Hope and humor: encouragement from James Watkins

CLICK FOR JAMES WATKINS' ARTICLES AND BOOK EXCERPTS ON LOVE

Home - About - Articles - Blog - Books - Comments - Humor - Quotations - Resources - Speaking schedule - Other stuff

Hope & humor: February 2010

Welcome to the month of roses, chocolate and—of course—love! Here's some hope and humor for relationships:

• Falling in love . . . and getting back up
• Looking for love . . . in all the right places
• Realistic love songs
• Three secrets to xxx-ceptional sex
• [more]

Please visit every Monday, Wednesday and Friday for new hope and humor.

"Dear friend, I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you, even as your soul is getting along well" (The Bible, 3 John 2).

Monday, February 8, 2010

Soaring, running, walking . . . and standing

Everyone loves the prophet Isaiah's encouraging promise:

He gives power to the weak
and strength to the powerless.
Even youths will become weak and tired,
and young men will fall in exhaustion.

But those who trust in the Lord will find
new strength.
They will soar high on wings like eagles.
They will run and not grow weary.
They will walk and not faint (Isaiah 40:29-31).

Everyone wants to soar. Everyone wants to run. But notice that Isaiah includes the more pedestrian promise of strength for walking. And the apostle Paul brings us to a complete standstill:

Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on all of God's armor so that you will be able to stand firm [and] stand your ground (Ephesians 6:10-11, 14 NLT).

During the ups and downs, highs and lows of life, God is there with strength for soaring and running . . . and for walking and standing our ground. (And, I believe, standing requires much more spiritual and emotional strength than soaring!)

I trust that wherever you find yourself today, you sense strength for the task—even if it's simply standing.

Email me at jim@jameswatkins.com to leave a comment. Thanks!

Comment

I loved your post about soaring vs. standing. I agree; anyone can sing and dance when Jesus soars with them above the clouds of adversity; it takes more faith and strength to stand. Especially when you want to slump on the ground and snivel! Blessings to a standing-strong saint, Jeanette Levellie

Friday, February 5, 2010

Hope for writers

Writing is the hardest way of earning a living, with the possible exception of wrestling alligators.
Olin Miller

It is hard, but it is possible. Click here for some resources to wrestle those alligators AKA editors, agents and publishers.

Email me at jim@jameswatkins.com to share your favorite writers' site. Thanks!

Writing for the Soul conference

If you need some encouragement, I'd love for you to join hundreds other writers (and moi) at the Writing for the Soul Conference February 18-21 in Denver, Colorado. I'll be one of the keynote speakers along with Jerry B. Jenkins, Max Lucado, Phil (VeggieTales) Vischer and Philip Yancey. (Pray for me. I am so out of my league!)

And for those who write from home . . .

Up to two feet of snow is predicted for the east coast (half a foot for Corn Borer, Indiana). But for those of us who work from a home office, my take on it:

    Oh the weather outside is frightful
    But the view is so delightful
    And since I work here at home
    Let it snow! Let it snow! Let it snow!

Wednesday, February 3, 2010

Something to love . . .

The grand essentials of happiness are: something to do, something to love, and something to hope for.
Allan K. Chalmers

Email me at jim@jameswatkins.com to contribute an encouraging quotation. Thanks!

Monday, February 1, 2010

Coincidences or 'God-incidences'?

"The first girl you meet when you return to Marion College will become your wife."

No, this wasn't the prediction of a fortune teller or a 900-number "psychic friend." My pastor's wife was trying to console me after a break-up of an engagement and the feeling that I'd never, ever find true love.

"I just feel that's what the Lord is telling

Watkins-Farra wedding 8.03.74

me," she said confidently. I was skeptical, but I did go back to school with a sense of fear that the "Bride of Frankenstein" would be waiting for me.

To quickly make my point, the first girl I met that year at college was Lois Farra—definitely no Bride of Frankenstein. Two and a half years later she changed her last name to "Watkins." A coincidence, perhaps. I would rather think of it as one of my friends calls it: "A God-incidence."

Throughout life God is orchestrating His will for our lives with "as it turned out" and "just then" incidences. Lois just "happened to be" the first person I met on campus. When our car broke down several miles from home, a neighbor "just happened" to have had to work late and "just happened" to notice us beside the road. When Lois and a friend from out of town missed an appointment with each other at the hospital where both needed to call on parishioners, Lois decided to pick up some supplies at a Christian bookstore several miles from the hospital. "As it turned out" her friend "just happened" to be at the very same store!

Throughout my life, the Lord has used God-incidences to have me meet the right people for marriage, employment, writing assignments, and other ministry opportunities.

We can make our plans,
but the LORD determines our steps (Proverb 16:9).

The LORD directs the steps of the godly.
He delights in every detail of their lives. (Psalm 37:23)

Your 'God-incidences'

Email me at jim@jameswatkins.com to share a God-incidence in your life. Thanks!

During his junior year in college our son had been accepted to the study abroad program in Australia. I knew that even tho we didn't have the money God would provide,since He had opened the door for Todd to go. One evening I said to my husband, "By the way, we need to send in $1,000.00 to the Abroad Program by next week. As I walked into our back bedroom, the doorbell rang. I returned to the living room within five minutes. My husband said, "Hold out your hand." In it he placed eleven, one hundred dollar bills. My father-in-law had stopped by and given us the money-after cashing in some bonds. He had no idea the need we had. We gave one hundred dollars back to God and paid the Program. This was a great witness to my father-in-law. Holy hugs, Kathryn Hartman

Jim, I loved your God Incidence story on your blog today. Mine is: I prayed for the friend of a friend to find a wife. God said, "Surprise! You're it!" Valentine's Day will be our 35th anniversary. Jeanette Levellie

Leave a comment, tell a friend, send me money . . .

Email your comments to jim

jameswatkins.com.

And if this page was helpful, please . . .
    a) save it as a favorite at delicious.com
    b) subscribe to the RSS feed
    c) recommend it to digg.com and StumbleUpon.com and
    d) tell a friend:

And if this page was really helpful, please . . .
e) please consider a donation to our sponsor XarisCom.

You can donate securely with any major credit card through PayPal. Thanks!

Legal stuff and warnings

Copyright © James Watkins. All text and graphics on my sites, unless otherwise noted, are copyrighted © in my name, James N. Watkins, and are protected by United States copyright law and international copyright law under the Berne Convention. Please visit the press room for information on reprinting any text or graphics. Thanks!

WARNING: Reader assumes full responsibility for the proper and prescribed use of this site. For external use only. Discontinue if rash, redness, irritation, or swelling develops. If swallowed, do not induce vomiting. Side-effects may include drowsiness or mild to severe agitation. Do not read while consuming alcohol or operating heavy machinery. Keep away from open flame. Do not store above 451 degrees. Do not use near or place in water. Void where prohibited, taxed or licensed. Any medical information provided is for general educational use only and should not be used as a substitute for professional medical advice. Views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of any other person—real or fictitious, living or dead—using the name James N. Watkins.

ACW Press
Economical self-publishing