Thursday, March 28, 2019

Psalm 119:73-80 Yodh


י Yodh
Your hands made me and formed me;
    give me understanding to learn your commands.
May those who fear you rejoice when they see me,
    for I have put my hope in your word.
I know, Lord, that your laws are righteous, and that in faithfulness you have afflicted me.
May your unfailing love be my comfort, according to your promise to your servant.
Let your compassion come to me that I may live, for your law is my delight.
May the arrogant be put to shame for wronging me without cause;
    but I will meditate on your precepts.
May those who fear you turn to me, those who understand your statutes.
May I wholeheartedly follow your decrees, that I may not be put to shame.

What wonderful promises God gives us in these verses:

Just as we trust he formed us with his own hands, we can trust that he will teach us how to obey him. As we meditate on God’s word, we will find his comfort and compassion.

And if we follow his commandments, we will not be put to shame.

Father, thank you for your comfort. Help me know better how to share it with others.

Friday, March 22, 2019

Deep From The Heart by Mary Lou Cheatham


Mary was one of my first critique partners and has stuck with me for five years. She’s patiently given me many helpful suggestions about the writing craft, and she’s honest and gentle when telling me I need to add things which are missing from my stories.

Also, I love reading her work, from historical to contemporary. I appreciate Mary so much and highly recommend you check out all her books.

Here’s what she says about her newest book.


A Dangerous Love

DEEP FROM THE HEART, releasing March 25 by Mary Lou Cheatham, takes us on a journey of romance and suspense.

Ava Molino, a millennial, travels to places where she finds her mission of reaching the hurting and the dying—the troubled souls in a crumbling west Texas town. It’s a romantic thriller about a Methodist minister who leaves the security of pastoring churches near her friends and dear ones in Mississippi to revive a dying church. She also hopes to fall in love.

She rescues others. Who’ll rescue her?

DEEP FROM THE HEART can be pre-ordered in Kindle form now and delivered on March 25. Also close to that time, Southeast Media Productions will release the paperback form. A few days later the recorded version will be available on Amazon.com and Audible.com for purchase.

Mary Lou Cheatham’s heartfelt sympathy for the downtrodden has served as an inspiration for many of her novels, including The Dream Bucket.
Go to maryloucheatham.com to read more about DEEP FROM THE HEART.

To pre-order:


Friday, March 15, 2019

Sweet Memories, Oh so Many Laughs


August 4, 1996: After dinner, Rebecca said, "Mommy, can I show Sarah what pork chops are? She doesn't know." We didn't realize REBECCA knew what pork chops were, but she went and got the "pork chops" --they were chopsticks.

August 9, 1996: Last night Sarah said to me, "Do you know how much I love you? As BIG as the back yard!"

I asked Rebecca to give me a book this morning, and when she handed it to me, she had the attached bookmark hanging out. She said, "Here's your doggy, and here's his chain."

August 12, 1996: A couple times recently Rebecca has admired some clothing of Sarah's. Sarah replies brightly, "When they are too big for me, you can have them, Rebecca."

This evening, Rebecca was trying to twist the stem off of an apple. She was working vigorously, turning again and again, and asked Murray, "Which way do you turn it?"

August 16, 1996: The kids went to VBS at a neighborhood church this week, and they were trying to tell me yesterday how loud the music was. Rebecca said, "Let's say that when a giant talks in a soft voice, it's as loud as when you scream. This music is as loud as the giant screaming."

August 17, 1996: I gave the kids an old mixing bowl to play with. Caleb and Rebecca were pretending they were making a cake. They put a bunch of toys in the bowl, then Rebecca said, "Now, my recipe says, pick it up and shake it!" So she did.

August 18, 1996: Sarah was yelling in the car and Murray was trying to listen to the radio. He finally turned the radio off and said,"Are you done?" Sarah said that she was. Murray asked how he could know she was done. She said, "I'm calming down."

