Ruby september 2016

Finding God in the Midst of Failure There’s a Rock in my Sock!

by Ifeoma Samuel

by Lynn Mosher

“Envy”

by Cyndie Randall

“Confront Doubt”

by Jewell Utt “Persevering to Answer His Call”

by Helen Ellis

“Wisdom for Moms”

by Laura L. Follow me, as I Zimmerman

follow Christ

by Helen Ellis

Questions for Momma

by Theresa Boedeker

Ruby Magazine Your voice, your story SEPTEMBER, 2016 www.rubyforwomen.com

In This Issue of Ruby Chili Mac & Cheese Hot Dog Casserole

7 Amazing Autumn DIY Projects

As we begin to embrace the beauty of autumn, you will find lots of inspiration in this issue of the RUBY magazine. From recipes and crafts, to short stories and poems, book reviews and inspirational articles, RUBY magazine is your resource for daily encouragement for you and your whole family.

Stop by the Ruby blog and click on the link to purchase your copy of the latest issue of Ruby for Women http://www,rubyforwomen.com Let us know how we can be an encouragement to you today. We would love to hear from you! Contact us at editor@rubyforwomen.com Senior Editor: Nina Newton

STOP! For a Story

Assistant Editor: Beth Brubaker Poet-in-Residence: Keith Wallis Feature Writers: Lynn Mosher, Katherine Corrigan, Sharon L. Patterson, Carol Peterson, Gloria Doty, Sarah Johnson, Miriam Jacob, Toni R. Samuels, Cynthia Knisley, Heather King, Lanette Kissel, Marilyn Lesniak, Connie Arnold, Michelle Lazurek, Ifeoma Samuel, Alisha Ritchie, Donna Comeaux, Jennifer Workman, Joan Leotta, Jean E. Wieben-Hill, Kara Silvers, Ifeoma Samuel, Christie Browning, Frances Gregory Pasch, Helen D. Ellis, Rejetta Morse, Linda M. Crate, Kathryn Ross, Vicki Killion, Mary Dolan Flaherty, Jean Ann Williams, Laura L. Zimmerman, Pat Jeanne Davis, Kathleen McCauley, Nells Wasilewski, Norma C. Mezoe, Judith Vander Wege, Jewel Utt, Theresa Boedeker, Mabel Singletary

To Wrestle, to Dance, to be One

Credits and Copyrights All stories and articles are copyright by the authors.

All pictures and images are copyright by the authors and / or have been purchased, used by permission or are in the public domain. If any pictures or images have been used inadvertently, and they do not belong in this publication, please email us and we will immediately remove them.

Nothing in this issue of Ruby for Women may be reproduced, copied, or shared without the permission of the author.

Advertising information is available by contacting us at editor@rubyforwomen.com Questions? Email Nina @ editor@rubyforwomen.com Ruby for Women is published by rubyforwomen.com

“Kids’ Reading Nina Newton, Sr. Editor Ruby for Women Corner” editor@rubyforwomen.com

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Page 32

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Vintage Mama’s Cottage and mamas*little*treasures features weekly creative inspiration with FREE craft and sewing tutorials.

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“There is a Time for Everything . . .”

Nina Newton, Sr. Editor The voice on the radio droned on and on as I was driving. Again. To one of the many appointments, practices, lessons, and athletic events that are a major part of my life as a mama. The weather report, the farm market report, the world news report, and then the local news.

“Try to avoid the intersection of US 30 and SR 5 this afternoon, if possible.

There is a traffic backup as the authorities are cleaning up a crash. We are being told that it will be at least another hour before they can get traffic flowing smoothly again, so try to avoid that area if you can.”

That sounded like it could be a major accident, so I tuned the radio to another station to see if I could get more information. The radio crackled and whined as I flipped from one station to another, until there was a voice, loud and clear coming through.

“There has been an accident involving a mini-van and a semi, just two miles west of Our Town . . . .” the reporter announced. “We don’t have all the details yet, but we believe there has been one fatality.

We’ll keep you updated as we get more information.”

Returning home from my daily trip to retrieve my girls from school, I asked if they had heard about the accident just outside of town. Yes, actually, they had. The driver of the mini-van had crossed over the center line and hit the semi . . . . she died at the scene of the accident. Her mother was a teacher at our local high school.

The driver of the semi was injured, but would survive. The mother of that young girl – would she survive? How would she get through this awful, horrible time of grief?

Perhaps I’m a bit more sensitive to the issue of death these days – seemingly “meaningless” death, especially the death of young people – as I have been working with one of my authors on a book about the death of her son by suicide. Or maybe it is because a dear friend from church recently lost her disabled daughter who was just a young adult. And this week, the “senseless” death of a 19-year-old young woman in our community.

How do you survive a loss like that? I have no idea, but I’ve been told that it is a minute-by-minute, excruciating, debilitating, and crippling pain. Pain that crushes your chest and makes it almost impossible to breathe. A bleeding, gaping wound in your heart that seems never to go away. Over time, I’m told, you can breathe again. You can walk again. And occasionally you will even smile again. But you will never be the same.

That’s when (I’ve been told) that you must remember – “But God . . . . “ – in His infinite love, grace, and mercy will carry you through. It will be dark and terrifying, but He will never leave you nor forsake you. God does not cause horrible things to happen, but in a sinful world, bad things WILL happen to all of us. As His heart is breaking for your broken heart, reach out to Him and He will give you the strength to walk through that darkness to the other side, where your pain and your tears will all be wiped away by God’s own hand.

“When you can’t see His hand, trust His heart.” He will hold you close in your deepest valley of grief.

Footprints in the Mud: My Son, the Literal Lawyer

by Beth Brubaker, Assistant Editor

I love my kids. I really do. But sometimes they can work a nerve like a gymnast on a trampoline - even the most patient parents would lose it - and I am not one of those parents. This morning, my parentalnerves got a workout they've never experienced before.

They do, however, need a plethora of reasons to do anything they don't like before they decide to do it…And if my reasons aren't good enough, well, it just won't get done.

Why?

"Because if you don't do it, you won't have ice cream" is better, but he'll also settle for some other type of sweet snack if he really doesn't want to do something. He also takes things literally, so anything said must be weighed and measured carefully, otherwise (in his mind) it will be written in stone. I couldn't change his mind unless God Himself came down from Heaven to tell him differently.

Because my son is a teenager, and he has Asperger’s...This is not a good combination!

Asperger’s is a high-functioning form of autism that affects each child differently, so there is no 'one way' to handle his issues. Basically, it takes a lot of patience (something I don't have), and the willingness to explain things a thousand times without going completely mad (sometimes my lips become numb).

Asperger’s affects the neurons in the brain, making it hard for ‘Aspies’ (people living with Asperger’s) to understand accurately the subtle structures of socially-accepted behaviors. The neurons make up for this, however, by making the brain superabsorbent concerning math, science, art, or music.

"Because I said so" doesn't cut it anymore.

God has a weird sense of humor - that's why He gave me an Aspie - just to let me know that life should be laughed at sometimes, and that I really need to watch what I say to my kids. Tell an Aspie that ‘it’s raining cats and dogs” and he’ll probably look out the window to see if the sky is showering possible pets.

Many great inventors may have had Asperger’s; historians have looked into history and found similarities.

My darling boy is an adult teen; he thinks he knows everything anyway, but thanks to Asperger’s, he now has a double dose of 'Know-It-All-it is.' One day he might be a great inventor, or a scientist, or a math teacher - if he makes it to adulthood; right now his future is a little shaky.

I've been reading this great book called, Parenting Your Asperger Child, and I've found some interesting things. I always thought my son was a “rule-boy,” but he is actually a “logic-boy.” He is fantasy-oriented and has OCD (ObsessiveCompulsive-Disorder) tendencies.

I believe he would make an excellent lawyer, but only for those tough cases that can't find any legal loopholes. I'm telling you, this kid can find a loophole in the most solid of rules. He's an ‘outside-the-box' thinker. He's brilliant, but that’s no excuse for a dirty room.

It seems with all that interesting stuff, he might be more inclined to clean his room...but Nooooo! If he was a “rule-boy,” there would be no issue. I would tell him he needed to clean his room, and he would, because it was a rule.

The bedroom isn't the only war-zone in the house.

He argues about what I ask him to wear, what chores need to be done, how they should be done, why they should be done, and in what order they should be done.

“Logic-boys,” however, have the infinite power of reason, so they don't need the rules as much.

I told him to 'straighten up the living room' and he took it as 'pick up everything off the floor and dump it onto the couch.'

After a ten-minute explanation as to why that isn't considered “straightening up,” he argued that what he put onto the couch was neatened, and took up a lot less space than it being all over the floor. So in his mind, He did exactly as I’d asked.

I looked at the dirty socks and candy wrappers and conceded that it all did seem quite neat - the stinky socks were folded and the wrappers were smoothed and flattened, held by an empty tissue box.

But that wasn't my point. Straightening to me was cleaning up and clearing out. Tell that to a teenager with an 'I'm always right' complex. To him, it was straightened, and no matter what I said, I was dead wrong.

ME: You need a polo shirHIM: I Know!

ME: (has had it and uses the 'Mom' voice) Get upstairs right now and get on the proper shirt! And do not interrupt me again!

HIM: ButME: No “buts!” No arguing, no more telling me what the rules are- Go do it- now!

HIM: (Stomps upstairs and takes his sweet time getting ready) Fifteen minutes pass.

The Great Debate: School Clothes: ME: (calling upstairs) Time to go! Are you ready?

ME: (seeing him dressed improperly for school) Please change your shirt - it's not the right one for school.

HIM: (huffs and puffs) Mooooom! It's dark blue! (coming close to show me, even though he is the one who's colorblind)

HIM: (yelling from behind his closed bedroom door) I'm doing what you told me to do!

ME: How long does it take to change a shirt? It took you less than a minute the last time...

HIM: I know! I'm looking for a clean one!

ME: (calmly) Yes, it's the right color, but you need to have a collar.

ME: I just sent up a ton of clean school shirts! You can't find one?

HIM: Mooooom! It's fine!

ME: I'm sure you can tell that to the principal when you get there.

HIM: I thought they were dirty so I put them in the hamper!

ME: So get them out of the hamper!

HIM: (storms upstairs to change as I smile in triumph) At this point I think I've won - until he comes down in a navy turtleneck.

ME: Honey, that's not the right shirt for school.

HIM: (stomping of one foot and a snarky head toss teens give when the parental-unit in question is particularly dense) It's the right color, and it has a collar!

ME: (trying not to lose my temper and duct tape his butt to the wall) Yes, it does, but not the right one.

You needHIM: I know!

HIM: No! They're mixed in with the dirty clothes now!

I can't- Oh wait- I found one!

ME: (Thanking God for small favors) Hurry up thenIt's almost time to go!

ME: (gaping at him in surprise as he runs for the bus) Ah...bye, honey! Have a good day!

HIM: I know!

Three more minutes pass.

ME: Come on honey! The bus will be here any minute!

HIM: I know!

ME: (sees the school bus coming down the road) Now! The bus is here!

HIM: I know!

He thunders down the stairs, sounding like an overweight elephant and runs out the door, barely able to get on his coat - me snatching up his backpack as we run towards the corner. We get there just as the bus arrives; I am wheezing like an asphyxiated moose

I return home, the relaxing morning I was hoping for dashed to bits, lying amongst the debris of my living room floor. You see, the couch never was cleared off.

The cats had found the wrappers and were busy playing with them as I dashed to the bus stop. I came home to shredded silver paper all over the rug, and three very happy cats.

It isn't easy being a mom, and it sure isn't easy learning how to handle a child with Asperger’s. I’ve learned to be more patient. Metaphors are my friends.

ME: Here! (gasps…wheeze) Backpack!

Yes he’s a handful sometimes, but one thing I admire about my son is his tenacity- no one will ever stop him from doing what he wants to do.

HIM: (with a sweet smile, gives me a kiss on the cheek) I love you mom!

I just have to make sure he's on the right track when he does it!

Visit Beth on her blog, Footprints in the Mud, for more humorous and inspirational posts!

The Father Calls

by Norma C. Mezoe As I was walking, I passed four young boys playing in the dusty sand along the road. Then I heard a father calling, “Billy Gene.” The son was so involved in his play, he didn’t hear the call.

In a few moments, the words were sounding again, a little louder this time. “Billy Gene!” The boys continued playing. If Billy Gene heard his father calling, he completely ignored him. He was too busy doing his own thing.

How many times has God, my Father, called to me, “Norma, Norma! ?” And I was so wrapped up in my plans and thoughts that I failed to hear. I am His child and I should be listening for my Father’s voice.

But, like Billy Gene, I either fail to hear or I choose to ignore his calling.

Be-YOU-tifully YOU-nique Embracing who you are; becoming who you were made to be

by Mary Dolan Flaherty

Step Back to Be Drawn In Have you ever noticed the benches in art galleries? I always assumed they were there so I could sit down when I didn’t feel like standing—a convenient place to rest. But I think it’s more that the bench is strategically placed a certain distance away from a painting so that the observer can get a better view of the blend of colors and textures. Up close, we see dots of red, dabs of white and blotches of black. But if we step back, a beautiful blend of colors forms a breathtaking scene. In order to be drawn into the scene, you have to step back.

I went to one (or three) of those paint classes where there is a picture by a famous (or not-so-famous) artist clipped on the top of your easel, and—using only four primary colors—you are supposed to paint this picture on your blank white canvas. Of course, a skilled artist gives you step-by-step instructions. It’s a fun night, but I left with a less than perfect imitation of the photo. Up close, it’s almost laughable. But from far away, it doesn’t look half-bad. Sometimes, in order to draw close you have to step back.

We are a work of art. Ephesians 2:10 says that “You are God’s masterpiece” (NLT). Other translations use the words workmanship or handiwork. The original Greek word is “poema,” from which the word “poem” comes. All imply that God created us out of nothing using His imagination. We are a piece of art, a poem. A love song created for God’s enjoyment. A masterpiece sculpted by the Master-Artisan.

Yet, we tend to stand too close to the mirror and see only our flaws. We see the blotches and blemishes glaring back at us. We look at the lopsided facial features, the too small lips and too large nose…The too short legs and too long ears. We see all the flaws because we’re too close.

We need to step back and see ourselves as God sees us. He knows those flaws because He is the Creator, but He sees the whole picture. He sees a work of beauty—a masterpiece. .

“How beautiful you are and how pleasing, O love with your delights “(Song of Solomon 7:6).

“Delights?” you ask. “I have none of those.”

That’s because you’re too close. Step back—away from yourself—in order to draw close to the One who sees it all, in order to be drawn in to the loving arms of God. He sees your delights because He is the one who put them there! When He looks at you, He doesn’t say, “It’s not my best work, but from far away, she’s not half-bad.”

The Bible doesn’t exactly say this, but from what I can gather about how God sees us, I think His heart flutters in excitement when He looks at you and me. His pulse quickens and joy rises and

overflows. Just as He said in the beginning, He looks at what He has made—you—and says, “It is good—no, it is very good.” And then he does a little dance of joy.

“He will take great delight in you, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing” (Zephaniah 3:1).

So the next time someone notices something beautiful in you, please don’t pull them up close to point out your imperfections. Step back and allow yourself to be drawn in to the loving embrace of the God who fashioned you in His image—step back to see the whole picture. You might just notice your own beauty. Stop berating yourself, and start celebrating who you were designed to be—uniquely YOU!

Mary Dolan Flaherty is a quirky gal who loves to encourage people and make them laugh. She writes and speaks with self-deprecating humor and transparency, saying what most people think but won’t admit. She lives in New Jersey with her husband, whom she affectionately calls Hubbles, and has two grown children and two grand-dogs. Mary enjoys hiking, theatre, music, gardening, and traveling and can be found blogging at SonRiseInsights.blogspot.com.

Down the Lane Puzzle

by Beth Brubaker By changing one letter each time, change one word into another, from “bell” to “ring.”

Vexing Hexes Puzzle

by Beth Brubaker Place all hexagons into the honeycomb below.

The numbered sides should match its neighboring hexagon:

ANSWER KEYS ON PAGE 48

Chili Mac and Cheese Hot Dog Casserole

by Marilyn Lesniak of Marilyn’s Treats Like Chili Dogs? How about Mac and Cheese? If you can’t decide what’s for dinner why not make both!

This one pan casserole goes from fridge to table in just 1 hour! After running all day and playing taxi driver for the kids you need this dinner in your arsenal. They will gather around the table without an argument and be ready to do homework and crawl into bed in no time.

Ingredients       

4 C. Macaroni and Cheese 4 C. Chili 4 hot Dogs 1 C. Cheddar Cheese, shredded French Fries optional mustard onions

Instructions 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Grease a casserole dish.

3. Top with mac and cheese, chili, hot dogs and cheese.

4. Repeat layers until dish is filled.

5. Place fries on top.

6. Bake 45 minutes.

7. Set oven to broil.

8. Broil until fries are golden about 5 minutes.

9. Top with onions and mustard. Enjoy!

Ever get a pebble in your shoe or your sock and think, Now, where did that come from?

I’m a sock person. I wear socks a lot and, every once in a while, I find the tiniest bit of something irritating my foot. I turn my sock inside out, only to find a barely visible piece of grit. I shake out my sock and get rid of it.

Irritations, like pebbles, come in all sizes. We all have them at one time or another, whether in our socks or in our spirits.

Usually, we struggle not with the big boulders in our life’s path but with the puny pebbles. The boulders we can generally manage…But the pebbles? They end up causing us to stumble, fall, or just be irritated.

They are like little stumbling blocks, little annoyances that get under our skin and in our spirit. They elicit ungracious thoughts that pop out of our heart and mouth that shouldn’t. Or just stay hidden in our thoughts.

Guess who just loves to initiate those pebble attacks? The enemy. His vexations can come out of nowhere, like… * someone has an opposing opinion of your beliefs and unloads a barrage of venomous words about it * someone pulls out in front of you while driving and lets you know it’s your fault * your kids aren’t playing nicely together * you drop half your lunch on the floor * the water company overcharges you * odd habits of your spouse Or maybe it’s one of these… * fear of failure *fear of not being good enough * fear of rejection * doubt or worry

There’s a Rock in my Sock!

by Lynn Mosher

Even the smallest grit can get in our spirit and irritate us.

Irritations will boot joy and praise right out the front door. And the enemy’s laughter will be almost audible. He hates our joy and praise. He gets a kick out of upsetting us, tripping us over little things.

He relishes knocking “us down with a straw…Most of us manage better in our great struggles than we do in our minor ones.” (A.B. Simpson) We have a choice. If we harbor those pebbles of irritation, we do not have a clear conscience before God. Paul said, “I myself always strive to have a conscience without offense toward God and men.”

(Acts 24:16 NKJV) By definition, an offense is a stumbling block.

However, to counteract those stumbling blocks, we can choose joy and praise, which will ring the enemy’s death-knell.

What do we do with those irritants? We can turn them into pearls! Yes, pearls of praise.

A natural pearl forms when a foreign substance slips in between the oyster’s mantle and the shell. It begins to irritate the mantle. The oyster’s natural reaction is to protect itself from a foreign substance.

The mantle covers the irritant with layers of the same substance used to create the shell. And eventually, it forms a pearl.

So, next time your socks get full of irritating grit and you wonder where did that come from, turn those irritations inside out and get rid of them. Protect yourself from the enemy’s irritants by using praise.

Oysterize that grit into pearls of praise!

The worst sound in the ears of the enemy is praise from the lips of one of God’s children.

The enemy hates it. Praise gets the attention of both God and the enemy!

May you protect yourself from the enemy’s gritty irritants by transforming them into pearls of praise!

Wait on the Lord

by Norma C. Mezoe Wait on the Lord.

We pray and plead, groan, and complain.

