Looking for encouragement

"David was greatly distressed,

for the men spoke of stoning him 

because the souls of them all were bitterly grieved, 

each man for his sons and daughters. 

But David encouraged and strengthened himself 

in the Lord his God."

                                                 1 Samuel 30:6

 

How do we encourage ourselves?  David used praise and worship and the words of this Psalm would seem appropriate to his situation above, and ours now. The music here might have been God inspired, but obviously not David's tune!!  For me, starting  "Food for Thought" my daily blog in the first lockdown kept me inspired and encouraged.  With daily publishing of the third series coinciding when this lockdown began, my hope is this will encourage the reader to strengthen their faith and relationship with the Lord. 

 

When those forty keys finish on 15^th December  I  hope to take a break for a few weeks.  Not the best time in the midst of mid-winter, short days and long nights, but hopefully we will then be free to visit friends and family and enjoy their company.  I have books to read, pictures to colour, jigsaws to put together, and a variety of sedentary games to play!!  I'll go back to writing in the new year.  The question is, will I be asked to write a fourth blog series, or return to my fifth novel in the Hearts Desire Series stuck since March at Chapter 6?

 

I have heard of SAD syndrome, ‘Seasonally Affected Depression’ and would suggested there is now CLB, "Covid Lockdown Blues". I read somewhere recently that laughter is not only good for the soul, but it lifts you for at least 24 hours afterwards.  This month I've put below a blog extract which I hope you will find as amusing to read, as I did when writing it.

 

‘Key 2 – Witness’

 “Obediently, having joined the twenty people at the meeting point and made welcome by a motley crew wrapped up in coats, hats and scarves, you were given a hymn sheet.  With cold hands, having forgotten your gloves, you stuffed that in your pocket.  On arriving in town, you discovered the idea was to use a tuning fork to sing acapella outside Marks & Spencers. Not something you knew about, and you, like others seemed to have trouble in the first hymn to find the right note.  The second hymn you didn’t know the tune.  Before starting the third, a fine drizzle began dampening your hymn sheet, but no-one seemed perturbed by the rising wind trying to snatch away it away.  

“When the drizzle became downpour, it was definitely the elements, not Jesus, who were reigning!  The singing of "How Sweet the Name of Jesus sounds" went from lusty to rusty. In persevering to the last line, "Refresh my soul in death" you didn't know whether to laugh or cry, but knew you weren't ready to drown for the cause!”