About Barbara Harper

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Laudable Linkage

Posted on November 29, 2025 by Barbara Harper

I have just a short list of good reads to share this week. Most of them have to do with Thanksgiving, but that’s all right–we can apply Thanksgiving lessons year round.

The Other Side of Human Rights, HT to Challies. “We’ve forgotten something our ancestors knew: there is a necessary flip-side to human rights. If I have the right to be treated fairly and respectfully, then that means you have the responsibility to treat me that way. It also means that I have the responsibility to treat you that way. And just like that, another R word has slipped in beside our golden rights: responsibility. Responsibility is not a popular word. It sounds like duty and obligation, and those concepts aren’t trending right now. But if you look closely, every single right we claim has responsibility attached to it.”

Corrupt Communication a Sign of Corrupt Hearts. “Whether scatological locker room talk, or taking God’s name in vain, or gossip, or lies, or cruel insults, there are things we say that stink. And these utterances reveal a corruption or rottenness that goes deeper than the lips, the tongue, or the mouth. Jesus observed, ‘Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaketh.’ (Mt. 12:34) Our words expose our inner attitudes and thoughts. We say what we say because we are what we are.”

Gratitude In a Hostile Land. “Even in this inconvenience, I had a choice. Interruptions like these reveal the state of our hearts. When unexpected circumstances come crashing in, are prayer and gratitude the conductor of our lives—or are they the caboose? Yet prayer and gratitude aren’t only for happy times; they are for every time, every moment, and every day.”

Forget Not His Faithfulness: Thanksgiving Begins with Remembering. “The danger of a hurried life is that when we don’t pause and reflect, we don’t remember. And when we don’t remember, gratitude struggles to make its way to the surface. But when we take time to look back, we begin to see what hurry had hidden all along: the grace of God, His unexpected provision and answered prayers, and His steady faithfulness woven through every ordinary day.”

Thanksgiving Gratitude: Receiving God’s Gifts with Joy. “One year Larry picked up some small gifts for some visiting children. Their delight in receiving them gave us as much, if not more, pleasure than if we’d received gifts. This reminds me how important receiving God’s gifts is to both our hearts and His. Gratitude is a gift. If our hearts swell when someone enjoys the gift we’ve chosen for them, I imagine God also smiles when we appreciate His gifts.”

If you think of this world as a place simply intended for our happiness, you find it quite intolerable: think of it as a place for training and correction and it’s not so bad.–C. S. Lewis

Friday’s Fave Five

Posted on November 28, 2025 by Barbara Harper

This week is coming swiftly to a close, as is the month of November. I’m pausing for a bit with Susanne at Living to Tell the Story to stop, think, and be thankful for the blessings of the week.

1. Thanksgiving Day. We had a lovely time with all the family here and talked with my oldest son in RI the day before. Lots of good food, chatting, and fun.

2. Helpers. Because my heart rate is still elevated, Mittu offered to make all the side dishes for Thanksgiving–I think Timothy and Jason helped. Mittu made a beautiful gluten-free pie crust for my apple pie. Jesse made a pumpkin pie. And Jim cleaned bathrooms and vacuumed. He also always takes care of getting all the meat off the turkey bones after we eat and then washing the roasting pan. He also washed some of the bigger dirty dishes that wouldn’t fit in the dishwasher.

3. A nice Thanksgiving craft kit. I found this at Hobby Lobby–leaves that come with little bamboo sticks with which we can scratch designs. All the Thanksgiving items were half-off when I got them, plus I had a gift card.

A couple of ours: Mittu’s swirly one and Jim’s veined one.

4. This year’s thankful tree. It’s always fun to read everyone’s contributions.

5. Getting the dates set for Jeremy’s visit. It’s always good when everything is confirmed. Looking forward to his coming.

I hope those of you in the USA had a meaningful Thanksgiving, too! I’m planning on staying within my own four walls this Black Friday. How about you?

November Reflections

Posted on November 26, 2025 by Barbara Harper

We’re a few days before the end of the month, but with Thanksgiving tomorrow and other posts scheduled, this seems the best time to reflect.

