LeAnne Hardy, author and editor
  • Home
  • BIO
  • My Books
    • Children's and Young Adult
    • Historical Fiction
    • Non-fiction
  • Blog
  • Editorial Services

My ​Times and Places
​


​​

Giving Thanks to our Generous Provder

11/29/2020

0 Comments

 
Picture
Yesterday I took a long walk in the woods, stopping to pray attributes of God at various benches, stumps and logs along the way like the one at the site of this photo. This entry on "God, our Generous Provider," from Honey from the Comb seemed especially appropriate for this week after Thanksgiving. After all our gratitude  should be greater than what one day a year can contain. With no one to see me there by the lake, I threw back my head and opened my mouth like a baby bird as I prayed, ready to receive from God all the blessings he has for me.

GENEROUS PROVIDER
​
As great as God is, he reaches out to us generously and meets our needs beyond our imagining. As you meditate on these verses, thank him for his generosity to you and open your mouth like an infant to be filled.

 
I am the LORD your God, 
who brought you up out of Egypt. 
Open wide your mouth and I will fill it. Psalm 81:10
 
Wealth and honor come from you;
you are the ruler of all things.
In your hands are strength and power
to exalt and give strength to all. 1 Chronicles 29:12
 
How abundant are the good things
that you have stored up for those who fear you,
that you bestow in the sight of all,
on those who take refuge in you. Psalm 31:19
 
The lions may grow weak and hungry,
but those who seek the LORD lack no good thing.
Psalm 34:10
 
For the LORD God is a sun and shield; 
the LORD bestows favor and honor;
no good thing does he withhold 
from those whose walk is blameless. Psalm 84:11
 
Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift! 
2 Corinthians 9:15
 
He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? Romans 8:32
 
But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Matthew 6: 33
 
And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:19
 
If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. John 15:7
 
Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened. Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! Matthew 7:7-11
 
What no eye has seen,
what no ear has heard,
and what no human mind has conceived--
the things God has prepared 
for those who love him--
these are the things God has revealed to us 
by his Spirit. 1 Corinthians 2:9 -10a
 
For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich. 2 Corinthians 8:9
 
Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen. Ephesians 3:20-21
0 Comments

Are We Truly Free and Brave?

10/16/2020

0 Comments

 
Picture
​Among the many things changed by Covid has been my involvement in a choral group that included many music teachers from surrounding communities. We rehearsed weekly in one of the high schools. Last spring as we prepared for our concert the school closed the building to outside personnel like us. Within a week school closed period. In the beginning we had hopes of rescheduling our concert for maybe June. Then September or October. My music still hangs in a bag on a hook ready to grab as I go out the door to rehearsal.

This song is not from last spring’s planned program. It is from an earlier concert, but the text by American abolitionist, James Russel Lowell (1819-1891), has stuck with me. In recent days its meaning seems all the more powerful.


Read More
0 Comments

Fractured Worlds

10/9/2020

0 Comments

 
Picture
​I have been reading a lot about Native Americans this past year in an effort to better understand my Ojibwe neighbors. I read The Orenda by Joseph Boyden in early March, but then Covid made it seem irrelevant. Recent protests for social justice brought my thoughts back to understanding neighbors whose cultures are different from mine, whose life experiences and worldviews are different. We aren’t all alike. We are different, and that difference enriches our world. Difference does not mean one is any less an image bearer of God than any other. We all deserve respect as God’s creation. We all stand in need of the gospel of Jesus Christ—a brown man from a lower class family in a backwater of an oppressive empire.


Read More
0 Comments

Organizing my Prayer List

10/2/2020

0 Comments

 
Picture
​With the publication of my new book Honey from the Comb, we have been talking about prayer on this blog. I have been using what is now published as Honey as the basis of my devotions for many years, but it doesn’t cover all the specific and immediate things that need prayer in my life—loved ones without Jesus, friends with cancer or with a job interview this week. When Honey was in a loose-leaf notebook, it was easy to keep extra pages in the back for my lists. More recently, that turned into a list on my phone. A few months ago, Marcia Strauss, prayer coordinator for our mission (SIM) introduced me to PrayerMate, a free app for organizing my prayer list.

Read More
0 Comments

Faith in our Current Concrete Situation

9/5/2020

1 Comment

 
Picture
Many times these days I have found my stomach tied in knots. Parties with no social distancing prolong our corona agony. Anger against social injustice spills over into more injustices. Pickup trucks plow through protesters to make their own protest. What will happen when local schools reopen? How can we agree on measurable goals to put an end to violence in the street and racism in our communities? I pray, “Lord have mercy,” even as I acknowledge that we don’t deserve mercy anymore than Jerusalem did as the Babylonians approached.


Read More
1 Comment

Taking a Good Look at Me

9/1/2020

0 Comments

 
Picture
​​The first section of my new book, Honey from the Comb, collects verses to help you focus on who God is and what he is like. But when we do that, we realize that we aren’t as good as we would like people to think we are. Isaiah was a young prophet when he had a vision of God in the temple (Isaiah 6). His response wasn’t “Wow! What a great worship experience!” It was “Oh, no! I’m ruined! I have such a dirty mouth, and everyone around me has a dirty mouth!” He was embarrassed when he compared himself to God instead of to other people.

​Part 2 of Honey from the Comb focuses on Scriptures to help you be specific in confession.


