Christian | NovelSisters

I am a Teapot

by lydiamhill

So I was sitting in church on Sunday and for some reason I started thinking about a teapot. Maybe it’s because I had been reading/watching some movies and books based in Wonderland and tea seems like a big deal there. But anyway, I started thinking about how God pours His love into our lives but it’s not meant to just stay in our hearts, we in turn should pour out His love to others. It’s kind of like how a teapot is pretty useless if you just put warm tea in it and let it sit there. But if you pour it out into other people’s teacups, everyone can enjoy it. I know it’s not the greatest analogy, but for some reason it came to mind and I thought I’d write a poem about it. Also, I kept noticing references to pouring throughout the church service, so maybe God was trying to tell me something. In any case, I hope you enjoy this short poem.

I am a Teapot

I am a Teapot
short and stout.
Not meant to sit pretty
but to be filled and poured out.

God pours in His love
and I pour it back out.
And find I’m most full
when I’ve shared love about.

But I must never forget
the love that I give,
comes not from myself,
but from Him who first gave.

And so I return to be filled once again
and pour out His love that never ends.

Christian Poetry

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The Idol of Marriage

by lydiamhill

I’m a single lady and I’ve gotten all the questions about when are you going to get married, is there anyone you like, etc. I’m sure there’s some single guys out there who can relate as well. But I was thinking about it the other night and I just got kind of sick of how our culture views marriage, so I decided to write this blog post.

Our culture has set up marriage as this huge goal for life. All of these movies and books and TV shows have marriage and romance as the goal. People pick up on this and eventually relatives and friends begin to assume that you can’t be happy till you’re married, or in a romantic relationship. And it’s not that I don’t want to be married someday. I would love that. But I also know that anything, even a good thing like marriage, is not supposed to be what we base our life on. It can’t fulfill my desire for happiness any more than money or a successful career can.

And as I’ve seen more and more of my friends getting married, I can see it’s true for everyone. Marriage is a good thing and there is a lot of blessing and happiness in it. But there is also a lot of hardship and frustration. One person cannot make you happy all of the time, even if they try really hard. And the “happily ever after” fairy tale is a lie. Life is hard, and so is marriage and often times it involves deep hurts, disagreements, hard situations and working through that is tough. It’s even tougher if you’ve built up marriage into a myth and idol to strive for that will somehow make you happy and fulfilled. Even though I’m not married I can confidently say marriage cannot make you happy. Because nothing in this life will. The only thing, the only One who can is God. Nothing can replace Him. He is where we get meaning, fulfillment, happiness, joy, peace, love and everything good from.

So no, I’m not married. And I honestly don’t know if I will ever be married on this earth. But that doesn’t mean I am unhappy or unfulfilled, or even sad. Sure there’s a part of me that would still like to be married and might be disappointed if it doesn’t happen. But it’s not what my life is all about, and I won’t be crushed if it never happens. Because I do have God, and I love Him with all my heart and soul. And He loves me more than I can imagine, and better than a husband ever could.

So, sorry for the rant. But I’m sick of this culture pushing marriage on everyone as the only way to be happy. Because it’s not the only way, and it really isn’t a way at all. Without God, nothing will satisfy you, not even marriage. So if you’re married, congratulations, and I hope you enjoy it but remember to look for your ultimate satisfaction in Christ. And if you’re not, please don’t set all your hopes and dreams on finding that one special guy or girl. No one can fulfill your life like that. Only God can.

Christian Life

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Be Our Guest

by lydiamhill

I’ve seen Beauty and the Beast twice now, so the songs are getting stuck in my head. Sorry but this post is not about the movie. It was well done and I enjoyed it, but I want to talk about something else today.

It’s funny how the simple things in life can so easily be overlooked and underappreciated until you don’t have them anymore. My family is in the middle of a kitchen remodel so we do not have access to a stove, oven, dishwasher, or large sink. Our meals have consisted of take out, shakes, microwave meals, leftovers and whatever else we can scrounge up.

