What’s sprouting in your life that you haven’t noticed?

I hate to admit that I didn’t know these sweet potatoes were growing. Ugh! When I found them, they looked like a forgotten science experiment—except for the fact that my kids are grown and gone.

Makes me wonder what other neglected “roots” are sprouting in my life.

            Bitterness?     Envy?     Resentment?

Lord, please shine the spotlight of your Spirit in my heart, and show me what needs to go.

***

…lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble … —Hebrews 12:15 (NKJ)

Chewing on the Bread of Life

I recently accepted a contract to write content for a popular devotional guide. The publisher chooses the scripture references, I come up with commentary.

Me?

Suddenly, the idea of commenting on the Bible seemed rather presumptuous. Who am I to offer my opinion or interpretation of what God says?

Lord, I prayed one morning from my quiet-time spot on the sofa, I would never presume to add to your word. Help me!

In the calm of that moment, a clear message came to mind:

Rightly divide the word of truth.

Just as suddenly as doubt had come, so came an image of Jesus dividing barley loaves and fish and dispersing the pieces to a hungry crowd.

I can do that, Lord. I can disperse. Thank you for letting me.

The disciples of Jesus didn’t multiply the food—He did. They simply passed it out.

 We can too.

Is there someone within your life’s reach who doesn’t know God loves him? Take what you have, and break it into bite-size pieces. Divide God’s love letter, and share it with a hungry, aching soul.

Pass the basket, please.

Matthew 14:13-21

How will you ever Catch Your Breath?

What would you do if you were pregnant, unmarried, and running from a possible killer while trying to make your way back to God?

Calley Regan in Catch Your Breath faces such a challenge, and just because she has family doesn’t mean she has a lot of support.

Author Kathryn J. Bain’s newest release is the sequel to her first book, Breathless, which Bain said was inspired by the Toby Keith song “God Love Her.” (See the trailer for both books.)

“I liked the idea of the Bible on the motorcycle so much it became a whole book,” she said.

And that’s all it took to spark the imagination of this veteran paralegal-turned novelist. However, much more lies beneath Bain’s well-chosen words in Catch Your Breath. 

“Two inspirational messages come out of my latest book,” Bain said. “One is that we need to move forward after something tragic happens, and God can make that [move] happen. Also, no matter where you are in your life, God still loves you.”

Bain said she hopes the story will help readers realize that it doesn’t matter what they did ten years ago, five years ago, or even five minutes ago. God loves us and will always be there with us.

In Catch Your Breath, the Christians around Calley react judgmentally. Even her devout mother treats her poorly. Yet the brooding and inflexible Sheriff Riley Owens doesn’t see things quite the same way.

Bain weaves intrigue, danger, and romance into this page-turner that will keep you holding your breath.

But isn’t that why we read?

Leave plenty of room for gasping.

Buy the book.

Kathryn J. Bain’s first release Breathless came out January 2012, followed by her novella Game of Hearts last March. She is the former President of Florida Sisters in Crime and is currently the Public Relations Director and Membership Director for Ancient City Romance Authors. To survive and pay bills, she has been a paralegal for over twenty years and works for an attorney who specializes in elder law. Bain grew up in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, but migrated in 1983 to sunny Jacksonville, Florida. She has two daughters and a dog named Gretchen.

Visit Kathryn J. Bain’s website at www.kathrynjbain.com

God doesn’t make junk

God doesn’t make junk. Remember that slogan from years ago? You may be familiar with the more colloquial rendition:

God don’t make no junk.

No kidding.

Researchers just discovered that fact for themselves, according to an article in yesterday’s New York Times:

 

Bits of Mystery DNA, Far From ‘Junk,’ Play Crucial Role

“The human genome is packed with at least four million gene switches that reside in bits of DNA that once were dismissed as “junk” but that turn out to play critical roles in controlling how cells, organs and other tissues behave,” wrote Times reporter Gina Kolata. 

“The discovery, considered a major medical and scientific breakthrough, has enormous implications for human health because many complex diseases appear to be caused by tiny changes in hundreds of gene switches.” 

I’m not addressing this discovery to point out my scientific knowledge (which is so limited as to be undetectable). I’m simply shouting “amen.”

Or more precisely, “No kidding.”

Nothing is wasted.

We are fearfully and wonderfully made.

I know there are many Christian physicians, researchers, scientists and science-fiction novelists out there who already see God’s hand in everything from molecular space to outer space. Those people rarely make a NYT headline.

But it’s exciting to see the secular media report that once-disregarded bits of human DNA are discovered to be

“Far From Junk”

Rejoice with me at this declaration. For someday researchers may just announce something we've known all along:

“Wow, there really is a God.”

I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made;

Marvelous are Your works,

And that my soul knows very well.

—Psalm 139:14

Are You Blind to Your Blunders?

Have you ever re-read an email—after you sent it—and discovered a mistake? How about a letter, résumé, or blog post?

Ouch.

I moonlight as a freelance proofreader. As such, I find mistakes in other people’s writing. Typos, misspellings, grammar gaffes. The job isn’t that difficult if one knows the rules. I mean, really—don’t we all clearly and easily see the mistakes of others? Getting paid to do so is the trick.

However, finding my own errors isn’t quite so easy. That’s because I already know what I wanted to say. Therefore, when I read what I’ve written, I “see” what I meant, not what I actually wrote.

Because of my part-time occupation as a fault-finder (Doesn’t sound as nice as proofreader, does it?) I was thrilled one morning this week when I found scriptural support for my work. I may even use the verse as a personal tagline:

Who can discern his errors?

—Psalm 19:12 NIV

Yes! Validation for proofreaders everywhere!

While the line may be a catchy phrase for my business card, there is much more to the message. It continues:

Forgive my hidden faults.

That’s exactly what I need—forgiveness as well as fresh air. I don’t want to harbor those secret sins because eventually they ferment and overflow and stain every good thing I’ve ever done.

Who knows my hidden faults better than our loving Lord? Who better to handle them and make me clean through and through?

I’m so grateful for God's discerning eye on the story of my life. That story will be better, stronger, and sweeter if I allow His cleansing edit.

The question is, will I accept His loving critique, or insist on doing things my way?