Leap Day Giveaway from Cecil Murphey

In honor of Leap Day, I’m giving away two copies of Cecil Murphey and Twila Belk’s newest book, Because You Care: Spiritual Encouragement for Caregivers. This lovely, poignantly crafted gift book reaches the secret rooms of the hearts of everyone who cares for the elderly, weak, or sick.

Serene, stunning photographs by Betty Fletcher accompany Cec’s and Twila’s own stories of caring for their spouses. Although I’m not a caregiver, my soul was nourished and my thinking changed by Cec and Twila’s candor and wisdom. My favorite quotes:

“Sometimes I wish the medical staff had given me an instruction book about the things I need to do for him. But his illness didn’t come with guidelines, and so I cope by praying much and loving more fully.” –Twila

“You don’t do compassion. You become compassionate. Compassion doesn’t mean I have to do everything or provide for every need, but it does require a willingness to serve the person I love.” --Cec

Mismatched Book Ends

I had the privilege of meeting both Cec and Twila last year at the Greater Philadelphia Christian Writers Conference.

They are like mismatched bookends—Cecil the serious, helpful mentor of writers; Twila the spunky, gregarious cheerleader who serves as Cec’s assistant. Both sowed seeds of kindness and helpful advice into my life, and I gained two new heroes.

Because they care, they have graciously given me these books free of charge, so others can benefit from the telling of their struggles. If you’d like to win one, please do the following:

 Leave a comment at the end of this post

 Include your email address.

 Share a way you show you care, even if you’re not a caregiver. We can all use ideas for reaching out to love others in new ways.

The contest ends at noon on Saturday, March 3rd. I will post the winners on Sunday, March 4th.

If you’d like to purchase a copy of Because You Care, go to http://www.amazon.com/Because-You-Care-Encouragement-Caregivers/dp/0736943285

Platform Building for Dummies

I never dreamed of the trouble I'd cause when I tried to build my writing platform and meet new friends. Wanna find out how I ended up in Merry Mugshots jail? Join me today at Army of Ermas, and start your Monday with a laugh.

Hungry for A Miracle?

The folks at CBN.com thought my devotional, Ginger's Feast was a happy enough story to share with one million readers.

Please join me as I share how God led me to pray for my sick friend, the unique way He healed her, and the surprise He added to her miracle...

I think you'll like it. It may even help you believe for your own miracle.

After 30 Years, Love Gets Easier

No one is easy to live with. I don't care how many years you date someone, you never really know them until you share a toilet and sink, eat thousands of meals together, and hide their holey underwear in a graham cracker box and stuff it in the bottom of the trash barrel because they refuse to throw it away.

Oh, Goody. I'm Not the Only One

So when my husband said, "Marriage is hard," I sighed in relief.  I thought I was the only one who was challenged by the annoyance of the hour, with new ones invented every year. It's great to know I'm not alone.

It Gets Easier

Last week we celebrated our 37th anniversary (I was three when Kevin proposed). It gets easier after about 30 years. Nowadays we argue less, understand more, and forgive quicker. I think we may have figured out this whole, "love your neighbor as yourself" thing. Either that, or we're tired.

What about you? What ways have you discovered that make living with another person easier?

I Dare You to Do This

Do you need a strong word to help you through a dark time, or a sweet word to help you feel better about yourself? My friend Brenda at It's a Beautiful Life, recently asked the Lord what He liked about her. I think we should all do that, and see what He says!

I'm going to. I'll report back what He tells me.

We may be surprised at how wonderful Jesus thinks we are...

Pet Peeve #4456

ARRRGGGHHH!!

Blogger now has a new word verification that requires you to type two words, or numbers and words. After being forced to do this on several blogs today, I removed it from my blog so YOU don't have to go through that when you comment. I hate to punish my peeps who bless me every day with kind words and thoughts.

Did Cupid Trick Me?

“Yes—he wants to meet my parents!” My heart spun in circles. A secret crush, Ethan, had asked to accompany me home from college Easter weekend. Kevin Levellie, another friend of Ethan’s, pastored a small church in Fresno, where my folks lived. After Sunday evening worship, Ethan and I popped over to Kevin’s house, visiting into the night. Driving back to school the next morning, Ethan suggested we pray for Kevin. Seems he thought a wife would cure Kevin’s loneliness.

Eager to Impress

Eager to impress Ethan I nearly sang, “All right! I’ll go first.”

