Determined to Dance Podcast

Welcome my friends to season 3 of the Determined to Dance podcast. My prayer is that you’ll be encouraged to persevere daily in our chaotic world. Today’s episode, Stay Determined to Dance, encourages everyone to move out on the dance floor of life.

Show Notes: Stay Determined to Dance

I need to step back for a moment, back to March of 2021. The year when this podcast began. Its creation has involved study, learning tech stuff, lots and lots of it, and perseverance. Think back with me to the first episode. I said, “I’ll never forget the day that the thought, the God-nudge flooded my mind in that deep, quiet part within. God whispered that I had marched for Him and that was good but now he wanted me to dance with him instead.

Dancing, the kind I knew God was talking about, would be very different. I was being asked to join and not take the lead. I wouldn’t know exactly where on the dance floor I might end up. Maybe a quiet corner, or in a group of other dancers, or even in the center of the room, drawing every eye to us. I would follow God’s dance, His lead, His music, and go to the part of the dance floor where He led. At times, I could be asked to sit out a dance and rest.”

I didn’t know how true those words would become. God has taught me so much through the creation of the podcast. I have learned to dance better and freer than ever before. Even though many circumstances for me, probably for you too, have been so difficult since March 2021.

For me, it’s time to sit out for a while. Not from life or God but from podcasting. About halfway through this season, God impressed on me that it’s time to take a break.

Rest. Recharge. I’ve dealt with health issues this year, more than usual, and I need time to recover. Focus on me. So hard for a driven person to do. But God is helping and I’m trying so hard to listen to his voice. Follow his lead. And quit running off on my own.

You can enjoy all three seasons of the Determined to Dance podcast on my website. Just check out the label “podcast” on the menu. And share the episodes with your friends. They are short, encouraging, and certain to brighten your day.

I’m also so excited to mention that my YA novel, Smoking Flax, will be released in January 2024. I can’t wait to share Reed and Talitha’s story with you. With interesting characters like Mamaw Cora Belle, Poppi, and Aunt Lula to round up the book's cast, how could we not be entertained?

Think Southern time-shifting. Yes, that’s a thing I made up but it’s still a thing.

DISNEY’S THE KID MEETS BACK TO THE FUTURE.

Southern-style. My story takes place in 1984 and 1978. Here’s a little more:

Almost nineteen-year-old Reed Anderson wants to belong in a world where he hasn’t always fit. Three days after graduation, he decides to ride a bus back to Louisiana and deal with the events of his thirteenth summer once and for all. Back then, he’d stood up to his abusive Pa, protecting Momma and his sister, taking control of his life. But who was the faded image of the child he saw that day? Aunt Lula predicted his life would shift and change. Something about space-time-continuum and the fourth dimension. He tucks her words in his heart. If he survives the shift, this could be his chance to start over. But the ghost child still haunts his dreams. Even though six years have passed, does he want to confront the lies he’s always believed?

Do you want just a little more? Let me share the first scene in the story. (Subject to further edits)

Chapter One

A bruised reed shall he not break, and the smoking flax shall he not quench;

He shall bring forth judgment unto truth. (Isaiah 42:3 KJV)

May 27, 1984

I turned Aunt Lula’s Dodge Aspen off the gravel road onto the driveway leading to Golden Marais Baptist Church. The mimosas had grown tall since I’d last been here, the two magnolias missing entirely. The sun peeked above the horizon, but daylight was not my friend.

Welcome my friends to season 3 of the Determined to Dance podcast. My prayer is that you’ll be encouraged to persevere daily in our chaotic world. Today’s episode, Too Tired to Dance, looks at what to do when we’re exhausted from dancing.

Show Notes: Too Tired to Dance

Okay. I admit it. I’m too tired to dance. After all, this is episode 31 of the weekly podcast. I’ve edited my novel which will release in January. Working hard on book two of the series. And then there’s church, kids, caring for Mom, and six grandkids under the age of fifteen. I have a house to clean, yard work, had a garden…

Oh. My. I’m too tired to foxtrot. Too weary to do the macarena. And much too pooped to even try a tango. What’s a Christian to do when they reach the end of their energy?

