Wordless Wednesday!

Digital, but still cool!

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Need an anchor for your ship in the storm?

How about the anchor of Hope?  Hope is a casual word that gets tossed around a lot today. But what is Hope really. And what is an anchor? And why did God combine the two?

This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which enters the Presence behind the veil Hebrews 6:19

Well, most of us know that an anchor is that huge iron hook that is tossed over the side of a ship. It drags along the ocean bottom until it catches in a rock or a crag and then it keeps the ship in place. It keeps the ship stable and firm and sure, even during a storm.

But how can hope keep our ship firm. How can hope keep us steady and sure when life seems to be falling down around us? Isn't hope just a nice word that makes us feel good? Isn't it just something we wish would happen but we aren't sure it will?

But after studying the Bible, I've come to believe that the hope God is talking about is so much more than just wishful thinking.

1. Hope is a real, tangible reality of something good in our future

For we were saved in this hope, but hope that is seen is not hope; for why does one still hope for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance Romans 8:24-25


2. Hope is more than an anchor, it is a refuge

that by two immutable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we might have strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold of the hope set before us.


3. Hope is something we can believe. In other words, it is not a dream or a wish
who, contrary to hope, in hope believed, so that he became the father of many nations, according to what was spoken, Romans 4:18
 
Okay, so what are we hoping for? What is our hope in?
 
1. We hope for the glory of an inheritance
...that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, Ephesians 1:17-18

2. We hope for the riches laid up for us in Heaven since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of your love for all the saints; because of the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, of which you heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel Colossians 1:4-5


3. We hope for the riches of Christ's glory
To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory Colossians 1:27

4. We hope for salvation from this world and the wrath of God (notice that hope protects our mind from Satan)
But let us who are of the day be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet the hope of salvation. For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, 1 Thess 5:8-9


4. We hope for an eternal, gloried body!
Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.  And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure 1 John 3:2-4


5. We hope for the return of Jesus
teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, Titus 2:12-14

6  We hope for eternal life
that having been justified by His grace we should become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.Titus 3:7

It's easy to see that our Hope is in things eternal: eternal life in the presence of God, glorified bodies, an inheritance with the saints, life in heaven, salavation from God's wrath, the return of Jesus!  All these things are promised to believers by God. They will happen. They are our future. Hope is not in something that might or might not happen. Our hope is in a sure thing!
Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful Hebrews 10 22-23

You may be surrounded by trials and struggles and problems. You may be overwhelmed by the things going on in the world and even in your own family. You may wonder if you'll ever feel hope again.  But I have good news. You can get hope!. It's not out of your reach!. It has nothing to do with circumstances.

How do we get hope?
 
1. We get hope by reading the Bible
For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope Romans 15:4 And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance;  and perseverance, character; and character, hope.  Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us Romans 5:3-5

2. We get hope by going through trials, leaning on God, and coming out victorious

 
So, what are you waiting for? Get a good dosage of Hope today! It's free. It's invaluable and it will anchor you firmly in the midst of the storms.
 
Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 15:13 

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What do you think of the new blog look?

I'm hoping to change the header too soon! I did this just while I was playing around on the design page.   A reader and friend is helping me with the header design.  Anyway, thoughts?

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What do you think? Are we living in the last days?

"This is what the Lord Almighty says: 'In a little while, I will once more shake the heavens and the earth. I will shake all the nations....I will shake the heavens and the earth. I will overturn royal thrones and shatter the power of the foreign kingdoms." (Haggai 2:6-7, 21-22)


In the last few weeks, the U.S. stock markets have tanked. Americans have lost more than $2.3 trillion in personal wealth. 14 million American are out of work. We face a double-dip recession. Our debt is increasing daily. And Washington is frozen in partisan gridlock, arguing over cutting what is essentially pennys in comparison to our debt.
And still Iran is building nuclear weapons unhindered, Syria and Libya are slaughtering thousands, Egypt has imploded, and Israel is increasingly threatened.

More than 100 rockets, mortars and anti-tank missiles have been fired from Gaza at Israeli towns and cities along the south. A suicide bomber also detonated himself near the Israel-Egyptian border. Eight Jews were killed last week when a jihadist attacked an Israeli public bus, and at least 30 were wounded. A rocket hit a home in Beersheva on Saturday night, killing one Israeli and wounded four others. Dozens more Israelis have been hospitalized for shock. Israel has struck back with airstrikes against selected terror targets, but the violence has only escalated.

