Archive | December 2013

The Sunflower

Dec31

In the early 1980s, when we lived in the rural village of Kisbey, Saskatchewan, one of the things that most impressed me  was a huge field of sunflowers on a local farm. The glorious, yellow heads all pointed in one direction, towards the sun. I was so taken with this sight, that years later, in 2013, I decided to select “sunflowers” as my special symbol for the year. Sunflowers, for me, are a reminder that we need to consistently and deliberately turn our faces towards the sun or the Son of God.

Since this was my “year of the sunflower,” I tried to grow these lovely plants in my garden. Whether it was the soil, the location or the weather, my efforts were fruitless. Several of the little plants came up, only to die. One day, however, Michelle, our Kansas girl who resides with us, brought me a little sunflower plant in a pot. Later, the girls purchased a beautiful, rich bouquet of sunflowers for my birthday. I felt God saying that he has more than one way of delivering the things we ask for.

James 1: 25 tells us: “But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it – he will be blessed in what he does” (NIV ).

As we deliberately look into God’s face, into “the perfect law that gives freedom,” we will find ourselves becoming more like him. We will encounter God’s blessing and success in what we do, because we have taken the time to consult him first and follow his ways.

Every time, I see a sunflower now, I am reminded of my need to turn my face towards God and to trust him for the answers I can’t see yet, for the direction I still need. As the new year 2014 begins, take time to turn to God. Not only will his presence fill you with joy, but you will be surprised at the ways in which he will answer the desires of your heart!

Sunflower

Happy New Year and every blessing in 2014!!

Ruth Ann Adams

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Stable Night

Dec18

One afternoon, about a month before Christmas, I came home from work to find that our power had been turned off. My husband’s job loss had thrown us into a grim period of financial uncertainty, including the inability, at times, to pay our bills. Fortunately, my husband  found a way of paying off the power bill and assured me that  we would have power again by the next day. However, that night, it was dark in our tiny, seventh floor apartment.

I dusted the apartment by candlelight and later went out and sat on the stairs leading up to the 8th floor, to do my  Bible reading. For a while, though, I simply stayed in our living room, lit by the shadowy light of the candles. Signs of Christmas were everywhere: in the stores, in brightly lit decorations, in festivities, concerts and tightly stuffed mailboxes. The pace would only quicken during the next few weeks. As I reflected quietly though, in our candlelit room, it occurred to me that my dark surroundings were much closer to the first Christmas, than the festivities we would later enjoy. The stable was not likely bright nor spacious. The circumstances were humble. Mary and Joseph were facing uncertainty and perhaps fear.The angels would come in all their bright and holy  splendour, but for now, there was birth and pain and darkness.

The next day, we celebrated our youngest daughter’s birthday. Not long after her friends arrived,  the power was restored. The apartment was bright and cheerful. We never lost our power again and our circumstances gradually improved. However, I will never forget that night of flickering candlelight and my small glimpse into the long ago darkness of the  stable night.

“The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned” (Isaiah 9:2, NIV).

Merry Christmas!

Ruth Ann Adams

Heaven’s Prey by Janet Sketchley, Book Review

Dec9

heavens prey

The morning after I began reading Heaven’s Prey by Canadian author, Janet Sketchley, I woke up thinking about the protagonist, Ruth Warren. Would Ruth be okay? Would she meet a horrible death or would she somehow escape from her captor? We were busy that day preparing a special dinner for company, but somewhere in the midst of the festivities, I snuck off to my room. One of my daughters found me there, with my head buried in Heaven’s Prey. “Mom,” she said, “why aren’t you downstairs with the rest of us?” I mumbled something lame about there not being enough chairs, but she wasn’t fooled. Ruth’s life was at stake and I was desperate to learn more.

Ruth Warren and her husband, Tony, have no children of their own and lose their beautiful, blonde haired niece, Susan, to a brutal and apparently remorseless killer and rapist named Harry Silver. Harry once had a brilliant career racing stock cars but his future was destroyed by his obsession with torturing and murdering young, blonde women. In spite of Ruth’s personal pain, she feels compelled to pray for Harry and then in a twist of circumstances, ends up as his captive, as well.

Heaven’s Prey, the first of the Redemption’s Edge series,  is fast paced, impeccably researched and detailed, and draws the reader in immediately to the plot line. The reader is both repelled and drawn to Harry  Silver, the antagonist,  as the author skillfully  weaves the history of his past into the reality of his present. Ruth is a woman of great faith and prayer, even in the midst of the greatest danger of her life.

During the next few weeks, we will be celebrating Christmas, and contemplating a holy God who came to dwell with  sinful human beings, so he could redeem and restore them. In Heaven’s Prey, Janet Sketchley throws the subjects of redemption and grace wide open. We can understand grace for every day sins but do we really want the bad guys to “get away” with their crimes?  Do we feel it is fair for a murderer and rapist to experience the same grace that we do? The author brings us face to face with these questions and the huge reservoir of grace and love that God has reserved for everyone.

Janet  is a very talented author who has written numerous articles and stories, including “The Road Trip That Wasn’t,” published in A Second Cup of Hot Apple Cider: Words to  Stimulate The Mind and Delight The Spirit (edited by N.J.Lindquist and Wendy  Elaine Nelles). She is a wife and mother, and is active in her church and a variety  of writing groups. Her outstanding blog, Tenacity, thoughts on faith and fiction, can be found at janetsketchley.ca.

Heaven’s Prey is available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, The Book Depository and local stores can order print copies.

Note: Review copy provided by publisher: Choose Now Publishing.

 

Note: