Beverly Joy Roberts

A little piece of me died today .  Imagine reading those words on your friends Facebook page.  You would immediately be concerned, worried and feel the need to comment--maybe even want to fix the problem. The FB comments may look something like this:      Jane:  Hugs--my friend. John:  Thinking of you. Mary:  Praying for you. Cindy: What's going on? :(  PM me.  We would automatically assume the worst...this is bad.  After all death is terrible, it's the end of something.  No Mulligans, no do overs, no..."sorry 'bout that."  It's final. Well, I'm happy to announce, a little piece of me died today, and it was a good thing. It was pride, selfishness, unforgiveness, anger, jealousy,  you fill in the blank .  It might be any number of sin issues. Colossians 3:5 (GW)  says this,  " Therefore, put to death whatever is worldly in you..."  Once you surrender your life to the Lord, it's time to put some stuff to death--let

The pieces seemed a lot darker when I was making it! A few weeks ago, I finally decided to put together this puzzle I've had for almost two years.  I'm a bit obsessive when it comes to puzzles.  So, I know when I start one it will consume me until it is completed.  I also pride myself in putting them together pretty fast, but not this time. This one nearly beat me. Twice, I almost collected the half put together creation and dumped it all back in the box.  I'm telling you the truth, 70% of the pieces were black or nearly black.  I would get fed up and walk away only to be drawn back to the puzzle a few hours later.  There was this one piece that I picked up over and over again and tried to fit it in what seemed to be the most obvious place--but it didn't fit . The size was right and the colors matched but the piece wouldn't fit.    It was beyond frustrating.  WHY?  Why do I work these crazy puzzles? Here's why...because when that one piece finall

I'm on a cruise in Alaska.  It's awesome! The ocean waves remind me of a sermon my husband preached a month ago, "Falling Away."  He shared how it was a gradual process--one small step at a time. He told us that this term used in the book of Hebrews is actually a nautical term.  This term brought back a memory from my teen years.  Also...I'm sure the obvious is not lost on you-- I'm on a cruise in Alaska . Back to my point:  I lived on a lake all through my teens, and we had a floating raft that we would swim to from our dock.  It was a great place to lay in the sun or jump off into the deep water.  It was anchored with a heavy cement block attached to a chain.  The anchor kept the raft from drifting away.    It didn't matter if we pushed off from that raft with all our might while diving into the lake or if boats went by sending waves crashing into the raft.  It stayed right there about 20 yards from the end of our dock.  Storms didn't move i

 My husband isn't speaking to me. He won't even look at me. Don't fret.  We aren't fighting. Don't put us on the prayer chain...just yet. His behavior is rooted in fear.  Yes, he's afraid... of me ...and the power of the pen. He's trying really hard not to say or do anything that could potentially become one of my devotional illustrations. The other day we were laughing about how I use the simplest of things in my life to write these devotionals.  He joked about wanting to stay off my radar in fear that he may become a spiritual lesson on the internet. "Radar, you say!  That would make a perfect devotional...got ya!" I can fully relate to wanting to stay off the radar --God's radar that is.  I use to fly so far under the radar--my feet could touch the ground.  I thought if I could stay off God's radar--he wouldn't ask me to do anything.  I was like the toddler that covers her eyes believing she is invisible to ever

Sad to say this dry ground is my garden. We've had little rain this past month. (July 2016) However, the last few days of July we finally had some significant rainfall.  It poured like a flood from the sky and drenched everything and everyone in it's path. The rain got me thinking about three things.  First, the rains that come fast.  It pours with so much force that the ground resits.  There isn't time for the water to penetrate into the soil and nourish the roots.  It usually will run off and puddle at the lowest place. Then there is the rains that come slowly--gently saturating into the deep places--steady and consistent. This is the rains that dry ground longs for.  This type of ground needs to be soften before it's able to accept all the good things that rain has to offer.    Spiritually speaking, I've known all three of these in my life. Experiences that were fast moving but short lived Experiences that were gentle, lingering and saturating deep