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Archives For February 2011

Whose hands?

Renee Ann Smith —  February 27, 2011 — 24 Comments

A basketball

In my hands

Is worth

About $19.

A basketball in

Michael Jordan’s hands is worth about $33 million.


A baseball

In my hands

Is worth

About $6.

A baseball

In Roger Clemens’ hands is worth $475 million.


A tennis racket

Is useless

In my hands.

A tennis racket

In Andre Agassi’s hands is worth millions . . . It all depends on whose hands it’s in.


A rod

In my hands

Will keep away

An angry dog.

A rod in Moses’ hands parted the mighty sea.

A slingshot in my hands

Is a kid’s toy.

A slingshot

In David’s

Hands

Is a mighty

Weapon.

Two fishes and

Five loaves

of bread

In my hands

Is a couple

Of fish Sandwiches.

Two fish and 5 loaves of bread in Jesus’ hands fed thousands.

Nails in my hands might produce a birdhouse.

Nails

In Jesus Christ’s hands

Produced

Salvation for the entire world.

So give your concerns, your worries, your fears, your hopes, your dreams, Your families and your relationships to God because. . .

They’ll be in good hands.

(Source for reading: Anonymous . . .)

In Devotional Thoughts
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Join us for Book Club Day!

Renee Ann Smith —  February 24, 2011 — 43 Comments

Yay! It’s Book Club Day! The February Free-for-all and Friday are both finally here! I hope you’re ready to tell us all about the book you read. If you’re a blogger, you know what to do–enter your blog post in the linky list at the end of this post. If you’re not a blogger and want to share, just write about your book in the comments section. Then lets all hop around and comment on each others’ reviews.

I’ll leave this post up for the weekend. And just for fun, if we have enough participation, I have a $10 Amazon Gift Certificate Giveaway to share with one fortunate reviewer.

This month I chose to read Nicole Baart’s beautiful coming-of-age novel, After the Leaves Fall, which focuses on the life of a young girl named Julia. Here’s how the story begins . . .

“Waiting is a complicated longing. I lost my father when I was fifteen, and I’ve been waiting ever since . . .

I began to exist in a tension between wanting and not wanting—waiting for something I couldn’t even pin down in my most naked and honest moments. Waiting for a balance where I neither ached nor forgot, regretted nor accepted. Waiting for my heart to be light again yet fearing the implications of that same lightness. I suppose I waited for peace—an end to my own personal warfare . . .”

Then Julia’s grandmother shares the words of wisdom from which the novel takes its title: “‘You know what my favorite time of year is?’

I blinked for the first time in minutes and looked up at her. ‘Huh?’

She continued without looking down at me, ‘I love it best when the leaves fall.’

I didn’t know what to say.

‘Lots of people like autumn because the leaves turn such pretty colors.’ Grandma smiled at this as if she had a secret, something sweet and unforeseen that she was going to share with me. I watched the familiar, wrinkled profile soften. ‘I like it when all those leaves fall because it’s such a small thing that means so very much.’ Pulling her hand out of mine, she turned to me and tilted my face toward her own. ‘Do you know what I mean?’

I didn’t.

She searched my face. ‘There’s this subtle sadness—winter is coming, and it’s going to be hard and cold. And there’s a feeling of good-bye. But there’s also . . .’ She searched for the right word. ‘Suspense? Maybe hope? Because it’s not over, everything is just waiting for spring. Do you know what I mean?’

Grandma sounded expectant, and I smiled at her because I loved her better than anyone else in the world now that Dad was gone. ‘I think so,’ I said quietly.

‘You can see more clearly when it’s all stripped bare. You can see that everything gets to be new.’ Grandma smiled at me with every hope for our future shining in her eyes. ‘That’s the good part.’

A gust of wind from the southwest shot through the trees and showered us with cold water and soggy leaves that were anything but hopeful.

I’ve been waiting a long time for the good part . . .”

My take on the story: This young heroine crept into my heart. At times her words reminded me of things I have felt and struggled with. Other times, I simply wanted to be the mother she was longing for. As I read, I kept thinking of the verse, “When my mother and father forsake me, then the Lord will take me up.” (Psalm 27:10)

I hurt with Julia as she struggled to become a new creation without the power of the Savior. I wished she hadn’t chosen to learn so much the hard way. However, though some of her missteps were painful, the end of the book brought hope and healing.