November has been a fairly quiet month. We enjoyed going to a play–actually a free dress rehearsal–at our church’s Christian school, then going out to eat afterwards. We enjoyed doing some Thanksgiving crafts with Tim.

Jim finished his shed, winterized the camper, and cleaned out all the dead stuff in the flower beds and planters.

I sorted through boxes from the shed as well as some parts of the house and have a pile set aside for the thrift store.

I am still dealing with an elevated heart rate, but my devices aren’t showing signs of atrial fibrillation. It may be atrial flutter. When I had that in July and August, it went on for several weeks and turned into atrial fibrillation, resulting in a cardioversion. I’m praying God will intervene and set my heart right so we don’t have to go that route again. I feel okay except I have to take breaks in-between doing things.

I only made one card this month, but it hasn’t reached its recipient yet, so I’ll share it next month.

Watching

We watched one season (six episodes) of Crossroad Springs, about a pastor in Chicago who comes home to help his father after the latter is injured. There are hard feelings because the father wanted his kids to take over the farm, which has been in the family for several generations. But one child became a pastor and the other a doctor. When the pastor gets reacquainted with a girl he used to know, he’s torn between going back to his church or staying. Meanwhile, there’s trouble brewing with a neighbor who may be up to no good. The show was clean and the story was good, but something was lacking. It had the same vibe as a lot of early Christian movies. One negative aspect: they equate salvation with baptism.

Where the Lilies Bloom was based on a book by the same name, written by Bill and Vera Cleaver. A poor family consisting of an ailing father and his four children live in the mountains of North Carolina. They used to own their home but sharecrop it now, fully believing that neighbor Kiser Pease stole it out from under them by paying the back taxes. Kiser wants to court the oldest daughter, but the father will not allow it. When the father knows he is dying, he makes fourteen-year-old Mary Call, the practical one, promise to keep the family together and not let Kiser date her sister. The children don’t let anyone know when the father dies, believing they’ll be taken from the farm. The oldest sister is kind of dreamy, and the other two children too young to understand what needs to be done, leaving the major burden to Mary Call until things come to a head. This was also a good, clean movie but also lacked something. I have a feeling the book is much better and want to read it some time.

We also watched the second season of House of David. It picks up right where the first left off, with the slaying of Goliath and the ensuing battle between the Israelites and Philistines. The series portrays David as not a skilled warrior at first, having to be taught by Jonathan and protected until he gains his footing. Saul thinks he has recovered from his madness, but he hasn’t. Intrigue arises from a couple of different fronts. This season ends with Saul discovering David has been anointed by Samuel, and David runs for his life. My understanding is there’s supposed to be one more season, culminating in David being crowned king.

As usual, some parts are in line with the Bible, some are not. I’ve read that a lot of material is drawn from the Talmud and other Jewish writing.

One episode that I especially liked showed everyone going to the tabernacle for the day of atonement. We had just been studying the tabernacle in our Exodus Bible study, so it was interesting to see a limited portrayal of the Day of Atonement portrayed and the solemnity of those looking on.

Reading

Since last time I have completed:

Bloom In Your Winter Season by Deborah Malone and others. A collection of essays on various women of the Bible, showing that God can be trusted to take care of us and can use us at any age. Very good.
Raising the Perfectly Imperfect Child: Facing Challenges with Strength, Courage, and Hope by Boris Vujicic, father of Nick Vijicic, who was born without arms and legs. Very good.
The Language of Sycamores by Lisa Wingate. A woman’s put-together life comes crashing down with the loss of her job and a bad report from the doctor. She goes to visit her sister, trying to set aside old rivalries. The neighbor, Dell’s grandmother is ailing, leaving Dell in the foster care system.
Drenched in Light by Lisa Wingate. Dell has been adopted. Being something of a musical prodigy, she’s enrolled in a performing arts magnet school. But her vastly different background gives her trouble fitting in. Meanwhile, her guidance counselor is at a crossroads in her life. Good.
A Thousand Voices by Lisa Wingate.These last three book finish Lisa’s Tending Roses series. Dell is an adult, but still struggles with wondering about her birth father. She drives to the Choctaw festival in Oklahoma to seek answers. An okay story but had some elements that troubled me.
The Man Behind the Patch: Ron Hamilton by Shelly Garlock Hamilton. Biography of musician and vocalist Ron Hamilton, aka Patch the Pirate. Very good.

