Thanksgiving Dinner

FIRST OF ALL...wanted to tell you that tomorrow, November 22nd, I'm going to be on the radio!! Oh goodness. I'm nervous!!! If you want to listen, here are the details:

Where: WBCL Radio in Ft. Wayne, Indiana (90.3 FM)

What: Mid-Morning Author! Author! program

When: The program airs from 9:05-10:00 Monday morning, and my spot is 9:45-9:55.

They do stream online if you're unable to hear it on the radio, and the Mid-Morning page does have an archive list of the shows, so if you can't hear it live and want to check it out later...that's where you can find me!

This concludes my public service announcement. :)

Since it's Thanksgiving week, and since I made broccoli salad to take to Chapel Pike's carry-in dinner today, I have been doing some thinking about Thanksgiving dinners. Our family is very small and very scattered, and I will be honest...I struggle with Thanksgiving. I hear people talk about their eating-all-day-while-watching-football bashes and I wonder what a gathering like that would look like! I don't often mind being the caboose of the family but when it means you miss out on family gatherings because there's no longer a family....it's kind of hard.

So.

If I were doing my own Thanksgiving dinner (yes, even for just one!), this is what I would make for my menu.

I don't actually like turkey all that well. It's kind of dry for my tastes. But it's not Thanksgiving without the turkey, so this is my favorite turkey. I know. It's probably all processed and not even real meat. But it's my Thanksgiving, so this is what I'd make. (And I did, in fact, purchase this one this week so I can have my own Thanksgiving dinner!)


This is my favorite dressing/stuffing, which I make from scratch. (It's over on the recipe list if you need a recipe.) My mouth is watering just thinking about it.

I'd make broccoli salad because I would actually get to eat it. (When I take it to the carry-in, it's always gone. Sadness.) This recipe is over in the list, too.

I haven't made mashed potatoes in years. Literally years. But I love them. Extra butter, please.

Actually I probably would skip vegetables entirely because I don't like them. But for the sake of nutrition and color, I would do cooked carrots. I really do love them.

Macaroni and cheese. HAS to be Paula Deen's recipe. My favorite.

And for dessert? Pumpkin cake!! (Recipe in the list.)

Bought this today too - my favorite thing. Sparkling grape juice.
So that would be my favorite meal. What is yours?

Just a Dose of Reality

I really do try hard to not be Eeyore.

Nobody likes an Eeyore.

And I have to say that this week has held some truly beautiful moments. I had the greatest, most unexpected evening spent hidden away with the Lord on Monday and I still shake my head when I think about it. I can't believe He planned it all out like He did. (Sometime I'll have to tell you about it.)

Had a great time Wednesday night with the Bible study group at church...some great thoughts, they had!

The book signing was, as you saw, SO much fun. So thankful for that.

But there have been....other moments....this week as well.

I was Rudolph's twin at work yesterday - sporting my not-so-subtle red nose. The week just got me, y'all. It did. I'm assuming most of this is something God is up to...doing a work, teaching me, stretching me, molding me. But it HURTS. And quite frankly, I don't always like it.

Yesterday at lunch, I went out on my driving path because I was so confused and I needed to get out there where I can think and hear better. And I did hear...and it was wonderful...but it's still not a cure-all for the pain.

I think ahead to the holidays and I think this is not how they were "supposed to be." And yet I know God will be faithful to bless them because He's good. When I think about decorating the house or wrapping the gifts or doing the baking...I think...do I have it in me this year? Can I do this? I don't know. I really don't. One day at a time...I'll work through it.

And you know how things go when you start worrying about this and that...then everything overwhelms you. The final straw yesterday was when I mis-alphabetized a loan packet at work (by one spot in the folder) and I thought...you know, if I can't even alphabetize correctly, forget it. I'm resigning from the day. Thankfully there were only about five minutes left in the work day at that time. :)

So this is my Eeyore post. Thank you for reading it. I'll be chipper-er tomorrow. I'll be just fine. I know that. I read an email devotion that reminded me of the verse "They that sow in tears will reap in joy." If that's the case, I'm due for some SERIOUS joy! :)

Greentown Book Signing!!

