Naomi and Job's Tree

BibleGateway does fantastic weekly sketches on various women of the Bible. From one on Naomi they wrote, in part:

Naomi could not see past her suffering. Like many of us, she may have felt as though her tragedies were punishment for her sins. Yet had she known the blessings in store, she might not have felt so hopeless. Instead, she may have compared herself to the tree that Job so graciously describes:

At least there is hope for a tree:
If it is cut down, it will sprout again,
and its new shoots will not fail.
Its roots may grow old in the ground
and its stump die in the soil,
yet at the scent of water it will bud
and put forth shoots like a plant. - Job 14:7-9

Though she didn't know it, the scent of water was in the air. Naomi's life was beginning again, her story still unfolding...

In heartache, hold on, the season of Harvest will come again! You might appreciate my recent article entitled What About Me? If you are specifically dealing with infertility or sterility, you will find a supplement of this article, written just for you, by following that link as well.

Please come visit me on my new official author page on Facebook. I'm gearing up to publish my next book and would love your support at www.facebook.com/HarvestingHope/. Please help me show potential publishers I'm serious about this book writing thing. They need to see numbers of likes well into the thousands while I'm only in the low hundreds, so far.

Pruning

I just spent 2 hours out working in my garden yesterday evening. Had a good talk with  our 9-year-old about the meaning of the word "prune". He was so cute, talking about when he got baptized earlier this year his feet got all "pruney" from being in the water. grin emoticon But we did get down to the fact that Jesus must clean/prune us continually to bring us into the shape of His will, just like we were doing to our roses.

I was pretty hard on my plants, leaving only about 6 healthy blooms and a bunch of buds behind (on a total of about 18 rose bushes!) so it looks pretty stark right now. But each cut was made with care and purpose, knowing that by my birthday at the end of the month, I will have a glorious garden full of healthy blossoms, all on nicely trimmed and shaped plants!

I take comfort from my parent's story as newly weds. They had several rose bushes under the kitchen window. Mom was having horrid allergies, so Dad went out and brutally shopped them all nearly down to the roots to try to kill them. They came back healthier and prettier than before! So when the devil sets out to destroy me, God can intend the same season of harsh pruning for my benefit.

I am the Real Vine and my Father is the Farmer. He cuts off every branch of me that doesn’t bear grapes. And every branch that is grape-bearing he prunes back so it will bear even more.

John 15:1-2 (The Message)

He cleanses and repeatedly prunes every branch to make it bear more AND richer AND more excellent fruit!

"You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so 

that you may go and bear fruit-fruit that will last-and so that

whatever you ask for in My name the Father will give you.

This is My command: Love each other." 

John 15:16-17

Feeling Like An Egg

A little snippet from my rough draft: 

I've always struggled with how what the devil intends for our harm, God not only USES, but the Bible says, in Joseph's story, God actually INTENDS for our good. Then yesterday my 8-year-old was recounting when we had taken him out to a fancy, grill-at-your-table Japanese place earlier in the year. The chef asked him to "juggle" raw eggs, knowing full well what would happen. Had he tried to juggle them over my floor, he would have gotten in trouble. But when the chef instructed him to juggle them over his grill, the inevitable crash of scrambled eggs was clearly part of his skillful recipe for our meal. Yes, it is easy to question when all we can see is the midst of the mess! So glad God not only sees, but designs, the bigger picture! - (c) Jennifer Saake, 2014

The Lord Is My Banner

I would like to introduce you to a friend of mine, Diane Bailey, from dianewbailey.net. She has become an amazing encourager, someone that truly points to harvestable Truth and Hope in my life, so I'm thrilled to be teaming up with her to launch a new series on her blog today! (I apologize for the formatting issues in today's post. After several hours of striving to repair all these glitches, I've concluded that Blogger and I just aren't playing well together today! Please don't let my technical issues keep you from taking a couple moments to soak up the blessing of Diane's words!) Welcome, Diane! Thank you for letting me share your thoughts. I pray my readers are as deeply blessed as I am.

 

I’m beginning a new series on this blog.  For the next few weeks I’ll post a name of God offer this blog as a place for prayer.

  

Our name of God today is Jehovah-Nissi, The Lord Is My Banner.