I’m currently reading:

Exodus for You by Tim Chester with the ladies’ Bible study at church
James for You by Sam Allberry. Haven’t made much progress with this due to Bible study and Sunday School reading. But I hope to catch up over the holidays.
The Gospel Comes with a House Key by Rosaria Butterfield
Amy Snow by Tracy Rees, audiobook
My Beloved by Jan Karon

Blogging

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

Why Do We Need Wisdom? Not just for big decisions, but for everyday life.
Inconvenient Holiness. Sometimes opportunities to serve the Lord or do the right thing don’t come at the most convenient times. But when we think of hows Jesus was inconvenienced for us, it inspires us to go the extra mile for Him.
When Spiritual Disciplines Seem Dull. Praying, reading the Bible, taking communion are not always exciting or inspiring. But even while we pray God will revive our hearts, we obey, knowing that God works through those means.
Thanksgiving Is Not a Feeling, it’s an action. But it can lead to feelings of gratefulness.

I hope those of you in the States have a wonderful Thanksgiving tomorrow!

Thou that hast giv’n so much to me,
Give one thing more, a gratefull heart:
See how Thy beggar works on Thee
By art:

Not thankfull when it pleaseth me,
As if Thy blessings had spare days;
But such a heart whose pulse may be
Thy praise.

From “Gratefulnesse” by George Herbert

Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours!

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

Review: The Man Behind the Patch: Ron Hamilton

Posted on November 25, 2025 by Barbara Harper

Ron Hamilton and his alter ego, Patch the Pirate, are household names in some places but unknown in others. I wrote something of a tribute to him a couple of years ago after he passed away. His wife wife, Shelly, wrote a biography of him, published last year, titled The Man Behind the Patch: Ron Hamilton.

I first knew of Ron in college. He and Shelly were newly married and GAs (graduate assistants) during my freshman year. They were always active in music both on campus and at the church they attended, which I visited occasionally.

I remember when Rob debuted some new songs he had written at college. “It Is Finished” was inspired by a teacher pointing out that when Christ said “It is finished” from the cross, it was a victory cry. The other two were “Come to the Cross” and “The Blood of Jesus.” I had not known that these songs were part of his requirements to graduate in his major. It’s interesting that these songs continued to be well-known and well-loved all through his career.

I remember when Ron was diagnosed with cancer in his eye. When they did surgery, he wouldn’t know until he woke up whether they had to remove the eye or not. They did. Sometime after his recovery, he gathered together all the notes and verses people had sent him and wrote what became his signature song, “Rejoice in the Lord.”

As Ron wore his eye patch, kids in his church began calling him “Patch the Pirate.” He had written music for adults but then decided to write some for kids as well. He put together a story line with interesting character voices for a children’s recording. Kids loved it, and parents soon begged for more because they were tired of listening to the same album over and over. Thus a children’s ministry was born. A Patch the Pirate adventure has been released every year since then, over forty all together.

He continued to write music for adults and choirs, cantatas, books of music arrangements for his songs. He wrote the words, various people wrote the music, and Shelly arranged them.

One of the trials of their life was when their oldest son developed a mental illness over several years, ending with the taking of his own life. Shelly told his story in Always, Only Good: A Journey of Faith Trough Mental Illness.

Another severe trial came when Ron was diagnosed with early onset dementia. He passed away at his home in 2023.

Shelly tells Ron’s story in three sections, Becoming Patch the Pirate, Life with Patch the Pirate, and Patch’s Long Journey Home. She begins with his early childhood in Indiana, to attending college, meeting and dating Shelly, their marriage and children. Then Ron’s eye surgery and budding career. They took over and managed the music company her dad began, Majesty Music.

Many of the middle chapters are something of a travelogue, along with which recordings came out when, sprinkled with anecdotes. The whole family traveled to churches doing “Patch” concerts until the family grew too big. Ron traveled alone for a while, eventually cutting back to traveling just a bit while becoming the music pastor of a local church.