Jeff Walling shares his thoughts by looking at Elijah. “The prophet was tired—bone tired. With the Almighty’s help, he had brought fire from heaven, ended the drought, and nuked the prophets of Baal—it had been a busy day. He had danced with God until his feet ached and his sides burned. But he had also made Queen Jezebel mad enough to lose the little religion she had. In her anger, she had sworn to see Elijah dead, and Jezebel was not a woman of idle threats. So; he did what any sensible man would do: he went to a quiet place and lay down to die. He was through with dancing, praising, and anything else that took more energy than breathing. ‘Stop the music!’ he pleaded. ‘I can’t dance anymore!’ That’s not exactly what he said, but it’s awfully close: I Kings 19:4: ‘I have had enough, Lord,’ he said. ‘Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors.’” NIV

I’m glad God had given examples in the Bible of people who have felt like I feel. David shows lots of emotions in the Psalms. Jeremiah is sorrowful. Mary ponders things in her heart. Paul wrestled with life and his ministry.

And I’m tired. Sure, a lot of my problem is my own fault. Not setting boundaries and listening to God, not even asking Him at times if He wants me to engage in another activity. I’m a helper and it’s hard to get off the hamster wheel of drivenness that I’ve fought against my whole life. But God doesn’t leave us without aid.

He gives Elijah two reminders in I Kings 19:11-13:

“The Lord said, ‘Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.’ Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind, there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake, after the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper…Then a voice said to him, ‘What are you doing here, Elijah?’” NIV

I’ve never thought of why God showed all the great, mighty forces before the gentle whisper. Walling hints that God is simply reminding Elijah that God is greater than anything. Especially anything that fights against us. whether it’s a true enemy or ourselves. A reminder of God’s greatness. Perfect.

The second reminder is of our purpose. We can rest but not lay down to die. We can take a few days or weeks or months to regain strength, but not quit altogether. God has a purpose and plan for each of us and if we’re still on planet earth he’s not done with us yet.

I’m going to take more time in the months ahead to rest. To reflect. To enjoy. I hope you do too. Dancing, remember, is not a duty but a joy. We get to whirl and twirl with Father God every day of our time here on earth. And beyond.

Let’s pray: Father God, I’ve overdone it again. Haven’t taken time to hear your voice and I’ve overcrowded my life and overwhelmed my soul. Help me to recover. Show me the right way to rest and enjoy You and Your presence. I want to continue to fulfill my purpose on earth and I can’t do that when I’m burned out. I lift my hands to You in praise and in worship. You are good beyond measure. In Jesus’ name, we pray,

Welcome my friends to season 3 of the Determined to Dance podcast. My prayer is that you’ll be encouraged to persevere daily in our chaotic world. Today’s episode, Is Death a Mystery? looks at what God’s Word has to say about death.

Show Notes: Is Death a Mystery?

Today’s episode brings us to myth number 3 in Jeff Walling’s book, Daring to Dance with God. He says: “Death is a mystery we can never understand.”

I have found throughout my life that few people like to discuss death. If you want to clear a room, just make dying, hospitals, and funeral homes the topic for conversation and people will ease their way to the front door. Death is a difficult discussion.

Could that be, as Walling points out, because there is such a mystery associated with it? People have seances to try and speak to the dead. They pray for loved ones who have passed away. They try many ways to find out what exactly lies at and behind death’s door.

Except they don’t look at what the Creator of the universe says in the Bible. God’s Word is full of scriptures giving us a peek behind death’s door and if you’ve given your life to Jesus and are following closely after Him, you’re going to like what you see.

