Author: T.S. Cook

A bunch of my writer friends and I are about to leave this world to create a whole new one with our imaginations. It’s National Novel Writing Month!!!! 😀 (NaNoWriMo) The goal is to write at least 50,000 words in 30 days. That’s about 1667 words per day. It’s definitely doable with discipline. And guess who will do his very best to distract us. Yup . . .

 LOL

Our skill tool is of course our brain. Satan’s battlefield is our mind. Our weapon is the word of God. As we embark on this task, we have to renew our minds to stay focused. If something should come up, we have to remember that God is with us no matter what. There’s no need to panic.

 God is always in control!

When the enemy tries to distract us (And he will) with all kinds of nutty thoughts, we have to remember Philippians 4:8-And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.

The work you have to do for the Lord is valuable. Don’t let the enemy stand in your way.

I’m not exempt. I’m . . .

Just blogging it out . . . Oh and Happy NaNoWriMo!!!

Continue to pray!!!

Photo by AlexBov

 I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit. (Romans 15:3)

Trusting God should put us at ease like the relaxed kitten in the pic.

Just blogging it out . . .OH, and Happy Friday Night!!

Keep praying!

It’s hard to find a great show on TV nowadays. There are a few I watch on a regular basis that are actually surviving and thriving, like Once Upon A Time (Don’t judge me. LOL), Blackish (Love this show!), and Survivor (Yup, I still watch it.) to name a few. There are quite a few shows I thought were really good, but despite my opinion they were canceled after one season, like Stalker. Remember that one? Oh and I’ll never forget when they canceled American Dreams after the third season without a series finale. I absolutely loved American Dreams and looked forward to watching it Sunday evenings. It was a wholesome family show that was centered around two families in the 1960’s. Even though I watched it faithfully, it was canned for poor ratings. 😦

Ok, so now I absolutely love a show that started last month called, This Is Us. Here’s a synopsis copied from Wikipedia: The series follows twins Kate and Kevin along with their adopted brother Randall as their lives intertwine. Kate and Kevin were originally part of a triplet pregnancy, however their biological brother was still-born. Their parents, intent on bringing home three babies, decide to adopt another newborn (Randall) who was brought to the hospital after his father abandoned him at a fire house.

The cast is great, which includes Milo Ventimiglia, who also starred in American Dreams. HA! Imagine that. Also starring: Mandy Moore, Sterling K. Brown, Justin Hartley, Ron Cephas Jones, Chrissy Metz, Chris Sullivan, and Susan Kelechi Watson. I won’t spoil the episodes by writing spoilers, but I will say my favorite thing about this show is that it’s centered around family. Just regular people dealing with life. No pimps, prostitutes, or basketball or hip hop wives. And so far, the ratings are good.

If you’ve watched This Is Us, tell me what you think about it. If you haven’t, give it a chance and then tell me what you think about it. LOL 😀

Just blogging it out . . .Oh, and Happy Tuesday Night!! 😀

And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. (Philippians 4:8)

Well, our vacation has ended and in the morning, it’s back to work as usual. It’s been raining all day, which to me is a bonus. Saw a few extravagant lightening bolts and heard the deep rumbling sounds of thunder too. Kind of reminded me of the Midwestern storms I experienced growing up. I was always more afraid of the harmless crackling sound of thunder rather than the lightening, which of course is quite harmful. LOL For some reason, I thought if the thunder was loud enough, it would rip our house apart. Silly me. I spent many nights close to suffocation trying to protect myself by hiding under a blanket until the thunder stopped. 😀

The idea of thunder being harmful was all in my mind. I’m quite certain one of my siblings had something to do with it. 😀 Being the youngest made me an easy target for brainwashing. LOL What’s my point?

One of my favorite and most applied bible verses is Philippians 4:8. (Actually, the entire chapter, but let’s focus on just this verse for this post.) Sometimes it’s easy to be distracted. The enemy would love for us to focus on everything except the things of God. He’ll use whatever it takes to steer us off course. Things we like and dislike. Activities, foolishness, and thoughts. It’s up to us to let him succeed or not. I choose NOT! Focus on Him!

Just blogging it out . . . OH and Happy Monday Night! 😀

Continue to pray!

I woke up this morning without a care in the world. I looked around the RV thinking, ahhhh the simple life. Pack up and hit the road. Stop for a few days then head for the next destination. Peace, quiet, and comfort. COMFORT!! I had a fleeting thought of how nice it would be to live comfortably for the rest of our lives. Spending my time with Antoine and Scout away for the chaos of the world. How happy would I be engaging in my favorite activities ALL DAY, EVERYDAY:  hiking, reading, writing, and eating my sister’s Heavenly Cashew Crunch. 😀 I thought, wouldn’t it be great if we could live in comfort for the rest of our lives???

Yeah, of course, but how would I fulfill my purpose? And we all know, comfort and growth are not synonymous. Growth requires us to move out of our comfort zone. There’s no denying these last 6 months have been quite difficult for me. And because they were difficult for me, they were probably difficult for Antoine too because he was with me every step of the way. The outcome of the production (I Came to Tell You About . . . THE GREAT REDEEMER) was a lot better than I imagined. Many people were blessed and God was glorified, which was the goal. It drained me. And while this little getaway is wonderful, my renewed strength and ability to keep moving forward comes from the Lord. He’s the ultimate refresher. The bible verse that comes to mind is: But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary, and they shall walk, and not faint. (Isaiah 40:31)

I find comfort in knowing I can ALWAYS rely on the Lord for any and everything I need. Vacations and getaways are great. My connection with the Lord is priceless and irreplaceable.

