Place :: Five Minute Friday

It's been a while since I've joined the Five Minute Friday writer's in the FMF Link-up. It's a weekly link-up where we write for five minutes flat on a one-word prompt. This week's word has resonated with me so I'm joining in. 

Place

"Hold my place."

"It's not your place!"

"Whose place is it?"

"My place."

"My place in this world." 

 "A place in my heart."

"A place of worship."

"A place to belong."

"My favorite place to be."

"A place to call home." 

 "I go to prepare a place for you..."

"...but I can't be in two places at once." 

"Feeling out of place."

All familiar phrases ... how many times have I heard them? Or said the words?

We all long to find our place in this world. We long to belong. To have a place to call home...a place to come home to.  

Our true home is one where we are known, loved, accepted. Where we belong.  

So where do we belong?  Is it home? 
For some, home is a safe haven. A place to return. A place to just be.

For others, home is a place to escape from. Because deep in the core of their heart they know that their home is nothing but a dark shadow of what a true home should be. 

In place of being known, there is ignorance. 
In place of love, there is resentment. 
In place of acceptance, there is rejection. 

But there is hope. 

He reached down from heaven and rescued me: He drew me out of deep waters. He delivered me from my powerful enemies, from those who hated me and were too strong for me. They attacked me at a moment when I was weakest, but the LORD upheld me. He led me to a place of safety; He rescued me because He delights in me.   

~Psalm 18:16-19

This earthly home is only temporary...and yet even here you can experience home in its truest sense. For those who choose to accept the heart of Christ will find their home in Him. 

His grace provides a safe place. 

A place where we are known...truly known. A place where we are accepted just as we are. A place where we are loved so much that we are not left there...at the point of acceptance...but are led to realize the fullness of who we were created to be. A place to be. A place to belong. A place in this world and the one to come. 

And if I go to prepare a place for you, I will come again and take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. ~Jesus, John 14:3

That's a promise I can take hold of. A sure hope in the One who holds the future and the present. 

This post is part of the weekly Five Minute Friday link-up. Join us! 

Stuck

There is something so very calming about walking along the beach. Feeling the gritty grains of sand on my bare feet, and the gentle breeze as it lifts my hair to fully expose my face to the bright rays of the sun. It calms my spirit and feeds my soul.  As if in the overflow... God wants to fully reveal my inner spirit, the real me, to the world. And in that revelation, I feel His peace.

I revel in that peace. It is a balm to the inner wounds of my soul and spirit. I am walking out the process of being healed and made whole. In this healing, I am able to step forward into the ocean's waves...even as they begin to crash at my feet. He guides me, but I must keep moving forward into the depths of His love and grace. 

There is freedom in this intentional forward movement. A dance with the waters, as they swirl around my knees. Oh, the freedom! I love the dance! 

This is what I was created for...this freedom to walk into all He has purposed for my life. 

And more...

“If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world.” ~C.S. Lewis

And so I continue to wade into the waters, feeling the waves lift me and carry me,

 "As You carry me, LORD, I surrender to Your path for my life. I feel You guiding me deeper still."

Sometimes the waves get a little rough. They rise up and slap me fully in the face. Still, I move forward as I regain my footing and catch my breath. Sometimes there is a struggle in moving forward into God's will. In breathing again, I am thrilled with the wonder of all He has created. And it fills me and enables me to continue on.

And then it happens. A rogue wave rises out of nowhere and knocks me off my feet! As the waves sweep over me, I struggle to regain my footing...there...there is the sand again. I dig in my heels to steady my body to let the waves sweep past me. Calm is restored. But I cannot move forward. I'm afraid to keep moving. 

So I stand there, waist-deep. There will be more waves. 

"Can You carry me, Lord? I'm not strong enough for this!" 

I dig my heels further into the sand and refuse to move out into the deeper waters. I know He is calling me, but I am paralyzed with fear. I want to move...but as I hesitate, I feel the sands lifting and resettling around my feet as they sink further and further down into the sand ...the sinking sand. And I am STUCK! Unable to move forward into all He is calling me to. Into the wonder, into His grace. I feel the disgrace of the fall ...the shame of being stuck in my tracks. 

And yet He calls me deeper still. Out of disgrace into His grace. As I reach out to take His hand, He pulls me out of the sinking sands. I move forward leaving fear and doubt in the wake of His love and mercy. And I am in awe of this God who loves me so.