Then yesterday, we were invited to the home of one of our church friends for a meal. I didn’t realize how much I had missed a good home cooked meal until I sat down at their kitchen table. It reminded me of all those times I came home from college for the weekend and finally had my Mom’s home cooked dinners instead of cafeteria food. Everything just tasted better. There was breaded fish, sliced potatoes, green beans, a huge fresh salad, roasted chicken, and fruits, veggies and even a blueberry crumble cake for dessert. Everything just looked, smelled and tasted so good. With the absence of our own home cooked meals at our house, this one felt even more special and it made me realize something.

God emphasizes hospitality for a reason. Our culture has made this gift or courtesy less important than it should be. Welcoming someone into your home, feeding them and spending time to get to know them better shows such value and care. I really felt blessed after our meal together and it’s making me excited to get to do the same thing for others once our kitchen is done.

So here’s your challenge for the day, think of someone that you can share a meal with. If you can’t actually host, then go out to lunch or dinner. But if you can open up your home, do it. You might be surprised with how meaningful it can be. But one word of caution because I’ve found myself feeling this way before: Don’t stress too much about how the house looks or if everything is perfect. It’s okay to clean up for guests but keep your focus on them, not on the impression you’re making.

Well that’s my short post for the day, hope y’all have a great week!

Christian Life Stories

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When Life Gives You Lemons… or a Flat Tire

by lydiamhill

So this past weekend I finally made a trip to Uvalde, TX to see some of my good friends and their baby. It was a lot of fun, but on my way home, something unexpected happened. I was driving on Highway 90 East towards San Antonio when suddenly everything got really loud in my car. At first I thought the road was just bumpy, maybe made of a different kind of asphalt or something, but it was really loud and then it hit me: Something is wrong with my car. So I slowed down, got into the right lane, pulled off onto the shoulder of the road, and put on my hazard lights. When I finally got a look at my tires, this is what I found.

This was not what I had planned on, but there was nothing to be done but start fixing the problem. I called my mom first, just to help calm myself down. Then I called Roadside Assistance and checked to make sure I had a spare tire. It was very low on air, but it was usable. Unfortunately my jack was completely rusted. Somehow water had gotten in where it was stored and I couldn’t even make it budge and I highly doubted it would work even if I could get it out. I then contented myself to sit in the car and wait for a call back from Roadside Assistance. But when they called, partway through our conversation, a knock sounded on my car window.

A lady had seen me pulled over and she had gone out of her way to stop and see if I needed help changing the tire. She had a jack that wasn’t rusted and experience with changing a tire. So between the two of us, we got the car in a safer position and started lifting it off the ground. But when we tried loosening the bolts on the tire, one of them wouldn’t budge. But God provided again and two young men strode over to help us out. They quickly got the bolts loosened and replaced the tire. I felt so blessed and cared for by these strangers on the road. It reminded me that there are people out there who care, who don’t mind interrupting their day to help someone out and lend a hand.

They even told me the closest place I could go to refill my spare tire with air. So after calling to cancel the Roadside Assistance, I slowly drove over to the nearby gas station. The ladies and young man working there were very helpful too. I had to buy a tire gauge to check the pressure. And I had to call my Dad to ask what the pressure should be in a tire. He also suggested I go to Discount Tire to see if they could replace my tire.

So the next few hours were spent at a shopping area with a Discount Tire and several shops and restaurants. I got to eat lunch and get some help with my car. I even met an older gentleman who was also waiting in Discount Tire and we talked about where we were from and how we ended up there. He and his daughter had also had a blowout that day. But through the whole experience I felt at peace and that all I had to do was the next thing and God would take care of me. And it helped extremely to have perfect strangers come to my rescue on the road. It made me want to start looking out for other people I could also help out that day.

I know there is still a lot of tension in our country about politics and policy changes. But my experience with the flat tire reminded me that we are not alone. If we rely on God and try to help each other out and look out for each other, we’ll be okay. So I’m going to try to keep a look out for people that could use a hand and I hope you do too.

Have a wonderful week!

Christian Life Stories

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Refurbishing Yourself

by lydiamhill

For the past 8 weeks my church has been going through a series called Life’s Healing Choices. It’s a step study based on taking an honest look at yourself and seeing what needs to change and how to start that process. And then today, we just started work on refurbishing our kitchen. I can see several similarities about the two processes, so why not write a blog about it?

