Rhonda Bronte Brown is a National Board-Certified Teacher and retired teacher/counselor whose work has appeared in Better Than Starbucks, The Trouvaille Review, Meat for Tea, The Orchards Poetry Journal and The Best Haiku 2025 international anthology and several online journals. She holds both a BS and a Master’s degree and writes children’s literature and poetry exploring nature, SEL, and STEM.
Deborah, in the Old Testament, was known for her wisdom and courage. Many Israelites sought her ruling on matters.
She was respected and valued as a Judge.
She was a prophet, able to hear God’s voice.
She was a warrior. Barak would only go to battle if she came.
What is my takeaway?
First, be obedient to God’s Word. Calling out sin is not hate. It is telling the truth. Know God’s word and be ready to answer. Deborah was prepared.
Second, stand firm in your convictions even when you don’t have all the answers. My part is to speak the truth; the Holy Spirit draws the person to Jesus. People sought her ruling and knew her to be wise and fair.
Third, be courageous and don’t waiver in your faith. Today more than ever, we need to stand in our faith and take back our country.
Joshua 1:9 Be strong and courageous! Do not tremble or be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.
My brain hurts. My eyes won’t work. I can’t read anymore. Why do letters move? Be still, so I can read you. The letters whisper- Don’t give up.
Jumbled Words. Letters flip and flop. Then they jump and hop. Why do letters move? Be still, so I can see you. The letters whisper. Say my name.
Grumbled Sounds, And mumbled tones, Never sounding the same. WHY do letters move? Be still, so I can hear you. The letters whisper- Blend the sounds.
Teacher, Teacher! The letters are moving! Oh, no, that’s in your head. Why do letters move? Be still, YOU! The letters whisper- Concentrate.
Taking Test Orally, I’m best. Squiggly scribble letters Why do letters move? Be still, so I can write you. The letters whisper- Yes, you can.
Read aloud! Nervous mistakes, Makes my insides quake. Why do letters move? Be still, don't laugh. The letters shout. Keep going.
Every day, my teacher says, “You’re reading better today!” “Why did letters move?” Not anymore! I shout, hooray! I’m reading today.
Rex hated to read aloud. Words skipped, tripped and stumbled over his tongue like jabbering gibberish. Flustered, Rex stopped.
Susie loved to read aloud. Her words slid in seamless syllables of streaming sounds. Her correctness rattled Rex.
Susie closed the book. Torrents of confusion ceased; his heart sank in horrible comparison. Susie can read but he cannot.
Rex wished he could slash words off all the pages. Then there would be no more letters picking at his brain. The pages would be as silent as a gentle rain.
The blame for the girl wielding a knife attempting to kill another girl doesn’t begin with the officer taking her life. It started long before she ended up in a foster home full of defiance, anger, and a disregard for life. For her, it began at home.
Long, long before God created the church or established Israel as a nation, before cities, God established the family as the basic unit of society. Parenting is one of the most demanding and most rewarding jobs ever. It is where we teach the love of self and others. It begins at home.
No parent is perfect, and even when you think you’re doing your best, things still go wrong. Missing subtle signs of depression, bullying at school, a child’s desire to be liked, willingness to sacrifice their (or your) values to succeed but then realized it costs them their soul. Parental conversation, church, counselors were still no help. It’s still the parent’s responsibility. It was mine.
Today we live in a world that flaunts Christian values as outdated, ridiculous, and even judgmental of others. The plumb line of Truth for the world has moved gradually in the seventies to drastically today. Raising a child amid that change can leave one blinded. Hind-sight has that glorious 20-20 vision.
Moving away from God’s design for the family, away from the families’ umbrella of protection, using the world’s plumb line for truth is the path to brokenness. There are many ways that brokenness enters our life and will whether or not we’re Christian. Healing comes by trusting God to mend our brokenness.
Familiarity with the gospel often keeps us from seeing the Glory of God. Sometimes we search for things that tickle our ears instead of trusting God’s Word. If we don’t dig our roots deep, then we are caught off guard by subtle deceptions.