Shelly was warned that biographies of men by their wives often become hagiography, idealizing the husband. Shelly attempts to show all sides of Ron. He wasn’t perfect–no one is. He was a prankster, and some of his pranks backfired badly.

A couple of other interesting facts I had not known: Ron had a deviated septum, which gave his voice a slight nasal quality. He didn’t know if surgery would change his voice for better or worse, so he decided to leave well enough alone.

Also, he considered doing doctoral work in music at another school and was accepted, but he was told his music would need to be more academic. He considered the offer, but decided to decline. He wanted to “put the cookies on the lowest shelf”–make them accessible to everyone. Shelly wrote later that Ron “chose to compose biblical texts that united with simple, memorable melodies for everyday life and everyday struggles (p. 368).

Ron wrote about 700 songs. Some for children were fun, like “I Love Broccoli” and “The Poochie Lip Disease.” Others focused on character. All of his songs for children and adults were biblically based. I shared some of my favorites in my earlier post about him.

By all accounts, Ron was a humble man. When Shelly once mentioned how many lives he had touched, he said, “I’d like to think God did it.”

This book was nostalgic for me in many ways. I didn’t know Ron and Shelly personally, though I had met them each a couple of times. But since I was in school a few years behind them and lived in the same town for over fourteen years, I was acquainted with their ministry. Then my kids grew up on “Patch the Pirate” tapes, especially in the car and at bedtime. We listened to many of Ron’s albums for adults over the years and sang some of his music in choir. Finally, I followed Shelly’s public Facebook page the last years of Ron’s illness.

I think this book would be especially interesting to anyone familiar with Ron or Patch. But even for those who don’t know him, this is an inspiring account of a humble servant of God using his talents for His glory.

Thanksgiving Is Not a Feeling

Posted on November 23, 2025 by Barbara Harper

I often feel a little awkward when a group leader wants participants to share something we’re thankful for right off the bat. I hope she won’t call on me first so I have a little time to think.

In the midst of a heavy trial is another time it is hard to be thankful. The weight of what we’re going through overshadows thankful feelings.

Then other times, nothing bad is going on, but life just seems mundane, unexciting. If someone asks us what we’re thankful for at those times, we’d likely draw a blank.

These are all occasions when we might not feel thankful. But thanksgiving isn’t a feeling. It’s an action. And, ironically, giving thanks even when we don’t feel thankful often leads to feeling thankful.

It doesn’t usually take a lot of thought to find reasons to be thankful. And if you’re like me, once you get started, it’s hard to stop!

When going through a trial, I can be thankful that:

God is with me.
He promised to give me grace and help me.
He knows just how much to allow.
He loves me.
He is interested in my growth even if I am not.
He has a purpose in all He allows and works it for my good.

When life is mundane, I can be thankful that:

A respite is provided from busyness.
God is with me, even in the small moments.
When I do things as unto the Lord, they are important even if they are not big.
Quiet days provide time to listen to others.

When life is busy, I am thankful that:

God gives strength.
God quiets my racing heart.
God gives peace.
Rest is coming.

Any day, I can be thankful that:

God saved me.”Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light: Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins” (Colossians 1:12-14).
God comforts me. “For the LORD shall comfort Zion: he will comfort all her waste places; and he will make her wilderness like Eden, and her desert like the garden of the LORD; joy and gladness shall be found therein, thanksgiving, and the voice of melody” (Isaiah 51: 3).
God helps me. “The Lord is my strength and my shield; in him my heart trusts, and I am helped; my heart exults, and with my song I give thanks to him” (Psalm 28:7).
God loves me. “Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love, for his wondrous works to the children of man!” (Psalm 107:8).
God forgives me. “I will give thanks to you, O Lord, for though you were angry with me, your anger turned away, that you might comfort me” (Isaiah 12:1).

