Heavenly Headbutts: Reflections of Hope about Cats and Eternity: Author Interview with Allia Zobel Nolan

April 16, 2024 by Leave a Comment

Child doing a headbutt with a catWHEN I TRY TO PICTURE my husband entering Heaven, I imagine him surrounded by lots of family members and friends who’ve gone before as they greet him and welcome him to his new home. Occasionally, I also wonder if among the crowd there might be a rambunctious Akita, a fluffy, tail wagging Peek-a-poo, a white cat with the shape of a heart on his side, and 4 or 5 other kitties brushing against his leg.  Will our pets be in Heaven? In reading books on Heaven recently, I’ve seen that it’s a common question others ask as well.

In her new book, Reflections of Hope about Cats and Eternity, author Allia Zobel Nolan, gives us her perspective on the question. And she believes that, yes, they will be there – especially cats. So it was fun asking Allia about what she’s found on the subject.

Linda: You’re known for humorous books about cats, and Bible books for children.  So this is an interesting detour for you. What prompted you to tackle a book about cats and eternity?

Allia: I lost three cats in a row. So, naturally, I was devastated. I looked for some kind of book that might help me—a devotional, or some sort of prayer book. But most of what I found had stories of other people’s journeys with sick and dying cats. And at that point, I just really needed something a bit more comforting, uplifting. A book that would sooth me and give me hope.  So, since I couldn’t find it; I wrote it myself.

Linda: I can certainly relate to that. Writing a book that meets your own felt need is a great motivator for writing a book. What kind of research did you do and how did you decide upon the format?

Allia:   I knew I wanted this to be a gift book… as it’s the kind of book you underline and refer back to again and again. Still, although the subject is heavy, I didn’t want it to be all doom and gloom. I wanted this book to offer hope and expectation for all cat lovers. The whole purpose of the book is to posit the idea that the cats we share our lives with here on earth may very well be with us in eternity.

So I searched Scripture, and the writings of religious experts and theologians, such as C. S. Lewis, George MacDonald, the Pope, John Wesley, and others.  And I found quite a few of them had similar thoughts to mine. So I chose a couple of their hopeful affirmations and married them with soft, comforting, and sometimes humorous, but ever-so-relatable photos and included them, along with my own opinions throughout the book.  Heavenly Headbutts also contains sections of Scripture that, to my mind’s eye, back up and support the reasons why I believe we’ll see our beloved fur babies in Heaven.

Linda: I’ve seen a couple of your adorable cat pictures, and I’m sharing one here. Are there photos throughout this book about cats and eternity? How is the book laid out with photos and text?

orange cat staring at woman drinking coffee

Photos (c) Copyright Sutterstock

Allia: Well, after the manuscript was finished, I started to think about art. I decided today’s world is so attuned to photos, that I would use photos instead of having it illustrated by an artist. However, although I could find some photos that depicted what I had written, for example, the section on the Creation, that was the exception. I couldn’t find photos that specifically explained the text.  Also, the composition, photo styles, and lighting in the photos weren’t consistent. It wasn’t flowing and didn’t look right.

I took a step back at that point and determined that whatever I had written or quoted was about one thing: cats. So I really didn’t need to illustrate each section to the letter. I just needed to find a complimentary cat photo that would convey the meaning of what I was writing. So that’s what I did, and it all came together.  Then my friend and designer at Marypat Design interspersed the photos, the quotes, and the longer sections in a really loving and soothing way. She did an outstanding job.

Linda: Could you share with us a couple of quotes you found from notable Christian leaders that back you up on your theory that animals and even our pets might be in Heaven?

Allia: As for animals being in Heaven, Hank Hanegraff, the Bible Answer Man, asserts, “The Garden of Eden was populated by animals, thus there is a precedent for believing that Eden restored will be populated by animals.”

In terms of our pets being in Heaven, George MacDonald wrote: “What lovelier feature in the newness of the new earth, than the old animals glorified with us–in their home with us–their common home–the house of our Father–each kind an unfailing pleasure to the other. Ah, what horses. Ah, what dogs. Ah, what wild beasts and birds of the air. (Ah, what cats…my paraphrase). The whole redeemed creation goes to make up St. Paul’s Heaven.”

What’s more, Martin Luther says: “In Paradise, there was complete harmony between man and animals; one day that harmony will be restored, and all creation will be made anew.

Linda:  How long did it take you to put the book together?

Allia: Well, I had the idea for a book like this a while ago. Before I lost my cats. My agent shopped it around then. But some publishers are on the fence about the question of pets in heaven. And I acknowledge their belief; I just don’t agree. So, I put it away and took it out in earnest when my cats passed.

Linda:    Is Heavenly Headbutts only for people who’ve lost cats? Or is it for any cat lover?

Allia: I get this question quite a bit. Obviously, I wrote Heavenly Headbutts to comfort cat lovers who are grieving. But it’s also a book that’s helpful for anyone who is interested in learning more about the topic of cats and heaven.

Lovers of all kinds of pets will experience the passing of their fur baby at one time or another, and some will go through the process many times. So Heavenly Headbutts is meant to lay out what I found from my research of theologians and religious experts, as well as include my thoughts about it. And leave it to the reader to judge.

The book is also a way for anyone close to a person who has lost a cat to show their condolences by gifting the book to them.

Linda; What do you hope readers will get out of this book?

Allia:  For the grieving, I hope it offers comfort, hope, and expectation that they may very well be reunited with their fur babies in one form or another in the future.

I also hope it helps them step out of their grief—even for just a minute—as   they pause to meditate on God, the afterlife,  the Scriptures, and their own beliefs.  As I mentioned, the book is not all sad reflection. Parts make you think, laugh, and learn, and are especially relatable to anyone who has ever lived with a cat

Lnda: Can you give some of the reasons you feel we’ll be reunited with our cats in eternity? And are there any scriptures that you can share? 

Allia: Well, there are no specific Scripture references that state equivocally: “You will meet up with your beloved cats in heaven.” However, a close reading of the
messages in the Bible, to my way of thinking, lead me to believe our cats’ story is not over—that they will be with us in heaven..

