Robin Gilbert Luftig's Blog, page 3

I’m Still Floating

I���m still floating in the clouds over the Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers conference I attended last week. There were so many gifted writers there ��� and their primary goal was to help other writers.

I���ve been replaying conversations I had with other conferees as well as faculty members in my mind. They all offered great feedback and advice.

And we all need that, right? The more I write the more I know I need help. That sounds pretty pathetic, but it’s true.

 

After the Whoopla

After arriving home and fighting my way through exhaustion, I finally hunkered down at my desk and started applying some of the suggestions of what I had learned to my WIP (Work in progress). I knew this would include deleting and rewriting large sections of text. Many hours of editing have been applied. 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!

Scripture rings true. “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.

���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.

Ain’t that the way

If you weren’t at BRMWC, if at all possible, do yourself a favor and try to get there next year. ��If it’s not BRMCWC, check your area for other Christian writers’ conferences. I can’t promise you that your experience will be like mine, but it’s my hope that you’ll get what you need.

 

Blue Ridge Mountain Christian Writers Conference 2025 is history. Consider attending next year, BRMCWC 2026.
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Looking for a Do-Over?

Do you feel like you don���t matter? 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.

First posted June 6, 2021

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A Doppelg��nger

If you see me this week, are you seeing a doppelg��nger, or my double? It’s me, if you’re at the Blue Ridge Mountain Christian Writers Conference in Asheville, North Carolina, May 26th through 30th.

At the conference, I’ll be mingling with some of the finest Christian writers of our time. Some have published dozens of books and others have yet to publish a one. But each person at the conference is seeking God’s direction for their storytelling. In my book, that makes them spectacular!

If you’re a Christian writer–fiction or nonfiction–and missed the conference this year, do what you can to make it to the next one.

I can’t wait to tell you all about my experiences afterward … once I catch up on my sleep.

 

 

 

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Pull It Together

Never has there been a greater phase of comfort. If you are struggling but can pull it together to focus on one thing … focus on Romans 8:38-39: For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:38-39

Sounds easy enough, right?

Does This Include Everything?

Try to think of something not included.��Fear of not having enough money? Covered. Upset with what others are saying about you? That���s covered, too. Don���t let it get between you and your Heavenly Father.

Maybe you���re fretting over (yes, I���m going there) the political climate of the day. While people fighting over political commentaries from either side of the aisle may bring you anxiety, know��for a fact that all their chest-pounding or fear-mongering does not have the power to separate you from God���s love.

While people fighting over political commentaries from either side of the aisle may bring you anxiety, know for a fact that all their chest-pounding or fear-mongering does not have the power to separate you from God���s love.
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Often a single word or scriptural phrase of comfort can carry us through. Do your best to pull it together, take a deep breath, and know God’s already fought your battle and won! If you���re not feeling all that confident, drop me a note at robin@robinlufitg.com, and let���s talk about it.

Looking for a Do-Over?

Do you feel like you don���t matter? 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.

First posted May 17, 2022.

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If You Don’t Feel Seen

God sees you, no matter where you are. No matter if you don’t feel seen. Not even if you don’t think you can see Him.

Years ago, I attended a conference and, can I say, I was a bit overwhelmed. I had so much to do waiting for me at home. I had deadlines to meet … commitments to keep. My focus was, well, out of focus.

I decided to take my laptop and unfinished manuscript with me. My plan was to grab some time and focus on what I needed to finish. When I entered a public area, I purposefully sat with my back to the door, hoping I gave off the, DO NOT BOTHER ME vibe. After a few moments,��a woman I did not know walked up and stood in front of me.

Clearly, she didn’t understand what I was saying with my body language, so I looked up and smiled.

That’s when her words–and obedience–blew me away. She smiled and said, “God told me to tell you something.”

She had my attention.

I closed my laptop, leaned back in my chair, and smiled back. She had my undivided attention. “Please, what did he tell you?”