We often look to our circumstances for reasons to be thankful. But we can be thankful for God Himself and His wonderful attributes:

“Oh give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever!” (I Chronicles 16:34; Ezra 3:11; Psalm 106:1; 107:1; 118:1, 29; 136).
“Sing unto the LORD, O ye saints of his, and give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness” (Psalm 30:4).
“Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise unto him with psalms. For the LORD is a great God, and a great King above all gods” (Psalm 95:2-3).
“I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart; I will recount all of your wonderful deeds” (Psalm 9:1).

Among the many admonitions and encouragements to be thankful in the Bible is this, from 1 Thessalonians 5:18: “In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you” (NKJV). In everything–all circumstances, the ESV says–there is something for which we can be thankful.

Thanksgiving often spontaneously overflows when news is good or something happy occurs. But when we’re going through something hard, thanksgiving isn’t easy. The Bible says sometimes praise is a sacrifice. When we remind ourselves who our God is, what He has promised us, and how He loves us, we can find abundant reasons to thank Him.

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

Laudable Linkage

Posted on November 22, 2025 by Barbara Harper

Some of the blog posts that stood out to me this week:

Why Christian Kids Leave the Faith. “Few things are sadder to witness than people who once professed faith leaving it all behind. This is especially true when those people were raised in Christian homes by God-fearing parents. These children were given every opportunity to put their faith in Jesus but determined instead to turn their backs on him. Why would they make such a tragic choice?”

Beauty Bears Witness to God, HT to the Story Warren. “Art is haunted by beauty, and beautiful things point beyond themselves to more perfect beauty. Psalm 50 says, “Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God shines forth” (v. 2). We’re meant to trace this world’s splendor back to its Creator.”

What to Consider When a Loved One Is Critically Ill, HT to Challies. “The Bible remains a lamp to our feet and a light to our path even in the ICU (Ps. 119:105). Although Scripture doesn’t explicitly mention CPR or ventilators, it does offer key guidance on the sanctity of mortal life, God’s sovereignty over life and death, mercy, and our resurrection hope. These four truths can provide a framework as we strive to honor God at a loved one’s bedside.”

Gratitude In the Midst of Grief: Finding Hope in the Lord’s Kindness. “Gratitude doesn’t cancel grief—it coexists with it, transforming sorrow into worship.”

Three Thanksgivings In Heaven. “While we celebrate Thanksgiving on earth below, what’s going on in heaven? We could answer this question in part by examining the three instances of the word “thanks” in the book of Revelation.” Interesting–I never thought about this before.

No Heart Too Hard: Thanksgiving and the Power of God’s Mercy. “Somewhere along the way, have you stopped expecting that God is able to move in their story? What if this year, gratitude includes trusting that God is still softening hearts—even the ones that seem impossible to crack open?”

Why Contentment in Christ Is the Best Gift This Season. “Paul found contentment in prison. Eve lost it in paradise.”

Negativity Bias and the Praying Imagination, HT to Challies. “Negative information has a greater impact on our thoughts and emotions than positive. If you give a person three bits of good news and one bit of bad news, he or she will likely zoom in on the bad news so much that the good news has little impact. Bad news sticks like Velcro.” The author shares the Christian antidote to negativity bias.

Just for fun, 27 Best Thanksgiving Facts to Impress Your Family, HT to So She Reads. One example–apparently Black Friday was originally called that to discourage shopping on that day.

Trials are intended to make us think, to wean us from the world, to send us to the Bible, to drive us to our knees.–J. C. Ryle

Friday’s Fave Five

Posted on November 21, 2025 by Barbara Harper

It’s time again to count the week’s blessings with Susanne at Living to Tell the Story.

1. Thanksgiving crafts with Tim. I often have some little crafty thing to do on Thanksgiving to help wile away the long hours of cooking and then the time between the meal and dessert. I got a couple of kits at Hobby Lobby, forgetting Jason, Mittu, and Timothy weren’t going to be with us for Thanksgiving this year. So I got them out when we watched Timothy last Friday.

I started on the little pumpkin house, but it was hard to do! It was made of Styrafoam, with tabs from one piece going into the slots from another–but the tabs wouldn’t slide in. So I passed that on to Jim while Tim and I worked on the other pieces. Jim had to use toothpicks to push the tabs through and tape to hold them down on the inside. But it was cute when done, and everything else went together well.

