Thursday, April 23, 2009
Preserving the Past
I am pleased to report I have a new student for my online writing course "Write Your Life Story." I first put my online course on Coursebridge.com in 2001 and have had a few students over the years. I am always happy to help someone write their life story. I think it is important to preserve the past.
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
This and That Today
I was pleased at the opportunity to interview Earlene Fowler, author of "Love Mercy" via email. You will find the interview on Bookloons.com. And further pleased when the administrator at Bookloons invited me to e interview again soon. I emailed Fowler, thanking her personally for the opportunity to interview her and she answered my email!!! How about that? I find her a 'down-home' type of person and an excellent writer.
Ahh! I finished the 3rd Jeremiah Bible Study Lesson. From the 7th chapter of Jeremiah, God is displeased because the people of Judah pretend to worship Him in the temple but their hearts are not truly worshiping.
The lesson for us? How many times have you sat in church thinking about what to cook for dinner or where to eat out or how much can you get done on this your 'day off'. In the church? But only pretending?
Ahh! I finished the 3rd Jeremiah Bible Study Lesson. From the 7th chapter of Jeremiah, God is displeased because the people of Judah pretend to worship Him in the temple but their hearts are not truly worshiping.
The lesson for us? How many times have you sat in church thinking about what to cook for dinner or where to eat out or how much can you get done on this your 'day off'. In the church? But only pretending?
Monday, April 13, 2009
Update on what I'm doing and what I'm reading
I just finished the new Nevada Barr novel Borderline. It is set in the Big Bend National Park in Texas. All of Barr's Anna Pigeon books are set in National Parks. Pigeon is a park ranger. In this book she is on vacation. After killing a man in self defense, her head is all messed up. Her husband Paul takes her to Big Bend to recuperate.
BUT recuperation is not to be. There is suspense from page 1 and the action never stops. There is, of course, a dead body. Then a couple more murders, an unfaithful husband, a cow named Easter. Yes, I said a cow named Easter. And a newborn baby that Anna delivers on the banks of the Rio Grande. The worst nightmare of all is, someone wants that baby dead.
OK. That is what I've finished reading. Now a peek into what I'm writing.
I've finished the second Bible Study lesson in Jeremiah based on Chapters 3 and 4. God gives the prophet Jeremiah the duty of telling the people of Judah that God is angry with their sins and the future holds destruction for the land.
God is angry because His people have turned away from Him and now worship idols. Exodus 20 quoting from the New Century Version of the Bible: "You must not have any other gods except me (v.3). And v. 4 "You must not make for yourselves an idol that looks like anything in the sky above or on the earth below or in the water below the land."
The people disobeyed God and now they would be punished.
What is the lesson for us today? We don't have idols! We don't? Yes we do! Anything we put before God is an idol. A trip to the lake on Sunday is something we put before worshiping God. If we worship material things so much that we forget that God gave them to us, they become idols. A person, a car, a job. Any of those things can become idols if we put them before God.
We do all these things, yet when we have problems, we go running to the preacher begging, "Pray for me. Pray for me." God expects faithfulness and the rewards are blessings.
BUT recuperation is not to be. There is suspense from page 1 and the action never stops. There is, of course, a dead body. Then a couple more murders, an unfaithful husband, a cow named Easter. Yes, I said a cow named Easter. And a newborn baby that Anna delivers on the banks of the Rio Grande. The worst nightmare of all is, someone wants that baby dead.
OK. That is what I've finished reading. Now a peek into what I'm writing.
I've finished the second Bible Study lesson in Jeremiah based on Chapters 3 and 4. God gives the prophet Jeremiah the duty of telling the people of Judah that God is angry with their sins and the future holds destruction for the land.
God is angry because His people have turned away from Him and now worship idols. Exodus 20 quoting from the New Century Version of the Bible: "You must not have any other gods except me (v.3). And v. 4 "You must not make for yourselves an idol that looks like anything in the sky above or on the earth below or in the water below the land."
The people disobeyed God and now they would be punished.
What is the lesson for us today? We don't have idols! We don't? Yes we do! Anything we put before God is an idol. A trip to the lake on Sunday is something we put before worshiping God. If we worship material things so much that we forget that God gave them to us, they become idols. A person, a car, a job. Any of those things can become idols if we put them before God.
We do all these things, yet when we have problems, we go running to the preacher begging, "Pray for me. Pray for me." God expects faithfulness and the rewards are blessings.
Thursday, April 2, 2009
What I'm Reading
I just finished a couple of books that I highly recommend. Earlene Fowler's Love Mercy is a book about relationships. A grandmother and granddaughter, An Alzheimer patient and his family. It is about the fictional community of Morro Bay, CA. Fowler's Benni Harper Mysteries are must reads but this is not a mystery. Although there is suspense in every chapter. It should be a TV show.
The second book is The Prosecution Rests. It is an anthology written by several well known mystery writers. Exceptional. I will give it away at the next Sleuth's meeting.
The second book is The Prosecution Rests. It is an anthology written by several well known mystery writers. Exceptional. I will give it away at the next Sleuth's meeting.
One Lesson Finished
I finished one lesson in Jeremiah. 2100 words. Hurrah!. I just need to finesse it a little. Will let it set for a while and reread it.
This lesson was on the first chapter of Jeremiah. It was interesting to me to see that the Lord chose Jeremiah before he was born (v.4-5). Wonder what the anti-abortionist say to that?
It was said of Esther that she was born for that particular time in history. Jeremiah also was born for a particular time in history. We might say Billy Graham was born for a particular time in history. Who has God given us today for our time in history?
This lesson was on the first chapter of Jeremiah. It was interesting to me to see that the Lord chose Jeremiah before he was born (v.4-5). Wonder what the anti-abortionist say to that?
It was said of Esther that she was born for that particular time in history. Jeremiah also was born for a particular time in history. We might say Billy Graham was born for a particular time in history. Who has God given us today for our time in history?
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