Here are a few things that made me form my opinion about cats and eternity:

  1. First of all there’s this scripture: “God’s plan for the world stands up, all his designs are made to last.” (Psalm 33:11 MSG.)
  2. God made animals first, so he must have had a plan for them.
  3. When God looked around after the creation, he said everything was “Good.” Not just 2-legged creatures were good, but everything was good. And God doesn’t change his mind.
  4. God told Adam to name the animals….I don’t believe he would have bothered if the animals were, indeed, temporary.
  5. God used animals for his purpose and as examples in stories in the Old Testament and New Testament, ants, birds, big fish, raven, talking donkey, fish with a coin, lost lamb, etc. So to my way of thinking, he was not going to use them then let just them evaporate into nothingness.
  6. God saved animals during the flood.
  7. Jesus was born in a stable surrounded by animals.
  8. Revelation reports animals in the throne room.

Linda: After all your research, can you equivocally say, “Yes, we will see our cats in heaven?”

Allia: Well, that’s something that will be a personal choice for people to make
after they read the book. My vote is a resounding YES.  But I’m not forcing my opinion on others. I’m not proselytizing. I’m presenting the evidence I found, (info people might not be familiar with) as well as my own thoughts.

Linda: Where can readers get Heavenly Headbutts: Reflections of Hope about Cats and Eternity?

Allia: Readers can purchase the book on Amazon where it is in print and on Kindle. Readers might also be interested in knowing  Heavenly Headbutts has received several major awards, including a Writer’s Digest Award for Self-Published Books in the category of Inspirational.

https://www.amazon.com/Heavenly-Headbutts-Reflections-about-Eternity/dp/B0BQY1N93Q

Linda: That’s wonderful. Congratulations. Do you have a current book project.

Allia: Yes, I have a children’s book from Kregel Children’s that is due out in August 2024, entitled Harriet Hurry-Up and the Oh-So-Slow Day. It’s about a little girl who can’t understand why days don’t move faster. But with her Gran’s help, this impatient little girl learns to trust God’s timing and find the blessings he puts in every day—if she can just slow down long enough to see them. It will be available for back-to-school reading anywhere that sells books.  For more information on my books, check my website: www.AlliaWrites.com

 

 

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Filed Under: BOOKS, comfort, death of a pet, God's goodness, Grief, loss, Uncategorized Tagged With: , , , , , ,

To My Husband Who Is Now in Heaven

March 6, 2024 by Leave a Comment
Beautiful sky with white fluffy clouds - looking into heaven

Photo by Jacob Mejicanos

I SEARCH THE HEAVENS, looking for what is unseen by human eyes, wondering where you are, what you’re doing, longing to touch you again, longing to hear your voice. The partition between heaven and earth is vast and is not to be traversed by the living. You are on one side of this vast chasm, I am on the other. I cannot reach you.

But God’s peace whispers in my heart, telling me what I already know, the truth of what we’ve lived for throughout these many years.

Your race is over. Your job is done.  You rest now in the unseen realms of eternity.  Somewhere up there beyond the clouds where the beginnings of this world took place, where creation began and blessed souls go to rest, you are in the arms of Jesus. You have finished the race. You have heard the words, “Well done good and faithful servant” Your job here on earth is done.

You have left this messed up, crazy world for the peace, the beauty and the glory of a heavenly world the rest of us dream of entering one day. For you there is no more waiting, no more wondering about what’s to come. No more are you seeing in a glass darkly for now you are face to face with the Savior. You are experiencing true reality while I still live in this mirage of what’s to come.

How I wish I could touch you, to hear your voice. You are far from my reach. But one day I will finish this race as well. I too will hear the call. One day I will no longer look longingly up in the skies, searching for what is unseen to mortal eyes for I will be in Heaven too.

But for now my job is not finished. The pages of a new year unfold before me – blank and unfamiliar. What will be written on them I don’t know. But as long as I have breath I know God has more for me to do. I walk into the days ahead alone, listening for God’s voice to lead me on.

Lord, let me hear your voice clearly. You are always before me. You are always with me. You are my refuge, my help in trouble. And I hold fast now to the encouraging promise you’ve given me in your Word. I turn to Jeremiah 29:11 where you said, “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

I cling to that promise now, Lord, for this one thing I know. Your love holds both of us close. Although I remain here on earth and he is now in heaven, we are both safe with you. And I will see him again.

Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his faithful servants (Psalm 116:15).

 

Marv and Linda with the heavens opening up in the sky behind

Marv and Linda

TO MY SUBSCRIBERS: Yes, you may have seen this post before. Because of issues on my website, we had to backdate it to clean it up so a couple of old posts will reappear. But stick with me. New posts are coming soon.

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Filed Under: comfort, Death, Easter, faith, Grief, Hope, Jesus, Knowing God, loss, Trusting God, Uncategorized Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

PRAYING PERSONALITIES: AUTHOR INTERVIEW WITH JANET HOLM MCHENRY

November 15, 2023 by Leave a Comment

IS THERE A “right’ way to pray? Many of us have heard various prescriptions about how to make our prayer life more meaningful and effective. But when we try it out, it may seem complicated, awkward, or unnatural. Certain prayer approaches seem to work well for some people but not for others. But maybe, just maybe, that’s to be expected. In author Janet Holm McHenry’s new book, Praying Personalities, Finding Your Natural Prayer Style, Janet helps readers identify the more comfortable style of praying that fits their own personality. In our interview, Janet, who is the author of 26 books—six of them on prayer– gives you a glimpse of what you might discover in her new book.

Linda: Janet, I know you’re a woman of prayer and a leader in a number of prayer ministries. Tell us how prayer became a passion of yours. 