Unstuck ... I am free! Free to walk deeper still into this calling. Into His arms...His strength. Into His grace. 

What has you stuck? Let God take your hand and step forward into His grace. When you do ... those things that hold you back will begin to fall away. Leaving you free...UNSTUCK! Free to walk into all He created you to be.   

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Five Minute Friday is a weekly link-up, where Christian writers come together to write about a one-word prompt. This weeks word was STUCK. I had no plans to write today until I saw the FMF word for the week and then a photo posted on someone's FB page of ocean waves crashing on the sand. The word and photo began to meld together in my mind. God began to move me to write and this post was birthed. 

I hope that it blesses you. 
(photo credits: top photo is mine. The second photo is from a stock photo on Canva...I just used picmonkey to edit and add verse).

Kate Motaung: An Interview With the Author of A Place To Land

I'm so excited to be doing this interview with Kate Motaung today! I first met Kate through a really fun online community for Christian writers called Five Minute Friday, where bloggers from all over the world join together each week to write for five minutes on a one-word prompt. 

This community of writers had it's beginning in just one woman, Lisa-Jo Baker, who began with the simple discipline of taking just five minutes to write a post...no editing...just free writing. "Not a perfect post, not a profound post, just an exercise in the discipline of writing." It began in 2011 with Lisa-Jo and bloomed into a community of writers all linking up on Fridays to write a five-minute post.

In 2014, Lisa-Jo handed the reigns over the Kate Motaung. At this time I began getting to know Kate through the FMF community as she took over the hosting responsibilities. Since then, I have had the privilege to serve on Kate's Launch/Beta tester team for her e-course, Start-Up Guide for Online Writers, offered through First Bump Media Learning Center. Which, by the way, I would highly recommend for online writers.

I'm not the most disciplined writer, but some of my most widely read posts have been those I have written for the Five Minute Friday link-up. I love being a part of this community, even though it has been hit and miss for me as to when I might actually get a post up on a Friday. I hope to get a bit more consistent in the future.

Kate has grown the FMF community from a Friday link-up to a full site that gives online writers so much more than the opportunity to write together for 5 minutes each Friday. It also offers a plethora of articles and resources for writers to use to hone their writing skills. 

Kate serves as hostess, teacher, coach, and cheerleader as she leads this community. A group of writers who use their gifts for His glory...five minutes at a time.

I am so excited to introduce you to her latest book...her memoir...through this interview.

The Book

A Place to Land: A Story of Longing and Belonging is a globe-spanning memoir that wrestles with the question, ”Where is my home?” Kate Motaung watched ”home” slip away again and again–through her parents’ divorce, a foreclosure, two international moves, ten rental homes in ten years, and her mother’s terminal battle with cancer.

Add in the challenge of a cross-cultural marriage, and Kate was constantly adapting to a new environment. Through her experiences, you’ll realize–as she did–that no matter where we go or what we do, this world is not our home.

The Author

Please, welcome Kate Motaung, author of A Place to Land: A Story of Longing and Belonging, A Start-Up Guide for Online Christian Writers, and Letters to Grief. She is the host of Five Minute Friday, an online community that encourages and equips Christian writers, and owner of Refine Services, a company that offers writing, editing, and digital marketing services. 

Kate grew up on the shores of Lake Michigan before spending ten years in Cape Town, South Africa. She is married to a South African man, and they are currently living in Michigan with their three children. 

In addition, Kate blogs at Heading Home, Where she writes about a wide range of topics including parenting, grief, diversity, and book reviews.

In all of her writing, her main goal is to encourage readers to keep an eternal perspective. To remember that "we’re just pilgrims here — just passing by on our way to our forever home."

The Interview

What can readers expect from your book?

A Place to Land is a memoir, so readers can expect real-life storytelling. They can expect to travel with me from my childhood in Michigan to my young adulthood in Cape Town, South Africa. I should also warn potential readers that the book does walk through some difficult topics like divorce, my mom’s cancer diagnoses, and her eventual death. 

It is a heavy book, but my prayer is that readers will find it therapeutic to reflect on their own difficult situations (even if it involves tears in the process) and that eventually, they will land in a place of hope.

How did writing your memoir change or challenge you spiritually?

Writing memoir is an incredibly sanctifying process. For one thing, there are so many steps involved in writing a book of any kind—planning, writing, editing, revising, waiting, trusting, sending, giving, laboring some more, promoting . . . the list goes on. I expected that writing and publishing a book would be a monumental task, but going into it I had no idea how much it would stretch and grow me spiritually.