An very rare and unusual earthquake registering 5.8 struck the eastern coast of the US and a hurricane is bearing down on New York as we speak.

I'm not recapping these recent events to invoke fear. I'm recapping them to invoke Hope. Hope that the end of the age is drawing near.
And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.  For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places.  All these are the beginning of sorrows

Are we in the last days of which Jesus spoke? Could it be this generation that sees His return? My husband and I disagree on this issue, so I'm curious to hear your opinions.

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Wordless Wednesday!



With all sails billowing beneath a fair wind!



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Something for nothing

Let's face it, we live in an entitlement culture. I've never witnessed a generation like our present one where people somehow believe they are entitled to certain things: education, health care, food, unemployment, government loans, welfare, etc.. the list goes on and on.

We like to talk about "rights" in America, when in actuality the only rights our forefathers wanted us to have were life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness and those rights came from God not government.

Now, before you jump all over me, I'm not against helping the poor. I give quite a bit to those in need.  I'm simply against the government doing it. But I digress. I don't want to talk politics. I want to talk about this prevalent attitude of getting something for nothing.  I ran across this passage in Luke 17 the other day and I thought about it all day.

The apostles said to the Lord, Increase our faith
And the Lord answered, If you had faith like a grain of mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, be pulled up by the roots, and be planted in the sea, and it would obey you.

Ok, cool. Sounds good, right? Sounds like Jesus is happy they asked for more faith and He's going to give it to them, right? But then He starts telling this somewhat harsh story

Will any man of you who has a servant plowing or tending sheep say to him when he has come in from the field, Come at once and take your place at the table?
Will he not instead tell him, Get my supper ready and gird yourself and serve me while I eat and drink; then afterward you yourself shall eat and drink?
Is he grateful and does he praise the servant because he did what he was ordered to do?
Even so on your part, when you have done everything that was assigned and commanded you, say, We are unworthy servants, possessing no merit, for we have not gone beyond our obligation; we have merely done what was our duty to do.

Woa. Now wait a minute. That's really tough to swallow. I mean Jesus is talking about servants serving their masters and expecting no praise or anything extra for just doing their duty. So, I started to wonder why did Jesus tell this story right after the disciples asked Him to increase their faith?

My opinion? I think the disciples' request for faith was made in a flippant way.. maybe even in an arrogant way. They asked for a good thing, but I think Jesus wanted to remind them to be careful in their attitudes toward God. Yes, God is loving. Yes, God is good, and yes Salvation is free, but we should maintain the mind of a servant when we approach God. We should do our duty before Him and not have the entitlement mentality that we see so much in our present culture. Give me. Give me. Give me. We take God's salvation and then we constantly ask for more and more. I'm not saying we shouldn't ask for things in prayer. It's our attitude that stinks. How do I know? Because so many times I see people (myself included) who don't get what they ask for and we get mad at God.  We should take our lesson from the gentile woman who begged Jesus to heal her daughter, we should be happy with the crumbs that fall from our master's table!

It's a matter of humility and respect and appreciation. Qualities SORELY LACKING in today's world, and qualities that aren't even admired anymore. 

So, I got to wondering what is our duty before God? Here's two Scriptures that I believe sum it up entirely
(Aside from believing in Jesus, of course)

He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you but to do justly, and to love kindness and mercy, and to humble yourself and walk humbly with your God? Micha 6:8

Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world. James 1:27

Here's a shocker: What Jesus was saying is that even if we just do these things, we should still consider ourselves unworthy servants because we have only done what our master requires. I don't think God wants us to go around beating ourselves up for being scumbags. But I do think Jesus was cutting to the heart of the matter. God has already done everything for us. He's given us eternal life with Him at a very precious cost. Everything else He does for us is icing on the cake.

So, let's be careful of allowing this culture's entitlement mentality to drift into our spiritual attitudes.  God owes us nothing. And we owe Him everything. And some things are worth working for. Faith is one of them. It cannot be handed to us or increased supernaturally. It must grow in our daily walk with God. Otherwise it isn't faith at all.

God is a merciful, loving God. He will give you good things. But I caution you. Be humble. Expect nothing but God's love and salvation and be grateful for anything else He lavishes upon you!