John 3:16 tells us: “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” We are promised eternal life if we believe in Jesus. (NIV)

John 11:25-26 confirms this: “Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?’" Jesus said we will never die. (NIV)

John 14:1-4 goes a little deeper: “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. My Father's house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me so that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going.” Jesus is preparing a place for us and He will be there. (NIV)

Luke 23:43 is reassuring: “Jesus answered him, ‘Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.’" This verse in reference to the thief on the cross is very comforting when you wonder if people can get saved when at the point of death.

Revelation 21:1-7 shows the end: “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the old heaven and the old earth had disappeared. And the sea was also gone. And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven like a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, “Look, God’s home is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them. He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.” And the one sitting on the throne said, “Look, I am making everything new!” And then he said to me, “Write this down, for what I tell you is trustworthy and true.” And he also said, “It is finished! I am the Alpha and the Omega—the Beginning and the End. To all who are thirsty, I will give freely from the springs of the water of life. All who are victorious will inherit all these blessings, and I will be their God, and they will be my children.”

Wow. Everything will be new. Fresh. Clean. And no death, sorrow, crying, or pain. And it’s true. I’m ready for no more death. This past week, our dear sweet puppy we’d had for two months got away from us and took off after a truck. He ran under the wheel, and his life ended. I was so angry at death, stealing such a joyful life away from us. But one day, death will no longer have a say. Life in heaven will be eternal. Are you prepared to meet God today? If you’re not sure, why not stop by my website at https://www.

Welcome my friends to season 3 of the Determined to Dance podcast. My prayer is that you’ll be encouraged to persevere daily in our chaotic world. Today’s episode, Death and Priorities, looks at another myth associated with death.

Show Notes: Death and Priorities

Last week, we started looking at myths about death. Myth number two: Thinking about death will spoil your life. Most people, including me, don’t like to talk about death. We’d rather focus on positive conversation and sweep the “D” word under the rug. But God feels differently about the topic. He says in the book of Psalms: “Teach us to realize the brevity of life, so that we may grow in wisdom.” Psalm 90:12 NLT

Father God actually wants us to consider death. To look not only at heaven and the afterlife but to reflect on the last few years, months, days, and moments of our existence.

Why? So that we may grow in wisdom. Hmm. That’s a new angle for me. Reflecting on death may make me wiser.

But how? By teaching us the value of time. If we pretend that we’ll live forever in these earthly bodies, we’ll procrastinate. Why not play the video game for twelve hours? Or binge-watch television all weekend? Or put off visiting your relatives or friends? I mean, we’ve got all the time in the world, right?

Wrong. Our days are numbered. I remember when I turned fifty, how I began to realize life was short. This year, I turned sixty and really wrestled with this birthday. I can’t believe I’m this old. But time has become easier to prioritize because I know there are far fewer days ahead than there are behind.

Jeff Walling says: Though death is an enemy of God, it has a wonderful power for highlighting what’s truly important. The statesman Samuel Johnson said, ‘It’s amazing how it orders a man’s thinking when he discovers he is to be hanged in a fortnight.’”

Priorities. That’s the greatest lesson we learn when we look at death. What are some questions we should contemplate when it comes to end-time thinking?

Am I right with God? Do I have a relationship with the Father or is it just religion?

Am I right with people? Do I hold grudges or unforgiveness against anyone that I need to deal with?

Are my core values—what I believe—in line with God’s word? Does what I do conflict with what God says?

Is what I’m doing in life lining up with God’s plan for me or am I just drifting through? Have I asked God if I’m in His will?

Am I enjoying life? Saint Irenaeus said: “The glory of God is man fully alive.” (ear a nI is_

Have I prepared for the end of life? Have I created a will, considered my last wishes, organized my finances and possessions, and talked to those closest to me about these preparations?

Now, I realize if you are thirty years old or so, number six might not have entered your mind. But the other five questions are ones we should look at from time to time, no matter what our age.

When my father passed away, I wasn’t even thirty years old. His passing was sudden and horrible in every way. But it did teach me some of these important lessons early in life. I learned not to take life for granted, that it was short. Much shorter than I thought. And it helped me to deal with the first five questions more fully than ever before. And that is something I’ve never regretted.

