Friday Friends - Lynn Blackburn

Lynn Blackburn

Although Lynn and I have not had the chance to meet face-to-face, a connection was formed from the first time we read one another's blog. Lynn has a way of writing all her own. She pulls you in with her anecdotes and transparency. Funny and poignant, Lynn will inspire you to move to the next level with your heavenly Father.


Welcome, Lynn!


(1) Tell us a little about your family and growing up years.


I grew up in the mountains of North Carolina and upstate of South Carolina.I was blessed to grow up in a Christian home and I’m still very close to myparents and sister. She just moved five minutes away and I’m loving havingher nearby!


(2) When did you know God was calling you to write?


I only started writing a few years ago, but I felt sure of my calling atthe Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference in 2010.


(3) Who is a person that is making and has made a strong impact on your life, and why?
I’ve been blessed with many wonderful role models. Right now, my children are making the biggest impact on me. They keep me on my toes—and on my knees.


(4) What is your life verse?


I don’t have just one. But related to my writing, I love Psalm 138:8 ~ TheLord will fulfill his purpose for me; your steadfast love, O Lord, enduresforever. Do not forsake the work of your hands.


(5) Other than Jesus, what Bible hero would you like to talk to?


Peter! Big mouth, big mistakes, big impact for the Kingdom :-)!


(6) What in depth Bible study would you recommend to my readers?


I love Beth Moore, Kay Arthur, Priscilla Shirer, and just recently discovered Kelly Minter. All of them have wonderful Bible studies that are perfect for women of all ages.


(7) Tell us of how you came to a saving relationship with Christ?


I can’t ever remember not knowing about God, but I do remember the night Iaccepted the sacrifice Jesus made for me. I was four. I remember the conviction I felt and that I refused to go to sleep until I had asked Jesus to forgive me of my sins and come into my heart. And I remember the peace that flooded through me when I knew He had.


(8) Please give a word of encouragement and hope to my readers who may be struggling today.


When I’m down, it’s the Psalms I turn to. Right now, it’s Psalm 119:132that I’m dwelling on. Turn to me and be gracious to me as is your way withthose who love your name. I love this - and maybe some of you need thisreminder today - that God’s usual way of dealing with us is to be graciousand merciful.


Lynn lives in upstate SC and blogs at lynnhugginsblackburn.blogspot.com

Strength to Stand

 

A Guest Post by Lynn Huggins Blackburn

Deuteronomy 33:25 ~ Your bars shall be iron and bronze, and as your days, so shall your strength be. (ESV)

Right now, I don't feel like my bars are iron or bronze.

I feel like a half-way decent puff of wind could knock me over. I'm in serious need of a vacation. And a massage.

Each day, my to-do list taunts me. Housework, laundry, cooking, shopping, packing lunches, trying not to eat chocolate (and failing), playing with my kids, hanging out with my husband.

And let’s not forget that there are flowers that need watering and relationships that need nurturing and neighbors who need Jesus.

I'm exhausted just thinking about it.

But these words from Deuteronomy, the blessing that Jacob gave to the tribe of Asher, remind me that there will be enough strength to accomplish what God wants accomplished.

Not necessarily what I want accomplished.

So I'm planning. I'm praying. And I'm trying to hold my goals out in open hands.

I'm starting each day asking God to rule and reign over my day and my calendar. Then, I'm talking to Him about my to-do list and asking Him for my next step. I'm choosing to believe that what truly needs to get done will get done and I'm trying to stay open to the Spirit's leading as I go through my day. (This method comes from Having A Mary Heart in a Martha World by Joanna Weaver).

Some days start this way, but by 7:13 a.m. (more or less), I've grabbed the reins and I'm running the show. Those days always end in exhaustion and aggravation.

Some days I make it until noon. It's a rare day that I make it past supper before I start trying to do things in my own strength. I have to surrender - repeatedly - throughout the day.

I'm not sure what your life is like right now. My guess is you could teach me a thing or two about hectic lives and crazy schedules.

