Robin Gilbert Luftig's Blog, page 19

Greatest Fears

My good friend, Lori Roeleveld, was recently attacked by a dog that was trained to do damage. Since a child, this was one of her greatest fears. How did she manage?

“I’ve survived encountering what I’ve feared since childhood. I did everything I could have done to prevent it and it happened anyway. And, I’ll recover. I’ll be different, but I will be fine.”

Check out her latest blog post. And if you’re not already following her, treat yourself and do!

What say you?

What do you wonder about?  Are you happy … or are you doing what you never thought you’d do? Do you see consistencies … or are you all over the place? Drop me a line. I’d love to chat.

Struggling to find good in your life? Check out my award-winning book, God’s Best During Your Worst, or check out any of my other books on my Book page.

The post Greatest Fears appeared first on Robin Luftig.

What Fills Your Cup

We are what we take in. Maybe not broccoli or iced tea … great fiction or sappy television movies … what we allow in our minds and bodies shapes who we are. Do you hunger for… something important to you? What fills your cup?

What We Seek In Changes

We hunger for changes that match our life’s seasons. When we’re young, we hunger for approval from our parents, then our peers. Later, we seek out success and spend years trying to define our new sought-after desires.

Maybe it’s a big house or fancy cars.

When entering the winter of a person’s life, desires most often change again.

Security. Time to do what they want to do.

What Stays Constant

All Christ-centered lives have at least one thing in common: Christ is first. Friends, houses, and even financial security can change, It isn’t the law in Scripture that makes a person Christ-centered. It’s the hearts of the people living in it. Reducing Christ to a list of rules leads to legalistic Christianity.

 

You, God, are my God, earnestly I seek you; I thirst for you, my whole being longs for you, in a dry and parched land where there is no water.  Psalms 63:1

 

Help your family see God as loving, approachable, and involved. Include God in your daily conversations in your home Show how seeking and serving God can be fun. Remember, the only way to show it is to do it.

Father, fill my heart with what moves yours. Open my eyes to see what is important to you. Make what fills your cup fill mine.

What say you?

What do you wonder about?  Are you happy … or are you doing what you never thought you’d do? Do you see consistencies … or are you all over the place? Drop me a line. I’d love to chat.

Struggling to find good in your life? Check out my award-winning book, God’s Best During Your Worst, or check out any of my other books on my Book page.

The post What Fills Your Cup appeared first on Robin Luftig.

Hope not Discouragement

Do you think the saying is true: If you aren’t encouraging, by definition, then, you are discouraging? Is it the dour look on your face that impresses those around you? Or it could be the bounce in your step or the kind word you offer? Hope not discouragement, the choice is yours.

Ouch!

  … we were harassed at every turn—conflicts on the outside, fears within. But God, who comforts the downcast, comforted us … 2 Cor. 7:5-6

Here Comes Hope—It’s You!

Make the difference in someone else’s day. If you’re in a dark place, look at your situation differently. If you see others struggling, offer them comfort.

It Comes Down to Choice

Are you so distracted by life not going the way you planned that you’re affecting the attitudes around you?

Stop the maddness!

Instead, see if there are chances for you to comfort others. Offering encouragement to a person in need is one of the greatest opportunities to be a voice for God. Why would you want to pass that by?

Give it a shot. Offer someone hope not discouragement. You may change the trajectory of their day.

 

What say you?

What do you wonder about?  Are you happy … or are you doing what you never thought you’d do? Do you see consistencies … or are you all over the place? Drop me a line. I’d love to chat.

Struggling to find good in your life? Check out my award-winning book, God’s Best During Your Worst, or check out any of my other books on my Book page.

The post Hope not Discouragement appeared first on Robin Luftig.

They Were People

Do your eyes glaze over when you’re reading Scripture and come to a list of lineage? You know … the begats? Mine used to. I struggled to see the relevance these names had on my life until I began looking at them as people. Because they were people.

It happened when I was reading Genesis 10. There, I met Kittim (alternately transliterated as Chittim or Cethim). The son of Javan, the grandson of Japheth, and Noah’s great-grandson.

Initially, I wondered how could I read this chapter and find value in a bunch of names that are too difficult to pronounce, let alone remember?

Where’s the value?

Then, two thoughts came to me. First, God inspired these names to be written. And God saw value in each and every one of the men noted in this chapter. No details were given here, and no details were needed. Simply, these men were valued by God. They weren’t perfect. In fact, some of the names listed were the forefathers of some pretty violent tribes (Amorites and Canaanites). But they all were descendants of Noah, a righteous man.

My second thought was of David Green, my own great-grandfather. He was real, too. He lived, breathed, and loved life. Among his children was a son, Roy, who married and had five children. One of these children was my mother, Janet.

All people. All with value.

Many of the names listed in Genesis 10 have faded into oblivion. Many have never heard of them. But they held an important place in our history.

And God knew them.

“I [God] have engraved you on the palms of my hands ….” Isaiah 49:16,

 

No matter who we are, God has a purpose for our lives. We may not see it … we may be one in a long line of begats … but God’s master plan would not be complete if we weren’t in it.

