Stop and Go

In a distance, birds chirped their morning concert. Gazing at the clock, I debated––crawl out of my cozy, warm bed or watch the sunrise through the lacy curtains. The orange sun poked over the mountain, and the stars faded into the dawn. Too late to pull the covers over my head and drift back to sleep. My eyes begged to close, but my brain raced with the daily tasks at hand. Rising early would usher me into a quiet time with the Lord––I hoped.

I'm not a morning person. I prefer to be quiet in the morning except for talking to the Lord. You won't find me exercising, enjoying a morning conversation on the phone, or turning on the TV. Unless the calendar says get going out the door for an appointment, meeting, class, a hospital emergency or other work-related commitments, I'll relish the time at home. Now don't misunderstand, you won't find me on the couch. I'll be chomping at the bit to get in gear. Cleaning and laundry will most likely steal my attention from the computer that beckons me to catch up on correspondence and my writing schedule.

Watching from afar, you'd wonder how I do it all. A mystery to me also, but I do have help––supernatural help. The word "still" doesn't compute in my thought pattern. Not unless I choose to get my Bible and head to my cozy spot in a corner of my house where I enter my God Nook. Oh, how I love that place. So why don't I rush more often to that special place? Too Busy. But, is it necessary to get to my nook in order to meet with God? What does it mean to be still?

Until we stop, we can't be still. Until our minds stop, we can't focus on the One who stopped His earthly life when He went to the cross for us. He chose us. We can stop and choose Him. Choose to stop and focus fully on Him. Then we are still. Then our soul finds rest. "My soul finds rest in God alone" ( Psalm 62:1 NIV).

For many of us, slowing down is work. It's natural for us to run, move, go, but it's unnatural for us to slow down, stop, breathe. However, it's possible to find that cozy nook anywhere--anytime, and for any amount of time. Just focus on God and nothing else.

There's nothing wrong with being busy, being active, being on the go––except, we often never stop.

Where I grew up, we had Stop and Go stores. Maybe you did too. We stopped, got what we needed, filled up our tank and our stomachs, then continued on.

Stop. It seems simple, but yet it's the hardest thing to do.

Practice these steps: Stop. Look. Listen. Breathe. Go.

Take time to focus on God in your God Nook––wherever that might be. Stop for a few minutes or an hour, look into His face, listen to His voice, breathe in His majesty, and then go. But, make it a habit to stop often. Know He is God. Bask in His presence.

Let's stop, get filled up, and go shine His light in the world.

This blog is an excerpt from my newly revised book, Dancing Like Bees, now available on Amazon.

Available here on Amazon at: https://amzn.to/2YMDbUd

Easter Ears

"He is not here; he is risen!" (Luke 24:6 NIV)

When Easter nears, I think of Easter baskets and how to communicate the Easter story to little ones. God tells us to think like children. “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 18:3 NIV).

·     In my children’s books, The Really Rare Rabbits Series, the little rabbits hear someone teaching about Jesus. They listen. They press their ears to the window to hear more. As adults, are we too busy to listen to God’s voice?

·     Do we lean our elbows on heaven's windowsills and press our ears to God’s heavenly window and listen to His voice or have we come away from the God’s window and only hear the world’s noise?

·     Even a child can hear the story of the cross and believe. It’s a simple message of love. Jesus came to earth to die for all that we might live with Him in heaven for eternity––if we only believe. 

Easter is a time of renewal and reflection. Let’s reflect on all Christ did for us on the cross and determine to press our ears to His window and listen to His voice on Easter morning and always––with our ears pressed like the little rabbits. He is risen!

Back Cover Blurb

Chi Chi and his sister Fi Fi are part of a family of giant rabbits. The young rabbits live on a mountain in Bolivia where their ancestors landed with their owners, the Quechua Indians, when they escaped from Machu Picchu as the Spaniards invaded the Inca Empire in Peru.

You won’t see them on the mountain unless you look very close, but you will hear them giggling. A very old legend tells of their unbelievable size and their truly unusual job, protecting a treasure of gold left behind on the mysterious rocky mountain by their owners of long ago.

Every night they sit by their fires, near where they think the treasures are buried. But, one day they hear of a new Light on the mountain that never burns out. Even though Chi Chi and Fi Fi are supposed to stay well hidden during the day, they decide to venture down the mountain to peer in the missionaries’ windows. That is when their dangerous adventure begins.

How I know Really Rare Rabbits Exist

When I moved to the foot of this mountain where our mission is based, I hadn’t yet heard the legend of the mysterious rabbits that live in my backyard. Daily, I gaze out my windows at the Andes Mountains (my backyard) where sightings are rare of these huge rabbits—standing three feet tall.

I doubted the legend––until I heard the rabbits giggle. The sweet sound directed me to the window only to see two of them scurry away as their fluffy, white tails disappeared into the bushes.

According to the legend, the rabbits guard the lost Inca gold on my mountain. Intrigued, I researched Inca history and began writing about the huge critters. Of course, my writer imagination ran wild, and they became my imaginary pets that looked over my shoulder or watched me from the mountaintop. I had to share this delightful, ancient legend––mixed with my imagination so children would have fun while learning history and Bible principles. 

What happens when the rabbits trek down the mountain and peer in my windows? Chi Chi and Fi Fi tell their story in my book, Really Rare Rabbits Book 1.

 The Really Rare Rabbits Series on Amazon at: https://amzn.to/2Hh2hnJ

Also available on Amazon in Spanish at:  https://amzn.to/2SLGEyc

Facing Fear with Faith

Fi Fi Faces Her Fears

We all face things we fear. And, perhaps, children's fears may be more intense. How do we help them through their fears and teach them to trust God? In my children's series, Really Rare Rabbits Book 2: The Secret at Peppermint Pass, there is a tool to help children overcome their fears and learn to trust God. These rabbits take you on a dangerous journey with them to meet their grandfather. On the way, they face their fears and learn to trust God in difficult circumstances.

As a writer, I reap the benefits of researching Bible principles for my children's books. I spend many hours praying and researching verses to incorporate in my stories. Those verses inevitably cause me to dig deeper for spiritual nuggets to help children, and in the process my soul gets stretched. My walk with God grows more intimate as I strive to impart God's truth that will impact young lives for Jesus. I love writing for children because I know how their little hearts and minds soak up God's Word.

We all go through storms in our lives or face giant obstacles in our paths. Maybe they aren't the green giants that my rabbits encounter, but all the same, we cringe when our giants appear. Children also face their giants. Fi Fi trembles when she meets the giants, but she remembers a Bible verse tucked away in her little heart. "Don't fear; I will help you" (Isaiah 41:13 NIV).

How about you? Are you facing giants today? Just as I wrote how God's Word helped Fi Fi, it will help you also to overcome your fears.

Don't tremble, trust God to slay your giants.

*Revised editions available in English and Spanish on Amazon.com: links under each book to all three books for Amazon purchase.

English link: https://amzn.to/2Hh2hnJ

Spanish link:  https://amzn.to/2SLGEyc