Love Your Neighbor

Loving your neighbor simply means helping the one near you who is in need. Does your child's classroom need a special events speaker? Maybe you can help.

Every classroom is different. Some teachers want more parental involvement than others. I suggest that parents who want to be involved in their child's education call the teacher to offer your services as a free guest speaker for your child's classroom. My guess is that most teachers will jump at the chance to let someone teach the class about an already scheduled topic in an unusual way.

I dare you to be a guest speaker. For more information, read my Domino Club blog post on this subject.

And you thought loving your neighbor was saying hello to the person nearest you in the church pew.

Writing Christian Fiction

I write Christian Fiction. My stories can be further defined as Inspirational Romantic Suspense novels. If I want my stories to be described like that, they have to meet the criteria. I have to weave together a romance thread, a suspense thread, and a spiritual thread. The stories must have a lot of conflict in each of those threads, but all conflict must be resolved by the end.

Because I write Christian Fiction, the spiritual thread always shows the hero's and heroine's relationship with Almighty God. I try to write the characters' spiritual conflict being resolved in ways that are similar to what I've read in the Bible or similar to what I've experienced. So to bring the reader into my characters' spiritual problems in a way that feels real, I've been studying the fear of the Lord.

The Bible has a lot to say about the fear of the Lord. If you want to study along with me, check out my series on this topic at my Seek God With Me blog.

You Can Be A Hero

How would you like to be a hero and save the day?

Maybe you don't realize it, but there are hundreds of teachers out there pulling their hair out because school is starting and they need another pair of hands to get everything done on time.

Can you use scissors to cut pieces for a project? Can you run down the hall and make copies or deliver an envelope to the office? Can you come read aloud for your child's teacher?

Read more about how you can be a hero on my Domino Club post.

Fear

I'm doing a series on the fear of the Lord on my Seek God With Me blog. I'm trying to cover several different scriptures in the series and think about how they all connect.

Just what is The Fear Of The Lord?

God doesn't want us to be fearful of him, does he?

To find out, visit my devotionals blog and read through the series. God may show you some unexpected treasure of knowledge or insight as you seek him with me.

David's Three Mighty Men Are Heroes

Read: 2 Samuel 23:13-17

Once during the battling days of David, the Philistines were in Bethlehem, David’s hometown. Three of David’s men went to him at the cave of Adullam and heard him say, “Oh, that someone would get me a drink of water from the well near the gate of Bethlehem!”

My guess is that David was tired and homesick. I imagine he inspired such loyalty that when these men heard David pining over the distance between him and the sweetness of home they couldn’t resist surprising him with a taste of the water he longed for.

These three mighty men broke through enemy lines to get water for David to drink. It took bravery, cunning, and determination to get the job done. They must have had a fire in them to get to the well of Bethlehem and back safely – with enough water to make the journey worth it.

I don’t think they were trying to be heroes. I think they were driven to serve David the unexpected blessing of the one thing he longed for. They knew they could do it. And because they took the risk, made the effort, and accomplished what they were driven to do, they became heroes in David’s eyes.

When they approached David with the water, he couldn’t believe they did that. David took the water from the men, but he refused to drink it.

He poured the water out before the Lord. David, who had shown enormous bravery and who had accomplished many dangerous exploits by himself, was amazed at these men who put their lives at risk for a simple drink of water.

The men were valued beyond the water. Because they were driven to take that one trip behind enemy lines, they received mention as David’s “three mighty men.”

Waving To You

In today's Domino Club post, I mention a way to bring a neighborhood closer together. It's simple really, and it doesn't take much effort.

In today's stress-filled world, many keep their head down and avert their eyes from those walking nearby. It's easy to be alone in a crowd. However, I think we were meant to make friendly contact.

Instead of selling something in a door-to-door fashion, maybe you could give away a coupon for a free neighbor visit. It won't save them any money, but it could be a stepping stone to a good relationship with new neighbors.

Lifting Weights

It's almost time for school to start. That means I'll soon be able to spend a little more time on a regular work out schedule. Honestly, I can't wait.

I spent some time at the end of the school year learning how to use the machines in my local weight room. I felt small and weak every time I moved to another machine because I always had to lighten up the weight. Every time I moved the pin to a lighter weight load on the machine, I was reminded how many other people can lift much heavier weights than I can.

However, there is a weight that even those bench pressers can't lift. In my Seek God With Me blog, I mention someone who can lift it.

To find out who, read the post.

Busy

I'm back from a trip out of town to see family. We all had fun and got to hear a great blues guitarist.

When we came home, my kids spent a few days with their grandmother while my husband took me on a couple of dates. He surprised me with something special. To find out what it was, check out my Domino Club post.

I feel like I've been away from my computer for a very long time. My to do list is enormous - and growing. I've got more editing to do on my novel, books to review, and reviews to post. And then there's house work.

Meanwhile, I've got to go pick up more school supplies.

Working on a Project

On my Seek God With Me blog, I've shared a post about a special kind of construction project. Building something always takes time and effort. How much you put into it affects how much you'll enjoy what you see when you step back and look at it.

Check out the post, and then ask yourself, "What have I been working on lately?"