One last word: Don’t become obsessed with death. Reflection can be healthy but obsession never is. God has not given us a spirit of fear but power, love, and a sound mind. If you are struggling in this area, find a safe loved one or therapist to talk over your feelings with. Don’t go it alone!

Let’s pray: Father God, thank you for the life You’ve given us. Please help us to consider death in the right way. Not dwelling morbidly on the negative but prioritizing our life day to day. You alone know when our time on earth will be over so show us how to number our days. In Jesus’ name, we pray, amen.

Reflecting on death in a healthy way will genuinely help us to...

Welcome my friends to season 3 of the Determined to Dance podcast. My prayer is that you’ll be encouraged to persevere daily in our chaotic world. Today’s episode, Dance at Our Funeral? looks at myths associated with death.

Show Notes: Dance at Our Funeral?

For the next three weeks, we’ll discuss a difficult topic and I want to do it with grace and love. But death is not something we can look at lightly. Death of any kind—whether the death of a loved one, pet, dream, business, marriage, etc.—affects us deeply. Jeff Walling ends his book, Daring to Dance With God, with a chapter titled “Save the Last Dance for Me.” Walling says:

“It is God’s desire that we face our own mortality with courage and confidence. Through learning to trust in God’s love and Christ’s grave-defeating resurrection, we can gain the knowledge that allows us to dance at our own funerals. But three myths about death must be banished so these truths can shine through.”

We’ll examine each of these myths on the podcast. Myth #1: Death is a blessed gift from God. We’ve all heard it and maybe even said it. God needed another angel in heaven. God called them home. Words that sound “right” but are they? How come we have death in the first place?

Death did not come about until Adam and Eve sinned. Their action brought death into our world. Walling said, “…the Garden of Eden had no cemetery.” We were created to be eternal and through the shed blood of Jesus and His resurrection, we can once again be eternal if we give our lives to Jesus, making Him our Savior, Lord, Master, and King. But death is still a river to cross, even though it was not part of God’s original plan.

Death is not fair. I hate it. I didn’t want my father to die when he was only fifty-three. Or to miscarry my first pregnancy. Or to lose my best friend when she was only fifty. The good thing is I know I will see them again for they loved God as I do. But it doesn’t make my absence from them any easier to swallow.

What is a better way to look at death and share comfort when someone passes?

Be a good listener. Most people want to talk so let them. Resist the urge to tell too many of your own stories. I’m guilty of this.

Don’t be corrective. Now is not the time. When people are hurt, they don’t always know what they are saying. Choose love.

Show support. Send a card or text. Make a phone call. Carry food and maybe a gift card to a restaurant. Offer to help. Study the situation and do something tangible.

Don’t say the wrong thing like God needed them, At least they’re older, better off, their own fault, or Be strong.

All of the above ways are important, but it’s crucial not to say the wrong thing. At my father’s death, someone told me I needed to be strong for my mother. They meant well but it sent me in a bad direction. To me, being strong meant not showing emotion or grief. So, I tried not to. Four months later, I broke down and cried for three days. All because I was trying to be strong the wrong way.

I found out it’s okay to grieve and be mad or sad or even unsure of everything. Find someone to talk to who is safe and release your emotions as you are able. Lean heavily on God, His Word, and prayer. Listen to soothing music and surround yourself with beauty as much as possible. God heals, but it takes time and not all healing occurs on this earth.

I will always have a place in my heart that hurts for my dad, my child, and my friend. And so many others. But one day, it will all be over.

Revelation 21: 4 says: “He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.” NLT

Now I know I use this verse a lot in the podcast but it means so much to me. Let it bring comfort when you are struggling with death.

Let’s pray: Father God, we love You but despise death. Our sin brought it into the world but one day we’ll join you in heaven and death will be banished forever.

Welcome my friends to season 3 of the Determined to Dance podcast. My prayer is that you’ll be encouraged to persevere daily in our chaotic world.

