Flashback Friday - Expect the Best - Martin Wiles

Expect the Best

She was a shut-in; he was her only son. And they were both pessimists.

The Carsons* attended a church I pastored. The mother had been a shut-in for a number of years. The son had suffered a failed marriage some years before and lived with his mother most of the time since then. He farmed, but hadn’t worked a secular job in quite some time. Most of their income came from Mom’s social security check. Visiting with them always caused me to need an optimism pill when I left. Nothing ever went their way…ever. And they didn’t mind sharing the stories of their never-ending unfortunate circumstances. Read more...

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Interview with Author Jane Jenkins Herlong

Combining humor, truth, and her award-winning singing, Jane adds pizzazz to her presentations with life skills helping audiences work smart, laugh often, and live their dreams. She is also a Sirius XM Humorist, Amazon Best-Selling/award-winning author, and professional singer. 

Jane, we welcome you to Love Lines from God. Let's start with a few questions. 

When did you decide to become a writer? In other words, what made you actually sit down and write something? Years ago when I began speaking professionally. Around 1990 in the speaking world, you should have a book if you had a speech.

Every writer is eventually asked this question, but where do your ideas come from? Why do you write what you do?  I am a humorist and life fascinates me.  I am featured on SiriusXM as a comedian. I just observe life.

Do you work to an outline or plot or do you prefer to see where an idea takes you? Just go with the idea. 

How do you think you’ve evolved creatively? My grandfather was a storyteller and my mother was very funny. I love Southern humor and stories with a life-lesson.

What is the hardest thing about the creative process of writing? Being disciplined to write and make a connection.

Name your three biggest frustrations about the writing business. Promotion, getting folks to connect with your message, and energy not to give up after being rejected.  You can have the best book ever but it is dead without good promotion.

On the flip side, what excites you the most about the creative process? Realizing I used a random idea and made it make sense.

What are you reading at the moment, and who are a few of your favorite authors and why? I like humorous books but my favorite author is Joyce Meyer.

Tell us about your most recent book. I thought about what I struggle with and what many women have issues with as I speak and travel the country. I used iconic biblical women and modern day WOW (Women of Wisdom) plus some fun church humor. Here is the description: The Hachette Group

Here's an overview of my book. 

Rhinestones on My Flipflops offers the message Jane lives by. Prove people wrong and laugh while living your dreams.

Has your life ever flipped? The challenge is to not become a flop! Strap on your sandals and let Rhinestones on My Flipflops deliver joy and laughter in the midst of everyday mess-ups.

Professional Southern humorist and award-winning author Jane Jenkins Herlong uses humor, wisdom, and life stories from iconic biblical women to guide you through the inevitable blunders of life.

Learn from the flip-flops of Deceived Eve, Domestic Diva Martha and Whiny Naomi. Laugh and be inspired by honest (ouch) stories delivered with Jane's sparkling sense of humor. Add in some "rhinestoned" advice from modern Women of Wisdom (WOW). And you will learn how to keep the sparkle and shine on your God-given talents even as you experience life's inevitable flops!

What is your website? www.janeherlong.com

What are your social media links so readers can follow you? 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jane.herlong

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Janeherlong

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7389906.Jane_Jenkins_Herlong

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/janeherl/

And if readers want to purchase your book, what are the buy links? 

http://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/jane-jenkins-herlong/rhinestones-on-my-flip-flops/9781478974345/

http://www.janeherlong.com/rhinestones-flip-flops-order-page/

https://www.amazon.com/Rhinestones-My-Flip-Flops-Choosing-Extravagant/dp/1478974346

Thanks, Jane, for being our guest today. We wish you much success with your new book. 

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Loving the Least - Martin Wiles

But not a single sparrow can fall to the ground without your Father knowing it. Matthew 10:29 NLT

The peeping alerted me that something was amiss.

A mother bluebird had hatched several nestlings in a birdhouse outside my office window. As I worked, I enjoyed hearing their peeps as the mother and father bird made numerous trips to feed their young.

On one particular day, the peeping was different. I looked outside, thinking the babies had flown the coup. And they had—expect for one who languished on the cement porch. I quickly scooped up the hatchling and returned it to the nest. 