We pray for sunshine, but we only get rain.

We don't understand why our prayers are not heard; Then we hear a soft whisper, "Wait on the Lord."

Taste and See

by Norma C. Mezoe A grandfather encouraged his young grandson to eat a new food dish. The young boy was resistant, but finally consented to take just one bite, but no more. However, once the grandson tasted the food, he decided he liked it.

Now, as an adult, the food he didn’t want to taste is one of his favorite meals. If his grandfather hadn’t tried so hard to encourage him to try new foods, the grandson would never have known how good it was.

Christians are encouraged to taste and see God in His Word and in his works: “O taste and see that the Lord is good; happy are those who take refuge in him.”

(Psalm 34:8 NRSV).

Tonight, I sat in the porch swing as darkness was beginning to slowly descend. I could see God in His creation and could taste the goodness of His gifts. I heard the songs of the flittering birds as they began to settle in for their rest. My eyes feasted upon the beauty of the various colored flowers scattered throughout the yard.

Lightning bugs twinkled on and off, and I laughed as my frisky cat tried, unsuccessfully, to catch one.

God gives us so many ways to be in touch with Him. We can read His Word, accept His love, and revel in the beauty of His creation.

Once we taste and see that the Lord is good, like the grandson liking the new recipe, we’ll never want to be without Him.

Questions for Momma

by Theresa Boedeker

“Are you bigger than me?” Bradley asked as he jumped into bed and snuggled under the covers.

Momma brushed his hair away from his forehead. “Yes, I’m bigger than you.”

“Why are you so big?”

“I was born before you.”

Bradley grabbed his momma’s hand. “Why.” “God had me born first so you would have a good momma. God had you born after me so I would have a precious son.”

Momma bent down to kiss Bradley good-night. His arm went around her neck. “Momma do you love me so much?”

“So much.” And she kissed him again.

“Why?” “Because you are a gift from God…My son… A blessing.”

“How much do you love me, momma?”

“As big as the sky.”

Bradley wrinkled his forehead in thought. “How big is the sky?”

Momma took him to the bedroom window and had Bradley look up into the sky. “Can you see the end of the sky?”

He stared intently. “No.” “Just like you can’t see the end of the sky or exactly how big it is, I love you further than you can see and with no end in sight. I’ll love you your whole life no matter what happens.”

Bradley thought for a moment. “If you love me as big as the sky, how much does God love me?”

Momma carried Bradley back to bed and tucked him in. God loves you so much more than you can imagine. More than Daddy or I love you. More than any human will ever love you. If I love you as big as the sky, God loves you as big as the universe.”

“How big is the universe?”

“The sky is only a speck compared to the universe. The sky is like a bread crumb in the middle of your bedroom floor when compared to the universe.”

Bradley played with his momma’s fingers, opening and closing them.

“Why would God love me so much?”

“Because he created you. He created this earth for you to enjoy and gives you everything: Your toys, bed, house, food, and the air you breathe. It brings God great pleasure to love you and take care of you.”

“Does it give you great pleasure to love me?”

Momma’s hand smoothed his hair from Bradley’s forehead. “It gives me great pleasure to love you, son.”

Bradley rolled over to his side, pulled the covers to his shoulder and smiled. “It gives me great pleasure, too,” he smiled.

Dear Stay-at-Home Mom, You Are Awesome!

A letter of Encouragement

by Gabrielle Nussbaumer In her new book, Dear Stay-at-Home Mom, You Are Awesome!, Gabrielle Nussbaumer offers words of advice, wisdom, and encouragement for the young mom in her home.

Chapters include topics such as maintaining a healthy balance in life between the demands of motherhood, self-care, and family life; the myth of Super Mom; the truth about the real cost of daycare and the benefits of staying home, even if it means choosing to sacrifice some material possessions to make that possible.

You will also discover ideas for sharing childcare opportunities with other families of young children so you all get to take turns having a “date night” with your husband, and inspiration and encouragement for planning “daily refreshers” to keep your life healthy, real, and balanced.

Thoughts on dealing with chaos the comes with a young family; addressing the idea of “wasting your degree,” and recognizing your selfworth being found in who you are in God’s plan, all offer Biblical insight for young moms who are striving to honor God in all areas of life.

Dear Stay-at-Home Mom, You Are Awesome! is available from Amazon through Ruby’s Reading Corner.

At Table

by Keith Wallis The Lady Chapel table is laid but unladen burdenless ready to absorb the unspoken deep.

Here is communion, unbound by wine and bread, unfettered by blood or sacrifice.

Here is communication: the gentle flow of love or pain, deep speaking to deep in tones of soul.

There is no sound, the candles are unlit, a light night-dusting garnishes the cloth but love is in the air.

A different view

by Keith Wallis My God does not look from aloft with dislocated eyes, distant emotions and judgement, orbiting my world.

He sees through my eyes, hears my emotion grieves and laughs with me in His world.

Why Write?

by Jewell Utt

"God does not call us to a spirit of fear, but of power" -2Timothy 1:7 A peaceful Sunday morning at church turned into a moment of high-alert for many people. A man dressed in a long coat, carrying backpacks and duffle bags, came to rest at our main entrance.

Instead of coming directly in, he pulled a large piece of chalk out of his luggage and began writing on the sidewalk of both entryways: "Sinners are damned to Hell."

I question the interpretation that Millennials have turned away from the faith.

This occurred shortly after nine people were killed in a shooting at an A.M.E. Church in South Carolina.

The man's unusual behavior didn’t escape notice.

As he entered the church, people were concerned that his long grayish-green coat and odd shaped bags could conceal weapons. He was asked to leave them in the coat room.

This is a problem we need to recognize and change within the church culture, because this generation, unlike any other, faces a world where terror is a daily occurrence. News of mass-shootings, suicidebombings, hate-groups, police-killings, humantrafficking, drugs, pornography, and gang-violence flood their social media. The danger is not only the crumbling society they face, but the fact that they are being indoctrinated by a worldview.

As he settled in a back pew, he was surrounded by plain clothes police officers and military men who attend our church. If the poor guy reached for a pen, he might have been thrown to the ground and restrained. I felt sorry for him, but admired the prudence of our brethren.

After church, he introduced himself as a street evangelist who travels from town to town spreading the "Good News." Unfortunately, his demeanor and the words he wrote on the sidewalk told a different story. He was spreading fear in a world where there is enough chaos. In a world where the church should be the answer, not another thing to dread.

It takes a thousand good words and experiences to combat the damage of a careless few. We live in an age of terror and an age where people are readily hurt. Unfortunately, the church is one of the culprits because it's comprised of imperfect people.

"Ninety percent of young adults have turned away from their childhood faith." I've heard this statistic cited for years, but most recently at a writer's conference.

My experience—as a Bible-study teacher of collegeaged women, and someone who frequently interacts with young people—is that they've actually turned away from the legalism, the old ways…the order set by man.

In an age where people render their opinion instantly and frequently—without edit or restraint—our main goal should be to get the right words out there...words of healing…words that rescue…words that are Holy. The problem of allowing this to continue, uncontested, is that it leads to confusion, and confusion can lead to recruitment.

Writers today have a unique opportunity to open spiritual eyes on a global scale…to ride socialhighways and balance news-cycle with truth. We can combat wrong-thinking with an army of words. It takes courage.

Today, the words of Revelation, Daniel, and Thessalonians are suddenly clear and possible.

Although we will not know the time or day of Christ's return, we can know the signs and engage in the fight. Let's engage as soldiers would.

And how can they believe in him if they have never heard about him? And how can they hear about him unless someone tells them? - Romans 10:14

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Amazing Autumn DIY Projects Collected by Vintage Mama from all around the blogosphere

Autumn is a fun time for creating DIY home décor projects, so we wanted to share a few ideas with you that we found while we were out and about wandering the blogosphere. Of course, you can find a zillion ideas on Pinterest, but sometimes that can feel rather overwhelming! So we’ve put together a small collection of sweet and simple autumn DIY projects, along with the links so you can find the complete instructions for each one. Be sure to visit the different blogs and websites where you can find even more amazing autumn ideas!

Apple for the Teacher Pencil Holder It’s just a bit too early for everything “pumpkin,” so we decided to check out all the creative ways to embellish Mason jars with other themes for autumn. Here’s an adorable (and super simple!) idea to make a pencil holder that looks like an apple!

With some red paint, a couple of green leaves tied on with twine, you’ve got the perfect gift for your favorite teacher. We found this idea and so many more on the Country Living website: www.countryliving.com/diy-crafts/g1916/mason-jar-fallcrafts

Firefly Lanterns from LilBlueBoo We are definitely going to make a few of these for our deck this year! On a cool autumn evening, with a bonfire going, wouldn’t it be fun to sit around the fire wrapped in a blanket with a few of these gorgeous little lanterns glittering in the dark?

Some toasted marshmallows, or a batch of s’mores, and we will have a perfect family night! Another super simple DIY project you can make with the kids, we found this idea on the blog by Lil Blue Boo: http://www.lilblueboo.com

Autumn Leaf Lanterns Here’s another great DIY project that we found on the Country Living website. These autumn leaf lanterns are really beautiful – we made them at our house last autumn – and I discovered that the real leaves get dry and brittle rather quickly so some instructions suggest using the little packages of autumn leaves you can buy at Hobby Lobby. That might work better than mine did! Find the instructions here: www.countryliving.com/diy-crafts/g1916/mason-jar-fall-crafts

Burlap-Wrapped Mason Jars Use them however you want! Aren’t they beautiful? Fill your decorated Mason jars with Dollar Store flowers in autumn hues, or even with autumn greenery, and they make a gorgeous centerpiece or mantle display.

You can find the directions for making your own Burlap-Wrapped Mason Jars on the Crafting in the Rain blog here: www.craftingintherain.com

Chalkboard Paint Mason Jar Here’s a little different twist on the painted Mason jar . . . . Chalkboard paint, with a stick of chalk tied on with twine wound around the neck of the jar.

