2026 FCWC JUST DESERTS AWARD

Third Place in the Short Story Category. The title of my story: THE LETTER.

A World War II B-17 pilot, Joey Clement, receives a shocking letter from his state-side sweetheart. After months of corresponding, she now confesses that she is pregnant with his baby, due next month. To save face, she entered into a "Name Only" marriage with a man he hates.

His next mission deep into Germany is the most dangerous of all. What will become of his Ellie and their child if he doesn't return?

* * *

Receiving Third Place is humbling when you deem your work to be worthy of First Place. So, pride must take a back seat (or be dumped inside the trunk) while I study the piece and re-write it to bring it up to First Place standard and submit it again next year. That's what we writers do - rewrite, then rewrite again, and again... ad infinitum.

Farewell to a Dear Friend - Obituary of Pixie Rockey

Pixie Rockey, aka Lady Pixington, (10/10/03 - 01/03/22) passed into eternity on the morning of January 3, 2022, after a six-month battle with metastatic cancer. 

She is survived by her sister Feathers, aka Lady Featherina, and her pet human, Janet Rockey. Pixie served as a nurse for her other pet human and benefactor, Tom Rockey, until he passed into the Lord's arms in 2016. She comforted Janet as they both mourned the loss of one so dear. Pixie's grief developed into a diabetic condition, which required daily insulin injections. When her time of mourning passed, her blood sugar returned to normal range. Oh, how she loved her Daddy Tom! 

In the years to follow, she brought contentment and joy with her sweet demeanor and amusing antics. She became my consoler, purring in my lap when I felt discouraged, and acted as a protector, guarding the front door against multi-legged intruders.

After eighteen years of faithful friendship, I bid you adieu for now, sweet Pixie. I hope to see you, along with Sammy, Mandi, Sebastian, and Squeakette, in due time.

To make Heaven the perfect resting place

for loved ones we adore

God made sure those Pearly Gates

contained a kitty door.

-Susan Service

Jesus created her and brought her into my world. He even touched Tom's heart to provide a tender fondness when he first saw these two kittens. God knows the bond of love we formed, as He blessed us with the awesome stewardship of caring for His precious creatures.

A Life Lesson from King Uzziah

Uzziah was sixteen years old when he became king, and he reigned for fifty-two years in Jerusalem; and his mother's name was Jechiliah of Jerusalem. He did what was right in the sight of the LORD, in accordance with everything that his father Amaziah had done. He continued to seek God in the days of Zechariah, who had understanding through the vision of God; and as long as he sought the LORD, God made him successful. 

- 2 Chronicles 26: 3-5.

King Uzziah had great success during his half-century rule of Judah. He rebuilt Eloth, the seaport for the Red Sea. He succeeded in foreign affairs in defeating the Philistines and occupying eastern territories, such as Ammon and Moab. He succeeded in internal affairs by rebuilding Jerusalem, hewing out cisterns for livestock and crops. He organized a great army, providing them with military provisions of the latest weaponry. 

How did he come to have these successes? He did what was right in the sight of the LORD. He sought God's counsel, listened to godly men, and feared the LORD. 

But then he grew proud in himself, taking credit for God's work. He forsook his faithful trust in the LORD and usurped the priests' authority. He opposed the godly men who confronted him. As a result of his pride, leprosy grew on his forehead - a symbol of his "unclean" mind. He spent the rest of his life in seclusion, separated from his family and friends. Isolation prevailed even in his death, for on his tomb is written the words: "DO NOT OPEN."

In my own life, I can't boast about rebuilding a deep-water seaport, or conquering a mighty army, or providing sustenance for animals, plants, or humans. Assembling an electric fan I bought seemed an arduous task. I've often had to call on friends or handymen to help me with even the smallest of projects, so this small achievement tempted me to express my pride. "Look what I did!" 

I read and re-read the instructions and put the pieces together according to what I thought the manual said. The largest piece refused to be assembled. I realized I had to ask the LORD for help. After a short prayer, I re-examined the the piece I held in my hand. Turning it upside-down, I laughed out loud at myself. It slid right into place and allowed me to secure it with the provided bolt. Voilà! 