 

We have all seen the famous sculpture of the men at Iwo Jima raising the United States flag atop of Mount Saribachi.  Two men pressing the pole’s end into the ground, with three other men raise the flag high.  It is said, they raised the flag in hopes it could be seen on the neighboring island, where others were fighting; a sign of victory and encouragement.

 

 

Photos of Flag Raising Credit – Wikipedia

 

Moses stood on a hill with his hands raised high as Joshua and his army battled the Amaleks below.  As Long as Moses’ hands were lifted high Joshua’s army would win, but when his hands were lowered the Amalaks would win. 

 

Photo credit: Bing Images



When the battle was finally over, and the victory won, Moses built an alter to the Lord and named it, “The Lord is My Banner."

 



Jesus reminds us in John 16:33, “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you will have peace.  In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.”

 

In all of our tribulations, God buries a pole beside us with His flag of victory waving above our head.  In Christ, you are more than a conqueror. 

 

 

 

 

“Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:37-39)

 

His banner over you is “Victory,” and His banner over you is “Loved.”

 

 

 

 

 

How can we pray for you today?

 

 

blog: http://www.dianewbailey.net

      twitter: @dewbailey

      Email: diane@dianewbailey.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

Finish Well

It has taken me a few months, but I just finished a full edit of Harvesting Hope last night. I found six chapters (out of 15) that either need some re-writes, additional new material, or just some simple finalization and finishing. If God wills, we are just looking at a couple more months before I start actively seeking a publisher for the manuscript. I just posted some specific prayer needs and my current health update over at Stroke of Grace and would be so blessed if you will partner with me in praying that I finish this stage well and that God throws wide open doors with the publisher He has already ordained for this project.

Harvesting Hope, the Book

I have been doing most of my recent updating (at least a couple of fresh posts per week) over at Stroke of Grace and am currently undergoing multiple doctors or therapy appointments per week. Though I have been overwhelmingly busy, I haven't forgotten you. 

Jennifer Saake, following one of several surgeries in 2012.

I do intend to get back to more consistent posting here soon, to keep you updated on future publishing progress. As I finish these very few last devotionals (thanks for your prayers!) and start talking with publishers (again, thank you for bathing this process in prayer!), I had to take a moment to say how terribly excited I am about this upcoming book. I pray you will be as blessed and challenged by these devotionals as I have been through the writing!

 

While my updates here remain so sporadic, please come check out my Pintrest boards for pictures like this, especially those on the fruit of the Spirit and Harvesting Hope. You might also like my pins on Spiritual Warfare, my more general one of Words, my stroke board, or any of several others. If you are on Pintrest, please leave your address in these comments or friend me there. I would love to connect with you!

Book Prayers, Please

I'm only about less than 10 devotionals from being DONE with my current manuscript and being able to query publishers, but I have hit a motivation slump (not really "writer's block," just loss of focus) and done basically no new work on the book since October. Please pray for renewed motivation and inspiration to finish well. 

 Harvesting Hope from Heartache - join me on Facebook. :)

Writing Update

I am in one of the last legs pushing to finish this book that I hope to submit to a publisher for consideration by the end of the year. Please pray for wisdom, clarity, God's timing, and protection of my family. Thanks!

Writing without my full, previous cognitive function or sharp memory (StrokeofGrace.blogspot  for details if you don't know why I say this) is an interesting experience!

Choosing Joy

One of my favorite explanations of the work of the Holy Spirit is this one about God's sufficient grace and his steady work, quietly, like the changing of seasons.

Grieving with Hope

This is a truly inspiring story of one woman's journey in unseen faith!

Testimony to holding the Shield of Faith from Morning Star Church.

Have you taken up the shield of faith today?

My Next Book

I'm often asked when I'm going to write my next book. In reality I've been in the process of writing a book on the life of Paul as encouragement for living with chronic pain and illness for probably close to 5 years now. Since Hannah's Hope took me about 10 years to write, that may not be such exciting news because it tells you I still have a very long way to go!

What I hope is more exciting, what I would like to ask you to partner with me in prayer as God continues to unfold His plan, is that this very blog is becoming a launching pad for what I feel God is turning into my "next" book. Yes, I'm continuing to work on the Paul book too, but over the past year God has me focusing more on an exploration of the Fruit of the Spirit and I've been working on a Bible study related to what He's teaching me.

