Author: forthejourneyliterature

Time for one last Month in Review… November was a hard month. Having a cold the first week of the month meant falling further behind during one of the worst months to fall behind because of orders to print. So, the rest of the month I was incredibly sleep deprived, which also meant I was an interesting level of cranky. But, I tried to hide that (albeit unsuccessfully at times) and did meet all deadlines and survive the month, so I’m counting that as a win.

This month, the Monday Morning Verses for the Facebook page were from Colossians, and the Trivia Fun was about King Nebuchadnezzar and his pride-induced fall. There was also one devotional post for the Facebook page early in the month. 

The last highlight for the website was another podcast highlight. This time, I went with Episode 3: “When the Journey Leaves You Bitter.” It’s one of my favorites, and in a month where the temptation toward bitterness was intense at times, it was beneficial for me to revisit it.

As far as writing goes, I continued to work on current lesson studies and devotional projects that are in progress. I also started a new adult study from Psalms that I’m really excited about after struggling for a bit to settle on where to go next. 

One night, too tired to think and needing something relaxing, I started drawing images to use for VBS advertising, which was fun. I’m trying not to think about the fact that, that’s all I’ve done for VBS or that content is more important than advertising… I’ll get there.

That pretty much covers November and wraps up the end of 10 years of For the Journey. So, now for the “and More” part…

Not that I would expect you to remember, but last November, wrestling with whether to continue with For the Journey or hang it up, I committed to one more year. And, the plan was to spend that year celebrating 10 years of For the Journey and prayerfully considering if a decade was all that was meant to be or if I should carry on.  

In the early months after that post, there were moments I was sure I was hanging it up. There were moments I didn’t even think I would make it to November before hanging it up. But, there were also moments I didn’t think there was any way at all I could walk away from it. Basically, I was just uncertain. Just praying and seeking.  

Then, one night in July, I was over at my parents’ house ranting to my Mom about never having enough time for anything (because that was totally an effective use of what time I did have…). Really, I was just angry rambling, and I heard myself say, “I mean, I guess I could give up running, but then you’ll have to have me committed because I’ll go stark raving mad.” I really put forth a great deal of effort to always appear calm and collected before the rest of the world, but my Mom gets the real me… Moving on, in my mind, the thought of giving up running, which is my therapy in case you didn’t pick up on that, brought me back to debating giving up For the Journey, and I had to ask myself what my life would look like without it. I’m not a wife. I’m not a mom. I’ve had a variety of jobs and side jobs, but I don’t have a career. (As much as I would love for it to, I’m a realist, and writing doesn’t pay bills, so it doesn’t count as a career.) Suddenly, all these questions were rapid firing through my mind: What would be left? What would I do with all this time I’m spending each week? I don’t have TV. I don’t have many friends. I don’t have money to travel. Plus, I’m a homebody, and traveling stresses me out, so I wouldn’t if I had the money. I have a to-be-read pile of books that is out of control, but still… Would I go nuts? I might go nuts! I realized, in that moment, how big a hole it would leave in my life if I gave up this ministry that I’ve poured my heart and soul into for 10 years, and I didn’t want to face that hole. So, just like that, I had my answer. Ten years seemed like a good start, not a good place to stop.

Then, in October, after one more writing disappointment (One would think I’d be used to those by now…), I got really depressed and wavered pretty seriously on that decision. I got to thinking I was wrong to feel so sure. I got to thinking maybe I needed to pray some more. Do a little more seeking. After all, it wasn’t the end of November. I hadn’t committed to anything yet.  

As if I haven’t overshared and been transparent enough in this post already, here goes some more… I needed ideas for three lessons to finish up an adult study, or I was going to be in serious trouble when it came time to print November orders. So, naturally, I started praying about it. And, if I’m not mistaken, it was the very next day, and I found myself at work quickly typing notes into my phone because I had it. I had all three of them. I just couldn’t write them at that exact moment and didn’t want to lose the flow of ideas. I was amazed at how fast and how completely God answered my prayer (so amazed that I struggled not to start crying randomly at work, which would have been hard to explain).

