I’m about to do one of the hardest things I’ve done recently—WRITE!
“What? How can that be?” you ask. “You’re a writer! Isn’t that what writers do?”
I wish I could tell you what’s keeping me from doing what I need to do. But I don’t have any answers at this point.
In fact, I’m not even sure I have anything of substance to offer anyone now. But I’m just going to write—and hope something helpful surfaces. Anything is better than nothing at this point. (more…)
Thirty miles from home, my low fuel warning light flashed on.
How could I have forgotten to fill up before I left my daughter’s house two hours ago?
I panicked and called my husband, Dan, “Where is the nearest gas station to our exit from the interstate?”
“What? Where are you?” I could hear concern in Dan’s voice.
“I’m exiting I-30 right now.”
“How much gas do you have left?” Another question I couldn’t answer. (more…)
What are some of the blockages to communications in your life?
Silence? Well, duh! Of course, silence would be a blockage to communication. But how do you open the door to conversation when the other person is not in the same room? Easy. Text messaging.
I’m embarrassed to admit how early I woke up this morning. Well, okay–it was three a.m. How’s that for vulnerability and transparency? (more…)
Many of you may have wondered, “What happened to Karen? I guess she’s unplugged for awhile.”
Then again, you may not have even noticed.
Either way, here’s the deal—we’ve entered into a new season of life at our house.
EVERY DAY IS SATURDAY!
Gray Zone. Maybe you’ve noticed my gray hair and tennis shoes. If you happen to drop by our house, you’ll also see some subtle changes in the décor—like the two new recliners in front of our big-screen TV.
You’re laughing? What’s the big deal? Every day is Saturday!
Several of Dan’s friends have asked him, “How’s retirement?”
Saturday Fever. If you know Dan, you won’t be surprised at his quick humor and pithy comebacks. So, don’t say I didn’t warn you. But if you dare to ask him that question, he’ll just smile and repeat his canned response, “Every day is Saturday.”
The first time I heard Dan reply to questions about retirement from one of his friends I thought, Maybe for YOU every day is Saturday. But I haven’t retired yet!
Writer’s Life. Do you know how hard it is to focus on a writing project when “every day is Saturday”?
Yet, the first eight weeks of Dan’s retirement, that is exactly what I needed to do. Why? I had a deadline to meet to turn in my first book manuscript.
Yes, I am a late bloomer. Just when my ‘baby boomer” decides to wind up his career, I’m stepping into a new role as a book author.
How on earth can I do that? Good question. I’ll keep you posted on how it turns out.
In fact, I can’t wait to tell you all about my debut nonfiction book, Words That Change Everything, scheduled for release in Spring 2016. But I’ll save that news flash for later. But considerer yourself warned—I’ve waited a LONG time for this moment.
First Lesson. Back to Dan’s retirement—I know what you’re thinking, “What a great time for a writer to sit down and write her memoirs!”
NOT! Remember, EVERY DAY IS SATURDAY!
I’m hoping this first lesson from the gray zone will help you understand a little bit more about this new season of my life. I never expected some of the blessings I’ve discovered with my husband’s retirement.
In fact, when one of my Texas friends found out Dan retired, she said, “Bless your heart!”
Now, if you’re from the South like me, you know what she meant. And I don’t think it was about counting my blessings.
So, I’m glad Dan didn’t hear her. He’s a native Texan, too.
I do plan to write more about the tribulations and celebrations of retirement—or my lessons from the gray zone. But at this point, I’m not making a lot of commitments. Remember–EVERY DAY IS SATURDAY. Right?
Hope to see you again next week—”If the good Lord’s willing and the (saints) don’t rise”!
GrayZone Q & A: Do YOU have any helpful tips or warnings about retirement? Bring ’em on!
Today’s post is for my friends—who just lost their only child this week. I cannot imagine enduring such pain!
This tragedy reminded me of the day my sister, Leslea, lost her youngest son, Colter, to a tragic accident. Heartbreaking!
Lord, what will they do? How can they survive such a loss?
What can we do when life places us in unbearable circumstances? I can’t even imagine the pain—I refuse to even let my thoughts go there.
Where can we go? Who do we run to? What should we cling to when we’re drowning in a sea of our sorrows? When will someone throw us a lifeline? How will we we survive?
When friends and family walk through horrible events like this, my words fail me. Mere words seem inadequate to express my emotions.
This isn’t the first time I’ve been at a loss for words. And I don’t think any human words could ever bring peace and comfort to a parent in the death a child.
Now, after facing many trials and crises in my own life, I do know where to go. And I do know Who to run to. I know Who we can cling to when we’re drowning, and Who will throw us a lifeline. And I know how we will survive.
Help. The Lord promises to help us when we don’t know what to say or pray.
… the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. (Rom. 8:26 NIV)
Hope. The Holy Spirit offers promises of hope, even if we never understand “why?” these things happen.
I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit. (Rom. 15:13 NLT)
Assurance. God’s Word provides the assurance that Jesus will bear our grief and carry our sorrows.
He suffered the things we should have suffered. He took on himself the pain that should have been ours. (Is. 53:4 NIRV)
Peace. God’s Word can speak peace to the storm ravaging our dreams. And He promises to throw us the lifeline of His Word.
And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Phil. 4:7 NIV).
Confidence. We can have the confidence to know that in Christ, we will survive. And we can expect Him to provide the power we need to overcome any circumstance in our life if we trust Him with the situation. Healing and hope for the future can be found in Him.
This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him. (1 John 5:14)
As I pray from my friends. God continues to guide my prayers with His Word. So, today I pray these promises from God’s Word will give hope to my friends and to others who may be suffering under the heavy burden of loss and grief.
Blessings to you, my friends! You know who you are. And God knows your needs—even better than you do. He understands. And He wants to assure you of His presence right now and in all the days of your life.
I lift my friends up to You, Heavenly Father. You knows their pain because You lost Your only Son long ago in a tragic death—so we could all experience Your promised land of rest and peace in this life and in the life to come.
YouTube/Attitude of Gratitude (“Wayfaring Stranger” Selah)
The Shepherd’s Song was a different writing experience for us.
After twenty years of writing children’s books for the general market we were now writing our first book for God. The books we wrote before were from a Christian worldview. What made this book different was our desire to submit every word to God and to reflect in our words what He would say. An overwhelming task on our own.
But what if we could connect with God and hear from Him as we worked? C.S. Lewis wrote once about “taking dictation” from God. The connection with God was key. But how? (more…)