BTW, I would welcome her wonderful grandmother into my home any day! When I was a teen, I would’ve loved to know someone like Julia’s Grandma–just to sit at her feet and soak in all she’d learned about God and His ways . . . As you can tell, these characters seemed very real to me! Continue Reading…

In Christian Fiction Book Club , ,
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Are You In? Christian Fiction Book Club, February 25th

Renee Ann Smith —  February 22, 2011 — 24 Comments

Hey, guys, great news! If you’ve read a Christian fiction book this month, you can write about it, link up or share your review here, and be eligible to win a prize! If you’re not a blogger, you can email your thoughts on your book to me (reneeasmith61 [at] yahoo [dot] com) or you can share your thoughts in the comments section of my review when I post it.

I’ll post my review on Friday, February 25th, and we will have the weekend to link up and read each others’ reviews.

This is a great way to fellowship by sharing our values, hearts, and special favorites with each other. So join us. It’ll be fun! I promise!

If you’re new at this and don’t know what to write, consider these questions . . .

  • Which character did you relate to and why?
  • Which character did you love and want for a friend?
  • How did the author’s story touch your heart or affect your view of some aspect of life?
  • Could you relate to the situation in your book because of something in your own life?
  • Did the dialogue or situations in the book make you smile?
  • Would you read another book by this author?

For further details about books suggestions and how this all works, see my original book club post at this link.

In Christian Fiction Book Club
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Jessica Clum Gardner: Many daughters have done well (or a sequel, kind of)

Renee Ann Smith —  February 21, 2011 — 37 Comments

Jessica and Ethan (4 months)

I’d like you to meet a young woman I’ve come to greatly admire, Jessica Clum Gardner. I first met her when she was about 10 and watched her grow up in the years that followed. She was in the first graduating class at my former Christian school, and I was privileged to have her in my own English classes. She is also the daughter of my best friend Nancy. (So this story is kind of a sequel to Nancy’s story, which you can read here.)

Last year I saw firsthand Jessica’s tender ministry to her dying mother. She would read to her, sing to her, sit by her side while Nancy dozed–she just provided a quiet oasis of calm wherever she was in the house. As I wrestled with how to describe Jessica, a verse kept coming to mind which I think says it best: “Many daughters have done well, but you excel them all.” (Proverbs 31:29)

Jessica was shy as a little girl. She preferred books over people at times, though she had

Jesse and Jessica (She's not so shy anymore!)

many friends and participated in all our school activities. And she had a heart for God even then. I remember one night her mother went to Jessica’s room to put her to bed and came back out with the task undone. “She asked to stay up a little longer. She’s reading her Bible and going through her prayer list. What mother could say no?”

Since Jessica’s parents were the type who were in church whenever the doors were open, she grew up going to junior church, Sunday school, and youth group. Our church took advantage of the great youth activities provided by Word of Life Bible Institute in Schroon Lake, NY. So Jessica attended several snow camps there. We were all surprised when quiet, little Jessica returned from one snow camp having signed up for a WOL short term mission trip. She ended up in South Korea for the summer! And that trip was only the first of many. God had impressed upon her that He wanted her in ministry, sharing the gospel through songs, children’s Bible clubs, and any other means.

Jessica’s married now. She and her husband Jesse (Yes, they’re Jesse and Jessica. Cute, isn’t it?) and their children live in Langhorne, PA. Together they’ve received great training for ministry. Jesse graduated from Pensacola Christian College with a major in Pastoral Ministries and a minor in English. Jessica graduated from Philadelphia College of the Bible with a major in Children’s Ministries and focus on Biblical Studies.

Jesse commutes to Rainbow Media, right outside Penn Station in NYC, where he is a product manager working closely with AMC and WeTV. He’s also an Associate Pastor at Oxford Valley Chapel, where Jessica and Jesse head up a college/career ministry. They call their group the YAMs (Young Adult Ministry) and have them over often for parties and other activities.

