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It’s another month, so it’s time for another memories post!

Things worth remembering

• sister walks
• piano recitals
• sand volleyball in the dark
• wandering the greenhouse
• learning how to soil finish
• running for tires and parts
• getting roller skating lessons from my little sister (progress was made, but I’m still horrible)
• ice cream and car watching on the hill with my sisters
• making slow motion match-striking videos that were anti-climactic
• late night sibling movie night
• ice cream and poetry
• chatting on the phone with my brother
• more volleyball (much more successful than the volleyball in the dark😂)
• getting the first cutting of hay chopped and packed before the rain

What I’ve been reading

you’re not enough (and that’s okay) – Allie Beth Stuckey

When our reason behind our rest is to ensure better service to the Lord and to others, we don’t have to worry whether or not taking needed breaks is self-centered. It’s not.

I’ve been wanting to read this book ever since it came out, and I finally got my hands on a copy. Man, oh man. I’m really appreciating this deeper look at the subtle ways the self-love culture really works some lies into our mentalities.

The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe – C.S. Lewis

“Safe?” said Mr. Beaver; “don’t you hear what Mrs. Beaver tells you? Who said anything about safe? ‘Course he isn’t safe. But he’s good. He’s the King, I tell you.”

Just finished reading this book for the first time…so very good. I love how the storytelling is light and easy to read, but the meanings are so deep if you look for them. For a while I was sad because I hadn’t grown up reading the Chronicles of Narnia and couldn’t understand the inside conversations of Narnia enthusiasts (ha!), but I think that approaching them as an adult has made me appreciate the books so much more than I ever could have as a child.

The Horse and His Boy – C.S. Lewis

I’m enjoying this next book in the series, as well!

From the journal…

There is no day I’ll ever live that You have not seen, no trial ahead that has not crossed Your desk. You know what You’re doing, God…teach me to see the way You see. Carry this pain for me, Lord.

May I lose my sinful flesh as I draw nearer to Your heart…may the passion of Your love torch away the dross, leaving a life that is more conformed to Your will.

Did May seem to fly by for everyone else, too? What were some of your favorite parts of May?

❤ Laurel

Photo by Glen Carrie on Unsplash

Clarion Hope releases TOMORROW!!!

(Yes, this is what was originally meant to be yesterday’s post smashed together with today’s post. It was a full, wonderful weekend…and that means not full of writing blog posts.:))

The Scripture in Clarion Hope

When you open Clarion Hope and page past the dedication and table of contents, you’ll find a passage of Scripture…

I couldn’t have written a better introduction for this book that calls for courage and hope on sin-torn battlefields…for the casting off of the works of darkness and the donning of the armor of light. I was reading in Romans a few months ago, and this passage just jumped out at me, begging to be included in Clarion Hope in some way.

I couldn’t say no, could I?

the untitled poem

if I fear not death…

if the Defender holds my future…

if fear does not control me…

then what, pray, can steal my courage?

This simple gem marks the beginning of the third section of Clarion Hope: slaughtered fear.

A bit of a graphic title? Perhaps. But it drives home the point that I wanted to make: fear has no control over the redeemed child of God.

As a friend of the Death-Slayer, we can…

• walk untrodden paths in confidence
• ride out deadly storms
• raise a solitary voice with no fear

…and so much more. Won’t you join me for the journey?✨

See you tomorrow for release day!!

❤ Laurel

Four more days!!

Last July I typed out a dedication for Clarion Hope in the Notes app on my phone. This one is nearly verbatim.

As I wrote, gathered, and selected the poems for this collection, one of my goals was “to comfort the disturbed and to disturb the comfortable.” (That’s been attributed to a few different people, so I won’t even try.XD)

I want Clarion Hope to be a refuge of truth and encouragement for the ones who have been broken…the ones who have wondered if they are beyond healing and redemption. I want it to speak truth and life into hurting hearts, serving as a reminder that there is no wound Christ cannot heal, no sin He cannot blot out.

For the ones who have become comfortable with the walls they’ve erected around their comfort zones, I want it to be a challenge and a call to action. An encouragement to see the courage and calling that is ours in Christ. A reminder that eternity yawns beyond the grave, and that the blip of life we’re given on earth is screaming to be spent in a worthy way.

If that sounds like a reminder you need, feel free to snag your own copy of Clarion Hope here!

Do you have any favorite books that come to mind with these descriptions?

Stay the course!

❤ Laurel