Patti Wolf

Monday: Reunions

And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another,and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.
Hebrews 10:24-25

My sister-in-law and brother-in-law came to visit from New York along with last Sunday’s threatening down pour. Charcoal grey skies welcomed them after their long journey. At the same time a certain football team looked like amateurs. On that same day, we celebrated a milestone birthday. What a filled Sunday.

As we enjoyed our week of renewing family relationships, something I think everyone should do to keep channels open and make memories, I thought of Sunday.

Sunday’s are special. Once upon a time, when I was a child, most businesses were closed on Sundays. Mama made chicken soup, we played table games and mostly rested. Those days have disappeared from our society.

Some, who still attend a church, have the opportunity on Sundays to reunite on a weekly basis with people. Working together to better a community, to give testimony of what God is doing in their lives or to help build one’s faith often is the heart of church.

Sunday afternoons can be a time to grow relationships up over a simple meal. Even Christ had His inner group of people He shared meals with. Yes, it can also be a time of cheering or complaining of your favorite sport’s team. I usually listen to the family’s conversation between the plays. They go far past sports talk.

I did have a wonderful week of reconnecting with family; people we see but once a year. However, the week’s events also gave me insight into the importance of nurturing all my relationships on a regular basis.

Think of how you can grow in Christ and in the relationship you have with others.

When Autumn Comes

I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.
Psalm 27:13-14

The coolness of the
forest on a fall day
embraces my very soul.
It is where I ran when
you no longer breathed
the breath of life.

The birds sang,
as ripples of sorrow
stained supple spots;
embarrassed for the
tears which lingered
along the brook.

It is there grief
washed away with
dirt, dust and debris.
The scent of autumn
leaves crackled with
each sauntering steps.

Eager I was to forget,
move on and leave
behind my mourning;
It is what I want you
to do, when it’s my turn
to return to the earth.

P. Wolf, Author of the “I Am the Light” series

Autumn brings memories of death. It is when both my parents passed away within a year of each other. For some reason, I always felt they would live forever. Though it has been 20 years, that grief lingers even as I have moved on. How does one move on from loss? By taking heart and waiting on the Lord. That is where true strength comes from.

Monday: A Loss for Words

Working together with him, then, we appeal to you not to receive the grace of God in vain. For he says, ‘In an acceptable time I have heard you. And in the day of salvation I have helped you.’ Behold, now is the accepted time; behold now is the day of salvation.
I Corinthians 6:1-2

Yesterday, I was reminded how quickly life can change. At seven in the morning I was walking my dog. It was a clear morning. Mourning doves cheered me on as they sang. There was a bit of a breeze. It was going to be a rather warm September Saturday. It was peaceful.

I met up with a neighbor. We talked about our dogs as we walked pass the house which had just sold. The man there had committed suicide in April. His mother and wife’s lives changed forever. Last week, they started new journeys in different places without the man they both loved.

We continued walking and talking about trivial things. It was then she mentioned Hartford Culver’s was on fire. As we walked, the lives a many people were being changed forever. The owners, employees and customers were not going to Culver’s today. Sports events, birthdays or anniversaries would not be celebrated at many customers favorite restaurant. It all happened in an instant of time.

Today is the day to live out your faith, for there is no promise of tomorrow.

P. Wolf; author of the “I Am the Light” series, available on Amazon

Fading of the Seasons

First a flutter, then a stir and I smile,
a hiccup and roll, then finally birth!
I tremble and shutter in great wonder;
waiting in fear, confused as seasons come.

Chill of winter to spring, blooms of spring toward another sultry summer, dog days of summer on to artistic autumn and then, as expected, the winds of winter return in full force.

I am left standing with a chill down my spine. The flutter has returned, as well as the fear, for my first born turns forty today and my last season of life, winter remains as I tremble.

Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.
Isaiah 41:10

P. Wolf digging through old journals with: https://poetsandstorytellersunited.blogspot.com/2021/09/weekly-scribblings-86-mining-journals.html

September’s Preparation

“I will bless the Lord who has given me counsel; my heart also instructs me in the night seasons. Because He is at my right hand I shall not be moved. Psalm 16:7-8

As Winter Comes…

September’s bustling chatter

echoes throughout the wood.