Just blogging it out . . . Oh and Happy Wednesday!! 😀

Keep praying!!

We had such a busy weekend that our anniversary flew by yesterday. Antoine and I were exhausted, we laid down for what we thought was a nap, but ended up being a good night sleep in our clothes with the lights and TV on all night. So basically, we spent our anniversary napping. LOL

I can’t believe we’ve been married for 17 years and have known each other for 27. I know we’re getting older, but it doesn’t seem like it. I’d like to believe it’s the joy the Lord has given us that keeps us young. We’ve had endless joy even during the tough times like in 2009 with my mother’s diagnosis and subsequent death from breast cancer or in 2006 when Antoine received one of those dreaded letters telling him he would be losing his job in two months. I think the joy we have has given some people the impression that we’re living on Easy Street. NOT! We have difficult times like everyone else. We cling to the Lord! The scripture that comes to mind is Psalm 30:5 For his anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime! Weeping may last through the night, but joy comes with the morning.

Marriage takes effort from both sides. A LOT OF EFFORT!! I’m looking forward to all the years Antoine and I have together. I’m also looking forward to putting in more EFFORT!

LOVE HARD & ON PURPOSE!

Just blogging it out . . . Oh and HAPPY BELATED ANNIVERSARY TO US!!

#oct16th

Just when the photographer was about to take the picture, “OOPS! What’s that on my shoe?” LOL So, I decided I wanted to wear my favorite look of all time (big black ball skirt and a crisp white cotton blouse) and take professional photos. By the way, I’m not actually wearing shoes. I can’t remember why I’m looking down, but I’m glad the photographer, Meka, snapped the pic. Turns out, this is my favorite pic of the bunch. I like it because it’s different!!

And now, tonight’s topic . . .

And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns. (Philippians 1:6)

I don’t know about you, but sometimes I want to give up on everything I’m doing, put on my favorite holey t-shirt & shorts, get comfortable on the sofa in front of the TV, and eat CAKE!!! Not just any cake. I would eat lemon cake with cream cheese lemon frosting. 😀

The above scripture is one of my go-to scriptures for encouragement. It’s a reminder that I shouldn’t rely on my own strength and abilities because they will land me on my sofa behaving unproductively and more than likely obese from eating too much cake. LOL If I’m thinking about quitting, I’m not focused on Him. I have to trust Him even when I’m tired and keep moving forward.

If you’re thinking about giving up and binging on cake, DON’T! Remember, God will finish the work He began in you too. Trust Him!!

Just blogging it out . . . OH, and Happy Thursday Night!! 😀

Continue to pray!!

Photo taken by my cousin, Meka @ SpiderMeka Photography

http://www.spidermeka.com/

Marketing is definitely not my cup of tea but I’ll give it a shot. 😀

We’re at it again! The New Day Drama Team is raising money for our Missions Ministry. There are so many people in need in the world that it may seem impossible to help if we try to do it alone. But together we can make a big difference. We are humbly asking for a small donation of $30 and in return you will receive a gift. 🙂 A ticket to see an amazing play, THE GREAT REDEEMER, and a special surprise upon your arrival. Go to http://www.eventbrite.com/e/25560493123 to get your ticket. Or, if you’re out of town and would like to donate, go to www.newdaycorona.com -click on the giving tab-click on Production tickets. Remember: Each Admission Supports The Great Commission!

Click here for a quick promotional video.

Just blogging it out . . . Oh, and Happy Tuesday Night! 😀

And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not. (Galatians 6:9)

Stay focused on the Lord. It’s worth it!!

Just blogging it out . . . Oh, and Happy Monday Night! 😀

Continue to pray for our country. If you’ve been watching/reading the news or if you watched the presidential debate, you know exactly how important it is to continue to PRAY!

The hourglass in the photo reminds me of the soap opera, Days of Our Lives. “Like sands through the hourglass, so are the days of our lives.” 😀 Such a true statement.

My husband and I went to a high school football game tonight, the Homecoming game to be exact. What a great reminder of how old we are. LOL Seriously, where did the time go? I guess since Antoine and I don’t have children, it’s easy for us to forget we are old enough to have them. LOL We are so old that we could have grown children with children.

Although I don’t think we had one, I remember the rotary phone. I was taught how to type on an electric typewriter. I grew up during a time when it was perfectly fine to drink water from the tap and the water hose (best tasting water ever!). There was no internet or cell phone. I remember when candy bars were bigger and only cost a quarter. It was a big deal when the price went up to 35 cents and then 50 cents. Pay phones were used frequently. If you didn’t have a quarter, you called collect but you didn’t let the call go through. LOL You waited to hear your mother’s voice, then yelled, “Ma, come get me” before the operator put the charge through. (Of course that was before Christ. LOL) Those were the days.

Antoine and I enjoyed an evening of laughing about the good old days and realizing how many good old days we have. Yikes! 😀 Time is a precious gift from God. Let’s use it wisely and make the rest of our lives, the best of our lives. (Someone said it, but I can’t remember who. LOL)

Just blogging it out . . . Oh, and Happy Friday Night!!

Continue to pray for our country.