Not long after that (In fact, I really think it was the next night.), it hit me like a ton of bricks that most of the time God answers my personal prayers with nos or endless waiting. To clarify, I don’t mean He tells me to wait for 10 years when I pray for forgiveness because I messed up or only answers all my prayers of any sort with nos. I’m referring to those desperate-desires-of-my-heart prayers, those sure-feel-like-needs-not-wants-to-me prayers. Those have almost all been nos or endless waiting. And, that was a really hard realization. It made me feel like the lousiest of all Christians on the face of the earth. But, I also had to admit I pray for the wrong things. I pray for things I think will finally make me happy or make life fun and enjoyable instead of just all about survival. I pray prayers without any faith behind them because years of disappointments and waiting have left me bitter and doubting. Plus, I close with “Not my will, but Thine be done,” and well, His will usually doesn’t match mine, and that’s okay. He knows better, and I know that even if I don’t always like it. Seriously, I racked my brain trying to think of personal prayers that had been answered and not with a no or wait and wait and wait some more, and I’m ashamed of how long it took to even come up with one… 

The next realization, however, made me feel a little better about myself. I remembered how fast and completely God had answered that prayer for those three Sunday School lessons. And, I realized that I couldn’t think of one time, not one time, when I was stumped on a lesson and started praying that God didn’t answer. I couldn’t think of one time that I had prayed for direction for where to go next for a study or for help finishing a project that God answered with a no. When I pray in writing, God answers and often without much wait time on my part.  

Realizing this crazy hard but also crazy wonderful writing journey is where I’ve been blessed to see prayers answered again and again, realizing it’s been what makes me feel closest to God, realizing it’s where I feel most securely in His will for me and for my life, well, those all seemed like much better reasons for continuing on than just not wanting to face a rather large void.

In “The Month in Review and More” from last November, I wrote, “…my hope and prayer is something happens in the next year allowing me to break through the spiritual, mental, emotional, and physical exhaustion currently plaguing me and that I’m ready for (I don’t know) at least 10 more years of For the Journey by next November.” And, except maybe for the physical exhaustion part because I’m definitely still existing in a constant state of tiredness, I think that hope was realized, that prayer answered, just in time for me to finalize a decision for my self-appointed deadline.

So, I’m not closing up shop, but this will be the last Month in Review. They were a great way to document all the things to celebrate 10 years of For the Journey, but they take time that I think could be better spent doing other things, and most months they’re a little repetitive. So, I’m still toying with the idea of perhaps doing quarterly reviews, and I’m tossing around some other ideas in my head for website posts. We’ll just have to see… I’m also nixing the monthly Trivia Fun on the For the Journey Facebook page. I think only about three or four people will miss it anyway. Good news, though, at least for now, I’m planning to continue with the Monday Morning Verses as well as all other For the Journey offerings, just less prolifically because, as much as I hate to admit it, I just can’t keep up like I could in my 20s. Still, I’m excited and can’t wait to continue this journey, so I hope you’ll stay tuned for more!

It’s November, so this will be the last of the highlights as part of celebrating 10 years of For the Journey. It still seemed a bit too soon for a “From the Writings of Paul” highlight, so I went with another podcast highlight this month. I struggled a little more with choosing an episode this time, but I finally went with Episode 3, which was originally released in May of 2021. I probably enjoyed this particular episode so much because I got to talk about one of my absolute favorite books of the Bible–Ruth, and revisiting it for this post was good for me. Again, I opted for sharing my script from the episode rather than the audio again, so I hope you enjoy giving it a read instead of a listen this time or enjoy it for the first time if you missed it back in 2021.

For the Journey Podcast

Episode 3:  “When the Journey Leaves You Bitter”

Welcome back to For the Journey Podcast.  I hope your week is off to a good start.  This is not at all the episode I originally had in mind for this month.  But, God changed my plans sort of last minute, and tonight we’re looking at “When the Journey Leaves You Bitter.”