Assembling an electric fan is a small part of a larger life lesson. If I can give God the glory for this simple achievement, then shouldn't I give Him the glory for EVERY accomplishment? 

Thank You, dear LORD, for Your long-suffering patience with me, and for Your help in all that I accomplish. May everything I do bring glory to You. - Amen

Announcing a Debut Novel - FRESH SCARS

I am proud to announce the upcoming release of my friend Donna Mumma's debut novel, Fresh Scars.

This will no doubt be the first of many of her deeply moving writing accomplishments.

Fresh Scars is available for pre-order. 

Why Did Jesus Walk on Water?

In this new post, I want to share with you my sermon notes from Dr. Jonathan Murphy's message at Bayside Community Church in Tampa on March 14, 2021. Dr. Murphy's teaching is always profound.

Jesus ordered His disciples to leave, to go to their boat and set sail so they wouldn't be infected by the trend of the people to sabotage God's plans. They wanted to proclaim Him king right then, and not wait for His time. 

The disciples were alone in the dark with an approaching storm. They strained with their oars in exhaustion against the violent wind and waves. Fear compounded their colossal struggle.

Question #1 - Why did Jesus walk on water?

The sea is a picture of chaos and death. According to Job 9:8 and Psalm 77:19-20, only God can walk on water. For Jesus to walk calmly on the raging sea identified and declared Himself as God in the flesh.

Question #2 - Why did Jesus intend to pass them by?

In Exodus 33:13, God hid Moses in the cleft of a rock and passed by him in His revelation to Moses. In 1 Kings 19, God passed by Elijah to reveal Himself to the prophet. For Jesus to pass them by also identified and declared Himself as God in the flesh.

When the disciples realized they weren't seeing a ghost, Jesus further proclaimed His divinity with his "I AM" statement. (Exodus 34) This answered the disciples' question in Mark 4:39-41. 

Just as the sea is the picture of death, the mountain top is symbolic of God's presence (Exodus 19:11). From His high place, He sees us in our struggles, straining against the winds and waves of life's storms, and comes to us.

We are God's children. He loves us, though He lets us struggle. Sometimes straining at the oars builds muscles...and character. And Jesus, God in the flesh, walks on our stormy seas to take our burdens upon Himself. Trust in Him.

God's Perfect Timing

In September of 2019, my tenure as a legal secretary for a law office came to an end. If the boss had said, "Janet, it's a budgetary issue. We have to let you go," I would have accepted the decision without harboring any ill will. But that wasn't the issue. Five male bosses seemed to have succumbed to the inappropriate offers of one female employee. My overt Christian faith scalded her conscience for her  amoral lifestyle, which meant I had to go. After ten years of loyal service, with a multiple accolades from my attorney teams in my personnel records, my butt felt the boot. At first, the ugly situation crushed me. Then, a friend from church gave me the encouragement I needed. He said, "I'm sorry you lost your job, but I'm also relieved for you. God delivered you out of that cesspool, and He has a better plan for you."

Those healing words gave me the confidence to "seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be granted..." I sent an e-mail message to the editor at Barbour Publishing stating that I no longer had a full-time job and was free to write for them. She thanked me for letting her know. The next day, she sent an e-mail message to me asking if I would be interested in writing another devotional book for them. 

God did indeed have a better plan for me. In December, 2020, my third devotional book with Barbour Publishing, "The God of Possible," will be released.

He is truly the God of Possible. In His perfect timing, He pulled me out of a circumstance that challenged my Christian lifestyle and set me in a position to share His message of hope with others.

I pray that this book will bring you comfort, embolden your faith in the Lord, and provide you with the assurance that "...with God, all things are possible."

