faith Archives - Page 3 of 10

I took a little liberty with the timer on this one today because I wanted to try something different. It has been many years since I have tried writing any poetry, and this is a rather sorry attempt. But in the spirit of the “creativity” part of my theme this month, I decided to give it a shot anyway! Enjoy!

When Hope Breaks Through

When hope breaks through,
The darkness flees.
When hope breaks through,
My heart soars free.
Amidst the dark and stormy nights,
I find a deep and lasting peace,
When hope breaks through.

When hope breaks through
I lift my song.
When hope breaks through
The hurt and wrong,
My soul at last can find its voice.
My spirit sings the whole day long,
When hope breaks through.

When hope breaks through
The captives dance.
When hope breaks through
The vast expanse,
The Lord will win the victory.
And fear won’t have a fighting chance
When hope breaks through.

This post is part of the 31 Days of Five Minute Free Writes and Write 31 Days blogging challenges. Find all my posts in this series under the tag “write31days2018.”

In Faith Talk, Writing Life

Day 5: Share #write31days2018

Kiel LemonOctober 5, 2018October 28, 20182 Comments

When I first saw today’s prompt of “share” I thought I would go in the obvious direction of community, friendship, etc. Thus the photo I chose to today’s graphic. But this morning my devotional contemplations led me in a different vein of thought, so here goes nothing! Timer on…

This morning my devotional meditation was about feeling pain but not acting out of pain. As I meditated on that idea, I was also thinking about why we are supposed to feel pain and suffering. The Bible says that we are to share Christ’s sufferings so that we may rejoice all the more when His glory is revealed.

But if I am honest, I don’t like suffering. I run from pain. I try to numb it. Don’t we all shy away from that which causes us discomfort? Of course. But are we really supposed to? Or are we supposed to let the pain and hurt of living in this fallen world point us to something greater?

Sharing in Christ’s suffering allows me to understand his sacrifice more deeply. It allows me to empathize with the pain of those hurting around me in the world. It allows me to see the deeper cause of my discomfort, the sin hidden deep within, if I will let it.

Pain has a purpose. If I run from it or try to soothe it with a temporary fix, I only delay the healing. But if I lean into Christ, sharing His grief for a hurting, sin-sick world, then I can also experience His healing more deeply. Then I can rejoice all the more when the final healing and restoration come, when His glory is fully revealed! Hallelujah!

But rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when His glory is revealed.

1 Peter 4:13

This post is part of the 31 Days of Five Minute Free Writes and Write 31 Days blogging challenges. Find all my posts in this series under the tag “write31days2018.”

I am also linking up with the Five Minute Friday community today. To read more posts by bloggers on this prompt “share” visit the link-up.

In Faith Talk, Writing Life

Day 3: Believe #write31days2018

Kiel LemonOctober 3, 2018October 28, 2018Leave a comment

Something I’ve been contemplating lately is how I live out what I believe in specific areas of my life. I have particularly been considering how my identity in Christ shapes my behavior.

If I believe, truly deep down, not just on a cerebral level, that I am a Daughter of the King of Kings, I will behave differently than if I believe I am still an orphan without a home.

If I believe that I am redeemed and saved by grace, I will stop striving to achieve and earn God’s love, living instead in the rest and peace of being fully His, even as I am fully known.

If I believe that my home is heaven and that my life on earth is short, I will be more intentional about how I spend my time and steward my temporary resources.

If I believe that my children are a gift and blessing, I will be glad to serve and train them up in the Lord, rather than often wishing they would not be such a “burden.”

My beliefs cannot remain only head knowledge. They must be fully rooted in my heart. They must make a difference in how I think, feel, act and speak. Holy Spirit, fill me that I may believe more fully and walk in the Light of Truth. Lord, I believe. Help my unbelief!

P.S.–If you are a regular reader wondering what happened to the Wellness Wednesday Link-up this week, I am taking a break from hosting it for this month due to the Write 31 Days challenge. Wellness Wednesdays will resume again in November!

This post is part of the 31 Days of Five Minute Free Writes and Write 31 Days blogging challenges. Find all my posts in this series under the tag “write31days2018.”

In Faith Talk, Writing Life

Day 1: Story #write31days2018

Kiel LemonOctober 1, 2018October 28, 2018Leave a comment

Why do we as humans feel compelled to tell our story? What is it about story that makes us come alive? What is so powerful about hearing the stories of others?

I think it is because we are people of story created by a God of story. The God who created us is the same God who gave us His story in the form of Scripture. He has been telling the story of His love, grace and salvation from day one. And we, as being created in His image, also need to tell our stories, and His.

As a Christian, the Biblical account is more than a child’s story or fairytale. It is the very truth upon which I base my life. And yet, the Lord, in His creativity and glory gave us a book that is not just a collection of laws or dry facts and figures. He gave us a terrible tale of treason, and a romance of redemption. He is a master of the the craft, and as such, His epic poem is the most glorious that has ever been written.

And I am part of that story. So I must tell it!

This post is part of the 31 Days of Five Minute Free Writes and Write 31 Days blogging challenges. Find all my posts in this series under the tag “write31days2018.”

In Faith Talk, Writing Life

Contemplation, Creativity, Community: Write 31 Days Challenge Intro

Kiel LemonOctober 1, 2018October 31, 20182 Comments

Welcome to the opening day of the Write 31 Days Challenge for 2018 here at Tuning Hearts! I decided at the last minute to try and participate again this year. I hope that since I'm not using social media this month, I will be able to write a majority of the days this time around.

Just as I did last year, I will be following the writing prompts from 31 Days of Five Minute Free Writes, as well as following the usual 5-minute free write rules for those posts.

Since we are encouraged to choose a theme to guide our writing during the challenge, I settled on three words that sum up the direction my thoughts have turned of late:

Contemplation--Creativity--Community

These ideas keep coming up in my daily life as I think on what it means for me to:

lead a more contemplative life in a fast-paced world
hone and use my creativity as a tool to glorify God
build real, live community in a culture that is increasingly disconnected

I hope you will enjoy thinking through these ideas with me as I explore them from the various angles of the prompts given me this month. To find all my posts in this series, click on the tag "write31days2018." Please feel free to comment on any post that strikes a chord with you. I would love to open up the conversation!

Write 31 Days

31 Days of Five Minute Free Writes

Showing all posts tagged faith

Day 7: Hope #write31days2018

When Hope Breaks Through

Day 3: Believe #write31days2018

Day 1: Story #write31days2018

Contemplation, Creativity, Community: Write 31 Days Challenge Intro

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