Show Notes: An Interview with Jeff Walling Part 2

Today I’m honored to share part two of my interview with Jeff Walling: author, speaker, and the Director of the Youth Leadership Initiative at Pepperdine University. We’ve spent this season learning from his wonderful book, Daring to Dance with God. Now on to part two…

Jennifer: One thing I wondered about because it’s something as a fiction writer people ask me is what is your favorite quote in the book? And I know there are probably tons of them. But is there one that really stands out?

Jeff: I may have to get back to you on this. That’s kind of a frightening thing after thinking back all those years. I know there are some quotes in that passage on letting the Lord lead, you know, the importance of doing that and how control is the hardest thing for us to let go of.

Ideas, yeah. Quotes? As a writer, you’re just busy trying to get it from your brain out through your fingertips. You challenge me to go back and say is there a passage where I say, “Oh, God, you did a good job on that one.” I’ll get back to you.

Jennifer: My favorite story in the book is the one about you manning the record player. That one stood out to me more than any of them.

Jeff: Yeah, a few years ago, quite a while now, I found a time in my life where I was burned out, tired of marching, I knew it was because I was tripping over stuff I shouldn’t be tripping over. And I remember going to a therapist, a Christian therapist, and telling him about that experience and about the record player. And he gave me a new perspective. He said, “Wow. That was your way of hiding and coping. That was your way of making a joke out of it. Let’s somehow make this fun.

And you talk about a quote, he said, “Jeff, you like many people don’t enjoy sitting in pain.” We learn so much more, I know this, through pain than we ever do through pleasure. And yet we try to eradicate pain just as quickly as we can. I have probably eight different kinds of Advil or Tylenol or aspirin in my cabinet because why should we hurt, even for a moment? Spiritually, oh my goodness, to be able to just listen to the voice of God in the pain.

That’s the only reason that the prodigal son got home. If he had managed to make himself some kind of pig slop taco, he’d have stayed where he was. But the pain, the agony of man, this is not what God wants for me is what helped him make the turn.

Jennifer: I totally agree. It seems like, especially when I’m frustrated when I finally get to that point of saying, “Okay, God. I don’t know what I’m supposed to be doing here. He says, “Okay. I’ve been waiting for you to say that. Now let me tell you what you’re supposed to be doing here.” Pain, aggravation, frustration—all of it brings me to that point.

Jeff: Amen. We need to be like the woman who had spent all her money on the cures, right? Who was still bleeding. Who’d gone on the misery-go-round over and over and over again, and finally, she was willing not only to go out in public in a crowd—where she wasn’t supposed to be—but to just reach out and touch the hem of his garment. I love that picture. I hope your listeners will hear the voice of God saying, “Don’t be ashamed. You might not dance like somebody else, and somebody may look at you like you’re goofy but just look into my eyes and dance with Me. Let me guide you in celebrating life, using your gifts and skills even when dancing through the pain.”

Jennifer: That was a good chapter. And we have about six or seven more episodes on the podcast. I plan on doing some filling in and at the end, I’m going to deal with the last chapter. We’ve already been touching on a lot of trust and faithfulness. This week’s podcast was on the end. The end time. Getting ready to meet our Savior, tying on to where I’m going.

Welcome my friends to season 3 of the Determined to Dance podcast. My prayer is that you’ll be encouraged to persevere daily in our chaotic world.

Show Notes: An Interview with Jeff Walling

Today I’m honored to welcome Jeff Walling: author, speaker, and the Director of the Youth Leadership Initiative at Pepperdine University to the podcast. We’ve spent this season learning from his wonderful book, Daring to Dance with God. Jeff, I’m so glad you’ve joined us today.

Jeff: Well, thank you, Jennifer. It’s a blessing to be with you and so encouraging that your podcast listeners have been walking through the book. I do pray that God used it to bless them.

Jennifer: It has. This has actually been my best season yet as far as downloads and stuff. I think a lot of people have listened to it and also the podcast is heard on internet radio, Christian Mix 106, in over fifty-five countries. So, there is no telling who all is hearing it.

