Monday, March 18, 2024

Abundant Grace: 40 Days of Walking in the Goodness of God: A #Devotional #preorder

 


Abundant Grace: 40 Days of Walking in the Goodness of God: A Devotional 

April 2, 2024

Sunday, March 17, 2024

Vessels by Becky Van Vleet #devotional

 

Vessels

 

Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from the latter, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified and useful for the Master, prepared for every good work. —2 Timothy 2:21 (NKJV)

 

I have many utensils as well as vessels in my kitchen. My bowls and pitchers come in all sizes, shapes, and colors. But I don’t use my vessels to do something, like my spatulas and whisks, rather, they are meant to contain something. When I fill them, they can serve many purposes.

 

God’s word tells us that we are vessels for Him. He desires to fill us with Himself. The world, however, wants to fill us with wealth, fame, and power. But God wants to fill us with His love so He can use us for His kingdom.

 

Our spiritual vessels might leak or even tip over and empty with challenges of daily living. But when we keep our hearts thirsty for the Spirit, God will provide fresh fillings. Are you emptying yourself of worldly gain so God can fill you up for His purposes?

 

Becky Van Vleet

 

O God, use me and fill me with Your almighty love so that I may be a vessel for You. In Jesus’s name, amen.

 


 Becky Van Vleet is a retired teacher and principal and award-winning multi-genre author. She has been published in Guideposts, The Country Register, and Christian Devotions Ministry. Her children’s picture books are the recipients of the 2020 Excellence in Editing award as well as the Purple Dragonfly award in 2020 and 2021. She and her husband make their home close to Colorado Springs where she enjoys gardening, hiking, oil painting, power walking, and spending time with her family, especially reading books to her grandchildren.

Becky is the author of Unintended Hero, a true story about her father’s battles, experiences, and adventures in WWII aboard the USS Denver. She is passionate about sharing the values from the Greatest Generation and enjoys speaking to high school classes about patriotism.

A member of ACFW and Allauthor, Becky has devoted her website to creating and preserving family memories and sharing family stories for the next generations through her monthly blogs. 

You can find her at: https://beckyvanvleet.com. She would love to hear from you, especially if you have a family story to share!

 

Social Media Links:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authorbeckyvanvleet/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/becky-van-vleet-ms-806055181/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/becky_van_vleet_author/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/beckyvanvleet/ 

Amazon Central Author Page: https://amzn.to/3INHIPB 

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/125841473-becky-van-vleet

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@beckyvanvleet9907

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/becky-van-vleet

 

 



Saturday, March 16, 2024

An Interview with Trish Donohue, Author of You Are Welcomed

 

An Interview with Trish Donohue,

Author of You Are Welcomed

When you feel overwhelmed by life’s demands, trials, and emotions, you are not alone. You need to hear the gospel truth that a loving God welcomes you into his rest and peace when life is an unruly combination of responsibilities, relationships, interruptions, dreams, and drama. In You Are Welcomed: Devotions for When Life Is a Lot, author and women’s ministry leader Trish Donohue helps women who are weary turn to the Lord, put down their burdens, rest in his welcome, and then welcome others to walk with Jesus too.  

 

In this ten-week devotional, Donohue shares stories of biblical men and women who brought their burdens to the Lord. Each story from the Bible exemplifies a different sort of pressure, including busyness, disillusionment, crisis, isolation, envy, doubt, fear, and failure. No one is truly alone in what they are facing, and God wants to meet each of us in the same ways he has shown himself to his people from the beginning. 

 

Q: What does it mean to be welcomed by God?

 

It means that through the death and resurrection of Jesus, we not only have access to God but are welcomed with open arms. Instead of giving us the judgment we deserve, our Father invites us to come boldly into his presence in every situation. The welcome of God is the most important aspect of our lives.

 

Q: How is You Are Welcomed different from other books and devotionals that speak to busyness and feeling overwhelmed?

 

There are many good devotionals out there, but we worked hard to make You Are Welcomed beautiful and accessible while also deeply theological. Tips and techniques for how to manage life can be helpful, but what we ultimately need is rock-solid truth to guide us, and God provides that in Scripture. So, the focus of this book isn’t on how we can improve our lives, but on how God can transform our lives. 

