Comfort for Loss

“This is the day the Lord has made. I will rejoice and be glad in it.” I begin each morning with this biblical affirmation from Psalm 118, along with some other proven favorites, and then move into my devotion time. Before Paul went to heaven, these words would slide off my tongue with confidence. Lately, they sometimes want to stick in my throat like a too-large chunk of bread that just won’t go down.

The emotions resulting from loss of any kind, but especially of a loved one, are unpredictable and deceiving. When we think they are receding into the background of our consciousness, they creep up on us and suddenly plunge a dagger into our stomach, leaving us reeling. They sap our strength and assault our thoughts as we desperately search for perspective and order in a life that is forever changed.

This morning, as I read from one of my devotionals, I was reminded that “it is through our trials and afflictions that God gives us fresh revelations of Himself.”¹ But the pain of the loss is unwelcome and my mind and body want to run for cover. Yet Paul says in Philippians 3:10 that he so wanted to know Jesus and the power of His resurrection, that he was willing participate in His sufferings and be conformed to His death. I need this resurrection power, now more than ever, in order to walk through this period of my life.

So I speak the words that open the door of my day, words that hold a promise of hope and peace. Jesus assures us in Hebrews 4:16 that we can come boldly to the throne of grace and obtain mercy and grace to help us in our time of need. As we experience our brand of suffering and yet are willing to give Him our sacrifice of praise, He scoops us up, holds us close, and soothes our pain.

¹ Nathaniel William Taylor in Streams in the Desert

                                                   ©2013 Laura Allen Nonemaker  All Rights Reserved

FRED D'S AMAZING ESCAPE - A FROG'S TALE

Fred D is a determined little frog. I first met him in what I call my “secret garden” as I followed my usual routine of watering my plants. I had left some water in the watering can the day before and decided to use it up. When I tipped the watering can, nothing came out. Oh well, I thought, I guess some leaves are clogging the spout. I grabbed a twig to poke the leaves down and saw two big eyes staring at me. Apparently, a little frog had fallen into the watering can. When it couldn’t get out, it somehow crawled up into the spout.

I decided that the plants didn’t need to be watered right then and ran into the house to get my camera. Unfortunately, I didn’t get a very clear picture of the cute little fellow, but I wanted my husband, Paul, to see him when he got home. When we returned later, the frog was gone.  I guess I scared him so badly that he was determined to get out somehow…and apparently he did.

That’s how I came to write the second book in my children’s series, God’s Secret Garden Adventures. I titled it Fred D’s Amazing Escape. When Fred D (for determined, of course) Frog disobeys and leaves God’s Secret Garden, he almost doesn’t make it back to Promise Pond. Unfortunately for him, he faces more serious dangers than just getting stuck in a watering can. Fred D ultimately learns that obedience is even more important than determination.

Like my first book, Benny’s Angel, which launched in 2011, Fred D’s Amazing Escape is written for children between three and eight. It will be released in March of 2013 and followed soon after by the third book in the series, Catie’s Secret. Each God's Secret Garden Adventure is crafted to entertain young children and at the same time impart sound biblical principles. 

 I’ll tell you about Catie's Secret next time, so tune in.   

                                                          ©2012 Laura Allen Nonemaker  All Rights Reserved

Benny’s Angel Sequels Coming

As I return to my social media activities with this, my first post in several months, I ask myself, “Where did the summer go?” No doubt, others wonder the same thing, especially youngsters heading back to school.

Time has a way of sliding on past us while we are “doing life”. It began to get away from me way back in the spring, when a couple of unexpected hospitalizations and subsequent doctor visits derailed me. Thank God, the outcome was positive and later on, we traveled up north to visit family and friends. We also enjoyed bringing two granddaughters back to Florida for a couple of weeks.

In spite of all this, my creative juices continued to flow in at least one important area of my writing. I am excited to announce that, with God’s help, I completed two more children’s books in my series, God’s Secret Garden Adventures. The first book, Benny’s Angel, released from Tate Publishing in 2011. Book two, Fred D’s Amazing Escape, will launch in April of 2012. The third book, Catie’s Secret, releases shortly after that.