Colossians 2:9 See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world rather than according to Christ.
Colossians 4:6 Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned, as it were with salt, so that you may know how you should respond to each person.
Hebrews 4:12 For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.
Voddie Bachman, the black-white divide is not a real divide that God established. God’s Word will take care of the false divide that men create. Tenants of Critical Race Theory: First, that racism is everywhere. White people are incapable of righteous action (convergence theory), Antifa liberalism rejects objectivity or enlightens knowledge, and knowledge is socially constructed. They say listen to them, not God. Listen to their stories and not the truth.
But facts are relevant to truth.
The Bible is sufficient for everyone, -red and yellow, black and white. Feelings are not the arborator of truth. God’s Word is the plumb-line for Truth. I have many brothers and sisters in Christ of many colors, and ethnic backgrounds, from around the world.
People need to be delivered from sin not liberation theology. Marxism is a death trap.
How many times have you started your day like you were already behind? Your list of things to do is long, necessary, and mundane. You pulled into the driveway on auto-drive and didn’t pick up the milk. In the Bible, there is a reference to people being like grasshoppers. The grasshopper never looks up.
Maybe today, you take a long way home and slow down, knowing your destination will always be there. Raising a family is for the long haul, but you are here right now. Give yourself permission to enjoy the ride, take time to look at your moments, and write them down.
Love your soul like thesoil loves the tree and gives it all the space it needs. (That is not my metaphor. It is by Dovan Beck; my niece, Chloe, sent it to me through FB) I’m borrowing his metaphor with a different application.
Colossians 2:6 speaks of being rooted in faith, growing in knowledge, and overflowing with gratitude- one faith, one hope, one Lord.
Colossians 2:6: Having been firmly rooted, and now being built up in Him and established in your faith, just as you were instructed and overflowing with gratitude.
God’s Word is the soil where we root our faith. The soil (God’s Word) loves the tree (me) and gives the tree (you and me) all the space it needs to grow. Give yourself permission to look up and take the rest your soul needs.
4 responses to “Permission to Love Your Soul like the Soil Loves the Tree.”
Sometimes it’s a matter of allowing ourselves to BE loved…
God asks that He may love my soul
as the soil doth love the tree,
to give me space that makes me whole
within His family.
But sometimes I can’t give that grace
to the God of all creation,
and turn from His tear-stained face
in silent protestation,
for I think I know me best;
I know what I have done,
and will not at His behest
(nor that of His son)
leave my dank and squalid hide,
my self-abnegating pride.
I Corinthians 10:13 No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.
I have learned life consequences can take you beyond your emotional ability to handle, especially if it involves family and their decisions that cost so much. Grief and sadness are natural and break the heart in two. Tears well up, and loss overwhelms and hopes dashed. These emotions are overwhelming and indisputable, know that. But also know that God’s heart for you is real.
God intends me to place my faith in His Word and not in the caboose of my emotions. The engine is God’s Word, and my faith is like coal that I put in the engine. Faith in God’s Word is putting your trust in Him, not your feelings.
I said to a friend one day, if I were writing the Bible, I would leave out a bunch of David’s sins or wiping out nations, but then I would not have seen the depth of David’s torment, his hurt —his return to God and a relationship restored.
Now that is a wow! God loved David and He loves me too, even when I doubt.
In Romans 5 describes a sequence of growth. Tribulations brings about perseverance, and perseverance, proven character and proven character, hope: and hope does not disappoint because the love of God has been poured out within our hears through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.
“Will,I created you with a free will to know Me or not,” say God.
“It is my choice,” says Will.
Yes.
I can choose.
Truth weathers time with no variation. You can trust it.
How can I be sure?
I created time for you to know Me.
Why free will?