With memoir in particular, because the story itself is your own, many emotions get tangled up in the process. I struggled to know which stories to include and which to leave out—what would strengthen the main theme? What would resonate with readers? Which stories will fall flat? Which sections do I want to share out of my own pride, and not because they will benefit my reader or contribute to the goals for the book? I had a hard time trying to discern how much of my story to tell without telling too much or too little. Doubt came into play, and I questioned whether anyone at all would benefit from the finished product.

Then during the editing process, it’s very easy to take the editor’s suggestions personally. Thankfully, I was blessed to work with some incredibly gracious editors. I never felt as if they were condescending, disrespectful, patronizing, or flippant. They carried my story with grace and support, while still offering helpful suggestions to make the book stronger overall. I never felt as if my voice was removed, altered, or stepped on during the editing process, but I can imagine that for other authors, it might be really hard to hear a professional in the field tell you that certain aspects of your story aren’t worth being published. During this stage, it’s important to swallow your pride and humbly accept advice from others.

When it came to making revisions, there were days when I felt that I had nothing more to give. If I had already put my best foot forward in the first few drafts, what else did I have to offer? I would stare at my screen and not know what to do. This phase really forced me to increase my dependence on the Lord. I had to trust that whatever words He wanted in the book, He would keep there, and whichever words He didn’t want would be cut out.

As I neared publication and my first readers got access to the book, the dark clouds of fear threatened on the horizon. What would people think? Would they think the book was a waste of their time? Would they think the quality was poor? Would they think my story was boring or too sad or self-consumed? At this point, the Lord continually reminded me that it doesn’t matter what others think. Though this is a lesson I need to learn on a daily basis, I keep going back to the truth that only God’s opinion matters. If I’ve offered my best to Him and for His glory and not my own, nothing else matters.

So I guess looking back, the whole publication process is one big exercise in faith— trusting God to open doors and lead the way as He sees fit, and for His purposes. 

What do you hope readers gain from reading A Place to Land?

My hope and prayer for my readers are threefold:

1) I pray that A Place to Land would increase their longing to spend eternity with God.

I don’t presume to have any idea as to what heaven will be like, except for what Scripture has revealed to us. But I do think that the vast majority of us have a diluted, lukewarm view of eternity. We lack a depth of eager anticipation, and I believe that negatively affects our choices and attitudes in this life.

I’ve learned through writing this book that intentionally keeping an eternal perspective at the forefront of my mind does wonders for my countenance, attitude, and actions. It has changed me in ways I never expected.

2) I pray that they would find hope in Christ in the midst of their suffering and grief.

He is the only one who can relieve our pain. I pray that the readers of this book will find their anchor in Him amidst the turbulent trials of this life, holding fast to the truth that “our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all” (2 Corinthians 4:17).

3) I pray that they would be reminded that this world is not our home.

For some, that is a comfort, knowing that one day those who trust in Christ will lay aside all their pain and suffering in exchange for a sin-free existence forever in the presence of their Redeemer. For others, this realization could be a bit disconcerting. Many of us make a great effort to find comfort, fulfillment, and satisfaction here in this life, and we don’t like the idea of giving it up.

Before writing this book, I struggled with that a lot. I would get incredibly sentimental over certain material things. Now, the Lord is teaching me that those are all part of what Jesus calls “treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal” (Matthew 6:19).

Instead, He calls us to “lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:20-21). Writing A Place to Land challenged me to consider where I’m storing my treasure. 

Where can readers find you online or hear more about your story?

I’d love to connect on my blog, Heading Home, or on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram.
Interested readers can read the first chapter of A Place to Land here or on Amazon. 

Kate, Thank you! It has been such a pleasure and a blessing to have you on the blog today!  

 If you have any questions for Kate, leave a comment below. I'm sure she would love to hear from you. I would too!

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The Soul Whisperer…Five Minute Friday

It's that time again…Five Minute Friday…I'm linking up with Kate Motaung and the flash mob of brave writers who, as Kate says, "feverishly tap out five minutes of unedited beauty and post it for all the world to see."

It's a one word writing prompt and this week the word is:

Whisper...  

Can you hear?