Rebecca was telling on Sarah, and said that "She arched me to go to a place I didn't want to go to." ("urged me")

August 21, 1996: Murray fell off of a stepladder today and was pretty sure he had broken his ankle. As our neighbor took him to the hospital, Rebecca asked Kathy, "Do people die from broken bones?" Kathy assured her that they didn't die, that they might just get a cast. So Rebecca said, "I'm sorry Daddy hurt himself, but it will be very interesting having somebody in our family with a cast."

August 25, 1996: A Bible verse Sarah has memorized says that God saves the crushed in spirit. Last night she was sad and moaning around, and I said I was sorry she wasn't happy. She whispered to me, "I'm crushed in spirit."

When Sarah wants to refer to a little bit of something she says, "A beeney bit."

August 28, 1996: The other day Sarah asked very curiously, "Why doesn't Ping-Hwei like milk? I like milk better than water." We have told her that milk is good for her bones, and she wants to know how the milk gets into her bones. The other day she said she knew how it worked now. She said, "Jesus opens up the bones so the milk can go in, and then He puts them back together again."

September 4, 1996: Last night Rebecca was talking with me about what cats say and what they understand. She asked, "If cats are in China, do they understand what people say to them in Chinese?"

September 9, 1996: This afternoon it was 94 degrees, but this morning, it was 60. Caleb said this morning that he was cold. He said, "I want to wear my mittens."

Sarah knows how to tell if people love Jesus. After our neighbor Terri asked them over to swim in her pool, Sarah said she must love Jesus because she shared her pool with us. When a car stopped for us in a parking lot, she said that person must love Jesus because he didn't run into us.

September 11, 1996: The other day Rebecca asked me what I called the top of a house. I said roof, pronouncing it like boot. She said some people say roof, pronouncing it like book. Caleb said, "I say woof." (He's quite able to pronounce R)

When Sarah is excited about something, like if she finds out she's going to get a surprise, or if she has something she really likes to eat, she often says, "Praise the Lord!"

September 12, 1996: Murray and Sarah went to the Orthopedic Surgeon today, and Murray got a walking cast. Sarah asked him, "How come the doctor just looked and the nurse did all the work?"

Isabella, a little neighbor girl was over to play today. She asked Sarah to tie her shoe, but Sarah told her that she hadn't learned how yet. Sarah brought her in to have me tie her shoe, and Sarah told Isabella, "Blind people can tie shoes."

Friday, March 8, 2019

What an Exciting Week


I had already fallen asleep last Friday night when my husband Murray’s soft voice woke me. “Kathy, your book is on Amazon.”

The only thing I could think to say that night was, “How much does it cost?”

The next day I was giddy. I couldn’t think or talk about anything else.

I’ve barely calmed down.

The first day my daughter Sarah called and said, “Guess what I pre-ordered.”

When I’d tell people about the book, and they’d say, “That’s exciting,” I’d say, “Yeah, yeah, yeah!”

Here is the link to pre-order my book for release on April second:


The print version of the Matthew devotional I had the opportunity to be a part of also became available this week. Here is the link:


I’m going to be a guest on several other writers’ blogs over the next couple of weeks. Please check these out and see what else these wonderful people have to offer:


March 12 or 13: https://www.maryvee.com


Psalm 136:1: Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good. His love endures forever.

Friday, March 1, 2019

New Mercies Every Morning


Lamentations 3: 21-23:
But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is thy faithfulness.

For many years I have clung to this passage. God’s mercies are new every morning. When I stumble, and I do often, God forgives me again and again as I try to turn from sin.

But this week, I was reminded of another meaning from these verses.

God helps me get up and try again every day.

I had a writing job I needed to finish this week. One day as I thought about it, I felt incapable. Stupid. Depressed. I wanted to go to bed in the middle of the day and not get up until tomorrow.

I thank God that he didn’t let depression win this battle. I didn’t go to bed in the middle of the day.

But I also didn’t work on that job. I worked on other things, planning to try that particular task again tomorrow.

And the next day, I was able to do it. I finished the job, and I even felt happy with it.

I’m not saying it’s always a good idea to put off something that needs to be done till another day, but this time it worked well for me.

God gave me the energy and ability, the calm and concentration, to accomplish my work in the new morning. His mercy surrounded me and held me up. That’s a hope I can reach for every day.