They also help with the Awanas clubs for kids. And this past June, Jessica and a friend started Mom to Mom, a ministry to young moms with children aged newborn to 5. They began by studying Shepherding a Child’s Heart by Ted Tripp and have moved on to Teach Them Diligently by Lou Priolo.

Now I’ll let Jessica answer a few of my questions in her own words . . . Continue Reading…

In The Interviews , ,
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Until I see her again

Renee Ann Smith —  February 18, 2011 — 57 Comments

Nancy at Relay for Life

A year ago this February I lost my best friend, Nancy Jean Clum, to breast cancer. She was an amazing woman whose light for Christ brightened our little corner of the world. She left behind a husband, children, grandchild, and friends from every walk of life, all of whom cherish her memory.

Two years ago, the Christian school I had worked at for nineteen years unexpectedly closed. (A sad time, but God used it in my life.) I was left without a job for a while and spent lots of time with Nancy. So I was also with her for almost every day of the last six months of her life (summer 2009 to February 2010).

I had the privilege of driving her to doctor’s appointments, keeping her company at home, and sitting by her side in waiting rooms for many hours. Those precious days made a big impact on me. Yes, I watched Nancy’s body waste away, but I also clearly saw her spirit grow stronger. She lived out the truth of II Corinthians 4:16 & 18,

Nancy and grandson Ethan

“Though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day . . . while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal.”

Nancy definitely kept her eyes on things eternal. Not that she didn’t suffer grief, doubts, pain, and tears. But as it became clear that God did not plan to bring healing on earth–even though she could barely speak at times–she would draw a Bible on a piece of paper, tap it with her pen, and whisper, “This is still true!“

I’ve written about Nancy before but felt compelled to lift up her memory again during this memorial month. I know my posts tend to be long, but I hope some of you will take the time to read this and be inspired.

I miss Nancy. And I guess I’ll want to share stories about her and speak of her for as long as . . . well, until I see her again!

The story below is part of what I wrote about Nancy right after her death. I prefaced it with this quote: “A friend accepts us as we are, yet helps us to be what we should be.”

Nancy enjoying her family

On a sunny afternoon in September, I sat beside my best friend Nancy at a school board committee meeting. She gestured with characteristic enthusiasm, blue eyes alight, as she sounded forth on fundraising. Then the high school principal signaled that it was my turn to speak.

Nancy cut me off with a wave of her hand and said to him, “Let’s just save time here. Renee and I think the exact same thing.”

Even then, I knew it wasn’t true.

I had first met Nancy at the local Bible study she hosted for our women’s group. Initially, she did the talking, and I did the listening. But after she broke through my natural reticence, we discussed everything—our fears and problems and hopes and goals. I lent her my books. She actually appreciated that I underlined things and wrote in the margins. She read all my comments. She encouraged me in each undertaking of my life.

Nancy, Dave, daughter Jessica, son-in-law Jesse, and grandson Ethan

And she modeled Christian love in action as she reached out in tangible ways to every person God sent her way.

One dark January day, Nancy learned she had breast cancer. Her cancer journey began with a mastectomy. Several of us visited her a few hours after the momentous surgery. She lay in bed, weak, pale, obviously in pain, and encouraged us to minister to the other patients in the hospital.

“Don’t worry about me,” she whispered. “You should see the woman in the next bed. She really needs you.” Continue Reading…

In Inspirational Lives, Life on Glenwood Boulevard , ,
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Word-filled Wednesday

Renee Ann Smith —  February 16, 2011 — 55 Comments

Don’t know which way to turn? God’s got your back . . .

And you shall hear a Voice behind you saying, “This is the way; walk in it,” when you turn to the right or to the left. Isaiah 30:21

In Devotional Thoughts, Word-filled Wednesday , ,
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The Most Remarkable Woman I’ve Never Met, Part II, and the Last of her Three Love Stories

Renee Ann Smith —  February 14, 2011 — 33 Comments


If you didn’t have the chance to read my first post, The Most Remarkable Woman I’ve Never Met, you can find the link here. And at the end of this post, you’ll find some other interesting links, including one to the last piece Elisabeth ever wrote, which has never been published as a book.

