I will mention the lovingkindnesses of the Lord

Photo taken by Peter Sleeth--used by permission of The Oregonian
1st Lt. Justin Chandler in Iraq in 2003

          I want to share a story with you today that is very dear to my heart.  As you read it, I hope you get a sense of the miraculous timing of all this, and the blessing it was to this mother's heart. 

          When my son Justin was in Iraq in 2003 with the 82nd Airborne, several news correspondents were embedded with the troops. I learned through internet searches that Peter Sleeth, with "The Oregonian", was one such reporter who followed the troops and posted his stories on the web.  I searched for news daily. 

          It had been several weeks since the war began, and I had not heard anything from my son.  As the weeks passed, fewer stories regarding the 82nd appeared on the news or on the internet. 

          Then one day my search yielded the following link:  "Just back from Iraq, see Peter Sleeth's new photo gallery".

          With one click, four pictures of my son Justin popped onto the computer screen.

          There he was dressed head to toe in full Army gear, his helmet buckled under his chin, his face and hands smeared with dirt.  With a pensive look on his face, he sat crouched on dusty cement steps facing a little dark-haired girl and boy.  They too were dirty and somber.  They sat at his knees looking up into his face.  His arms were outstretched to them, as he gave the little girl and barefoot boy sips of water from a plastic bottle.  The little boy held a bag of Skittles that had been in Justin's MRE (meal ready to eat).  The caption beneath the picture said that Justin was caring for the little children while paramedics cared for their mother nearby.

          On the following Sunday, Easter, the story behind the picture of my son and the children was the featured story in The Oregonian.

          When I saw the pictures, my heart overflowed with joy and gratitude to God for his loving kindness to me.  I was so eager to have any news of my son's unit.  I never expected personal news of my son.  And that day I saw four pictures of him.  Then a few days later, I read the heart-warming story about what Justin had taken upon himself to do for the children that tumultuous day. It was a story about kindness in the mist of turmoil.

          I can never repay God for allowing me to see those pictures.  What a miracle to have a glimpse of my son that day.  Out of thousands of soldiers, my son was photographed at that particular moment by Mr. Sleeth.  Of all the things he could have been doing, he was taking care of little children. 

          A burden was lifted from me that day.  I felt like God was showing me personally that He was watching out for my son, and He wanted me to know it. 

"I will mention the loving-kindnesses of the Lord, and the praises of the Lord, according to all that the Lord hath bestowed on us..." Isaiah 63:7a (KJV).

Photo taken by Peter Sleeth; used by permission of The Oregonian
1st Lt. Justin Chandler in Iraq in 2003

FREE Children's Book Give-Away

Sweet three year old granddaughter, Mya, looking at Who is God?

The first Saturday of every month, I would like to review a book and have a free book give-away.  I will be reviewing both children's and adult's books.  See instructions following the book review for how to qualify for the random drawing for a FREE book.

http://kathleenruckman.com/publications

          Today our featured author is Kathleen Ruckman.  I meet Kathy at the Write to Publish Conference in Chicago.  She is such a kind, soft-spoken lady.  She's a good listener, too.  Listening to her own children prompted these stories.  Her words are seasoned with God's grace.  She lives in Oregon with her husband, Tom.  They have four grown children and several grandchildren.

          Kathleen's articles have appeared in many national Christian magazines, including Focus on the Family, and her stories have been published in numerous anthologies.  She's the author of several children's books, including Who is God? and What Will Heaven Be Like?  which I am reviewing.

http://www.amazon.com/Who-Is-God-Story-Wonder/dp/0736925708

          Children are full of questions and curiosity, so take them along on this adventure of fun and faith.  Kids ages five to ten join Annie and Adam on their visit to Grandpa's farm, where every starry sky, barnyard animal, and fishing trip leads to opportunities for young ones to discover God as Creator, Provider, and loving Father.

http://harvesthousepublishers.com/book/what-will-heaven-be-like-2010/

          On this visit to Grandpa's farm, Annie picks wildflowers and Adam catches wiggly, slippery frogs.  Grandpa's dog, Stanley, joins them, too.  Along the way, the children talk to Grandpa about whatever comes to mind. When Annie asks, "What will heaven be like?" and "Who will be in heaven?" Grandpa's answers are simple, honest, and based on biblical truths.