 

Feeling stressed or overwhelmed is never pleasant, but instead of erasing these symptoms, this book reveals them to be tools that push us into the arms of our Lord. We learn not to simply read about God’s perspective on these issues, but to engage with him personally. 

 

Q: Walk us through the format of You Are Welcomed. What can readers expect for each day and each week?

 

Each week focuses on a different theme and Bible passage. So instead of encountering random daily readings, you can steep in a section of Scripture each week. There are five devotionals to work through each week. In each, you’ll encounter a question that gets you thinking about the topic, a brief Bible reading assignment, the devotional reading itself, thought-provoking application questions, and a verse to meditate on for the day.

 

Q: Who are some of the biblical men and women you chose to include as examples? Why did you choose the individuals that you did?

 

The Bible shows us quite a variety of personalities in different situations, and in them, we see ourselves and our need for a savior. In this devotional, we meet a king in crisis who shows us how to pray and a starving widow who shows us how to obey. We see a prophet in prison who struggles with doubt and a leader of women who gets snagged by envy. God meets each one of these very different men and women and takes their burdens upon himself. This is the same God who welcomes us. 

 

Q: Each chapter title for the week is an action word—an invitation from God. Please tell us more about those invitations.

 

Each chapter is indeed a simple verb, an action that God calls us to take: Come, Pray, Fight, Yield, Obey, Behold, Settle, Trust, Ponder, and Gather. Sometimes God calls us to settle into the assignment he’s given. Sometimes we are to fight temptations, trust promises, ponder truth, or gather with his people. These actions are important, but far more important is the title of the book, You Are Welcomed. This is a passive phrase, something that’s done for us. We can only respond to God in these relational ways because he has made a way for us to come to him through the good news of Jesus. God initiates and we respond.  

 

Q: As women, we feel like we always need to be productive. How can productivity sometimes become an idol?

 

Productivity is big business! Books, apps, and podcasts teach us how to wring out each moment. The Bible isn’t anti-productivity; it calls Christians to produce fruit and do the good works God has prepared for us. A full life can be beautiful. But when we begin to define ourselves by how much we do or look to productivity for peace and happiness, then we have a problem. We’ve replaced Jesus with a task list, and it will never provide the peace it promises. That’s why every chapter in this book points women to the real answer, the real Savior, not a temporary fix. 

Q: It’s hard to imagine we’d have much in common with an ancient king, but what can we learn from Hezekiah’s example?

 

Humans have a lot in common, no matter their life situation. King Hezekiah had followed the Lord, but all that he’d built and loved was in danger of crumbling. He had reason to believe that his worst fears would come true, and that’s a feeling many of us have encountered. When we see Hezekiah spread out his dire situation before the Lord and pray a beautiful prayer of faith and honesty, we learn that we too can give God the mixed-up pieces of our lives and hearts, spreading them out before the one who can help. The same God who was faithful to Hezekiah will be faithful to us. 

 

Q: What are some of the temptations that we struggle with when life is stressful or overwhelming? What does the temptation of Jesus in the desert teach us about fighting our temptations?

 

Temptations abound when life is stressful, and they peddle lies. If we’re not careful, we can find ourselves believing wrong things about God, ourselves, and the lives God has given us. Jesus’s temptation in the wilderness is an intimate look into his personal life. Hungry, tired, and depleted, Jesus doesn’t give in. Instead, we see him battling Satan using the very same Scriptures that we have access to in the pages of our Bibles. Jesus identifies the lies that Satan is telling and counteracts them with Scripture truths. We’re invited to do the same thing in our own battle with sin. But Jesus isn’t just an example to us; he’s a Savior to us. He has not only rescued us from the penalty of sin but has broken the power of sin so that we can resist temptation and live lives of obedience that glorify God.  

 

Q: What does it look like to live a life fully yielded to God?

 

I don’t think any of us have reached that point on this side of heaven, but by grace, we’re on the journey. A vital part of it is regularly responding to the welcome of God and coming to him in repentance, in faith, in weakness, in surrender. In his presence, we experience “the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord” (Philippians 3:8). 

 

Q: In the chapter about the psalmists, you talk about how they shared all their thoughts and feelings to God. What are some ways we can get in a better habit of doing the same thing, especially when life is hard and pressing in?