The Kitchen (Before)

Anyway, before you can do anything, the first step is always realizing there is a problem. For our kitchen it was things like moldy old cork board, a sliding door that was coming out of it’s rail and chipped tile. But for yourself, it could be a whole mess of personal issues. For me I recognized my tenancy to want to be in control and not admit my problems. I tend to listen to other people’s problems and not talk about my own. There’s definitely some pride in there as well.

Our broken door

But that’s just the first step, then I have to realize I can’t fix all of this on my own. For our kitchen, we realized we needed someone else to make new cabinets, take out the old stuff, raise the ceiling, and put in new tile… among other things. And for my own heart, and habits, I needed to realize I couldn’t change myself with my own will power. I can stop a bad habit for a little while, but then I give up. And I can remind myself not to be prideful and then fall right back into pride when I feel like I’m doing it well. What I need is God’s power to help me and His truth to guide me and fill me.

One of the steps in the kitchen process was cleaning out of the stuff in the kitchen: the dishes, storage containers, food, pots, pans, decorations, etc. And one of the important steps in Life’s Healing Choices is making an inventory and actually writing out the hard stuff, like who has hurt you in the past, and how you’ve hurt others, and things you feel guilty for and need to admit. But when you finally finish emptying the kitchen, there’s a big weight removed, and the same thing happens with the inventory.

The cleaned out kitchen

Then when you finally reveal your deepest darkest secrets to God and another person, (tell someone everything that is on your inventory) there is freedom in that. And it’s sort of like how my house looks now. All of the old junk has been ripped out and we’re getting ready to start building it back up again. It may not be easy, and it definitely isn’t pretty, but you can’t get the new kitchen without taking out the old one, and you can’t be the person you want to be without confessing what is wrong with you and admitting it honestly.

Kitchen after Demolition

And then it moves on to the slow change. It doesn’t happen overnight. Just like it will take at least a month to build up our new kitchen, it will take time to change your habits and ways of thinking. One way I’m trying to start that is by meditating on God’s word before I go to sleep. I’d found myself being anxious or restless and not being able to sleep well, so I’m reviewing verses I’m trying to memorize right before I turn off the light.

I’m sure that’s not the only change I’ll have to make, but everyone has to start somewhere. So anyway, I hope you enjoyed this post and remember that no one can change on their own. We all need help from each other and from God. And it is a very long process, one that will continue throughout our lives. But in the end, it’ll be worth it.

Some of the guys helping us with the kitchen

Christian Life Stories

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Flash from the Past

by lydiamhill

I’m not sure why, but I’ve been feeling sentimental recently and I really just want to look at some old photos. So I thought I’d share from my findings. I hope you enjoy this little glimpse into my life and history and if you think it’s a cool idea, feel free to do your own Flash from the Past on your blog or social media. Enjoy!

2008
I’m starting with this year because it’s when I first got my own digital camera, and digital photos are much easier for me to upload. This was the end of my senior year of high school and also my first semester of college.

My high school Senior Picture… or one of them at least.

My Senior Formal (Prom for homeschoolers)

At my graduation party with one of my best friends Lindsey.

My 18th Birthday with my family.

Making new friends in college like Victoria.

2009

A ski trip to New Mexico that I went on with my Dad.

Having fun with friends Kari and Amanda at a dance in college.

I helped paint our house that summer.

I went on a road trip from Nashvilled, TN to Austin, TX with my brothers.

My Sophomore dorm room and friend Heather.

2010

At my cousin’s wedding in Indiana.

Going to the Rodeo with my sister.

My 20th Birthday.

I went to Palmetto State Park with some college friends.

I got into the Alpha Chi Honor Society that fall.

We decorated our college apartment for Christmas.

2011

We had a snow day in February!

I finally saw the Austin bats with Tracey.

I went to Germany with some college friends, including my roommate Victoria.

I helped with my church’s Bible Clubs like I had for the past several summers.

I went to a UT football game with my cousin Hannah.

Senior Year Homecoming.

On the TLU campus.

2012

Ice skating with my family during winter break.

One of my paintings for my Senior Art Show.