Pop in a few pencils or markers and you have the perfect gift for your favorite student or teacher.

This would be a fun project to make for your college student to keep in that new dorm room, or for your younger students to use while doing their homework.

Find the complete instructions for creating your own Chalkboard Paint Mason Jar project on the Country Living website: www.countryliving.com

Pine Cone Flower Embellished Mason Jars This project might be a tiny bit more difficult and time consuming – but it is so beautiful that it would be worth the investment! Keeping the simple lines of an unpainted Mason jar, with a strip of burlap or ribbons wound around the middle, these gorgeous autumn “flower” are actually created from pine cones!

Find all the instructions for creating these beautiful Mason jars, along with so many other creative ideas for autumn, on the Consumer Crafts blog: www.consumercrafts.com

Vintage-Inspired Mason Jars Well, even though it is a bit too early for everything “pumpkin,” we couldn’t resist sharing these lovely autumn-colored painted vintage-inspired Mason jars. Of course, you could paint your Mason jars any color you want, these have been painted in soft autumn shades of orange and gold.

Twine has been wound around the neck of each jar with a small heartshaped charm or chipboard cutout embellished with flower buttons. There are just SO many different ways to use good old-fashioned Mason jars, I’m sure you’ll come up with your own ideas! Find more ideas at www.joann.com

Remaking a Memory

by Nells Wasilewski My friend and I wander through haunted woods, behind her old home place. We are searching for a special spot where we played as children. It is a pool, filled with magic that grants our every wish. Fairies float around the pale, blue waters and hold sunbeams in their hands. Overhead, sun beams timidly reflect on the water through interlaced trees. Occasionally, the leaves, parted by a breeze, show us the sky's face. Majestic bluffs surround the pool, forming the perfect backdrop.

We find our magical fairyland pool, but we are greeted by the unexpected. Our pool is backwater from a small creek, nothing more than a mud puddle. The fairies are dragon flies, and our majestic bluffs are scattered flat rocks. We are reminded of Ephesians 4:14 (NLV): Then we will not be as children any longer. Children are like boats thrown up and down on big waves. They are blown with the wind. False teaching is like the wind. False teachers try everything possible to make people believe a lie.

We realize the pool has not changed, but we have. In silence, we make our way home and share the pain of growing up.

Ephesians 4:15 (ESV) Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ‌

A Skipping Stone

by Kathleen McCauley The beauty of a skipping stone...free, airborne, gliding, leaving a mark on the water as it passes over.

There is a beauty as the water splashes in its wake.

There is a free, glorious innocence to its movement.

Help me Lord to be as free, flowing, and beautiful as a skipping stone, as I journey through this life.

May I juggle the weight of my world with an ability to skip freely through each day, providing beauty and movement and a splash of color and refreshment.

Let me not sink to the bottom of life with a sense of heaviness, which pulls me down and away from others and the world.

But rather might I move gracefully across the ripple of life with a light skip.

May my skipping be an expression of You in my life, enabling me to have the balance and grace necessary to blend my movement with the spectacular flickering of sun which You reflect on the water and in all of life.

Lord, Be the Ruler

by Judith Vander Wege Lord, be the ruler of my heart.

I yield the throne to Thee.

I pray no selfishness nor pride, nor treasures that I see, usurp the throne or take command to lead my flesh astray.

May you be King, and Lord of all that's in my life today.

Dear Lord, Shut My Mouth

by Sharon L. Patterson “Oh Lord, everywhere I turn whether on the street or on TV, my anger stirs and begins to burn internally, Then, suddenly, my mouth is poised to blurt the importance of my very own opinion, never considering whether it will help or hurt if I jump into the world’s noisy dominion.

But then, God’s Spirit speaks plainly to my heart and a thought greater than any of my own stops my neediness to verbally impart whatever I think needs to be made known.

So this has become my true prayer, “Dear Lord, shut my mouth until I can say a word that actually should be shared that will add, not subtract wisdom today.”

Amen

Lord, be the ruler of my soul.

My thoughts, so often wrong, can keep me out of touch with you.

The devil's pull is strong.

Yet, stronger still, your pull of love has led me here today to ask you, Lord, to take control.

Yes, be my King today.

Trust in the Lord

by Kara Silvers

Earlier this year, I went through a really big trial in my life, and I was really upset and depressed. I had been rejected by a man who I thought God had sent into my life. It was very painful, and I thought I would not survive. This happened around the time of Lent, so I was thinking about participating in it and giving something up as I prayed during this time. I am not Catholic, but I do like to recognize Lent. I have always felt that if Jesus can die on the cross for me and endure what He did, the least I can do is to give something up and really focus on Him. I had decided to give up sweets. I am a sweets fanatic. I mean, Willy Wonka is my hero. My mom and I went to New York and I circled Dylan’s Candy Bar as a must-see and bought it out while I was there. So, I knew this would be a struggle, but that it would help me to hear from God during this time.

The night before Lent, I went crazy; I ate all kinds of sweets and candy. I knew what was coming, so I was making up for all of the sweets I would miss.

The bad thing about Lent is that it leads up to Easter. This is not bad in the sense of what Easter symbolizes, but bad in the fact that Easter candy is my weakness. I love it all, Cadbury eggs, cookies, Reese’s eggs, you name it, I love it. The next day was Ash Wednesday, and that is where my journey began.

During this season it was hard. I struggled with giving up the sweets and I struggled in general. It was a difficult Lent. I prayed daily and had a Lent Bible Study to do and I just felt so downtrodden during this time.

My close friends knew that I was struggling and they knew about my situation. They were very hopeful that I would receive whatever it is I was going to God for during this time. I don’t think I really knew what I was going to Him for, but I was going for something.

My friend called me one day and asked if she could run something by my house. I said sure and she came over.

She had been at the thrift store and was looking at frames when she pulled one out and thought of me.

It was a framed Bible verse. It was Proverbs 3:5-6 MSG “Trust God from the bottom of your heart; don’t try to figure everything out on your own. Listen for God’s voice in everything you do, everywhere you go; he’s the one who will keep you on track.”

This was a verse that I had been seeing everywhere during Lent. I would be on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and it would pop up. I was seeing it everywhere I turned. When she brought that over, I cried, because I felt that was from God. After she left, I looked at the framed picture and decided to really think about what this verse meant.

So here is what I came up with: Trust God from the bottom of your heart – Trust God with everything. Trust Him in everything. Just put complete Trust in Him. Don’t try to figure everything out on your own – Things won’t make sense, but don’t try to figure it out. You are trusting God after all!

Listen for God’s voice in everything you do, everywhere you go – Listen for God’s leading, if you are praying to Him and trusting Him, listen for Him and what He is trying to tell you He’s the one who will keep you on track- God is the only one who can help you and keep you on the right path, the path He wants you to be on.

As I sat and thought about the breakdown of this verse, I thought about my life. I thought about all that I was going through and had been going through and how this verse applied to it. I did not understand what God was doing, but I was trying to trust Him. I was trying to trust Him in everything and not try to figure things out. I feel that by trusting God and not questioning Him, He will lead me on the right path.

He will lead where I am to go and what I am to do.

All I have to do is trust.

Beauty from Ashes

by Norma C. Mezoe I was fast approaching my 15th birthday when devastating news reached me: the school I attended from first grade had burned the night before! Nothing was left except the charred walls.

When I heard the heart-breaking news, I cried many tears. I was afraid I would be sent to a different school than my classmates because I lived in another town and rode a bus to school. I was a shy teen and the thought of being forced to attend school with strangers filled me with fear.

Imagine my joy when I learned only a day before my birthday that my high school would be combined with another small school eleven miles from my home. I would eventually graduate with my classmates.

Those first days in my new school were filled with anxious anticipation, wondering how we would be accepted by the other students. Would they resent our coming and causing confusion and crowding in their school?

My worries were needless because the students and teachers not only accepted us, they went out of their way to help us to adjust to the new surroundings.

Isaiah 61:3 (NIV) gives this promise: “…to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning and a garment of praise, instead of a spirit of despair.”

Out of the ashes of sorrow and anxiety grew a beautiful unity of helpfulness and encouragement between our two schools.

Now, when I think about that stressful time, I am reminded that God has been faithful in my past, is faithful in my present and will be faithful in my future. He will work in and through whatever heartache, sorrow or pain I encounter.

God continues to work to bring beauty from the ashes of my life. He will do the same for each person who allows him to guide in their lives.

Healing Elements

by Judith Vander Wege A soft, gentle breeze caresses my skin, Uplifting my spirits, it soothes me within.

I gaze at the sunset, with awe contemplate the marvelous beauty my God did create.

Music is healing, music gives wings To soar above problems this troubled earth brings.

Lord, You sent the music, You give the sunsets, You are the breeze to my soul.

Inviting Families to STOP! for a Story . . .

by Kathryn Ross Do you sometimes feel like a fractured family? Too much busy in your lives?

The demands of home, work, church, school, activities, relationships, and the complexities of 21st century living keep many modern day families rushing about in opposing directions.

Electronics captivate and shorten attention spans. Social media keeps us connected, filtered through touch screens and emoticons, imprisoned in a virtual world of news and chatter.

Minds learn to expect satisfaction at the click of a button.

We lose the ability to wait in the realms of delayed gratification. We squirm with crankiness, weighed down with stress, chasing the minutes of our day . . . tick-tocking away.

Children are trained in this from their earliest years, now. Overstimulated and loving it, with insatiable appetites for non-stop action. It’s a challenge to keep up with them.

Do you ever just want to turn the world off and escape?

Turn back the clock?

Recapture a slice of simpler times?

Slow down?

Maybe even come to a complete STOP! A hundred years ago, life moved at a much slower pace. Folks didn’t have all the modern conveniences to minimize the cumbersome details necessary to daily life. But, they seemed to have more time on their hands to accomplish the chores required of the day. People lived closer to the beauties of nature—more down to earth. Slower days, with less expected of them in it, they enjoyed the luxury of taking their time in their tasks. Minimal distractions. Harder work—but rewarding.

