CRITICAL REVIEWS

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SO MOSES SPOKE THUS TO THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL; BUT THEY DID NOT HEED MOSES BECAUSE OF ANGUISH OF SPIRIT AND CRUEL BONDAGE. Exodus 6: 9



Today's verse might seem a little different to you until you read the entire post. But first, here are some pics I took this afternoon. The first one is the English garden in the drapings of fall! Quite a bit different from the glory of spring.




Here is a pic of our property looking west from the house. The woods are very pretty right now. We own a strip of land behind the woods on the right of the picture as well as the field of alfalfa in front of it and more acreage in front of the house and to the right of the picture. The English garden is to the front and left of this pic.




Now to refer back to the verse. I said I was going to begin going through my Bible and posting about verses I had underlined for various reasons. This particular verse always stood out to me. Even though Moses had received good news instructions from God, the Israelites were so beaten down that at first they could not even hear Moses wonderful declarations of their freedom. It is possible to become so oppressed as to miss all the good around you and forsake your very freedom! Take time to read this verse in context and apply it to your life. It seemed appropriate to me today since I had a hard day in alot of ways. It just seemed like nothing was going right. I can't even comprehend what 430 years of slavery would have done to the spirit of a people, when I started to get really down after just a few incidents all in one day. It just seemed alot of things converged today to make it a real tough day to remain focused and thankful. However there were also many good things that happened. Why do we tend to focus on the negative and let it begin to drag us down?

One of the good things was that we received our first invitation since we began sending out our letters making ourselves available for evangelistic meetings and preaching outside our church. Actually, the invitation came for Clint and for that we are thankful and humbled that the Lord chooses to use us in any capacity. Also Clint received an email from a person that heard his sermon yesterday and was so impressed that they asked if he posts outlines of his sermons or has a website! What nice confirmations to all his studying and diligence in preaching.

The economy here in Michigan is especially challenging right now. It has affected many people in various negative ways and our family is not immune to the difficulties it has presented though we have tried diligently to live above it and have done a fair job of it with the Lord's help. I'll not go into detail, but suffice it to say that some things due to the economy challenged some of our family today and I grieved for the difficulties these folks had to deal with.

To top that off, I received a critical review on "The Fields of May" from a store owner. A year ago this person had gotten a book to review as a possible addition to their inventory upon my request. They called me today to say they weren't interested in carrying it. When I asked why, they seemed hesitant to tell me. They finally said that books that have people doing all the right things and then all the right things result, are not always to their liking. I have received this same basic comment or criticism in various forms about 5 times since the printing of the book. Actually it's pretty much the only criticism I have received. Most reviews and comments I get are totally the opposite. People love the book for the very reason this person criticized it--that good wins out and diligent, consistent Christian living is rewarded with happiness and smooth sailing. I think we are sometimes as a society so inundated with the negative that we can't believe there could actually be good results from good living. It's the sowing and reaping principle. You reap what you sow. Yes, life has its ups and downs--as did my day, but I was trying to set an ideal in "The Fields of May," for people to strive for. The next two books in my series have alot more conflict as I've already shared in the courtship posts, so maybe I'll quit hearing this comment with those that are coming up. Just in case you've not read "The Fields of May," the conflict that takes place in that story is more of an inner conflict of waiting, wondering, and whether or not the main characters will decide to do God's will God's way or be disobedient.

Rhiannon and I are getting ready to go to Tennessee on Wednesday for our annual girls' vacation. We are so excited. I hope to find a way to post on this blog while I'm gone, but in case I can't, to all you followers, please do not give up on me! I appreciate that you take time to care about the things I have to share. This is a form of ministry for me. Just know that for 10 days or so there may not be much heard from me--not because I'm not full of things that the Lord is giving me to share, but because I am not sure what computer access will be available! I hope you will ponder the verse I shared today and the next time you are "down," you will remember that things are not so bad that the Lord will not lift you out of them allowing you to live on the higher plane of His goodness! Don't miss the freedom He has for you because of "anguish of spirit." Blessings, LORI