the internet.

The American Military,  So far in 2011, the Army has recorded 246 cases of confirmed or potential suicides among active duty and reserve soldiers. That number appears to be below the 2010 level of 305 for the full 12 months, but above the second-highest year -- 2009, which had 242 suicides.

And the list continues of both celebrity/ high profile individuals, teens, the elderly, the abused, the jobless and just about any other category you can think of.

It's a problem.

A very big problem.

And one that I feel compelled to speak out about because personally I think the devil has duped alot of people into believing that suicide is an acceptable escape.

But it is not!

According to Hebrews 9:27 from the Holy Bible,

"It is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:"

Or as The Message translation explains it:

 ^"Everyone has to die once, then face the consequences."

My heart breaks for the men and women who have taken their lives.  

And for their families.

The pain that Junior Seau's children and ex-wife must be going through at this moment is unfathomable. Imagine getting a simple text that says "I love you"... only to find out that moments later your dad put a gun to his chest and shot himself.

Junior Seau's Mother Upone Hearing Of His Death

I know that this is normally not the kind of post I write, but I felt so compelled to speak out.

Suicide is wrong.

Suicide is not of God.

Suicide is against all Biblical principal.

There are no second chances after death -

The Bible clearly says that man is appointed ONCE to die and after that the judgement.

There are many, many scriptures about trusting the sovereignty of God. About letting God be God. Letting God fight against your enemies. About standing still and seeing the salvation of the Lord. About not harming yourself - or others. About honoring all of His creation - including yourself. About Christ's love and protection for us. About the value of our lives. Here are just few of them:

Christ says: "The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly." (John 10:10)

The Apostle Paul Said: "Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost. (Romans 15:13)

 The Apostle Paul Also Said: "If you only look at us, you might well miss the brightness. We carry this precious Message around in the unadorned clay pots of our ordinary lives. That's to prevent anyone from confusing God's incomparable power with us. As it is, there's not much chance of that. You know for yourselves that we're not much to look at. We've been surrounded and battered by troubles, but we're not demoralized; we're not sure what to do, but we know that God knows what to do; we've been spiritually terrorized, but God hasn't left our side; we've been thrown down, but we haven't broken. What they did to Jesus, they do to us—trial and torture, mockery and murder; what Jesus did among them, he does in us—he lives! Our lives are at constant risk for Jesus' sake, which makes Jesus' life all the more evident in us. While we're going through the worst, you're getting in on the best! " (2 Corinthians 4:8-10, The Message Translation)

What do YOU THINK?

Has your life been touched by someone who has attempted or commited suicide?

Do you have any  scriptures / spiritual insights on this topic that you'd like to share ?

Check back

First Choice

She wanted to be with me more than running ahead with her sisters to play on the monkey bars that dotted the park’s walking path.

 As we walked, we talked about everything from spelling tests to boys that chase her at recess. She intermittently held my hand and looked up at me with the kind of hero-admiration that only an 8-year-old can give.  

 I cherished the moment.

 Once or twice in our hour together she bolted off to roll like a log down the hill, or swing from the weeping willow trees.  But mostly she just wanted to be my side, holding my hand, and giggling about this or that.

 Her sisters on the other hand, gave me a few token moments of attention but were much more interested in running and playing and swinging and climbing.

 You might say it was their age that determined their interests. But I am not convinced. Mikayla – the one that stuck by me – is 8, her younger sister Mikensay is 5, and her older sister Michelle is 10.

 No, I don’t think it was their age at all.

 I think that Mikayla just wanted to be with me. She wanted my attention more than she wanted anything else.

 And her wanting my attention more than other, exciting options made me feel very special – and very loved.

 It is a memory that is lodged not only in my mind, but in my heart.

 The day Mikayla made me first choice.  

 I wonder if Jesus feels that way when we make Him first choice? When we choose Him above all of the other options in our lives?

 Think about it.

 When was the last time that praying, or reading your Bible was the most important thing you were going to do that day?

 How long has it been since you couldn’t wait to bask in His presence?

 Or linger in the afterglow of prayer?

 Or wanted time with Jesus more than anyone else?

 Consider the story of Mary and Martha as recorded in Luke 10 from the Holy Bible:

^“38Now it came to pass, as they went, that he entered into a certain village: and a certain woman named Martha received him into her house.

³⁹And she had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus' feet, and heard his word.

⁴⁰But Martha was cumbered about much serving, and came to him, and said, Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? bid her therefore that she help me.

⁴¹And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things:

⁴²But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.”(Luke 10:38-42)

Certainly there are times when household chores and other obligations need to be done. But Jesus was saying that it was very good that Mary chose Jesus first and foremost... as should we.

As for Mikayla, later that week she spent the night and we’d planned to spend the next day together – just a granddaughter and grandparent day. But her mom called and reminded her that she had been asking for weeks to go to a particular egg hunt in the park. ‘Did she still want to go?’ her mom asked.

“Let me think about it,” Mikayla said.

A full 10 minutes later Mikayla decided to go to the egg hunt and forgo our day together.

10 minutes in an eight-year-old mind is a very long time. I felt just as special and deeply loved as I did that day in the park that she even paused to think about it. I mean what is a grandmother compared to all out park district egg hunt?

I love Mikayla for loving me the way she does. And I want to love Jesus the with the same admiration and top of my priority list that she’s given me recently.

How about you?

Unlikely Pride

"First pride, then the crash—
the bigger the ego, the harder the fall." -Proverbs 16:18 (The Message)

Pride and self-importance can be easy traps to fall into.

A sense of entitlement regarding our lives can cause us to think we have a right to be honored, regarded, given our just due. 

 

If we are not careful we can fool ourselves into thinking we have a right to:

·  Be honored more than an unproductive co-worker.

·  Receive better pay or position.

·  Enjoy good health - or happiness.

·  Have dignity and respect bestowed on us.

·  Live a stress free life.

·  Have financial success.

·  Own a new car or home.

·  Take a vacation when we want.

·  Be used in a position of prominence in the church.

·  Be validated for our accomplishments.

·  See those who have offended us punished.

·  Receive appreciation from our spouse and children.

Normally we continue with our puffing and blowing about our so called rights UNTIL a crisis hits:

·  A loved one dies.

·  We lose our job.

·  We lose our house.

·  We can't pay our bills.

·  We receive a terminal diagnosis.

·  Divorce looms.

·  We're betrayed by a friend.

·  Past failures crash into our present day.

•  Disability visits our world.

And with crisis comes clarity.  

·       Clarity concerning the frailty of our human condition.

·       Clarity to acknowledge the omnipotence of God.

·       Clarity regarding our utter helplessness without Him.

James 4:14 offers significant clarity:

^"Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away."

I love the story of Job in the Bible. Whenever I get to feeling too pompous or filled up with my rights to this or that, I read the last 3 chapters of the book of Job in the Holy Bible.

The Bible says that Job was a righteous man and one that pleased God. (Job 1:1)

There doesn't seem to be any notable pride in Job's life, yet God impressed strongly on Job His omnipotence. Consider the following passage:

"Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said,...

Who is this that darkeneth counsel by words without knowledge?

Gird up now thy loins like a man; for I will demand of thee, and answer thou me.

Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? declare, if thou hast understanding.

Who hath laid the measures thereof, if thou knowest? or who hath stretched the line upon it? " (Job 38:1-5)

For three chapters (Job 38-40) the Lord basically landblasts Job and explains in no uncertain terms that He is the sovereign Lord and can do whatever He pleases to whomever He wants because He always has been and always will be. (The seeming undercurrent is - 'how dare you question what's happening in your life.')

In short, according to God, Job had no rights - no claim to what was happening in his life.

 And we don’t either.

 According to the Holy Bible, all that we have - and all that we ever hope to be, was given to us because of the mercy and shed blood of Christ Jesus.

