Words of the will

The moments when I truly live are the moments when I act with my whole will....Never allow a truth of God that is brought home to your soul to pass without acting on it, not necessarily physically, but in will.

—My Utmost For His Highest

Blogger Reflection Award

Maxine at Scraps of Glory just bestowed the Blogger Reflection award on me. What an incredible honor – and another encouragement from a woman who has been an encouragement to me from the beginning of my blog, some 150 posts ago.

I am honored and I praise God. He prompted me to write for him a few years ago. I did…but I didn’t. To be honest, writing is a passion in my life and I thought, what if I fail? There are more original reasons to refuse God’s call, but that was mine.

But the day came when I realized that failure, if it came, would be by my standard. I had decided what failure looked like- and I had decided it was linked to a lack of sales. In other words, what if I wrote and couldn’t sell my stuff? I learned that success was doing what God whispered in my ear.

So here I am, giving my stuff away and feeling good about it. I’d love someday to have something I’ve written accepted by a publisher, but it doesn’t matter so much anymore. God gives me things to write and I try to write them the best I can.

Having said all that, I want to pass on this award. I have selected 5 sites that are excellent to me, both in content and in encouragement.

Kate at The Small Scribbler. I like her humor and her insights and her dedication to the Lord. You’ll find compassion and wisdom in her articles. I wish I could sit down at her breakfast table and discuss God’s Word with her and her children, to hear her perceptive ideas. Kate, you’ve encouraged me many times and I hope this encourages you to keep writing, keep praying, keep studying, keep loving those people God puts in your path!

You’ll find beauty and rich history at Maxine’s SG Notebook. She writes three lovely blogs, but I chose this one because it illustrates her fierce commitment to church history and persecuted Christians. She provides excellent reminder to remember our Christian heritage – and support our persecuted brothers and sisters. Maxine, you are a wonderful encourager and I think we’d have a delightful time with tea and scones.

I want to honor Angela at Refresh My Soul. I truly appreciate her commitment to ministry, which shows up in her blog and in her website. Both are focused on loving others to Jesus. She’s another with the gift of encouragement, shining as a beacon of light to a lost world. In Luke 2:10, Jesus instructs to pray for harvesters because the fields are white. Angela is one who has answered the call. Keep on shining, Angela!

The Constructive Curmudgeon writes some scholarly, insightful material and I check with him a lot to see what’s on his mind. He’s intelligent, well-read, and thoughtful about culture’s footsteps on the Christian faith. His blog is often witty but humble, broad yet focused.

I’d like to invite you all to check out my fifth choice. This one is brand new and belongs to my sister the artist. Both of us have been wrestling with some of the images in Genesis. I’ve grappled using words, she with color and design. She has posted a series of paintings dealing with Genesis. Most blogs communicate with words but this one communicates with images. It’s unique and I invite you to take a look.

From my heart

Ever ran a long race and, as you turned a corner, met a vibrant sideline that knew your name and cheered you on? New energy may have surged into your legs and the air in your lungs was just a little sweeter. Encouragement is like that.

Thank you for your support as I write. I am overwhelmed with your enthusiasm and appreciate your help. Some of you have even invited others to Dive In and I think we’ll have a fun time together getting into God’s Word.

I have begun praying for you. I believe God is using the Internet technology to stir work in his kingdom and blogging is a little bit of that. (If you’d like more on that, e-mail me and I’ll send you research I did a couple of years ago on Internet evangelism.)

If you have given me a comment or contacted me in some way, you’re on my prayer list. If you’d like to be added, let me know.

I’d also like to thank my sister, Ann, who is a talented photographer and artist. She did the major work in getting the Dive In logo developed. Please excuse us as we keep tinkering with it. We’re still trying to find the right size to use and also how to attach a link to the log. (And how to make that html code available to you as well. We’re bumbling techies, figuring out just enough to get along but knowing that we don’t know much! If you know more, let me know.)

God bless you for your support and friendship! I appreciate you more than I can write.

A honor

There was a cool surprise waiting for me this morning when I did my early-morning blog check in. Kate at Small Scribbles conferred this award:Give to those who have been an encouragement, a source of love, impacted you in some way, and have been a Godly example to you. Five Bloggers who when you reflect on them you get a sense of pride and joy...of knowing them and being blessed by them.
This award is for the best-of-the-best so consider who you pick, carefully. This award should not be given to just anyone. If you're going to do the award don't just write a few words and slap it on your Blog. Write real thoughts about these Bloggers and what they've meant to you. If the Bloggers you pick have already been given the award, don't be afraid to give it to them again. They deserve it as many times as it's given.

And here's what Kate wrote:

...to Kathy at Sumballo She caught my attention because she has a Master's degree in theology. I study the Word at the kitchen table with my babies and feel overwhelmed by how much there is to know. Kathy can write about hard truths and well known Bible stories with simplicity and clarity. Her words are profound, challenging and accessible. I learn so much from her writing. Her post on The Dead Sea Principle is one of my favorites.

Thank you, Kate. This is an incredible encouragement to me. I almost didn't include the information about the Master's degree because it can look pretentious so I'm glad that's what touched you. And, Kate, you'll laugh because I checked out your link and I'm a squiggle-triangle, too. I wish we could sit down together at your kitchen table. Maybe blogging comes close?

I intend to pass this award forward, too, so stay tuned.