Janet: Some might say I literally fell into prayer. One day I walked out my back door and found myself in a crumpled heap because my knee had given way. So right there on the concrete I decided to do something about my health—that I would get up a little earlier the next day and walk, and while I walked, I would pray. There was a lot of my-ness in those initial prayers—my kids, my job as a high school English teacher, my marriage—but that all changed one day when I saw what I call a Single Daddy’s Ballet. That early, dark morning I watched as a man parked his pickup truck in front of the daycare center and sweep his little blanketed bundle over into the arms of the daycare worker waiting on the sidewalk. At that moment the little girl said, “Bye, Daddy. I love you!” And I knew right then that God had me out on the streets of my community less for the my-ness of my prayers but more for the needs around me. So I prayed for him and began to pray for whatever God put within my eyesight—my neighbors, the business people in my little town, and even commuters heading off to work in Reno.

Linda: How did prayerwalking grow into a passion and life’s study? 

Janet: It was a progression of understanding. First, I began to understand that wherever we are, there’s a need for prayer, so a praying-without-ceasing lifestyle is possible for us. And then a hunger developed in me to learn more about prayer, so I began combing God’s Word for biblical people’s prayers and any teachings on prayer—marking my Bible up with circled Ps. Then when my book PrayerWalk came out, I began speaking about prayer and prayerwalking.

Linda: You’ve also written many other books on prayer, including The Complete Guide to the Prayers of Jesus. But how did the idea come for your newest book, Praying Personalities: Finding Your Natural Prayer Style?

Janet: God laid a thought on my heart starting years ago. Because I was such a crazy advocate about prayerwalking, I encouraged others to pick up the practice when I spoke. But invariably a lovely woman would come to me afterwards and say, “But Janet, I can’t walk. What should I do?” And frankly, I’m not sure my answer was always adequate. Then a couple years ago I was speaking to a group of writers about how to incorporate more prayer into their lives—dozens and dozens of ideas—and I heard myself say, “Perhaps it has something to do with personality.” That was a mic-drop moment for me . . . especially when one of those writers said, “Janet, you should write a book about that.” So I began combing scripture again—looking for various ways biblical people prayed—looking at their language and Photo of author Janet Holm McHenryperspective and attitude.

Linda: And what did you discover? 

Janet: I found that those biblical folks prayed in many different ways. Moses argued with and complained at God. Job was a thinker and simply wanted to know the WHY? behind his pain. Hannah poured out her grief at not having a child in 1 Samuel 1, then a chapter later we see her beautiful poem of praise. David wrote half of the psalms—many of which were laments. Then we have those who fasted while they prayed—Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther—a very physical accompaniment with prayer. Paul wrote out summaries of his prayers to the various churches throughout the Mediterranean area. Seeing those differences in how people prayed provided the inspiration to consider various praying personalities and how each might pray in a natural way.

Linda: What kind of personalities did you find for prayer . . . and how might all of this give hope and guidance to us in our own prayer lives? 

Janet: I identify four different praying personalities—Problem Solver, Friend of God, Organized Pray-er (also called Lamenter), and Peace Seeker. And people can take the Praying Personalities Quiz I created (https://prayingpersonalities.com) to help them learn more about how they can develop a praying lifestyle that blends with their God-given personality. I simply want to help readers shed the guilt about what they think they’re doing or not doing. I used to feel I was a prayer failure! I didn’t have a prayer closet. I didn’t journal my prayers. I couldn’t keep up with an organized prayer notebook or other categorial system. But God led me to a praying style that helps me stay in touch with him all day long—one that has helped me overcome fears, depression, and feelings of inadequacy. And I simply want to share that hope with others too.

Linda: What process did you go through to identify the different praying personalities? Was it only by looking at the way people prayed in the Bible?

Janet: I started with examining how people prayed in the Bible, as well as the spiritual gifts and how they connect with prayer. Then I took a journalistic look at many of the personality theories to find the underlying questions that would determine the various personality types. I don’t advocate for any of those but simply state what they are: the Greek temperaments, Jung’s theories (even Elisabeth Elliott studied Jung), Myers-Briggs, Keirsey, 16 Personalities, Strengths Finder, Big 5, and the Enneagram. I also did studies of the generations to see how they prayed and discuss the learning styles also. It was a fascinating journey! And it may interest readers to know that the creators of these theories may not have created the questionnaires people take to identify their personality.

Linda: Is there any connection between the praying personalities and the personality profiles we’ve heard about in other places – like the sanguine, the choleric, the melancholy, and the phlegmatic?

Janet: Yes, readers will see a connection between the praying personalities and the temperaments. I am a certified LINKED Personalities trainer, so I worked mostly from that framework, which connects with the temperaments.

Linda: Could you give us an example of what these four different praying personalities look like? How would each of them pray differently?

Janet: Here’s a quick look at the Praying Personalities, which readers can discover by taking the Praying Personalities Quiz:

Problem Solver

  • Approaches prayer quickly from a problem-solving perspective.
  • Keeps prayers purposeful, succinct, and focused.
  • Prayer suggestions: go on a prayerwalk, pray while exercising, post reminders, fast.

Friend of God

  • Approaches prayer as relational time with God.
  • Loves praying with others.
  • Prayer suggestions: use worship music, round up the family to pray daily, speak to God out loud.

Organized Pray-er (Lamenter)

  • Sees prayer as an emotional, yet disciplined practice.
  • Needs to have a quiet place to pray away from the world.
  • Prayer suggestions: use a notebook system, keep a journal of prayers, create a prayer spot in your home.

Peace Seeker

  • Goes to prayer to restore personal peace.
  • Sees prayer time as an informal but steady practice.
  • Prayer suggestions: consider using prayer books to jumpstart a quiet time, use prayer apps, develop a simple prayer routine using an acronym such as ACTS (adoration, confession, thanksgiving, supplication)

Linda: Where can readers find out more about you and your ministry? 

Janet: They can find me at www.janetmchenry.com and my books here.

 

 

 

 

 

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Filed Under: BOOKS, Hope, Interviews, Peace, Prayer, Time with God, Uncategorized Tagged With: , , , , ,

Peace Like a Frog

August 11, 2022 by 7 Comments

frog - yellow

I NEVER IMAGINED using a frog as an illustration for peace . . .