Had a great time last night at the Greentown Public Library book signing. Embarrassingly enough, I think this was my first time back in the library since the days of term papers and group projects. We won't mention just how many years ago that's been. :)

I was there for just an hour and got to see so many people I'd not seen in forever. Thought I'd take a minute to share them with you, too!

This is one of my very best friends from high school, Amber. (Amber was my Hershey, PA traveling buddy a summer ago, too...you might remember her from those pictures.) Amber is one of those friends that you know God plopped down in your path very much on purpose. Our lives have traveled very similar paths in some ways and it's been great to have her as a friend on those journeys. Amber is also the talented artist who drew the picture I have in my living room that I showed in the post a few weeks ago...and she came to my signing to take pictures for me there.

This was my very first visitor. I'd never met her before, but she was one of Dad's former students. (That's a sentence that can be said OFTEN. He has lots of them!) It always surprises me when complete strangers are willing to read something I've written...so this was a great surprise and treat for me that she came to the signing!

This is my "big brother," Barry. He and I met through work, sort of...our jobs crossed paths. Along the way, he figured out I was Dave Freelan's daughter, and wouldn't you know it...he'd been a student of Dad's too. So we struck up a friendship, and he took me in as a sister. I have really appreciated him! He's listened to LOTS of Bekahdrama.

And now we don't get the chance to talk as often, which is sad, but I REALLY appreciated that he took the time to come out and see me!

It's so weird for me to call former teachers/school workers by their first names!! Here I'm talking to Margie Bontrager, who worked in the library when I was in school, and Sheryl Dean, who was the high school secretary. (And they both still do those jobs!) Sheryl's son was in my class, too. Anyway, I was so thankful they took time to come out and see me...

When I was growing up, this sweet lady lived next door to us. She and her husband, Bob, were great sources of encouragement to me. Bob died a few years ago, and Donna ended up moving away from my parents' neighborhood, but she saw in the paper that I was going to be at the library and she surprised me!

My friends Marty and Lori and their two kids were among those in attendance as well! Marty and I met in college (had some classes together) and then he was part of the invitation committee for me to attend Chapel Pike for the years I was there. Lori was already attending Chapel Pike and they ended up getting married. (It was at their wedding that I fell through the aisle runner. Yes THROUGH the aisle runner. Great story.) Now they have these two great kids and we run into each other now and then at work or at birthday parties. I was excited that they came over!

Kaleb, their son, may be the greatest kid conversationalist I've ever met - and has always been that way since he could talk. He was perusing my picture on the back cover and decided he liked the necklace I was wearing.

Signing...signing....signing...

Talking and signing. Oh yes. I'm a multi-tasker.

This is my good friend, Sarah. Sarah was a couple of years behind me in school, but she was a sweet friend and we enjoyed hanging out outside of school, too. Thanks to the beauty of Facebook, we've been able to stay in touch in more recent months as well. She's still a beautiful and fun friend!

Of course...Ronda!! I was so surprised to see her...didn't know that she would make the trek over just for that. I'll tell you what...this one will have a few hundred extra stars in her crown for the way she's stuck by me this year.

I did some signing...did I mention that?

And last but not least...a picture with Stefanie. She and I met during a summer when she was also a student worker in Financial Aid. She married a Greentownian and even though we don't life all that far apart...I never get to see her. I was so excited that she made it out to catch up for a few minutes!

There were others that came out as well...and I appreciated every single one so much. This, I think, is my favorite part of the whole thing. I love meeting people and seeing those I've not seen forever. So much fun!! Thanks, Greentown!

Well Here's a Nice Surprise!!

If you're a Greentownian...or any of its suburbs (HA!), I just wanted to let you know that I'll be at the Greentown Public Library tonight from 7-8 p.m. to sign books. (I'll have a stash of them with me too, if you don't have one and want one.) I'd love to see you if you're in the area - even if you don't want a book! Just stop by and say hi! The library is in the high school - in case you need to know.

