Thankful for What God’s Taught Me in 2016 by Darlene Franklin (GIVEAWAY)

Julie’s Note:

Darlene has graciously offered to give away one physical copy of her book below. Please leave a comment on what you’ve learned this year and I’ll draw one winner on November 28.

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I’ll make a list of God’s gracious dealings, all the things God has done that need praising, all the generous bounties of God, his great goodness to the family of Israel—Compassion lavished, love extravagant. (Isaiah 63:7, MSG)

Oh, my, the list is endless, as infinite as God Himself. But I’ll limit my list to a couple of things God has taught me over the last twelve months. They seem to state opposite things:

God wants me to want Him. “I’m after love that lasts, not more religion. I want you to know God, not go to more prayer meetings.” (Hosea 6:6, MSG)

Two things came together. I’ve spent a lifetime wanting to spend more time in prayer. Also, living in a nursing home gave me a glimpse into my potential future. If I get Alzheimer’s or dementia, what will spew from my mouth? I decided to cram my brain as full as possible of Bible verses as possible.

A little more than a year later, I’ve memorized almost 400 verses. (Try https://scripturetyper.com/). The regular review recommended on the website takes me an hour a day and most of Sunday—and I wish I could do more.

As I’ve spent more time memorizing God’s word (and hearing Him speak to me), I’ve spent more time talking to Him. My barely ten-fifteen minutes a day, maybe fill up a page of a prayer journal has grown to an hour a day, sometimes as many as five pages—often filled with prayers inspired by the verses I’ve memorized. I wish I could spend more time in prayer.

Do I sound like I’m bragging? It’s more like, I wish I had discovered this years ago! But years ago, I didn’t have this kind of time, a reward for living in a nursing home.

Here are one some of those scripture prayers: See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. (Psalm 139:24 NIV) What a burden lifted to learn my anxious thoughts aren’t automatically offensive to You. You test them and weigh them, and then show me the better way. May I take your anti-anxiety pill by following the path You have made clear and straight before me, one step at a time.

Lesson #2: God is a Fire and He burns away impurities in my life. For God is not an indifferent bystander. He’s actively cleaning house, torching all that needs to burn, and he won’t quit until it’s all cleansed. God himself is Fire! (Hebrews 12:29, MSG) He refines us in the furnace of affliction. (Isaiah 48:10, MSG)

This is something I’d rather not be thankful for. I’ve been terrified of fire ever since I saw Bambi’s mother die in the forest fire. But from heaping burning coal on our enemies’ heads to the burning coal from the altar cleansing Isaiah’s sins and this passage from Hebrews, I’ve been running into the image of fire as an instrument of sanctification.

God only disciplines His children. So, burn, Darlene, burn—until I shine as pure gold, see through so that God’s glory shines within

My theme for this coming year: hope. I can’t wait to see what God has to teach me.

Bio:

Best-selling author Darlene Franklin’s greatest claim to fame is that she writes full-time from a nursing home. She lives in Oklahoma, near her son and his family. She is an active member of Oklahoma City Christian Fiction Writers, American Christian Fiction Writers, and the Christian Authors Network. She has written over forty books and more than 250 devotionals.

Website and blog

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Amazon author page

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Blurb of Blue Ribbon Brides, which has my story, A Taste for Honey:

Meet nine men and women whose competitive goals take them to state and county fairs between 1889 and 1930. From baking pie to polishing pigs, from sculpting butter to stitching quilts, everyone has something to prove to themselves and their communities. But in going for the blue ribbon, will nine women miss the greatest prize of all—the devoted heart of a godly man?

Purchase Link

Physical Giveaway copy is possible if you do that kind of thing.

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