What if I told you that’s precisely what you can do when you prioritize family reading as a lifestyle . . . when you purpose in your household—with all ages, all at the same time—to STOP! For a story.

Taking time to slow the pace and make a place for reading aloud together seems an archaic activity.

But, it was once a normal part of family interaction in decades past. In slower days, novels and storybooks became precious moments and memories shared together.

But, what type of reading can satisfy mom, dad, boys, girls, toddlers, teens, and even grandma and grandpa all at the same time?

To answer that question, we must first determine the overarching purposes in developing such a reading routine. Each member of the family will have differing tastes in literature. But, this does not need to become a divisive element to family reading, because it doesn’t even enter the equation.

WHY Family Reading Before you begin, set the ground rules of understanding WHY you’re gathering together in one place to open a book and read aloud as a family—all ages, all at the same time: 1. To engage in quality relationship building and interaction—just taking time to be together enriches the family bond.

2. To inspire and develop creativity, imagination, critical thinking, and communication skills which are so crucial to every aspect of life and living.

3. To provide a teaching and learning experience. Children come to understand and respect the parent’s role as the primary educator in their lives when reading aloud is followed up by casual discussion or activities inspired by the story: a. About the story world, theme concepts, plot, characters, and language b. About God relative to the story world—developing biblical thinking and reasoning skills c. About self in relation to the story world, theme concepts, and characters d. About parents and siblings in relation to the story world, theme concepts, and characters WHAT to Family Read Some 2,400 years ago, Plato advised in his classic work of Western thought, Republic, that “It is most important that the tales which the young first hear should be models of virtuous thoughts . . . then will our youth dwell in a land of health, amid fair sights and sounds, and receive the good in everything; and beauty.”

The last part of that quote might sound familiar to you if you’ve hung around me for the past decade or so. It’s been my personal tagline expanding the moniker I wear as an “enrichment artist” and storyteller: Telling stories that lead to all good things and beauty. It is also a snapshot of my life verse in Philippians 4:8NKJV: Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy— meditate on these things.

Plato understood that virtue is developed in the human heart purposefully. The stories of our youth have great import in the process. When we understand that our family reading lifestyle has higher purposes than a mere amusing family entertainment, the choice in literature to read aloud becomes clear: Is it a virtuous tale that will lead to all things good and beauty?

Is it a story that illustrates truth, noble thoughts, justice, purity, loveliness, goodness, virtue, and praiseworthiness?

If you’re feeling like that fractured family described above, enhance your parent-child relationships as you develop a regular habit of family reading, modeling a love of learning. This is what I mean when I use the term, “family literacy.”

Family Literacy To be literate is to be learned and instructed. To do so in the context of a family unit cements the nurturing heart of home to the instruction of the mind. The impact of this on every family member in the sphere of their emotional well-being, personal worth, and confidence, with an expanded capacity to love and be loved, is incalculable.

But, today’s modern family has been severely hampered by the vile efforts in society to redefine the family and place restrictions on the authority of parents. An over-reaching government claims to be a better arbiter of what is best for your children. In fact, a whole generation has been trained to relinquish the reins of their children’s education to a public society and popular culture run wild.

I know this because I read books. Old books.

True Story I collect antique and vintage books—especially school books. I’ve made comparisons of their content to modern textbooks. For all the supposed progress of society, all the state-of-the-art tools for learning, Jane and Johnny aren’t reading near the level their counterparts of a hundred years ago were. In many ways, we are living through a very dark age of illiteracy in these contemporary times.

Much of today’s popular literature and entertainment targets the base nature of the human heart— including a good deal of what is marketed to children, and especially in the young adult genres.

Language is dumbed down and absolute morality is replaced with overstuffed tolerance levels of “anything goes” and “do what is right in your own eyes.”

Hmmm. The biblical Book of Judges has some lessons for us on that score—but that’s another article all in itself!

STOP for a Story In this busy, rush-about, wild world, where everything seems to work together to pull families apart, reading stories aloud as a family can make a lasting impact for all good things and beauty in your lives.

STOP for a story as a family and schedule time regularly to curl up with quality literature. Use these precious hours as opportunities to engage in constructive conversation about important virtues and traditional values mined from the stories you read.

Parents must own their place as the primary educator and mentor in their children's lives, and can do so through the pages of a good book. Choose your family reading literature prayerfully, and boldly go against the pop culture tide. Here’s a short list of suggestions to start you off: 1. Read the Classics—Invitation to the Classics, edited by Louise Cowan and Os Guinness is a great place for parents to rediscover the masters and make quality choices for reading with older children. I also recommend works by C. S. Lewis, J. R. R. Tolkein, George MacDonald, Lucy Maude Montgomery, G. A. Henty; and for the young ones, A.A. Milne, Kenneth Grahame, Laura Ingalls Wilder, the Betsy-Tacy series by Maud Hart Lovelace, and the Tales from

Shakespeare by Charles and Mary Lamb.

2. Newbery Award Winners—Pre-1960’s. The older title winners are far superior over some of the recent winning titles that do not possess the quality content in plot, language, or characters to pass the plumb line of Philippians 4:8. The Borrowers series by Mary Norton is a favorite of mine—though not a Newbery winner, it took the Carnegie Medal for outstanding children’s literature in 1952. Highly recommended.

3. Lamplighter Books—A popular press for homeschool families seeking quality classic literature written for children elementary grades and up. These are beautiful, hardcover reprints in the design of antique books—a work of art, each one—both in word and binding. They harken back to the 19th century so there’s lots of great opportunities to follow-up with a bit of historical background of the times. The quaint, melodramatic elements tug at heartstrings and feed imaginations. Lamplighter carries a host of titles as well as audio book dramatizations.

4. Read the Bible—Parents can look ahead at what they’ll be reading with their family to find select Bible references that relate to the story being read. But, don’t miss the opportunity to get a good reader’s Bible in a translation that lends itself to reading aloud. The Message by Eugene Peterson and The Voice dramatized reading Bible published by Thomas Nelson are perfect for this.

Build your family relationships through family literacy—reading and thinking together through the power of story. In so doing you will make cherished memories while igniting a love of learning and literacy in your family, all ages—all at the same time!

NOTE: Listen to the PODCAST version of this article with added resources for family reading including links to purchase some of Miss Kathy’s top recommendations for a Family Literacy Lifestyle.

Visit www.thewritersreverie.com/podcast-9/ today and find book recommendations in the Authors Showcase under the Books tab at www.pageantwagonpublishing.com.

Kids' Korner

by Carol Peterson

Crow Smarts: Inside the Brain of the World's Brightest Bird

by Pamela S. Turner Crow Smarts: Inside the Brain of the World's Brightest Bird by Pamela S. Turner is the latest in HMH's Scientists in the Field series.

In this book, Turner takes us along with scientist and wildlife-conservationist, Gavin Hunt, to New Caledonia where we discover how wild crows both create and use tools in everyday life.

Readers get to tag along with Hunt and Turner as they follow Little Feather, Lefty, Munin and other wild crows, learning about the life of crows, how the information Hunt is learning relates to the workings of our human brains and a bit about life in the South Pacific.

One of the great things about the “Scientists in the Field” series is that the books also give us a glimpse of what a scientist does in a particular area of study. In Crow Smarts, we specifically see upclose a wildlife-conservationist, which makes the science and the career more engaging, interesting and relevant to young readers.

Crow Smarts is the fifth book in the “Scientist in the Field” Series by Turner. Other titles by her in the series are Gorilla Doctors, The Frog Scientist, Project Seahorse and The Dolphins of Shark Bay. The volume of photographs by Andy Comins and additional helpful illustrations, along with Turner's clear and entertaining writing style make this book both an enjoyable and educational read.

Curriculum opportunities relate to grades 5-7, making the book an excellent choice for classrooms, school libraries and home-schooling.

Now available from Ruby’s Reading Corner and from www.Godmissionpossible.com

Jesus Is Coming, Will You Be Ready?

by Jennifer Workman Thank God for another opportunity to be an instrument used for his glory, I pray that this article blesses every reader, penetrate the hearts and consequently causes someone to surrender their life to the Lord and choose to follow him.

As I look around me every day, I am constantly aware of the brevity of life. As a child is birthed into this world at any given moment, the same goes for a life that is taken away. We didn’t come on this earth to stay; we are just sojourners on this path of what we call life.

Yet, we go about our daily lives as if we have all the time in the world not aware that we could be here today and gone tomorrow. I know we don’t like to talk much about death but dying is inevitable.

We can’t bypass it! We can eat healthy, exercise, take various supplements for health and although all of those things are good yet “No one can live forever; all will die. No one can escape the power of the grave (Psalm 89:48, NLT).”

Now, ponder in your mind for a moment, if you know that life is short and we didn’t come on this earth to stay, then what do we have to look forward to? Well, I am glad you asked.

If you have relationship with God and have surrendered your life fully to him, you have heaven to look forward to and spending eternity with God but if you reject the Father and seek to live on your own disconnected from him, there is another place that is prepared for those that reject God and that place is hell.

Yes, hell, it is real just as heaven is real. Don’t ever let anyone deceive you and make you feel that anything specified in the Bible is false because they are leading you astray. I urge you to read it and study it for yourself and you will find that Hell isn’t a myth it is real!

“For God did not spare even the angels who sinned. He threw them into hell, in gloomy pits of darkness, where they are being held until the day of judgment.” (II Peter 2:4, NLT).

Jesus is coming back again and when he returns, he is coming for a prepared people. It is never too late to get it right. Please people don’t put it off because tomorrow isn’t promised. Don’t be like the “foolish virgins that didn’t have oil and when the bridegroom came they weren’t ready (Matthew 25:1-13, NKJV).”