. . . until one day when I was squeezing between two large plants in my backyard to pull out some potato vines and spied a small frog clinging to one of the elephant ears I had just brushed past. Although, I towered above this little 2-inch critter and made quite a commotion with all my activity, he didn’t budge. He showed no fear. He was the picture of peace.

For the next hour, I continued pushing past him, pulling on vines, dragging them back through the bushes to deposit them in the trash can, then back again through the opening to haul out more. I made quite a disturbance. But still the frog seemed unfazed. He didn’t move.

I was frankly surprised that he didn’t jump down and hop off to a calmer location where the plants were not being jostled and shaken. But in spite of any potential danger he might have perceived, he sat peaceful and seemingly unflustered on the side of the elephant ear plant.

As I wondered about why the frog showed no sign of fear, it made me start thinking about us and how we can have peace in the middle of chaos. When we are surrounded by turbulence, it’s hard not to become fearful—fearing we might get entangled in what is going on—fearing the danger it might bring into our lives.

Fear

So what do we do with fear? How can we have peace like a . . . frog?

Jesus’ disciple John says something that is quite curious about fear. He says in 1 John 4:18, “Perfect love casts out fear.” I used to wonder what this means. Certainly, he’s not talking about human love. Many of us learn the hard way that human love is not perfect, and if we depend on it too much, instead of casting out fear, it can actually cause fear.

As we look more closely, however, it becomes clear that John is talking about the “perfect” love of God. For only when we lean in on God’s “perfect love,” can we put away our fear.

So how now does this relate to the frog? Why didn’t the frog act fearful? Does a mere frog experience the love of God? In Matthew 6:26, Jesus tells us how God takes care of the birds and the flowers and the rest of his creation, imploring us to see that since we have more value than they, we should not worry or be fearful. So perhaps, through God’s provision of a suit of camouflage that allows the frog to be hidden in the undercover of his surroundings, this little creature may, in a way, experience the love of God. Maybe a built-in instinct and confidence in God’s unique provision for him “casts out his fear.” The frog is quiet and peaceful in the midst of all the mayhem going on around him for he knows that when he is still, he’s invisible to predators. He’s camouflaged. He’s hidden.

And therein is the connection. When we go to God in the midst of our fear, we also have a hiding place.

Our Hiding Place

Psalm 91:4 tells us, “He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.“

In Psalms 57:1, David cries out to God, “Have mercy on me, for in you I take refuge. I will take refuge in the shadow of your wings until the disaster has passed.”

And in Psalm 32:7, David says, “You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance.”

So, yes, we have a camouflage too. God shields us from danger “in the shelter of [his] wings.” (Psalm 61:4) He is our hiding place.

We too can have peace like a frog.

When you feel fear stalking you, when it creeps up on you and is about to pull you under or send you off in a rage of anger, remember you have a hiding place in God. God’s protective camouflage will hide you from the enemy’s snares. And under the shadow of his wings you can find protection.

“Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High
will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
I will say of the LORD, “He is my refuge and my fortress,
my God, in whom I trust.”
Surely he will save you
from the fowler’s snare
and from the deadly pestilence.

He will cover you with his feathers,
and under his wings you will find refuge;
his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.
You will not fear the terror of night,
nor the arrow that flies by day,
nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness,
nor the plague that destroys at midday.”
Psalm 91:1-6

You are my hiding place – Listen to this song and let God fill your heart with songs of deliverance.

If fearful emotions are keeping you off balance because of a crisis in your marriage, my book, Broken Heart on Hold, is available to walk with you through the chaos. Many people have found the hope of God in its pages.

 

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The Problem with Unforgiveness

June 29, 2022 by Leave a Comment
woman full of unforgiveness, looking out wndow

Photo by Anthony Tran

“AND FORGIVE US our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us . . .”

These are familiar words I’ve repeated over and over again every time I say the Lord’s Prayer.  I understand what I’m saying. I’m asking God to forgive me in the same proportion as I forgive others. And I think I am pretty forgiving of others. And yet, every now and then when certain names are occasionally mentioned, bad feelings rise within me. Is that unforgiveness?

If so, what is the problem with unforgiveness?

Recently, a friend told me that at one time in her life she’d been so bound up with unforgiveness that it actually caused her to become mentally ill for a while. She was even temporarily institutionalized.

It was a shocking revelation that jolted me into thinking more about the subject of unforgiveness.

What is Unforgiveness?

What is unforgiveness? Why do we carry it around? How can it have such negative effects on us? And where does it begin?

I found part of the answer in Ephesians 4:26-27. “In your anger do not sin.” Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry,  and do not give the devil a foothold.”

Unforgiveness begins as a simmering anger that grows and grows, an anger we nurture in our hearts and minds. But Paul’s warning above is that by allowing it to fester within us, we are “giving the devil a foothold.” We are opening ourselves up to the devil’s schemes to “kill, steal, and destroy”  (John 10:10). And one way he tries to destroy us is by planting seeds of bitterness within us because he knows the damage bitterness can do to our souls. And that bitterness often evolves from unforgiveness.

But unforgiveness doesn’t just happen out of thin air. We have reasons for not being able to forgive. We’ve been hurt. Maybe deeply hurt. And wronged. Unforgiveness seems like a way of protecting ourselves from more hurt and a way to inflict justice on the one who hurt us. Our pain blinds us from the deeper truth that the bitter root of unforgiveness spreading through our minds and hearts gives a foothold to the devil to steal our peace and joy and ravage our very souls (and perhaps our sanity.)

How Do We Forgive?

It’s hard to forgive. It’s hard to move beyond the pain when someone hurts, wrongs, or betrays us. Even the thought of forgiving them curdles in our veins. That person doesn’t deserve our forgiveness. He or she deserves to feel our anger. But the more that root of anger deepens into bitterness, the more our peace evaporates.

Jesus tells us to forgive others, not to punish us or make things hard for us, but to bring us freedom. He demonstrated the humility and the power of forgiveness even as he hung on the cross, asking God to forgive those who were crucifying him at that very moment.  And after he triumphed over death, he offered His forgiveness to us even though our sins are many.