I liked the little creatures, too, especially the fox.

Then we also had a kit for making fun faces with stickers and googly eyes.

I was thinking afterward that Timothy might think himself too old for these kinds of things before long. But I am glad he enjoyed them this year.

2. A free play. The Christian school associated with our church does a play a couple of times a year, and they invite the church, family, friends, etc. to a free showing of the final dress rehearsal. The kids performed a radio production version of It’s a Wonderful Life, complete with people manufacturing the sound effects. They did a great job. We were sitting near some other couples our age who joked about having a cheap date night. 🙂

3. Dinner out. After the play, Jim and I tossed around various ideas of where to go eat and ended up at Texas Roadhouse again. The food was so good. I had a grilled pork chop, baked potato, and salad, and Jim had grilled steak and shrimp with the same sides (and gave me a few of his shrimp). Plus they have these wonderful fluffy rolls and cinnamon butter. They even brought us some extra rolls and butter, so we had some to take home.

4. Leftovers. Jason and Mittu hosted their small group and had leftover roast, carrots, and potatoes, and apple pie, which they brought over to our house. They ate some with us and left the rest of the roast and vegetables for us.

5. An available appointment. In the not-so-good news department, I’ve been in atrial flutter for the last couple of days. 😦 I called the cardiologist to try to nip this in the bud this time and not let it go on for weeks like last time. At first they were talking about scheduling me for mid-December. I asked if I couldn’t get in the next few days, so they scheduled me for this morning. I’m probably going to end up having to have an ablation, which I really don’t want to do. But neither do I want to have this keep coming up. Thankfully, an ablation for atrial flutter is supposed to be a one-time thing, whereas an ablation for atrial fibrillation might have to be repeated.

I hope those of you in the US have a wonderful Thanksgiving Day next week! I wish you something good to eat, someone you love to eat it with, and much to be thankful for.

Review: A Thousand Voices

Posted on November 19, 2025 by Barbara Harper

A Thousand Voices is the fifth and final novel in Lisa Wingate’s Tending Roses series.

Dell Jordan was a side character in the first couple of books but is the main character in this one. She was Grandma Rose’s neighbor as a child, living with an ailing grandmother. Her father had not been around since her birth. Her mother had been in and out with drug addictions but died a few years before. After she and Grandma Rose became friends, she became an unofficial part of the family until Rose’s granddaughter and her husband, Karen and James, officially adopted Dell.

When Dell was discovered to be something of a musical prodigy, Karen enrolled her in a performing arts magnet school. Dell had trouble adjusting, but eventually found her way.

As this story begins, Dell graduated two years earlier, spent one year touring Europe with an orchestra, and a second year working in a Ukrainian mission orphanage. Her parents and teachers want her to apply to Julliard. But the appeal of music has faded with the pressures of performance and expectations.

She loves her new family, but she still feels “different,” with her brown eyes and hair and “cinnamon” skin amidst everyone else’s fair skin, blue eyes, and blond hair. She grieves over her birth father’s desertion, her birth mother’s neglect, and the derogatory comments from her uncle.

All she knows about her father is his name on her birth certificate and the fact that he was part Choctaw. When she learns about agencies in Oklahoma that help find Choctaw ancestors, she drives there from Kansas City to see if she can find any information about her father. She doesn’t tell her adoptive parents, feeling they wouldn’t understand and might be hurt.

After a series of mishaps in her travels, including losing most of her money, she arrives at a campground and sleeps in her car. A large group of tents and motor homes in the next campsite hold an extended Choctaw family, there for the annual Choctaw festival. They invite Dell into their gathering, where she becomes friends with several of them and feels a sense of belonging that she has never experienced before. A couple of them help her in her search.

A few quotes that stood out to me:

It’s a powerful thing to realize you were put in this world on purpose. It changes the way you feel about everything afterward (p. 2, Kindle version).

The past, even if you don’t talk about it, still exists, and no matter how hard you try to turn your back, no matter how dangerous it is to look at, part of you cries out to understand it.

Part of growing up is learning that people can’t give what they don’t have. The rest you have to find in yourself (p. 310).