“God told me to tell you something.
@robinluftig”

“The Lord said you are an encourager and He wants to encourage you. Your kindness and gentleness are not overlooked and He wants to reward you���every effort you have��made to be there for others has been as His��hands and feet and words. He Loves you.”

I could have missed it

Tears traced my cheeks. I could have missed it! In my it’s-all-about-me moment, I could have missed this precious gift a stranger wanted to give me. I saw tears in her eyes, too. I thanked her for listening to God and for having the courage to share. She smiled and went on her way.

Needless to say, my steps were lighter when I left the common area … and so was my heart.

Please know, friend, that God sees you, no matter where you are. He sees you in your troubles and well as in your celebrations. When you’re alone or in a crowd.

For I am the��Lord your God who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help��you.
Isaiah 41:13

He’s with you right now.

 

Looking for a Do-Over?

Do you feel like you don���t matter? 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.

First posted November 1, 2022.

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Mother’s Day Dilemma

Picking the perfect Mother���s Day card was always a challenge for me It was my Mother’s Day dilemma.�� I bypassed cards that said, ���You���ve been the best influence ever��� or ���You���re my best friend.����� While these are all beautiful sentiments, they didn’t reflect the relationship I had with my mom.

My mom and I were not close like many mothers and daughters are.�� I loved my mom and know, without a doubt, that she loved me.�� But some of life���s dark twists and turns either derailed us and our relationship or stopped us from having a meaningful relationship at all. Over the years we learned to appreciate one other for who we were. While we may have desired Norman Rockwell-like family moments, we learned to settle for awkward silence; accept what we had as a gift.

Ironically, our relationship grew when we learned not to expect from each other what the other couldn���t give.�� We discovered–then called out–our own expectations.

Expectations

Expectations ~ the human side of��shoulds��or��oughts ~ cause so many relational problems. Expectations can even ruin relationships.�� But Christ���s divine guidance offers standards that set everything right.

Simply put, offer honor.�� Follow God’s expectations, not one another’s.

Apostle Paul says in Ephesians, ���Honor your father and mother��� ~ which is the first commandment with a promise ~ ���so that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth.��� (6:2-3 NIV)

The love I have for my mom is difficult to explain. But it’s unshakeable.�� It isn���t about cards, flowers, or ooey-gooey sentiments. It’s about my choice to love. God tells me to, and that���s enough of a reason.

On Mother's Day I ponder the love I had for my mother. It is difficult to explain, but without a doubt, it was unshakeable.
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Give it a Try

I am no longer faced with fretting over picking the right card. Mom went home to Glory in 2021. I now find comfort in my memories.

If your mother is still with you and your relationship is less than what you want, Mother���s Day may be difficult. Rest in the knowledge that when we follow God’s word, Life is good. Mother’s Day is good. Dig deep into your memories. Pull up one–just one–happier time. Do what you can to combat a Mother���s Day dilemma.

And do your best to find that perfect Mother���s Day card.

Looking for a Do-Over?

Do you feel like you don���t matter? 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.

First posted May 4, 2022.

The post Mother’s Day Dilemma appeared first on Robin Luftig.

Ladies on a Mission

You’ve asked, so here’s the latest on Ladies on a Mission.

What’s the story?

Life isn’t always as it seems

It’s 1984, and the lives are full for the Ladies of the Fire. Fiona Casey-Boyd still lives in Shaker Heights, Ohio with husband and almost-teen, Sugar-Rose. Lily-Rose Pembrick has been enjoying her empty nest on Norwood Street in Applegate, Ohio since her children returned to Lincoln, Nebraska.�� Sugar Bowersox and her family returned to hometown Trotter, Kentucky so Dungar could be Trotter College���s inaugural head football coach.

But full lives aren’t necessarily lives fulfilled.

When Sugar’s world falls apart in Trotter, she turns to the friends who know her best–the ladies of the fire.