Jeff: Wow. I wasn’t nervous about being on your show until that moment. Thank you.

Jennifer: Anyway, so who knows? Someone over in Ethiopia or China could be listening and buying your book right now.

Jeff: Well, God has a way of putting us where we need to be, and in this wonderful day and age something I wrote—oh goodness, I hate to even think of it now—twenty-plus years ago continue to resonate and has people reach out to me about it. God deserves all the praise.

Jennifer: Amen. First, go ahead and tell us a little about your ministry and your family.

Jeff: Sure. Sure. I am blessed to have been a preacher for forty years now. And my sweet wife, she and I are celebrating forty years together also. We have three sons; one of which is a minister himself, Taylor. He is about to start a new ministry out here in California: a church focused on reaching young people here on the Pepperdine campus. My middle son and Taylor will both be living here in Southern California and my youngest son is in Denver. They are all married and I am blessed to have four grandkids and two granddogs. It’s a lot of fun. I work here, trying to raise up the next generation of young Christian leaders. I preach as a teaching pastor for Shepherd Church about eight to ten times a year which is a church here in the Los Angeles area.

Jennifer: Okay. That sounds really interesting and like a much-needed mission in that area.

Jeff: Blessed to be involved with it.

Jennifer: Going back to the book—as I was telling Jeff earlier—the book meant so much to me when I was younger and I read it. I’m so excited to do a podcast about it. Can you explain to my listeners the central idea discussed in Daring to Dance with God?

Jeff: Well, I’ll give it a shot. The very first chapter of the book tells about how I was raised in a home that believed that dancing was not a thing that Christ would want us to do. And it was a big shock to me and I immediately called my mom the first time that I really took a look at the beautiful parable called the parable of the prodigal son. When the father comes out from the house, where there is the sound of music and dancing emanating. And the scripture uses the word there for dancing. And that father has always represented to me: God. So, here is God coming out here to this older son, who doesn’t want to come in and celebrate what has happened to his younger brother. To think that God would come out and say, “Come dance with Me. Come dance with us.”

This idea that God invites us, not into a drudge march or inviting us to get in line. But this idea of dancing. Dancing to me has always carried a sense of joy and getting connected with something bigger than yourself. I mean, if you’ve been to a wedding recently, right, you see a lot of people who never dance any place else dancing at a wedding. And quite frankly, I’m one of them. It’s wonderful to see folks who are all connecting in different ways to the same piece of music. And I guess that idea of trusting God enough to step ou...

Welcome my friends to season 3 of the Determined to Dance podcast. My prayer is that you’ll be encouraged to persevere daily in our chaotic world. Today’s episode, Our Temporary Life, focuses on what’s really important in the world.

Show Notes: Our Temporary Life

I struggled to open this podcast. I mean, life is temporary? That’s deep, to me anyway. Probably to you also. If you are a Christian and you’ve given your life to Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, your life changes. Christians believe that life is eternal. Once life is over on earth, our spirit moves to heaven with a new body to spend eternity with Father God, Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit, angels, and all the other believers who have gone on before.

We live on the earth and our existence in earthly bodies is limited. One hundred and twenty years is about the maximum, though the average would be more like seventy to eighty years. And considering the rapid pace that I’m moving toward those ages; life seems very temporary.

II Corinthians 4: 14-18, Paul says: “We know that God, who raised the Lord Jesus, will also raise us with Jesus and present us to himself together with you. All of this is for your benefit. And as God’s grace reaches more and more people, there will be great thanksgiving, and God will receive more and more glory. That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day. For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever! So, we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.” NLT

That is such good news. God is planning to raise us with Jesus. His grace will spread and God receives more glory. Our bodies might die but our spirit is constantly renewed. We don’t have to focus on our troubles all the time. We can gaze toward the unseen through the eyes of faith.