If it’s not my favorite book of the Bible, Ruth is definitely near the top of my list, and one of the reasons I love it so well is Naomi’s journey from bitterness to joy.  As much as I admire the incredibly faithful and fiercely loyal Ruth, most of the time, I relate more to the pessimistic and bitter Naomi.  I can be a bit of an Eeyore if we’re admitting faults…

When we first meet Naomi, her grief at losing her husband and both her sons has left her so bitter, she encourages her daughters-in-law to return to their people—people who neither believed in nor worshipped the Lord.  And, she succeeds with one of them.  She’s so bitter she doesn’t really care when Ruth proclaims her faith in the one true God.  She just stops speaking to her when she sees she can’t convince her to go home to her family.  She’s so bitter that, when they make it to Bethlehem, she can’t even stand to hear her own name.  She’s not Naomi.  She’s not pleasant.  She’s anything but.  She’s Mara.  Bitter.

So, let’s explore how Naomi got to that point and how we sometimes get to that point.

First, the journey leaves us bitter when we decide God got it wrong.  As Naomi’s trying to convince Orpah and Ruth to go home to their families, she tells them, “it grieveth me much for your sakes that the hand of the Lord is gone out against me” (Ruth 1:13).  Later, when she dubs herself Mara, she says, “for the Almighty hath dealt very bitterly with me.  I went out full, and the Lord hath brought me home again empty:  why then call ye me Naomi, seeing the Lord hath testified against me, and the Almighty hath afflicted me?” (Ruth 1:20-21).  In Naomi’s mind, God was wrong to take her husband and both her sons.  God could have and should have prevented her intense grief, but instead, He chose to afflict her.  He chose to leave her heart-broken and alone in the world.  It was all God’s fault. 

And, whether it’s in grief, as was the case for Naomi, or in frustration and disappointment, when we stop trusting that God knows best even when He allows us to face unpleasant and painful circumstances and start blaming Him, we quickly grow bitter.  Even when our journey is filled with heartache and pain, even when it leaves us wondering why and longing for a detour to a much smoother path, we have to trust that God knows what He’s doing and allowing in our lives.  Otherwise we’ll be as bitter as Naomi.

Our journey also leaves us bitter when we close our eyes to our blessings.  Let’s look at Naomi’s words when she tells the people of Bethlehem to call her Mara again.  She makes the statement:  “I went out full, and the Lord hath brought me home again empty” (Ruth 1:21).  Wait a minute…  Empty?  What about Ruth, the devoted daughter-in-law walking beside her, the one who left country and kindred to remain with her, the one who a little later in the narrative labors hard gleaning in the fields to provide and care for her?  God hadn’t brought Naomi home empty.  God had brought her home with Ruth, a tremendous blessing. 

Yes, our journey through life will be hard at times, extremely hard at times, and yes, there will be times when it seems like everything is going wrong and we have to look a whole lot harder for our blessings.  But, even in the roughest stretches of our journey, God is good, and there will be blessings.  We shouldn’t close our eyes to that and choose to see only the bad as Naomi did.  If we do, yeah, we’re gonna get lost in bitterness.

Finally, our journey leaves us bitter when we lose hope, when we stop believing things can change, stop believing things will get better.  At the beginning of the Book of Ruth, Naomi honestly believed her story was all but over.  She was too old for another husband, too old for more children.  In her mind, she would spend the rest of her days lonely, poor, grief-stricken, and likely even fearful with living at the time of the judges and without the benefit of male protection.  Little did she know, the Lord was going to lead Ruth, that blessing of a daughter-in-law of hers, to the fields of a mighty and wealthy man by the name of Boaz who just so happened to be a kinsmen of her deceased husband Elimelech.  Little did she know, Boaz would be willing and able to act as their kinsman redeemer.  Little did she know, one day, the women of Bethlehem would be rejoicing with her over the birth of Obed, a child who would be, as the women put it, a restorer of life to Naomi and a nourisher of her old age (Ruth 4:15).  Had Naomi’s life taken a devastating turn?  Yes.  Absolutely.  But, it wasn’t over.  Her situation was not as hopeless as it seemed.  God hadn’t abandoned her, and she was going to know joy again.  There was still reason for her to hope. 

