Learning a New Dance... -A Five Minute Friday post.

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Hey there, sweet readers! I hope you had a great Easter! I've been meaning to sit in this chair and write, but alas --Spring has sprung here and that means the return of Patio time and, Oh My Heart... I lose track of time out there! Plus somehow we found ourselves out of town over the weekend. Still... I'm back now and ready to write!

This is a Five Minute Friday post... which simply means I set a timer and free write for five minutes flat on the one-word prompt: TOUCH

{GO!}

I see the word and I laugh... just a little at first,

but then the Ah Ha giggle starts to build.

Because... Gah!

It's been a LONG time since I was a young new Mama...

and a LONG time since I mothered a toddler...

and a LONG time since I reached the end of the day

so dog-tired and completely drained...

and a LONG time since I had had my fill of touch

by 2pm and what I wanted most was just for

no one to even think of pulling on me

until the sun rose on a new morning!

Right? Anyone remember those days?
(Anyone living them right now?)

Fast forward some 20+ years and here we are!

Right back to All those Feels!

Next! (Tag You're It!) ...A Five Minute Friday post.

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Hey there, friends! I'm not even gonna small talk... let's just get into it, alright? This is a Five Minute Friday post... which simply means I set a timer and free write for five minutes flat on the one-word prompt: NEXT

{GO!}

Today is Good Friday... 

I already pondered a bit on facebook about how on Good Friday, in the shadow of the Old Rugged Cross, nothing felt or looked or could be fathomed to be Good at all! 

It was dark and doubtful and full of Fear... 
and Saturday comes in Silence... 
full of confusion and chaos 
and the quiet is almost always just too much... 
but then comes Sunday 
with all its celebration and salvation
and we see that what looked like the end,
was not the end... 
but in fact, 
a new beginning!

I almost titled this, "Thank You, Next!" but had a check.
I knew it was the name of a song and thank goodness I looked up the lyrics
(--so you don't have to! Just trust me on this... it was only funny in my mind until I read the words!) 
But the sentiment of the thought still rings true!

Jesus rose from the dead
and that was NOT the end!
It is Finished, yes... 
but it is like He was saying,
"Next! Tag! You're It!"
as He ascended back to on High!

Leading with No Lack of Humility... A Five Minute Friday post.

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Hello, Sweet Readers! We are officially entering what is known as Holy Week and I pray you are giving yourself a little room to breathe... to rest and reflect on what Easter really means and on how, way back then, the next few days changed --well, they (read: HE!) changed everything!

This is a Five Minute Friday post... which simply means I set a timer and free write for five minutes flat on the one-word prompt: LACK

{GO!}

Today is Palm Sunday...

I see the word prompt and I immediately envision Jesus sitting on the donkey, entering the gates and going into Jerusalem.

What constantly strikes me while reading familiar portions of Scripture is how Jesus never just does something... 

He is always saying more with His actions than He does with words only.  Everything He does --almost always really, but especially starting with this day-- has layers and layers of meaning!

Nothing He does during this Holy Week should be glossed over or ignored!

In biblical times, a donkey symbolized Peace and Humility while a horse symbolized War and Power! And an unridden colt? Those were considered ideal for royal use!

So Jesus riding a donkey entering the city gates, on this particular time and day of the Passover festival... well, it was a visual example that He came to change things up and He planned on being a different kind of king!

An Offer We Can't (or Shouldn't!) Refuse... a Five Minute Friday post.

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I know!? I wrote TWO posts in one day, PLUS the monthly newsletter for subscribers already this week... but I've managed to miss #fmfparty for too many weeks and months to keep track and I haven't written a Five Minute Friday post for a couple of weeks so --here I am! Sitting in the chair... right? #WritersGonnaWrite

This is a Five Minute Friday post... which simply means I set a timer and free write for five minutes flat on the one-word prompt: OFFER

{GO!}

My first thought upon seeing the One Word prompt was,
"I'm gonna make him an offer he can't refuse."

Which, of course, made me laugh because --well because,
God... You're SO FUNNY!


You may or may not know that --even though I've never actually watched (any of) The Godfather(s)... God often quotes a line or two from that movie to me to get a point across!

I referred to my favorite Godfather quote He whispers to me over and over a few weeks ago on the blog.  
You can read that one HERE.

But here's the thing about the quote above about making us an offer we can't refuse... We CAN...

We CAN refuse it, but
Oh, how He hopes we won't!

The Next Right Thing by Emily P. Freeman... A Book Review post.

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Here's the thing... 
I love pretty much everything
Emily P. Freeman does! 

I love her voice in every format. I fell in love with her words written first over on her blog back in the olden days... and ever since then, I've been a fan.  I read her first book, Grace for the Good Girl and realized part of why I love her so much is she writes so many pieces of my story within her own. 

Somehow I've been able to be a part of her launch teams for all of her other books so far: A Million Little Ways, Simply Tuesday, and now for The Next Right Thing!

I was able to interview Emily right here on the blog a few years ago and have met her in person once or twice. I've heard her speak a few times at writing events and semi-stalked her at venues. It's fine. She's not afraid. 

And then, of course, there is her Podcast! #Swoon

It took me a little while to figure out why I so adore her voice -whether it is live at a conference, on video, in print, or in audio form but I did... and this is why:

A Language Fluent in Hope... Glorious Weakness - A Book Review post.

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I wrote a post last week, sharing two different visions I had during prayer that happened just days before I got an advanced copy of Glorious Weakness. 'Seeing' what I saw, and then reading the gift of words found in this book was such a confirmation! As I mentioned last week, this book was written and bled out by my friend, Alia Joy!  I highly recommend her book --but not just because she's a friend!

I recommend it because I think we all need it! 

Glorious Weakness - Discovering God In All We Lack by Alia Joy

This, from the Introduction:
“These days, when I am adrift on rough seas of life, and the tidal wave of my own limitations crashes against me, I need the X written down and mapped out so that I can believe in treasure again, to believe in beauty. I need to believe that lost things can be found if we only know where to look. My saltwater tears have mixed with the ash from the Refiner’s fire, and they form the ink to pen my story, a story that helps me find my way to the beauty that was always buried and waiting... So many people don’t have a way to talk about these kinds of struggles. The thing is, we all want to be able to tell the truth about ourselves and God. Some of us just didn’t know we were allowed... I hope this book gives you permission to illuminate the darkness in your own life, to skip the shortcut, to weather the storm, and to seek out the treasures along the way... There’s power in truth-telling, in resurrecting the sunken things and sifting them, a couple good shakes to get the sand out and let the light back in.”

Listen, Sweet Readers, it's no secret that I adore Alia!

I have long been a fan online and have been leaving '{insert gushing comment here!}' comments on posts throughout the blogosphere for years and years now. She is a friend in real life as well and when I heard she was writing a book I knew three things: