Tag: jessica r patch

Hello, Mr. Wrong!

Posted on by Jessica R. Patch

Hey everyone! I know my photo is of a cat. I know it’s crazy as I am not a cat lover. They wig me out! But this animal has the right look. Doesn’t she? 

“Uh, don’t even strut this way with a line you think goes down as smooth as butter buttah. It’s comin up about like one of my fur balls, yah freak.” Can you see that? 

 It’s great to be back but I’m sort of not here. I’m over at Casey Herringshaw’s blog and I’m talking about Mr. Wrong.

We hear so much about Mr. Right, so  I thought I’d share with you a few deal-breakers, in my opinion, about who constitutes Mr. Wrong. I have based these 3 things on my own personal experience. 

Please don’t judge me after reading.

One other item to share: I’m revamping my summer schedule. I have a WIP (Work In Progress) to revise and a few critiques to do over the summer and I’d like to focus my attention on them.  So for the rest of summer, I’ll only post on Wednesdays.

As always, plan to experience hope! 

And of course, I reserve the right to post on Mondays and Fridays if something crops up that I feel you can’t live without reading. 🙂 

So come by Casey’s and jump in the conversation. Casey’s blog! (um…click the link!)

Tell me one quality that makes Mr. Wrong in your opinion. And you don’t have to be serious, you can be silly. In fact, please do! 

What is the Peace Offering?

Posted on by Jessica R. Patch

 

 
At some time or
other you’ve been restless. Would you say that is true? I know in my life it
is. I wrestle with doubts, fears, confusions, decisions that need to be made,
direction for my life, hard questions and so much more.
 
I’ve had sleepless
nights. Worrisome days.
 
But there is peace
to be had. For every single issue that you wrestle with. Every circumstance,
every horrendous event. Peace is attainable.
 
Leviticus Chapter 3.
Don’t click off the page yet! Leviticus is a beautiful book.  In these pages you’ll discover God setting up
a system of holy living for His people, including how-to instructions for
sacrifices, the ordination of priests, laws concerning unclean/clean,
atonement, morality, other laws for holy living). They were set in place for a
reason and we can learn from them today. 
 
Though they were
temporarily put in place. They foreshadowed something permanent. And that’s the
fun treasure we get to dig out of it! Yes, yes it can be fun!
 
“The law is only an unclear picture of the good things
coming in the future; it is not the real thing. The people under the law offer
the same sacrifices every year, but these sacrifices can never make perfect
those who come near to worship God. If the law could make them
perfect, the sacrifices would have already stopped. The worshipers would be
made clean, and they would no longer have a sense of sin. But
these sacrifices remind them of their sins every year, because
it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.”
Hebrews 10:1-4 NCV
 
Now, back to Chapter
3 of Leviticus: The Peace Offering
 
The Hebrew word for
the peace offering is, “shelem” which means, “to sacrifice to be
in an alliance or friendship with.” “a voluntary sacrifice of
thanks.” “a requital” (which is something given or done as
repayment for kindness or a friendly act).
 
This word,
“shelem” comes from the root word, “shalam” and it’s a
verb. Yeah, how bout that. It means, “to be in covenant of peace, to be at
peace, to be complete, whole, sound, finished, sealed, uninjured.”
 
Uh, yes, please!
I’ll have some of that.
 
The peace offering
was given willingly.
 

In essence it was like the person was saying, “Thank
you, God, for your acts of kindness and friendship. Thank you for this covenant
of peace. I’m bringing you this sacrifice in the way you’ve asked me to. May it
be a sweet aroma to you. Let it waft around you sweeter than honeysuckle,
sweeter than lilacs. Thank you for making me complete and whole, and sealed.
Your friendship means everything to me. It was worth the time it took to bring
this animal without any spot or blemish–because you are holy Lord and I can
bring nothing else– lay my hands upon it, kill it at the door of the
tabernacle, where you meet with me. Bless your name, LORD!”