The drone of slick-back crickets,

whizzing of late cicadas,

and jabbering of sly chipmunks;

resound and ring in humid air.

Hydrangea’s bow bulky, blushing heads

and stately goldenrod glimmers

attracting bustling bumblebees

loading pollen for the making.

Time trickles with all things.

A babe is born and old men die.

September comes…

and goes as geese fly south.

Yet, He remains at my side.

Wednesday’s Christian Flash Fiction will be replaced by seasonal poetry with a Scriptural focus.

Monday: Happy Labor Day!

One early morning last week, as a slice of light roused the darkness of night, I listened to a sleepy old owl hooting his droning call.

It was lovely.

Early morning has always been a treasured time for me. There seems to be a stillness settled on the earth. Well, until the crafty crow craws.

I don’t sit sipping coffee on the back porch. Nor do I run around accomplishing tasks. I linger, still in bed, writing or reading. My favorite read, you guessed it, God’s Word.

Is it easy to dive into the Bible at the break of dawn? No, sometimes I need to just ‘do it’ as I am aroused from my sleep. Almost always alertness follows, even with excitement, as God teaches me something new.

In the morning’s stillness, my mind is like a sponge sopping up all it can. Clutter from the day hasn’t crowded my thoughts. Maybe this is a picture of being still before God.

May each new morning bring you a yearning for the Word of God!

P. Wolf, author of the “I Am the Light” series

The Turtle Won

Slow and steady flows the day,
the seasons now at hand
where owls hoot before break
of dawn and crows crowd skies.

Slow and steady passes day,
that some, so busy, miss pleas
of elderly loved ones frozen
in time waiting, waiting, waiting.

Slow and steady a babe wails
for milk or change or warm embrace;
as mama’s cell phone chatters
like scolding chipmunk in a tree.

Slow and steady is the broken heart
who longs for commitment now gone,
washed away in the storm of difference;
yet hopeful one day to be cherished.

Slow and steady the grieving heart,
as loved one has departed this busy
world; where geese fly south and leaves
tumble to earth returning to dirt.

Slow and steady?

My feet have been set upon the Rock,
the miry clay has washed away;
slow and steady, yes! Also, truly
established and steadily growing.

He also brought me up out of a horrible pit, Out of the miry clay, And set my feet upon a rock, And established my steps.
Psalm 40:2

We were designed to go at a slower pace, to ponder, to process thoughts one at a time, to focus on the face in front of us with tender care. And when we try to go at computer-speed, we miss out on what’s important in life.
Glynnis Whitwer

In the iconic parable, Aesop tells of a race between a fast but often-distracted hare and a slow but relentless tortoise. Readers are supposed to be surprised when the tortoise manages to defeat the hare, coining the phrase “slow and steady wins the race.”
Sciencedaily.com

P. Wolf linking with slowness at: https://earthweal.com/2021/08/30/earthweal-weekly-challenge-slowness/

Christian Flash Fiction: Week 7 Prompt

I’m Patti Wolf your host at Christian Flash Fiction. We are into a second month of scribbling spiritual sand through fiction. If you’re a reader, enjoy! If you’re a writer, please join us.

Have you ever felt that your possessions own you? Or maybe every purchase you make brings a bit of contentment for only a short time. Today’s prompt can bring great wisdom. Things of this world can be enjoyable, but let’s remember we have a greater joy coming. One in which there are no returns.

Let the quote below from the book of Ecclesiastes 2:17 be your guide in our next prompt.

Thanks for stopping in 💕

Your Prompt Verse

‘ Therefore I hated life because the work that was done under the sun was distressing to me, for all is vanity and grasping for the wind,’

A Few Rules:

Be creative with your 300 words or less not including your title
Include the prompt in quotes
Take time to read other posts
Make sure to use the whole quote somewhere in your story
Play nice, try to encourage not tear down
This is a weekly prompt which has a weekly limit
In the comment box add your name and enter the direct URL to your answer to the prompt
On your blog, please provide a link back to Christian Flash Fiction. So others can be blessed

Under the Sun

The wind tossed about brittle leaves. Sunlight danced happily on the water’s surface. I strolled through a pile of leaves. They made chattering sounds with every footstep.