          Both of these stories explore the wisdom of the Bible and the love of Jesus.  These stories are a way to start wonderful conversations with your own children about heaven and God's love.  You will want to read them to your children, because there is so much to discuss in these pages.

          These books are beautifully illustrated by Greg Hardin, who you might recognize as the artist of Veggie Tales.

FREE BOOK GIVE-AWAY--How to qualify for the random drawing to win one of these lovely books.  Here are the 3 easy steps.

1.  Leave a comment on this blog which includes your name and email address. (I'll use that address to contact you for your mailing address IF you win. I'll also ask you which book you'd prefer.)

2.  Share my Facebook wall post referring to his blog on your Facebook wall no later than 11:00 a.m., Friday, July 13th. 

3.  Sign up to become a "follower" of this blog, or save my blog address to your "favorites" list.

Deadline to qualify is 8:00 p.m., Friday, July 13th. 

Thank you for your participation.  The window of opportunity is brief, but go for it.  One of these books would make a lovely gift for any child age 5-10.  

Mya, smiling for the camera.  I bought these books for my grandkids.

                                                                             

Happy Birthday America! Let's Celebrate Our Liberty!

The Flag always flies in front of our house.


       Today is the Fourth of July.  Independent Day.  Happy Birthday America!

        I am proud to be an American.  I am grateful to God who by His grace made me a citizen of this great country.  My father and his brothers served our country in the military; my twin sons, Justin and Jonathan, serve our country in the Army; Cory, my daughter-in-law, serves in the Air National Guard.  Need I say more about how very proud and patriotic I am.

        I am blessed to be an American.  But spiritually it makes no difference where I am a citizen, which zip code, which piece of earth.  God is God of the whole world.  Our liberty as believers is all about Jesus Christ and the victory He won on the cross.

        Jesus said, "If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed," John 8:36.

        Paul preached the message of the good news of Jesus Christ.

"Now the Lord is that Spirit:  and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is Liberty," 2 Corinthians 3:17.

"Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ has made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage," Galatians 5:1.

        If we cooperate with Him, Jesus Christ can free us from any entanglement.  When Christ is our Master, the load need not be heavy, because He has already carried it all to the cross.

        So today, besides the liberty I have as an American, I want to celebrate the glorious liberty that is mine as a child of God.  With my focus on Him, I am free to be all He created me to be in Christ Jesus.  Free to be who He intended me to be from the foundation of the world.

Jonathan and Justin Chandler --  I love my boys.

Cory and Jonathan Chandler -- I am so blessed.

Let's rejoice in the freedom that is ours today as we celebrate this country and all those who make it great.

To Every Thing There is a Season

Georgia Peaches--Photo courtesy of cousin Kevin Delaigle.

          I've enjoyed some delicious tree-ripened peaches this week.  Fresh peaches always remind me of my growing up years.  Picking peaches at Boll Weevil Plantation was a summertime event.  Bringing them home by the bushel.  The most fun thing to do was make homemade peach ice cream.  We needed lots of ice, rock salt, and elbow grease for that.  Our group effort produced the most delicious ice cream in the world.  

          The pace of my life in those days was not measured by the nine to five's, but by the seed time and harvests.  Oh yes, and by Sunday afternoon drives in the country--a common past time for many back then.  Sunday afternoon drives when no one pushed the speed to the limit and the cruise was controlled by a softer pedal.  The biggest concern of the afternoon for us children was who got to sit by the window in the backseat of the sprawling Ford Galaxie.  With Daddy at the wheel, we drove up and down the dusty dirt roads to see the corn and the cotton fields, and look at the cows and the pond.  From time to time we'd check on the progress of the blackberries ripening in a large patch beside the pasture.

           In those days, we took pleasure in the process.  Life was more peaceful. No stores were open.  No businesses operated on Sundays.  Society cooperated to let us have our day of rest.  So we spent time with family and enjoyed the simple pleasures of the season.  Those memories are as sweet as juicy peaches.

    

Fresh peach cobbler. I used the recipe from Tea Time at the Masters Cookbook.