Forgiveness can provide a road to freedom and peace when we take our pain to our loving Father and lay it at His feet. He will bind up the wounds of our heart and heal the brokenhearted (Psalm 147:3).

If you are experiencing deep depression, if your peace has evaporated and joy seems something only found in fairy tales, let God help you examine your heart to see if a root of bitterness and unforgiveness has stolen the sweetness from your life.

How To Find the Freedom

To better understand how to be able to forgive, my Focus on the Family article, Understanding Forgiveness, may clarify it for you and make it easier to get to a peaceful place.

And if you want to experience freedom from depression and negative thoughts, I urge you to read  Patty Mason’s story.

God wants you to experience the freedom only He can give. He wants to give you His peace and joy.

If your heart is breaking and you’re finding it hard to forgive, my first book, Broken Heart on Hold will walk with you through your pain and help you find that road to peace.

“Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my thoughts” (Psalm 139:23).

“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full” (John 10:10).

 

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Day-votions with Your Faithful Father – Interview with Author Rebecca Barlow Jordan

June 23, 2022 by Leave a Comment

Dayvotons bookWHEN LIFE GETS HARD and we don’t know where to turn, author Rebecca Barlow Jordan wants to remind us that we have a faithful heavenly Father who wants to meet our needs. In her new book, Day-votions® with Your Faithful Father: 90 Days with the One Who Wants to Meet All Your Needs, Rebecca shows us how to talk with God intimately and honestly about our deepest needs. As a bestselling, award winning author of 13 books, and with the pen of a poet and the heart of a disciple, Rebecca’s passion is helping readers find intimacy with God. In this new book, she wants to show you what it means to be His child.

Linda: What led you to write your book, Day-votions® with Your Faithful Father at this particular time? 

Rebecca: As a young mother, I had a deep hunger to know God more intimately, and a longing to understand His character and His names. So I began noting His names and attributes in the margins of my Bible during my quiet times. As I read through different Bible translations and versions through the years, I discovered hundreds of names and traits.

I’ve been wanting to write a book about God’s faithfulness ever since. I authored 12 other books, including a series for women that I trademarked the name, Day-votions®. But I kept journaling in my Bible and began to notice more of God’s activity. Over and over in Scripture, I would see, “The One Who….” and discovered how truly faithful my heavenly Father was. And how many verses dealt with Him as being not only the “Supplier” of our needs but as being the “Supply” Himself.

I’ve written an encouraging blog for years, trying to help people grow closer to the Lord. Emails started coming in from people, asking me to pray for them. They expressed needs, experienced heartaches, and desperately wanted answers.

When the pandemic began to spread throughout our world, I knew it was time to write this book. Never had I seen so many universal needs. People were discouraged and had endured so many losses. I wanted to encourage others by helping them see God’s unchanging love and faithfulness in every situation, but especially in our most pressing ones. I ultimately decided to write this new book about God’s faithfulness under my “Day-votions® umbrella name.

Linda: How have you experienced God’s faithfulness in your own life? 

Rebecca: That’s a great question, Linda, and that was the basis and underlying reason for writing this book. When has God not been faithful?

Author Rebecca Barlow Jordan

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Looking back over my life, I can truly see God’s footprints of faithfulness everywhere I turned.

When I was younger, I’d see depression, fear, disappointment, or discouragement as roadblocks. I’d experience heartache, financial need, marriage issues, and parenting woes. Much too often, foolishness or confusion tried to upend desired wisdom. I cried out to God for help, but sometimes the process of healing was painful and messy. I despised having “needs.”

But life is messy and painful at times, and we will always have needs. I wanted to know my heavenly Father better, but not that way! Strangely enough, the majority of times I experienced His faithfulness was in the way He met those needs—and not always the way I expected.

He has brought me through times of depression and refilled my life with joy. When my marriage hit the wall, my husband and I wrestled through the pain of restoration and fell in love all over again—because God heard our cries, and we learned how to do the hard work involved. God provided jobs when we had none. He sent us on vacations, prompting others to gift us with special trips. When one of our daughters went missing, God brought her safely home. God’s grace, love, and faithfulness brought us through those and so many other challenging trials.

Linda: So how would you describe your new book, Day-votions® with Your Faithful Father.

Rebecca: Day-votions® with Your Faithful Father: 90 Days with the One Who Wants to Meet All Your Needs (2022) is a devotional based on God’s attributes and activity, with truths drawn from his powerful Word, to help readers renew their hope, joy, peace, and trust in the One who is faithful and unchangeable.

Linda: At the beginning of your book, you ask readers, “What if your needs were God’s personal invitation to experience His faithfulness in a greater way?” That’s a pretty thought-provoking question. Can you tell us why you asked that question and how that relates to your book? 

Rebecca: I wanted to help others see their needs in a different light, but also to understand how deeply God longs to meet those needs for us.

None of us want to call ourselves needy. Most of us consider needs as unwanted enemies.

But not God.

Our Faithful Father knows that we can do nothing apart from His intervention. Yet we often try to meet the deepest needs of our lives on our own.

Whether physically, mentally, emotionally, or spiritually, we encounter problems and challenges from the moment we are born. Haven’t we all experienced fear? Distress? Disappointment? Pain? Don’t we all need encouragement? Peace? Comfort? Intimacy? Hope?

Our needs line up like fence posts, trying to imprison us. But our Father’s faithfulness knows no boundaries. He sees our needs differently because He created us. He knows how helpless we are without Him and that our needs can actually draw us to Him.

Hebrews 4:16 (NIV) tells us the reason why we can turn to our faithful Father: Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

Linda: Tell us about the format you used to write your devotions.

Rebecca: Twenty years ago, when I wrote my Daily in Your Presence series, no one had used the particular devotional format of sharing heart-to-heart, two-way prayer conversations with God. I wanted continuity from those books because they also featured God’s names and attributes, and readers responded well to them. So I kept that same format in Day-votions® with Your Faithful Father, only lengthened the prayers and added new features, like more Scriptures (over 450 Bible verses written out), a daily challenge to apply the truths, and a page for journaling thoughts and prayers. My new devotional has 90 three-page devotions, but still has a daily truth to memorize or solidify the chapter.

