February Reflections

Posted on February 26, 2026 by Barbara Harper

Our February has been marked by a big snow, four doctor visits–three of which were just follow-ups, a lovely Valentine’s Day as a family, and my daughter-in-law’s birthday.

We Face-timed Jeremy during Mittu’s birthday celebration. Sometime during the conversation, I asked if his friends had done anything for Valentine’s Day–around holidays they’ll often have some kind of get-together, like Friendsgiving in November. He said no–anyone with a significant other did something with them, but they didn’t do anything as a group. I said I had seen a lot of women having a “Galentine” Day with friends, but guys probably wouldn’t be interested in a similar Valentine’s alternative. Mittu said if they were, they could call it “Palentine’s.” 🙂

In sad news, Jim’s niece’s husband passed away after a year-long, sometimes brutal battle with cancer that was first discovered in his sinuses and then found all over his body. He was 52. I’m thankful for the Caring Bridge site that allows people to post updates, so we could be informed and pray along with them. We rejoice that he is fully healed in heaven and seeing his Savior face to face, yet we ache for his family and church. I’ve enjoyed reading some of the tributes that have been posted on Facebook. I always marvel at how one life can touch so many others.

Watching

We had the Olympics coverage on most evenings. I enjoyed it, even though I am not normally into sports. One of my favorite moments was Alysa Liu’s winning free skate. Another was Elana Meyers Taylor’s monobob win. Watching bobsled racing isn’t the most exciting for me, but I appreciated her story of winning at age 41, having two deaf children, and being a Christian. And the skating gala after the competitions are over is always a favorite–the tension is gone and everyone is much freer in their performances. I wish they had shown more of it. I may see if the whole program is online.

We finished Sue Thomas, F. B. Eye, based on the true story of a deaf woman who became an FBI agent. As I mentioned last time, it was a little dated, but very clean. I kind of missed the characters after we finished the series.

We watched a short series titled Shadrach about a family in the city who has to move to the grandparent’s house in the country when the dad is betrayed by his business partner and their company fails. The teenage daughter is not happy. But when a horse follows her home, her outlook changes. This show was quite clean and faith-based, but a little too on-the-nose.

Creating

February is a busy month for card-making. First, there’s Valentine’s Day. Many of these were inspired by cards I saw on Pinterest.

This was Jim’s:

The letters were from a pad of scrapbooking papers. The red heart was a 3D sticker.

This was Jeremy’s:

He likes foxes. The fox design was done with the Cricut. I sent the picture from the Cricut machine to my computer to print, then took it back to the Cricut to be cut out.

This was Jason’s:

The letters are stickers.

This was Mittu’s:

The “basket” was done with the Cuttlebug embosser.

This was Timothy’s, also done with the Cricut–just the cutting, not printing:

I did the words on the computer.

And this was Jesse’s, my main gamer:

The heart was done with the Cricut, the words on the computer.

This was for my friend, Melanie:

She and Mittu both like purple/lavender. The lacy part of the heart was done with the Cricut. I kept thinking I should put something in the middle of the heart, but by that time I was almost done and felt I should leave well enough alone.

And this was for Mittu’s birthday:

The daisy and yellow center were done with the Cricut. The white center was done with the computer and a scalloped hole punch.

Reading

With the Olympics on, I didn’t read as much as usual this month. Here’s what I finished:

James for You: Showing You How Real Faith Looks in Real Life by Sam Allberry. Very good.
Through Each Tomorrow by Gabrielle Meyer, the sixth in her Time Crossers series, set partly in 1563 during the reign of Queen Elizabeth 1 and partly in during the Gilded Age in 1883. Very good.
Barnaby Rudge by Charles Dickens, audiobook. I just finished this one yesterday and will review it next week. Very good!

I’m currently reading:

Light Upon Light: A Literary Guide to Prayer for Advent, Christmas, and Epiphany compiled by Sarah Arthur. Almost done!
All the Beauty in the World: The Metropolitan Museum of Art and Me by Patrick Bringley. Disappointed by some bad language in this one.
True Woman 201: Interior Design: Ten Elements of Biblical Womanhood by Mary Kassian and Nancy Leigh DeMoss (now Wolgemuth) with our ladies’ Bible study.
None Like Him: 10 Ways God Is Different From Us and Why That’s a Good Thing by Jen Wilkin with Melanie.
Rebel with a Cause by Franklin Graham.
Blueprint for a Nonfiction Book: Plan and Pitch Your Big Idea by Jennie Nash.

