Pencil in His Hand: A Mother's Journal of Stories, Thoughts, and Poems.

  Dear Readers, Just a quick note to let you know that I am using this time away from blogging to write, amongst other things. God willing, I will begin to post once more in early January. You can look forward to short stories, non-fiction, as well as poetry. I will also be posting Afrikaans and gardening content on my other blogs. So until then, may God bless and keep you. Wishing you a Jesus filled Christmas and New Year. Love, Alison

  Fishing boat at the river Writing for the Lord ‭Colossians 3:23-24 ESV‬ [23] Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, [24] knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.  https://bible.com/bible/59/col.3.23-24.ESV Dearest Readers, This post will contain my thoughts on writing, but this really applies to all we do. :) When I first started writing more seriously, I believe my heart was right. I truly wanted to encourage people and to share the Gospel through my writing. With much help from God, I wrote my heart out. I wrote with passion. For Him. There was really no thought of financial success. I did imagine possibly receiving a few donations, but that was all. I made the books available for free, but wasn't able to reach many people. After a while, I stopped writing. I was busy. It wasn't too long though, before I picked up my pen once more to write poetry, and later, short stories. At that...

  Books💖 The Messy Bookshelf Not long after waking up this morning, a random thought popped into my head that I really ought to tidy up the blog a bit. I'm pretty happy with my cozy blog. I try to make it a comfortable reading nook for all who stop by. Yet I began to wonder whether it had become a bit messy.  I have to admit that a couple of my pages. or should I call them shelves? are rather muddled. Free books are mixed in with books to buy, and there are links to two other bookshelf blogs, random photos, and mini stories. So the thought crossed my mind that I should do some spring cleaning. It would take time and hard work, but the blog would look all neat and tidy afterwards. But then I realized, doing so might make it a little less cozy and a little less real. The way I see it, is that the blog is rather like a box or shelf of books that one rummages around in until you find something you like. I love going to the library. Our one has a box of free books near the do...

Breathe Dying to self   Blue Berg river Slower Slow, slower, slower to a place where  thoughts can meet Slow, slower, slower 'til I'm sitting at Your feet *** Awhile back, I wrote a post about poetry writing which I never posted. I thought it would be good to re-visit that topic. When you write your own poems, you quickly become aware that poetry is not the favourite reading material of most people. Neither is it what most people write. I guess that's because there remain many misconceptions about poetry. Some people believe that poetry is too hard to read or understand, let alone write. I sympathize. Much poetry is pretty high-brow; the subject of university English lectures and dreaded by many students. Poetry however, cannot be put into a box. Yes, it can be written in a vague, mysterious, or unfathomable way. But it can also be simple, honest, and even plain and easy to relate to. Poetry can follow a certain form, style, or rhyme scheme. It can have perfect rhythm and c...

  Do you Want to be a Mary or a Martha? Plus A Garden Glimpse & Writing Chat  In this post: Martha, or Mary? Plus A Garden glimpse and some writing chat. Do you want to be a Mary or a Martha?   If you want to be like Martha, here are some tips: Write a very long to do list. It should include items that you don't really want to do but know you should. Skip breakfast: there's no time to sit still. And skip Bible reading and prayer. No time for that. There's too much to do! Make sure everyone within earshot is aware of how much you have to do. Grumble and complain before you even start on your to do list. As you work bang pots and pans and slam doors. This should make your point clear. You are unappreciated and taken for granted. Make sure to vocalise your discontent loudly as you work. Feel more and more stressed, put out, used, unloved, and unhappy with each miserable chore that you do. It's so unfair! Whether its in real life, or on social media, make sure everyone ...

  I was not aware of this, but apparently, you can write a story using only six carefully chosen words.🤭🙃🙂 I have written some very short stories in my time, but none as short as that. Even my shortest poems have more than six words. So, I set myself a challenge to write a few, and here they are. You may notice that they are tinged with sadness, but a thread of joy and hope runs through them. As you read them, use your imagination to fill in the blanks. Love and blessings, Alison💖🌻🙂🙏 Are you inspired to write one line today? Keep shining.🙂✨️✨️✨️🙂🙏🙏🙏