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Casual Fridays!

Whenever I'm not promoting a book or giving a review, I'd like to open up Fridays for any questions of comments you all have. Or anything you'd like to discuss!  I'll tell you a bit about my week and what I'm up to, and please do the same!  It will be a nice way to end the week.

This week, I've been working furiously on Veil of Pearls. It's due Sept 9th (I got a one week extension!)  and it's coming along. First draft is done and I'm going through each line, each paragraph, each scene to add, tweak, expound, alter, whatever it needs!  I think you're going to like this one. At least I hope so. The theme is Fear of Man. It's about compromising one's principals and beliefs in order to be counted among the popular crowd. I think there's a lot of that going around these days, don't you?  I know I struggled with it as a young girl. I mean, who doesn't want to be liked? valued?  The trouble comes when you try and gain that from a fickle crowd that wants you to comform to their idea of being "cool".    My heroine gets into a heap of trouble when she gets caught up in a world of parties and dances and plays and gorgeous gowns and handsome men. It's not so different than a young girl today who drinks or smokes or offers herself just so she will be liked by the "in" crowd.   Can you relate? Know anyone like that?

Well, other than writing, I've gone on walks, done a lot of praying, talked to my Mom in Tenn twice, cooked, cleaned, gone grocery shopping, pulled weeds, talked with my kids, and brushed my cats. Yes, and both yelled and cried at the news on TV! Oh, and I hosted a Bible study in my home last night.  Ah, the exciting life of an author!! 

What about you?

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Wordless Wednesday!

Drifting into eternity!

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The Immortals

I've been trying to get my mind around this concept because I know when I do, I'll be a lot less afraid, a lot less anxious, a lot more excited, and will find much more meaning in this life.

And that concept is:  We are already living in eternity. 

I know.. I know.. you're saying yes, I already know that. But do you? You are already living in the Kingdom of Heaven. The only problem is, that Kingdom is in a different dimension and we can't observe with our physical senses for the time being. But  it's here, anyway. Read through Jesus's words in the Gospels. He spoke more about the Kingdom of God then he did many other things.

Do a search on Kingdom in the gospels.. heres just a few instances that come up out of dozens:
From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” Matt 4:17
But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you Matt 6:33
Then Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people.

 Matt 9:35
But if I cast out demons with the finger of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon you Luke 11:20

Many people in this world, even Christians view life here on earth as one phase of existence. Then we die and our spirits go to heaven. Not so.  We never cease to exist. When our phyiscal bodies finally give up on us, we just shed them like a pair of scraggly overalls and step out of them into the dimension where the spirit world exists. Yes, we will ascend to heaven where the throne of God is, but that isn't our final home, either. Before Jesus comes to earth again, we will get a spirit body, but it will be one that is recognizable by others. After Jesus sets up His rule on earth, we will get a real physical/spiritual body that according to Paul will never grow old or get sick....  (I'm very excited about this!)

So it is with the resurrection of the dead. The bodythat is sown is perishable and decays, but the body that is resurrected is imperishable (immune to decay, immortal). It is sown in dishonor and humiliation; it is raised in honor and glory. It is sown in infirmity and weakness; it is resurrected in strength and endued with power. It is sown a natural (physical) body; it is raised a supernatural (a spiritual) body.  1 Corinthians 15: 42-
So aside from being pretty cool, why is this important?
The things you learn now, the things you study, the skills you acquire, your talents, desires.. they all go with you!  They won't be wasted. They are not useful just in this world. You can already be preparing for eternity. Let's say you love to dance or act or sing, and you've spent years of your life perfecting your talent, but as you grow old, you've never really had a chance to use your that talent. Perhaps you will later on, after you've shed your earthly body.  I know many people who are bitter because they never got their shot in life. Maybe they studied writing and wrote for years but never got published, or maybe they pursued politics or law but never got elected.

What I want everyone to understand (including myself!) is that this is not the end!  You can and will fulfill your destiny beyond the grave. Yes, God has things for us to do here, but I believe He has even more things for us to do in eternity.  I know some people in the last phase of their life who feel as though they've wasted their lives, that they've spent too many years without God and never did anything valuable. And although that is sad and they could have had a much fuller life following God, they still have a destiny in eternity. God is so gracious and merciful!
There are only two kingdoms in this world. And everyone you meet is in one or the other. Every single person you meet is either in the kingdom of God or the kingdom of darkness. Every person you meet is either doomed to an eternity without God or part of your heavenly family. It's actually a very sobering thought and will make you look at people with more care and more senstitivy.

