Hi From the Sky: On The Road to Happily Ever After!

 Thoughts from Book of Esther in my One Year Bible reading! When Esther was afraid, she prayed and obeyed! But suddenly in Chapter 4, the eunuch, Hathach, jumped out at me. Ever heard of HATHACH?! Me neither ... just one of those weird names that you sort of pass over as you concentrate on the courage of Esther and Mordecai. BUT ... the insights about Hathach are significant when we feel INSIGNIFICANT! Hathach was one of the King's eunuchs assigned to serve Esther. Hathach was entrusted with VERY important information that was literally life-or-death regarding the Jews. But the more Hathach took the information back and forth between Esther and Mordecai (at least six times), the deeper he got into a dangerous position for himself ... real intrigue. He found out that Esther was a Jew, Mordecai was her cousin, the Jews were going to be slaughtered by decree through Haman (who was top dog in the King's court) and that Esther was going to fast and pray for three days and then approach the King without being summoned, even though by LAW she could die doing that. This little eunuch, Hathach, had a LOT on his shoulders ... it was a real burden and he was even endangering himself with this information, if Haman found out. Esther must have been kind to him ... Hathach was incredibly trustworthy and loyal to Esther AND to Mordecai. If HATHACH had not been willing to do HIS part ... if HE had tried to play games or escape or guard his life by reporting this to HAMAN, the story of Esther might have had a different ending as well as the history of the Jews. So this INSIGNIFICANT vessel was also used by the Lord in this marvelous story of courage. And it gave ME courage today. No one is insignificant in God's Kingdom. So here's to Esther, Mordecai and HATHACH! (As well as another eunuch who had the courage to tell the king that Haman had built a gallows to hang Mordecai!) His name was Harbonah!! Let's hear it for insignificant people who have the courage to do their part in unfolding God's plan!!!!

George Matheson quote I love George Matheson. Can't wait to meet him in heaven (he died in 1902). He wrote one of my favorite hymns: "O Love that Wilt Not Let Me Go" (he wrote it in about five minutes at one of the lowest points in his life ... he said it was like a "dayspring from on high" gave it to him). I will share the words of the hymn at the end of a short devotional of his I read today. The reading is based on the scripture "Jesus constrained His disciples to get into a ship" (Mt. 14:22) And we all know that just because the Lord tells you to go to the other side, doesn't mean there won't be storms on the way ... but JESUS is with us! And now here is George Matheson's profound take on that verse:

"Jesus constrained them to go! One would think that if ever there was the certain promise of success in a mission, it was here. Surely, here, if anywhere, a triumphant issue might have been confidently predicted; and yet here, more than anywhere, there was seeming failure. He sent them out on a voyage, and they met such a storm as they had never yet experienced. Let me ponder this, for it has been so with me, too. I have sometimes felt myself impelled to act by an influence which seemed above me ... constrained to put out to sea. The belief that I was constrained gave me confidence, and I was sure of a calm voyage. But the result was outward failure. The calm became a storm: the sea raged, the winds roared, the ship tossed in the midst of the waves and my enterprise was wrecked before it could reach the land. Was, then, my divine command a delusion? No, nor yet was my mission a failure. He did send me on that voyage, but He did not send me for my purpose. He had one end, and I had another. My end was the outward calm; His was my meeting with the storm. My end was to gain the harbor of a material rest; His was to teach me there is a rest even on the open sea." George Matheson

O Love That Wilt Not Let Me Go (by George Matheson)

O Love that wilt not let me go, I rest my weary soul in Thee; I give Thee back the life I owe, That in Thine ocean depths its flow May richer, fuller be.

O Light that followest all my way, I yield my flickering torch to Thee; My heart restores its borrowed ray, That in Thy sunshine’s blaze its day May brighter, fairer be.

O Joy that seekest me through pain, I cannot close my heart to Thee; I trace the rainbow through the rain, And feel the promise is not vain, That morn shall tearless be.

O Cross that liftest up my head, I dare not ask to fly from Thee; I lay in dust life’s glory dead, And from the ground there blossoms red Life that shall endless be.

GOD'S NOT DEAD!!

Just wanted to give a shout-out about the movie, "God's Not Dead" which gives me hope for faith-based/family films ... some of them are getting increasingly EXCELLENT and THIS is one of them! Thank you, Pure Flix! PLEASE run to the nearest theater (or buy the DVD when it comes out) ... "God's Not Dead"! Movieguide gave it their highest recommendation ... 4 stars and #4 and lots of written accolades. It is a thought-provoking, well-acted, brilliantly written, directed, edited, produced film which is entertaining, profound, inspiring and you will not be bored for one moment! It is like the film, "Crash" where many stories ultimately intersect and the film incorporates so many nationalities and the human challenges that affect us all. It effectively demonstrates how one person can influence many. If you want a great review, google the Movieguide site. Kevin Sorbo (was "Hercules" in days of yore) is marvelous as are the rest of the cast! Make the time to go see it ... you won't be sorry!