Having a second home was to be a haven away from my busy life. If only I would have realized earlier the effort needed in maintaining more possessions.

“Work, work, work!” I grumbled to chattering chipmunks complaining in the trees.

‘Therefore I hated life because the work that was done under the sun.’ It had been a long weekend of laboring in the heat. Indian Summer had come early. Yet, things needed to be done before winter set in.

That morning I was staining the deck swatting wasps. Later, while cleaning the gutters I realized the woodpeckers had drilled holes in the siding. More work was at hand. Lawn care, boat maintenance and window cleaning was a continuous process.

I was tired! All the work ‘was distressing to me’!

“Lord, what was I think.” I muttered into the wind.

A flock of geese flew overhead. They were on their way south for the winter.

“Lord, those birds make life look simple. ‘For all is vanity’, doesn’t Your Word tell me that?”

Breathing in the crisp fall air I felt a peace settle over me. I had spent so much time taking care of the things I owned that I had put off my time with God.

“Lord, forgive me. I have been ‘grasping for the wind’ instead of resting in You.”

Monday’s Fruit

“But now Christ is risen from. the dead, and has become the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep.” I Corinthians 15:20

Almost everywhere I look fruit is ripening in gardens. Even on Sunday mornings, when I arrive at church, bundles of produce wait patiently for eager hands to take them home.

As fall ushers in, there is a bounty before us. But it is not only the physical world that offers such riches.

In the Old Testament the first fruits were those which sprung from the ground first. They were often gathered and offered to God. It was a type of peace offering from man.

A beautiful picture is created when we study the offering Jesus gave, Himself. First the bitterness of death and then the sweetness of being risen from death. Why? He was a representation of what was to come for those who would accept His great sacrifice. It was for each individual who would repent, believe and follow Jesus to an eternity with Him.

What does that mean on a Monday morning for those who follow Jesus?

The Holy Spirit was given to the believer to help equip those who follow Jesus. The fruits of the Holy Spirit are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. This is how we can start Monday mornings.

Ripe fruit is everywhere. Share a little with those around you!

Patti Wolf author of the “I Am the Light” series

Christian Flash Fiction Week 6 Prompt

I’m Patti Wolf your host at Christian Flash Fiction. We are into a second month of scribbling spiritual sand through fiction. If you’re a reader, enjoy! If you’re a writer, please join us.

Have you ever felt you have compromised what you believe in from the Word of God? Maybe dark shadows hide your light? That can happen when we are not being true to God. Let the quote below from the book of Romans be your guide in our next prompt.

Thanks for stopping in 💕

Your Prompt for Week is from Romans 13:12

The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light
Romans 13:12

A Few Rules:

Be creative with your 200 words or less not including your title
Include the prompt in quotes
Take time to read other posts
Make sure to use the whole quote somewhere in your story
Play nice, try to encourage not tear down
This is a weekly prompt which has a weekly limit
In the comment box add your name and enter the direct URL to your answer to the prompt
On your blog, please provide a link back to Christian Flash Fiction. So others can be blessed

The Darkness of Conviction

It was late and I was finishing the dirty dishes. As I looked out the dark window a strange feeling overwhelmed me.

“Lord, ‘the night is far spent’. How long before ‘the day is at hand?’”

Work had been hard. There are things a follower of Christ just can’t do. My struggle was justified. I needed this job. How could I wake up another day and walk in the Light?

The last sermon at church had brought conviction. ‘Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness!’ My pastor’s words dug deep in my weary heart.

I thought there is no room for compromise.

The last of the dishes clanged as I stacked them. A tower of plates, bowls and cups balanced awkwardly. They teetered as I placed the last plate atop the rest. I adjusted the items so I could put a pan over everything.

I stared at the overloaded strainer. My compromises at work had piled up like dirty dishes. Something needed to be done. I knew what it was. ‘And let us put on the armor of light.’

I smiled. A tower of dishes and a metal pan taught me a lesson. Tomorrow I would walk in the light of Christ.