In our own lives, when we face bad day after bad day, when life feels like endless struggle, rather than growing bitter, rather than deciding things will never improve, we need to hold on to hope.  We need to trust that one day the storm will pass.  The struggle will end.  We need to expect that elusive good day to come.  We need to look forward to the moment we realize, even when it didn’t feel like it, God knew what He was doing and had good plans for us all along.

So, to sum it all up, to avoid growing bitter along your journey, remember:  God never gets it wrong; look for your blessings; and always hang on to hope.  Thanks again for listening, and God bless!

Today marks the end of another month, so it’s time for another monthly review. I was a major slacker this month when it came to short devotional posts for the Facebook page. Sorry! There were, however, still Monday morning verses, which came from Hebrews this month, as well as the trivia fun, which was about Onesimus. 

On the website this month, I posted a podcast highlight instead of a 30-Day Devotional highlight. Keep scrolling after you read this post if you missed “When the Journey’s Long.” But, speaking of 30-Day Devotionals, much to my surprise, I wrapped up the one I had been working on for over a year early this month. So, I did share a sneak peek of “From the Writings of Paul” on the website before I started taking orders. That was extremely exciting to me and an answer to prayers.

As far as writing goes, in addition to finishing up “From the Writings of Paul,” I started a new project and primarily worked on adult lessons from Esther, preparing for printing orders in November.

Other than some proofing and editing, that pretty much covers October. Stay tuned for one last Month in Review at the end of November.

When I wrote last month’s Month in Review, I made the statement that I was out of 30-Day Devotionals to highlight so there would be something different this month. At the time, I didn’t realize I would finish my latest 30-Day Devotional “From the Writings of Paul” this month. Still, a sneak peek and a highlight in the same month seems like a bit much, so we’ll stick with the something different plan for this month.

Of all my For the Journey offerings, Sunday School literature is where it all started. I love writing the 30-Day Devotionals and Bible Study Guides. VBS, like children’s Sunday School literature, seemed impossible for a long time but turned out to be a lot of fun for me. But, by far the most outside-my-comfort-zone and challenging offering is the podcast. Sometimes I still can’t believe I ever did that. I prefer to think the fact that there are never enough hours in the day is why episodes have become so sporadic, but I’m honest enough to admit the fact that there’s a big part of me still so uncomfortable with even a massively amateur podcast might be a contributing factor.

Still, I learned a lot from my attempts at podcasting and even had quite a bit of fun with some of the episodes, like the one featured in this highlight. Rather than share the audio again, I opted for sharing my script from Episode 6 (originally released in July of 2021) below. I hope you enjoy giving it a read instead of a listen this time if you caught it back in 2021 or enjoy it for the first time if not!

For the Journey Podcast

Episode 6:  When the Journey’s Long

Welcome back to For the Journey Podcast. If you’ve by chance caught every episode, then you may remember that I’ve mentioned this unfinished episode a couple of times.  God kept changing my plans, and His are far better than mine. Plus, it just wasn’t coming together. But…I’m really excited today because this is finally that episode. And, it seems completely appropriate that this episode was a longtime coming because, today, we’re discussing “When the Journey’s Long.”

Not counting a few overnight church trips, my family went on one real, honest-to-goodness, week-long vacation. One. And, I could tell you it’s because my Dad is so not a traveler, which is true. (I’m not much of one either honestly.) I could tell you it’s because cows are hard to leave unattended and summers are busy if you farm. Also true. I could tell you we almost never missed Sundays at our church with Dad being the pastor. That’s true as well. But, I’m pretty sure it might have had something to do with the trip.

We went to Fenton, Michigan, because my Mom had an aunt who lived there. We drove.  In case you weren’t aware, that’s an 18-hour trip both ways. We made said 18-hour trip in a 1995 sea-mist green Mercury Sable that came to be dubbed The Green Machine and at times The Green Monster much later on when my siblings and I all had the pleasure of learning to drive in it. My siblings and I were little. Like—“Are we still in Arkansas? What state are we in? Is it time to eat? Are we there yet? I’m hungry. How much farther? I can’t hold it…”—kind of little. We also took my Mom’s sister, meaning we had a total of six people in a car that would seat six for 18 hours. And, as my Dad put it at my aunt’s funeral, my Mom and her sister had a “Tom and Jerry relationship.” Trapping them in a car together for 18 hours wasn’t exactly ideal… Suffice it to say, the journey was long…so long…

About 45 minutes away from our final destination on the way up there, we made one last stop for gas. As we attempted to leave the gas station, The Green Machine decided to become The Green Monster and started dinging like vehicles do when the keys are in the ignition and the door’s open. The problem was: None of the doors were open. We checked. And then we checked again. We checked the trunk. That wasn’t open either. We couldn’t find a cause for the dinging, nor could we get it to stop. So, we listened to it…for the remaining 45 minutes of the trip, also known as the longest 45 minutes of my childhood.  

We did finally arrive at our destination, and the next time we started the car, the dinging had stopped. Still, the four or five days we spent in Michigan were not nearly enough to make me ready to repeat that trip. And, we took a slightly different route home—not exactly on purpose if you catch my drift. It wasn’t any shorter…

Sometimes, our journey can feel like our trip to Michigan. Sometimes, it feels like it takes forever to get where we’re going. Sometimes, there are unplanned stops and detours. Sometimes, it’s filled with frustrations that make it feel even longer, sort of like that 45 minutes of incessant dinging… Sometimes, it feels like we’re just never going to get where we’re going.

Turning to Scripture, David was anointed to be the next king of Israel because God had rejected Saul at about age 15. He became king of Judah only at age 30 and didn’t become king of all Israel and Judah for another seven years and six months. The journey from shepherd boy to king of Israel was long…  

Still, David stayed the course. And, it wasn’t an easy course. It was a course that included having King Saul flinging javelins at him. It was a course that meant being separated from his family and homeland on the run from Saul. It was a course that included danger at every turn, whether from Saul or from the Philistines or other Israelite enemies. And, I highly doubt David saw all that coming when Samuel anointed him. But, David stayed the course. If you read 1 Samuel, you’ll never find where he told God, “I know you’ve called me to be king of Israel one day and all, but this is getting rough, and I’d rather go back to keeping sheep” or anything to that effect. Day by day, he continued on the journey.  

Likewise, when our journey is long, we have to stay the course. In my life, I was 17 when I knew God’s calling on my life was writing Sunday School literature. The journey from that night to actually doing it was long, and the three years spent at Bible College composed the longest stretch of it. They were fraught with car trouble, homesickness, roommate and church changes, hard goodbyes, a few courses I frankly didn’t care much for, etc., etc. I thought of quitting almost every day and came dangerously close on one occasion, like had the email open about to cancel my appointment with my advisor to decide on courses for the next semester close. But, words cannot express how grateful I am that I stayed the course. The diploma itself means nothing to me. I honestly didn’t look at it close enough to know if my name is spelled right before handing it to my Mom, and I don’t even know where it is. As crazy as this sounds, it was never about getting an education. (I was sick of getting an education by fourth-grade.) For me, it was about whether I really meant it when I gave my life to the Lord? Did I really mean I would follow His directions no matter how I felt about them on my journey through this life? So, it’s knowing I didn’t willfully step out of God’s will for my life when sorely tempted to do so and that He brought me through that phase of my journey that means everything. In your life, whether it’s the journey to fulfilling your calling or the journey out of a particular struggle, stay the course. Walk with God day by day through it no matter how long the journey takes or what it holds.

Perhaps one of the biggest things that stands out to me about David’s journey from shepherd to king is just how much he trusted God’s timing. David knew God would put him on the throne when God wanted him on the throne. On two occasions, David could have killed King Saul and ended his time on the run and seemingly fast-tracked his journey to the throne. He didn’t even have to do it himself. His men were willing. He could keep his hands clean so to speak and just say the word. But, David trusted God’s timing. He walked in righteousness. Even though the journey had been long and would be longer, David trusted God and His timing.  

Impatient creatures that we are, it’s hard for us to do that. But, it’s far better for us to trust God’s timing when the journey stretches long before us than to get ourselves in a mess by trying to take matters into our own hands, by acting without prayerful consideration. That opportunity that may seem like the perfect way to shorten our journey to our desired destination may not be in God’s will. It may be as wrong for us as killing King Saul would have been for David.