Linda: What is your desire for your readers? And what do you hope they will learn or take away from your new book? 

Rebecca: My desire for readers of all my books is the same: that they will be encouraged and come to know God more intimately. I pray they will discover God’s heart and embrace their faithful Father as the Heart Mender, the Thirst Quencher, the Joy Filler, and the Grace Giver.

As far as what I hope readers will take away with them? That’s fairly subjective. As a pastor’s daughter, I know God often works in unexpected ways. I remember so many times when a church member would shake my dad’s hand after the service and say: “I really appreciate your words.” And they would complete what they heard in the sermon. But my dad hadn’t said that at all.

In the same way, I believe God speaks to us, including our readers, in unique ways—but never contrary to what is in His Word. These snippets of Amazon book reviews from some readers (both men and women) of Day-votions® with Your Faithful Father were both humbling and unexpected. I think they show the kind of takeaways readers can expect to find. In many ways, they exceeded my hopes for reader “takeaways”:

“The devotionals in the book seem to be customized for me and meet a need in my life every day.”

“I couldn’t have known God would put this book in my life at exactly the right time. Two dear people in my life have been diagnosed with cancer in the same week and I desperately need time with my Father….What I love most? While the reader can read through the book chronologically, one can also focus on the most needed topic on any given day. If I’m in the middle of chaos and don’t know what to do I might want to read Day 39: When You Desperately Need God’s Help, The One Who Is Ready to Help You. When I’m overwhelmed by anxiety, I can turn to Day 69: When You’re Feeling Anxious and Distressed, The One Who is Your Only Rock.”

“No matter how high my stress level goes, each time I press pause and pick up this book, my heart is led to ‘green pastures and quiet streams for rest and refreshment.’”

“From day one I was reassured of God’s faithfulness in all areas of my life.”

“A stunning work that provides a biblical response to the struggles we all have as Christians.”

“In a very relevant and deeply personal exchange between your Faithful Father and yourself, you will experience God in real and loving ways.”

 Linda: Where can readers find out more about you and your books? 

Rebecca: You can find Day-votions® with Your Faithful Father: 90 Days with the One Who Wants to Meet All Your Needs on Amazon, and you can find out more about me and my books when you visit my website. You can also connect with me on Pinterest or Goodreads.

 

 

 

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Filed Under: BOOKS, faith, God's goodness, God's Word, Interviews, Knowing God, Time with God, Trusting God, Uncategorized, Where is God? Tagged With: , , , ,

Don’t Go Down to Egypt

June 14, 2022 by Leave a Comment

statue of girl with water potIt was one o’clock in the morning as I tossed and turned in bed. Two huge problems loomed before me the next day, and I didn’t know how I would solve either one. Restlessly, my mind churned through a myriad of possibilities, searching for answers. Tired and longing for sleep–which refused to come, I sighed and again looked at the clock.

1:30

It was easy to see where this night was headed.

Okay, I thought, I’ve been down this road before. I’m going to lay awake all night worrying and then be so tired tomorrow I won’t be able to do what is needed to actually resolve this situation. This is so pointless. I need to go to sleep.

And then I prayed.

Earlier that morning, I had been reading in Isaiah 30 and 31 about God’s displeasure with Judah when they were besieged by the Assyrians. Instead of trusting God and looking to Him for guidance, they went down to Egypt to solicit help. Even though He, the almighty God had saved them from their enemies on so many occasions and showed them signs and wonders throughout their history, the Jewish people chose to go their own way and seek help from mere men who worshipped pagan gods rather than going to their powerful creator God.

Yet, the threat was very real. The Assyrians were a great and powerful army, and the Jewish nation in the natural had no possible way of standing against them. And even though it was thousands of years ago, it wasn’t too hard to relate to their dilemma. Earthly problems appear to need earthly solutions, don’t they? Spiritual principles don’t seem relevant when we need practical answers. God is wonderful, but what does He have to do with complicated earthly situations that plague our lives?

Well—everything.

Had Judah used their spiritual eyes, remembering the way God had rescued them in the past and trusting Him to do it again, Isaiah tells us they would have enjoyed God’s favor and been saved. Instead, they turned to worldly resources. As a result both they and the Egyptians came to ruin because the Jewish people relied on themselves instead of God.

As the memory of this scripture drifted through my thoughts, the words, “Don’t go down to Egypt” began circling through my head as well. I knew God was speaking to me.

“Don’t look to worldly solutions,” he was saying. “Don’t worry about how these things will be resolved. Trust me. I will give you peace.”

Don’t go down to Egypt.

Another story from the Bible popped into my mind too—the story of King Hezekiah. A fierce and powerful Assyrian army came against him also and demanded his surrender. But Hezekiah went to God, laid all the facts before Him, and prayed, praising God and acknowledging Him as creator and ruler of all. The next morning, thousands of Assyrian soldiers were dead before one arrow had been shot into the city. Judah was saved.

As I thought about God’s promises for those who trust in Him, I began to pray and surrendered my problems to God. Gradually, my body relaxed and before long I drifted off to sleep.

I awoke the next morning to these words from Jesus Calling, a devotional book I often read to start the day.

“I am able to do far beyond all that you ask or imagine. . . . Do not be discouraged by the fact that many of your prayers are yet unanswered. Time is a trainer, teaching you to wait upon Me, to trust Me in the dark. The more extreme your circumstances, the more likely you are to see My Power and Glory at work in the situation. Instead of letting difficulties draw you into worrying, try to view them as setting the scene for My glorious intervention. Keep your eyes and your mind wide open to all that I am doing in your life.”
( Jesus Calling by Sarah Young)

Don’t go down to Egypt.

God reaffirmed to me through Sarah Young that He was able to take care of my predicament. I was not to go down to Egypt. I was to lay my problems at his feet.