 

We’re often surprised when we see the array of emotions expressed in the Psalms. The psalmists don’t hold back! But instead of watching them complain to themselves or others or turn inward in self-pity, we see them pouring out their hearts to their Creator. Living in the good of the gospel requires us to do the same, but this is a requirement that brings blessing as we interact with our Father who comforts and guides and moves on our behalf. 

 

When life is pressing in, we can simply read a Psalm aloud and let it guide our own prayers. No time-management tool or self-care routine will meet us in our deepest need, but when we take even a moment to turn our faces to the Lord and express all that’s in our hearts, raw as it may be, we experience true help.

 

Q: What can we learn from Miriam about changing our hearts rather than our situations?

 

Like us, Miriam is a flawed character. Although she witnessed countless miracles, she let her focus wander from God’s glory to her own. Instead of settling into the role God had given her, Miriam craved what God hadn’t given. She thought she needed something more, but God exposed her idolatrous craving through disciplinary mercy. 

 

Miriam didn’t need a changed situation like she thought she did. She didn’t need extra acknowledgment or accolades or affirmation. She needed to settle into the place God had called her, finding joy in living for him. God loved and used Miriam, and he loves and uses us for his purposes. His grace abounds to sinners saved by grace, but Miriam reminds us to take our sins seriously and keep God in the center.

 

Q: When the demands of life turn us inward, why is it important for us to be intentional about reaching outward?

 

Though we live in an individualistic culture, God made us to be a corporate people. We need each other. He’s designed us not to be independent Christians, but to gather together, serving and loving each other. The world instructs us to take care of our own needs and care for ourselves first, but it misses the grace that comes through the Body of Christ. When we obey God’s instructions to encourage one another, gather together, and consider others’ interests above our own, we experience surprising grace. 

 

Q: If you could say just one thing to encourage women struggling with being overwhelmed,

what would it be?

 

The God who made you and loves you holds your life in his hands. Stop running everywhere else and run to your loving Father. In Christ, you are welcome to boldly approach the throne of grace to find help in times of need. 

You Are Welcomed: Devotions for When Life Is a Lot

By Trish Donohue

October 23, 2023/Retail Price: $19.99

Print ISBN 978-1-64507-237-9

Religion/Christian Living/Devotional

Read a Preview

About the Author

Trish Donohue has served for many years as Director of Women’s Ministry at Covenant Fellowship Church in Glen Mills, PA. Under the leadership of the pastors, she oversees a women’s Bible study ministry, a mentoring program, corporate women’s events, and a blog written by and for women called The Together Blog. She has also spoken at women’s retreats and events on a variety of topics. 

 

Donohue is the author of Between Us Girls: Walks and Talks for Moms and Daughters and You Are Welcomed: Devotions for When Life Is a Lot

 

She is a pastor’s wife and mom of four who lives with her family in West Chester, PA.  A former high school English teacher, Donohue loves reading, writing, and helping students find and grapple with the revolutionary ideas found in good books.

Friday, March 15, 2024

Winter's Ravage (Dawn of America) #historical

 


Winter's Ravage 

(Dawn of America) 

 March 22, 2023

Thursday, March 14, 2024

An #Interview with Darby Strickland, Author of Something Scary Happened

 

An Interview with Darby Strickland,

Author of
Something Scary Happened

The world can be a scary place, and any number of experiences can prove to be traumatic for a young child. Something Scary Happened by Darby A. Strickland helps children process their feelings after experiencing trauma and provides comfort through the story of a little lamb named Miles. 

 

Miles is a happy little lamb until something bad happens. All of a sudden, Miles feels like he is alone in a deep dark valley, but it is there in the valley that he meets his good Shepherd who promises to always be with him, no matter what. Strickland, a counselor and trauma expert, uses the story of Miles to help parents and caregivers share the comfort of taking their fears to the Good Shepherd by applying Psalm 23 to difficult experiences.

 

Q: Please introduce us to your new children’s book. Where did the inspiration for Something Scary Happened come from?

 

Something Scary Happened is about Miles, a little lamb who finds himself struggling after a traumatic event. In the story, he is introduced to Our Great Shepherd from Psalm 23 who tends to his fears. 