That, by the way, is not the nice surprise. That's just an announcement.

HERE is the nice surprise.

My Dad, as you may or may not remember, is pastoring a little church called Hazel Dell Friends. I spoke there a couple of months ago and had some pictures of it. Anyway. Mom said they're reading through the first chapters of my book for Christmas this year, and last Sunday, a sweet man from the congregation asked her to give this gift to me:

He MADE it! I'm beyond impressed. Since I have a tree in every room of my house...there will definitely be a place for this! I love it - and I really appreciate his thoughtfulness! My first book present! :)

Wilderness Wednesday: Learning REALLY Begins

TONIGHT is night two of studying the Advent book at my church. If you're in the area and want to join us - feel free! We'll meet at Sycamore Friends at 7 p.m. and we'll be talking about Joseph.

I had a question last week from someone who wanted to know if I was not writing as much about the desert because I was trying to get out of what God assigned me to do. Nope - not trying to get out of it. Just trying to be able to enjoy writing about present day life without getting bogged down in the past. So desert posts are on Wednesdays only now.

In today's desert post, I am writing from my vacation to Tennessee with Faith and her daughters. It was during that vacation that God made a change in my heart. A painful change. And it began on the day you're about to see.

This particular morning, Faith wanted to take the kids to a little beach near our condo. So while she got the kids ready to go, I sat in the living room and journaled:

Kari sent me this verse this morning, and I am so thankful because I’m struggling and flailing in my trust today: Romans 15:13 – “May the God of 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.” Precious Savior – give me the grace to wait in You. To trust in You. To love You and worship You in the waiting. How I long to be found faithful. And I know it’s going to hurt.

Wow. Streams. “The real work of God for the children of Israel did not happen when they awoke that morning to find they would cross the Red Sea, but it occurred ‘all that night.’ There may be a great work occurring in your life when things seem their darkest. You may see no evidence yet, but God is at work. God was just as much at work ‘all that night’ as He was the next day when the Israelites finally saw the evidence. The next day simply revealed what God had done during the night. Are you reading this from a place in your life where everything seems dark? Do you have faith to see but are still not seeing?...You may not see it yet, but through the night of your life, as you trust Him, He works.”

We drove to the little beach and Faith, Hannah, and Kaylah played in the water. I sat on a lawn chair in my swimsuit, writing some more: Sweet Savior of my soul, fill me with You. Cause me to love You more and more and trust You for the fulfillment of these dreams.

Father, hold me now. Help me to find joy in this time. Help me to hold to the knowledge that You’re working the night shift.

Jesus, I still choose You. Even though it hurts. I choose to trust You even though I don’t understand what You are doing in me.

Oh my sweet Father – calm and soothe my soul – please? Jesus, it aches and hurts. I’m not sure how to have hope right now. Please put hope in my heart. Although hope kind of hurts because it makes me remember what I had and lost.

You told me to trust YOU for deliverance and redemption. Redemption is not mine to pursue. It is Yours to give. And I guess You long to give it to me in a beautiful way. You said part of my redemption is the waiting for the pursuit. And part of his redemption is being able to come for me. Oh Jesus. I really don’t want to mess it up. I really don’t. Help me to be faithful to Your process.

I wonder, now, how the weeks to come would have been different if I actually had submitted to this. If I hadn’t grown impatient and kept pursuing him out of desperation. And I wonder how the weeks would have been different if Isaac had handled his half of the journey differently, too.

That afternoon, Hannah and I made some jewelry together, and then that night we all went putt-putting together. When we came home, Faith filled the massive whirlpool tub full of water and we all got in our swimsuits and sat in the hot tub.

I journaled, I never expected it to be so hard to crawl in that hot tub tonight. I almost couldn’t BREATHE – thinking of the wish list with Isaac and how WE are supposed to be in Tennessee on vacation in a hot tub. This isn’t fair – but I still choose to trust You, my loving Jesus.