Read More
0 Comments

Adoring our Great God

8/17/2020

0 Comments

 
Picture
My newly released book, Honey from the Comb, follows the ACTS pattern for prayer--Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, and Supplication. In coming days we will look at the other sections, but today, lets think about Adoration.

Adoration is praising God for who he is and what he is like. It focuses on his character more than on the specifics of what he has done. (That is the job of thanksgiving.) The passages in the first section of 
Honey from the Comb are chosen to help you meditate on different aspects of who God is. The idea is to read a line and pray it back to God, telling him how true it is and why it matters to you right now.

A dear friend in our church passed away last week from cancer. Her family are much on my mind today as I think about God, our Comforter.  

He heals the brokenhearted 
and binds up their wounds. Psalm 147:3 
Lord, I know you heal the brokenhearted. Bind up the wounds of Char's family right now.

The LORD is close to the brokenhearted
and saves those who are crushed in spirit. Psalm 34:18
Lord, I praise you because you come close to the brokenhearted. May Char's family know your presence in a special way
at this time. 

​Perhaps you are hurting right now or know someone who is. Use these verses from the Adoration section of Honey from the Comb to worship our great God and guide your prayers. 


Read More
0 Comments

Honey from the Comb

8/6/2020

8 Comments

 
Picture

​Pandemic. 

Economic disaster. 

Social injustice. 

Fighting in the streets. 

​Not to mention personal struggles with relationships, 

health problems 
​

and feelings of failure and inadequacy.


Read More
8 Comments

Celebrate Singing

6/18/2020

4 Comments

 
PictureWith Mrs. Marshall at a Park Tudor Alumni event a decade ago.
“Stand up from the waist,” the tiny round-faced woman demanded. “Sit on the part of the body God gave you to sit on, and I don’t mean your back!” She always said it with a scowl that she could never hold without breaking into an infectious grin. For more than fifty years I have heard that voice in my head and scooted to the edge of my seat to comply every time. How can anyone pretend to sing slouched in an armchair?

Elise Marshall, my high school music teacher, formed me as a singer. She taught me to use my diaphragm, an open throat and a loose jaw.​


Read More
4 Comments

Black Mountain Blog Tour

6/13/2020

0 Comments

 
Picture
In the days since Black Mountain was released, I have been eagerly watching for reviews. I asked some people ahead of time and lined up several blogs. I have been mentioning them on Facebook, but didn't want to stuff your mailbox every time one went up. So here is a summary. I'd love it if you added your review to those on Amazon.

June 4     Rani's Simple Living  Rani thinks I need to write a book about Nicholas. I'll have to think about that!

June 8.     Book Reviews from an Avid Reader.  Joan likes the research (which I enjoyed very much.) She also says, "What I liked most in this novel is the idea of God redeeming and restoring the life of a repentant person. What a great representation of the life transforming nature of the gospel. I also liked the suspense at the end."

​June 9 International Christian Fiction Writers. Donna Fletcher Crow, author of Glastonbury; A Novel of Christian Britain, interviews me about Black Mountain. She says in her review, "Black Mountain concludes Leanne Hardy’s Glastonbury Grail series with a powerful pilgrimage, both physical and spiritual. Magic and faith, myth and eternal truth intermingle in this novel of the Holy Grail. With the beauty of an epic poem, it presents an allegory of the grace of God."

June 11 History Thru the Ages. This historical Christian fiction site features an article by me on how my Glastonbury Grail series came to be written. It's not too late to comment and enter a drawing for a free copy of Black Mountain.

June 12 History Thru the Ages. An article about how writing was viewed in the 16th century and the "new" 1536 translation of the Bible into English by William Tyndale. Comment again and enter your name in the drawing a second time.

0 Comments
<<Previous

    Author

    LeAnne Hardy has lived in six countries on four continents. Her books come out of her cross-cultural experiences and her passion to use story to convey spiritual truths in a form that will permeate lives.

    RSS Feed

    Add http://www.leannehardy.net/1/feed to your RSS feed.
    If you would like to receive an e-mail when I post a new blog, please fill in the form below.
    Subscribe to Blog

    Categories

    All
    Africa
    Author Interviews
    Current Events
    Devotional Thoughts
    Guest Blog
    Holidays Christmas
    Holidays-Easter
    Holidays Other
    Holidays-Thanksgiving
    Missions And Missionaries
    Music
    My Books
    My Life And Family
    My Travels
    Non Fiction
    Orphans And Vulnerable Children
    Photos
    Publishers And Publishing
    Reading And Sharing Books
    Reviews
    Skating
    Theological Education
    Tributes
    Writing

    Archives

    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    August 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    September 2017
    April 2017
    February 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012
    December 2011
    November 2011
    October 2011
    September 2011
    August 2011
    July 2011
    June 2011
    May 2011
    April 2011
    March 2011
    February 2011
    January 2011
    December 2010
    November 2010
    October 2010
    September 2010
    August 2010
    July 2010
    June 2010
    May 2010
    April 2010
    March 2010
    February 2010
    January 2010
    December 2009
    November 2009
    October 2009
    September 2009
    August 2009

Proudly powered by Weebly
  • Home
  • BIO
  • My Books
    • Children's and Young Adult
    • Historical Fiction
    • Non-fiction
  • Blog
  • Editorial Services