How does the Fruit of the Spirit tie in with Harvesting Hope from Heartache? I'm glad you asked. ;) It all has to do with sowing seeds, gathering fruit, and ultimately what Source hope springs from. What better time to look to the Lord for help than in the midst of the trials? I'm very excited to see how God is tying so many themes together in my life as He's teaching me through Galatians 5 this year! I pray that this book will be as much of a blessing to you as the journey has been to me.

It is my current goal to have enough of this study written and ready to present to publishers that I can begin the query process around the end of the year or in the very early part of 2012. Will you join me in specific prayer that God will give me His words to write and that this project will unfold according to His will and in His perfect timing?

If you would like to stay updated about my progress, I've just opened a new Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/HarvestingHope and would love to have you "like" me over there. :) Feel free to pass this link along to your friends as well.

Misunderstood

A friend recently pointed me to a fascinating article titled, The Most Misunderstood Woman in the Bible : Why Job's wife may have gotten a bad rap. Much of the article is speculation, but gives some wonderful historical and cultural perspective and food for thought such as,

Imagine the grief that overwhelmed her soul as she looked down in disbelief at ten freshly dug graves...

Clearly God chose to record her thoughts in Scripture, yet sometimes I wonder how fair it is to define an entire life based on one conversation. Nowhere before or after this incident are we given any indication that Job's wife was a perpetually bitter, unhappy wife...

Yet, if you listen to Job, you almost hear admiration. "You speak as one of the foolish women." He didn't say his wife was foolish. He didn't even say her words were foolish. He said, "She sounds like one of the foolish women."

In other words, "You don't sound like yourself." You might read these words like this: Sweetheart, that's not you talking. This doesn't sound like the woman of God I know and married. That is not you talking, my wife. Let's remember God's promises. Let's remember his goodness...

I would encourage you to read this powerful post!

Desert Seasons

Have you ever endured a really long "dry spell" in your relationship with God? It's hard to harvest much in a desert isn't it?

I once heard a sermon on "desert seasons" about the 40 years of wilderness wandering for the Jews, David's time of hiding out in the desert to escape King Saul's death threats during nearly 20 years of waiting for the fulfillment of his anointing as king, even Jesus' 40 days of fasting and temptation after He was baptized by John and spoken as God's "beloved Son" straight from heaven at the beginning of His earthly ministry. It is hard to go through spiritual deserts where the pursuit of fellowship with Him seems so dry and fruitless and pointless!

If it's any encouragement, you are not alone in these feelings. In fact I think it is a pretty common experience for maturing Christians where God allows us to "outgrow" that initial passion and have to lean on Him more "blindly" in faith at times. Praying that He will give you the courage to keep "going through the motions" as an act of obedience, even when your heart doesn't feel like you are connecting, and that He will bring you through this "desert" (or "deserted" feeling?) time with renewed hope and purpose for the next season of your journey with Him.

Following God Through the Trials is a beautiful article I read this morning, further reflecting on these desert seasons. I pray it will bless you as it has me. Then go on to Storms in the Desert and be reminded that the Living Water will never leave you or forsake you, even when you don't "feel" Him near. {{{hug}}}

Contentment with Great (Weight) Gain

I posted this to my InfertilityMom and beauty blogs last week, and wow does it seem to have struck a nerve! I try not to usually cross post the same thing on more than a couple of blogs, but it sounds like this is one that has met a lot of hurting hearts right where they live, and so I share it here as well....

I've gained weight the past year and a half. A lot of weight. I was asked three times last week if I was pregnant because I'm carrying most of that weight right out front in my belly. I've had a hysterectomy and dealt with weight gain from medications and many medical issues. There's no doubt that my hormones are way out of balance. I weight more than 50 pounds more today than I did when I was pregnant with our daughter eight years ago. About 40 of those pounds have been packed on the past 20 months.


I am frustrated. I don't like my body. I don't like getting dressed. I don't like getting undressed even more. I have stacks of clothes I can't get into, some now 3 or 4 sizes too small, that I've been stashing away for when I can get the pound off.