Sermon Notes for April 5, 2020

Bayside Community Church in Tampa, Florida has some very talented and capable members. With everyone ordered to stay home, our church elders and trustees found a way to live-stream our scheduled speaker, Dr. Stephen Bramer, from his home in Texas. Included in the stream, was a pre-recorded musical performance by one of our favorite vocalists Diane Susek, with organist Lou Young and violinist Grace Wiegman accompanying her. I cannot claim to be skilled in computer technology, so I will attempt to add the link to the church website for your benefit:
Bayside Community Church

In case, that doesn't work, I will give you a synopsis of my notes of Dr. Bramer's sermons.

10:00 a.m. Service:

Scripture reference: 2 Chronicles 14-16

Dr. Bramer opened with a true story about Cliff Young, an Australian Marathon Race Winner. A marathon race requires endurance, not speed. Trust in and obedience to the Lord also requires endurance. King Asa began well, but did not endure the race set before him.

God granted rest to the nation of Judah when they were faithful to Him, protecting them from war with their enemies.

In Chapter 14, King Asa did what was right in the sight of the Lord, removing the pagan idols and places of worship of false gods.
When the Ethiopian Zerah came to fight them with an army of a million men, he outnumbered Asa's 300,000 soldiers. King Asa prayed, "Lord, there is no one besides You to help in the battle between the powerful and those who have no strength; so help us, O Lord our God, for we trust in You, and in Your name have come against this multitude. O Lord, You are our God; let no man prevail against You."
The Lord routed the Ethiopians.

In Chapter 15, the prophet Azariah encouraged King Asa to continue relying on the Lord. "If you seek Him, He will let you find Him; but I you forsake Him, He will forsake you." The king further cleansed the land of the false idols and entered into a covenant with God.
There was no war for thirty-five years.

In Chapter 16, King Asa began to fade spiritually in the thirty-sixth year of his reign. He compromised his trust in God. Instead of praying when King Baasha of Israel came against Judah, he used silver and gold from the temple treasuries to bribe the king of Aram to make a treaty with him against Israel.
The Lord removed His protection of peace and rest. King Asa died of a disease that afflicted his feet.

Here are 3 applications to this lesson:
1) We must characterize our lives with always trusting the Lord
2) Expect to be tested. Trials will come to test or strength our faith.
3) Plan to end well. Continue to pray, study His word, and encourage other Christians.

* * *

11:00 a.m. Service:

Scripture reference: 2 Chronicles 17-20

In Chapter 17, Asa's son Jehoshaphat became king. He trusted God and followed the example of King David, having a whole heart for the Lord. King David was the standard for leadership. Jehoshaphat brought in teachers and prophets to teach the word of God to the people. He knew that obedience could not be forced, so the teachings gave them a desire to be obedient to the Lord. Even the nearby nations feared God.

In Chapter 18, compromised his faith when he made an alliance with King Ahab of Israel. Of all the prophets in Israel, only one named Micaiah told the truth. The others four hundred were false prophets who told King Ahab only what he wanted to hear. Ahab knew the word of the Lord, but refused to obey. He died in battle.

In Chapter 19, Jehoshaphat returned to Jerusalem in safety. The prophet Jehu rebuked him for his unfaithfulness. The king repented and brought the people back to the Lord, the God of their fathers. He appointed judges and admonished them to render judgment not for man but for the Lord.

In Chapter 20, the Ammonites and Meunites came to declare war against Jehoshaphat. He turned to the Lord and proclaimed a fast throughout Judah. He then prayed, "O Lord, the God of our fathers, are you not God in the heavens? And are You not ruler over all the kingdoms of the nations? Power and might are in Your hand so that no one can stand against You." Jehoshaphat continued with his prayer and praise to the Lord.
The Lord took possession of the battle to prove to Jehoshaphat that he could trust Him to defeat the enemies without Judah's army. God caused the Ammonites and Meunites to destroy themselves.

Here are 3 applications to this lesson:
1) Let us desire the statement, "The Lord is with him" to be said about us.
2) Avoid alliances with ungodly people. Live for eternity, not for the present.
3) Reliance and trust in God should be evident in our daily lives. We can praise God in advance of our victories!

Let us win the marathon race of life with endurance.