30 Days of You and Me: Day Six

What? Another one?

I know. Call it an uncreative week for Bekah. (Actually call it insanely busy.)

Today you're supposed to share your favorite music video.

I'll pause right here for you to laugh at the mere thought of me and a music video in the same sentence. I actually kind of shuddered when I read this on the list because this past weekend at the craft hideaway, guess what I listened to for probably a good 12 hours on Saturday? 80's music. Of course it was all brand new to me since I didn't listen to it in the 80's. Or 90's. Or any year since. But all the girls were just jammin' and singing along as they scrapped. Now and then I'd recognize a song (primarily from The Wedding Singer - HA!) and the whole time I wondered when the David Phelps palooza would start.

Note: it never did.

Anyway.

So when I see "music video" - I think bad 80's music and I cringe.

So what I'll share is a video I love to watch on YouTube when I need a good laugh and a bit of inspiration at the same time. I've shared this video on here before but it's been a while. This is my friend, Brent, who travels the country and sings all year long. In this video, he's attempting to share a (wonderful) song about how the Lord keeps dreams alive in our hearts. Unfortunately he's got some background vocalists in the form of some dogs. They just want to help...but um...it's funny.



So tell me...what is your fave that I should watch?

30 Days of You and Me: Day Five

Well...today you're supposed to share your favorite quote.

I'm not sure I have a favorite quote. I'm not one of those people who runs around quoting movie lines with any particular fervor, and while I'm an underlining and requoting (in print) fool when it comes to reading books...I don't typically share quotes of wisdom out loud on a regular basis.

But I'll share this quote from Scripture that I used in teaching last Wednesday night at church, and God has brought it back to me over and over this week. I think I'm supposed to be learning from it. (Probably faster than I am.)

The verse is Luke 1:38, where Mary responds to the angel's news that she is to be the mother of the Messiah: I am the Lord's servant. May it be to me as you have said.

Every year, I choose a verse (after praying for God to guide me in that) to be my “verse of the year.” Several years ago, Luke 1:38 was my verse. After Mary asked her one question to the angel, she offered this simple answer. That was her response to God’s call on her life.

No press release. No speech. No complaining about the change in her own life plans. No conditions or counter-offers. Just simple acceptance.

Mary had a lot to fight. What God asked of her could have cost her her marriage, her family, her friends…and it probably did cost her some of those things. But she chose to accept what He asked.

This summer while in my desert, I wrote in my journal one night, You have chosen Isaac and me for this journey. Chosen. Our hands did not go the highest, but You chose us anyway. And maybe that is your story right now too. Your hand did not go the highest, but God has chosen you for a path. Imagine what could happen if you looked to the Lord and said, “I am Your servant. May it be to me as You have said."

So that is my quote and what I am pondering from it. What about you. Favorite quote? Movie line? Something your mom said to you every day when you were growing up?

And The Weekend Held....

The beginning, middle, and end of the Christmas card palooza! Here is your sneak peek at this year's Christmas cards.
I took Friday off work and headed over to the best crafting haven on earth...Cherished Moments Craft Hideaway! I went with the main intent of making my cards, and I got them done, people! All 130 of them!


When I wasn't card making, I was hanging out with this very fun crew:

We enjoyed delicacies like this (which was actually the only dish I allowed myself to eat the whole thing...)

...and meals like this....

...and a little more of this...

...all to provide the energy to do this for hours and hours and hours...and hours.

Sarah Rife and her "cute as a button" Christmas card...

Angi Spangler and her pile of shrinky dink presents for her cards...

Speaking of the shrinky dink...it was quite popular. Sarah's husband, Joe, stopped by to deliver cookies and he took a turn with it.

Because Sarah had so much fun with it!

Sarah and Faith even created the Shrinky Dink Dance.

Eating with Sarah.

Laura made some super cute Christmas gifts - SUPER cute.

Jaye was hard at work on her daughter's scrapbook...