 

I wanted to write this book because I work with women in domestic abuse situations. Some of them see their children being traumatized by the conflict that takes place in their homes, and they don't know how to talk to their children about the hard things in their lives. The women see their children struggling and suffering, but because they are overwhelmed themselves, they do not know where to start these conversations. 

 

I also work with a lot of adults who have suffered childhood trauma and as they tell me their stories it becomes clear: When they were children, no one walked them through their trauma. They often were left alone and in distress, and no one talked to them about significant events in their lives or how they were doing. I truly believe that parents, if they shepherd their children through trauma, can help their child’s healing journey start earlier. The child will feel supported, and ultimately the impacts of trauma will be less on the child throughout the course of their lifetime. So, I wrote this book to help give parents the ability to shepherd their children toward healing, and in hopes that the impacts of traumatic and scary things will be lessened over time.

 

Q: The story doesn’t tell what kind of scary situation Miles experienced so that his situation doesn’t scare little readers, and so that children can relate the story to their own trauma. Can you give a few examples of scary or traumatic situations that a child may have gone through that could be relatable to Miles’s story?

 

Children can be scared of many things. Something Scary Happened hopes to speak to both the small and big scary things. For example, my children have been scared of many common things like the dark, thunderstorms, or a cruel friend. And there are children who face more significant scary things like a parent or a sibling being very sick, a house fire, or a natural disaster. Then, certainly, this book hopes to speak directly into the category of larger traumas like a child who has been physically or sexually abused or has been affected by a school shooting. 

 

Q: Miles didn’t want to talk about the scary thing that happened. How important to get children to talk about what happened to them? 

 

What we know about trauma in general is that it is important to talk about it. Talking about the experience is actually key to healing, and as Christians, this is even more true. People need to process their story of suffering in light of Jesus’s larger story for their lives. 

 

We also need to talk about trauma because the events are often confusing. Children can believe that the bad things happening are their fault, and we do not want to leave children feeling guilty when there is no blame. Children are also creative in coming up with explanations when they don’t understand things properly. In other words, they fill in the gaps to make sense of things, and they are active interpreters of their own world. As Christians, we don’t want to leave children to try to figure things out—we need to be aware and guide them in their interpretation of suffering and the Lord’s care of them.

Q: How does Miles react to what’s going on around him following the scary event? What are some of the signs parents should be mindful of that indicate a child is struggling as a result of trauma?

 

What I love about the character of Miles is that he shows what a child looks like when they are in distress. Children can relate to Miles and his reactions. Since children sometimes lack the vocabulary and emotional understanding to talk about what’s going on inside them, we often learn something is awry from watching their behavior. In the book, you will see Miles being angry, struggling to relate to his friends, having tummy aches, and not being able to sleep. These are a few examples of the ways children react to the hard things in their lives.

 

Q: What does Miles learn about the Good Shepherd when he feels physically and emotionally bad and alone?

 

What proves to be a great comfort for Miles is that the Good Shepherd is with him. He is not alone, even when he feels all alone. The Good Shepherd’s love is stronger than any scary thing. We surely have a God who walks with us up and out of dark valleys. 

 

Q: What are some of the promises from Psalm 23 and John 10 that parents and caregivers can go over with their children?

 

Here are some key promises from Psalm 23 and John 10 that you can go over with your child: 

 

  • We belong to Jesus; He is our shepherd. He will never let us go. He is always watching over us. (Psalm 23:1)
  • He will listen to his precious little lambs because he loves them. (John 10:14–15)
  • Jesus leads us through trouble (the dark valley) and brings us to a place of rest and living waters (green pastures and quiet waters). 
  • Jesus is our helper. (Psalm 23:2, 4)
  • Jesus promises to restore us when we are weak and weary (he sets a table for us where we can sit and eat without fear even when trouble is close). (Psalm 23:5)
  • When we are tempted to respond wrongly, Jesus promises to guide us toward a good and righteous response (I will guide you into the right paths). 
  • Because he laid down his life for us, all who trust Jesus are assured of the forgiveness of any wrong. (Psalm 23:3; John 10:14–15)
  • Jesus is a good and faithful shepherd. He protects his sheep when danger comes. (John 10:11–15)
  • He prepares a great and grand party of joy, belonging, and abundance for us. Feasting in the presence of enemies (defined as all the scary things) signals that Jesus will vindicate (defend and deliver) us. Justice will be done. Jesus will make everything right. (Psalm 23:5)
  • He invites us into his home (I will live in the house of the Lord forever). In God’s house, we are safe and loved. (Psalm 23:6). 

