Bon Voyage...Absent in Body but Not in Spirit for a Little While

This is happy me on the way to Seattle to ski with my sister Wendy. She sent me a ticket because she felt sorry for me and our pitiful Charlotte snow this year. I don't want to be cold, but I do love to cross-country ski. She suggested on the proposed itinerary that we also go "dragon boating". While paddling on Seattle bay would normally be great fun, NOT in 30-45 degree weather. I told her I would watch her dragon boating in water that would instantly ice every cell in her body if she fell in,  but I myself would pass on that wonderful offer.

I suspect I will not be getting blogs out this week. I intend to enjoy my sister and the left coast to the fullest. However, you do not need to be without my daily dose of inspiration! Did I ever tell you I write books????

I received a letter last week from a sweet woman who battled cancer many years ago, and is now battling it again. She told me she wished she'd had my book twenty years ago when she had breast cancer. And now, as she faces a new cancer, she thanked me for the good laugh my book provided her. Laughter is great medicine, she added.

She is right. And I am grateful for her kind words because I wrote the book hoping it would be a real help for people facing all kinds of adversity.

You can purchase that book HERE to tide you over till I return from Seattle.  If you want a fun, zany, but faith-filled series chock full of animals, God, and underdogs, you could try my new Unlikely Friends series. You can click HERE for the first book. Book 3 is in edit, due out very soon, and Book 4 has been started!

My ticket says "TSA/PreCheck". That means I don't have to stand in the long line of all those people checking in to the airport security who have to empty all their possessions and take off their shoes. I did nothing to earn this, nor did I pay for this privilege.

I get to go in the short, quick line that those in authority have given a safe pass. How much this reminds me of what happens when we put our faith in Jesus. We can not earn or pay for God's favor or forgiveness of our sins. We must only accept the free pass He offers. We are pre-approved to pass through death into eternal life with God because Jesus paid the penalty for our sins through His atoning sacrifice on the cross. We are no longer condemned in our sin, but sail right to God's side through His checkpoint with no hassle, forgiven and free.

Bon voyage and God Bless you all.
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1 Thessalonians 2:17

But we, brethren, having been taken away from you for a short while--in person, not in spirit--were all the more eager with great desire to see your face.