For Part II of this series, I decided to let Elisabeth tell you about her life in her own words.

From the About Elisabeth page of her website: “A year after I went to Ecuador, Jim Elliot, whom I had met at Wheaton, also entered tribal areas with the Quichua Indians. In 1953 we were married in the city of Quito and continued our work together. Jim had always hoped to have the opportunity to enter the territory of an unreached tribe. The Aucas were in that category—a fierce group whom no one had succeeded in meeting without being killed. After the discovery of their whereabouts, Jim and four other missionaries entered Auca territory. After a friendly contact with three of the tribe, they were speared to death.

Our daughter Valerie was 10 months old when Jim was killed. I continued working with the Quichua Indians when, through a remarkable providence, I met two Auca women who lived with me for one year.

Elisabeth, Valerie, and Auca women

Elisabeth, Valerie, and Quichuas

Elisabeth and Valerie

They were the key to my going in to live with the tribe that had killed the five missionaries. I remained there for two years. After having worked for two years with the Aucas, I returned to the Quichua work and remained there until 1963 when Valerie and I returned to the U.S.

Since then, my life has been one of writing and speaking. It also included, in 1969, a marriage to Addison Leitch, professor of theology at Gordon Conwell Seminary in Massachusetts. He died of Cancer in 1973.

After his death I had two lodgers in my home. One of them married my daughter; the other one, Lars Gren, married me.”

Renee’s comments: She tells it all so matter-of-factly, but I can’t imagine how difficult some of those years were! The following is a transcript from an episode of the Gateway to Joy radio program in which Lars (husband #3) and Elisabeth talk about how they met. (It mentions that they’ve been married 23 years, but the program is about 10 years old. So Lars and Elisabeth have actually been married more than 30 years.) Also, I hope you can sense the humor underlying some of their comments!

Lars Gren: “For some of the people who do not know it, I want to tell how it was that we met in the first place. I’d been living in Atlanta, Georgia. And through remarkable circumstances and many providential turns, I wrapped up the business of being a manufacturer’s representative and went off to seminary at Gordon-Conwell, which is only about ten miles down the road from where we now live.

When I arrived for the first day of classes, it was the funeral of one of the beloved professors there, Dr. Addison Leitch. I attended that funeral. Afterwards, there was a coffee hour where students were to be given the opportunity to pay their respects and say a few words about what Dr. Leitch had meant to them. Of course, this was all directed to the widow.

During that time I listened, and then at the very end this woman stood up. And I remember a few words that the widow said. ‘I do not want you to worry, but I would like to say a few words in response to these kind remarks.’ I thought to myself, here’s someone who has just been to the funeral of a husband, and to be able to stand up and speak as she did. She really impressed me as being a woman of tremendous strength. I remember thinking to myself, ‘That is some kind of woman.’ Continue Reading…

In Faithful people of the past, Inspirational Lives
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Meet Joday Hedlund and Laura Frantz and win their books

Renee Ann Smith —  February 12, 2011 — 16 Comments

The Season’s of Love Progressive Blog Party is drawing to a close. If you’re a book lover, you’ll want to stop in at the various sites and sign up for the drawings the bloggers are hosting.

Saturday’s party post features first-time author Jody Hedlund. I loved her book The Preacher’s Bride, which was based on the life of Elizabeth Bunyan, John Bunyan’s second wife. You can read an interview with her at this link to Dark Glass Ponderings. Julia and Jody are giving away a copy of Jody’s book. I believe they’re also giving away Godiva chocolate!

Sunday’s post features one of my favorite authors, Laura Frantz. Laura writes inspirational historical fiction that will not only take you to another place and time but will also touch your heart with the truths of God. You can find Laura, plus a 3-book giveaway, at this link for the Black and Gold Girl’s Book Spot. Bookmark the spot so you’ll remember to visit after church!

And to remind you to return later, here are Laura’s book covers for you to enjoy . . .

July 2011

Also, I think it’s not too late to get in on some of the previous giveaways. Here are the links: Continue Reading…

In Blog Hop, Book Suggestions , , , , ,
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