The plot moves rather slowly until the last couple of chapters. There are some scenes that don’t seem to advance the plot at all, like a lengthy encounter with a skunk at the campground.

I was frustrated with Dell’s lying to her parents concerning her whereabouts, especially since she also lied to them in the previous book about her problems at school.

I wondered if Lisa intended for the series to lead to Dell’s journey from the beginning, or if Dell’s story emerged along the way. Apparently, the latter scenario was the case. Lisa said in the discussion questions at the end that the first book in the series was written with no thought of a sequel. But readers’ questions as well as her own musings about the characters grew into subsequent books. She also says there, “Dell was, in many ways, the catalyst for change in Grandma Rose’s family, and in turn she was changed by Grandma Rose’s family.”

I also wondered if Dell was originally thought of as Native American. She has always been described as having cinnamon-colored skin, but in a previous book, her uncle uses a different racial epithet about her. I wasn’t sure if that was just to show his ignorance, or if Lisa switched gears about what race Dell was part of.

I was dismayed by minced oaths (like “Geez”), language that was not profanity but also was not polite, and especially a bawdy description of an old woman whose robe had come undone. On the one hand, the people involved didn’t profess to be Christians. On the other hand, that was conveyed well enough without those elements. Because of this, the sheen of Wingate’s appeal has been a little tarnished for me.

It was interesting to read of Choctaw history. If this is an accurate representation, it seems that, among modern Choctaw, some are really into their heritage while others are not.

I thought the last couple of chapters were the best in the book. My heart went out to Dell in her struggles.

I know some don’t like neatly-wrapped-up-in-a-bow endings. But this book had more loose threads than I like. I would have enjoyed an epilogue, if not one more chapter.

When Spiritual Disciplines Seem Dull

Posted on November 16, 2025 by Barbara Harper

Some parts of the Old Testament are exciting, but others can be a little tedious to read. Our Bible study group is in the section of Exodus talking about the furniture in the tabernacle and the priest’s garments. Thankfully, the book we’re using as an accompaniment has been helpful in pointing out the symbolism behind each item.

I wondered, though, how much the people in that day understood the symbolism. Some connections might be obvious: the cherubim in the curtain between the Holy Place and the Most Holy Place echo the cherubim standing guard at Eden after Adam and Eve sinned. The names of the children of Israel on the high priest’s ephod symbolized his carrying the whole nation into the presence of God to pray for them. The mercy seat situated on top of the ark of the covenant, which contained the tablets on which were written the ten commandments, is a rich picture of God’s mercy and righteousness meeting together.

But Old Testament saints didn’t have the fulfillment of some of those symbols in Jesus or further explanation in the book of Hebrews. So I wondered if sometimes they got lost in the details, or if carrying them out felt as tedious as reading about them. I’m pretty sure they did. Israel had to be called back to true worship of God many times over the centuries. The Pharisees had mastered the letter of the law but missed the point of it all. In Malachi, God rebuked His people for bringing polluted offerings and saying, “What a weariness this is” (Malachi 1:13).

Sadly, we can feel that way in our day, even with all the information and explanations we have. The Bible sometimes seems dull and our spiritual disciplines seem lifeless.

First, we need to ask the Lord to search us and show us whether any sin is interfering. When there is a problem in any of our close relationships, our interaction with that person will be somewhat strained, maybe a little artificial, certainly not as free and natural as usual until we deal with the issue. It’s the same with the Lord. When there’s something wrong between us, things won’t feel right until we clear the air.

Often, though, dullness or tedium in our spiritual routines comes from our flesh, our humanness.

What do we do then?

I appreciated what one lady in our Bible study said. When she read parts that were less than exciting, she reminded herself, “All Scripture 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). God’s Word doesn’t have to be what we think of as exciting to be profitable.

Then, as she got into the Bible study, she saw things she hadn’t realized before that opened the passage up to her. Bible study aids, commentaries, and even just discussing the passage with others can shed new light for us.

We can pray, asking God to open our minds and hearts to His truths and revive us. Sometimes I remind myself that His Word is true and precious and spiritual disciplines are helpful even if the right feelings aren’t there. The writer of Psalm 80 requests three times, “Turn us again, O God of hosts, and cause thy face to shine; and we shall be saved.”