Jeff Walling says: “One family I know wrote down their ‘core values and displayed them on their refrigerator door. One of them read: ‘People are always more valuable than things.’ I certainly agree with that statement, but Paul would attach another clause to it: The invisible is always more important than the seen. Anyone who chooses to dance with God knows this instinctively because the unseen universe contains the eternal treasures that will never fade or depreciate.”

Walling goes on to say when we focus on Jesus, we see three eternal things:

The love of God.

The words of Christ.

The life of the soul.

What wonderful promises. We might not be able to load our pickup truck for our heavenly journey but we don’t go alone. The love of God which lives in us and the words of Jesus stay with us through death and beyond. Our soul, the deep inside part that is truly us, will travel too. And we can witness to those around us and see many believe and follow the journey to heaven. Praise God.

By faith. We see the invisible by faith. We ask God to help us each day to walk by faith and strengthen our faith walk by the Word and prayer. Sometimes I’m frustrated when I look at my life. I have so many books inside me I need to write and such limited time. But if my life is eternal, who’s to say I won’t be writing in heaven? So, I turn my back to frustration and focus on the unseen and my eternal future.

Let’s pray: Father God, we turn to You as we examine our lives and admit our time on earth is limited. You alone can help us see the unseen and focus on what’s really important here on this earth. People. You love people and want them to spend eternity with You. We do too. Strengthen our witness each day. In Jesus’ name, we pray, amen.

As we keep our focus on God, we remember what is important in life.

I’m excited to announce that I have a new young adult novel, Smoking Flax,

Welcome my friends to season 3 of the Determined to Dance podcast. My prayer is that you’ll be encouraged to persevere daily in our chaotic world. Today’s episode, Reflect on God’s Goodness, discusses how to fight despair, disappointment, and apathy.

Show Notes: Reflect on God’s Goodness

The last three years have been difficult, to say the least. A pandemic, masks, businesses failing, a faltering economy, and gas and food prices on the rise daily. It would be easy to find ourselves fighting despair over the world we live in. Disappointment with life in general. And a feeling of apathy, that it’s all downhill from here.

But God is still good. His goodness, kindness, mercy, and grace still abound if we only take time to look. To take our focus off of all the negative around us, and focus our eyes instead on the God of the universe. The Alpha and the Omega.

My natural bent is toward being pessimistic and melancholy. I wrestle often with fear and dread, waiting for the other shoe to drop. But that’s not how God asked us to live. He wants us to remember His Word:

“I would have lost heart unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.” Psalm 27:13 NKJV

“Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” Psalm 23:6 NKJV

“Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for His is good! For His mercy endures forever.” I Chronicles 16:34 NKJV

“I will meditate on your majestic, glorious splendor and your wonderful miracles. Your awe-inspiring deeds will be on every tongue; I will proclaim your greatness. Everyone will share the story of your wonderful goodness; they will sing with joy about your righteousness.” Psalm 145: 5-7 NLT

His Word is good and true and full of wisdom. As we immerse ourselves to study and remember scripture, our natural bent can become positive and our focus true. God has taken a person like me, prone to depression and fear, and molded me into a person of encouragement. I still struggle but have many more good days than bad. All because of God and His unfailing love and goodness.

What has helped me most?

Reading His Word often. I use study guides, read different translations, and listen to sermons to help me understand what His Word is saying to me.

Listening to uplifting music. I listen to Christian music, and also to positive secular music, including classical and movie soundtracks.

Surrounding myself with uplifting people. One thing I cannot do is stay in the company of people who are always negative or gossiping or downing others. It pulls me down and hurts me emotionally.

Communicating with God constantly. I need Him every moment of every day or I quickly sink into being overwhelmed.

Writing down my feelings. Often, I journal the good, the bad, and the ugly. But I focus on what He’s done that has made my life worth living.