So join me. Don't wait until tomorrow.

Ask God to take the reins right now. Ask Him as many times today as you need to. And then watch as He gives you strength to do what truly needs to be done.

You'll have to repeat this process again tomorrow. And the next day. And the next.

But when the winds blow and life threatens to take you down, you'll feel His strength.

And you will stand.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`

Day by Day, sung by the Antrim Mennonite Choir

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Lynn Huggins Blackburn has been telling herself stories since she was five and finally started writing them down. She blogs about living life at the intersection of fear and faith on her blog Out of the Boat.

Lynn is a member of the Jerry B. Jenkins Christian Writers Guild and Word Weavers, Greenville. She lives in South Carolina where she hangs out with three lively children, one fabulous man, and a cast of imaginary characters who find their way onto the pages of her still unpublished novels.

She drinks a lot of coffee.
 

Audacious Hope

A Guest Blog by Lynn Huggins Blackburn

I hope for so many things.

I hope the weather will be perfect for my child’s birthday party.

I hope NCIS will never go off the air.

I hope the cheesecake I had for dessert will go to fuel my brain instead of finding its way to my hips.

I have no reason to believe any of these things will happen the way I want them to.

But I still hope.

We have more serious hopes. We hope our parents live forever and our children make us proud. And whenever a baby is expected, whether that child is yours, your grandchild, your friend’s first or seventh, there is a universal hope for wellness. We hear it all the time. “I don’t care if it’s a boy or a girl. Just so long as they’re healthy.”

But sometimes . . . All the hoping in the world won’t change reality.

For me, it started with an early delivery. It progressed to a glimpse of a tiny body being whisked away. And not hearing any crying.

In the almost nine years since, I’ve learned a few things about hope.

I don’t hope for valedictorian honors, great big weddings, or grandchildren with her smile.

I hope we’ll be able to have a conversation. I hope she’ll have true friends. I hope she’s happy.

But most of all, I hope she changes the world.

I’ve learned that there are two kinds of hope. There’s the word “hope” that we throw around in everyday language - it’s more like a wish.

Then there’s Biblical hope. The word translated “hope” in the Bible has nothing to do with wishes and dreams. Biblical hope has everything to do with certainty. When the Bible talks about hope, it’s referring to things that will happen. No doubt. No maybe.

And it’s that kind of hope I’m talking about when I say I hope Emma changes the world. Maybe that sounds audacious to you. Maybe it is.

But I serve an audacious God.

The kind of God who, every now and then, takes a little bit longer as he knits a baby together in the womb. He tweaks the cells and creates a child unlike any other.

What we call a syndrome, God calls a plan.

Would her life—and mine—have been easier if her DNA looked like everyone else’s? Probably. But would it have been as rich? Would it have been so full of grace? Would it have pulled me to my knees in prayer and lifted my hands to the heavens in praise? I don’t think so.

I have hope—Biblical hope—that Emma is here for a reason. Her life has a meaning that transcends her ability to tell me about her day or do long division.

Believe me, there are days when I forget. Days when I’m frustrated. Days when I ask God why. On those days, God gently reminds me that He is the God of Hope. That He has “a hope and a future” for Emma—and for me—that is beyond anything I can imagine.

Audacious hope isn't something I can self-generate.

I can't talk myself into it. But I can run to the God of Hope and ask Him to provide it.

He can. He does.

He can do it for you, too.

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope." Rom 15:13 (ESV)

Lynn Huggins Blackburn has been telling herself stories since she was five and finally started writing them down. She blogs about faith, family, and her writing journey on her blog Out of the Boat. Lynn is a member of the Jerry B. Jenkins Christian Writers Guild and the Upstate Fellowship of Christian Writers. She lives in South Carolina where she hangs out with three lively children, one fabulous man, and a cast of imaginary characters who find their way onto the pages of her still unpublished novels. She drinks a lot of coffee.