When you read Genesis 10, know without a doubt, that they were people and loved by God.

Even Kittim.

What say you?

What do you wonder about?  Are you happy … or are you doing what you never thought you’d do? Do you see consistencies … or are you all over the place? Drop me a line. I’d love to chat.

Struggling to find good in your life? Check out my award-winning book, God’s Best During Your Worst, or check out any of my other books on my Book page.

The post They Were People appeared first on Robin Luftig.

Time to Apply

This Present Darkness’s Frank Peretti at BRMCWC

I’m still floating in the clouds over the Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers conference I attended a few weeks ago. There were so many gifted writers there … and their primary goal was to help writers like me. But it’s time to apply what I learned.

I’ve been replaying some of the conversations I had with other conferees as well as faculty members in my mind. They all offered feedback and advice.

Polluted by Pride

Then my thinking became polluted with pride.

Why did he think I needed that type of critiquing, anyway?

Why didn’t she like my writing?

My goal all along was to go to the conference to get help from those in the literary field, yet for a moment I tried to defend myself and my work.

I’m so pathetic … completely pathetic.

After fighting my way through my mental arrogance, I hunkered down with my laptop and started applying the suggestions to what I had already written. I knew this process would include deleting and rewriting large sections of text. Many hours would be needed to apply what I had learned.

After my first marathon writing session and I finally closed the top of my laptop. I was blown away.

It looks better … my writing is stronger!

If you listen to constructive criticism, you will be at home among the wise. If you reject discipline, you only harm yourself; but if you listen to correction, you grow in understanding. Proverbs 15:31-32

I heard words of truth. It’s time to apply what I learned to gain the benefit. I pray I will continue to be open to those around me who offer wisdom.

How about you? Do you take input from the wise?

What say you?

What do you wonder about?  Are you happy … or are you doing what you never thought you’d do? Do you see consistencies … or are you all over the place? Drop me a line. I’d love to chat.

Struggling to find good in your life? Check out my award-winning book, God’s Best During Your Worst, or check out any of my other books on my Book page.

The post Time to Apply appeared first on Robin Luftig.

Follow in Obedience

Follow in Obedience

I think it’s safe to say we’ve all asked ourselves if following God is worth it. We may not say the words out loud, because we don’t want other people to hear our doubt. But the question is there, nonetheless. Especially when life takes a turn for the worse. Will we still want to bask in His “presence” when He’s not giving us the “presents” we feel we deserve? During dark times, do we follow in obedience?

Don’t you know that when you offer yourselves to someone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one you obey—whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness? (Romans 6:16)

 

You either are or you are not

Being obedient is a lot like being pregnant—you either are or you are not. We can’t only be obedient when it suits us—where’s the obedience in that? God loves us, and because of that love, He doesn’t allow His children to opt-out of obedience whenever it suits them.

He desires obedience all the time.

It’s a new battle, every day for me. Maybe you, too.

God, in His sovereignty, is consistent. Even when we think He doesn’t see us or care—maybe even especially then. The consistency He offers through His Word, brings obedience into focus.

Remember, He was obedient to His Father.

Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for first being obedient. You know my heart and sometimes I don’t like what You ask of me. But because you placed the stars in the sky, know the hairs on my head, and planned my days before time began, I will follow you and accept your desires for my life. Amen.

What say you?

What do you wonder about?  Are you happy … or are you doing what you never thought you’d do? Do you see consistencies … or are you all over the place? Drop me a line. I’d love to chat.

Struggling to find good in your life? Check out my award-winning book, God’s Best During Your Worst, or check out any of my other books on my Book page.

The post Follow in Obedience appeared first on Robin Luftig.

Blessed or Entitled

If you slept inside last night, you are considered among the world’s most privileged. It’s heartbreaking that 1 out of 3 people worldwide lives in substandard shelters. But the rub is, how do we see ourselves–blessed or entitled?

 

Deadly Sniffles?

Maybe you get a case of the sniffles. Infectious diseases continue to blight the lives of the poor across the world. In 2004, an estimated 40 million people were diagnosed with HIV/AIDS and 3 million died. Every year there are 350–500 million cases of malaria, with 1 million fatalities. Africa counts for 90 percent of malarial deaths and their children account for over 80 percent of malaria victims worldwide.

And don’t get me started on COVID-19!

Yet we get annoyed when a case of sniffles puts us to bed. For some, the sniffles

are the beginning of a death sentence.

We’re rich.

If you are reading this, you are very blessed. I don’t write this post to be a Debbie Downer. I want to snap us all back to reality. As we watch this world somehow return to normal, maybe we should consider not giving from our abundance. Instead, let’s give to those who have less than we do. How we take care of the least of us is an indication of how safe we all are.

How we take care of the least of us is an indication of how safe we all are.

If you want to give but don’t know where to start, check out Global Partners in Peace and Development. You will be blessed.

What say you?

