Author: Barbara

My passion is to encourage women wherever they are on their life journey. In everything I write and in every opportunity to speak, my goal is to offer hope. May the God of all hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 15:13 NIV

School Memories

~ Barbara ~ Leave a comment

A new school year brings warm memories of my elementary-high school years. Maybe you will resonate with a few of my ABCs or have some of your own.

A — Alphabet letters displayed above the board in caps & lower case

B — Bells that defined class times

C — Crayons, all those sharp points lined up & ready

D — Desks & dividers with colored tabs

E — Erasers, clean and pink

F — First day with its jitters & joy

G — Gym class, not! (my least favorite class)

H — Homework & highlighters

I — Index cards bundled in a rubber band

J — Journals, and journeys into new areas of learning

K — Kids to meet and old friends  

L — Lunch boxes (yes, I’m dating myself)

M — Markers, broad and thin line

N — Notebooks color-coded for different subjects

O — Organizers & getting organized

P — Pens of varying styles & sharpened pencils

Q — Quizzes, but not pop-quizzes

R — Reading—reading books & reading class

S — Science class with fun experiments

T — Textbooks, used or new, with brown paper bag covers

U — United States Flag and the Pledge of Allegiance

V — Volumes of books in the library

W — World maps and a globe displaying far off places

X — X-ing out my homework assignments

Y — Yellow markers and legal pads

Z — Zippers on my new pencil case and backpack

Finding Hope, 65 Meditations for a Broken Heart

I Love Ls

~ Barbara ~ 2 Comments

I love the laughter and levity that lightens life.

I love long-time friends who love me well and lift me up.

I love looking, and looking again—lapping up natural beauty, learning from books, and lingering over old photos.

I love licking ice cream cones and lollipops.

I love lilacs, lavender, and lilies of the valley

I love the bright color and tart taste of lemons and limes.

I love sweet lattes, layer cakes, lemon bars, key lime pies, and licorice sticks.

I love the glow of lamplight shining from windows and logs in a firepit with flames leaping.

I love a lazy day of lounging by a lake, lulled by the sound of lapping water.

I love long-lashed llamas, lions and leopards, and the less-familiar lemmings and lemurs.

I love the library (just ask my librarian) and reading written letters on a page,

I love lasagna and lobster over linguine served with long loaves of fresh bread.

I love sitting on a loveseat with my littles, singing lilting lullabies to them.

I love the femininity of lace and lockets and a touch of lipstick.

I love to see locomotives lumber by and the promise of adventure in a stack of luggage.

I love Labor Day heralding school’s return with its list of supplies, new lunch boxes, and shiny combination locks.

I love learning and listening, lying peacefully and longing for deeper understanding.

I love leaves that adorn our landscape with countless shades of green, soon to change color. And I love a new leaf of life that changes our personal landscapes.  

I love the Lord and the love He showers on me that, hopefully leaks out to bless others.

What “L” have I missed? Do you have a favorite?

Finding Hope, 65 Meditations for a Broken Heart

Thanking when Quaking

~ Barbara ~ Leave a comment

One of my favorite genres is historical fiction. The characters, real and imagined, propel the stories and seem to meet the challenges of their day with better grace than I would. I think the most stabilizing lesson I learn is the repetition of tragedy throughout history. When it comes to sin and aggression, there is nothing new under the sun. This calms me when current events cause me to quake with outrage and stimulate fear. Psalm 75 addresses these emotions, but look how it starts out,

“We give thanks to you, O, God.”

The thanks is not due to peace and prosperity. Thanks is given because in the lack of peace and prosperity God is constant. The psalmist’s assurances speak to us today:

  • When the earth and all its people quake, God holds its pillars firm (v 3)—we are upset, God is not. He’s got it and us covered.
  • God chooses the appointed time and judges uprightly (v 2)—in His time evil will be justly judged.
  • God brings one down and exalts another (v 7)—leaders, generals, presidents, and prime ministers serve at His command.

I’m guessing you need these reassurances as much as I do so, once again, let’s proclaim, “No fear here!” Let’s choose to focus on the God who holds the world in His hands, rather than on the chaos swarming around us. God upholds the world. God appoints the time of judgement. God raises up and brings down rulers.

Finding Hope, 65 Meditations for a Broken Heart

Peace and Prosperity

~ Barbara ~ 2 Comments

Jeremiah 29:7 has me stumped! I love the verse for its sentiment and I’ve shared it before to encourage us to accept this fallen world for what it is—a place of exile. Our true home is heaven and earth is the place we travel to get there.

“Seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile.
Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.”

My place of exile is the United States of America, specifically New Jersey. Jeremiah counsels exiles to make themselves at home in their foreign land and to pray for the place they live. The blessing in doing so is that as our country prospers, we will prosper.

But how do I pray? What words do I use? I look to Jeremiah for guidance and pray for the peace and prosperity of America and our greater area of exile, the world.

If lawn signs are any indication, I see an increasing number that ask passersby to pray for peace. Again, how does this translate? The warring factions in Africa, gangs in South America, and Middle eastern terrorist organizations seem obvious, but while I’m praying for the peace of Jerusalem, my neighbor is praying for Palestine. And which fractious political candidate will advance peace in our country, and at what price?

I pray for God’s peace and presence in whichever crisis brings me to my knees. Lord, may your name and reality be known and honored. May the people of every nation experience the inner peace and satisfied heart you alone give. Let the world come to know your love.

And prosperity? In America, renowned to be the most prosperous country? Lord, bless our land with prosperity for all—the farmers, the miners, the construction workers, the developers of housing and technology, the families on welfare, the unemployed, the business that provide jobs, manufacturers, preachers, teachers. May we prosper in truth, expose dark plans and ideologies, and love the people you created in your image.

I’m still looking for clarity and would love to hear your thoughts about this. Thank you for allowing me to ramble and work through this dilemma with you!

Image provided by Pixabay

Finding Hope, 65 Meditations for a Broken Heart