Q: Why do parents and caregivers struggle in their efforts to care for traumatized children?

 

Parents and caregivers can struggle to engage with traumatized children if the same trauma or a similar childhood trauma has affected them; it can be too painful for them at that depth of suffering. In these cases, the parent or caregiver may need to invite someone else in to help, or engage in counseling, so that they can handle the conversations and heal themselves. 

 

Most often parents and caregivers are afraid to bring up the topic of trauma because they fear reminding the child of something sad and scary. We don’t like seeing our children in pain, but I want to encourage those parents that it’s really important to bring it up! Even though children aren’t talking about it, they’re probably thinking about it and need you to help them heal. Don’t fear talking about the hard things, rather, provide opportunities for your child to ask questions and to share how they’re doing. 

 

Another factor that parents and caregivers have to overcome is that they don’t have all the answers. No one has sufficient explanations for why suffering, abuse, natural disasters and devastations take place in this world, so it is all the more important that we point children to the One who can comfort them and promises to help and lead them in times of trouble.

 

Q: What other companion resources are available to go alongside Something Scary Happened?

 

I wrote a companion minibook, When Children Experience Trauma: Help for Parents and Caregivers, to help parents both identify signs of trauma in their children and offer ways to shepherd their children through it. This resource gives parents creative ways to create connections and start conversations and seeks to provide parents with support for some of the more challenging behaviors that arise in children who are suffering, like a lack of concentration in school, trouble sleeping, or withdrawing relationally. This minibook aims to give parents concrete ways to move in and tend to their children.

 

Parents can also purchase a Miles toy lamb to go along with Something Story Scary Happened. The plush Miles gives kids something soft and comforting to cuddle when they’re scared and serves as a tangible reminder that the Shepherd who comforted Miles is also with them.

 

Q: What other books will be released in the Comfort for Children in Hard Times series?

 

We have two more books coming. The next release is titled Something Sad Happened and it is about losing a loved one. Its goal is to help a child through a season of grief. It will be releasing in September 2024. The third book will help children navigate significant and disruptive changes they may face, such as a big move, a new school, or a divorce. A Big Change Happened is scheduled to release in early 2025. 

 

Each book will have a companion minibook for parents who find it helpful to go deeper into Scripture to gain new skills and insights in helping their children. There will also be a plush animal that goes along with the main character of each of those stories.

Something Scary Happened

Comfort for Children in Hard Times Series

By Darby A. Strickland, Illustrated by Carlotta Notaro

ISBN 978-1-64507-385-7

October 16, 2023 / Retail Price $16.99

Religion / Christian Education / Children & Youth

Read a Preview

About the Author and Illustrator

Darby A. Strickland, MDiv, is a faculty member and counselor at the Christian Counseling & Education Foundation (CCEF). Her speaking and writing focus on training churches and counselors to care well for those who have been victims of trauma and abuse.

 

Strickland is the author of Is It Abuse? A Biblical Guide to Identifying Domestic Abuse and Helping Victims, the children’s book Something Scary Happened, and the minibook When Children Experience Trauma. She is also a contributor to Becoming a Church That Cares Well for the Abused and Caring for Families Caught in Domestic Abuse. She writes regularly for the Journal of Biblical Counseling

 

Strickland and her husband, John, have three children. 

 

Learn more at www.darbystrickland.com and follow her on Facebook (Darby A. Strickland) and Instagram (@darby_strickland).

About the Illustrator:

 

Carlotta Notaro is an Italian illustrator and animator. Sometimes she draws for kids, other times she draws for grown-ups, and occasionally she makes little animations for herself. Somehow, one of her animations ended up on a giant screen in Hong Kong. When not drawing, she enjoys long walks with her favorite music, upcycling old stuff, and petting her dog Molly for way too long.

 

Abundant Grace: 40 Days of Walking in the Goodness of God: A #Devotional #preorder

  Abundant Grace: 40 Days of Walking in the Goodness of God: A Devotional  April 2, 2024 by  Will Kassner   (Author),  Courtney Kassner   (A...