“Dear Lord, please lead a woman into Kevin’s life who will stand beside him, offering hope in the darkness and laughter in the bright times, who will help him pastor your sheep with tenderness, bringing out the best in him and them. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”

Shortly after my show-offy prayer, Ethan lost interest in me. Although confused and hurt, I accepted his explanation that he felt inferior because I had wheels and he didn’t.

The Diamond Bikini

That spring, Kevin and I started writing. This old-fashioned custom requires use of a pen and paper to tell someone what’s been going on in your life, and ask them about theirs. After finishing the letter, you fold the paper, place it in an envelope, attach a stamp, and mail it. Archaic, I know, but effective.

When I returned home for the summer, our friendship soared. By August, my ring finger danced in the Fresno sun, clad in a diamond bikini.

God Smiles

Do God’s methods of answering prayer baffle you? Although I consider myself creative, I did not have me in mind when I asked God to send Kevin a wife. In fact, I had insisted since childhood that a preacher was my last choice as a spouse because I wanted to be rich.

Yet thinking back over the last thirty-seven years (I was five when this story took place), who am I to look the Great I Am in the face and say, “You bungled it the day you called me, Lord. I’m too silly, loud, impulsive, and messy to make a decent pastor’s wife.”

He would only smile and say, “You asked for a wife for Kevin, didn’t you?”

The above is an excerpt from my book, Two Scoops of Grace with Chuckles on Top, which releases in April. If you'd like to read other fun Cupid stories, go to Diane Estrella's blog and link to any that strike your fancy. Happy Valentine's Day!

Got Enemies? 3 Ways to Deal with the Pain

If you have no enemies, you either don't get out much or you’re dead.


Everyone makes someone mad sometime in their life, and if you’re like me—opinionated and bold—you’ve made several enemies along the way. But what do you do when someone dislikes, even hates you, and you’ve apologized, bent over backwards to make up with them, and they still refuse to forgive you?

I have two such people in my life right now. I’ve found three things that help ease the hurt when these individuals make it clear they wish I wasn’t sharing the same planet with them. I believe these discoveries will help you, too.

Jesus said, "I Told You So." 

1. I remind myself that Jesus said the world would hate me because I belong to Him (John 15). If no one dislikes me, it means my light isn’t shining. When Satan tempts me to condemn myself, I refuse his lies, reminding him of Romans 8:1. If he persists, I preach him a sermon OUT LOUD, about who I am in Christ and the price Jesus paid to make me His princess. That makes him run off with his tail between his legs.

Prayer Flushes out the Pain

2. I pray for my enemy. They have some kind of owie in their heart that keeps them from forgiving my real and imagined wrongs against them, and they need God’s help to get over the pain. Plus, praying for them releases me from any bitterness trying to attach itself to my heart like barnacles on the side of a boat.

Leaving the Door Open

3. I am pleasant and gracious when I encounter this individual. I’m tempted to ignore then, so I don’t have to deal with their rejection and icy treatment. But I want to leave the door open for Jesus to work in their life. . Their eternal destiny is far more important than my feelings. If I walk in love and treat them with respect, I cannot be blamed for their poor attitude, and I have a clear conscience.


How have you managed your emotions when someone dislikes or even hates you?

Your Perfect Life

IMAGINE a perfect day in your near or far future when you're doing exactly what you want and being exactly who you want to be. Record your vision on paper or screen by answering these questions:

•           What are you creating?
•           Who are you with?
•           Where are you?
•           What would it take to travel from where you are now to that perfect day in your future?
•           What's in the way?
•           What support--financial, logistical, spiritual, social--would make your vision attainable?

--Gigi Rosenberg, adapted from Workout Column, Writer Magazine, June 2011, page 41

I'd love to hear at least one of your answers to these soul-tickling questions!

Bored, Tired, or Fed Up?

Are you bored with blogging? Tired of Tweeting? Fed up with Face book?

I received a warning from FB recently that they were taking away my privilege of requesting new friends, because they'd received several notifications from people I'd friended who did not know me. Sheesh! They even made me x a box that I understood the reason for this FB Jail sentence. HA! They  don't know that I am adept at making friends, and did it for over 50 years with no help from them!

Social Networking can be like a black hole, sucking the life from your real life. It's meant to be a tool to help us connect with others of like minds and interests, but can easily turn into an addiction, a time-eating monster, or in the case of my FB timeout, a silly micro manager.

I have been blogging for over three years, FB'ing for two and Twittering for one, but I still don't have solid answers to the SN dilemma.

Do you?