Tag Archives: Christianity

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Out of the Blue

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Deborah J. Thomas

Out of the blue, things happen. And God speaks. He does this through something a friend says, or a pastor. From His Word, in the news or stories. In prayer. Or while going about daily life, whether in or in-between an attitude of prayer. He shows up.

Two days ago, He prompted me with an FYI email from my Zoom leader about an Ezekiel study. Out of nowhere, the Spirit nudged me to get the workbook and do the study. I had previously decided to forego it.

A day later, a second incident came out of the blue. While emptying the dishwasher, I prayed about a niggling experience from a former volunteer organization, whose leader set me aside. To process this, I shared it with a few friends, to evaluate my sanity. But now I felt God tell me that this sort of “reporting” or reality checking was no longer needed. My reporting task was done. I love God’s sense of humor! I pictured God with hidden cameras, recording me and taking MRIs of the perpetrator’s mind and mine. He sees what we think, scheme, suffer from and analyze.

God revealed that evaluation is fine but limited. Better still is forgiveness. Just as He allowed the administrator to conduct business as he did, He allowed me the freedom to rehash things for months. Now, I put the story into the Editor’s basket. Perhaps this invites God to work. I relinquish the grapes, for Him to turn into wine.

If a flashback enters my mind, I stop. Satan wants this to be a thorn in my side, a torture. But God is not a tempter, nor one who tortures his beloved. Rather, God can use memories as prompters. With reminders, I pray for the wrong doer and myself.

A strong way to pray is to do as Jesus did. He goes to God and asks Him for Love. God gave it to him. With His Love, Jesus loves those who came to him, healing them or solving their need.

God’s Love can bring a forgiving spirit to our hearts. The ping of others no longer crushes us, if we ask God to love us.

This love is not manufactured but given from the Father’s heart. A miraculous Love that heals wounds, forgives our enemy. Love doesn’t excuse sin—sin brings consequences. But Love puts God’s forgiving ability in us. We love the person, not their actions.

Another Out of the Blue happened this week. Why God allows bizarre or horrific tragedies is a mystery. Murderers and evil thrive in this broken world. The beloved Charlie Kirk of Turning Point Ministries was viciously assassinated yesterday. We reel from the sinful slaughter of an innocent man who adored the Savior of the world, Jesus. We’re filled with grief, dealing with sins’ effects. Thorns remain. Satan is unrelenting. Evil calls itself good and calls Good evil. But heinous sins are addressed by our Lord. God invites us to His Love. If an enemy of God repents, God will receive him.

We can ask God for His Love often. With it, we love others. We can pray and invite healing into painfilled situations.

Amazing love, how can it be?  That the Love of God can work in me!

15 Whoever confesses that ‘Jesus is the Son of God,’ in him God remains, and he remains in God; 16 God is love, and he who remains in love remains in God, and God remains in him. ~1 John 4:16   Moffet version

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What’s on Your Book List?

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This morning, I read a post suggesting that one of the ways you can read is by theme. That is, choose not just a genre or category, but a theme you like, such as stories about Christianity in the 1800 America. (I just pulled that idea out of a hat.) Or adventures at sea. Pick two or three stories, read and compare them. What a great idea.

It was inspiring and the author invited a response. Here is what I wrote.

“By comparison, I see I’m far from a prolific reader. Neither have I kept a list of the books I’ve read. You’ve opened my world. With what God yet allows me, I shall carve out more time for reading. To date, I mostly read by author, or in my favorite Categories.


Well written books that reference God with candor and honor are distilling. This includes sharp non-cliché devotionals; currently reading My Lord and I, by Harry Tippett, 1948 out of print. Also, non fiction Biblical reference books, to help teach the Bible. More God genre: Bible character stories, even fictional that send me researching. Lynn Austin’s Wings of Refuge is an example of well written fiction, the story of archaeologists in Israel and culture of Palestine. The Girl Who Wrote in Silk, by promising first time author Kelli Estes was absent of reference of a caring, loving God in a NW town of the 18th century. Bible Topic books: as Philip Yancey’s Prayer, Does it Make a Difference? is compelling.


Other Categories: Historic Fiction, as The book Woman of Troublesome Creek-Kim M. Richardson, about pack librarians in Kentucky. Non Fiction, as Michael Morpurgo’s An Elephant in my Garden/WW II and The Oregon Trail by Rinker Buck. Coming of Age stories: Jacob Have I loved by Katherine Paterson and The Ballad of Lucy Whipple by Karen Cushman. Biographies: Eleanor by David Michaelis. Being a novice writer, I profit from reading How to Write books. Stephen King’s On Writing is wise, and I study King’s style of writing in his Misery-my one permitted read in his insatiable appetite for evil showing how God is NOT.

Authors I love, to name but four: C. S. Lewis, Madeline Le’Engle, Lynn Austin and Jane Kirkpatrick.

Is there such a thing a List of Most Enjoyed Books for Serious Readers?”

—————–

I hope to begin a List of the books I’ve read, starting with those on my shelves saved from Book Club lists. Then walk back into time and remember others.

What’s on your Book List? What are some of your most favorite reads or favorite authors?

Finally, may I encourage you to be on the lookout for where God is in stories you read? If too often you do not see him, find stories that include Him. It is true that sometimes his inclusion is subtle such as in Les Misérables. Or the author may reference Him in how NOT to live, using Biblical pinions, or show life without him, with a clear path for changing that.

Other times, God is misrepresented or left out entirely. These are the books that may not have much worth. I screen stories and if the author is too secular with no thought of the Lord, I don’t give that author my time.

Happy Reading!

Deborah Thomas

A Western Rose, 2020

Anya of Majadon: The Battle in Shadow Forest, 2019

Anya of Majadon: Anya’s Remarkable Donkey, 2020

(My books are sold on Amazon, and Rose is also on Barnes and Noble.)

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Dancing in the Dark

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Dancing in the dark is not unlike practicing Christianity.

Faith calls for stepping out into the unknown, the unforeseeable, a covered outcome. Life at times can be tragic, and in it, we are cast into a darkness.  We might feel alone, we might not see a way out.  Then comes the master dance instructor and offers us His hands in a classic dance pose.

Have you ever been a beginner ballroom dancer?  Do you know what it is like to be taken into the arms of the owner of the dance studio and whisked around the floor without making even one mistake?  At first you hesitate and blush at the awkwardness of being given such a privilege. But soon you find yourself gliding with your partner, under the strong signals of their hands.  Your beginner status is undetected by the observers; you are safe in the arms of the expert.  What have you to fear?

Not all dance floors are like a ballroom’s. Some are living rooms cluttered with furniture, others like the small dance floor of a bar, crammed with people.  Other dance places may have cluttered floors or small walls with hardly enough room to turn around in more than twice.  But the lead of the partnership dance knows his environ impeccably. He places his hand on the upper back of his partner, and holds out his left hand to them.  One hand steadies them, the other guides them effortlessly.  They feel him steering them forward, avoiding all obstacles in the path.  The gentle pressure upon their back is re-assuring.  A good instructor gives very little verbal cues during the dance itself.  It is all in the hands and the dance frame.

Lee Ann Womack sang,” “I Hope You Dance,” in 2008.  But Gladys Knight wrote it. My favorite line is I hope you give faith a fighting chance.

How we do that is to dance. The master instructor opens His hands to us.