God loves you and it isn’t his desire that anyone be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent (II Peter 3: 9, NLT)” but you have to make the choice to follow him! So, my question to you is “will you be ready,” if Jesus came back today? If not, then the time is now and here is how you can begin, say this prayer with me:

“Heavenly Father, I come before you today asking for your forgiveness of all my in. I acknowledge you as my Lord and Savior and that you sent Jesus to die for my sin. I can’t live my life without you and I ask you to come into my life, clean me up, transform me and enable me through the power of your Holy Spirit to walk uprightly before you and live a surrendered life to you. Create in me a clean heart and renew a right spirit in me and help me to love you with all my heart, soul and mind and love my neighbors as myself in Jesus name, Amen!”

There are many angels in heaven rejoicing that you made the decision to give your life to the Lord. May I add that it is the best decision that you have ever made. Now ask the Lord through the power of the Holy Spirit to enable you to live a life that is pleasing in his sight and move forward in Jesus name.

Again, time is short and no man knows when Jesus is going to return but regardless, it is always helpful to make sure that you are ready. God loves us and gave his only son for us because he doesn’t want anyone to perish but have the opportunity to inherit eternal life” (John 3:15-16, NLT). And life is found only through Jesus for he is the way, the truth and the life, no one come through the Father except through him” (John 14: 6, NKJV).

To add, I want you to be mindful that living a sanctified life and one surrendered to God puts you on the devil’s hit list. Remember he lost his place in glory and it is his desire that no man be able to experience what he has and have relationship with God. So, living as a Christian you must be armored up at all times for the Bible tells us that we should “Put on all of God’s armor so that we will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. “For we are not fighting against flesh and blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 6:11-12, NLT).

So, ways in which you “armor yourself up” is by spending quality time with the Lord in prayer, spending time reading and studying his word and meditation and reflection in his presence. Because time in God’s presence and filling ourselves up with his word enables us to fight competently in the Spirit against every force, power and demon of hell that tries to fight against us as children of God. In conclusion, Jesus is coming soon. As we look at our world and everything that is transpiring around us, God is likely to come at any time. For example, the Bible expressively states “But the day of the Lord will come as unexpectedly as a thief” (II Peter 3:10, NLT) so it behooves us to be ready.

And, For the Lord himself will come down from Heaven with a commanding shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God. First the Christians who have died will rise from their graves.

Then, together with them, we who are still alive and remain on the earth will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air” (I Thessalonians 4:16-17, NLT). I implore all of us to make sure that we are ready when Jesus returns!

You are invited to join us in the Ruby for Women community for our weekly Bible study of the Book of Esther. We will discover how Esther's obedience in the face of fear, uncertainty, and death was used by God to save her and all of her people. We hope you will join us as we continue in our study of the life of Queen Esther.

All lessons in this Bible study are from the study guide book by Carol Peterson, "I am Esther: A Faith Like Hers," available from Ruby's Reading Corner.

Soup's On! Summer in a Bowl

by Joan Leotta Here’s the story behind the story. My second picture book will be released this month, Summer in a Bowl. The best thing about this story is that it is based in reality. While I did not spend every Thursday at Aunt Mary's house, she did watch me several times.

My mother worked in my Grandma's store, Aunt Mary was home, and I loved going to Aunt Mary's. There was always something exciting going on there. My cousins, my favorite playmates, were there, and when they tired of me, I would read or wander into the kitchen and watch Aunt Mary cook dinner.

There were no negative feelings attached -- they were older by quite a bit.

I clearly remember her making menestre, a word that can mean a first course soup of various types in Italian home cooking.

Aunt Mary's was made with a ham bone. She sautéed her greens and other veggies before putting them into the pot with the ham bone and water. I modified the recipe for the book, leaving out the sauté step and giving the recipe the way I make it today. The book gives equal weight to the gardening and the cooking. In my own life, the cooking is what took first place.

Watching Aunt Mary, my mother, and my grandmother cook at various times gave me the insight to be able to duplicate their recipes years later. More than that, I associated cooking with love.

We would talk together in the kitchen. Grandma told me stories. My mother chatted about the recipe, my Aunt Mary would tell me about the different vegetables as she put them into the pot. I watched them stir; I got my hands in the dough when my Grandma made bread. No recipe can tell you how it feels when the dough is right. Someone has to show you.

The same with the Italian cookie, pizzelle—you have to stir it yourself to know how much flour goes into it. You see, the amount of flour that is put in the recipe varies by the humidity in the air, but the feel of the batter, when it is just right, is always the same.

It's the same for soup. In the story, as it was in the afternoon etched in my memory, Aunt Mary used summer vegetables. Later I took some home and we froze it so I could have summer any time I wanted it –in the bowl!

But even though my recipe is somewhat different than the actual one Aunt Mary made that late summer afternoon, I still add plenty of her secret ingredient that makes the soup more than a summer memory, more than good-for-you. The secret ingredient is love and that is what makes it taste so very, very good.

Summer in a Bowl is available for pre-sale now on THEAQLLC.com and will be available on Amazon as well after September 15. The soup recipe is in the back of the book. You will have to supply the love.

On the Making of Pizzelle

by Joan Leotta "Please write your recipe for pizzelle," Mama answered, "Words are not enough."

That very afternoon, together, we measured, stirred, matching the day’s humidity with the correct amount of flour.

She let me stir too so I could feel, "just right."

We oiled her special press.

Two hours later we proudly out set a plate of light, barely browned, pizzelle, crisp with hints of vanilla and anise.

Next, she took me to buy a pizzelle iron from the man who sold one to her and to her mother.

Little Things

by Norma C. Mezoe Jesus uses little things to show His love to me, the beauty of a butterfly, colored leaves upon a tree.

Clear waters bubbling cheerfully as they flow upon their way, and to crown it all, a golden sunset at the end of a perfect day.

Finding God in the Midst of Failure

by Ifeoma Samuel It is amazing how everything we face as God’s children draws us deeper and closer to the heart of our father. I admit I am not strong at going through those difficulties but gal, I am learning fast!

The trenches we flow through get be rough and wild and sometimes remain this way for a very long time.

The trenches where we have failed, felt less than, unqualified, unwelcomed, and barely keep our heads above the trenches.

Yet in those life mess is where we experience the power of God’s compassion over our lives. We, like Rahab, are reminded that ‘outcasts’ still have a chance to embrace His grace.

In our messiness, God calls us out to hand to us an exceptional grace demonstrated by His Blood that steadily flows in the pool of redemption.

He wasn’t looking for perfect when He found Rahab in those trenches.

He wasn’t looking for qualified.

He was looking for available.

He isn’t going to turn you back.

He is waiting for you in those trenches.

Would you give Him your hand?

There are lots of Rahabs, Ruths and Esthers in His fold.

God wants to meet you in those trenches…

You, the unqualified, You, the unwelcomed, You the less than perfect, You who feels un-pretty, You, undomesticated, You, the odd ball Jesus wants “You” and all you that you come with.

You can find God in the midst of failure.

Some Things We’ve Forgotten to Remember

by Sharon L. Paterson As a Christian woman blessed to journey through six decades and shortly to enter the seventh, I am more and more conscious of things I do not remember. Equally, however, I am quite aware of some things that we have, collectively, forgotten to remember: things that make us different from all other species; things that bind goodness to our humanity both in the being and doing part of our nature. It is certainly time to double down on some things we’ve forgotten to remember.

We have forgotten to remember who God is .No wonder this world seems so wrong side up. What perspective of life we re- gain by remembering who He is-Creator of the Universe, Maker of man, Almighty God, Everlasting Father, Counselor, Teacher, Alpha and Omega. He is the go-to One. There are so many other things to remember but if I just remember these things, my world becomes manageable no even in the chaos of wrong side up moments.

We have also forgotten to remember who we are. Sometimes we think too highly of ourselves; other times we think too low of ourselves. In each case, we’ve forgotten to remember whose we are. When I think too highly of myself, I fall and when I think too low, I will not rise. When I rem ember whose I am, my confidence level is just right.

Another important thing we have forgotten to remember is who the real enemy of our lives is. The enemy is not my fellow man; it is not my family; nor is it a political party or the government. The real enemy is the one who makes us think all the others mentioned are our enemy.

The real enemy works from the very powerful unseen realm. He initiates strife and division on as many levels of our natural world as possible. He uses every medium possible. He is the prince of the power of the air mentioned in Ephesians 2. Jesus called him by his most recognizable name-Satan.

Additionally, we have forgotten to remember to keep the main thing the main thing. Distraction causes destructive changes in priorities. We have forgotten to seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness so that all other things will be added to us that we need.

No wonder our lives, our families, and our nation are fractured into more pieces than we can count or tend to.

Surely, it is time to remember these important things we have forgotten. First, may we remember Our God and who He is. May we refresh our memory of whom and whose we are. Lastly, may we fight the real enemy as we keep the main thing the main thing.

To Wrestle, to Dance, to be One

by Kathleen McCauley How do we encounter God? For some their relationship with God might be nice and neat and tidy. There is form and normalcy. It is familiar. I have journeyed many years now with my Lord and encountered Him in many ways, seen and unforeseen, having always been blessed.

In my forties it came to me that what I was doing in this relationship with God was wrestling. It was intimate for sure! It was intense. I felt close and united, but there was struggle and resistance. So the ebb and flow of the relationship was choppy at best and I felt bad because of my obvious resistance, which either came from fear or uncertainty.

While some might find this to be less than flattering, I rejoiced, for those who wrestle are very CLOSE. They encounter each other alone and in an intimate way. And so I accepted the realization that this metaphor was the best way to depict our relationship.

With the exclusion of competition or winning, the tussling was ours alone and I knew I would be safe, but mostly I rejoiced at the intimate grapple which always reminded me that I was not alone and that God was “in” and “within” the struggles of my daily life. I accepted this status and was grateful, never expecting a change. I obviously didn’t know enough about prayer and my relationship with God to know that it changes over time.

But change came unexpectedly and without warning. As I entered my fifties, there was a distinctive difference in my prayer life and my general encounters with God. One day it occurred to me that I was in a slow dance. There was no more struggle, no tension. It was smooth, graceful, and engaging. I rejoiced in this image, but I knew there was one major flaw in my dancing…..I didn’t know how to follow.

