A Gentle Nudge



Bear & Lexi

Gentle Nudge

(Steph, this is for you!)

I knelt down to put Lexi’s harness on before putting her in the car to go to work. The gentle, warm nudge at my elbow was almost irritating – as I was already late for work. Guilt rose up in my throat and caught up with the rough words I nearly uttered.

I let go of Lexi and turned my attention to Bear. Bear. My sweet, ten-year old black lab.

He’s a very polite dog. Rarely barks, never wastes effort on being energetic, and always defers or stands aside as if to say “you first” or “pardon me”. Because he’s so easy-going, he usually gets less attention than the more sanguine mammals in the house. You know ... the squeaky wheel rule ...

But this time, he was asking for my attention. And I very nearly put him off again.

My heart melted at his sad eyes and I hugged him and rubbed his ears. He brightened immediately, love and affection shining in his eyes.

But the guilt that rose up like bile a few moments before continued unabated.

HE was speaking to me again.

“I feel left out, too. Why do you always have to finish this or do that first before you can turn your attention to Me? I knew you before time began. I chose you to be my very own. I gave you My very Best. When will you seek Me first? When will you stop putting Me off? I miss our intimate time together.”

He is a Gentleman.  He does not insist or demand, but waits patiently.

My God is a jealous God. He does not accept second place my life. If I have to reprioritize daily, then so be it. No thing is more important than God's Presence in my life.

So when you feel that Gentle Nudge in your spirit ...

Prayers Answered Without the Glamour

I've been praying over a very specific matter over the last several months. It's one of those situations that swells and recedes over the course of time. Some days it's very bothersome, other days it's out of sight and out of mind. I've prayed quietly and I've prayed intensely, depending on the momentary ferocity of the situation. In my angst and despair, like David, I asked God to destroy my enemies. Not actually destroy the people, but to destroy the enemy that has taken foothold in their spirits.

I've even given God advice on how to go about handling this situation. I imagined that He had not enough time to give this situation much thought, so I was trying to give Him a headstart on solving the problem. Guess He took some time to mull over my sage wisdom.

Or not.

As the thing continued to drag on and on and I began to sense Him gently reminding me to pray for my enemies. Reminding me to pray for ME to change. Not THEM.

So, knowing He was right, but not really feeling like admitting it, I began asking blessings over this individual's life. Every day I would battle through the feelings of anger and bitterness and pray for blessings over him. Over time, the sharpness of the pain began to subside. Not because the situation had changed, but because I began to see the individual through Christ's eyes. A lonely, hurting individual who professed to be a Believer by mouth, but whose actions soured his words. While the bitterness would well up now and again, it was receding. And I began to sense peace from the Lord about the situation.

One day, without fanfare or fireworks or trauma, tears or shouting, the situation was resolved. One phone call brought the report of the answer to my prayer. Exactly as I had prayed. For the individual to be blessed. Which brought resolution to my situation.

Don't we really like it when God makes the thunder roll as He announces that He has answered our prayers? The drama queen in all of us rather likes that, I think.

But more often than not, He chooses the quiet, round-about route, much like He did over 2,000 years ago when He sent Jesus to be born a pauper's birth.

The Miracle of Mercy Land

At one time or another in our lives, we've all looked back with regret at some road we should have taken, a meandering path where we got off track. We all live in one great big pond. And every time we make a move, the water ripples. We may never know how those ripples affect our family and friends ... and even total strangers.

What if we could know? How would it change our actions? Our words? Our decisions? What if we could go back and change some or all of those things we regret?

Mercy Land is an independent young woman during a time period when those three words were rarely strung together with kind intent. She moved to Bay City from the backwoods of Bittersweet Creek and blossomed into a bright, junior editor at the town newspaper. Doc Philips, her mentor and dear friend – also her boss – kept an covert, watchful eye over Mercy while raising her up to be the next publisher and editor of the paper.

Then a mysterious and dangerous book falls into Doc's possession. It contains knowledge that should not be known to humans. Intimate knowledge of everyone he knows ...and everyone that he doesn't know. Knowledge that, if in the wrong hands, could change everything. Doc instinctively knows that Mercy must take possession of the book.

After an irritating, yet handsome young stranger - who somehow knows about the book - moves to town, Mercy is sucked into a swirling vortex of frightening knowledge and other-worldly events that threaten her very existence. Doc is riddled with guilt that Mercy's safety and sanity are at risk. But she is the only one that can be trusted to keep the book. Will the book destroy her? Can she keep the book safe from those who would use its power for evil?

From the very first sentence, I was captivated by Mercy's soft southern drawl and transported back to a simpler life and time of the 1930's in a southern town filled with wonderful and strange characters, wizened fatherly figures and crusty, doting aunts and old maids dispensing sage advice.

River Jordan takes us back to post-depression, small town Americana where life was simple, yet rich. While accompanying her on the walking tour of Bay City, I felt the breeze blowing through the moss-laden oak, smelled the salty Gulf air, and snatches of childhood memories from the lunch counter at Woolworth danced just out of reach.

Jordan has a warm, intimate way with words. I thoroughly enjoyed her delightful phraseology. She can spin a whirlwind tale that – as unbelievable as it may be – is both compelling and redeeming.

I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.