Children, parents, and grandparents alike have delighted in Benny’s Angel and its charming animal characters. In the weeks ahead, I look forward to introducing you to some new animal personalities that will join existing ones in books two and three of God’s Secret Garden Adventures.

                                                                                                     Laura Allen Nonemaker

A Christmas Memory for 2011

Last December I shared a precious Christmas memory from my childhood, helping my father prepare his traditional family recipe for plum pudding. New readers can refer to my archives if they would like to read that article.

This year's special memory is of the first Advent season I spent at Mount Saint Agnes Academy when I was ten. In what I call a mysterious move by God, I was enrolled by my Anglican father and Jewish mother, neither of whom attended any religious services, in a Catholic school. It seems that when they married, they agreed not to impose either of their religions on my brother and me. We learned respect for God through our nightly prayers with our mother, but we did not have a clear understanding of who Jesus was.

It was the custom during Advent for the nuns to give us each a flyer containing directions for making a "crib" for Baby Jesus It listed various prayers and recitations, each of which represented an item needed to prepare a baby's bed. For example, the mattress might be ten Our Father's, the sheet might be fifteen Glory Be's, and the blanket ten Hail Mary's. In addition, there would be a pillow and a pillowcase. As a child who had never been exposed to any details of the Christian faith, I was absolutely fascinated with this ritual. I was to have the honor of preparing a crib, in reality my heart, where the Christchild would be welcomed.

Now, as an adult, I believe I know why this so appealed to my young spirit. Through this symbolic exercise, God was giving me a tangible point of contact to begin to place my faith in and build  my anticipation for the One whom I would eventually receive into my heart as my Lord and Savior.

Praise God for the mysterious ways in which the Good Shepherd leads us into His fold.

                                                                                     Laura Allen Nonemaker

Book Signing at Fishers of Men Lutheran Church

Author, Laura Allen Nonemaker, with Benny Bunny and friends at a recent book reading and signing.

This coming Saturday, Laura Allen Nonemaker will sign and personalize her new children's book, Benny's Angel, at the holiday craft show sponsored by Fisher's of Men Lutheran Church. Laura's colorfully illustrated book, written for early elementary age, uses animals, nature, and a visit from an angel to teach children the value of prayer and the importance of trusting God. It is the first book in the series, God's Secret Garden Adventures.

Get an early start on your shopping at the Fishers of Men Craft Show, November 12, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. The church is located at 10360 Stringfellow Road, St. James City, Florida.

The Tragedy of Inner Vows

     When I was a child, certain events caused me to make a decision that plagued me much of my adult life. I decided I would never allow anyone else to control me. This was impossible, of course, if I was going to be a lawful citizen and moral person. Everyone is subject to some kind of authority, whether in school, on the job, or as a member of the community. But as time went on, my subconscious found subtle ways to control aspects of my life and the lives of those around me. I was acting out the "inner vow" I had made when I was young.

     An inner vow is a decision, usually subconscious, that we make due to some uncomfortable or traumatic experience. For example, I watched my own father allow an inner vow to affect him in a negative way throughout his entire life. As a younger man, he received a life-changing blow to his career. Because of that disappointment, he lived the rest of his life dominated by sadness and depression. Only death gave him complete release from the burden he carried.

     My father made an inner vow that changed the course of his life. Unfortunately, it also affected the rest of our family as well. Living with the emotional fallout of his loss planted a deep fear of loss in my own life. As a result, when I became a young woman, I struggled with the need to exert control over the circumstances of my life and the lives of those around me.

     Fortunately, we can be released from these subtle, but powerful, controls on our emotions and behavior. Victory over the effects of my early decision began after I read about the concept of inner vows, understood it, and recognized symptoms of it in my own behavior. I saw that a lot of my life revolved around my fear of losing control over my life.

