Author: meghanewhite

Faith, Uncategorized

A Treasure in the Trash Pile

meghanewhite

CF7FE717-97FD-48C7-A250-C4BDC458A8EB

“Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.” (James 1:17, NIV)

On a typical Sunday morning, I sat in church and grabbed my purse digging through the cavernous interior for a pen. As I was placing my purse back on the floor, I noticed the broken zipper, worn spots on the exterior, and a few small tears. I said in my head, “Lord, this looks really bad. I need a new purse.” And that was it. I didn’t give it another thought.  

Two days later my boys had just arrived home after one of their many outings. Dylan let me know they found some stuff at the neighbors curbside “free” pile. This house had been vacant for years and the owner was there cleaning things out, and left a sign to take the free items. If you know my boys they don’t pass up opportunities like that. They grabbed some random potential treasures and came home.

Dylan said he wanted to show me a purse he found. I thought it would be disgusting, and would need thrown out. He hands me this large, black, nice looking handbag. Still skeptical, I tell him to bring it inside to get a better look. We start to look it over and see a designer name on it, and notice it looked brand new. I still doubted this handbag was an actual treasure and say, “It must be a fake.” But no, after a serious examination from both myself and Dylan, and some online research, we realized that the fancy black handbag was indeed a genuine designer, made in Italy creation.

After a few minutes, I was reminded of my tiny little comment to the Lord just two days before. “Lord, this looks really bad. I need a new purse.” It wasn’t even a prayer. Just me sharing a moment with God. He always hears and is full of surprises. I know it’s just a purse. And I know there are bigger, more important prayers. I have so many seemingly big prayers that I am still waiting for answers on. But in this unexpected moment the Lord said, “This is from me. I hear every one of your prayers. I have answers for those burdens you’ve got. Trust me. Keep praying. Keep asking. Enjoy this blessing.”

I would never spend this kind of money on myself, especially for a handbag that costs hundreds of dollars. That’s just not me. So it took me a while to accept this gift. At first I didn’t know what to do with it. I used it a few times then put it in my closet. About a month ago I decided to sell it, even though I knew God wanted me to keep it. I thought, “I don’t need it and could use the cash.” I put the handbag on one of those designer consignment sites and it sat there for about a week. Message received. I took it off the site and have accepted this gift from the Lord.

The other day I used my fancy lady handbag to meet a friend for lunch. On the drive there the handbag was on the passenger seat. The lord spoke to me, “Why do you have a hard time accepting gifts from me?” I felt so convicted. I’m supposed to enjoy this surprise blessing, but instead I’m telling God, “I don’t need it nor do I deserve it.” How many times have I done this with God? With practical blessings, material blessings, spiritual blessings. I have rejected His perfect gifts for me, thinking, “I don’t deserve this.”

Grace is unfair, and my awesome God is all about giving me and you what we don’t deserve. I will never be good enough or worthy on my own for His perfect gifts. But the gifts won’t stop. God is not a person. He’s not human. I’m looking for fairness, and worthiness. He’s looking out for you and me, no matter what. He will pursue us and our hearts until the end. Not because we are worthy, but because of Jesus, who is so worthy!

What gift from God have you rejected?

Do you accept His love?

Do you accept His forgiveness?

Have you accepted His free gift of salvation?

Maybe you’ve thought that you are not worthy for such extravagance. Guess what? You’re right. We are not worthy, but God is. Accept these beautiful gifts from Him! He loves you with an everlasting love!

“I have loved you with an everlasting love;
    I have drawn you with unfailing kindness.” (Jeremiah 31:3, NIV)

Love you all,
Meghan

 

 

Faith, Uncategorized

Stinkin’ Thinkin’

meghanewhite

IMG_6411

Think happy thoughts and you can do amazing things, like fly. If only it were that easy. Could you imagine how simple life would be if we could just think good things, and good things would result?

Our thoughts matter. God gave us complex brains with the ability to think. Sometimes thoughts can be good, and happy, and positive. Or, thoughts can be negative, harmful, destructive, and painful.

Scientific research has revealed we have 12,000 to 60,000 thoughts per day. I have no clue how such data is gathered. No matter the number, we think a lot. We are averaging 500 to 2,500 thoughts per hour. Wow!