Finishing my senior bucket list with my roommate by going up the chapel bell tower.

College Graduation.

I went to the Bahamas with my family and we swam with dolphins.

I kept painting and made this for my friend Lindsey.

Having Fun with my family for Thanksgiving.

2013

I tried a Cleanse and ate a lot healthier in the Spring.

I went to the Austin Kite Festival.

I painted a cover for my first novel.

I got the obligatory Bluebonnet picture.

I donated my hair to Locks of Love with my sister.

Haiti mission trip.

I went to see my old roommate Victoria in Philly and we took a day trip to NYC!

I decorated my first tree on the side of the road for Christmas.

2014

I made a snowman, or iceman.

My brother proposed to Ashley and we all went up to Abilene to celebrate.

Another Bluebonnet pic with my sister.

I was maid of honor in my friend Lindsey’s wedding.

I got to be a bridesmaid in my brother’s wedding and I got a new sister!

I saw Victoria for Christmas in San Antonio.

2015

Ski trip to New Mexico with our church’s youth group.

In Florida for my Grandpa’s memorial service.

We had heavy rains that spring and a lot of flooding.

Spring Bluebonnets with all my sisters.

My 25th Birthday.

My first book fair with my novel.

Mission trip to Mozambique.

Going to the Trail of Lights in Austin.

2016

I went to a Spurs Game with my cousin Hannah.

My friend Lindsey had Bethany, her first baby.

I got to meet Marissa Meyer, the Author of the Lunar Chronicles.

I got to go on a backstage tour of the AT&T Center.

I went to Kentucky to see the replica of Noah’s Ark.

I got to see a beautiful sunset in San Diego.

Well I’m going to stop there. It was fun to look through old photos and see some of the cool things that have happened in my life. I want to take some time to stop and be grateful for all the places I’ve seen, people I’ve known and ways that God has shaped me and grown me over the past 9 years. I hope you take some time today to do the same.

Christian Haiti Life Mozambique Stories

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Using Your Gifts and Talents

by lydiamhill

This past weekend, I was given the opportunity to make artwork for a women’s conference. I’ve always enjoyed making little paintings and watercolors, but in more recent years I’ve started to see ways how I can use this hobby for God’s glory.

It all started with my mom’s birthday a few years back. She wanted to celebrate with a lot of people, but she didn’t want a bunch of presents. So she thought we could have a few donation options for people to give to in lieu of presents. Our church had been doing a similar thing with Christmas where you could donate to a charity and get a small ornament to give to a friend or family member and let them know that you gave the gift in their honor. My mom set up the church’s charity as one of her options, so people could get an ornament if they gave to that. (Maybe I should mention my mom’s birthday is in December). Anyway, she had a couple of other charities that she wanted to support and she thought it would be fun to have something to give if you supported one of those. Since all of the girls in my family like art, we decided to make several small paintings. Then if someone gave $50 or more they could have their pick of a little painting.

Here’s a couple of the paintings:

These were my first attempts at more inspirational artwork. And one lady at the party asked if we had ever heard of or done prophetic art. The idea sounded a little weird to me at the time, but I think I kind of understand it a little better now. We all have different gifts and talents in the body of Christ. And art, just like any gift can be used for God’s glory. He can sometimes speak to people in pictures instead of words and I’ve found that combining the two is especially meaningful to me.

So fast-forward a couple years and my parents got involved in a Healing Ministry that wanted to give artwork to people who came to be prayed for. My mother volunteered and got me in on the reoccurring project. We decided to make watercolors since they are quicker and cheaper to make, especially if you need so many for one month. As I began with these paintings, I started to focus more and more on God’s Word and verses that spoke to me. Sometimes I’d start with a verse and try to paint something to match it, other times I’d start with an image and then find a verse to go with it. But each time I was excited to see how it would turn out and how others were impacted by it.

Here are some of the watercolors I’ve made:

So when the opportunity came to do some more for a conference, I said yes and got to join with a friend and do it together. It was a little new for both of us to be making art with other people around, but it was also fun and I hope all the women at the conference who ended up with one of the paintings or drawings was blessed by it. In any case, I’m excited that God has given me these talents and opportunities and has more in store for me in the future.