 If we were to stand before God based on our own reputation we would be doomed; condemned to eternal punishment and death. (Matthew 8:11-13)

But Christ Jesus gave us a chance to be spared if we embrace Christ’s sacrifice on the cross.

Hebrews 9:21-26 explains it:

"Even the first plan required a death to set it in motion. After Moses had read out all the terms of the plan of the law—God's "will"—he took the blood of sacrificed animals and, in a solemn ritual, sprinkled the document and the people who were its beneficiaries.

And then he attested its validity with the words, "This is the blood of the covenant commanded by God." He did the same thing with the place of worship and its furniture.

 Moses said to the people, "This is the blood of the covenant God has established with you.

 Practically everything in a will hinges on a death. That's why blood, the evidence of death, is used so much in our tradition, especially regarding forgiveness of sins.

 That accounts for the prominence of blood and death in all these secondary practices that point to the realities of heaven.

 It also accounts for why, when the real thing takes place, these animal sacrifices aren't needed anymore, having served their purpose.

For Christ didn't enter the earthly version of the Holy Place; he entered the Place Itself, and offered himself to God as the sacrifice for our sins.

He doesn't do this every year as the high priests did under the old plan with blood that was not their own; if that had been the case, he would have to sacrifice himself repeatedly throughout the course of history.

 But instead he sacrificed himself once and for all, summing up all the other sacrifices in this sacrifice of himself, the final solution of sin." (From The Message)

But of course, God is full of mercy and compassion and bestows abundant blessings on those who love and obey Him. And we enjoy many of benefits that we can think we are entitled to –not because we have a right, but because Jesus loves us, gave His life for us, and only asks that we acknowledge that He is Lord and all that we have comes from Him.

In the end God gave Job much more than Job had at the beginning:

"So the LORD blessed the latter end of Job more than his beginning: for he had fourteen thousand sheep, and six thousand camels, and a thousand yoke of oxen, and a thousand she asses. He had also seven sons and three daughters. And he called the name of the first, Jemima; and the name of the second, Kezia; and the name of the third, Kerenhappuch.   

And in all the land were no women found so fair as the daughters of Job: and their father gave them inheritance among their brethren.

After this lived Job an hundred and forty years, and saw his sons, and his sons' sons, even four generations. So Job died, being old and full of days." (Job 42:12-17)

***

What about you? Do you struggle with feeling mistreated or taken advantage of? Could it be that you are defending your rights when God wants you to relinquish them to His loving care?

Let’s talk about it.

Leave a post or email me at debbie@dsimlergoff.com

I’d love to hear from you!

Long Time No Post

Wow, I can't believe it has been three plus months since I posted!

I think part of it is that I've been trying to figure out just what I want my posts to be about.

Themed or not?

Jesus only?

...Or more a hodgepodge of what I do in my life?

Blog experts say to keep on task with a solid theme and write to a target audience.


But that doesn't work for me.

What does work for me is sharing whatever is on my heart at the time.

That could be Christ Jesus because He is on my mind alot, or it could be about my grandkids, my family , or general life observations.

So this post is a 'coming out of sorts' a breaking free from the confines of expectations of what blogs are supposed to be.

(At this moment I feel like I did when I was like 7 years old and taking my oath to go from a 'Brownie' to a 'Girl Scout'. .... "On my honor, I promise to do my best..." )

I promise to share my  thoughts with you and hope that in some way they encourage you. 

My postings will be an offering to my Lord - Christ Jesus.

In the Holy Bible He says that "a man's gift will make room for him..." (Proverbs 18:16) which I take to mean that if I will apply my talents He will provide the audience - meaning I won't have to push and propogate to get readers.

And while we are on the subject of gifts:

 What is your gift?

What talents do you have that  you'd like to see developed  more or be recognized?

In your wildest dreams how would your GIFT be  utilized?

Let's talk about this more and see if we can encourage each other to press on to all the exciting things that Christ Jesus has planned for our future and our giftings.

James 1:17

The Message (MSG)

 "So, my very dear friends, don't get thrown off course. Every desirable and beneficial gift comes out of heaven. The gifts are rivers of light cascading down from the Father of Light. There is nothing deceitful in God, nothing two-faced, nothing fickle. He brought us to life using the true Word, showing us off as the crown of all his creatures. "

BREACHES

Sometimes, even in the best of relationships, conflict happens.

The wrong tone of voice is used.

Sarcasm goes too far.

Personal boundaries are tramped on.

And graces are taken advantage of.

It’s happened to all of us.

And depending on the depth and dynamics of the breach we either move on, or carry the breach within us like sediment at the bottom of a murky lake.

Say for example the breach was with the person who stole the parking space you were waiting for. You might get angry for a few minutes, and even exchange a heated gesture or two. But in the whole grand scheme of your life’s relationships, a parking lot fray is just that – a fray. No real big deal.

But if the breach is with a co-worker... then the ante goes up. You need to interact with them in order to do your job. You may not have an emotional attachment to the person you are at odds with, but in order  to function at work there  needs to be a healthy amount of interchange; and contention can make that difficult.

And if the breach is with one of your primary relationships like a spouse, child or parent then it generally is all consuming. The ‘how could they’s’ or ‘how dare they’s’ invade your emotional core like a disaster siren blaring in your neighborhood warning of the impending tornado.

 Your instincts tell you to take cover. Yet you stand still hoping you and your loved one will reconcile. That your relationship will improve. That mutual respect and understanding will prevail.

But that isn’t always the case, and sometimes we are left with trying to navigate heart wrenching breaches while maintaining a semblance of joy and functionality.

So what do we do in the meantime?

PRAY

When I am upset about something someone has done to me the first thing I do is to talk to God about it. He is my first line of defense against over reacting and saying or doing more than I should about the situation. It is amazingly effective and brings things into perspective quickly.

For example, not long ago I was upset about something my boss did. I felt a decision she made about a situation was unfair. But instead of grumbling about it, I bowed my head and ‘told on her to God’. Honestly, like a little kid running to their daddy about a playmate who wouldn’t share the sandbox, I tattled on my boss to Jesus.  

And as I was whining to God about the perceived injustice Romans 13 was quickened to my mind:

“Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God. ...Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation.”

Ouch.

Let EVERY SOUL be SUBJECT unto the higher powers? For there is NO POWER BUT OF GOD?

That means that God placed my boss in authority over me and therefore I needed to accept that, quit complaining and honor God’s sovereignty in the matter by humbly complying.

READ THE BIBLE

By making Bible reading a daily habit in my life, my mind ‘bank’ is filled with God’s truth. And since I have deposited so many scriptures into my memory, it is easier for God to ‘withdraw’ or bring to the forefront appropriate scripture when I need it to remind me of God’s opinion on the matter.

PRACTICE THE FRUITS OF THE SPIRIT

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.” (Galatians 5:22-23)

Training myself to practice – to implement the fruits of the spirit into my day-to-day life helps me to respond more appropriately when my feelings are hurt. Because the habit of goodness has been formed in me, there is a reservoir of goodness memories for me to draw from and hopefully tap into when unpleasantness invades my relationships.

I like the way The Message explains the fruits of the spirit:

^“But what happens when we live God's way? He brings gifts into our lives, much the same way that fruit appears in an orchard—things like affection for others, exuberance about life, serenity. We develop a willingness to stick with things, a sense of compassion in the heart, and a conviction that a basic holiness permeates things and people. We find ourselves involved in loyal commitments, not needing to force our way in life, able to marshal and direct our energies wisely.” (Galatians 5:22-23, from The Message)

So what about you?

 How do you handle relationship problems in your life?

Have you experience breaches in your work or personal life?

 Leave a comment and share your insights so that we all may learn and grow.