Today I'm choosing a new attitude. Yes, I would still like to shed some weight, for health, for self-esteem, for so many reasons. But the fact is, this is my body right now. The same Holy Spirit lives inside this broken temple who lived here when I was at my healthiest, most fit, most attractive days. I can make choices that will keep this body as well-conditioned as I am able, but honestly some of this is simply beyond my control.


So today I went through all my clothes, those horded away for someday and those still hanging in my closet, many ill-fitting even though I try to still squeeze into them. To my delight I found a few things I honestly didn't think would fit that still work nicely. :) I kept about 5 things that are very near to fitting, just a tiny snug right now, because if I can loose a few pounds and under-grow what I have, I still have a tiny cushion of options before I hit yard sales and consignment stores for smaller sizes.


I sorted and organized all the rest and can walk into my closet and know that absolutely anything I pull off the hanger will fit on this body and I won't have to fight through five or six outfit changes (and accompanying tears and words of self-loathing) just to get dressed in the morning. And as a bonus, I now get to bless some friends with an abundance of clothing that can be enjoyed again, no longer a source of frustration to their owner.


But godliness with contentment is great gain.

- 1 Timothy 6:6



Father, please grant me contentment in my "great gain" that I can have a heart to fully embrace the body you have given me and glorify you with it, just as I am.

Where Can I Find Support?

My desire for Hope Harvesters™ is to offer resources and support that shower my readers with Christ's comfort in the face of life's deepest heartaches and losses. Every now and then I try to post reviews for new readers so you know where to turn for various kinds of support.

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows.
- 2 Corinthians 1:3-5

If you are hurting, you are not alone. If your need isn't addressed here, please let me know what other kinds of resources you would like me to address in the future. Please follow these links (you will have to scroll down past today's post to find additional posts for each tag) for:

Cancer (The entire list of posts that will pull up from this tag are helpful, but the Nov. 11, 2009 post may be your best starting point.)

Chronic Illness

Depression

Grief

Infertility

My blog for Hannah's Hope: Seeking God's Heart in the Midst of Infertility, Miscarriage & Adoption Loss has recently been relaunched at www.HannahsHopeBook.blogspot.com offering support for a full range of fertility challenges.

InfertilityMom is my "most personal blog" sharing thoughts from basically every aspect of my life, ranging from being an after-infertility mom to writing, living with chronic illness, and homeschooling.

Given Me a Thorn is one of my newer ventures, a place to talk about my current writing on the life of Paul and living victoriously through chronic pain/illness. I don't know what my publisher will select as the finished title of this book, but my working title is "Given a Thorn" thus the blog reflects this concept. Here I include a few prayer requests, updates, and devotional links on Paul or illness such as the one I posted today. Obviously I hope to be much more active there as the book draws closer to publication.

InnerBeautyGirlz isn't really a "support" blog, but I pray it is a place where you will be uplifted. It is a cross between promotional posts for the companies I represent as a consultant (mineral makeup, Christian jewelry) and inspirational/devotional posts about beauty. It is my desire to have at least half of the posts be from the inspirational side, but I sometimes go through stages where I'm just too exhausted to keep up fresh content, so I will forewarn you that sometimes it's more heavily weighted toward only sale, discount codes and product promotion than I would like. It is my "fun" outlet and I really do enjoying sharing God's perspective on living in beauty for Him.

All About Me?

How quickly I loose focus. How quickly mankind forgets, becomes self-centered:

At the Last Supper, Jesus passed the bread and cup then said,

21-22"Do you realize that the hand of the one who is betraying me is at this moment on this table? It's true that the Son of Man is going down a path already marked out—no surprises there. But for the one who turns him in, turns traitor to the Son of Man, this is doomsday."

23They immediately became suspicious of each other and began quizzing one another, wondering who might be about to do this.

24-26Within minutes they were bickering over who of them would end up the greatest. But Jesus intervened: "Kings like to throw their weight around and people in authority like to give themselves fancy titles. It's not going to be that way with you. Let the senior among you become like the junior; let the leader act the part of the servant.

-Luke 22, The Message (emphasis added)

One minute worried about Christ, suspicious of one another. In the blink of an eye they forget why they were even arguing in the first place, Whom they were trying to protect. SELF takes priority over the His Lordship. Pride and greed eclipse protection and love.