During David’s long journey from young shepherd to king, he also grew. God used this long journey to transform him into a king. He, no doubt, grew spiritually. Just check out some of the psalms he wrote in this time. He also became an experienced leader and warrior. His long journey wasn’t without purpose. It was training for what was ahead. Similarly, I wouldn’t be able to do what I do without the growth that took place during my long Bible College days. Not at all. So, when your journey stretches out long before you, know that there’s a purpose for it, and focus on growth. Grow spiritually. Grow in knowledge. Grow as a person. Grow in patience and endurance. Just grow.

To recap a bit, when your journey, whether that’s your journey through life in general or whether it’s your journey toward achieving a God-given goal, living His call on your life, starting up a new ministry, or whatever it might be, when it seems to stretch on and on and on, when it includes delays, when it takes you in a direction you didn’t see coming that doesn’t prove to be a shortcut, stay the course. Keep putting one foot in front of the other. Trust God’s timing. Don’t rush. And, grow. Leave that phase of your journey better and stronger and most importantly closer to God than you were before.

Thanks for listening to what I’m pretty sure has been my longest episode so far. Fitting I guess. Oh, and should you decide to vacation to Michigan, do yourself a favor, fork over the money and fly.  Have a good week, and God bless.

Earlier this week on my For the Journey Facebook page, I promised a sneak peek of my next 30-Day Devotional “From the Writings of Paul.” Writing it was a long and at times frustrating journey, but the end of it was pure joy. I hope to start taking orders next week if all goes as planned. But, in the meantime, Day 26 is included below as a sneak peek. Enjoy and God bless!

Hard Things

“For perhaps he therefore departed for a season, that thou shouldest receive him for ever; Not now as a servant, but above a servant, a brother beloved, specially to me, but how much more unto thee, both in the flesh, and in the Lord?” -Philemon 1:15-16

Philemon 1:1-21

I think, if you’ve been a Christian for any significant length of time, you will agree with the statement: Sometimes being a Christian means doing hard things. That was certainly true for Onesimus, the runaway slave, and for Philemon, the master.

Let’s start with Onesimus. Longing for freedom, Onesimus wronged his master, likely by stealing money to finance his getaway, and fled. No doubt by divine design, he met a man named Paul who both led him to the Lord and knew his master well. Forgiven and made new by God, Onesimus still had to do the hard thing. He still had to go back to his master. And, he had to do so knowing Paul could write him a pretty letter but Philemon could still opt for having him brutally punished or even put to death.

Then, there was Philemon, a man of love and faith to Jesus and to all saints. Though Paul didn’t order him to, he asked Philemon to show love to the slave who wronged him, to give up his right to punish and to receive Onesimus as a brother in Christ. Though it wasn’t an order, it wasn’t a gentle ask either. Paul told Philemon he had confidence that he would do more than he said. Paul believed Philemon would go above and beyond with love, forgiveness, and grace even though he’d been wronged. He believed Philemon would do the hard thing.

It’s not easy to humble ourselves and right a wrong, nor is it easy to show love and extend grace when we’ve been wronged. But, sometimes, being a Christian means doing hard things. After all, Christ certainly did hard things for us.

Do the hard things.

Since September ends today, it’s time for another monthly review. This one will probably be short. My primary focus this month was writing Sunday School lessons for all the age groups I offer. I also did quite a bit of proofreading and editing. Beyond that, I worked a little on my next 30-Day Devotional study. It’s still progressing very slowly, but hopefully, someday I’ll finish it… 

The Monday morning verses for the Facebook page came from Proverbs this month. And, since I’ve been writing adult Sunday School lessons from Esther, the trivia fun focused on two villains who plotted against the king unsuccessfully. The 30-Day Devotional highlight featured “Women of the Bible,” my tenth and most recent one. (Keep scrolling after reading this post if you missed it.) There were also three short devotional posts for the Facebook page this month, and they weren’t all from Mark this time. My favorite was probably “Beauty in a Broken Confession.” (Go check it out if you missed it.) 