Press in close or you will miss it

Push beyond the noise 

Open your heart and listen... really listen

Slow down and quit rushing about in every direction

Quiet the clutter in your mind

Turn from the cacophony of voices demanding more of you

Turn off the TV...shut down the computer...turn off the music

Be still….just be

Can you hear it?

That still...small voice?

Lean in, closer still

Come close

He is whispering to you

Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you'll recover your life. I'll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me…watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won't lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you will learn to live freely and lightly.              

                                                                              ~Jesus,  Lover of your soul
                                                                                                               ~Matthew 11:28-30(The Message)

              

Are you listening? Maybe it's time to stop all the activity, settle into the 'unforced rhythms of grace', and just breathe in His presence.
Just.breathe...

I'm joining Kate Motaung and the Five Minute Friday writers today.

Click over and join the fun!

To Reach or Not To Reach…Five Minute Friday

It's Friday and I'm actually writing the Five Minute Friday post ON FRIDAY! Can I get a standing ovation for this?  A high five?  No?   Oh well…this is the post where I join Kate Motaung and the Five Minute Friday writers.  It's where we all write on the same word prompt of the week.  The idea is to write freely for five minutes…no editing, no over thinking, no worrying about grammar or punctuation.
So here goes.

Reach

Reach for the stars.

Reach out and touch someone.

Reach your destination.

No one is beyond the reach of God….

Reaching is work. Reaching is striving.

Reaching is…

a funny word when you say it over and over.  reach…reeeeach…..reeeeeach. But I digress…

                                                                                                                     Reach

Reach within to find yourself.

We reach out because we need something…or is it because want something?

Sometimes we get what we want, but we reach again…it wasn't what we thought it was.

No…that's not really the best way to find myself…to find what I need. Do I really know what I need?

Reach…reeeeeach…reeeeeeeeeah! Is that a cry for help?


Look at the sunflowers.

They reach for the sun…

Or do they turn to the sun…the sun reaches down to nourish the flower…to give it life.

So…

 I stop reaching and turn to the Son…and He meets me right where I am.

Planted here in this desert land…dry and parched, drowning in the sands of time.

He reaches down…

He makes me bloom, bringing rains to refresh,

 the warmth of His face to bring life to these dry bones.

And so I reach out to God….

Turn my face to Him, extend my arms, my heart, my whole being to Him.

Not tight-fisted to grab hold in desperation…no…with open hands…freely

Reaching out to surrender… my life, my longings, my heart. my stubborn will...

To Him,

Who "rescued me because HE delights in me"!

He reached down from heaven and rescued me: He drew me out of deep waters. He delivered me from my powerful enemies, from those who hated me and were too strong for me. They attacked me at a moment when I was weakest, but the LORD upheld me. He led me to a place of safety; He rescued me because He delights in me. ~Psalm 18:16-19

Do you long to be reached down to, or are you still reaching?
Let Him reach out to you my friend!

I'm joining Kate Motaung and the  Five Minute Friday writers today.

Click over and join the fun!

Nearer God's Heart In a Garden

There is something about being in a garden that nourishes my soul.

Perhaps it is that the beauty is so natural…so real.

Or maybe it is that gardens are one of those places I most feel the presence and peace of God, see the wonder of His creation, and I hear the lessons He has for me.

The Vegetable Garden…

For some to think of a garden is to think of plants that produce food. Think of the hard work that it takes to plant, fertilize, water and weed, fighting against the onslaught of bugs chomping away at the fruit of your labor.  Experiencing the joy in the bounty of the harvest. Giving back life, from life.

I remember feasting on the fruit of my grandparents' labor almost every Sunday as I was growing up. My Mammaw always had fresh-cooked vegetables from the garden. Even in the winter, there were canned beans and jellies of every sort to be fetched from the shelves for a Sunday afternoon dinner.  I still have the picture in my head of my grandmother bending low in her garden, bonnet over her head, picking fresh peas. At times I was by her side, as she showed me what to do.

But I have to say…some of my most precious memories was of my grandmother allowing me to pick precious treasures from her other garden.

The Flower Garden…

Every week through springtime and summer...after the big family dinner at my grandparent's house and after a fair amount of time to play with my cousins, I would wander into the backyard and linger by the flower beds.  Oh, how I loved the flowers. In general, as children, we weren't allowed to pick the flowers. They were to be smelled, gazed upon and appreciated as they were left to grow out in the fresh air and sunshine.