So whatever your talent or gift is, I hope you look for opportunities to bless others with it and glorify God.

Art Christian Life Painting

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Hidden Figures and Coming Together

by lydiamhill

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This movie was excellent and I’m so excited about sharing it with you. Hidden Figures follows the story of three African American women in the 1960s who worked at NASA with the Space Program. Watching it reminded me a bit of another one of my favorite movies: Remember the Titans. Whenever there is a movie that deals with the social and racial tension of the Civil Rights Movement, I always love seeing how people change and come together as they realize that their differences aren’t so important and that when they work together, amazing things can happen.

In Remember the Titans it was a football team learning to come together and integrate black and white players and coaches into one unstoppable team. And in Hidden Figures it’s about black and white men and women coming together to do the impossible: send a man into space and bring him home safely. There are fears, insecurities, prejudices and injustices that must be overcome, dealt with and moved past in order for this to happen. But in the end they do and it’s so exciting to see.

This film does a great job of showing the hard reality of the 1960s, especially for blacks, while also giving us hope of change and a better future. And just as these women had to deal with unfair treatment and pay, but chose to keep going and find new ways to succeed and prove their worth, we too live in a time when it’s easy to mistrust others, or make assumptions or treat others differently. It may not even be because of skin color, it could be social status, or political leaning, or religious differences. But it doesn’t have to stay that way.

When we stop focusing on what’s different, and instead see that the person next to us is just that, a person; one who loves, hurts, feels, cares just as we do and deserves to be treated with dignity and respect, that’s when things change, when unity is possible and progress is made.

The Titans went on to win a championship, the NASA workers went on to put a man on the moon. And we can continue the work and do more than anyone thought possible.

However, I want to add one thread of caution. It’s easy to think we can accomplish all these great things if we just try hard enough. But ultimately, each of us is still selfish, a sinner, and a person that makes mistakes. We won’t get this perfect and without God’s help we won’t make any progress at all. So as this year continues, I pray that our nation will learn to love, not hate, to value others and not fear them, and to care for others and not just ourselves. In essence, I pray that we follow Jesus’s example and do the hard work: dying to self and living for others. And with His help, we will.

Christian Life Movies

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2016 and Reading

by lydiamhill

A lot happened this past year. And since it’s the last day I thought I should write a post about it. I know there have been a lot of political and world issues that occurred. Several of my friends on social media have commented on how bad this year was. Lots of people died, many things did not work out the way people thought they would. And yet, life continues and 2017 approaches. I’ve also been lucky enough to have some friends comment about the good things that happened in 2016. I think it’s good to remember there will always be positive things to focus on, even if there is a lot of negative stuff going on in the world.

That to say, my post isn’t going to be about all those political things. Instead I’m going to celebrate something that I got to do this year and also encourage others to do the same. So at the beginning of 2016 I noticed that a friend of mine had a goal to read 50 books in 2016. I thought that sounded like a cool idea. I already love reading, but having a goal would help me get through some of those books I had on my shelf that I’ve been meaning to read but just hadn’t gotten around to. So I joined in the challenge and also tried to read 50 books this year. It took some planning and I had to be intentional with my time, but I just finished my 50th book this afternoon! Yay! I didn’t read all of the books I thought I would and there are some I ended up reading that I didn’t even know existed at the beginning of the year. But overall, I’m glad I did it.

I saw an article the other day that said most adults once they are out of school, no longer read books. And it made me sad. I know that education forces people to read, but I had hoped that most people would still read just to enjoy and learn, not because a teacher requires them to. In fact that’s a big reason why I write. I want kids, when they are young to see reading as a fun thing, not just another school subject. Stories are powerful things and whether you’re reading or writing them, they stir your imagination and can help you look at the world in new ways.

So my little encouragement to you is to read something this next year. Maybe it’s not even a book, maybe there are newspapers, online articles, or magazines that you prefer. But take some time to read in 2017.

And as a Christian, I’ve found that reading other Christian’s books can really help me grow in my faith and maturity. A large portion of the books I read this year were written by Christians and helped me see God in new ways or get a better understanding of how I can live for Him now.