But Mom and Dad never returned. I saw them flitting around in the yard, but they ignored the peeps of the abandoned baby. Though I tried feeding it insects, it was dead when I arrived for work the next day. 

In warning His followers about the persecution on their horizon, Jesus reminded them that not even a sparrow falls without His knowledge. He loves the least. I thought of the verse when I opened the birdhouse and saw the dead baby. My heart broke as I realized sin was the reason this scenario had gone awry. God didn’t want the nestling to die.

Loving the least is rarely easy. 

I thought of the Andy Griffith episode where Andy’s son, Opie, adopted a nest full of baby birds and nurtured them until they were ready to fly. His attempt succeeded; mine failed. But at least I made the effort. 

Though animals aren’t created in the likeness of God as people are—and though they don’t have immortal souls as humans do, they are still a part of God’s creation which He expects us to care for. Many years ago, God entrusted Adam and Eve with the care of His creation. His instructions to them have been passed to all earthly inhabitants. 

But loving the least extends beyond animals and the environment to people. 

We are God’s highest creation, made in His image. It may be easier to hobnob with those in places of importance who can scratch our back in return, but God wants us to love the least too. Those in dire straits. Those who can’t fend for themselves. Those to whom life has handed a tough hand of cards. 

Learn to love the least—not just those who can help you in return. 

Prayer: Father, create in our hearts a love for all people and for everything You have created.

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Throwback Tuesday - When Life Gets Complex - Martin Wiles

When Life Gets Complex

Teaching students to identify a simple sentence is usually an easy task, but understanding compound and complex sentences is more challenging.

Simple sentences contain a subject and verb and express a complete thought. Compound sentences are made up of two simple sentences connected by a coordinating conjunction. But a complex sentence is well….complex. It hosts an independent clause (sentence) and a dependent clause. Both have subjects and verbs, but dependent clauses are dependent on independent clauses, making them more difficult to understand. Read more...

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Cleaning Fingerprints - Martin Wiles

Jesus replied, “A person who has bathed all over does not need to wash, except for the feet, to be entirely clean.” John 13:10 NLT

“Fingerprints all over the place.”

My oldest grandson called the dirty storm door to my attention as he and his younger brother stood looking over the back yard. Of course, he failed to mention both of them were the reason for the smudges. Since we keep them six days a week, keeping it clean was an exercise in futility I’d almost given up on. 

“Handprints are more like it” I snickered. 

“You need to clean it, Pop,” he said. 

A Type A personality like myself, he can’t stand dirt—or smudges. I walked by and left the door alone. Since we were moving in a couple of weeks, I had even more reason to ignore the grimy paw prints. When I decide to clean the door—probably just before we move, I won’t replace the entire door. I’ll just take out the window cleaner and clean the glass portion. 

Jesus proposed a similar scenario to His disciples. They didn’t need to wash all over—just their feet. They were totally cleansed when they believed in Him and decided to be His followers. Now they merely needed a daily sponge bath. 

At nine years of age, I decided to do what these early disciples did—trust Jesus as my Savior. Dad explained the gospel message of how Jesus died for my sins. I believed and invited Him into my life. In that moment, He cleansed me all over. Past, present, and future sins—of which there have been many, were washed away. The price Jesus paid on Calvary for humanity’s sins was applied to me. 

But what about the daily fingerprints that come from putting my hands where they don’t belong—like my grandchildren? They won’t send me to hell because Jesus’ blood has covered them. They will, however, interfere with my spiritual vision as the fingerprints on the door cloud the view of the backyard.

Confession will clear away the smudges. My acknowledgment of my failures and sins is what Jesus referred to when He mentioned a daily foot washing. 

Make confession a daily practice. It’s good for the soul and will keep your feet clean—and remove the smudges from the doors, so interaction between the Savior and you can be open and clear. 

Prayer: Father, keep us free from sin smudges so we can hear You clearly when You speak.

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Flying Low - Martin Wiles

But the LORD came down to look at the city and the tower the people were building. Genesis 11:5 NLT

They popped over the tree tops and whizzed along the nape of the field. 

When I was a young lad, crop dusters were common where flat farmland was. Fields were planted with cotton, corn, and soybeans. Laws preventing certain chemicals—that we now know cause cancer and other diseases, had not been passed. So farmers and crop dusters spread cotton poison to protect their crops.
Visiting my grandfather’s farm and sitting on the front porch—watching planes crop dust the neighboring fields, was one of my favorite activities.