Sometimes reading through parts of Psalm 119 can reinspire my love and appreciation for God’s Word.

I remind myself as well that God doesn’t adapt Himself to my way of thinking and my ideas of how things should be. He expects me to adapt to His.

And I remind myself to keep reading and obeying. Our spiritual disciplines–prayer, Bible reading, communion, serving, etc.–are valuable even when nothing seems to be coming from them. Sometimes a session with the Bible that starts out feeling dry can suddenly touch my heart in an unexpected way. Even if that doesn’t happen, His Word is still beneficial. I’ve often said that every meal is not a Thanksgiving feast, yet even the peanut butter sandwiches and tuna casserole nourish us, and in the same way, the Bible does good things in our hearts and minds whether the passage is exciting or not.

It’s the same with prayer, communion, and the rest. Sometimes it seems we’re just going through the motions. It helps to stop and remind ourselves why we do what we do and do them in faith even if inspiring feelings aren’t there.

May God give us grace to always see His word and ways as precious and beneficial. When we get weary, may He revive us and open our hearts.

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

Laudable Linkage

Posted on November 15, 2025 by Barbara Harper

Some of the good reads found this week:

Can Satan Put Thoughts Into Our Heads? “‘Can Satan himself put thoughts into our heads?’ Yes, he can and he does. And of course, the urgent questions then are, How do we recognize them? And how do we resist them and not get controlled by them?”

10 Things to Pray for Children Who Have Walked Away from Jesus, HT to Challies. “God is never too busy or preoccupied to receive you when you bring your burdens into his presence. God cares for your children. That is such an encouragement when we are struggling to persevere in prayer. But it’s hard to know what to pray sometimes; or we’ve been praying for so many years that we’ve run out of steam and lost momentum. So, to reinvigorate your prayers for your children, here are ten ways you can pray.”

Making Space for Others In Our Conversations. “I walk into church and spot a new person. I know I should go over and engage her, but such actions often end in stilted exchanges or awkward pauses. Making conversational space for people I don’t know well takes much more effort than the comfort of finding my seat or chatting easily with friends. Do I take the path of least resistance and avoid eye contact? Maybe I offer an acknowledging smile, but continue to my familiar chair? Or do I practice Christ-like hospitality and in love, make my way over to her?” The author includes ideas for conversation starters besides the usual “How are you?” and “What do you do?”

To My Almost-Adult Kids: Don’t Be Afraid of These Three Words, HT to Challies. “I try not to tell you about all my worries. But one fear that I want you to know about? I worry you will be afraid to say these three words.”

How to Provoke Your Children to Anger. “Apparently if you want to be a good parent, the thing that Paul is most concerned about is that you not provoke your children to anger. The somewhat frustrating part of this, though, is that he doesn’t stop to explain what he means by this phrase or explain how it should be done! So what does it look like to provoke your children to anger?”

The Cost of Slowing Down. “Recently a friend asked me when we start ‘locking in’ activities for our daughters. ‘When does it become their thing?’ he wondered, meaning when do we encourage them to commit to a single sport and dig in deep.”

How Can We Bless the Lord? “God’s blessings abound, but we can’t return these favors because He needs nothing from us. Yet, Scripture contains the concept of blessing the Lord.”

10 Ways to Pray for Your Pastor. “I’m sure a million requests could be added, but here is a brief post to offer at least 10 ways that you can pray for your pastor, compiled by a pastor.”

Time Is NOT Money: Redeeming the Hours God Gives Us. “While many modern translations have chosen to steer away from the financial metaphor, Paul’s Greek word choice for ‘making the most’ of time is actually a money word, used like our English word ransom or redeem. Thus, we can legitimately make the case that time and money have correlations. But let’s hit pause right there and consider the many contrasts between the two.”

The Art of Thankfulness. I enjoyed seeing a piece of art here that was discussed in Russ Ramsey’s Rembrandt Is In the Wind: Henry Ossawa Tanner’s The Thankful Poor. This post ties in observations about the painting with Philippians 4: 6-8.