Festive Friday #4

Festive Fridays are for counting blessings, recapping posts, announcing giveaways, and sharing special treats with you.

Special Treat

This week I’m linking up  on Five Minute Friday.  I set a timer for five minutes, and here’s what I’ve written on the prompt “Breathe.”

 

Breath of Life

 

This wait is crushing

with the blow of indignation.

When pressure rises

too quick

I walk down a long corridor

a quiet corridor

a solitary corridor

and breathe deep all the way.

I look to the February sky

painted powder blue and lavender.

I hear birds twittering in the brush.

I set my eyes on the horizon

where the grass is bravely greening

this winter

and remember

You are the Author of New Life.

You are the Master of All Living Things.

You are the King of the World.

If you are calling me

to wait well

to do myself proud

and to bring you glory

I will hold in

all that is unnecessary to vent

and save it for our afternoon walks.

I will take my eyes off my frustration

and choose other-focus:

my overwhelmed friend

my discouraged coworker

my burdened comrade.

In these last waiting days

it’s more about Your work

and less about mine.

Breathing deep in your presence

seals in the reminder

and a bloom of new life

bursts with fresh oxygen.

Recap of This Week’s Posts

On Monday I shared a fresh batch of book reviews.

On Tuesday I wrote about my attempts to love a bully.

On Wednesday I shared different ways to handle conflict.

On Thursday I shared about new life from old stumps.

Questions for reflection: (please comment below)

Which post from this week resonated most deeply with you?

Have you joined the online Bible study?  If not, please visit the link now!

Counting Blessings

  • This weekend I’m writing my new blog series, “How to Be the Wife He Really Wants.”  Join me here on the blog Feb. 6-17 for this Bible-based series, right in time for Valentine’s Day.
  • I signed up to attend She Speaks 2017, a dream of mine for the past four years.  If you are attending, please comment!  I want to make a list of friends to meet in person.
  • I am competing in the Fear Fighting Bloggers Contest.  If you will take 30 seconds and vote for me, I will be so grateful!  Vote 17 in the comments section on this link (click here)! One vote per email/IP address. Please comment if you voted for me.  I will have a special prize drawing for all my voters at the end of February.

Giveaways

Congratulations to Jennifer J.,  the grand prize winner for our four weeks of Newness of Life!  Thanks for your comments in the online Bible study group!

Jennifer will receive a copy of  Talk Yourself Happy and two more surprise books!  Congrats!

Thank you to everyone who joined me for this study on Newness of Life .  I look forward to interacting with you next week, when I begin my new blog series for Valentine’s Day!

This post will be linked up at #dancewithjesus, #faithnfriends, #freshmarketfriday, #graceandtruth, and #fmf. Visit my linkups page to find links to these wonderful blogs.


 

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