Friends
I am still on Cloud Nine about the fabulous Book Launch Celebration hosted by my church family on Sunday, November 13th! It was a huge success with more than 90 friends and family in attendance, and still more watching virtually! Thank you to everyone for taking the time to celebrate with me!
I am thrilled to share that we sold 75 books at the event! We were able to donate $250 to support the weekend food backpack program for food insecure students at South Graham Elementary. Being part of our Congregations For Children (C4C) outreach ministry team has been such a rewarding role during my retirement years, and I hope to share more of the proceeds from future book sales with this most worthy cause!
The book signing was so special! I signed so many books that I about had writer’s cramp! Ha! I couldn’t believe how many friends had already read the book! It was so wonderful to speak with each person and be able to autograph their books. Each interaction filled my heart with joy. Thank you for that privilege!
My heartfelt thanks to the event planning team: Margaret Skulnik, Pastor Claire Clyburn, Kim Fulkerson, Tami Isley Northup, and Linda Fogleman. Thank you to all my friends who played a role in the celebration, be it setting up, decorating, baking, serving, wrapping, selling books, helping me sign books, tech support, publicity, and cleaning up! You all are amazing! Special thanks to Pastor Claire for the idea of a book launch party, and to Margaret for employing her incredible organizational skills to make it all happen!
If you were not able to join us or would like a video re-play, a video of the program portion of the event is available on our church website. Find it at:
https://www.fumcgraham-nc.org/events/event-videos
If you missed getting your book signed or would like to purchase a signed copy, contact me at hello@faithbeyondsight.com. For more info on purchasing my book through Amazon, check out my new book page on my website:
https://faithbeyondsight.com/roughplacessmooth/
Thank you, friends! My cup runneth over! I pray the book will bring glory to God and be a blessing to you!
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He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand. He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God…
Psalm 40:2-3a – NIV
Today, my cup of thanks is full to the brim, lapping over the rim, spilling onto the table in a glorious waterfall of gratitude. Blessing upon blessing. Grace upon grace.
Words cannot fully express how deeply I was touched by all the people who showed up for the Book Launch party. There were people there from all different parts of my life: my family, church friends, nurses, neighbors, swim team parents, gym buddies, camping friends, Sunday School classmates, South Graham Elementary volunteers, my Twin Lakes friends, fellow writers from the Burlington Writers Club, blog readers, and even former rides to work! I looked around that beautifully decorated room in sheer amazement. I was simply stunned by all the wonderful people God has put in my path. How good and gracious our God is to give us the gift of friendship, to give us the love of family.
What would I have done without all those friends who crossed my path? What would I have done without my church family?
When bad things happen, we pray for deliverance. When suffering strikes, we pray for miracles. We clamor for supernatural solutions to our problems. Despite all the prayers lifted, I didn’t receive a miraculous restoration of my vision. But that is not to say that I did not receive a miracle. In fact, I have received thousands of them.
My miracles didn’t come with lightning strikes across the sky. My miracles came with hands and feet. They were the hands that held the steering wheel, the feet that pressed the gas pedal. They were the offered arms and outstretched hands that guided me through a dark room. They were the shoulders to cry on, the ears that listened to my concerns. They were the faces that held a warm smile, the lips that offered a kind word. They were the voices on the telephone or the text messages on the screen that asked, “Do you need a ride?”
These were my miracles, thousands upon thousands of them, sent straight to me from a loving and gracious God. He didn’t choose to spare me from the struggle, but He saw me through it by sending me His people. How many times over the years has God nudged someone to offer me a ride? How many times has He urged them to say “yes” when I asked for help? Looking around that room, I was blown away by all the times God’s people had said “Yes!” I was humbled to think of all the divine appointments that had been kept on my behalf.
Thank you for being one of my miracles. Thank you for keeping your divine appointments. The help you offered may have been minor to you, but it was life changing for me. I don’t know what I would have done without it.
Yes, my cup of thanks is overflowing this morning. I am so grateful for the many miracles I have received because of friends like you.
That cup of thanks reminds me to be a blessing for someone else. It reminds me of the importance of keeping those divine appointments instead of shrugging them off with excuses. Each and every morning, we are offered the opportunity to serve those who cross our path. Friends, may we greet the day with open eyes and ears, ready hands and feet, and a heart filled to the brim with gratitude. Who knows? We might be the miracle someone else is praying for today.
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I always thank my God for you, and for the gracious gifts He has given you, now that you belong to Christ Jesus.
1 Corinthians 1:4 – NLT
PRAYER
O Good and Gracious God, how great is Your love for us, how abundant is Your grace. You hear our prayers, and You care about the big things, the small things, and the hard things too. Thank You for the daily miracles You send our way through the hands and feet of Your people. May we respond with hearts full of thankfulness and attitudes of service. Let us be the blessing, just as we have been blessed.
In the Loving Name of Jesus, we give thanks and praise,
Amen
Blessings,
Anita
-APS 11/21/2022
Faith Beyond Sight 