What do you wonder about?  Are you happy … or are you doing what you never thought you’d do? Do you see consistencies … or are you all over the place? Drop me a line. I’d love to chat.

Struggling to find good in your life? Check out my award-winning book, God’s Best During Your Worst, or check out any of my other books on my Book page.

The post Blessed or Entitled appeared first on Robin Luftig.

Satan’s Conversation with God

When you’re feeling low, have you ever matched your life to Job’s How do you think Satan’s conversation with God would go if he brought up your name?

The Book of Job tells us about such a conversation. How God held Job up to Satan as being “blameless and upright, and a man who shuns evil“. From there, we read how Satan took everything from Job but his wife (there’s a storyline for you) or his life. We learn of his struggles and loss, only to be shown favor in the end.

Is there more?

It’s not just a story of one very good man, it’s also a story of God’s power over Evil.

If you’ve been a follower of my blog for any period of time, you know when I write about a relationship with God, I make it personal. I mean no disrespect when I write, but sometimes the best way for me to do that is to see Him in picture words. That’s why I like the story of Job.

Look it up for yourself.

For now, however, look at the story through my eyes. I see it opening with God sitting behind a huge mahogany desk when Satan enters His office to visit. God lifts Job up to Satan as an example of a man of good character … “blameless and upright”. But Satan, the snake that he is, taunts God with, “Oh, yeah, well, if you hadn’t blessed him so much, he’d sing a different song.”

Satan learned his lesson

That’s when it happened—that’s when God told Satan what he can and cannot do to destroy Job’s faith.

Did you get that? God told Satan, “You are not the boss over Job”.

Did you get that? God told Satan, “You are not the boss over Job”.

What’s that mean for me?

This is where it still gets personal.

Nothing—nothing—breaks through God’s wall of protection. He is more powerful than anything Satan can throw our way. He has our days numbered and our paths set. He knows the beginning and the end.

Don’t think Satan’s bumpy ride will ever have power over you. It may distract you for a moment, but when God is your savior, He holds your life in the palm of his hand.

Make this personal.

Think about your past. Looking back over my life, I remember too many experiences that could have gone terribly wrong. But only because of God’s protection I live to see a new day. It’s like God’s conversation with Satan about me went something like, “You can take her so far, but you can’t go past what I allow.

Do you think God and Satan have conversations about you? We all have stories of God’s protection. I’d love to hear some of yours.

What say you?

What do you wonder about?  Are you happy … or are you doing what you never thought you’d do? Do you see consistencies … or are you all over the place? Drop me a line. I’d love to chat.

Struggling to find good in your life? Check out my award-winning book, God’s Best During Your Worst, or check out any of my other books on my Book page.

The post Satan’s Conversation with God appeared first on Robin Luftig.

Where’s Your Checklist

Take a sip of coffee before you grasp this thought … Where’s your checklist, because the year 2021 is half over? We all sat back during December and January, making lists and goals. Being as grown-up and responsible as we knew to be.

Would you lose weight this year? That’s always good to put on the list.

What about reading? Did you set a list of books you wanted to finish reading for the year? That would make you look scholarly.

Where’s your checklist?

What have you done? It isn’t too late to salvage your list.

Grab your red pencil. Get ready to start crossing items off.

You can do it. You have six months to go!

 

What say you?

What do you wonder about?  Are you happy … or are you doing what you never thought you’d do? Do you see consistencies … or are you all over the place? Drop me a line. I’d love to chat.

Struggling to find good in your life? Check out my award-winning book, God’s Best During Your Worst, or check out any of my other books on my Book page.

The post Where’s Your Checklist appeared first on Robin Luftig.

Don’t Mind Me, I’m Just Editing

Since the beginning of the year, I’ve been focused on making sure to chat with you at least three times a week, on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. But deadlines have taken over my world! So don’t mind me, I’m just editing.

I’m editing Ladies Uncover a Secret and once again I’m deep in the lives Lily-Rose Pembrick, Fiona Kasey, and Sugar Bowersox.

There are surprises around every turn. I’m completely in love with these 1970s gals and I can’t wait for you to see what’s happening in their lives.

So, please offer me grace. I’m buried in edits and trying to have this ready for my upcoming deadline.

I hope you love where this story goes. The idea came to me over two years ago. And to be completely honest, I’m pretty nervous that I do this story justice. The story’s about Fiona this time. The African American lady of the three-person friendship.

Will I get it right? Will I cause harm? It may be a bit controversial, so I’m going in prayerfully. Don’t mind me, I’m just editing. And edits are important. So don’t forget me! I haven’t forgotten you. But I need to get this right.

I can’t wait for you to see it.

Stay tuned!

What say you?

What do you wonder about?  Are you happy … or are you doing what you never thought you’d do? Do you see consistencies … or are you all over the place? Drop me a line. I’d love to chat.

Struggling to find good in your life? Check out my award-winning book, God’s Best During Your Worst, or check out any of my other books on my Book page.

 

The post Don’t Mind Me, I’m Just Editing appeared first on Robin Luftig.