From out of nowhere, the plane would appear at tree top level, drop to just above the cotton, drop its load, and then pull up just before reaching power lines, homes, or trees. Enduring the stench of the cotton poison was almost more than I could bear, but it was worth it to see this acrobat’s antics. 

There was a time long ago when God came low. When a number of people got together and decided they would build the Tower of Babel. Seemingly an innocent task…until you read the rest of the story. Doing so was about selfishness and pagan worship. God dropped a load on them. Not poison but the confusion of their languages and thus the end of their project. 

A few thousand years later, God came low again. This time when He allowed His Son to take on human flesh and die for humanity’s sins. But He didn’t stop with that. After Jesus ascended back into heaven, God sent His Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost, and the church was born. The psalmist had it right when he said God delights in every detail of their lives (Psalm 37:23).

As I delighted in watching the crop dusters fly low, so I enjoy knowing God flies low into my life’s experiences. And not only mine, but everyone’s who will call on Him. He’s never too busy, nor is He ever unconcerned. 

What concerns me—no matter how insignificant, concerns my Creator. 

He has the ability to come down for my needs and everyone else’s at the same time. I don’t have to take a number or wait in line. My God flies so low I can reach up and touch His grace, mercy, and assistance at any time I choose.

Let God fly low into every detail of your life. 

Prayer: Father, give us faith to reach out for You in every circumstance of our life, knowing You are as low as the stretch of our fingertips. 

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Flashback Friday - Underestimating God - Martin Wiles

Underestimating God

There sat a jar full of jelly beans. My task? To guess the correct number so I could win a gift certificate. Of course, I didn’t win. I always either over or underestimate. 

When it comes to God’s assignments, I also tend to underestimate my abilities. Gideon did too. The generation of Israelites who followed Joshua forgot God and the things he had done for Israel. God rewarded their disobedience by allowing foreign invaders to raid their land. Read more...

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Just Trust - Martin Wiles

Series: The Things We Say

And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. Romans 8:28 NLT

Just trust God, and everything will work out for the good.

The Porters were college friends we had a common bond with: we were both from South Carolina. They also had two children who were close in age to our two. One of which was our daughter’s “boyfriend.” 

As so often happens, we lost track of them after graduation. Several years later, I received devastating news: their daughter had been killed. She was riding a bicycle—which was a little too large for her, rolled into the path of an oncoming truck, was struck, and died from the impact. 

Our family was stunned…and heartbroken. When I called to express my sympathies, the mom—with a broken voice, said, “We’re just trusting God to get us through this.” 

I’ve heard enough religious platitudes in my lifetime to fill a small book. Some of them biblical, some of them not. Some well-timed, some ill-timed. Telling someone to trust God and everything will work out for the good happens to be true. How, when, and where I say it should be carefully considered. 

Everything that comes into my life won’t be good. 

I’ve also experienced enough regretful things to fill a book. Actually, they have. Several, in fact. Having good things happen continuously wouldn’t necessarily cause me to trust God more. When things go well all the time, I have a tendency to trust myself instead of God. Bad things turn my focus on Him. Some turn a bitter focus, but others—myself included, turn a longing focus. A longing to know why and a longing to know how I should respond. 

As I look back on the unfortunate things I’ve experienced, I also see how God brought good from them. The lessons I learned when I responded correctly are innumerable. My trust level in God rose as did my degree of faith. Since the consequences of bad events tend to hang around—sometimes for years, I’ve been able to continually see God bringing good things from bad circumstances. 

God is a good God who wants His children to experience good things—even if they have to come through unpleasant circumstances.

Trust God to manufacture good out of the bad times in your life. 

Prayer: Father, we have faith that You will turn the bad in our life into good that will spur us on to spiritual growth and bring glory to Your name. 

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Unexpected Move - Martin Wiles

So listen carefully, my son. Get ready and flee to my brother, Laban, in Haran. Genesis 27:43 NLT

We hadn’t planned on moving again until I retired…but things changed. 