As a result, the troubles that had kept me awake that night gradually took a favorable turn. As God’s peace descended upon me and I continued to surrender the situation to Him in prayer, God opened a path through a seemingly complicated situation to make it not only workable, but perfect in God’s timing according to His inexplicable plan.

So remember: When problems or worries bog you down and you’re tempted to take things in your own hands. Trust God. Don’t go down to Egypt.

Are problems in your marriage keeping you from sleeping at night? If so, my book, Fighting for Your Marriage while Separated, might provide some of the answers you’re looking for.

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Filed Under: faith, How to win, Peace, Problems, Trusting God, unanswered prayers, Uncategorized, Worry Tagged With: , , , , ,

They Don’t Tell: Child Abuse: A Mother’s Perspective – Author Interview with Lisa Gray

May 30, 2022 by Leave a Comment

A yellow bookcover with the picture of a mother and childWITH WHAT’S BEEN happening in our country this last week, our hearts and minds have been taken captive by thoughts about our children and the horror some of them had to endure at the hands of a heartless and cruel individual. But our hearts also go out to the parents and the pain they’ve experienced as they try to comprehend the incomprehensible awfulness of what happened.

There’s another horror story some children endure and other mothers who are gripped with pain in the discovery. In Lisa Gray’s book, They Don’t Tell: Child Abuse: A Mother’s Perspective, Lisa broaches a subject that is difficult to talk about, but she shares it from the vulnerability of a mother who has experienced the pain but discovered the healing.

Linda: Lisa, I know this is a dark subject, but I believe you’ve told me the book is not about darkness, but about hope. Please tell me what you mean by that.

Lisa: I believe we need to always be reminded that even in the darkest of situations, there’s always hope because we serve the God of Hope!

Linda: So now that we’ve given away the ending – that there is hope—tell me what They Don’t Tell: Child Abuse: A Mother’s Perspective is about.

Lisa: A mother’s heart, a heart that has been broken, shattered, stomped upon, torn apart and left in utter disarray.  The revelation of knowing your child has been violated by those who were “supposed” to care and nurture them is unlike any other pain I’ve ever experienced in my life!

Linda: So please tell us why you decided to write They Don’t Tell: Child Abuse: A Mother’s Perspective

Lisa: I felt the Lord wanted me to share my story, my journey back to health and wholeness for myself and my family. The book is meant for those who like me felt so alone, so isolated AND felt guilt and shame!  I was supposed to provide safety, protection, and security.  That was not my daughter’s experience.

I have to say I listen to Bishop T D Jakes a great deal, and I remember thinking to myself, “Why does he always talk about sexual abuse?”  I know it happens.  My head is not buried in the sand, but does it really happen THAT much?  I mean does it happen enough to warrant him continually talking about it ad nausea?  Well give me a chance now, and boy oh boy have I changed my story!  Today I say. “Bishop preach!”  Linda, today I understand that while I was thinking those very thoughts, I never knew that sexual abuse was happening in my own house, under my own roof, to My own daughter.

Linda: That’s heartbreaking, Lisa. Tell us how you were able to deal with it?

Lisa: Well let me assure you, it was not easy.  It was a process that took time, prayer, and—if I can be honest—I’ll admit there was some self-pity, Lisa Gray, authorsome self-loathing, and many questions of why and how could this happen.  I’m a good person, I love the Lord, this is not supposed to happen to Christians like us.

Linda, many times I had to fight the enemy in my mind…which is why the Lord tells us in scripture to take every thought captive…not to just sit in it, not to soak in the negativity but to fight.

There were days where I would fight with worship music, there were days when I would fight with scripture, there were days when I would fight with scriptures.  I would put scriptures all around me to remind me that God was faithful.  There were sticky notes on my refrigerator, my bathroom mirror, my car review mirror…because the assault against my mind was unrelenting, but only for a season.

I can say my family and my church family rallied around us also and supported us greatly through that season.

Because God is the same yesterday, today and forever we can stand on his word, and he will and does bring us through!

Linda: Lisa, that is such a powerful reminder of how to persevere through difficult times. Yes, God is faithful! What do you want readers to take away from your message in your book, They Don’t Tell?

Lisa: Linda if there’s anything I’d like for your listeners and my readers to know, I want to remind them that the enemy comes after our faith, and our resolve to judge the Lord faithful…even in the storms of life.  He really wanted me and others to walk away from the Lord and curse the Lord because of the trial and the storm.  I would never do that.  I understood that our LORD is faithful through every trial, every storm. And I understood my children, my family, my church family, even the community was looking to see how I was going to handle this.  Instead of running from God and to alcohol, drugs, gambling, shopping, food, whatever vice we use as false refuge, when the Bible clearly tells us the Lord is our strong tower, we run to him and are safe!

Run to him, Run to the throne of grace and plead for Mercy, judge the Lord faithful throughout all the circumstances. His mercies are new every morning, for you and your family!

Linda: After this terrible incident of child abuse happened to you and your daughter, where are you now in life? And how is your daughter?

Lisa Gray and DaughterLisa: This is myself and my daughter Nikki now—after the storm, after the hurt, after the trauma, after the healing, and after restoration has taken place in both of our lives.  We are better, stronger, more resilient, and determined that what we went through others can go through as well and survive!​  We walked this out together, and now are compelled to open up our lives and hold our heads high because like any of you who’ve experienced this—we have nothing to be ashamed of!

Linda: Has this experience of dealing with child abuse taught you anything new or transformed your thinking in any way?

Lisa: The Lord has taken me into a new area for me, one I never truly understood, but now I do.  Generational curses.  Although we don’t realize it, we actually have understood them along certain areas of our lives because every time we go into a medical facility they want a breakdown of our medical history.  Well, Linda, hidden in those familiar medical patterns are the generational iniquities that have been repeating throughout our generations.  Now I work with individuals and families to uncover, and uproot those patterns—of cancer, heart disease, brokenness, sexual immorality, etc.  My website is :  Bloodline Curse Breakers.com.  I can also be reached through email at kidsdonttell@gmail.com or by phone at 1 (202) 810-5687.

