Reflections - Past, Present, and Future with God

Monday, June 10, 2019

Hairy Coos

"Hairy coo" is the Scottish way of saying "hairy cow." It's the nickname given to Highland cattle, the oldest existing breed of cattle in the world. They still frequent pastures in the Highlands of Scotland, and I also found them in the Highland Village, a reconstructed history site in Nova Scotia. However, with an internet search, you can find them for sale in many locations.

Highland cattle are a hardy breed, and winter well. They have a double coat of hair. The shaggy exterior coat has oils to help them brave the elements, and there's a downy second coat underneath for insulation. Their foraging skills also help them survive. They will climb steep slopes to find food and eat plants other cows pass by. In heavy snow, they'll use their horns to dig for the food underneath. They have a longer lifespan than many breeds, up to twenty years.

These cattle have a range of colors, but reddish brown is the most common and black is the oldest. Their milk is rich with butterfat, and their meat is considered high-quality but lower in cholesterol than most beef. They are a distinctive breed that stands out among all others. I enjoyed seeing them grazing the hillsides of Scotland.

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Friday, June 7, 2019

Being Pretty Good

As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one (Romans 3:10).

I've never forgotten the lovely young woman who felt she was heaven-bound because she was "pretty good." After all, she didn't cheat, steal, or kill. She tried to be a good wife and mother and do the right thing. She felt she had no need to make any changes, accept Christ as her Savior, or be baptized. She felt she was doing just fine the way she was.

Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe and mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done and not to leave the other undone (Matthew 23:23 and see 13-34).

This is much the way most of the Pharisees felt in Jesus' time. They didn't feel as if they needed to make any changes, because they felt righteous. After all, they did their best to keep all the laws and to make sure other Jews did the same. But Jesus didn't see it that way. He saw their cold, unforgiving hearts that needed a strong dose of love and compassion. They were adhering to following less important laws and missing what was most important.

For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him (2 Corinthians 5:21).

We should never compare ourselves to others. That's not the stick by which we'll be measured. We are to compare ourselves to God, and by that standard, we'll always come up short. However, when we accept Jesus as our Savior, we get to trade our sinfulness for His righteousness, and then we can stand before God blameless. We can never be good enough, except through Jesus.

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Wednesday, June 5, 2019

An Author in Scotland

I recently returned from spending seven days in Scotland. Someone asked me how many book ideas would come from the experience. Honestly, I have no idea. I know of at least one, although it will be set in the Appalachian Mountains and not Scotland. I was amazed at how much parts of Scotland's Highlands reminded me of the Appalachians. I can see why so many Scots felt at home there.

Ideas don't always come to me right away, and I never try to come up with one I'm not inspired to write. I use the ones that come to me, instead of me hunting for them. Actually, they come to me faster than I can write them. I usually have around half a dozen ideas rolling around in my head at any given time. I write the ones that never fade. This is why I've never abandoned a novel manuscript and always finish every one I start.

Scotland was certainly inspiring. A camera doesn't do justice to the magnificent scenery. Even if I never write a book set in Scotland, I'm sure it will find its way into some. In fact, it already has. In my latest book, Mountain Storms, both Ian and Aileas are of Scottish descent, and Ian wears a kilt on occasion and plays the bagpipes. Like most people born in the Appalachians, I have Scottish ancestry. Perhaps that's why I felt at home in the Highlands.

(Amazon link --https://www.amazon.com/Mountain-Storms-Book-1-ebook/dp/B07R9X3PT1 )

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Monday, June 3, 2019

Scottish Faeries

Faeries hold a special place in the myths and legends of Scotland, especially in the Highlands. The creatures hold many similarities to those in Ireland, likely because they're both rooted in the countries' Celtic pasts. Faeries were often thought to be the most dangerous of all the fey.

These little people normally looked like tiny versions of humans, but they could take on almost any shape or size. Females were usually beautiful, but they could be moody, changeable, and vicious toward mortals. The Fairy Queen dresses in green and rides a horse with silver bells woven into its mane.Three things always irritated the faeries -- whistling, cursing, and putting the hands in pockets.

Personalities ranged from kind to unpredictable to downright malicious and evil. Their magic could be helpful or lethal. Stories involving the faeries abound, stemming from folklore handed down through the ages. Its one of the facets that makes Scotland fascinating.

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Friday, May 31, 2019

Remaining Clean

Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me (Psalm 51:10).

If we add a pint of dirt to a basin of water, the water will become dirty no matter how clear the water was to begin with. This is a good lesson for us to remember. Too many Christians think they can let filth into their lives and still remain clean. It doesn't work that way.