During your time here, you have with-in you the capacity to love or hate; to experience joy and peace, not to stir discord; to develop patience and grit as you overcome anger and idleness; to show kindness, not intolerance or selfishness; to have a heart filled with goodness, not meanness; to have a gentleness of speech with others; and to grow in discipline and self-control as you hone your mind.
GIF/ Designed in GIPHY.com / excerpt from RasulRaumaVideo
Bumblebees, Honeybees and Wasp Tiny things that run the world, busy beats, their wings unfurled. Bumblebees love anther(pollen) threads blooming hues of blues and reds. Golden pearls spread all about, gathered by a little scout. Pollinizers-Flower Power Flower bouquets spread their scent, whiffs and swirls at spring’s advent. Orchard bees seek apple trees guided by a fragrant breeze. Bees create a honey treat- with lavender so pure and sweet.
The Butterfly Dainty things that run the world, silent beats, their wings unfurled. Butterflies from all around follow scents that hug the ground. Dancing-feet atop a bloom, search for nectar to consume.
Pollinizers-Array of Colors Flower clusters, vivid hues Yellows, reds but no blues, Flower seeds secure their worth, stretch their roots in fertile earth. Coneflowers and scattered seeds, are best paired with butterfly weeds.
The Hummingbird Swiftest things that run the world, Hums and beats, their wings unfurled. Hummingbirds need constant fuel. Brillant blooms attract this jewel. Forward, backward, upside down. These dashing fliers zip around. The Beauty of Pollinizers Golden flowers brilliant blooms Entice birds with shiny plumes. Blazing Star to Geranium, Coral Bells to Delphinium. Flower meadows, patchwork plots, Scattered seeds in local lots.
-let's sprinkle seeds in local lots.
11 responses to “Pollinizers and their Pollinators”
Today’s picture book market is very different from when I was a child. The book market is more selective. There exits an underlying pc culture. Very few publishers like in the past take direct submissions from new authors. So now you have written a children’s book, but does it cut the mustard (meet current standards)?
The first step is to compare your book to what’s currently written. Go to your library and read. Read in your genre, then read books out of your genre. But read current books. Water is Water by Miranda Paul is a perfect example of a nonfiction narrative that varies vastly from the expository/factual nature of picture books in the past. Books like I Talk Like a River explore the world of a stutter and address personal issues that kids face beyond friendship or bullying. So, read and find your mentor texts.
The second step is to know your craft before sending the query letter. Editors and agents get so many manuscripts that if they are not near perfect, they toss them. It’s like a resume filled with grammatical errors or false information. Research your agent, editor, or publishers. Make sure they are open to submissions in your genre.
The third step is to use the tools at hand. Microsoft Word has a review function that reads your work out loud. Use Grammarly or one such program to edited your work. Don’t pay someone like I did to take the extra space from behind the period when you can do it yourself. Crtl A copies, and Crtl H brings up a dialog box to make edits all at once.
Lastly, participate in a good critique group. Not an online, never see your face type but a Zoom group. It makes people accountable for what they say and why. A picture book must allow the reader to see for themselves what you are trying to say, not telling them what you think. For young readers, you are helping to develop their imagination. A mind free to think will imagine, reason, and then decide to act. (My synopsis line from a CS Lewis study with Hillsdale college.)
I will end by saying I had made every newbie mistake in the book by sending my manuscript out before it was ready. Take your time, learn the process, research, get your work ready, then submit.
I savor the changing season from melting snow to flowers peeking through the warming ground, a splash in the pool on a hot summer day, the colors of autumn and a harvest moon, and the stillness of winter.
I savor the changing season of life. Reaching eighteen took an eternity, and yet, the rest of my life seems like a blink of the eye. I savor the moments with my husband, the busyness of raising my children, and the pleasure of being a grandparent.
I savor my church, lessons learn, friends made, and lives touch. I savor giving back and volunteering for my community. I savor the lives I’ve touched as a teacher.
I savor God’s Word that is it forever true and is a plumb line for this world.
Life has seasons, each to be savored for the blessings they bring.
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