Linda: Do you have any final thoughts to share:

Lisa: Yes, this was a HORRIBLE situation, but when we give it to God, trust him, lean on and into him through the process, he will turn it around for our good.  His word cannot return to him void, and what the enemy meant for bad, God turns it around for our good.

Now I get the opportunity and the honor to share God’s word and his redemption all around the world.  My daughter is well and flourishing, and my ex-husband is serving a prison term of 15-40 years for the violation.

Linda: Where can people find your book, They Don’t Tell: Child Abuse: A Mother’s Perspective?

Lisa: The best place to find the book is on Amazon or they can reach out to me at the above email. You can also find out more about me and my book on my website at bloodline cursebreaker – Author counsellor speaker

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Filed Under: Abuse, BOOKS, Children, comfort, Feeling unworthy, God's goodness, Grief, Hope, Interviews, Pain, Sexual abuse, Trying to understand, Uncategorized, Where is God? Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

Unexpected

April 22, 2022 by Leave a Comment

CaladiumsI love Caladiums and how they spring up as a sweet surprise in our Florida gardens each year as the winter months ease into the warmth of spring and summer.

Completely out of sight in winter, the bulbs linger beneath the ground, waiting for the right time to remind us of their presence by suddenly appearing to grace us with their colorful display of foliage.

How like God to pop them into the mundaneness of our circumstances as a joyful reminder of the little surprises He has in store for us when we don’t expect them. And a sweet reminder that His beauty is always with us even when we don’t see it –even when we’re unaware of it—or perhaps, more accurately, when we’ve “forgotten” all about it as with the Caladiums that disappear completely from sight in autumn only to flourish months later with such beauty.

The Caladiums in my garden remind me too that we can often find hope in unexpected places and at unexpected times when we trust God for the outcome of our situations. Life’s problems can become so all-consuming, the details of the everyday so urgent, that we forget there is a loving, all powerful God waiting to pour blessings into our lives.

We don’t see it. And His invisibility makes us forget. Until one moment the unexpected beauty of His love and grace or an unexpected answer to prayer pushes through our muddled circumstances and we remember He’s been there all along.

The mystery God has woven through His creation always points us back to Him when we open our eyes and hearts to the “more” of what waits for us outside the limited scope of our present reality.

“No eye has seen, no ear has heard,
and no mind has imagined
what God has prepared
for those who love him” (1 Corinthians 2:9).

                  I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:20).

 

If you are in a marriage where the problems seem all consuming, my book, Broken Heart on Hold, can point you to a place of hope where you can find strength for this difficult season.

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Filed Under: comfort, Expectations, faith, Hope, joy, Knowing God, Where is God? Tagged With: , , , , ,

In The Waiting Room

February 16, 2022 by Leave a Comment
white couch in waiting room

Photo by Bernard Hermant

THE COLOR ON the chart was green. Sitting in the waiting room, looking at the color-coded chart on the wall, I knew my husband was now with the doctor. The green beside his assigned number told me the surgery had started. But I had no idea what was going on.  “Lord, take care of my husband. Let the surgery be successful.”

The doctor had told us the procedure would last between two to four hours, and then possibly another hour in recovery before I would see him—before I’d know how he was. And even then I wasn’t sure I’d really know how he was.

I studied the colors on the chart again – green for in surgery, blue for recovery. I needed to trust the doctor. He was experienced and I knew he was good at what he did. He had a good reputation, and I needed to trust him. But more than that, I needed to trust the Great Physician whose presence was in that operating room, whose presence was with me, whose strength, might, and wisdom were available as I called out to Him.

I turned my eyes to the anxious faces of others sitting around me in the waiting room. All waiting. Uncertain of the outcome. Waiting.

The waiting room is a hard place to be. Lots of questions. No answers—even while we know very serious events are taking place behind closed doors. Although, we don’t know what’s going on in the operating room, we know who’s in charge. So we sit, and we wait, and we trust the physician.

In so many circumstances of our lives we find ourselves once again in that waiting room with lots of questions churning around in our heads. No answers are available to us, but in faith, we look to God knowing He is the Great Physician whose presence permeates our lives. He has the answers. He is faithful to those who trust in Him, who love Him, and look to Him for help.

When we check out His credentials in the Bible, we see story after story where people sat in the waiting room of life while behind the scenes God worked answers they would never – in their own knowledge or experience—have been able to see or understand.

I think of Joseph, sitting in prison after his brothers betrayed him and sold him to slave traders. He had no idea that in a few years, God would raise him up from that prison to be governor in charge over all the land of Egypt. While he waited, God was working behind the scenes.

I think of Elizabeth – waiting, barren, wanting a child, getting old, not knowing that just when it seemed too late for her to have children and she seemed beyond child bearing age, she would bear a son who would be the forerunner of Christ—John the Baptist.

I think of us, with problems weighing us down – a spouse who has left, a rebellious child tearing at our heart, health problems, or financial burdens straining our ability to function. Yet, while we wait, God is working His good into the brokenness of our situation. He is softening the clay of our lives so He can mold us into His perfect vision of us. He has plans. He knows us. He loves us. And if we love Him, if we call on His name, He will work “all things together for good to those who love him and are called according to His purpose” (Rom. 8:28).

Proverbs 3:5-6 says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your path.”

And as you and I sit in the waiting room, that’s where our minds need to turn, focused on that Great Physician, trusting in the One who has the answers, the One who can take away our fear and replace it with peace.

He is our Jehovah Rapha, the one who heals. He is our provider, our Jehovah Jireh. He, indeed, is our great Deliverer.

If your waiting room includes waiting for a spouse to respond to your love and return to you, my books, Broken Heart on Hold and Fighting for Your Marriage while Separated may be able to guide you to the good outcome you’re hoping for.

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Filed Under: faith, Fear, health, health issues, Marriage problems, Peace, Problems, Trusting God, Trying to understand, Uncategorized, Waiting Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,
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