     The next step in my recovery was to turn the situation over to God and allow Him to have ultimate control of my life. Scripture says that perfect love casts out fear. God's Word also says that fear has torment and I had experienced that torment. As I submitted to God's love and his will for my life, I was gradually able to hand the reins of control to God. As a result, my fear of  loss lessened and so did the need to control those around me.

     When we examine the roots of our negative behaviors, we likely will find an inner vow somewhere in the mix. Releasing past trauma to God initiates a healing process that frees us from the negative effects of an inner vow.

                                                                                                © Laura Allen Nonemaker

Discipleship and the Kingdom Life

Too many Christians live in a state of nagging angst, longing to experience the abundant life spoken of by Jesus in John 10:10. They reach intermittent high points of victory along their Christian walk but frequently exist in emotional and spiritual doldrums. They are missing the inner joy and fulfillment they long for.
 

When we consider those who have fulfilled a God-ordained destiny, such as a Mother Teresa or a Billy Graham, it is tempting to assume that some divine force field dropped over them that protected them from emotional and spiritual  fluctuations. The truth is that usually we see only the high points in the lives of these disciples of Christ. We are not privy to the behind-the-scenes struggles they faced as they lived out their calling. Hidden from our eyes are their Gethsemane’s, when they chose to lay aside their own desires to submit fully to God’s will.

Matthew 6:33 reads, “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” (NKJV) The last thing the enemy of our soul wants is for us to grasp fully the connection between first living a discipled life submitted to God and experiencing the abundant life. He does not want us to make the daily sacrifices necessary to follow Christ faithfully and without compromise. He waves earthly pleasures before us and goads us with our own desires for gratification until  the goal of kingdom life is a hazy blur.

Sally Hill, author of Living from the Life of Christ, says, “To be a disciple is to be devoted to Jesus Christ in total abandonment to His purposes for your life.” Discipleship requires that we be willing to subvert our own desires and inclinations to God’s way of doing things. Romans 14:17-18 tells us, “...for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. For he who serves Christ in these things is acceptable to God and approved by men.” (NKJV)  When we make the daily choices to live God’s way in front of God and man, we are true disciples. This is the kingdom life, which is the abundant life Christ promised.

                                                                                                            ~ Laura Allen Nonemaker

I Had No Idea!

With the observance of Good Friday, reruns of The Passion of the Christ, produced by Mel Gibson, are being shown on television. I am reminded of my reaction to it when it first came out in the theaters several years ago. I always react emotionally to depictions of the passion, whether in the movies or live theater. It  was particularly difficult for me to watch this extremely graphic portrayal of our Savior's scourging and crucifixion.

We had taken my Aunt Gertie, who was 90 and a recent Jewish believer in Yeshua, to see the movie. She had become a completed Jew just three years earlier.  After many years of praying on her behalf, the veil had been lifted, and she sought answers from me concerning Jesus and my faith in Him. When I explained the plan of Salvation, she embraced it whole-heartedly and with joy. Now she was being confronted with a detailed visual account of His passion and it shocked her. After watching it, she exclaimed, " I had no idea He went through all that!" Two years later, Aunt Gertie went to be with her Messiah. She now knows in full the significance of the price He paid for her to be reconciled to God and gain entrance into her  heavenly home.

The suffering that Jesus endured was brutal. Yet He did it willingly and laid down His life for us. The most dramatic demonstration of the goodness and love of God is the sacrifice that Jesus made to deliver mankind from the penalty of sin. This same gift of forgiveness for sin and joy in heaven for all eternity is available to all who will acknowledge their need of a Savior and ask Him to come into their life.

                                                                                                   ~ Laura Allen Nonemaker

From Glory to Glory

Looking in the mirror this morning, I saw a face that is changing daily, and with increasing speed. It is not that I am neglecting my appearance. Anyone who would dare to peek into our bathroom could tell that from the full basket of “jams and jellies” sitting on the vanity. However, in spite of my best efforts, time is leaving its indelible imprint on this pot of clay.