This leads me to the question, “What are we thinking about?” There are plenty of mundane, every day things that need considered. What to eat, cook, clean, wear, watch, play, and so many other tiny decisions we make daily. These seemingly unimportant choices do matter, but we’ve got bigger fish to fry.

I’m wondering about the negative stuff that comes in our heads. The lies that we believe. We’ve lived with them for so long, we make room for them. The lies in our head are more comfortable than the truth. Especially the truth from God’s Word.

Lies can come from all sorts of places. Our own fears feed them. Lies have been spoken over us from parents, grandparents, and so many others in our lives. People we’ve trusted, looked up to, believed. We tucked those words away and told ourselves, “They’re right. I am ________”. The lies ultimately come from our enemy, Satan. Jesus calls the Devil, the Father of Lies.

“He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.” (John 8:44b, NIV)

Satan knows he can’t take our riches away from us in Christ Jesus, but he can make us believe we have none. It’s sad that even our enemy knows what we have in Christ, and so many times we are walking around spiritually poor because we think we’ve got nothing. Those of us in Jesus have every single thing we need, and then some.

“He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?” (Romans 8:32, ESV)

“Teach those who are rich in this world not to be proud and not to trust in their money, which is so unreliable. Their trust should be in God, who richly gives us all we need for our enjoyment.” (1 Timothy 6:17, NLT)

How do you know if it’s a lie? Simple, lies do not line up with the Word of God.

God will never tell you to hurt yourself. NEVER!!

God will never call you stupid, ugly, or dumb. NEVER!!

God will never tell you to hurt someone else. NEVER!!

God will never tell you that you are worthless, useless, nothing. NEVER!!

God will never tell you something that goes against His word. NEVER!!

“Now this is the message we have heard from Him and declare to you: God is light, and there is absolutely no darkness in Him.” (1 John 1:5, HCSB)

God loves you!

God chose you!

God made you perfectly imperfect!

God wants you set free from the lies!

God has a beautiful plan for you!

Let’s fight back from the enemies lies. The word of God is our weapon, because it’s the truth. If you’ve never read a Bible, you’ve probably got one sitting in your home somewhere. If not, get a Bible App and start in The Word today. God’s word is alive!

“For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” (Hebrews 4:12, NIV)

Jesus Christ is the only one who can truly set us free from lies. Sure, I can practice positive thinking, and meditation, and all kinds of things that may help temporarily, but I want freedom. Jesus came to set captive people free.

“The Spirit of the Lord is on me,
    because he has anointed me
    to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners
    and recovery of sight for the blind,
to set the oppressed free,” (Luke 4:18, NIV)

I was taught many years ago how to take my thoughts captive. There is freedom in Jesus, precious Jesus! He is so good! It’s time to tell the devil to take a hike. The next time the ugly thought comes in, tell it “No!” Picture Jesus holding a stop sign. I know it sounds strange but it really helped me, since I am a visual person. That thought has to come under Christ’s submission. You get all kinds of benefits as a Christ Follower, and one of them is He will fight for you, so let Him.

4 The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. 5 We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. (2 Corinthians 10:4-5, NIV)

This all sounds simple, and it is, but some battles in our mind are big ones. We need help. Get at least one person praying in agreement for your freedom. Stay in The Word every single day. Write down verses that speak specifically to your situation and place them all around your house. Pray those verses out loud. Play worship music and sing praises to God.

When we accept Jesus Christ as our savior we receive the Holy spirit, who will teach us, and remind us of everything Jesus has said (John 14:26). The Holy Spirit does a lot and you can ask for wisdom on your thoughts to know which are truth and which ones are lies. You can read more about the Holy Spirit here Living Water

Now that we know how to take our thoughts captive, let’s look at what we should be thinking on.

“Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.” (Philippians 4:8, NIV)

We need to fill our mind with good things. It matters what we read, watch, and listen to. Let’s fill our minds with the truth of God’s Word.

Love you all,

Meghan

 

Dear Lord,

Help those who have believed the lies for far too long. Reveal the truth of your Word to them. That you love them and sent Jesus to set all of us free from sin and all bondage. I pray some chains of affliction are loosed today. Remind those of us in Christ you have richly given us everything we need. May we all think on excellent, praiseworthy things. You can do anything Lord, change mindsets. Bring healing.