Saw "Noah" April 4, 2014! Wish I could say I saw the REAL "Noah" today ... talk about a twisted version of the real thing. I could say it was more of an allegory such as "Lord of the Rings" or "Narnia" ... but, frankly it didn't even measure up to THOSE films. It could have been called "Hodge-podge Lodge" with all the vast bits and pieces of scripture, symbolism, principles and other Bible stories. I had such high hopes for the "Noah" film after all the pro and con PR about it, but I just felt sadly deflated at the end that they could so misrepresent Noah of the Bible. There were some wonderful moments in it ... absolutely. Loved the animals coming to the Ark and the way it started with scripture etc. But frankly they took one of God's most meaningful and fantastical true stories (that establishes SO much in terms of prophetic symbolism) and they relegated it to a twisted theater of the absurd! As I left the theater with a handful of people from the 5:00 p.m. showing, the guy in front of me growled, "What a FAIRY TALE." I replied, "Yep." Then he said as he continued out, "WHERE did they get THAT?!" I said, "Maybe a nightmare?" Then I said, "We can only hope people will want to read the real story in the Bible." He grunted assent and we parted ways. Suffice it to say I LOVED the movie, "God's Not Dead", and WISH I could say the same about Hollywood's version of "Noah."

Just heard a great Charles Stanley sermon about the fact that God knows everything about us and yet He loves and understands us ... why we are what we are. Thank You God for truly loving and understanding me right where I am! Charles S. said that God is the only one we can truly call "a real Know-it-all" in the best possible way! Earlier today, sang one of the profound old hymns from the Moody Church/Erwin Lutzer service, thanks to the Truth Radio Network:

"Immortal, Invisible" (Walter Chalmers Smith/Welsh melody)

Immortal, Invisible, God only wise, In Light inaccessible hid from our eyes,Most blessed, most glorious, the Ancient of Days, Almighty, victorious, Thy great Name we praise.

To all, life Thou givest, to both great and small; In all life Thou livest, the true life of all; We blossom and flourish as leaves on the tree, And wither and perish ... but naught changeth Thee.

Great Father of glory, pure Father of LIGHT, Thine angels adore Thee, all veiling their sight; All praise we would render: O help us to see 'Tis only the splendor of LIGHT hideth Thee!

May the invisible God of LIGHT be visible in your life this week!

A story I share in my book, "Hi From the Sky: On the Road to Happily Ever After" (check out the FB site) was about the time I was in one of those dark and dreary moods. There was no saving me from what is called "the slough of despond" in "Pilgrim's Progress" (John Bunyan.) I felt like such a failure and I continued to nurse self-pity on a solitary walk ... nothing could make a dent in my psyche. I could have cared less about quoting scripture or thinking happy thoughts or being positive. Bah HUMBUG! Suddenly an old hymn hit me out of the cobalt blue and I tried to mentally shoo it away like an annoying gnat. The hymn was relentless and I quietly whispered the first few words, "Great is Thy faithfulness, O God our Father." There is more to this story, but suffice it to say, I ended up singing the whole song in my best voice as I marched along the deserted path. At the last note, the shroud of depression lifted ... it was GONE! I stopped stock still. "So THAT'S what you call 'spiritual warfare'. THAT'S what it means to 'resist the devil and he will flee.' "I was in awe at the transformation from the top of my head to the bottom of my toes. Out of the dreary and weary into the heavenly! Later ... I wrote a poem about my experience.

LORD, YOU'RE FAITHFUL!

By Ann Ault

First Verse: I stumble as I walk and cry, I'm feeling so low.I feel so weak and faithless and my progress seems so slow.I try to fight these feelings. I sink deeper in despair! I know You SAID You'd care for me, but it feels like You're not there.

Chorus: Oh, Lord, You're faithful! My heart begins to sing. In spite of what I feel, I know You're real and You are King! Lord, You're faithful. I'll CHOOSE to trust in You. I know You'll see me through, despite the tears, the needless fears, I know You're faithful!

Second verse: There are days my life seems hopeless and I wonder what it's for. I feel like such a failure, I just can't take it anymore. Then my mind will start to sing a hymn that's sent down from above ... Depression leaves and sorrow flees, I'm resurrected by His love. (

Chorus:  Oh, Lord, You're faithful! My heart begins to sing. In spite of what I feel, I know You're real and You are King! Lord, You're faithful. I'll CHOOSE to trust in You. I know You'll see me through, despite the tears, the needless fears, I know You're faithful!