Fiona and Lily-Rose travel to Trotter, Kentucky, to support Sugar, but are shocked by what they find. And Sugar works to keep them in the dark with what has haunted her life for years.

Will Sugar’s past life in Trotter finally catch up with her?

Keep watching

I need to be on the same page with my editor and publisher because they’re the boss, applesauce! But I’m shooting for December 2025!

You've asked, so here's the latest on Ladies on a Mission.
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Where it all began

Ladies of the Fire���Can a woman on the run find herself again?

Ladies of the Fire��brought us to the late 1960s as we met the newly-widowed Lily-Rose Pembrick reeling as she fled Lincoln, Nebraska, with her children. Only taking the cash from the house safe and what she could get her hands on at the family bank, she left the recently-inherited and successful Pembrick Transportation company behind.��Exhausted from driving all night, she stopped in Applegate, Ohio, and decided to start a new life on Norwood Street. There, she met Fiona Kasey, an African-American no-nonsense housekeeper/companion to an elderly white woman, and Sugar Bowersox, a Southern spitfire who has lost herself in motherhood.

Together, they enjoyed Lily-Rose���s backyard fire pit, where dreams were spoken and secrets revealed. As they embraced a kinship they never would have sought, Lily-Rose began thinking her past could finally be laid to rest���until someone ended up dead.

 

Her family has hidden secrets. Will she ever learn the truth?

It���s 1972 and Fiona Kasey-Boyd is living her dream life in Shaker Heights, Ohio but something���s wrong. Married to a wonderful man, eight months pregnant with his child, she���s wracked with sadness. Is she suffering from the baby blues, or is it something darker?

In a quick trip to her home town before the baby arrives, Fiona reconnects with her friends Lily-Rose and Sugar, leaning on them for strength. The three of them search for answers to Fiona���s questions. But they are stonewalled at every turn with evasion and silence.

Only the power of their friendship can help Fiona face the darkness of her family���s secrets���secrets whose answers can heal her heart ��� or shatter it.

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Nothing New Under the Sun

Blogging on Tuesdays is quite purposeful. I don’t share on Mondays, because there are too many new tugs on readers’ time to start that go with the beginning of a new week. By Tuesday, however, most of the dust has settled and the week’s schedule has taken shape. It doesn’t matter if it’s the schedule for a stay-at-home mom or a governmental elected official. It’s the same for everyone. We all have something pressing in us. There’s nothing new under the sun.

There's nothing new under the sun.
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Ponder This

Whether our worlds are filled with joy beyond measure or sorrow unimaginable, all these feelings have been felt before.

What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun.
Ecclesiates 1:9

This truth is not meant to mitigate a person’s emotions in any way. It’s to offer a chorus of celebration for the highs as well as extend solace for the lows.

David Danced Under the Sun

Think back on the most beautiful memory you own. Was it the birth of a child? A wedding day? Graduation? These sensations are so powerful that if you were made to hold them in you might explode!

King David, the man after God’s own heart (Acts 13:22), showed unashamed joy as he danced when the Ark of the Lord finally entered Jerusalem. Nothing, not even the biting words of his wife Michal shifted his focus on celebrating the LORD (2 Samuel 6:21).

 

David Wept Under the Sun

Yet we also learn from David the depths of sadness. One can weep along with Psalm 51, as he reflects on the prophet Nathan’s rebuke over the death of Uriah and his adultery with Bathsheba.

Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.
Psalm 51:10-12

What is Under Your Sun

Are you dancing … or weeping? Oh, friend, if you’re in a season of sorrow or struggling to find purpose, I understand.

And so does God.

Take a break if you must. Tend to your wounds. Take comfort in the fact that you are not alone. Accept help from loving friends.

And know without a doubt, that you will experience joy again …

Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

… Because there is nothing new under the sun.

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.

 

 

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The Most Amazing Time

We’re coming up to the Easter season. This is the most amazing time. We celebrate Jesus defeating death. We offer thanks to God because Jesus rose rom the dead, and that we, too, can have eternal life. Let’s pause and think about what we tend to overlook.

