Janet Sketchley's Blog: Tenacity, page 83
April 13, 2015
Review: The Reluctant Caregiver, by Bobbi Junior
The Reluctant Caregiver, by Bobbi Junior (Word Alive Press, 2014)
I knew this was a book I’d value, from the dedication:
Dedicated to my brother, husband and children, who never said “You should…”
And to Jesus, who said, “Let me.”
On one level, this is a memoir of one woman’s struggle to demonstrate the love of Christ to her mother, Nancy, who has dementia. Without a power of attorney in place, Bobbi Junior and her brother, Lawrence, can’t take the conventional advice to “put her in a home.”...
April 10, 2015
Giveaway & Author Interview: Renee Blare
Author Renee Blare, with her novel, Beast of Stratton
Raised in Louisiana and Wyoming,Renee Blarestarted writing poetry in junior high school and that, as they say, was that. After having her son, a desire to attend pharmacy school sent her small family to Laramie and she’s been counting pills ever since. While writing’s her first love, well, after the Lord and her husband, she also likes to fish and hunt as well as pick away on her classical guitar.
Nestled against the Black Hills with her h...
April 8, 2015
Waiting Quietly
Let all that I am wait quietly before God,
for my hope is in him.
Psalm 62:5, NLT*
These words refresh my spirit and re-focus me on God.
David wrote them about a time of great pressure, reminding himself and his people to look to God for help instead of relying on others or on their own assets.
The “trust God” theme is so important that it’s written twice: before and after David’s list of troubles. (You can read the entire psalm here: Psalm 62)
Waiting quietly before God speaks to the state...
April 6, 2015
Review: Heart Failure, by Richard L. Mabry
Heart Failure, by Richard L. Mabry, M.D. (Thomas Nelson, 2013)
Dr. Carrie Markham’s freshly-healed heart is broken when her new fiancé turns out to be a man on the run, living under an assumed identity. Adam tells her his testimony put a powerful man in jail, but the man’s friends have been hunting him ever since.
Can she believe him? Does she want to? Or is it possible that the attacks are really directed at Carrie herself? Something’s definitely suspicious in the clinic where she works. Or...
April 3, 2015
A Song for Good Friday
Here we are again in the Christian calendar, in the middle of the Holy Week observances. It would be easier to gloss over the pain Jesus bore to buy our salvation, but we need to know the cost of this gift. It was a price we could never pay, for a rescue we could never earn.
Of the many songs that celebrate Jesus’ willing sacrifice and victory, here’s the one I’ve chosen to share this year: “Too Small a Price,” by Don Francisco. Don’t be alarmed by the 16+ minutes it shows in the YouTube pane...
April 1, 2015
Pride? Or Jesus?
When Jesus came by, he looked up at Zacchaeus and called him by name. “Zacchaeus!” he said. “Quick, come down! I must be a guest in your home today.”
Luke 19:5, NLT*
As a child in church, I learned the song about Zacchaeus [say za-KEE-us] being “a wee, little man” who climbed a tree so he could see Jesus over the crowds. I didn’t think too much about who he was as a person. (Luke tells his story in Luke 19:1-10.)
Zacchaeus was the chief tax collector, an occupation that brought great wealth...
March 30, 2015
Review: Feed Your Spirit, by Kimberley J. Payne
Feed Your Spirit, by Kimberley J. Payne (Kimberley Payne, 2014)
Feed Your Spirit is a short collection of devotionals on prayer. Each opens with a Scripture passage, and closes with a quote on prayer. Each devotional is longer than your standard brief daily reading, and explores an aspect of prayer.
One that I most appreciated was the PATH method of prayer (Praise, Admit, Thanksgiving and Help). Topics also cover prayer walking, gratitude, hearing from God, and the question of “what if God’s...
March 27, 2015
There’s Always Something New to Learn
I have the privilege of writing and recording five devotionals for HopeStreamRadio each week. I have been working my way through the book of John, my favourite gospel. And although I’ve read it many times before, I am still amazed by new discoveries—and rediscoveries.
The following are among those things that stood out to me as I worked on the series I call “If You Love Me”:
I was reminded just how impetuous and impulsive Peter was—a...
March 25, 2015
More than a Miracle-Worker
“Lord,” he said, “I want to see!”
And Jesus said, “All right, receive your sight! Your faith has healed you.”
Luke 18:41b-42, NLT*
On the way to Jericho, Jesus responds to a blind beggar’s plea. I love this story, and the man’s cry, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” (Luke 18:38, NLT*) can become our own in times of distress. It’s one of the variations of the Jesus Prayer.
Jesus’ approach is different in this brief encounter. (It’s only 9 verses; take time to read it here: Luke 18:35-...
March 23, 2015
Review: Dandelions for Dinner, by Valerie Comer
Dandelions for Dinner, by Valerie Comer (GreenWords Media, 2014)
Green Acres Farm began with three friends, all single women, who wanted to get out of the city and practice sustainable living. In Dandelions for Dinner, newcomer Allison Hart joins the growing community on the farm.
Allison is a reserved person, and she finds it a challenge living in a communal environment. Eventually she’ll have her own house and farm school, but for now she’s living with one of the other women. And all the fa...