Keep thy tongue from evil and they lips from speaking guile. Depart from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it (Psalm 34: 13-14).

It's better for us to keep unclean things from our lives, at least as much as we can and still go where God leads. The more we involve ourselves in television, movies, music, electronic games, books, etc. with sexual content, extreme violence, or profanity, the more those things become acceptable to us. Little by little such choices wear away our values and standards without our realizing it. It all comes down to the choices we make. Look at American society today. Can you see it happening? Has it already happened to some extent?

Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand,... Finally, brethern, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure...think on these things. (Philippians 4:5 & 8).

But we shouldn't fall into the trap of judging others on the issue. If we each take care of our own household, that will give us enough to do. Neither should we become legalistic or obsessed with the issue. But we should be directed by the Holy Spirit and make choices that are pleasing to Christ. Let's choose to keep our values in line with God's plan and stay clean for Him.

For God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but into holiness (1 Thessalonians 3:11).

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Wednesday, May 29, 2019

Historical Novels

Over the four years that I've been publishing books, I've always had more historical novels out than contemporary ones. My bachelor's degree is in history and the fact that I've always had a special love for the subject may contribute. Growing up in the Appalachian culture, I often joke that I lived the history, and this has a lot of truth in it. Without a doubt, however, I'm a history buff, and I find writing historical novels fun.

Roslyn's Rescue, Glenda's Gold, and Time Told Tales (the print edition of the two Kindle books) are set in England in the Middle Ages. When Winter Is Past and It All Started at the Masquerade are set in America in the 1700s. Novels set in the 1800s include Cleared for Planting, Sown in Dark Soil, Uprooted by War, Transplanted to Red Clay, and Mountain Mishap (in the Appalachian Mountains), Through the Wilderness (on the Oregon Trail), and Mountain Storms (set in Wyoming).

I have lived in or visited all of these settings, and you can be sure there will be more to follow. My latest release, Mountain Storms, will be part of a trilogy, and Time-Told Tales also has another volume in the works. I'll have one set in the 1960s coming out around the end of the year and some World War II novels in the future. I love to both read and write historical novels and eagerly look forward to continuing.

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Friday, May 17, 2019

Elijah in Training

See 1 Kings 16:29 - 18:66.

God often trains us for the tasks ahead and for the plans He has for us. Of course, at the time, we rarely realize that's what's happening. I can look back in my life and see how I was in training for years to be a Christian author. The prophet Elijah must have been able to do much the same because he went through some pretty serious training for what would come.

Elijah came from Tishbe, located in Gilead which contained hills and highlands to the east of the Jordan River. This wilderness area had only a few scattered, tough inhabitants. The forested hillsides were home to dangerous, wild animals. Gilead was a rough, lawless territory, and it took strength, stamina, and perseverance to survive there. Growing up here was the first part of Elijah's training.

Then, God sent him to King Ahab with a quick message. Because of their sins and idolatry, it wouldn't rain in the Northern Kingdom of Israel for three and a half years. Elijah didn’t mince words, he didn’t soften the blow, and he wouldn’t have made it in public relations today. He stood before the evilest, cruelest king the Jews had ever had and delivered this unwelcomed threat.

Next, God sent him to stay beside the brook of Cherith. Here, he would learn to depend totally on God for everything. God sent ravens to bring him food twice a day, but otherwise, Elijah was alone with God. It must have been hard for this tough, hardened man, who had learned to survive under difficult circumstances, now completely surrender, but he did. He also learned patience as he waited for his next marching orders.

When the stream totally died up due to the drought, God sent Elijah to Zarephath, a strange place to send his prophet since it was a town in Phoenicia, about thirteen miles north of Tyre. This was Jezebel's home, and Ethbaal, her father, still ruled there. It was deep in pagan territory where they worshipped Baal and other gods. And on top of that, he was to stay with a lowly, impoverished widow. At Zarephath, Elijah would continue his lesson on submission and reliance, but he'd also get an advanced course in humility.

Can you see how each step built on the previous one? All of this prepared him for the showdown on Mount Carmel where he would prove who was God. No matter what the Baal prophets did, their god did not light the wood on their altar. After hours of their trying, Elijah stepped forward and said one simple prayer. Not only did fire immediately descend from heaven and light the wood on the altar, but it was so hot and powerful that it consumed everything, even though it had been soaked in water. God's might was revealed through a prophet who had no doubt in his Lord.

What is God training you to do? Will you trust in Him, submit totally, and follow him in obedience step by step. That's what Elijah did.