Tag Archives: God

Book Review: Caregiving with Grit and Grace by Jessica Ronne

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A Journey of Caregiving: Finding Strength and Hope

The book begins in Winter, which is when you face the cold, hard truths of a difficult diagnosis. Spring, a time of growth and hope, helps you emerge from the cold, uncertain days.

Summer brings weariness and exhaustion. This is when you realize things are changing again, and you must learn to cope with the heaviness of the situation. Lastly we come to Fall, a time for acceptance, even when dealing with big changes like finding a care center that can do the things you no longer can or saying the final goodbye to the one you love. The great lesson throughout all the seasons is that the strength you need always points back to your Father, who loves you both.

This book is a must-read for anyone taking care of a family member or friend. The main message is that you are chosen by God to do this important work, and when the feelings of doubt, fear, or extreme exhaustion hit, you can whisper or shout out His name to find relief.

The author also gives truly great advice for daily life. First, she reminds caregivers they have to take care of themselves, too. It’s okay—and necessary—to prioritize your own well-being! She also teaches you to focus on the right things—not the constant little requests, but the loving reason you are serving. Also, caregivers must let others know their needs and accept their help. Ask God for what is needed, expect Him to act, and let Him do the rest.

This mix of life story and devotional will help anyone in a caregiving role find their new normal and discover that true strength, stability, and relief can be found in their faith. It is all about embracing a spirit of gratitude and finding hope in each moment.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who is a caregiver. It will lift your spirits and keep you mindful that you’re not doing this alone.

If you would like to have a copy I am gifting two people. All you need to do is hop over to my Facebook page – https://www.facebook.com/marie.bungard and say YES. (I can only mail to United States addresses.) Winners will be selected by a random number generator. Your opportunity for a free copy will end on November 30, 2025.

Look for my next review. I’ll be gifting a copy of The Coloring Bible (for adults) to two lucky people.

Blessings to you and yours!

Marie

Forgiven

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The poem in the picture above is a Haiku. The simplicity of this Japanese poetic form has been an unexpected gift in my meditation and prayer time. It helps me clear my scattered thoughts and focus on a specific word of God’s Word and applying it to my life.

For me this is a deliberate act of submission. It helps me take a broad and powerful truth from God’s Word and make it into a focused, crystal clear declaration.

When I rise from my quiet time to go on with the pleasures and pressures of the day my focus remains on what God has said to me in this sweet moment of clarity.

If you would like to use this in your own quiet time here is an outline:

A Haiku is a powerful little poem that helps clear your mind. It follows a strict 3-line structure: 5 syllables, 7 syllables, 5 syllables. We use this structure as a spiritual filter to capture God’s truth, not our own thoughts.

5 Steps To Creating Your Own Haiku

1. 📖 Find the Core Truth

Begin by reading and meditating on Scripture.

  • Goal: Pinpoint the single most impactful truth, command, or revelation the Holy Spirit is highlighting to you right now. This is your foundation.
  • It’s not about your feelings; it’s about His Word.

2. 🔍 Distill to One Image

Take that spiritual truth and find one concrete image that represents it.

  • Goal: Give the abstract concept a visual form (e.g., ‘Grace’ becomes ‘shelter,’ ‘Forgiveness’ becomes ‘clean flowing water’).
  • Focus on the image that best clarifies God’s action or character.

3. 📝 Submit to the Structure

Using the 5-7-5 syllable constraint, draft your three lines.

  • Goal: Let the structure force you to select only the most precise, potent words.
  • This is an act of submission—letting the form strip away your own unnecessary words.

4. 🔗 Bring Clarity to the Message

Ensure the lines connect but also create a moment of insight in the third line.

  • Goal: The last line should offer the spiritual conclusion, application, or humble response to the truth presented in the first two lines.
  • The final line should point the meaning back to His glory.

5. ✨ Pray and Act

Read the final haiku aloud slowly. Do not over-edit it.

  • Goal: Use the finished poem as a concise prayer.
  • Commit to letting this truth guide your action as you move from meditation into the world.

NINEVAH OR BUST

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Jonah  1:1-3  Where or what is your Ninevah?  Where or to what has God called you?  Are you deliberately saying no to God?  Is your allegiance or agenda focused on something or someone else?

Jonah was a true believer.  Until the point of being told to go to Ninevah he had followed God in his life, career, and actions.  But this was just too much.  Jonah was loyally attached to his country and was more than willing to do and say whatever God wanted as long as it related to his own thoughts.   God was saying, look, Jonah, Amos and Hosea are already doing a really good job of getting the job done in Jerusalem, I need you to go to Ninevah and get the job done there.  Of course the rest of the story is really well-known.  But…

What is our story?  What is God calling/telling us to do that we are saying, look God, am I the only one who can do this particular thing right now, find someone else?  Not to sound defeatist, but He does get what He wants.  Will we be one of those who misses the blessings of obedience because the call is more than we can handle?

Look at Proverbs 3:5-6.  When we take the time to honor God and His Word, He directs us in the way we should go.  He does not give us directions to do things He can’t handle, but He wants us to know Him and follow through on what He wants of us. 

Proverbs 35-6

Father in Heaven, Creator of all that was is and is to come, give me an all-consuming desire to know Your Word so well that in any life situation I know the path to take.  I lift this prayer in the precious name of Jesus – make it so.

Lending to God

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The world we live in values wealth, equality, beauty, power, and so many other things. Proverbs 19:17 points us in a different direction, that of caring about others more than ourselves. We have God’s assurance in these words that He sees and honors every sacrificial gift, including those we make in secret. Although we will not always receive a material return, it will happen. It could be through the joy and peace we have when we honor God by following His word. In helping others, rich or poor, it is a spiritual act of trust, knowing that God will not forget what we do in love.

Blessings to you and yours!

Marie

Heal Our Land

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This poem was written by our pastor for yesterday’s Worship Service.

We need all the grace and mercy God has to give.  

Father, heal our land!