I'm writing about them. I'm writing about me. *sigh* It's so easy to loose focus and forget. Lord, please help me to love with Your grace, protect with Your passion, choose my battles to Your honor, and remember that it's really about You, not me!!!

Consider the Clovers

Growing in God’s Flower Garden is a sweet reminder by Lisa Copen of Rest Ministries, that we are never "overlooked" or insignificant to God. Take a moment to read it and be encouraged today. :)

...Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow...
- Matthew 6:28

Ecstasies and Intimacies

I've been reading through "The Message" for devotional time this year. I know it is a paraphrase, not a true translation, but I love getting a fresh wording on Truth I've read in traditional translations for years. This morning I read:

Jesus said, "Marriage is a major preoccupation here, but not there. Those who are included in the resurrection of the dead will no longer be concerned with marriage nor, of course, with death. They will have better things to think about, if you can believe it. All ecstasies and intimacies then will be with God. Even Moses exclaimed about resurrection at the burning bush, saying, 'God: God of Abraham, God of Isaac, God of Jacob!' God isn't the God of dead men, but of the living. To him all are alive."
- Luke 20:34-38

This was Jesus' answer to the Sadducees who were trying to say there was no Resurrection and trap Him with a question about a woman who had been married and widowed repeatedly, asking whose wife she would be in Heaven. I've emphacised the parts that just jumped off the page to me though, that death, something that's certainly been a "major preoccupation" for me, won't even be something I take time out to think about in Heaven. How amazing is that!? Praising the Lord that He will wipe away every tear when death is swallowed up in ultimate Victory!

Thorns, Weeds, Give-away and Hope

Dealing with infertility, pregnancy loss or adoption struggles or know someone who is? I came across a give-away for my book, Hannah's Hope, on the Life {Sweet} Life blog today, open through April 1! The blog author, Sarah, is currently pregnant, but has a heart for those still walking the road of infertility.

Sarah's also got some great things to say about FamilyLife Weekend to Remember. Read my review here or between April 5-26, 2010, register for any upcoming Spring or Fall Weekend to Remember using the promotion code "INVITE" and go for 1/2 price, only $129/couple!

I'm still praying my way through the life of Paul, thus giving a lot of thought to thorns and weeds. Today's post at (in)Courage, Ellie and the Weeds is a sweet reminder to let God be our gardener. (To my infertility/loss friends, the article is built sweet conversations between a mother and her 3-year-old, but this mother has also suffered infant death if this knowledge makes the sweet exchange more readable for you).

I would like to ask your specific prayers for protection over me and for my family as I venture deeper into my Paul writing. I'm starting to see signs that satan's not happy with what God's wanting to accomplish through this book and he's trying to attack us, invading my dreams with ugly images, taking reign over my tongue in ugly words that tear down my loving husband, and bringing a spirit of disorder and discord into our home. In a way I'm thankful for these attacks only because they affirm that I must be on the right track if the old snake would take the time to try to sideline us, but I also know God longs for us to come running to Him with our fears and frustrations, and so I ask you to join me prayer for God to be glorified in and through our family in a time of spiritual warfare.

Would you pray with me that the Lord will keep us steadfast in Him and bring joy and harmony to our home as He speaks truth to me and helps me to rightly divide His Word to share with hearts broken through chronic physical pain and illness? If you would like to join me as a prayer partner for this newest writing project, please leave me a note here or email me at jsaake AT yahoo DOT com and I'll send you periodic prayer updates as the book project continues to unfold. Thank you!

Intimate Rain

I think that I shall never see
A poem lovely as a tree.
A tree whose hungry mouth is prest
Against the sweet earth's flowing breast;
A tree that looks at God all day,
And lifts her leafy arms to pray;
A tree that may in summer wear
A nest of robins in her hair;
Upon whose bosom snow has lain;
Who intimately lives with rain.
Poems are made by fools like me,
But only God can make a tree

- Joyce Kilmer

The line that jumps out to me here is, "Who intimately lives with rain." While I've mentioned it before, I can't help but think of Holley Gerth's encouraging devotional book, Rain on Me: Devotions of Hope and Encouragement for Difficult Times. If you haven't had a chance to read this book yet, I know you will be blessed when you do. I just ordered another two copies to share with friends. Let us intimately live with God, both in the blessings and the rain, Harvesting Hope together in Him.