Jeff Walling says: “So what about you? Can you make your own list? Reflect on the good things God has put in your life. Don’t overlook past experiences and precious memories. Consider faithful friends and loving family. And when your list is done, don’t hide it in a drawer; keep it handy for emergencies. Post it on your bathroom mirror. Tack it on your dashboard. You never know when the crowd may attack or the day go sour. Then make a commitment. Take a solemn vow that you will dance with God even when you don’t feel like it.”

Just last week, I found myself experiencing that sinking feeling. Nothing was wrong. It was rainy and the writing wasn’t coming easy and I just felt a little frustrated. So, I drew a deep breath and began to list all God was doing in my life. Before long, I was okay again.

One last thought. If life is hard and I can’t seem to find any good, I can focus on my future. A wonderful time that will be spent with God. Throughout eternity.

“Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth,

Welcome my friends to season 3 of the Determined to Dance podcast. My prayer is that you’ll be encouraged to persevere daily in our chaotic world. Today’s episode, Trusting God’s Lead, discusses how to follow God when the path leads away from our own.

Show Notes: Trusting God’s Lead

Sometimes, I get a tiny bit aggravated at my husband when he is driving. Now I know that none of you ladies out there, experience this but try to imagine. We are shopping, say at the sporting goods store. We then decide to go across town to the grocery store. The best way to get to said grocery store—in my opinion—would be to take the winding path through obscure lanes and back streets driving slower but avoiding the traffic and loooong traffic lights.

But no. He’ll follow the main roads every single time, and wait through all those lights. It makes me want to scream. I mean, if he’d only listen to me…

Hmm. Kinda ties in with today’s topic, huh? How many times has God asked me to stay on the boring main roads and follow His direction? I occasionally listen but often get lost on those side roads, experience a breakdown, or even find myself in a really bad place. All because I couldn’t follow God’s lead.

Jeff Walling reminds us why it’s wise to trust God and not ourselves: “Having put the steering wheel and our trust firmly in the Father’s hand, good things will happen. Old habits will be conquered and new challenges will be met. Opportunities will knock, and doors will open.”

I love the thought that God can and will help us deal with habits, challenges, and opportunities. Doors will open. Have you ever been in a large medical complex trying to figure out where a specific doctor’s office is? First, you need to find the right floor, then the right hallway, and finally the door. Depending on how well instructions are set up along the way determines how fast you find where you need to go.

God is saying to us, “I’m the guide above all guides, including yourself. I’ll not only show you the pathway, but I’ll be with you every step of the way. I’ll constantly find ways to garner your attention so you won’t miss anything that I have for you. Follow me.”

Isaiah 58:11 tells us: “The Lord will guide you continually, and satisfy your soul in drought, and strengthen your bones; you shall be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail.”

All because we trust the Lord’s guidance. What else does God say about following His lead?

God will make our path straight. Proverbs 3:5-6

God will uphold us. Psalm 37:23-24

God makes sure we hear him. Isaiah 30:21

God will give us peace. Luke 1:79

And these are just a few of the many promises in His Word. So, the next time I want to take a shortcut and skip the path God is so clearly pointing the way to, I’ll recall the words in the Bible. Maybe the red lights won’t last quite so long.

Let’s pray: Father God, thank You that You love me even when I struggle to follow Your leading. My way seems to make sense but You are the ultimate Guide. I’m tired of being lost and stranded on my own. I’ll wait for You, Your will, and timing. In Jesus’ name, we pray, amen.

God will lead me along the best path if I’ll only follow Him.

Today’s featured author is Jennifer Hallmark, the author of Jessie’s Hope, a Southern family novel. Years ago, an accident robbed Jessie Smith’s mobility. It also stole her mom and alienated her from her father. When Jessie’s high school sweetheart Matt Jansen proposes, she worries that she cannot hold on to those she loves.

Determined to heal from her past, Jessie initiates a search for her father. Can a sliver of hope lead to everlasting love when obstacles–including a spurned woman and unpredictable weather–hijack Jessie’s dream wedding? Learn more at jenniferhallmark.com/books

Next week, we’ll learn how to reflect on the good. Until then, stay determined to dance.

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