Blogging

Besides the weekly Friday Fave Fives, Saturday Laudable Linkage, and book reviews, I’ve posted these since last time:

Bearing with Small Trials. I often find the little irritations and frustrations harder to deal with in a right spirit than the big trials.
Winter Inspiration. Bible verses, quotes, poems, and songs about winter to help me have a better perspective of it.
“Deep roots are not reached by the frost.” When we’re rooted in Christ, we’ll survive winter storms and flourish again.
Rely on God and Make Every Effort. God has given us everything we need for godliness, so we’re to “make every effort” (2 Peter 1:3-6) to incorporate certain things into our lives.
Devotional Books for Lent and Easter. Some suggestions from books I have read in past years.
What Do You Tell Yourself? Sometimes we have to sit ourselves down for a chat.

Looking ahead

Coming to the end of February feels like turning a major corner in getting through winter. We can still have cold and snow in March, but spring is in sight and we usually start seeing flower buds. In fact, our daffodils have already started peeking out when we had a warm spell.

My husband’s birthday is in March, and there’s talk of some get-togethers with friends to look forward to.

How was your February? Looking forward to anything in March?

Review: James for You

Posted on February 25, 2026 by Barbara Harper

The New Testament epistle of James has been a controversial book over the years. Some have felt that his emphasis on showing faith by works contradicts Paul’s writings that salvation is by faith, not works. But Sam Allberry shows in James for You: Showing You How Real Faith Looks in Real Life that the two writers are really saying the same thing. They are just looking at faith and works from different angles.

One of the main things I appreciated in Allberry’s books is that he showed how the book flows together. We tend to–or at least, I have tended to–read the paragraphs as isolated topics. For instance, James 2-3 talks abut the sin of showing partiality, then faith without works, then taming the tongue, then wisdom from above, then worldliness. But each paragraph leads into the next.

Allberry describes James’ style as “practical, pithy, and very direct.” James was the half-brother of Jesus, and his book is “soaked in the words and wisdom of James’ older brother. He may not be named much in this letter, but his presence is felt throughout.” Like Jesus, James uses simple, everyday illustrations.

Some of the themes James deals with, in addition to faith and works, are wisdom, obedience, dealing with trials, needs of the poor, responsibility of the wealthy, the danger of double-mindedness, the dangers of the tongue.

A few quotes that stood out to me:

Faith needs the pushback of trials for us to grow spiritually. Trials and difficulties are an opportunity to cling on to the promises of God more tightly.

It is what God can accomplish through suffering that is good, not the suffering itself. It is an opportunity to gain the most valuable thing on earth: a faith that is complete and lacking nothing; maturity and depth in our relationship with God.

Good behaviour in one area does not cancel out law-breaking in another.

And so the battle is with the will. James is not saying that Christians will automatically be able to experience joy in suffering. We are called to “consider” trials in this way. We need to fight to think about them in the right way: consciously to force our perspective and vision above and beyond the present suffering, so that we look forward to the good that God will, over time, produce through them.

I have not read anything else by Sam Allberry–I had not even heard of him before. But I appreciate the insights he brought to the study of James.

What Do You Tell Yourself?

Posted on February 22, 2026 by Barbara Harper

I imagine we all talk to ourselves throughout the day. Sometimes we ask things like, “Where did I put my phone?” Or “What did I come in here for?”

Sometimes we commiserate with ourselves about the driver who just cut us off in traffic or the rude salesperson.

We might berate ourselves when we’ve done something we think is dumb. Or congratulate ourselves when we feel we have done something well.

Occasionally, our self-talk goes much deeper. Hard times come, and we conclude God doesn’t love us. A time of suffering drags on, and we feel there’s no hope in sight.

There are multitudes of reasons to read the Bible. One is that we might discern truth from falsehood–not only in others, but also in ourselves.