That pretty much sums up September. Before I wrap it up, though, I do want to share that this month made me profoundly grateful for the ministry God has given me. Outside of writing and For the Journey, September was filled with varied and big emotions for a lot of reasons. But, the moments with my Bible, paper, and pen were moments of peace, moments of calm, that I desperately needed. And, I’m just grateful for God’s goodness and for His faithfulness to give us what we need. With that, I’m looking forward to what October has in store. Oh, and I’m out of 30-Day Devotionals to highlight, so look for something different next month.

Time for another 30-Day Devotional highlight… And, since my next one is still very much a work in progress, this one will likely be the last highlight for a while. My tenth one “Women of the Bible” was originally released in May of last year. It was a project I started with great reluctance. I knew very clearly that it was the idea the Lord had given me, but I wanted a different one. (I share more of why in the introduction to the study.) Thankfully, when I stepped back a bit from the writing part of the project to proofread the first devotionals, the study caught my passion, and from that point on, I believed in the value of it and was blessed in writing it. Going back and rereading some of the devotionals to select one for this highlight made me even more grateful for an idea that I was less than enthusiastic about in the beginning and for the end result.

As usual, one of the devotionals from the study is included below, and I hope you enjoy!

Looking Back

“But [Lot’s] wife looked back from behind him, and she became a pillar of salt.” -Genesis 19:26

Genesis 19:15-26

In our passage for today, after she and her family were literally brought out of the city by angels holding their hands and after being given the simple instructions to escape and not look back, Lot’s wife just had to turn around. She had to have one more glimpse of the city she’d called home. And, God’s judgment was instant. She became a pillar of salt. That one backwards glance cost her, her life.

Now, here’s the thing. Sodom was a city where the Lord couldn’t even find 10 righteous people. Sodom was a city so desperately wicked that the men of the city wanted to have homosexual relations with the men they didn’t realize were angels who had come to deliver Lot and his family. Sodom was a city so wicked the men of the city didn’t have a problem with Lot’s offering over his two daughters for them to rape. Their problem was that Lot, a stranger among them, was judging them. Sodom was a city so wicked, but for the angels’ intervention, these men would have killed Lot. My point: There was nothing in Sodom worth looking back at–nothing.

Yet, having been granted such mercy from the Lord, having an opportunity to be spared, Lot’s wife looked back. She evidently had liked her life there. She evidently was comfortable surrounded day in and day out by such evil. She evidently didn’t want to leave.

Even if we assign her purer motives, even if we say she looked back because there were those she loved and cared about in the city, she still blatantly disobeyed a direct command from God. He was calling her to leave that life completely and totally behind without a backwards glance, and she did not.

May we never be like Lot’s wife. When God calls us to leave our sins behind in favor of a new life, may we never look back. May we never long for the things we once did or for how things once were. When God delivers us from a bad situation or a place of evil, may we never look back at what’s not worth looking back at. May we never become comfortable with sin and evil. May we never feel at home with wickedness. May we never disregard the Lord’s commands to do as we please.

Sin’s pleasures are temporary. God’s judgment is eternal. We cannot afford to be like Lot’s wife. Looking back carries a high price.

Never look back.

I’m really not sure where August disappeared to, but since it’s the last day of the month, it’s time for another monthly review.

Though not as productive as it should have been, August did include printing orders and writing lessons. I started writing new adult lessons from Esther. And, since both devotional posts for the Facebook page came from Mark again, it’s clear that I’m really enjoying and benefiting from writing from Mark’s gospel. (If you missed those posts, go check out “An Odd No” and “After…”)

While we’re on the topic of Facebook posts, the Monday morning verses this month came from 1 Timothy lessons, and the trivia fun this month came from Ruth, one of my favorite books of the Bible.

The 30-Day Devotional Highlight this month came from “God is Good,” which is probably my favorite one. The specific devotional for the highlight came from the account in John 8 of the woman taken in the act of adultery. (Keep scrolling after you finish reading this review if you missed it.)

The most exciting thing during the month of August was finally releasing my third For the Journey Bible Study Guide. I chose Ephesians for this one. The Bible study guides are my newest For the Journey offering and haven’t been super successful, but I’m extremely passionate about Bible study and its importance and really enjoy writing them. So, at least for now, I plan to continue with them.