I am reminded of when my dear mother came to visit some years ago. I was in my thirties, she in her sixties. We were preparing to go out to dinner and she looked with dismay into the dresser mirror and said, “Oh, Laura, where has the time gone. I look so old.” She fussed with her makeup.

“Here Mummy, let me help.” I picked up the eye shadow and applied the light blue pigment to the lids of her azure eyes, still her most striking feature. “I think you look beautiful,” I said, and gently dabbed at her fragile eyelids. You will always be beautiful to me, I thought.

Now, many years later, I understand how she felt. It gets more and more difficult to hold back the hands of time.  Of course, that is an exercise in futility, anyway. Because of sin, these earthly bodies are programmed to gradually self-destruct. We don’t live in the Garden of Eden, and our flesh is relentlessly bombarded with free radicals and countless other substances that age us.

Increasingly, I find myself looking for encouragement to the passages in the Bible that speak of the blessings promised to us as we grow older. Psalm 92:12 (NKJV) tells us, “The righteous shall flourish like a palm tree, he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon. Those who are planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of our God. They shall still bear fruit in old age; they shall be fresh and flourishing.” While I don’t think this passage tells me the lines around my eyes and mouth will disappear, I believe it does say that as I root myself in the Word of God and honor the Lord with my life, I can be an influence for good as long as I live.

I have had the privilege of meeting older Christians who, although their bodies are aging, have a peace and joy that radiates through their eyes and speech. We read in 2 Corinthians 3:18 (NKJV) “But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.” 

My ultimate desire is to lift up the Lord Jesus in all I do and reflect Him to the world around me. As we move closer to that promised time when our physical bodies will be changed into heavenly bodies that will never age or die, may we allow the precious Holy Spirit to transform our spirits from glory to glory.

                                                                                                     ©2011 Laura Allen Nonemaker

Winds and Waves

I have just returned from an inspiring, fun-filled weekend at the First Assembly Women's Ministry annual retreat on Sanibel Island. The theme for this year was "Winds and Waves."

Pastor Connie Weisel used the atmospheric conditions she encountered during many years of powerboating with her husband to illustrate the forces that we all battle emotionally and spiritually from day to day. She described being assaulted by violent winds and waves on stormy seas, the boat seemingly out of control. The disciples had a similar experience on the Sea of Galilee. But when they cried out to Jesus for help, just one command from him, "Peace! Be still!" calmed the rough seas and saved their lives. This same saving and delivering power averted more than one disaster for Pastor Connie and her husband as they faced the raging seas and called out to God in prayer. It is available to each of us if we will cry out to Him from the middle of our storm.

                                                                                                                  Laura Allen Nonemaker

Vision: Keeping Our Focus

Since I posted The Road Map of Vision, the importance of keeping my focus on what God has called me to do is always present in my thoughts. There have been times in my life, so precious in my memory, when I knew that I knew that I was in the center of God's will. I am in one of those seasons now, experiencing the publication process for Benny's Angel.

I feel strongly that this book has a specific purpose in God's plan for me and that He wants to use it to touch lives for eternity.  More and more, I am inclined to pray about each activity I engage in and examine whether it supports that purpose. Once I feel confident that it does support the vision, I seek God's direction to determine where each activity should be placed in my list of priorities.

There are so many good things I might participate in, but as The Road Map of Vision points out,  I could be sacrificing the best for what is merely good. Learning to focus on God's best for me is an ongoing process, but God has promised that, as I seek to walk closely with Him, I will hear His voice telling me which way to go (Isaiah 30:21).  My job is to listen for His voice and obey.

                                                                                                                Laura Allen Nonemaker

Benny's Angel: The Journey Continues...

On the first day of February, right on schedule, I received an e-mail from Alex Russell, my editor for the conceptual editing of Benny's Angel. He introduced himself and laid out the timetable for the next part of the production process.

During the first three weeks of February, Alex will edit my entire manuscript, watching for plot formation, story arc, and character consistency, etc. I will not hear from him until February 21, when he will send me the edited manuscript with problem areas and suggestions highlighted.  Once I have approved, disapproved, or rewritten these areas, I will return the manuscript to him, and he will combine my edits.