 
Then the priests
would sprinkle the blood all around the altar. Blood offends us and has become
synonymous with death thanks to TV and movies and Bram Stoker. But blood was
never meant to be dark or represent death. Blood has always been about life.
Life is in the blood. Blood cries out when it’s been taken, cries for avenging.
And God hears. God avenges. Blood is… I’m about to chase a rabbit here.
 
The priests, who
were the only ones who could minister to God–thank you, Jesus for your
life-giving blood that tore the veil in two and made us a royal priesthood (1
Peter 2:9)! We now have direct access to your throne. No longer do we have to
stand outside the door and let the priests do what we could not! We come all
the way in. And we get to stay!
 
 
Somebody get excited
over that! Somebody lift a praise! A shout!
 
Now back to
Leviticus 3. The priest would arrange the wood on the fire. Then the peace
offering was to be laid over the burnt sacrifice (offering), which was the only
sacrifice that was entirely consumed on the altar. I believe another sacrifice
was wholly laid on wood in the form of cross and went through fire for us. So
the specifics here aren’t incidental. The arrangement of the sacrifices pointed
to the ultimate sacrifice. The Lamb of God. Pure and spotless. Because of Jesus
we have peace, soundness, wholeness, we’re sealed. We offer him our sacrifice
because of his great act of kindness toward us.
 
But wait, there’s
more! Yes, I said that just like an infomercial.
 
Look at the organs
that were required in the Peace Offering (if from the herd, a lamb also required
the fatty tail which is by the backbone):
 
The fat–because fat is the best. (I know we’re
in a whole generation of non-fat lovers, but then it was the most prized
portion.)
 
The two kidneys.
 
The
fatty lobe attached to the liver.
 
Why these parts? I
mean did God flippantly say, “Hey, just toss in the kidney and liver. Meh,
while your at it chunk the fat too.”
 
No.
 
In ancient times,
the kidneys were considered the seat of your
emotions (not the heart like today which I like better by the way) Let’s
talk about our emotions, when they get in the way and we let them lead, what
happens to our peace? God says, give me your emotions. I will give you
soundness. Wholeness.
 
The fat–the best part. The part they wanted to keep,
to hold onto. “Yes,” says the Lord, “I’ll take all the
parts you think you need to hang onto. I’ll take the part you treasure most,
the part you think you can control. I like to call it your own strength, talent
and abilities, which by the way I’ve given you. I’d like those for my glory,
thank you very much.”
 
And the liver. Which was used by diviners to
tell the future. The uncertain future.
How it steals our peace. But God says, “I hold your future. I guide you
with my eye. I have plans for you. You don’t need to know everything. I do and
isn’t that enough, insert name here?” Also, the liver is what filters out
impurities in our life. So we could say, time to burn up the sins and
impurities in our life on the consuming fire, on the burnt sacrifice of Jesus
Christ so that we can live in peace. God knows our sins and impurities will rob
us of our peace. Keep us in turmoil and bondage.
 
And if it was a lamb
or goat, the same thing was required but of the lamb, the fatty tail which is
connected to the backbone. I’d like to
say we need to offer God our fear. Ever heard, “Get
a backbone!” How you ask? Place your fear on the altar.
 
But when we give all
these things back to the One who drew us with kindness into a relationship–a
covenant of peace, who removed our guilt, it’s an offering from us to Him for
all of that! Thank you for your sacrifice, Jesus. Thank you that you are my friend.
You call me friend. You are mindful of me and I offer you everything I have. I
trust you. Lord consume it all on your altar. Every part. For your glory. Burn away what doesn’t belong and refine me. The consuming fire is a place of change. A time to be rearranged. 
 
May it be a sweet
aroma to you, God.
 
Do
you have hard time laying these things down on the altar? And what else would
you say robs you of peace? 
 

Katie Ganshert Contemplates God’s Grace

Posted on by Jessica R. Patch

Katie Ganshert is back with us today sharing a devotion that touches on one of the themes her heroine, Robin has to contemplate on–one we all do! I hope you’ll join us Friday for our group review of Wishing on Willows! 