In case you want to read but you just need some recommendations (that’s usually how I end up reading a new book) here are a few books I read this past year that I would highly recommend.

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1. “Heaven” or “Happiness” both by Randy Alcorn
These books really helped change my perspective on how God wants us to live and what we can expect for our future.

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2. “The Gideon Trilogy” by Linda Buckley-Archer
This is a fun book series for younger readers that involves time travel, great characters and an awesome story. I really enjoyed reading this series and I highly recommend it.

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3. “The Irresistible Revolution: Living as an Ordinary Radical” by Shane Claiborne
This book was very good to read and inspired me a lot, but it was also hard. I’m still wrestling through how God wants me to live differently in light of what this man has written. It was a very thought provoking book and I highly encourage any Christian to read it.

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4. “Keeper of the Lost Cities Series” by Shannon Messenger
I had not even heard of these books until this year and the series isn’t even finished. But boy are they fun to read. The action never stops in these high paced, interesting, and funny books. I’m sure they were written for middle school or even high school students, but I love these books. They are so engaging and I just can’t put them down.

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5. “The Cost of Discipleship” by Dietrich Bonhoeffer
This is a classic for Christian reading, and I really enjoyed getting to finally read this book. I would recommend it to any Christian. Though it may challenge you, it will be good for you.

Books Christian Life

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What makes a hero?

by lydiamhill

I’ve discovered that renting movies at the Library can be quite fun. Instead of paying a lot of money to see a movie once online, or keep for 24 hours from Redbox, I can borrow multiple movies for free and keep them for 3 whole weeks! This has resulted in me watching several movies that I’ve never seen but have always wanted to. Most recently it meant I watched The Amazing Spider-man 2.

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Now I grew up watching the Toby McGuire Spider-man movies and as a kid, and I loved them. When I got older, they didn’t seem as good as I’d remembered, but there’s still a lot of nostalgia going on when I see one. More recently the Amazing Spider-man with Andrew Garfield has released films and now there will be a third Spider-man because the character is owned by Disney. We even got a sneak peek at him in the Captain America Civil War movie.

All that to say, I don’t know which actor has or will do the best job at portraying Spider-man. But I really appreciated how Andrew Garfield pulled it off in this sequel. It wasn’t so much the flying acrobatics, or witty humor that got to me, though that was great too (at least compared with the original series). No, what really stood out to me was how this Spider-man did heroic things that normal everyday people can do too. Seeing him try to encourage someone and tell them they’re worth something and have value was so awesome. It reminded me of all of those videos on Youtube where someone does random nice things for someone else and you get to see a glimpse of people’s gratitude and joy. Caring for someone else is what being a hero is all about. And the great thing is anyone can do it.

Here’s an example of just one of those videos:

My favorite scene in the movie was when a kid was getting picked on by some bullies and then Spider-man swoops in to scare them off. But he doesn’t just leave. He stops to help the kid fix his school project and tells him how great it is and he even offers to walk the kid home. Anyone could do that, but it takes a hero to actually do it.

It reminds me of the story Jesus told about the Good Samaritan.

Someone gets beat up and definitely could use some help but the people who see him are too focused on themselves to care. Maybe they didn’t want to get mugged too, or they had an important appointment to keep, or they thought there wasn’t anything they could do, so they just kept walking.

But the Samaritan stopped. He noticed and he did something about this guy’s problem. He bandaged his wounds, took him to a hotel (or inn) and paid for him to stay there.

I know it’s easy to go through life focusing on all the problems, especially your own. I’ve definitely done that, a lot. But if we stop to take notice of what’s going on, if we really follow Jesus’s example and value others above ourselves, we’ll see plenty of opportunities to love and care for others, and be the hero God wants us to be.

So I hope this little post encouraged you today.

Christian Life Movies

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NovelSisters

watching, reading, and writing stories

I am a Teapot

The Idol of Marriage

Be Our Guest

When Life Gives You Lemons… or a Flat Tire

Refurbishing Yourself

Flash from the Past

Using Your Gifts and Talents

Hidden Figures and Coming Together

2016 and Reading

What makes a hero?

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