In Jesus name,

Amen

 

 

 

 

Faith, Family, Food, Uncategorized

It’s Only a Pound

meghanewhite

FullSizeRender

I am very happy to share with you my latest article on Mustard Seed Sentinel. I love to bake, and this pound cake is easy and delicious. I came across this fantastic recipe several years ago in Southern Living. Instead of a bundt pan, I prefer loaf pans. I use three regular size pans, and freeze at least two of them. They thaw quickly, and it’s nice to have a dessert on hand.

This new column has been so much fun for me. Baking and cooking are a passion of mine. Pound cake came to mind right away for June. It made me think of summer when topped with fresh berries and homemade whipped cream. Give this simple, yummy dessert a try. You’ll get a lot of smiles from this one. Make your life sweeter with some cake now and then.

Thanks for stopping by! I appreciate your support.

Love you all,

Meghan

 

 

 

https://www.mustardseedsentinel.com/post/meghan-s-corner-it-s-only-a-pound

 

Authors, Joey Flynn's Extraordinary Tale, Uncategorized

Fun Summer Read for Middle Grade ~ Free Kindle Book 6/20 – 6/24

meghanewhite

Image Copyright DomNick Carrubba front c

It’s my privilege to share Joey Flynn’s Extraordinary Tale with you! This book is my labor of love. I poured myself into writing this story to give the kids in your life a fun, faith-filled, adventurous book. Check out my post Why Did I Write A Children’s Book?  to find out what drove me to write in the first place.

Here are a few fun facts about my book:

~Joey Flynn is my two boys middle names together, Dylan Joseph and Joshua Flynn.

~Most of the character’s names are family names. Joey’s little sister Theadora, is my mom’s name Dorothea backwards. Leo, Joey’s friend, is my dad’s name.

~My main influence for Joey was my two boys. When I started writing, Dylan was eleven. When I completed the story, Joshua was eleven. That was not planned.

~The fictional town of Argyle, Oregon is based on several small towns. Sandy and Corbett, Oregon, and Rosenberg, Texas were some of my inspirations. I have spent a lot of time in small towns, and wanted to incorporate the uniqueness and charm of small town America.

~The silhouette on the cover is my oldest son’s head. He does not like it, so he was a good sport to allow me to have his head on my cover.

~The beautiful cover was created by talented artist and friend, Nick Carrubba. He made it personal for me and had me take pictures around my house for ideas. I absolutely had to have a teal cover, since its a favorite color. And I knew I wanted a black silhouette to represent Joey. Nick took my ideas (and strong opinions) and gave me this gorgeous cover!

Please get your free copy today! Read it and share it with a child in your life. If you would like to leave a review I would greatly appreciate it. If you don’t, just enjoy the story and pass it along to another family. My hearts desire from the beginning of the writing process until now is the same; that Joey Flynn’s Extraordinary Tale blesses and encourages each reader, whether a child or an adult.

Thanks for stopping by! I am grateful for each of you.

Love you all,

Meghan

The free promotion runs June 20th 12:00 AM to June 24th 11:59 PM. Enjoy!

 

 

 

 

 

Authors, Uncategorized

Q & A with Author Jessie Mattis

meghanewhite

power up cover with award seal

I am so excited to introduce author Jessie Mattis to you! Power Up is her debut Middle Grade novel. She wrote Power Up to teach kids about the Holy Spirit. It’s a topic that can seem intimidating, or even a bit mysterious to so many Christians. We easily talk about God and Jesus, but what about the Holy Spirit who lives in every Believer?

I had the pleasure of reading Power Up and thoroughly enjoyed it. You will go on a journey of discovering the Holy Spirit through eleven-year-old Lexi. I found Lexi relatable and honest. You will be drawn in to the story and sweet family. It’s a wonderful book for kids and adults. I was encouraged in my faith. Jessie did a fantastic job explaining the Holy Spirit, and that God wants to use kids too. The Holy Spirit is for every Christian, regardless of age.