When I
contemplate God’s grace, I often think about good things. Forgiveness,
obviously. Restored relationships. Healing and freedom. Sometimes I even equate
God’s grace with finding a spouse or getting a promotion at work or populating
a big house with healthy children or fulfilling a dream.
But what if
that’s only one side of the coin?
What if God’s
grace comes wrapped in deferred dreams? Or broken relationships or scary
prognoses from doctors or unemployment or infertility or any thorn that pierces
our flesh?
As much as that
empty tomb shouts “Grace! Grace!”, let’s not forget that the cross does too.
With those nails and on that tree, grace and suffering are so tightly woven,
the two are indecipherable.
I read the red
words of Jesus—blessed are the poor in
spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for
they shall be comforted (Mt 5:3-4) and I’m reminded of a woman I met in
Africa. A woman, who by America’s standards, had nothing. Abandoned by her
husband, sick with AIDS, six children in a squalid shack and somehow, she
radiated joy. This woman didn’t have to wonder if God was enough, she knew it
in the marrow of her bones.
There is a
special blessing that comes in the midst of hardship. It’s in those moments,
when we fall on our faces with nothing, our dreams dashed, our plans and our
goals no longer, that we cling to Him with a ferocity we don’t find in the
midst of prosperity. God’s presence is magnified in the hard. We don’t just
have an intellectual knowledge about His strength, we experience it. It holds
us together. It keeps us breathing.
And Paul’s
nonsensical words—when I am weak, then I
am strong? They make sense and our definition of grace expands.
Scripture:
The Lord is
close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.
~Psalm 34:18
(NIV)
Prayer:
Father God,
would your grace rain down, no matter what season or circumstance we find
ourselves in. Hold us as we cling to You.
Have you found that special blessings come in the midst of hardship?
Does a second chance at life and love always involve surrender?
A
three-year old son, a struggling café, and fading memories are all Robin Price
has left of her late husband. As the proud owner of Willow Tree Café in small
town Peaks, Iowa,  she pours her heart into every muffin she bakes and
espresso she pulls, thankful for the sense of purpose and community the work
provides.
                                      
So when
developer Ian McKay shows up in Peaks with plans to build condos where her café
and a vital town ministry are located, she isn’t about to let go without a
fight.
As
stubborn as he is handsome, Ian won’t give up easily. His family’s business
depends on his success in Peaks. But as Ian pushes to seal the deal, he wonders
if he has met his match. Robin’s gracious spirit threatens to undo his resolve,
especially when he discovers the beautiful widow harbors a grief that resonates
with his own.
With
polarized opinions forming all over town, business becomes unavoidably personal
and Robin and Ian must decide whether to cling to the familiar or surrender
their plans to the God of Second Chances. 

Would You Rather? With Katie Ganshert

Posted on by Jessica R. Patch

Hey everyone today we’re playing Would You Rather? with author, Katie Ganshert! Wednesday she’ll be back here with a devotional that ties in with her newest release, Wishing on Willows! And on Friday, the Faith Readers (my book club) will be giving you our group review of the novel. So don’t miss out!


Ready, Katie? Here’s your questions:

Would You Rather spend a day on the
beach or hiking in the woods? Why?
I’d
rather spend a day hiking in the woods. Two reasons. The first, every time I go
to the dermatologist, the doctor makes a point of reminding me how very
fair-skinned I am and prone to skin cancer. The second? Hiking in the woods is
a great idea stimulator and it’s something my husband loves. So we could bond. J
Would You Rather have your first kiss
in a rainstorm or snowstorm? Why?
Rainstorm!
Probably because I’m so tired of the cold weather that the thought of anything
in a snowstorm sounds miserable.
Would You Rather order dinner in or go
out? Why?
That’s
a tough one, because it really depends on my mood. But probably the majority of
the time, it’s go out. No dishes to clean that way and there’s something
intimate about a cozy booth. 
Okay everyone, what about you? Pick one or all of these questions and answer them in the comments!

