Storm watching

Iowa has been in the midst of its monsoon season for a couple of weeks, it seems. It came with black skies, thunderous echoing and sharp strikes of lightning. The weather radio signals have become commonplace and the weatherman saves us from the summer reruns. We're warned to remain alert for rapidly changing weather conditions. The evenings of strong winds, hail knocking on the sky lights and rain-swollen creeks remind us God is in control.

Last night our prayers were focused on areas north of us as a strong cell moved across the countryside. All you can do is take shelter and pray, for God's power is so much greater than our own. How often do we struggle on our own, trying to fix a situation or use our own strength to make a change? Yet the power we need is only a prayer away.

Once we moved out of a mobile home, my family began to anticipate the big storm with excitement. I remember the boys telling of standing at our big windows watching trees bend and fall all around the house, while John and I were away at work. I obviously didn't do my mothering job very well when it came to safety plans. The basement, boys, go to the basement!

We've been so fortunate to have escaped the real devastation of an Iowa tornado but we have experienced the force of straight line winds. Either way I'm thankful that God has the power to bring good from the most destructive elements of nature. And I'm thankful I have my God to call out to in all the storms of life.

"My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit's power, so that your faith might not rest on men's wisdom, but on God's power."
(1 Corinthians 2:4-5 NIV).

New Beginnings

Welcome to my blog. This is a work in progress as I begin to gather and post collections of my writing to share with others.

Since childhood I wanted to be a writer and the dream came true when I was hired by my hometown weekly newspaper in 1990. I was fortunate to have a caring boss who mentored me for several years as I learned the ins and outs of news media and writing in a small town. By year five the learning bug bit hard and I enrolled in the local community college taking all the English and media related courses possible, plus the requirements I needed for an Associates in Arts degree.

I soon gave up my newspaper job and focused on my education. Earning my AA degree in Dec. 1996 and my BA degree in Dec. 1998 with a major in Journalism and Mass Communication with a minor in English. Fortunately, I was hired as a supervisor of media relations at Iowa Valley Community College District where I worked for 12 years.

My passion is for sharing stories that strengthen the reader's faith or encourage exploring his or her spiritual or emotional journey in life. I write inspirational non fiction in several formats and hope to bless you with a tidbit of positivity when I share a blog.

Thanks for reading and if by chance something touches your heart I would truly appreciate hearing from you. Thanks for joining me on this journey.

Summertime Blessings

A recent Bible study question prompted some serious thought when I read, “Think about a significant conversation that you had with someone recently that was to you ‘a fountain of life’.

One person came to mind immediately. At work I frequently serve as a courier and deliver books between the two campus libraries. One person that I meet always provides a “fountain of life” conversation. She is genuinely glad to see me, and is always positive and caring. Her words and expression are always refreshing.

So many conversations we have in life are on the surface-only. What do you really know about the co-worker you greet but never really “converse” with? What about the grocery store clerk you see every week? Or the dad of one of the kids on your child’s baseball team?

Proverbs 10:11 says, “The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life, but violence overwhelms the mouth of the wicked.”

Summer is a time of reunions, ball games, parades, and gatherings at the golf course or the swimming pool. It is a perfect time to have a conversation that is truly a “fountain of life” to those we greet.