And of course- Faith and I established another weekend of being mistaken for sisters. Probably didn't help that we both wore brown. Great minds think alike!

Great friends and successful card making...it's a good weekend folks. A good weekend. Thanks, Cherished Moments, for taking such good care of us!

Lady Gaga

So there's a line I bet you never thought you'd see on my blog!!

Just thought I'd show you the latest Shellac color. This is another recipe, and the nail lady decided she didn't like it. She even offered to do it over before I left if I wanted.

But I didn't want to redo, so for the next two weeks, I'm Lady Gaga Gray.

This one is brown with pink over it. Who knew???

Baked Spaghetti

This week I made baked spaghetti, which is one of a handful of dishes I made when I first got out on my own and entered the world of cooking. I can't believe I haven't put it on the blog recipe list until now! I actually got this recipe from my good friend Angi Spangler, and when I did some of my first entertaining ever, this is what I made.

I love this because you can throw in some garlic cheese bread toward the end of its baking time - and then you have a full meal ready! And if you're extra inclined, you can rip open a bag of salad, whip up a batch of croutons and just be really impressive. :)

This is a great main dish to make when you have a few guests over, but it also warms over (and freezes) well, so it's a good thing to make when you have a busy week (like I've had this week) and you just need to have something on hand to warm quickly.

You can also customize it a little to suit your tastes. (For example, my sister adds pepperoni to it when she makes it, and it's also very good that way!) It's been a warm week in Indiana this week, but with cooler fall weather coming, this is great comfort food! Enjoy!

The Recipe

8 ounces spaghetti cooked and drained
1 pound ground beef
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 jar spaghetti sauce
1 egg lightly beaten
1 package shredded mozzarella cheese

Brown ground beef and drain. Add most of the jar of spaghetti sauce to the beef and simmer while spaghetti cooks in boiling water. Toss cooked spaghetti with Parmesan, egg, and the rest of the spaghetti sauce. Place spaghetti mixture in the bottom of a greased 8x8 inch pan. Spread meat sauce over it and top with mozzarella cheese. Bake at 350 for 20-30 minutes (until cheese is melted).

I buy plain spaghetti sauce, but if you like the kind with mushrooms or veggies or garlic, you can use that. I also (gasp) had run out of Parmesan and didn't realize until it was time to bake, so I did not include it this time. It's fine without it. You can also substitute angel hair pasta if you like, because it cooks faster.


Brown the beef....

Add most of the spaghetti sauce. I usually add about 3/4 of the jar.

I start the water boiling when I start the beef browning - so the spaghetti can cook while the meat browns and the sauce simmers. They call it multi-tasking.

Drain the pasta...and I also break my spaghetti into thirds before it boils so it's less messy to eat. (I can't handle stringy noodles...I end up wearing sauce on my shirt!)

I just beat the egg with a whisk in a bowl before I add it to the pasta.

I put the spaghetti back in the pot it boiled in, add the rest of the sauce and the egg...the sauce helps keep the pasta from being super gummy when you reheat it.

Stir it up well so you don't have a scrambled egg going on in there. :)

I spray the bottom of the pan with nonstick spray before I add the spaghetti mixture.

Then I add the meat sauce....

And my favorite part...the cheese.

And there you have it!!

Very yummy!!!!!!!! Side note...this summer when Faith and I went to Tennessee, we did our own cooking, and this was one of the recipes I made. I took a gallon ziploc, measured out the spaghetti and put it in the bag. Then I used a permanent marker to write the recipe on the baggie. When we got to our destination, we stopped at a grocery store and picked up the eggs, cheese, meat and garlic bread, and I assembled it as soon as we got to the condo. We were eating a home-cooked meal in under an hour of arrival.

Whew!!

THANK YOU to those of you who prayed for me yesterday. I really appreciated it! I will tell you - Satan was all over me for the whole day before I spoke at church. The night before, when I was running through what I planned to say, I could barely breathe, and then all day yesterday, I encountered every possible annoyance at work, which left me beyond grouchy heading into the evening.