While Eight hundred years before Jesus was crucified, Isaiah prophesied that a Messiah would come. Isaiah didn’t know the names of the upcoming players. He couldn’t use the names of Mary, Joseph, or even Jesus. But instead, he used terms like Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace.

Jews who saw Jesus on the cross knew in their heads the Messiah was coming, but their hearts were elsewhere. Crazy, right?

But we do the same thing

We scratch our heads when we think of it. How could they miss it? We can’t fathom how they could be so ignorant (unknowing).

Really?

Look at our own ignorance today. Society celebrates the Easter Bunny, while the greatest gift of all is offered. Many are more involved with the ham and hot-cross buns when the family gets together than the truth of the miracle of the resurrection.

How can this be?

If it wasn’t so sad I’d be angry about it. If I hadn’t been one who had at one time turned my back and concentrated on Peeps and chocolate eggs, I wouldn’t understand.

Can We Call a Mulligan?

How about we call a Mulligan–a do-over.

 “Remember not the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.”
Isaiah 43:18-19

Let’s start over, right now. Because of Jesus dying on the cross then raising from the dead, we have the luxury to change our future. We may know in our heads that Jesus came to save us all, but let’s continue to ponder on the marvels of Easter before we forget again. Let’s move our thoughts to beliefs during this the most amazing time. It’s not too late to put action to our knowledge and embrace the Good News—a King came to set us free!

It’s the most amazing time and not too late to put action to our knowledge and embrace the Good News
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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 The Most Amazing Time appeared first on Robin Luftig.

Does God Cry

Have you ever wondered … does God cry specifically for each of us?

I don’t question that He loves me.  I sang songs about his love when I was a child. Scripture is very plain on that. If there’s a question about that love, reflect on what he did for us all on the cross. But a time came in 2011 when I wondered if God’s love could be singular. Is God’s love personal?

To Understand

To help me understand , I try to see Him as I see others with whom I have relationships.  I think about Him as Jesus–God in the form of Man—so I can look into His eyes and try to understand who I am to God.

Have you ever wondered ... does God cry for you specifically?
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Why ask such a question?

Life started normally on the morning of April 1, 2011. It was Friday and I thanked God for bringing me through another work week. Little did I know while I was thanking God, He was sitting on the edge of his chair, elbows on his knees, his head hanging. He knew that this day would be the day everything would change for me.

I can see him choosing to sit there—just a few moments more. He knew this day needed to come. He knew before I would go to sleep that night, that I would hear news that had the potential to rock my faith to its core.

What He knew

My Heavenly Father knew that April 1 would be the day I’d learn of the tumor on my brain that had the potential of taking my life. He knew that I’d spend ten days facing my mortality. He knew I’d need to revisit all the dark corners of my past and  make sure I had asked for or given forgiveness. I needed to take care of business.

For you, today

Is God pondering over what you’ll face today? Will an unexpected situation try to take you out? While it may be unexpected to you, but know, without a doubt, He’s never not known this day would come for you.

Can you visualize Him? Getting out of bed, stepping into his slippers, and strolling to His kitchen. He knew this wasn’t how He had initially planned to do things. Sin had gotten in the way all those years ago. Because of that sin, all of His children would face paying the costs of sin. He would need to clean up after sin—always cleaning up.

Close your eyes

Envision God fixing His cereal.  Right now He knows what’s waiting for you later today. With each spoonful of cereal, can you see Him pondering on how you will handle what’s coming?  He stops, put his spoon down and rested His arm and forehead on the table.

The Lord is close to the brokenhearted
and saves those who are crushed in spirit.
Psalm 34:18

I wonder if God cried for me that day. I write about my view of God’s plan for my life in God’s Best During Your Worst. Be confident that He knows what’s coming for you today as well.

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 Does God Cry appeared first on Robin Luftig.

