Category Archives: Reflections

Easter, Holidays, Reflections

A SIMPLE EASTER

1 Comment

My longtime friend and photographer, Mark Rouk, created this picture a few years ago. It is my all-time favorite Easter picture. I’m guessing he used some simple things like a mound of sand, a few twigs, a drop or two of superglue, a black cloth, and a flashlight. Regardless of what he used beyond his own amazing creativity doesn’t matter—it is the message that his simple silhouette speaks to us.

Defining Easter can be huge or minuscule, depending on your audience. If one is writing a dissertation, it could get deep and complicated really quick. But if it is telling a child what Easter is about, a simpler definition will work. Basically, Jesus loves us so much that He died on a cross for our sins. Enough said, huh? Sometimes a simple Easter is in order for our crazy-busy lives.

I am beyond the age of having kids and even grandkids young enough to hunt Easter eggs. Those were simple days—wonderful days with priceless memories. We dressed our children in the best Easter apparel we could afford—matching shirts and slacks, frocks and frills, shoes, hats and Easter baskets. After the Easter Sunday Morning Church Service, we all made our way to Gramps and Granny Kellogg’s house for lunch. Our sweet Granny Grace’s Easter egg hunts are forever lodged in our hearts. But before the hunt could take place, we gathered in the kitchen where every inch of countertop, the cooktop and the kitchen table were filled with dishes of delicious food. Everyone ate their fill with joy and laughter—while holding off the kids as long as possible to give the teenagers time to hide the eggs. Then the race was on!

I suspect your past Easter Sundays were much like mine. It seems as though they were a lifetime ago. Yet today, I hear my Lord speak priceless words to my heart: “Sarah Jane, slow down and have a simple Easter this year.” I don’t know about you, but I’m in need of a more-simple lifestyle altogether. See if you can relate.

I need to manage my intake of frightening news from around the world—and my best guess is to simply turn it off. I need to worry less about all the corruption in our nation, and simply focus on the good. I need to care less about just the right clothes, shoes and purse, and simply be content with what I have. I need to stop fretting about all the high prices (and God knows they are everywhere), and simply settle for less going, less buying, and less eating. I need to spend less time on frivolous and unnecessary things, and simply do more things that make my Lord, my family, and my friends smile.

I’m sure you’ve heard the K.I.S.S. principle—Keep it simple, S______.” The Lord just gave me the idea to insert the word “Sweetie” as the fourth word in that phrase. So, here’s my advice for a wonderful Easter this year: “Keep it simple, Sweetie!”

A HAPPY AND BLESSED EASTER TO ALL! ~ Sarah Jane

Encouragement, Faith, Holidays, Reflections, Vision

Encouraging Thoughts for Your New Year ~ 2024

2 Comments

I suspect that we all live with regrets since we are human. But the bigger issue is: What do we do with those regrets? I have had a dream for most of my life that I would one day become a writer. Trust me, I have paid my dues. I started out writing poetry about lovers, births of babies, birthdays, anniversaries and Christmases; and then moved on to prose for tributes, eulogies, etc. Yet each little start made me realize it wasn’t exactly fulfilling my lifetime dream. I simply treated it like a wishful thinking hobby. I thought I could entertain people by skillfully creating a trek down memory’s lane that would bring delight to my readers. Yet, my life as a writer remained unsatisfied.

I eventually came to the place where I believed my gift of writing—making things rhyme, challenging hearts, and making people smile—was more than a gift. It was a calling. So, I set out to do something about my dream—I wrote a book and published it. That book went live in August of 2022. Oh, don’t get me wrong here. It’s not that I have attained any great success, but guess what? I have reached some lives with my voice in print.

My book, There Is Life after Tragedy, is about a tragic event in my father’s family that took place before I was born. As a speaker, a new door opened for me to speak to various groups about the loss of love and life; about grieving and learning to live again; and telling the good news of a loving God who understands our pain and never lets us walk alone. I hear from people regularly that my book has touched their lives deeply.

Recently, I connected with two uncles in my mom’s family that I haven’t seen since I was a teenager—all because of my writing. Now, after many years, a delightful connection has been made that is currently bringing joy to all of us. And as an added bonus that I wasn’t expecting, my book was a named a finalist in the American Writing Awards Competition for 2023. We just never know what God has in store for our gifts.   

As I stared at a blank piece of paper this week thinking about what I would like to change about my life (you know, this thing we do as the new year rolls in), these thoughts flowed from my pen: If I could change anything about my life, I would take my dreams more seriously; I would follow those desires of my heart more intently; I would have more confidence in the gifts God has given me. If my mind were to summarize what my heart is saying, it would sound like this: If I could change one thing about my life, I would spend more time writing!

How about you? Do you have an unfulfilled dream of writing, painting, singing, woodworking, or whatever gift you may have that still hangs out in the backyard of your mind? Deal with those regrets about what you haven’t done by making a start to fulfill your dream. Regardless of your age, pay attention to your gift. Acknowledge it. Call it what it is. Use it. Exercise it. Grow it. Consider God in the equation and talk to Him about it. And by all means, use your faith. And if your gift is writing, then write, write, write—with all of your might!

Go ahead and make my statement work for you and your gift: “If I could change one thing about my life, I would spend more time ______________.”

Just fill in the blank and go for it! Our God is a God of surprises! Happy 2024 to all ~ Sarah Jane

Image by <a href=”https://www.freepik.com/free-photo/cute-composition-with-hearts-books_1120554.htm#query=book%20background&position=15&from_view=search&track=ais&uuid=87e2386f-c5f0-4519-a089-a2cd97917441″>Freepik</a&gt;

 

Reflections

Graduation, Life, and Clay Pots

2 Comments

It’s that time of year when excited young people scurry off to find their dreams, hoping life will contain all those best wishes bestowed on them by friends and family. After graduation, life as they have known it, abruptly slips away and doors close behind them. Did someone say it is time to grow up and become responsible? Yikes! Mighty tall orders for the young applicants of adulthood, wouldn’t you say?