Does a second chance at life and love always involve surrender?
Buy the book!
A
three-year old son, a struggling café, and fading memories are all Robin Price
has left of her late husband. As the proud owner of Willow Tree Café in small
town Peaks, Iowa,  she pours her heart into every muffin she bakes and
espresso she pulls, thankful for the sense of purpose and community the work
provides.

                                      
So when
developer Ian McKay shows up in Peaks with plans to build condos where her café
and a vital town ministry are located, she isn’t about to let go without a
fight.
As
stubborn as he is handsome, Ian won’t give up easily. His family’s business
depends on his success in Peaks. But as Ian pushes to seal the deal, he wonders
if he has met his match. Robin’s gracious spirit threatens to undo his resolve,
especially when he discovers the beautiful widow harbors a grief that resonates
with his own.
With
polarized opinions forming all over town, business becomes unavoidably personal
and Robin and Ian must decide whether to cling to the familiar or surrender
their plans to the God of Second Chances. 


In Justice For All

Posted on by Jessica R. Patch

I know, I don’t normally post on Thursdays but I finished a novel and you need to know about it. Like today.

I’m a fan of Robin Caroll. I am. She stood two feet from me at registration for the ACFW, looked right in my face and I choked. I said nothing. I might have given her a goofy grin. Not sure. 

I enjoy her books. I love her characters and I especially loved her hero and heroine in Injustice For All the first book in her Justice Seekers series. I’ve read the first two backwards, but it didn’t really effect anything. I prefer to read a series in order, personal choice, but you don’t have to. I’m itching to get my hands on her newest, Strand of Deception!

A heroine running for her life to stay alive, an FBI agent trying to prove himself by solving a cold case that involves her. That makes for lots of high impact action, swooning romantic scenes and lots of witty and fun dialogue!

Her characters aren’t just well-crafted, they’re real. I could relate to several of them in different areas of my own life. 

The spiritual threads are relatable (is that a word?)–even if you aren’t running from bad guys who can crush you like a cigarette. 

 I know what to expect when I pick up a novel written by Caroll. Southern heat and phrases, twists and turns, and a lovely romance with plenty of tension all laced with a journey of faith or to find faith.

*Thanks to the publisher and netgalley for the complimentary copy. All opinions are mine and honest!

Visit Robin Caroll at her
website! 
facebook page!

Here’s a sneak peek:
A federal judge lies bleeding
on his office floor, betrayed by a most unlikely source—people who helped him
bring criminals to justice. Now, why would someone working for the FBI need to
disappear after witnessing this crime?

When Remington Wyatt sees her godfather’s murder, she
recognizes the killers and knows it’s only a matter of time before they come to
silence her. She must do the only thing possible to stay alive . . . run.

FBI agent Rafe Baxter is serious about his career, and
solving a cold case involving a federal judge’s death puts him in line for the
promotion he so desires. But the case leads him to the small town of Hopewell,
Louisiana, where some secrets seem inextricably hidden deep within the bayou.

Injustice for All explores what
happens when everything a person believes in is utterly destroyed. Who can you
trust?


If you had to run for your life and settle down in a new town, what you change your name to and where would you settle?

If You Keep On Believing…

Posted on by Jessica R. Patch

 

 
“Then they said to one another, “Look, this dreamer is coming!” Genesis 37:19
 
These are the words Joseph’s brothers said as they saw him coming toward them in a field. Words said in a snide way, dripping with contempt and envy.
 
Joseph made a mistake sharing his seemingly impossible i.e. God sized dreams with his brothers. Not everyone will celebrate our big dreams and there is a lesson to be learned in that.
 
But I love the statement, even if it came from bitter hearts.
 
Look! This dreamer is coming!
 
I want to be known as a dreamer. I want to always dream and dream big.
 
I just finished one of the most incredible books by Mark Batterson–The 

Purchase your copy
HERE!

Circle Maker. I’ve been begging friends and family to purchase and read it.

 
Batterson says, “There is nothing God loves more than keeping promises, answering prayers, performing miracles, and fulfilling dreams. That is who He is. That is what He does. And the bigger the circle we draw, the better, because God gets more glory.”
 