I love this quote before from David Martyn-Lloyd Jones in Spiritual Depression:

Have you realized that most of your unhappiness in life is due to the fact that you are listening to yourself instead of talking to yourself? Take those thoughts that come to you the moment you wake up in the morning. You have not originated them but they are talking to you, they bring back the problems of yesterday, etc. Somebody is talking. Who is talking to you? Your self is talking to you. Now this man’s treatment [in Psalm 42] was this: instead of allowing this self to talk to him, he starts talking to himself. “Why art thou cast down, O my soul?” he asks. His soul had been depressing him, crushing him. So he stands up and says, “Self, listen for a moment, I will speak to you.”

The psalms provide multitudes of examples of the writer correcting his wrong thoughts and encouraging himself with God’s truth. They show the writer coming to God with a problem or an issue: Where are you? Why are you not acting? The wicked are faring better than Your people. I’m hurting here. People are persecuting me for no reason.

And then the writer reminds himself of truths about his God: He’s here. He loves us. He cares. The wicked will face consequences some day if they don’t repent. God will strengthen me and help me.

We don’t have to live at the mercy of thoughts running rampant or dragging us down. We take our thoughts captive. We can search our Bibles, turn to familiar helpful passages, and ask God to remind us of His truth. We renew our minds with His Word.

(A few lines here have been taken from a couple of previous posts.)

(I often link up with some of these bloggers.)

Laudable Linkage

Posted on February 21, 2026 by Barbara Harper

These are some of the good reads found this week:

The One Belief That Can Keep the Hurt from Crushing You, HT to Lois. “Hard seasons don’t just bring pain; they demand explanations. And if we’re not careful, we’ll grab the nearest one just to make the ache feel manageable. And this is where we can get ourselves in trouble.”

Remembering Who We Are When We Disagree, HT to Challies. “Where God’s Word allows freedom or the use of wisdom in applying biblical principles to complex situations, we must maintain a humble posture and remember that the people with whom we disagree are not adversaries to be defeated, but brothers and sisters in Christ.”

The Spiritual Discipline of Unlearning, HT to Challies. “Much of our growth in Christ does not come from learning something new. It comes from unlearning things we already believe, assume, or practice. If learning is addition, unlearning is subtraction. And subtraction is usually harder.”

Say No to This: Tiny Deaths, Eternal Gain. “When was the last time you had a craving and didn’t fill it? How long has it been since you had the urge to check your phone but stopped yourself before picking it up? What was the last item you almost added to your cart but then scrolled past? In what recent conversation did you choose to hold your tongue because you knew you should stop talking?”

Three Things that Make Temptation Flee, HT to Challies. “There are many things that want to steal our joy and affection in Christ. There are sins and temptations that plague us more often than we’d like to admit. But for the Christian, there is a real sense in which these temptations no longer lord over us. We are no longer bound to obey them anymore. Even on this side of heaven we experience real victory over sin and temptation. Those are glorious seasons when our hearts are lifted to heaven and we do the things that we really want to do. What are those things that make sin seem so silly? What is our frame of mind when temptations lose their shimmer?”

If We Create Nothing, What Is It All For? “We were created by the wisest, most creative, most intricate, and most beautiful Creator—God. We were also created in his image, Imago Dei, which means that we have some of his attributes in us. This is why so many of us humans long to create in some way, whether we are writers, painters, homemakers, designers, engineers, or one of so many other wonderfully creative things. We also were created to work. All we endeavor to do takes hard work. We are designed to accomplish this work through and to the Lord.”

The Goodness of Caring for Other People’s Children. HT to Challies. “It is right and good to have ‘skin in the game’ with young people, whether or not you are related to them. That will not solve all our social crises, but it would help us move in the right direction. Think about how often children, even from happy and supportive families, find their calling or advance professionally due to someone outside of the family. Young people succeed when they are invested in by adults, relatives or not. Yet we do so little to acknowledge or encourage that.”

On the Public (and Passionate) Reading of Scripture. “Let us read Scriptures with the gravitas and passion they deserve. How do we do this? Try these seven suggestions to reinvigorate your public reading of Scripture.”

Aging. I don’t know this author, and I don’t usually link to Facebook posts. But a friend shared this from another friend. I thought it was so good, I printed out and have read parts of it several times.

Aging with Joy, HT to Challies. “Between now and the moment we die, we are walking into an unknown country. No matter how many steps you have taken to make it feel secure, it’s not — not in this world. Now, how do we do that? How do we enter that unknown with joy and dignity and hope?”