Either way, we are all immortals. So, I encourage you, make the most of your eternity today!

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Another chance to Win Surrender the Dawn!!

Come read my interview and leave a comment to enter the drawing:  http://trishperry.blogspot.com/

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Some pictures from my recent family vacation!

I often forget how different the east coast is from the west. Unless you've lived in both areas, you probably wouldn't understand. Out here in California.. it's more like a desert. Some call it a Mediterranean environment. In the summer, it's very brown. There aren't many trees, even the hills are mostly brown. The sun is really bright too. I can't describe it. And there's very little moisture in the air. 

Out east, at least where I was in Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia, there are trees everywhere! And green green green as far as the eye can see. Shrubs and vines and moss and a wide variety of trees. The sun isn't quite so bright and the air is abuzz with insects and saturated with dew.

My mother and sister's cabin in the hills of Eastern Tennessee was such a peaceful charming place, surrounded by trees. At night the katydids chirped so loud you could hardly talk! And I even saw some fireflies!!  I spent 3 years living in Gatlinburg Tenn when I was a teenager and all those memories came back!  The Great Smoky Mountain National Park is right there.. and in my opinion, one of the most lush and serene wildernesses I've ever seen.   

Then we drove 6 hours to get to my brother's cabin in West Virginia where we spent a few days relaxing and hunting wild blackberries. (YUM!)  and jumping in swimming holes in the river to cool off. My brother and his family live in Florida but come up to the cabin as often as they can. It's so far off the beaten path that I didn't have cell phone coverage!!   The nearest grocery store is miles away. It's just a very different life than what I'm used to here in the big city. But the cabin is beautiful and we had fun.

I'm glad to be home. I've finally caught up a bit on my sleep and I'm excited to put the finishing touches on Veil of Pearls, due to my publisher on Sept 9th.    My camera ran out of juice about halfway through my trip, but I'd thought you'd enjoy a few pictures. I hope you all have a blessed and relaxing and wonderful weekend. God and family are truly all that matter.

Cody, my sister's dog. He's so much fun!

Me at The Village in Gatlinburg. I worked there as a teenager!

Roaring Fork Creek where we used to go for picnics as a kid

More Roaring fork!

Trees of West Virginia

The swimming hole we found!!

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Wordless Wednesday!

Stunning artwork! Artist, Angel Estevez

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The god of this world

Read the words of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a pastor in Germany who was executed for his stand against Hitler

"In a world where success is the measure and justification of all things, the figure of Him who was sentenced and crucified remains a stranger and is at best the object of pity. The world will allow itself to be subdued only by success. It is not ideas or opinions which decide, but deeds. Success alone justifies wrongs done. . .With a frankness and off-handedness which no other earthly power could permit itself, history appeals in its own cause to the dictum that the end justifies the means. . .The figure of the Crucified invalidates all thought which takes success for its standard."

How do you define success? Think about your answer for a moment.
I bet if we took to the streets and asked random people, we'd get answers such as:

Owning a home
Running a business
Making lots of money
Able to take vacations
Nice cars
Fame - making a name for oneself
Rising to the top of your company
Winning awards
Power over others
Raising good children

Being an author who is exposed to public viewpoints and whose success is measured in books sales and fame, I've been thinking a lot about this lately.  It seems to me that this present culture worships success more than anything. It has become our new god, the thing everybody strives for and craves. It is the ultiimate narcisistic, self-loving, self-worshiping god. It says my success is all that matters. Success is what gives me value in the world and in the eyes of the world. And people who don't achieve the world's definition of success end up being depressed, angry, despondent and feel like they are worthless.

It's so easy to get caught up in the cyclone of success, isn't it? Because, let's face it, we do need to work hard and be successful in order to support our families and care for our loved ones. But, like everything good God created, Satan loves to pervert and twist it and make it into something that destroys man instead of motivates him.