This morning I was praying scripture over my circles, my big dreams and a song popped into my head. Cinderella sang it.
 

“A dream is a wish your heart makes, when you’re fast asleep…”  In the context of God planting dreams within us, they aren’t wishes, but promises. If we don’t believe–it truly is a wish our heart makes. A wish lacks faith.
 
But dreams do come from our heart. (Not all are God-given and it’s important for us to daily spend time with Him so we can let Him establish which ones are and are not.)
 
I do get what Cinderella is singing about. And on some level I agree with her.
 
 Our hearts dream and sometimes it happens in sleep–when the busyness of the day and what we consider hopeless reality consumes our thoughts. Sometimes it’s in that quiet place of sleep or nodding off or when we first wake…God can whisper endless possibilities into our hearts.
 
It kindles and burns.
 
It causes us, like Cinderella, to put one foot in front of the other. To look out with longing and dream of what could be. Something much bigger than us.
 
 

The clock–a killjoy–ticks, robbing her of her dreams. I don’t think time itself robs us of our dreams (God uses time to fulfill our dreams), but I think it represents day to day activities and all the troubles that tick by that hinder us from dreaming.

 
“In dreams you will lose your heartache, whatever you wish for you keep…”
 
If they’re God-given dreams it’s true! God never changes His mind about us. He never revokes our calling and purposes. “For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.” Romans 11:29
 
“Have faith in your dreams and someday, your rainbow will come smiling through, No matter how your heart is grieving if you keep on believing, the dream that you wish will come true.” Rainbows are a sign of promise!
 
And our hearts do grieve us, don’t they? “Hope deferred makes the heart sick.”(Proverbs 13:12) That blasted Grandfather clock ticking!
 
The key: Have faith. Believe. The grandest dreams, the impossible, the scariest in a sense, dreams do come true.
 
Look at Cinderella. She wanted out from under the bondage she lived in,

 

enslaved to people who used and abused her. She wanted to feel beautiful, cherished, loved. She was made to be more than a slave. Like Joseph. Thrown into circumstances he couldn’t control.

 
She had faith. She kept dreaming even when “reality” told her it was impossible. When her heart was grieved. When the killjoy clock ticked and forced her into a day she would not have normally chosen for herself.
 
And things began to click into place. Unexpectedly. A ball. Resources and people who were put in her path to help her succeed. When God has a plan for you, and He does, He will go far beyond your expectations. You won’t have a simple carriage, you’ll have the best carriage–made from the impossible! A pumpkin! Miracles happen.
 
You won’t have a nice dress. You’ll have the best dress.
 
It won’t come without some troubles, stumbles, and opposition along the way.
 
But in the end…
 
If you keep on believing. The dreams, that you prayed will come true.
 

 

How big have you been praying? Has fear been holding you back? How can you change that today?

 

Musing on Genesis 37:19 Always Dream

Posted on by Jessica R. Patch

In the words of
Lennon, “Some may say I’m a dreamer. But I’m not the only one.”
Are you a dreamer?
Wednesday, we’ll be
talking about God-given dreams, always dreaming, and we’ll take a closer look
at a fictional character who brings us truth through a melody. Dreams can and
do come true.
Musing/Meditation Prompts: Think of your
dreams. How big are they? Can you accomplish them on your own? Have you prayed
about them? Are they from God? How do you know? If you haven’t written your
dreams on paper, take a few minutes and prayerfully write them down.
Do
you still believe in your dreams? Why or why not?

It’s True, I Broke Into a House

Posted on by Jessica R. Patch
Me and Lindsay at the ACFW.
Pretty much all our photos look like this.

Today, I’m over at the wildly fun Lindsay Harrel’s blog. Have you seen her upgraded site? It’s awesome. And since it’s October, I’m sharing a ghoulish story that is all true about something I did as a child. 

Tomorrow, I’m going out to dinner for my birthday with my husband, and he keeps me out of trouble, so it’ll be a relaxed evening with lots of laughs…and gifts, and maybe a movie. Guess I should see what’s on.