I think that covers August. I hope September is a little more productive. Stay tuned to find out!

This month’s 30-Day Devotional highlight comes from my ninth devotional study “God is Good.” I think it’s my favorite. It’s really hard to choose a favorite, but I think it might be mine. I wrote it in less than two months, and it was a life-changing gift from God at a time I desperately needed it. I originally released it in August of 2023, and two years later, I still don’t feel like I’ve turned loose of it. More than any other writing project, this one has stayed with me. It later provided inspiration for a set of adult Sunday School lessons and then more recently for a devotional for church. God used it to change my thinking and help me significantly with some lifelong struggles, so I can’t say enough good things about it and am forever grateful for the impact it’s had on my life.

Without too much difficulty choosing this time around, I went with Day 3 for this highlight, and I hope you enjoy it!

 Guilty

“…And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.” -John 8:11

John 8:1-11

The woman in our passage today was clearly guilty. The missing man, who evidently got a free pass from the scribes and Pharisees, was too, but, still, she was guilty–taken in the very act of adultery. And, the Law was clear: She should be stoned.

The scribes and Pharisees brought her to Jesus, not because they cared about what she’d done, but because she was a pawn in their game of trying to trap Jesus. At first, Jesus ignored them. But, when they wouldn’t let up, in His goodness and grace, Jesus, knowing the crowd wasn’t so cold their consciences couldn’t be pricked by their own sins, said, “He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her” (John 8:7). 

Not a single stone was thrown that day because the only one there with a right to throw one was the one who wouldn’t, was the one who told her after the crowd left, “Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more” (John 8:11). Jesus offered her grace and a new beginning.

I’m so grateful God is good even when we deserve to be condemned. Our sin might not be adultery, but we’re all guilty of sin. Thus, all any of us deserve is eternity in Hell for the sins we’ve committed against a perfectly holy God. Yet, in His goodness, He made a way for grace, even though it cost Him much–so much. He made a way for us to experience forgiveness and walk in newness of life. He’s good even when we deserve nothing but His condemnation. How we should ever praise and worship Him for being so good to us when we’re so undeserving!

God is good when we deserve to be condemned.

Even if it was just entirely too hot for this winter person and even if I was a touch sleep deprived for most of it, July was a good month. It was productive in all the things…or at least most of the things. I think I’ve shared before about my overadventurous weekly to-do lists of For the Journey tasks that there’s no possible way I can complete in a week’s time. This month, however, there was actually one week that I did complete all the items with an asterisk out beside them marking them as top priority, and I counted that as a win. 

There were a few orders this month, and they were delivered in fancy new packaging that makes me smile. (Okay, so fancy might not be the right adjective, but it is a serious upgrade from a plastic grocery sack.) 

There were also three short devotional posts for the Facebook page, and even though I really did work on more than just teen lessons from Mark during the month, unintentionally, all of the Facebook posts came from Mark lessons. Speaking of the Facebook page, the Monday morning verses for July came from lessons from 1 Samuel, and the trivia fun focused on one of my favorite Bible characters–Ananias (but not the one who was married to Sapphira). 

July’s 30-Day Devotional highlight came from my eighth 30-day study “From the Master’s Teachings,” and the devotional I selected for the highlight focuses on forgiveness. Keep scrolling after this post to read it if you missed it.

I also made pretty good progress on my next Bible study guide this month. I’m starting to get excited and hope I might have that ready to offer soon. I made significantly less progress but still some progress on my next 30-Day Devotional. It might be ready next July. No, hopefully, it won’t be that long, but we’ll see…

There was also a lot of typing and some proofing and editing, but that pretty much covers July. It was busy, and it went by fast, but it was good. God abundantly blessed me in that, during most of my writing time this month, the words flowed smoothly, and that’s always special. It’s not that there aren’t blessings when I feel like I’m literally having to fight for every single word because there are, but the writing is definitely more fun when I’m not crossing out line after line and crumbling up papers. So, I’m grateful for smooth writing in July and can’t wait to see what August holds.