I did, at least, recognize it for what it was and asked some friends to pray for me. And they must have, because I had great peace last night!

I am pretty sure I was a gigantic dork throughout the entire thing...but I did it!! :) I was thankful that they listened and at least acted interested. And I was very thankful for the things I learned along the way too.

I want to share with you this one part...just in hopes that if you feel you're not good enough to merit God's favor...you might see otherwise.

I don’t know how you feel about Mary when you read about her in the Bible, but I think it’s safe to assume that most of us think Mary was some sort of extraordinarily holy woman. Serene. Quiet. Moldable. Submissive. And I’m pretty sure none of those words have ever been used to describe me…how about you?

I think the preconceived notion we have that she was so perfect and lovely leads us to believe that that is the only type of person God finds to be favorable. God looked across the earth and He saw the quiet, trusting Mary, and He thought There is the example to the human race of how all people should behave.
I’m clearly not God, but I don’t think that’s the case. I mean after all, He created us, and He didn’t make us all quiet and serene. He made some of us to be a bull in a china shop, as my mother used to say to me.

I think you all know me pretty well, but let me tell you, just in case you don’t. I hate mornings and I’m generally not pleasant during them. Wal-Mart nearly sucks the salvation straight out of my soul. I have a near-counseling-required addiction to pictures and scrapbooks. I prefer for my books to be alphabetized according to author’s last name. I would rather give birth (which I’ve never done, I am aware) than rake leaves. I cry over every Hallmark and Lifetime movie, most episodes of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, and a handful of commercials. I have what my friends consider to be a ridiculous fondness for David Phelps. If something weird is going to happen – like accidentally dyeing hair neon orange – it’s going to happen to me. Every time. I don’t like to drive on one-way streets because I have a tendency to pick the wrong way. I have an unhealthy fear of carbon-monoxide poisoning. I consider the perfect day to be spent wearing jammies, drinking coffee, and writing until the wee hours of the morning. My knees, which sport no metal, set off metal detectors in airports, and when I go to the doctor, they tell me my blood pressure is near stroke level because my fear of doctors really is that intense. And yet, you know what?

I have found favor with Him. I, Rebekah J. Freelan, with all my quirks and oddities, have found favor with God. One of my other quirks is that I love to do word studies, so I looked up favor in the original language and found it means that which causes joy, pleasure, or delight in the observer. That is how God feels about me! I bring Him joy, pleasure, and delight as He observes me. Even when I’m alphabetizing my books or turning my hair orange.

Wilderness Wednesday: Taking a Desert on Vacation

I told you last Wednesday that I finally broke through the stronghold Satan had on my life...just in time to go on vacation with my friend Faith and her two little girls. I was markedly thankful for the deliverance but also nervous to be "stuck" in a car with three other people. I’d become most accustomed to dropping everything to pray out loud – call out to the Lord in deep, wrenching tears – or even just to stopping life to journal or read the Bible. My chances to do that in the presence of Faith, Hannah, and Kaylah, were not as great. Even so, I got in Faith’s car with my journal and Bible at my feet, and told her sometimes I might just have to write.

And before I was very far down the road...I had to do just that: Jesus, the peace that settled over me after talking to Sue Ann last night remains. I awakened to Your gentle whisper that she spoke truth over my life. And that I can trust You with my Isaac. You will take care of him and bring him back.

I’m on the road now and I was just praying and sensing Your love in such a sweet way. I felt You telling me to hold on – that You long to bless me for my faithfulness. And I told You I don’t feel like I’ve been very faithful…I’ve failed so much. And yet You told me Your mercy and grace covers those moments. And You are proud of me for how I have chosen to walk this road You have laid before me. Jesus, how I want to please Your heart. Help me. Help me to trust You for that promise.