I constantly wanted to take the lead. Even when I was consciously trying to let God lead, I stumbled and frequently collided with His direction in my life.. It helped me pace myself in prayer, and I was much more mindful than in the earlier days of struggle.

I experienced the ability to sit and be at peace and examine the times when I had stumbled in my attempt to lead. It also allowed me the time and humility to say I was sorry for the times I tried to lead, and rob God of the joy of leading the dance of my life.

These metaphors describe my overall relationship with God, not necessarily the everyday actions and interactions with God. What can we learn from this broad view and observation? When I step back and see my relationship with God from this perspective, it helps me see that it is a living and growing experience in my life. It is not stagnant. When you get an image of clarity of this relationship, it helps to see its bigger impact.

It’s like being able to see the earth from outer space, a view that is powerful and majestic. That view reminds me that there is a divine power at work and a divine plan which is so much greater than anything I could imagine. So it is with my prayer life and my relationship with God.

Looking at my relationship with God from a different perspective, and visualizing it in terms of these metaphors, reminds me that God is so much bigger than I can ever conceive within my horizontal view.

I will always cherish the wrestling years and the days of our dance. I see them as holy, and I am excited to see what metaphor fits the next stage of my relationship with God. Keep watching to name and claim the metaphor that depicts your relationship with God. The metaphor is to remind us that it is living, growing, and changing. We dare not label it or judge it, for then it might become stagnant and die. Keep pressing forward to embrace the relationship as you observe it from a different vantage point beyond the horizontal norms.

Around Goes the Blessing

by Norma C. Mezoe My parents were having a struggle to keep afloat financially. Dad stopped working at the age of sixty-two.

Too many years of hard work crawling on his knees in damp coal mines had left him with Black Lung Disease.

After Dad quit working, my parents found it nearly impossible to pay their bills. Their only source of income was Social Security. Mom was forced to work part-time at various minimum-pay jobs for extra money.

During this time, Dad applied for a miner’s pension and also for Black-Lung benefits. He filled out many papers, answered countless questions and submitted to physical examinations.

Mom and I spent much time praying that the benefits would be granted. Dad was not a Christian and he felt we were wasting our time. Still, we continued. After several months of prayer, we received the good news that the benefits had been granted.

Many years passed. Mom and Dad enjoyed luxuries they had been unable to have before the pensions had been granted including a bathroom, hot water and a better car. Life was going along smoothly for them.

Then, my husband left me for another woman. I had been a full-time homemaker like my mother before me. Now I too had to find employment.

Although I had no experience working outside of my home, through a series of what I called “minimiracles,” I began working as a secretary only one month after my husband left.

But there was a problem: I didn’t have a car and the job was fifty miles from my home. That problem was solved when my parents bought a used car for me, complete with insurance and a license plate.

God answered my prayer that my parents would receive the financial help they needed. He also used the same answer many years later to meet my needs as well. Around goes the blessing…

Protector

by Mabel E. Singletary

“The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms.” Deuteronomy 33: 27 NIV Thunderstorms have always been scary.

I especially dreaded the ones that were accompanied by great flashes of lightening streaking across the sky. There was no corner to hide in or a bed to crawl beneath where I would be safe.

The loud booming noises made me shake with fear.

So as a child, I would immediately search for my parents to protect me.

“Just be quiet,” my mother would tell my brothers and me. And then in that quiet she would sing a song reminding us that we were not alone. “His eye is on the sparrow,” she’d sing. “And I know He watches me.”

She would say that sparrows were little birds and assured us that if God was watching over them, then surely He was watching over us too.

Then she’d say, “You don’t have to be afraid.”

Since those early years in my life, different kinds of storms have appeared.

From suffering the miscarriage of my first child, to losing a brother at age thirty-five, to saying goodbye to my parents, and surviving a horrific automobile accident, God has made His presence known.

During those moments when I couldn’t stand, the Lord has graciously allowed me to rest in His arms.

Before Moses died, he blessed the people of Israel.

Deuteronomy 33:27 was part of that blessing. He wanted the people to remember that God would never leave them and that His love was everlasting.

It is a reminder for us all.

Father God, may our hearts be filled with thanksgiving knowing how much you love us. Thank you for providing a safe place for us in your everlasting arms.

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New from author, Jean Ann Williams

Just Claire One mother damaged. One family tested. One daughter determined to find her place.

ClaireLee’s life changes when she must take charge of her siblings after her mother becomes depressed from a difficult childbirth. Frightened by the way Mama sleeps too much and her crying spells during waking hours, ClaireLee just knows she’ll catch her illness like a cold or flu that hangs on through winter.

ClaireLee finds comfort in the lies she tells herself and others in order to hide the truth about her erratic mother. Deciding she needs to re-invent herself, she sets out to impress a group of popular girls.

With her deception, ClaireLee weaves her way into the Lavender Girls Club, the most sophisticated girls in school. Though, her best friend Belinda will not be caught with the likes of such shallow puddles, ClaireLee ignores Belinda’s warnings the Lavenders cannot be trusted.

ClaireLee drifts further from honesty, her friend, and a broken mother’s love, until one very public night at the yearly school awards ceremony. The spotlight is on her, and she finds her courage and faces the truth and then ClaireLee saves her mother’s life.

Just Claire is now available from Amazon through Ruby’s Reading Corner.

Lose Weight, Get Fit & Change Your Life – With 4 Powerful Principles

by Carol L. Doyel Carol Doyel is Editor-in-Chief and Founder of LivingBetter50.com.

She is a graduate of The Full Gospel Bible Institute and has a passion for women’s ministries, issues and lives.

She and her husband of 26+ years have three grown kids and four grandchildren. They currently reside in southern CA. Her desire is to inspire women to live better physically, emotionally, financially, and spiritually.

Lose Weight, Get Fit & Change Your Life – With 4 Powerful Principles

by Carol L. Doyel is available from Amazon through Ruby’s Reading Corner.

Follow me, as I follow Christ

by Helen Ellis Our Christian history is rife with examples of brave, godly men and women who serve as examples for us today.

Corrie ten Boom (4/15/1892 – 4/15/1983) was a mighty woman of God who lived through the Nazi occupation of Holland during World War II. As Nazis clamped down on their control of the country, they began passing laws segregating Jews from the larger population.

The Jews were then deported from the country and transported to Nazi concentration camps where most were brutally murdered.

Anyone assisting the persecuted Jewish people were imprisoned in the same camps or killed. It would have been easy for Corrie and her family to do nothing. After all, they weren’t Jewish.

But Corrie ten Boom and her family were devout Christians who made the heroic decision to create a hiding place for Jews trying to escape the Nazi madness.

Working with the underground resistance movement, they had a secret room constructed in their home where they provided a refuge for many Jews and aided their escape from the country.

In spite of the danger, constant threats of prison, concentration camps or worse, they continued this courageous work until they were arrested by the Nazis.

Corrie, her sister Betsie, her father Caspar, her brother Willem and her nephew Kik were all imprisoned and sent to concentration camps Only Corrie lived through this barbaric interment, and spent the rest of her life proclaiming that, “there is no pit so deep that He is not deeper still.”

How could Corrie and her sister Betsie extend love to those who acted out horrible cruelty at Ravensbruck concentration camp? Only through Christ could they overcome feelings of anger, hatred, hopelessness and despair.

Years later, Corrie’s faith was tested while in Berlin, Germany when approached by a man who looked vaguely familiar. His identity became clear when he revealed that he was one of her former Nazi captors.

He’d become a Christian, received God’s forgiveness and had come to ask for her forgiveness for the many wrongs he had done her.

Corrie remembered the many horrors this man inflicted upon her and countless others, as well as the suffering and death of her sister Betsie.

She was repelled by him and as he extended his hand to her, she felt she could not forgive him. In that moment, she recalled the scriptures which declared that if she would not forgive, she would not be forgiven.

God reminded her of Romans 5:5 and the love of Christ was shed abroad in her heart. She said, “God’s love is stronger than my hate. I can’t forgive; He can.”

She took the man’s hand and forgave him from her heart. It was only through Christ that she could forgive and walk out the reality of John 8:36 “He who the Son sets free is free indeed.”

Jim Elliot (10/8/27 – 1/8/56) was one of five missionaries killed by the Auca (Waodani) Indians in Ecuador in 1956.

Jim, Nate Saint, Pete Fleming, Ed McCully and Roger Youderian were the five who gave their lives attempting to bring the gospel to a primitive Indian tribe.

Jim, a brilliant student leader at Wheaton College, would have succeeded in any endeavor he chose.

But he was called by God to the mission field. Jim answered that call, learned Spanish and the Quichua language and relocated to Ecuador along with Pete Fleming.

Jim became engaged and married Elisabeth nee Howard in South America. Other missionaries joined their efforts to reach the Aucas.

Even though they knew that others had been killed attempting to reach this murderous tribe, they were undeterred in their determination to go forth.

These Christian comrades arranged initial contact with the Aucas via airdrops and made plans to go in to minister to them.

The five missionaries left their wives with excitement and anticipation. They never saw them again.

They were killed attempting to befriend the Indians as a precursor to sharing the gospel. Jim once said, “he is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.”

Elisabeth Elliot returned to Ecuador after two years to minister to the very people who killed her husband. How could she show love to them?

Humanly speaking, she could not. But in the light of eternity, she was compelled to share Christ, love these people unconditionally and be faithful to Jim’s godly legacy. As a result of her obedience, many of the Waodani accepted Jesus as Lord.

In direct response to the story of the five martyrs, more than 1,000 college students volunteered for foreign missions.

Steve Saint, son of pilot Nate Saint, spent years as the “adopted” son of Mincaye, one of the Waodani who murdered his father.

He said, “the reality of their (Waodani) lives was that they would either spear others or be speared and die.” This is why he feels no anger toward the tribe for the murders of the missionaries.

Moving to the U.S. in 1994, he founded I-TEC (Indigenous Peoples Technology and Education Center), which bridges the gap between the educational and technological gulfs that separate them from 21st century society.