But tall orders are what life is made of—reaching for things yet unknown. Oswald Chambers said that “Our reach must exceed our grasp.”1 If we only reach for what we have already attained, we will not grow, achieve, move on, and mature. Our lives will become stagnant. We must at least try, and try we will.

Yet, before we know it, life plays a trick on us, and we feel that we somehow missed the mark. Our good years vanish into thin air and life’s work seems yet undone. But for a child of God, this need not be the case. God uses the bumps in the road, the boulders in our path, and every wide river to be crossed to shape us for His purpose. His shaping is to be cherished, for God has a carefully crafted plan for each life—that it will, sooner or later, glorify Him.

The poem, “Just an Earthen Vessel,” reflects what had become clear: God doesn’t waste anything! In His time, He will use each of us, just earthen vessels—clay pots if you will—for that purpose for which we were created. We cannot do it on our own. He provides the timing, the planting, the watering, the care, and the growth—we provide the pot. We must simply trust our Heavenly Father’s wise and loving heart.

“Just an Earthen Vessel” is being posted separately today, May 14, 2013, or it can be found under the category: poetry. ~ Janie Kellogg

1Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest, May 2

Other related posts at Treasure in Earthen Vessels: “Just an Earthen Vessel” Poem, May 14, 2013

Reflections

Where Did the Summer Go?

2 Comments

Where in the world did the summer go? You are probably saying, “My thoughts exactly!” WOW, it skimmed by me so quickly that it nearly left my head swimming. Well, it’s either that or my age that makes me a little light-headed these days. Now let’s see, there was Vacation Bible School, Youth Camp, Kids Camp, Family Reunion, and by now you’re thinking my list sounds a lot like yours. I have news for those of you who haven’t quite reached my age. In just a few years, you are going to look back over your entire life (like you now look back over the summer) and ask “Where in the world did my life go?”

 

I love the credit card commercial on TV that says: Life comes at you fast. Boy does it ever! Yet, memories were made, accomplishments celebrated, friends and family cherished, and I wouldn’t take nothing for any of it. Would you? Life is to be lived and that is what we did.

 

However, I must admit my writer’s blog has been rather stagnant. One precious friend called to ask if I was still writing. She thought perhaps she had been dropped from my distribution list because it had been so long since she’d seen anything from me. The truth is that time simply was not available for such luxuries. Now don’t get me wrong. I have been writing, and writing a lot, but not perfecting anything well enough to publish on the world-wide-web!

 

It has been a summer of learning and growing in my relationship with my Savior, and I trust it has been for you, too. Time is too precious and certainly too short not to be growing closer to Him. My hope is that none of us left Him at home while we were having our fun, nor ignored His gentle calls to speak with us in the quiet moments. If any of us did, now is the time to renew our relationship with our Lord. Any time we come to Him, as He always bids us to do, we only have to turn towards Him, admit our failures, and ask for His forgiveness. He is always faithful to forgive us (I John 1:9), and the next thing you know, we are back into that wonderful life-giving relationship right where we left off. Oh how He wants us to turn to Him and let Him renew, restore, and refresh us. The truth is, He has missed you too.

 

I have written much throughout the summer that I will be sharing with you in the coming weeks. As usual, it concerns that secret meeting place with our God that I am learning—ever-learning to access and enjoy. It all hinges on a powerful word called “surrender.” I can’t wait to share it with you. My heart is heavy for the bill of goods that God’s people have been sold. Actually, you could say that the church has been scammed by many of the religious teachers of today. But God always has a plan. God always has a people, a remnant that hasn’t bowed down and worshiped the gods of this world.

 

So stay tuned for more. I am ready for the times of refreshing that come from the Lord. How about you?  ~Janie

 

“Repent therefore and be converted that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord.” Acts 3:19 

 

Reflections

Reflections ~ The Race Called Motherhood

Leave a comment

We just celebrated Mother’s Day, and I like to think that we genuinely celebrated Mothers—young and old alike. During a beautiful day spent with my children and grandchildren, I had some time to reflect on this incredible journey of motherhood that I’ve been on for over 40 years. In some strange way, it feels like I’ve been running a race—with all the components that a race entails.

 

The young woman who thinks motherhood ends after nine months of pregnancy and a traumatic trip to the hospital is in for a big surprise. That is only the beginning. Actually, it could be considered the starting gate for the horse race of her life.  It is a race that lasts for many years, and around each turn lays yet another stretch of track with totally new challenges. And I think she probably won’t cross the finish line until she says her final good-byes to her offspring here on earth.

 

This is a race in which she will not compete against other runners—she simply strives to run the best race she can. There will be many winners standing in the winner’s circle, holding the winner’s trophy, and wearing the winner’s wreathe. Like all races, this one also requires strength and endurance, the desire to win, and the willingness to pay the price for preparation and readiness. She needs to know in advance that the condition of her heart is highly important, as a weak heart will never do. Only a strong heart can endure the stress, the work, the sweat and the tears that motherhood demands.

 

The prize in this race of motherhood is neither money nor fame, but it is more akin to a deep sense of accomplishment—although the benefits and the glory will go to someone else.  A successful race may even go unnoticed by many; her hard work passed off as expected, or simply, as her duty. But she will know when she has run a good race. No one will have to tell her anything. It’s a calling fulfilled and an assignment completed. And when at last she reaches the end of her race, the next step will be to hear her Lord say those most desired words, “Well done, my good and faithful servant.” ~Janie Kellogg