Bridge: To choose above your feelings is the hardest thing to do ... But when you make the effort, God will make a change in you!

Beautiful walk at sunset and I see robins high up in the trees, heads back, chirping away ... they seem to have a praise song for the Creator at the end of each day. How many of us humans do the same? These times can be challenging, but if we don't pause in gratitude at the end of a day and thank our God, we have to ask who is the real bird brain?! Chirp, chirp!

John Wesley said: "Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at all the times you can to all the people you can, as long as you ever can."

I had someone say that just reading that John Wesley quote wore him out!  I agree! You can wear yourself out trying to "DO GOOD" in every possible way, every day. I think I'm discovering that when it is "GOD-LED", you can discern what is of HIM for YOU TO DO ... and what is a time-robber and a distraction. Just because there's a need (and HOW MANY there are these days) doesn't mean YOU are always the one called to fulfill it. I know that's a delicate line and sounds like a cop-out, but when you say YES to one thing, you're consequently saying NO to another thing. I find it exciting the last few years when I encounter "God Divine Appointments" (in my book I share the story of "Win/Win" about a young man named Win I met and spoke to etc.) I can FEEL that "anointing" when I'm helping where I'm supposed to help. "In Him [the Lord God]we live and move and have our being!"

(Dec. 7,  2013)  At the Billy Graham Library yesterday (more magical than usual with the Sarah Palin book signing and living nativity), I was surrounded by God's creatures. Then today ... feeding the birdies/wildlife on my balcony (sunflower seeds) I felt a parable coming on: "PAUSE AND SHINE" (Hosea 6:3 "Let us acknowledge the Lord; let us press on to acknowledge Him. As surely as the SON rises, He will appear; He will come to us like the winter rains ... that water the earth.") When I came out on my balcony with sunflower seeds today, one dove stayed while the others flew away. Now it could be that it was petrified or mentally deficient, but it just sort of calmly paused for a few moments and we looked at each other. I said, "Hi" and "Would you like some sunflower seeds? I'm the one who gives you sunflower seeds." The young dove remained calm and curious as I scattered some of the seeds. It was a shining moment in time ... I love it when the "wild ones" take courage and observe me ... pause awhile and commune. Of course it made me think of the One who provides all our needs ... including our eternal salvation for those who receive His Christ-mas Gift. It's always a good reminder to pause and reflect during this Christ-mas season ... the shining moments ... to thank the Giver of the Son-flower seeds ... all those blessings of grace and mercy He scatters into our lives. Thanks be to Immanuel. God with us!

I saw "GRAVITY" yesterday ... EXPERIENCED "GRAVITY" ... I was gasping for breath as I just about crawled out of the theater. Call me a masochist, but I loved it. A magnificent awfulness ... reminds me of the time I saw the metamorphosis of a dragonfly struggling out of the shell of its former self and uncovering its wings. This movie is like a beautiful painting which each person will see differently, of course. My take on it as a Christian ... it was a poignant portrait of re-birth. Sandra Bullock was her usual brilliant self and George Clooney was profoundly heroic in a cavalier sort of way. But it left such an impression on me for so many reasons. To me it's an outer-space movie that is an earth-life metaphor. What're the odds of surviving when you feel like you're in outer space and the debris of circumstances are slamming you and killing others around you ... but you survive? What're the odds?! GOD'S odds. As a Christian, I believe God can use those very circumstances to liberate us from the burdens of darkness into His Kingdom of light. As we hold tight to the cord of the invisible God, He ultimately delivers us to HIS eternal Terra Firma ... safe and secure forever!

Welcome to my BLOG!  I will be posting updates on my book, "Hi From the Sky: On the Road to Happily Ever After" as well as progress on the film, "Heart's Desire" (you can check it out on the "Heart's Desire" Film page of this website.)  I love to write inspiring and encouraging true stories, pithy sayings, poems liberally sprinkled with scriptures to make the invisible God more visible!  God's Kingdom is the Fairy Tale that is REAL!  It is the Kingdom of BELIEVE ... not make-believe!  Be encouraged, weary pilgrim, as God guides you on His "Road to Happily Ever After"!  I saw a license plate the other day: DNT QUIT (DON'T QUIT!)  "Never give up, never surrender"!  I will continue to "Fight the GOOD FIGHT" and Write the GOOD FIGHT!  BLESSINGS on your journey!  And stay tuned!