Jessie is a kind, humble, loving person. If you met her, you would want to hang out with her. She’s the kind of person you’d want to chat with over a cup of coffee. Her kindness, and warmth pour out of the pages of Power Up. How refreshing to have a family friendly book with such a delightful, faith-affirming message.

Thanks for stopping by, and please enjoy my interview with author Jessie Mattis.

Tell me about yourself.

My name is Jessie Mattis and I am a Jesus-loving, homeschooling mother of three, a wife, daughter, sister, friend…and now a writer. I grew up between cornfields in Potomac, Illinois, graduated from Greenville College with a BA in Social Work, and worked in child welfare for a couple years before becoming a stay-at-home mom (my real dream job).

Since college, I’ve been a ministry volunteer in church on some level, often working with kids. In 2013, my family and I joined a small team of people and helped plant Rolling Hills Vineyard Church in Valparaiso, IN, which was a wonderful, difficult, life-changing experience.

What are you passionate about?

I have always had a heart for kids, and now that I have three of my own, I more clearly see the urgency in exposing them to the truths of the Christian faith at a young age.

I am passionate about raising my kids to love Jesus and reaching others for Him. Sharing the truth that they are loved by Him no matter what, even when life doesn’t make sense, is one of my main goals. Tons of people struggle with their faith as they grow, but if they can grasp this fact (God’s love and goodness) at a young age, it could save them from a lifetime of doubts and uncertainty.

What is your book, Power Up, about?

Power Up is the story of an eleven-year-old girl named Lexi who thinks she’s already learned all there is to know about God, until a new kids’ church teacher comes and shares some new ideas about the Holy Spirit. Through school struggles and a family crisis, Lexi must decide for herself if God is truly good and if this Holy Spirit stuff is for real.

Why did you write Power Up?

I decided to write this book when I was searching for something similar for my own children and couldn’t find it. I want all kids to learn and be comfortable with the Holy Spirit and the various ways he moves and guides us, but I’ve noticed that oftentimes adults don’t expect enough out of children. Kids are far more capable than we sometimes think, and most are perfectly able to think through matters of faith at this age (8 and up). Power Up is my way of telling kids “I believe in you, and know you are capable of actively hearing from and following God no matter your age.”

I felt that getting the story into the hands of “church-kids” might inspire them to view their faith in a new light, activating the Holy Spirit power that was inside them all along, whether they knew it or not. And for children who are already familiar with the activity of the Holy Spirit, I wanted to encourage them in their walks, helping them realize they’re not alone and aren’t “weirdos” or however else they may feel at times. For not-yet-Christians, the book also covers the basics of Christianity, woven into the story line, so they can come away from reading the book with a sense of what Christianity is all about.

Why were you the right person to write it?

Being active in kids’ church for years, in a similar environment that the story takes place, has given me a heart for reaching kids in this way. Seeing children explore and embrace their own faith inspires me, and I want it for my own kids as well as every other child. Right now my kids are ages 11, 9, and 7, so I’m right in the thick of the middle grade parenting years. This gives me an advantage in writing for children because I’m able to get inside their heads and understand their thoughts and struggles a little more readily than some.

How is Power Up different than other books in its genre?

Power Up is certainly more “teachy” than most in this genre, which may sound negative, but I don’t believe this is the case. It is a book intended for an audience of middle-graders who are taking their faith seriously and want to dive deeper. While my goal was definitely to keep it entertaining and relatable, there is certainly a lesson to be learned. It is a book that I can imagine Christian parents and children’s church teachers giving to their children/students, or even reading aloud and discussing as a family.

What do you hope people will gain from reading your book?

My hope is that children and adults alike will read Power Up and find the hum-drum normalcy of their current faith challenged. As they read, they will encounter new ideas and ways of living their faith out loud, and my prayer is that they’ll apply these lessons to their own lives, coming away with a more active, powerful, solid walk with God and a new understanding of who the Holy Spirit is. I want children to know it doesn’t matter how old they are—the Holy Spirit is ready and willing to guide, speak, and walk with them throughout their entire lives.

Power Up is available through Amazon and Barnes and Noble. 

View More: http://joyforlifephotographybyelaine.pass.us/chip-jessie-headshots