"To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven," Ecclesiastes 3:1.

Note to readers:  See Deep South Magazine's southern summer reading list.  They're having a book giveaway.

Why did the apostle Paul give us a list of 8 things to think about?

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My favorite corner of the world early in the morning.

"You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on you" Isaiah 26:3a (NKJV).

          I visited the home improvement store last week.  I enjoyed the background music as I browsed the aisles.  The cashier was listening, too, because as I checked out, she actually started singing the lyrics of the catchy tune that filled the airwaves.

Maybe that's when it got stuck in my head.  I first noticed it as I waited at the traffic light.  I was singing it in my mind.  By the time I got to the grocery store, I was belting it outloud.  It wasn't even a song I liked. That wasn't the end of it.  It happened the next day, and the next.  When I started writing this, it happened again. 

Do you know what I mean?  Haven't we all had songs stuck in our heads.  We hear it on the radio in the car, or in church, or in the home improvement store, and at the most unexpected time, it plays over and over like a broken record.  Unfortunately, negative thoughts, self-doubts, painful memories, and worry can get stuck in our heads as well.  And like that song I was singing even though I didn't like it, those negative thoughts can play over and over again in our minds causing us to lose our peace.

For our mental and spiritual health, it's important that we control those negative thoughts.  The apostle Paul has given us a simple list.

"Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things...and the God of peace shall be with you" Philippians 4:8-9 (KJV).

Could he have been any more direct?  Paul said "think on these things".  I like the promise he gives.  The God of peace shall be with you.


Do you have a favorite Scripture that helps you overcome negative thinking?

Peace like a river

Jesus said, "Peace I leave with you, my peace I give to you," John 14:27a.

Invisible essential things

Photo courtesy of Kristin Espinasse--http://french-word-a-day.com

          I love this picture of climbing roses beside the tiled roofed house in France.  When I see this picture it reminds me of my favorite part of the book The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery.  You see the little prince loved his rose, and he thought she was the only one of her kind in the universe.  He lived on a planet no bigger than a house with three tiny volcanos and his rose as his sole companions. He tends to them faithfully each day.  He makes an unfortunate decision to leave his planet, and he travels to earth, where one day after traveling a long lonely road in search of  men, he comes upon a rose garden.  He is immediately amazed and overcome with sadness.  Realizing that his rose is not the only one in all the world, he lay down in the grass and cried. 

          Later the little prince befriends a fox, who wants very much to be tamed so he will have a friend.  He tells the little prince his secret.  It is only with the heart that one can see rightly because what is essential is invisible to the eyes.  The little prince comes to realize through his relationship with the fox that we are responsible forever for those we have tamed.  He understands that because of the time he has spent caring for his rose, she has become his rose and that is what makes her so important.  When he sees the rose garden for the second time, he no longer thinks that the other flowers look anything like his rose.
 
What do you think of the fox's philosophy?  

My daughter Melanie Giovino and her kitty Roscoe.

"...for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart" 1 Samuel 16:7a (NKJV).

God is Love--1 John 4:8




Photo courtesy of Marisel Jarrin Kleppen--A touching moment.

          
          We've recently celebrated Father's Day to honor  our earthly fathers.  It's good to honor them. Many of us have had happy experiences with a loving father.  Unfortunately, for some, that is not the case.  The good news is our heavenly Father loves us with a perfect love, no matter what our experience has been with an earthly father. His love surpasses that of even the most loving earthly father. 
          
          At a time when I was trying to comprehend God's love, its tranforming and transcending power, I wrote this poem. 

Love is the link
The binding force
Transcending the physical
Even life and death
Binding man to man
And God to man
Elevating man to the highest and noblest of human experiences
Nourishing the soul
Extending beyond the flesh and this world
Allowing man but a glimpse
Of the glory which shall be revealed
"For God is love" (1 John 4:8).

           Words can't express it.  The apostle Paul wanted us to understand God's great love.  He wrote, "For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Rom. 8:38-39).

          Let's consider God's love for us today and pray He reveals to us how much He loves us.

Photo courtesy of Kathy Stahlman Hildebrand--A cherished family time.