Should Heroes Save the World or Find Themselves? “A hero is no longer someone who sacrifices himself or herself for the good of others. Rather, a hero is someone who puts himself first. The hero’s quest is no longer slaying the dragon or saving the princess or ending the war. The hero’s quest is now to go on an important journey of self-discovery.”

Sadness that brings you closer to God, is better than happiness that pulls you from him.

Friday’s Fave Five

Posted on February 20, 2026 by Barbara Harper

Rain or shine, hot or cold, we take time to recount the good things God places in our lives with Susanne at Living to Tell the Story.

1. Valentine’s Day. For the last several years, Valentine’s Day has been a family-based day for us. I’m thankful our children still like to come for Valentine’s Day even though they are grown. I make “meat hearts” and chocolate heart-shaped cupcakes. We exchange cards. Jim gets Mittu and me flowers. He gets me a bag of my favorite Lindt Lindor Milk Chocolate Truffles.

2 Timothy’s Valentine’s to Jim and me.

3. Quick power restoration. We were watching the Olympics one evening when the power suddenly went out unexpectedly. There were no weather conditions that would have caused it. We quickly ascertained that the whole neighborhood was without power. Just about the time we got lanterns out and batteries changed and Jim had started the generator in the camper, power came back on. Someone said nearby construction caused the outage. I’m thanlful it didn’t last long.

4. Flatbread. We’ve been using these as a base for individual pizzas in the air fryer. Quick, convenient, and tasty!

5. Nice temperatures. We’ve had a nice respite from the cold this week, with moderate temperatures in the forecast. We were supposed to get up to 70 one day! But winter isn’t over yet, and we’ll be in the 20s again next week.

How was your week?

Devotional Books for Lent and Easter

Posted on February 19, 2026 by Barbara Harper

I don’t observe Lent per se, but I do like to spend the weeks leading up to Easter reading devotional-type books on the death and resurrection of Christ. Otherwise, this season goes by too quickly without thinking of its meaning as much as I would like.

I’ve been surprised that there are far fewer books of Lenten and Easter reading than there are for Advent and Christmas. Of course, there are multitudes of books about Jesus’ death and resurrection that are not just for Easter.

Personally, I don’t want Lenten reading from a Catholic or liturgical viewpoint, which narrows down the reading selections even further: I just want to mediate on what Jesus did for us and our response. We do that often, not just this time of year. But it’s good to have a special emphasis on these things at this season.

Here are some of the books I have enjoyed for Lent and Easter, linked to my reviews:

Jesus, Keep Me Near the Cross: Experiencing the Passion and Power of Easter compiled by Nancy Guthrie from writings as far back as Augustine and Luther through to writers as current as John Piper and John MacArthur. I think I have read this at least three times. One favorite quote from the book:

In human religions, it’s the worshipper who placates the offended deity with rituals and sacrifices and bribes. But in the gospel, it is God Himself who provides the offering.—Ray Ortland

The Women of Easter: Encounter the Savior with Mary of Bethany, Mary of Nazareth, and Mary Magdalene by Liz Curtis Higgs. The book does just what the subtitle says. Liz considers Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection through the eyes of these three Marys. Liz has done extensive study in different translations and commentaries. I think I have read this twice. A favorite quote:

Worship isn’t a task. Worship is a response.

Songs of the Morning: Stories and Poems for Easter was compiled by Pat Alexander and includes excerpts from the writings of C. S. Lewis, E. B. White, Dickens and others, some (mostly poems) written by children. I don’t think I realized this book was written for children (about the age of those who would enjoy the Narnia books) when I first got it. But I enjoyed it. Unfortunately, I didn’t list any quotes from this one in my review.

Preparing for Easter: Fifty Devotional Reading from C. S. Lewis is a compilation of selections from his writings. I include this one with a bit of caution. As much as I love C. S. Lewis, I differ with him on a few points of theology. I noted in my review that some of the selections used didn’t seem to fit the theme of the book or suffered from being taken out of their context. But there were still some good nuggets here. One such quote:

Keep back nothing. Nothing that you have not given away will be really yours. Nothing in you that has not died will ever be raised from the dead. Look for yourself, and you will find in the long run only hatred, loneliness, despair, rage, ruin, and decay. But look for Christ and you will find Him, and with Him everything else thrown in (p. 212, originally from Mere Christianity).