The manuscript will be returned to me in the second week of March. I will review it and, if I am satisfied, sign it off as approved, using a Content Approval Form. Once Alex has received the manuscript back, he will move it on to Tate's Audio and Design Departments.

In addition to giving me my timetable, Alex asked me to return the questionnaire I completed last month. I explain the questionnaire in a previous blog post, Update on Benny's Angel. He also requested that I send in the endorsement I had received for the book, as well as confirm the exact title and the way my name should appear on the cover and title page.

This is all very exciting, while at the same time sobering. Once I approve the final changes, the wording of the manuscript is "set in stone" and cannot be changed. That is why I am seeking God for His wisdom and direction more than ever. As I do this, He gives me a peace and assurance that He is with me now, just as He was present in my secret garden the day Benny's Angel was conceived in my imagination.

                                                                                                                                     ~ Laura

The Star

Shortly before Christmas, our five-year-old grandson,

Brandon, bounced through our front door and climbed in my lap. He threw his arms around my neck and, with a big smile on his face, announced proudly, "I'm the star in the Christmas play!"

"How wonderful, Brandon!" I said. His grandpa signaled his approval by rubbing his head affectionately. We were bursting with pride that our precious grandchild had been chosen to star in his kindergarten play.

The night of the play, we were filled with anticipation. The band of tots filed onto the platform and we craned our necks to catch a glimpse of our Brandon. There he was, his sweet face wreathed in a huge silver cardboard star. Although he was flanked by several other little luminaries, our grandson was for us the shining star of the show.

Note: Brandon is grown now and this Christmas his two little girls will be, for us, the "stars" of their show.  

                                            

                                                                                                                                ~Laura

Ten Practical Steps to Bring Hope to Your Holidays

  1.  Be careful about focusing on yourself.

  2.  Reach out to help others.
       a. Practice hospitality.
       b. Donate time to charity.
       c. Give gifts of yourself - crafting, cleaning, cooking, babysitting.

  3.  Get physical exercise. Be realistic - 20 minutes, 3 times a week.

  4.  Eat, drink, rest properly. "Be sober..." (1 Peter 5: 8-10) This means without the influence of an intoxicant.

  5.  Read your Bible and meditate every day.

  6.  Live one day at a time.
       a. Set goals for today - attainable ones.
       b. You only have today - don't throw it away grieving over yesterday or worrying about tomorrow.
           (Matthew 6:25-34)

  7.  Make good plans and accept invitations. "God sets the lonely in families." (Psalm 68:6)

  8.  Write letters, send some cards, read some books, etc.

  9.  Stay connected.

10.  Go to church. "In the presence of Jehovah."  "God inhabits the praises of His people." (Psalms 22:3)

The angel said, "Get dressed. Put on your shoes." Peter did it. (Acts 12:8, The Message) God will do for us, but He expects us to do what we can for ourselves.
                       
                          Adapted from a message by First Assembly of God Women's Ministries, Fort Myers, FL

Giving Thanks

This is my first post on my very first blog. It's an exciting new world with a steep learning curve, but I'm getting it little by little. Thanks, Crystal - I love it!

God has been so good to me and I thank Him with all my heart. There are some amazing things happening in my life. I am watching the scripture that I have stood on for a long time, that my latter days will be greater than my former, coming to pass. Thanks to my dear husband, Paul, for your love, patience, and support as I begin this new venture. I am blessed to have you in my life.

By the time Benny's Angel, my first children's book, goes to print in 2011, I plan to add a special page for children, with interactive features related to the book. This is a lofty goal, but as Pastor Dan says, when you shoot for the moon, you have the possibility of landing in the stars!

At this time, I dedicate this blog to my precious Savior, Jesus Christ. It is my prayer that those who visit here will linger awhile to dig in God's Garden and leave enriched in spirit, mind, and soul.