As I got older, around my junior high years, I remember being allowed to pick a few of those precious flowers every Sunday. I would add them to the Queen Anne's Lace that grew wild at the edge of the woods…along with any other wildflower I could find on a treasure hunt through the woods behind Mammaw's house. I would take them home and put them in a vase to enjoy in my bedroom all that week. The following Sunday I would collect a fresh bouquet. This would continue all spring and summer until late fall when there were no flowers left to pick. Thankfully, growing up in Georgia afforded us a long growing season for flowers of all kinds through the spring and summer. How I loved my vase of flowers!

I still love flower gardens most…though I do realize the necessity of the other kind. God has shown me there are all kinds of lessons to be found for life, for love, and most importantly about Him, in the beauty, and in the care and tending of gardens. Too many to address in this short post.  I did write a post about the work that God needs to do in the garden of our hearts in a post I wrote back in 2011. You can read that post here:  Morning Musings From My Patio. 

The Heart's garden...

Instead of going into the lessons that God has built into His creation, I would like to honor my mother, who had much influence in the cultivating of the garden of my own heart, by leaving you with a short poem she wrote about me when I was just 12 years old.  She had written a poem for each one of her five children(at the time…three years later we added one more). In each short little poem, she captured a bit of the character of each one of her children. I find it sweetly ironic that my poem was a take-off of Mistress Mary and her garden.  (...and for those of you who do not know my roots well. My name, Gay, is short for Gayonne, a combination of Gayle and Evonne. Two family names)

Mistress Gayonne, quite a gay one,
How does your laughter grow?
With God's merry blessing,
We can all learn a lesson__
By watching your inner glow!

I love that my mother left me with that spoken blessing over my life.
I love that it was my mother's mother, Mammaw, who instilled in me a great love for God's beautiful creation.

My prayer is that my life and my words leave a legacy of God's great love and mercy and that the shining of the glory of His presence is indeed seen in my countenance.

What garden are you tending…what legacy will it produce?

  The LORD will guide you continually, giving you water when you are dry and restoring your strength. You will be like a well-watered garden, like an ever-flowing spring. ~Isaiah 58:11

Here's another garden story you don't want to miss!  

Lisa-Jo Baker launched an incredible project on Valentine's Day this year. She is raising money, $150,000 from Valentine's Day through Mother's Day to fund the building of a much needed Community Center in South Africa. As of Friday(Valentine's Day 2014), the first phase of the project has been funded(a community garden). As Lisa-Jo says,

 What if 1 blog community could build 1 South African community a safe place for sustainable food, child care, economic empowerment, job skills trainings, a gathering place for church, classrooms for HIV/Aids education, and a playground for their kids.

Here is one way that you can help with the Maubane Community Center project. When you purchase one of these three beautiful necklaces from Krafty Kash,  $12 from each purchase will be donated!! This offer is available until Mother's day!!

Love is more than a date on a calendar! Fall in love with the world next door….

   “Fall in Love with the World Next Door” Necklace

I'm linking up with Lisa-Jo and 

the Five Minute Friday writers.

Join us…Hop over the Five Minute Friday 

and find out what it's all about.

Better yet…join the fun!

Write…Giving Wings to the Words of My Heart

The Dance...

Words dance on the screen as my fingers tap away at the keyboard.

The words form as the synapses fire away in my brain, pouring out onto the page.

Much like the motion of the dancer as the music dictates the direction of her flowing body.

Others join in the dance, feeling the rhythm and flow of the dancer's soul...

The Song...

Heart, head, and fingers intermingle, spilling out onto the page.

Melodious words flowing from fingertips and floating into the fathomless space.

The resulting sweet sound…heard by heart

... resonating within the soul of the 'hearer'. 

The Arrow…

Words in my head are like arrows in the quiver. 

Arrows are not meant to remain in the quiver…that safe place where nothing can come against it.

An arrow, and so our words, are to be released into the world. 

Soaring straight for its intended target. Accompanied by a prayer for grace. Intent upon impact. 

The impact reverberating throughout space and time.

Forever leaving its mark on the world. 

…and so I write.

The words of the mouth are deep waters, 

but the fountain of wisdom is a rushing stream.~Proverbs 18:4

You might also like this related post...One Word…Write



I'm linking up with Lisa-Jo and the Five Minute Friday writers. Join us…

Hop over to Five Minute Friday and find out what it's all about. Better yet…join the fun!!