An Ocean of Grace: A Journey to Easter with Great Voices of the Past, another compilation of quotes from across the centuries, this time by Tim Chester. Chester says he updated some of the archaic language and changed some of the description into prayers or exhortations. I think he overdid the editing. But I did enjoy much from the book. One favorite quote:

May all the charms of sin be overcome by this ravishing love, from Stephen Charnock’s “A Discourse of the Knowledge of Christ Crucified”

I may have read other Easter devotional books, but these are the only ones I can remember or that I made note of here on the blog.

I own, but have not yet read, The Case for Easter: A Journalist Investigates Evidence for the Resurrection by Lee Strobel. It’s not a devotional book, but I think it would be valuable reading. I enjoyed The Case for Christ by Strobel.

This year I am planning to read a couple of new-to-me books. I enjoyed The Characters of Christmas: 10 Unlikely People Caught Up in the Story of Jesus by Daniel Darling so much that, when I saw he had a similar book based on Easter, I immediately got it. It’s title is The Characters of Easter: The Villains, Heroes, Cowards, and Crooks Who Witnessed History’s Biggest Miracle. It’s not exactly a devotional, but I am using it in that way.

I’m also going to at least dip into Bread and Wine: Readings for Lent and Easter, another compilation from writings across the centuries recommended by Michele. I can tell, from the writers listed, that I am not going to agree with all of them. But there are several others that I am sure I’ll enjoy.

Do you enjoy reading that focuses on Lent and Easter?

(I often link up with some of these bloggers.)

Rely on God and Make Every Effort

Posted on February 17, 2026 by Barbara Harper

We all have trouble with self-control in some areas: eating habits, overspending, wasting time, cutting remarks, flares of temper, etc. We’ve had enough experience trying to correct those issues that we know willpower alone doesn’t conquer them.

As Christians, we know self-control is one part of the fruit of the Holy Spirit mentioned in Galatians 5:22-23. So if we’re struggling with anger, we pray for the Spirit’s help and control. Then five minutes later, we find ourselves ranting at the driver who cut us off in traffic or the computer that mysteriously isn’t working right.

So what happened?

Peter tells us, “His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence” (2 Peter 1:3). He has already given us “all things that pertain to life and godliness.” How? “By which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire” (verse 4). Then, “For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith . . . with self-control” (among other things, verses 5-6).

“Make every effort” doesn’t mean we try to drum up our own righteousness. That’s impossible. That’s why Jesus died for us, so that He could take on our unrighteousness and grant us His righteousness when we repent of our sin and trust in Him for salvation. But it’s because He did this that we have “all things that pertain to life and godliness.”

I tend to want to figure out where the lines are, what’s God’s part and what’s my part, what’s the formula? But God doesn’t usually work by way of formulas. Somehow He works in us “to will and to do of His good pleasure” (Philippians 2:13). But He doesn’t expect us to be passive. He uses means to accomplish His will in us.

We need to recognize and correct the lies we tell ourselves and take responsibility for our actions and reactions. Often we blame other people (“If he hadn’t said this, I would not have been tempted to say that”). Or we blame circumstances (“I was busy and missed lunch, so those doughnuts were irresistible”).

We need to change our thinking so it lines up with His. Romans 12:2 tells us, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind.”

We might feel like we just can’t help ourselves. But God says, “No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it” (1 Corinthians 10:13). We need to pray that God will help us look for the way of escape rather than an excuse to indulge.

We need to yield to God instead of insisting on our right to our own way: “Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God” (Romans 6:13, KJV).

We need to abide in Him, because without Him we can do nothing. (John 15:1-5).

We spend much time in Scripture, which “is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16-17).

We behold Him in His Word. 2 Corinthians 3:18 says: “But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.”

When self is screaming for its own way, we need to remember Jesus said, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me” (Luke 9:23).

We may need to make some determinations, like David did in Psalm 101:2-3: “I will walk with integrity of heart within my house; I will not set before my eyes anything that is worthless.” I used to be against making resolutions, because they seemed like setting ourselves up for failure, as well as focusing on our own effort. And then I came across 2 Thessalonians 1:11: “To this end we always pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling and may fulfill every resolve for good and every work of faith by his power.” Every resolve for good. But relying on God’s power, not my own.