That reminds me that last night, I channel surfed late and stumbled upon the College Wesleyan church service and subsequent discussion – and it was about Abraham and hearing God’s voice and receiving your life’s promises. Father, I wait in hope before You, believing You will do as You have promised. Sue Ann said in her prayer last night that You would not disappoint me.

Despite my worries, we did have a fun day. We stopped at a Sonic for lunch (praise the Lord!), and I was able to actually enjoy eating a burger and tater tots and a strawberry creamslush. We went to a Build-A-Bear and I made a cute bear in a red dress and named her HOPE. I needed hope to be tangible right then.

The drive down into Tennessee was actually painful. I knew those were roads like the ones he’d driven when we first met…and Tennessee was supposed to be our eloping place. My stomach churned when we drove past a wedding chapel. Why was I in this state without him? Why wasn’t he marrying me? Did he even love me at all?

We arrived (at long, long last) at our condo, and we unpacked the car and explored our new home for the next couple of days. I went to work right away cooking, but there was no way I could eat again.

After dinner, while Faith got Hannah and Kaylah ready for bed, I had to get out for a while. Had to be alone. I took my phone and walked – paced, really – the road in front of our condo. Back and forth, back and forth, I went. I called my sister and tried to remain calm.

Later that night, Faith and I both settled in with our laptops, and I pulled out the journal again: You told me tonight what I’m feeling now is not attack, but impatience. I NEED to trust You to work. Oh Jesus, the grace to be quiet does not come easily. Father God Almighty, help me to trust You fervently.


Father, why have You chosen me? How am I worthy to walk this road? How am I….I don’t even know what to say. You have a ministry for me – for us – and I long to see what it is. But Holy Lord, how have I been chosen? And how am I supposed to submit to Your plan?


WOW. Julie Crandall just emailed me 1 Peter 5:10 and said she didn’t remember the context, so I looked it up – starting back at verse six – “Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand that He may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings. And the God of all grace, who called you into his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered for a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm, and steadfast.”

I looked up the phrase “in due time” and see this: “It is not merely as a succession of moments, but a period of opportunity. It is a critical or decisive point in time; a moment of great importance and significance; a point when something is ready or favorable.” Oh Jesus, You do have a critical moment prepared and You will lift us up!

Streams: good. “Even though we follow Christ’s command, we should not expect to escape the storm…Christ may delay coming to us during our time of distress, but it is simply so our faith may be tested and strengthened. His purpose is also that our prayers will be more powerful, our desire for deliverance will be greater, and when deliverance finally comes, we will appreciate it more fully…we will never know our level of genuine faith until it is tested in a fierce storm and that is why our Savior is on board.” Praise You.

Just a Sneak Peek

I've bombarded you with forever long posts for two days, so I'll keep this one short. You're welcome. :)

I'm really giving valiant effort to not overloading you with book stuff right now. I want you to still like me. I want you to not say "Man she's plugging that book all the time!" And I want you to keep reading after I put up posts of my upcoming signings and such.

BUT.

I'm really excited about a new opportunity I've been given in relation to the book, so I wanted to share it with you. I mentioned it over on the book blog in the schedule I put up a couple of weeks ago, but here are more details.

My pastor invited me to teach a five week series based on the first five chapters of His Advent. We will meet tomorrow night for our first study. If you are in the area, and you aren't already busy with your own church on Wednesday nights, you are invited to join us!

We will meet at Sycamore Friends Church from 7:00-8:00 p.m. and tomorrow we'll be discussing Mary. Next Wednesday, we'll talk about Joseph, and then we'll take a week off for Thanksgiving. The first three weeks in December will be discussions on the shepherds, the wise men, and Simeon.

Our church also serves a dinner (carry-in sort of thing) starting at 6 pm on Wednesdays, and you'd be welcome to join us for that as well. We are good cooks...just sayin'.

You don't have to participate...you can just come to listen...but if you have thoughts, you'll also have a chance to share them.

If you don't live around here or are busy, please know I'd love your prayers. I have missed teaching studies like this and am really excited to do it, but I'm also nervous about it and will take all the prayer I can get!