The events that Satan meant for evil have been turned around for the good of the Waodani and for the glory of the living God. References: www.tenboom.org www.inspirationalchristians.org

Down the Lane Puzzle Answer Key

by Beth Brubaker By changing one letter each time, change one word into another, from “bell” to “ring.”

Vexing Hexes Puzzle Answer Key

by Beth Brubaker Place all hexagons into the honeycomb below.

The numbered sides should match its neighboring hexagon:

Ruby Writing Team Norma C. Mezoe began writing after a crisis in her life. She has been a published writer for thirty years. Her writing has appeared in books, devotionals, take-home papers and magazines. She lives in the tiny town of Sandborn, Indiana where she is active in her church as clerk, teacher and bulletin maker. Contact at: normacm@tds.net

Sharon Patterson, retired educator, career military wife, and leader in women's ministry, has written inspirational encouragement in various forms from greeting cards to short stories, poetry, and Bible studies for over thirty years. She has authored three books, and is a contributing author for several of the Chicken Soup for the Soul books.

She and her husband Garry live in Round Rock, Texas. They have three sons and five grandchildren.

Nells Wasilewski lives in a small southern town, seventy miles southeast of Nashville, Tennessee. After retiring, she began pursuing her lifelong dream of writing. Her writing has been greatly influenced by her faith in Jesus Christ, personal, experience and nature. She has been writing poems, prose and stories all her life.

Nells has recently started writing devotionals. Her work has appeared in Haiku Journal, Barefoot Review, Three Line Poetry, Poetry Quarterly, 50 Haikus, Dual Coast Magazine, High Coupe Journal, Ancient Paths, Tanka Journal, Hedgerow and Penned from the Heart https://nellswasilewski.blogspot.com

Mary Dolan Flaherty is a quirky gal who loves to encourage people and make them laugh. She writes and speaks with self-deprecating humor and transparency, saying what most people think but won’t admit. She lives in New Jersey with her husband, whom she affectionately calls Hubbles, and has two grown children and two grand-dogs. Mary enjoys hiking, theatre, music, gardening, and traveling and can be found blogging at SonRiseInsights.blogspot.com.

Theresa Boedeker is an author, podcaster, and laughter seeker. Read her blog, Things to Remember, to be encouraged, find hope, and stop feeling alone. Listen to her podcast, Life as it Comes, to hear funny stories about life, . . . because everything feels better after a laugh. Her website is TheresaBoedeker.com and Facebook page is https://www.facebook.com/TheresaBoedeker/

Carol Peterson, Author My mission as a writer is to educate, entertain and inspire–children, their teachers and parents, other writers, and readers of all genres. As a children’s writer I try to “Make Learning Fun” by helping busy teachers address curriculum accountability standards, and encouraging other writers to do the same. You can connect with Carol at her blog, Carol Peterson, Author Carol is a member of the Ruby Book Review Team.

Joan Leotta has been playing with words since childhood. She is a poet, essayist, journalist, playwright, and author of several books both fiction and non-fiction for children and adults. She is also a performer and gives one-woman shows on historic figures and spoken word folklore shows as well as teaching writing and storytelling.

Joan lives in Calabash, NC where she walks the beach with husband, Joe. www.joanleotta.wordpress.com and https://www.facebook.com/pages/Joan-LeottaAuthor-and-Story-Performer/188479350973

Kathleen McCauley has been an active retreat leader for over 25 years. She received her professional training as a Campus Minister and retreat leader at the University of Dayton. Kathleen enjoys working with adults in their cultivation of spirituality and personal growth. Prior to her work as a Career Counselor at Neumann University, Kathleen served as a Resident Minister for eight years at St. Joseph’s University and seven additional years giving retreats for local churches and community groups. You can contact Kathleen to learn more about her retreat work at kathleenmccauley1@msn.com or at http://www.threadsofspirituality.com/

Kathryn Ross is a writer, speaker, dramatist, and independent publisher at Pageant Wagon Publishing with a mission to nurture the seeds of all good things, innocence, and beauty in the human heart. Her theatrical scripts for church and school, books, and storytelling programs engage young and old with dramatic flair as discipleship tools designed to minister to all ages—all at the same time.

Timeless truths leap from the page and the stage through Pageant Wagon Publishing and Productions—Visit her online where she blogs weekly and podcasts monthly at www.thewritersreverie.com and www.pageantwagonpublishing.com .

Mabel Elizabeth Singletary worked as an educator for thirty-two years in New Jersey Public Schools. She enjoys writing fiction books to encourage the hearts of children by reminding them with God’s help they can be overcomers in life. Mabel is the author of The Young Conquerors Series books 1& 2. The third book in the series will be published later this year from www.mightywaybooks.com. Mabel currently teaches Sunday school to preschoolers and serves on the board of directors of C.A.R.E. Ministries, Inc. She resides in New Jersey with her husband Bishop Charles V. Singletary. They are the parents of two children.

Jennifer Workman is the founder of Simply Victorious Ministries, a ministry founded on the infallible Word of God. She has been actively involved in ministry all of her life and has ministered to seminary students, the religious community, high school students and female prison inmates. Jennifer has more than fifteen years in the radio, television and publications arena. She is the Inspirational Host and Producer of "Simply Victorious for Life," a monthly inspirational podcast aired via Faith Filled Family and Family Filled Youth. Contact Jennifer at http://simplyvic.webs.com or http://jyworkman.wix.com/jennifer

Marilyn Lesniak is the owner, writer, and most times photographer at Marilyn's Treats.

She loves to learn new things and is always improving her recipes, blog designs and articles. If you need guidance she is there to help but is the first to remind you most everything she does is an adventure in trial and error. Come visit in her office/kitchen and see what trouble she is brewing up now at www.marilynstreats.com

Minister Helen Ellis, wife and mother of 4 great kids, has preached and taught in prisons in NJ and CT for more than 15 years. An avid painter, she specializes in oils, acrylics and watercolors. She and her husband Andrew live with their family in Norwich, CT.

Judith Vander Wege, I’m a Christian Writer, Composer, Bible Study Leader, child of God and follower of Jesus Christ. I've had nearly 300 short manuscripts published in such magazines as The Quiet Hour, ALCW Scope, Standard’s Devotions, Aglow, Evangel, Foursquare World Advance, Live, Power for Living, Vision, The Lutheran, Upper Room, Light From the Word, and Columbia Basin Herald. You can read more of my bio on my web site's "about" page at judithvanderwege.org or .com. I have a Facebook page at Facebook.com/JudithVanderWege

Kara Silvers I call Anniston, Alabama my home.

My favorite hobbies are working out, shopping and reading. On Saturdays in the fall, I like to attend Auburn University football games, which is where I attended college. I am the mother to a cat name Jacqueline O’nassis and a dog named London.

Jewell Utt Jewell is a Freelance Writer and Speaker. Her passion is to teach and support the body of Christ to serve in church and community. She is the Director of a Food Outreach and the Women's Ministry Leader at her church. Her retreats encourage women—through the hard places of life—to seek a deeper relationship with Christ. You can visit her website www.jewellutt.com or contact her by email:jewellutt@yahoo.com.

"While we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, and especially to those who are of the household of the faith." Galatians 6:10

Ifeoma Samuel, happily married to her sweetheart Obiora Samuel, is an author, a blogger and an occasional Speaker. She enjoys using her writings to share everyday life stories about God’s immense love. Her book “My 30 Days Journey To a Fulfilled Life” and her latest book “Overcome Failure; Get Back on Your Feet” both available on Amazon. You can find her writing regularly over at her blog Purposeful and Meaningful or visit on Facebook, Pinterest or Youtube.

Lynn Mosher, Devotions Since the year 2000, Lynn Mosher has lived with fibromyalgia and other physical conditions. During this time, the Lord placed the desire in her heart to write for Him. Now, armed with God’s purpose for her life and a new passion, she reaches out to others to encourage and comfort them through her writing, giving God all the glory.

She lives with her husband in their empty nest in Kentucky. On occasion, their three offspring, who have flown the coop, come to visit, accompanied by a son-in-law and three granddaughters. Visit Lynn at her blog, at http://lynnmosher.com

Keith Wallis, Poet-in-Residence is an English poet. He is a senior part of the leadership team of Houghton Regis Baptist church. An engineering designer by trade, he brings an eye for detail as well as faith into his poetry. As well as being ‘poet in residence’ at Ruby magazine, he is a moderator at ChristianWriters.com. His blog of ekphrasic poetry is: http://wordsculptures-keith.blogspot.com/ where you’ll also find links to his books and his other blogs.

Married to Val in 1970, he has two sons and three grandsons. The eldest grandson is disabled and cannot communicate verbally. Though not an ‘academic’ (school was a disaster!) he was always fond of writing. He began submitting work for publication in the 1980’s after being encouraged by a community writer in residence.

Beth Brubaker, Assistant Editor is a humorist poet and songwriter, and her day jobs include homemaking, writing, and paper and fabric arts. Beth's passion is the written word, and is developing ways of sharing her brand of humor with the world through poems, songs and stories. Don't miss Beth's columns and puzzles in every issue of Ruby for Women! You can read Beth's posts on her blog Footprints in the Mud at http://footprintsinthemudblog.blogspot.com or email her at bethatruby@aol.com.

Nina Newton, Sr. Editor

When all of my four older children were in school, I returned to college as a “non-traditional student.” Eventually, I earned degrees in Classics and Philosophy, and a graduate degree in Medieval Studies: History of Theology.

After teaching at a small community college in Michigan for seven years, my husband and I were blessed with the adoption of our two beautiful daughters, Gracie and Annie. Gracie is 15 years old and Annie is 13. They were both born in China, and we were able to travel to China two times to bring our daughters home. We live in northern Indiana in a small farming community where I work on Ruby for Women in my home office.

I have worked for several years offering my handmade and refashioned garments and accessories in a local boutique under the creative name of “Vintage Mama’s Cottage.” My personal blog is at www.mamaslittletreasures.com

Until next time!

Creative Life Publishing, Inc.