I think of God’s part and my part something like what the children of Israel did in the Old Testament. Sometimes God supernaturally defeated their enemies. But usually, they had to pick up their swords and fight. They learned from sad experience that they only won when God was with them and they were relying on Him.

I think it is similar for us. Sometimes God will seemingly instantly deliver us from a wrong desire or habit. But often it takes prayer and relying on God’s Word and help to make any headway. And since self-control is a fruit of the Holy Spirit, and fruit takes time to grow, it may take time for us to gain victory in a given area.

Another way I think of these things is what happened when Jesus told the lame man to walk or the man with a withered hand to stretch it out. Both of them could have said, “That’s the very thing I cannot do.” But they obeyed–and in the process, God gave the strength to do His will. I usually want to “feel” strengthened before I obey–but often He gives strength as we obey.

May God give us wisdom, grace, and strength as we rely on His work in us and cooperate with His working outward through us.

__________
This post was inspired by an excellent chapter on discipline and self-control in True Woman 201: Interior Design: Ten Elements of Biblical Womanhood by Mary Kassian and Nancy Leigh DeMoss (now Wolgemuth). Our ladies Bible study at church is going through this book, which is based on Titus 2:1-5.

(I often link up with some of these bloggers.)

Laudable Linkage

Posted on February 14, 2026 by Barbara Harper

I haven’t had as much time online as usual this week, but I did find these thought-provoking reads:

It’s Your Destiny: Don’t Make This Mistake. Salvation isn’t a matter of just saying the right words. The author gives some sad examples of those who thought it did.

Old Advice for a New Year, HT to The Story Warren. “In the typical flurry of secular articles about the new year, two messages seem loudest. Half the articles triumphantly declare that this can be the year you become the best version of yourself and achieve your dreams. The other half reject the hustle; they tell you that you’re enough as you are and that you should enjoy life instead of striving. These messages seem like opposites, but they share an important thread: self-focus. As Christians, we ought to consider every turning of the season in light of God’s wisdom, not our own.”

New Season, New Surrender. Though this is written in the context of missions, it’s true for all of us that surrendering to the Lord is not a “one and done thing.” Courtney shares truths that helped her with new areas to surrender as well as old ones that needed to be given to the Lord continually.

Are You Ready? This was linked in the article above, but I wanted to share it separately. J. C. Ryle asks if hearers are ready for whatever a new year might bring, good or bad, and shares how to get ready.

How God Met Me the Night my Kindergartner Went Missing. Debbie shares how God’s Word helped her in a scary situation.

The Songs I Once Found Dreary, HT to Challies. “There is something deeply comforting when someone enters our context and realizes the weight with us. Lament calls on the Lord to do just that. Isn’t this how God desires us to come? Not with tidy understanding or facades of strength but with full disclosure. Lament, then, is not weakness but actually the evidence of trust and our union with Christ.“

Living as a Woman Loved by God. “The difference between those two women is not personality or temperament. It’s not confidence, charm, or social instinct. The difference is whether they are living as women who know they are loved by God. To live this way is to live from fullness rather than from lack. It’s to move through rooms—and relationships—without grasping, because you’ve already been given in Him what your heart is tempted to seek elsewhere.”

This is as good a time as any for my occasional reminder that linking to or from someone doesn’t always indicate total endorsement.

True love ennobles and dignifies the material labors of life; and homely services rendered for love’s sake have in them a poetry that is immortal. — Harriet Beecher Stowe

Friday’s Fave Five

Posted on February 13, 2026 by Barbara Harper

It’s been quiet on the blog here this week–I’ve been working on Valentine’s cards for the family and looking forward to our Valentine dinner tomorrow. I’m sharing some of the best parts of the last few days with Susanne at Living to Tell the Story. Feel free to join in counting blessings!

1. A smooth transition. I was in afib a couple of days last week. I had my one-month check-up with the cardiologist’s PA since the ablation, and he decided I should change one of my medications. But first I had to be off the old one for three days so it was totally out of my system. Since I was in afib at the time, I was expecting it to continue or worsen without the medicine. But it resolved itself, and I felt better those three days than I had in a while. I started the new medication on Monday, and it seems to be working well so far. My cardiologist told me a year or two ago that afib isn’t cured, only managed. So I hope and pray this regimen manages it well.