The landlady was coming to pick up the rent check. Finding an affordable place to stay in a safe section of town had been a chore four years ago. We finally found an owner of a townhouse in a nice subdivision who said she’d lease. After checking our references, we moved in. For three more years we repeated the process and hoped we’d do it for six more. No such luck.

After picking up the rent check, we received the news. We’d have to move. Our landlord was selling the townhouse. She and her husband were getting older and wanted to get everything out of their names. Our hope that she’d sell it to us on contract fell through as well. So we’re doing what we didn’t want to do: making an unexpected move.

Jacob found himself making an unexpected move as well. He had schemed and tricked his entire life. Now it was catching up with him. He had stolen his older brother’s birthright and final blessing. After hearing that her older son was scheming to kill her favored son, Jacob’s mother sent him on an unexpected move to his uncle’s house.

Unexpected moves can be enjoyable if a person likes change, but human nature usually bucks against unwanted change. 

I wasn’t looking forward to packing up our belongings and moving—even though our move would just be one subdivision over. Jacob probably wasn’t excited about the prospect of leaving his mommy either. 

Unexpected moves can come because of poor decisions we’ve made—as in Jacob’s case, because of decisions other’s make—as in our case, or because of the wacky way the world turns due to its infection with sin. 

Confession is in order if a sinful decision has led to my unexpected move. If another’s actions—or a sinful turn of the world, has led to my move, I must accept it with a joyful attitude and be content in the new place God puts me. 

Regardless of why I’m in a new place, God is with me and promises to guide my steps, and He’ll do the same for you. We may change places, but God never leaves our side.

If life has taken you on an unexpected move, take God along. 

Prayer: Father, thank You for being by our side regardless of where life takes us. 

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Throwback Tuesday - Who Is Jesus? - Martin Wiles

Who Is Jesus?

“Who am I?” I considered it when an adolescent. Most teenagers do.

Psychologist Erik Erikson coined the term “identity crisis,” and defined it as failure to achieve ego identity during adolescence. During the Identity Cohesion versus Role Confusion psychological stage, physical growth and sexual maturation occur as well as ideas about ourselves and what others think of us. Solving the crisis enhances our self-image, but failing to lets the “Who am I” question hang on beyond adolescence. Struggles to “find ourselves” can create a negative identity involving crime, drug use, and the inability to make decisions about the future. Read more...

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The Unpardonable Sin - Martin Wiles

Series: The Things We Say

So I tell you, every sin and blasphemy can be forgiven—except blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, which will never be forgiven. Matthew 12:31 NLT

For Hester Prynne in Nathanial Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter, it was an A; for many others, it is a D. 

In a Puritanical time period, Hester Prynne made the mistake of having a sexual relationship outside of marriage and getting pregnant. She was condemned, ostracized, and forced to wear a scarlet letter, A, on her breast. 

When I was growing up, adultery wasn’t looked favorably upon either by most of the culture, particularly in the Bible Belt. But there was another sin that was equally looked upon with disfavor: divorce. Even most who were not of the religious persuasion thought two married people should stay together through thick and thin. Those who didn’t—for whatever reason, were treated almost like Hester Prynne. 

In church life—which I knew a lot about, the divorced were looked upon differently. They may have been allowed to join the church—after all, they surely needed Jesus since they’d been divorced, but they were allowed to do little else. Teaching, preaching, serving as a deacon, working with children. These were all out of the question. The church was glad to have their money, but wanted little else from them. They had committed what many believed was the unpardonable sin.

Interestingly, divorce is not what Jesus classifies as the unpardonable sin. 

He had strong words for those who attributed His work to Satan—and told them blasphemy (unbelief) could not be forgiven, but He never said the same about divorce. In the Old Testament, God said He hated divorce, but He never said it was unforgivable. 

Divorce is detrimental. While some choose it, others have it thrust upon them regardless of what they want. Its sad effects meander through families, churches, and nations. But it isn’t the unforgivable sin. 

The Bible is filled with examples of God using people with all types of issues in their backgrounds—murder included. If God can use murderers like David and Paul, surely He can use someone who has been divorced. 

Telling or implying that someone is unusable because they have been divorced is as sinful as the sin they claim the divorced person has committed. God is in the business of restoration. 

Don’t allow anything in your past to keep you from being used by God.

Prayer: Father, may we allow You to use our past instead of letting our past imprison us. 

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