When Friendships End

It’s funny how and when things come to mind. While switching over the seasonal clothes in my closet (do others still do that?), a friend from long ago “Bonnie” … (not her real name) came to mind. Back in the day, our lives ran in sync. We were pregnant at the same times, liked the same herb teas, and even went back to college as non-traditional students during the same season in our lives. With everything we did, it seemed were connected at the hip. It was a wonderful friendship. It’s a real heartbreak, then, when friendships end.

What went wrong?

Unfortunately, Bonnie and I also dealt with similar compulsions in our lives at the same time. I filed for divorce to start a new life. I soon began steeping in my dysfunction, not realizing the harm I was causing myself. And as a good (and compulsive) friend, Bonnie came right along. It didn’t take long for her to follow the path I had blazed and she, too, filed for divorce.

Again, she and I were inseparable. We even scheduled our children’s visitation evenings on the same nights so we could go out and enjoy ourselves; paint the town red. Life was our oyster and there was no limit to what was before us. We were two attractive young women looking for attention and enjoying all that we received.

But …

But, as scripture warns, we had enjoyed the “pleasures of sin for a season” but when the season was over our lives began to fall apart. We didn’t recognize that we were spending time with people we never should have met… doing things we never should have done … going places we never should have visited. We were making choices we never should have made.

In the middle of the wallowing in muck and mire that was due to our choices, Bonnie and I severed our friendship. We remained civil with each other, but too many secrets were shared between us. The secrets that once bonded our friendship now carried the potential to do great harm.

Life Moved On

Opportunities led me to relocate from the town where Bonnie and I lived in, and life for me moved on. Years later I found myself on my knees, asking God to take over my mismanaged life. I was humbled and thrilled that his grace had waited for me. From the point, my walk with Christ fills me daily with wonder and awe of how he could love and forgive completely.

I still marvel at God’s grace

A few years ago had the opportunity to return to the area where Bonnie and I lived. Once there, I happened to walk into a fast-food restaurant and saw a young man who I knew immediately had to be Bonnie’s son. His features reflected his parent’s so strikingly that I had to ask if Bonnie was his mother.

Yes, he said, shyly … how did I know her? I vaguely shared how she and I had spent some time together years ago. I gave him my cell phone number and asked him to have his mom call me. I was so excited about having the opportunity to chat with Bonnie. The thought of offering an amend, making it our relationship right, thrilled my heart. I wanted so desperately to share my new life  in Christ with her. We had always been like two peas from the same pod and I knew she would get it, too.

But her return call never came

Her call never came. I thought maybe Bonnie’s son had misplaced my note, so I called her number that I had remembered from long ago. Hearing Bonnie’s recorded voice,  I left my own message asking her to give me a call. I said I had lots to share with her. When I ended the message, I was excited to that I’d soon have the opportunity to tell her of my healing journey.

But again, no call came.

Then it hit me

That’s when reality hit me–she wasn’t going to call.

Just because I had found peace in Christ’s truth didn’t necessarily mean that she had found it, too. I needed to realize that Bonnie had the right to not want to hear my amend; that she had the right not to accept the new and improved me. If she wanted to hang onto her memories of me … that was her right.

Just because I had found peace in truth didn’t necessarily mean that she had found it, too. When friendship ends.

Or maybe she was following Christ and chose to steer clear of chances to be tempted by past sins. Did she see me as an evil reminder?

Both reasons made sense

I have few regrets in my life. I’ve given all the broken parts of my life and watched as he turned it to his glory. But if I had the chance to take anything back … if I could have a do-over … I would fix my relationship with Bonnie. It makes me sad to think that a great friendship ended because of past sins. I miss her still and can only hope she has found the peace in her life as I have found in mine.

But back to my closet and switching out clothes. Seasons … they come and they go.  Another Winter has come to an end and Spring is ready to begin.

Just as it should be.

When Friendships End
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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 When Friendships End appeared first on Robin Luftig.