2. Being back in church, which I had missed for a few weeks due to weather and health issues.

3. Time with family. We had been somewhat isolated due to icy roads for several days. Jason, Mittu, and Timothy came over Saturday night to make dinner, then we went out to lunch with them Sunday after church.

4. The Olympics. We don’t watch sports much. Even our local Vols football games aren’t usually available unless we want to pay more for the next level of ESPN. But there is something about the Olympics that makes me want to watch. My favorite is ice skating, but I have enjoyed the evening coverage of some of the other sports as well.

5. Lunch with Melanie. We usually get together once every 4-6 weeks, but hadn’t seen each other since early December. It was good to catch up over Cracker Barrel turkey and dressing. Then I enjoyed an excursion to Hobby Lobby.

While gathering the gift cards I had received for Christmas, I saw there was one I had forgotten about for the new Whataburger here. That restaurant is a staple where I grew up in TX, and we’ve been excited that Knoxville now has three of them. But the one closest to us had been too busy to try out since its opening. We enjoyed getting take-out from there for dinner. Then I topped the evening off with half the Double Chocolate Coca-Cola Cake I brought home from Cracker Barrel.

With all these outings, I feel a little like I have been emerging from a short hibernation. 🙂 The weather has been much more moderate lately, which is another blessing. I know winter is not over yet. We’ll likely have more cold spells before spring comes. But I’ll enjoy the respite.

Happy Valentine’s Day!

“Deep roots are not reached by the frost”

Posted on February 8, 2026 by Barbara Harper

When I was looking for winter inspiration last week, I came across a poem by J. R. R. Tolkien from The Fellowship of the Ring. It’s a riddle Bilbo Baggins wrote for Frodo to help him find the real Strider. But one line in particular caught my eye.

This is the first half of the riddle:

All that is gold does not glitter,
Not all those who wander are lost;
The old that is strong does not wither,
Deep roots are not reached by the frost.

If you’re like me, you might’ve read the first line as the familiar saying adapted from Shakespeare’s Merchant of Venice: “All that glisters is not gold.”

Tolkien flips it. The king they are looking for in LOTR isn’t “glittering” in his kingly accouterments yet. (Does that sound like someone else you know?)

But that’s not the line that arrested me. What stopped me in my tracks was this: “Deep roots are not reached by the frost.“

Trees that aren’t evergreens look dead in the winter, don’t they? They have no leaves or fruit. They are barren for many months. They might lose limbs to ice or heavy snow.

In fact, releasing their autumn leaves helps protect them from harsh, freezing conditions. If trees kept their leaves all winter, they might lose more limbs from the extra weight when iced over. Insects would eat more of their vegetation. Since water expands when frozen, cells in leaves would rupture in freezing temperatures.

Some of the trees that fall over in bad weather have shallow or damaged roots.

But if roots are firm and deep enough, trees withstand the winter. They not only survive: they sprout new leaves when spring comes. They grow. They flourish.

Deep roots are not reached by the frost.

When we go through a spiritual winter, we might feel leafless and fruitless. Jesus said branches are pruned in order that they might bear more fruit. Sometimes new growth comes only when parts are cut away–not just old, diseased parts, but branches that look perfectly fine.

Jesus said a person whose heart is like rocky ground “endures for a while, and when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately he falls away” (Matthew 13:21).

But if we’re deeply rooted in Christ, winters won’t destroy us.

Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving (Colossians 2:6-7).

When we’re rooted in Him, we know His character. We can trust Him even when we don’t understand what He is doing.

When we’re rooted in Him, we’re firm in our identity. We’re His children. We’re forgiven, cleansed, sanctified, known, loved.

When we’re rooted and built up in Him, we’re established in the faith. We won’t be “tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes” (Ephesians 4:14).

We stand firmly no matter what storms are raging around us, no matter how deep the frost, no matter what losses we face. As Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 4:8-9:

“We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed;
perplexed, but not driven to despair;
persecuted, but not forsaken;
struck down, but not destroyed.”

May we walk as we received Him, humbly, dependent on Him and not ourselves. May we be so rooted and built up in Him that no frost can reach our roots.