God has much to say about what this world considers success. Throughout Scripture, He calls it worthless, meaningless and a hindrance to our walk with Him.  True success is the opposite of what the world considers success:



 For all that is in the world--the lust of the flesh, craving for sensual gratification, and the lust of the eyes greedy longings of the mind, and the pride of life, assurance in one's own resources or in the stability of earthly things,-these do not come from the Father but are from the world. 1 John 2

What is success to God?
And the world passes away and disappears. . .but he who does the will of God and carries out His purposes in his life abides forever. 1 John 2:17
And what does the Lord require of you but to do justly, and to love kindness and mercy, and to humble yourself and walk humbly with your God? Micah 6:8

So, my question to you is this: Are you willing to be looked at by the world as a loser? As unsuccessful, as a nobody? Because at the end of  your life on earth when you stand before God, the only thing that will matter is that you loved God and obeyed Him.
But many that are first shall be last; and the last shall be first

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Hello from West Virgina!!

Hi everyone!! I'm sitting here in a remote cabin in the middle of the West Virginian mountains!!  IT is so Gorgeous!  The weather is perfect and everything is green. So different from California!! 

The winners from last weeks drawing are Rachel and Stacey!!! Congratulations ladies!

And the answer was A. For those who are curious!! Many of you got it right!  But it was much harder than the last question
I want to thank you all so much for participating in Surrender the Dawn month!!!  I always enjoy these book promotion months and I hope you do too!  And Congratulatios to all the winners!!

I'll be back in town on Monday and will tell you more about my trip next week!!!! Have a great weekend!!

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Wordless Wednesday!



Where I wish I was right now!



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Cheap Grace

It has been said that this current age is the Age of Grace. This is the time after the cross that God extends His hands of Grace, through the blood of His Son, to a dying world. All they have to do is believe, accept the sacrifice Jesus made on their behalf and their sins are forgiven and they are going to Heaven!

While I agree with all of the above, I think we could also classify this current culture as the culture of Cheap Grace. What do I mean by cheap grace? Grace that costs you nothing.

But isn't that the point of grace, that's it's free?  Yes, grace is given freely but after you receive that grace, it costs you something to keep it. It costs God His only beloved Son to give that grace to you. Are we so arrogant and unappreciative to believe that nothing is required of us but to accept it?

I know this is going to rub some people the wrong way and I know that most Christians have been taught that all you have to do is accept God's grace, which is to believe in Jesus, say a prayer of repentence, and you're in, but if you take Scripture as a whole, it says so much more than that.

I was reading in Luke 14 the other day and these passages jumped out at me.

If you want to be my disciple, you must hate everyone else by comparison—your father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even your own life. Otherwise, you cannot be my disciple.  And if you do not carry your own cross and follow me, you cannot be my disciple. Luke 14:25-17

Jesus then goes on to say that you wouldn't start contruction on a building or go to war with another country unless you first sat down and counted the cost to make sure you could finish the building or win the war. So, why do we jump on the salvation wagon without considering whether we are willing to pay the price?

So likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple. Luke 14:33

When was the last time you heard an altar call that listed the high cost of following Jesus before asking people to make a decision. Yet, shouldn't we do that? Wouldn't it be the right thing to do?  Have you ever signed a contract you hadn't read through thoroughly? Of course not! Yet, we do this all the time in our churches. And what do we get? A bunch of people who have no idea what they are getting into. They just want the rewards. They want to be forgiven and go to heaven.  But are they really willing to pay the price? Often times not and we see so many drifting away, leaving the church, angry at God. They wanted cheap grace. But God isn't into cheap grace. He hands it out freely, but it's not cheap.

At the end of Luke 9 Jesus was also talking about the price for following Him. Several people had asked to follow Him but they weren't willing to give up certain things. At the end, Jesus said:
Anyone who puts a hand to the plow and then looks back is not fit for the Kingdom of God

Do you get the sense God wants total devotion and complete commitment? He wants us to put Him first and follow Him unconditionally. I can show you a thousand verses that say that very thing. Then why do so many in His church make His grace so cheap? Being a follower of Christ will cost you. It will be worth it! But it will cost.   No, I'm not talking about works because we can't earn our way into Heaven or into God's grace. I'm talking about a condition of your heart.  Is He the most important thing in your life?  Does He occupy your thoughts? Are you desperate to be with Him, read His word? 

Are you willing to do whatever God asks of you? No matter what.

How can we not give Him our all after what He's done for us?  

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