Okay, enough gabbing! Head over to Lindsay’s blog and get a good laugh on me. CLICK HERE.

Shut Up or Get Out: Coffee with Jess

Posted on by Jessica R. Patch

Hey everyone! Today is a Coffee with Jess installment! Today’s question comes from Erica Vetsch! Thanks for asking such a fun question!

I’ll be here on Monday with some helpful and important tips for attending the ACFW conference, so come by! 

If anyone has any tips on helping me with my lighting on the vlog, cough it up! I think it’s the back light from my screen, but I don’t know how to fix it! Ack!

Ok, on with the show this is it! Have a great weekend. 

How to Balance Your Ministry and Spiritual Life Successfully

Posted on by Jessica R. Patch

 

 

“For
he shall be like a tree planted by the waters, Which spreads out its
roots by the river, And will not fear when heat comes; But its leaf will be
green, And will not be anxious in the year of drought, Nor will cease from
yielding fruit. ” Jeremiah 17:8

 
A friend of mine
stopped by the church last week to chat with me. He shared some of his
frustrations about his spiritual life and told me where he wanted to be.
 
What I found while
listening to him talk was he was trying to pour out, but he wasn’t being filled
enough to give anything of substance
away. He was tired due to a hectic schedule, work, lack of rest, and trying to
help in too many areas of the church.
 
“I appreciate
the love and passion you have for your ministry, for the church and the people
in it. But you can’t be effective if you have nothing to give. And if you don’t
take some time for yourself–to soak–you’re going to shrivel up and cough out
dust to the ones you want to saturate with living water.”
 
Sometimes we get so
busy ministering to others, we forget we need to be filled ourselves. You can’t
run a ministry and  never sit in the
service under the shepherd, skip small groups that will minister the Word, or neglect
personal time in the Word for whatever excuses
reasons.
 
And I’m not saying
this person was neglecting his personal time with God. But he needed to sit a
little longer. Soak until his skin puckered.
 
Soaking is fabulous.
We need to soak in God’s word personally, from pastors, teachers, and other
ministries.
 
Now, by telling you
to soak, I’m not giving you license to sit on a pew or in a chair and take and
take and never give. There’s a balance.
 
What
goes in, needs to come out. That’s the point of soaking.
 
Let’s look at trees
for a minute. Hang with me. Fascinating creations, aren’t they? Most every tree
branch raises its limbs to the heavens, except the Willow and I have to wonder
if it’s called Weeping because it’s not praising the Lord. I don’t know. Something
to think about.
 
When trees are
planted, water is taken in at the root and carried up with nutrients through
the trunk and into the leaves.
 
90%
of tree water is eventually dispersed from the leaf stomata through
evaporation, into the atmosphere.
 
That beneficial loss of water from the tree is
called transpiration.
 
Transpiration comes
from the word “transpire” which means, “to come to light or be
known.” Latin trans + spirare = to breathe.
 
The
tree keeps 10%, enough to stay alive and healthy, the rest it breathes out for
others to breathe in.
 
We need the washing
of the water of the Word in our lives. We need to daily soak our roots in it. We need to let it travel from where we’re planted (by
living water), through the trunk of our body–saturating our stomach’s
desires,  filling our lungs with praise,
and protecting our hearts, until it reaches our limbs. Leaves like our
fingers and tongue. Letting Light be known. Breathing out and giving
life-giving air to the atmosphere around us.
 
Keeping enough to
stay healthy and strong.
 
Giving most of it
away.
 
We
weren’t meant to hoard God. We were meant to give Him away.
And
we weren’t meant to give until we have nothing left to keep going.
 
90/10 ratio. If
trees can stay sustained at this rate. I think we can too.
 
“…it
grows up and becomes greater than all herbs, and shoots out large branches, so
that the birds of the air may nest under its shade.”  Mark 4:32
 
Where
do you fall? Is it time to give some away? Are you giving and skipping on
soaking up water in your roots? And do you have a favorite tree? Why do you
love it?