Anna's Ideas

The first anniversary of my blog is coming up soon (the sixteenth of March, to be specific,) and I am excited! So, because who doesn't want something to celebrate, I decided to do something special.  (And yes, I may or may not be sitting at my keyboard with an overly suspicious grin on my face.) And yes, I will keep postponing this announcement for as long as I possibly can. *laughs evily* Anyway, can you guess what poems, snippets of fictional stories, lessons (and stories) from my life, random ramblings, and favorite songs all have in common? Yes? No? I'll add a few more lines to build the suspense... And a few more... Have you made your guess yet? Wait no longer! You guessed it!  (Hmm... Or did you?...  Maybe, maybe not)  I'm going to start an email list! That's right!  I'm committing to a (hopefully) more consistent schedule than the random posts here on my blog (sorry about that unpredictability, by the way).  I promise I won't flood your inbox, beggin...

Is God a God of Comfort? A guest post by bestselling author Angela R. Watts It is easy to lose ourselves in the worldly spectrum of fleshly comforts--compulsive shopping, obsessive eating, the list of comforting, yet harmful, things we seek is a long one. But these are momentary bursts of happiness. True comfort does not come from a full shopping cart, a really good pizza, or a day spent binging 90’s sitcoms. Every person faces trials in their life. Some might seem mountainous, some might seem trivial. If you find yourself swamped in trivial disasters with a giant mountain looming ahead--you aren’t alone. We’ve all been there. The best way to find hope, however, is first, to find comfort in the Lord. The Merriam-Webster definition of comfort is this: “: to give strength and hope to: CHEER” Does this sound familiar? “These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” J...

Look at our world today, The broken state in which we live. We are all hurting, In need of a Savior. People are dying, Tensions are rising, Yet no one seems to care. Why do we care Only about opinions, Who's right or wrong? Maybe politics aren't final, Perhaps they're not the answer? What if we considered love? Why is it not the determining factor? It doesn't matter whose side you are on.  Turn on the evening news for a minute, and it's obvious that our world is in a broken and desperate state.  Please, if you're reading this, take a moment to join me in prayer for our country and our world.

There's no denying it; 2020 has been an interesting year, definitely one for the history books. Recently, as I think we all have been doing, I've been reflecting on the past twelve months.  Over the past few days, especially, I've been taking some extra time to think back and glean from all of these memories. One such time, I was listening to the radio and reading through old journal entries.  I realized then just how memories I can, and have, associated with music.  Scrolling through my playlist, I often point out, "oh, yeah!  I remember the first time I heard this song!" Or, "remember? That was when this was happening." So, I thought, let's take a creative twist on the traditional end-of-the-year reflections. "Five More Minutes" (Scotty McCreery): December 31, 2019 I had actually listened to Scotty's book, Go Big or Go Home,  back in late October or November 2019.  Before then, I never paid close attention to his music.  But after I r...

Rescuer’s Facade Note: this poem was co-written with my friend, Brianna Harpel.  She and I also wrote another poem (Where Monsters Prey), which is published on her blog. To read more of her poetry, please check out her blog, Spread the Spark .  -=- I look into so many eyes Trying to see inside But all I get are masks Empty, soulless, yet ready to be allied.    Setting all emotion aside, I must remember my guise. Remember the bigger picture that I can’t let my anger compromise, That which I negotiate. Pretending to be, this monstrosity To want to buy these children, Strip of modesty,  Take advantage of poverty.  Commit every atrocity…  That I am here to fight.  Focus. Focus for my sanity,  On the truth, The real reason I am here. To gather up the information  That may release them from fear. Masquerade a little longer To gather up these chains.  Striving to keep hidden The prayers, coursing through my veins.  The prayers to take...

Battle Cry Written by Kimberly Grace -=- Flags being torn, & flags going up. . Red and blue, lines drawn across     the field of brothers. . Words of hate, and words of pride. Pushing, shoving, hearts moaning a battle cry. . This is us, we the people. Of different blood, but one family. . United we stand, divided we fall. In God we trust, our All in all. . But do we? The gods, ourselves, we serve. . Our hearts ache, our hearts cry. Why, oh why? . It is our own fault. It is our own fault we die.

There are certain questions that everyone, especially those of us who consider ourselves Christians, will come face to face with at some point or another. Sometimes we ask those questions ourselves, and sometimes, the questions are asked by a non-believer. One of those questions is one I hear often asked by atheists who are trying to prove that God cannot exist: "why does a good God allow bad things to happen?" This question can be challenging to answer. Too many times, Christians shrug their shoulders and slouch down in their seats, maybe hesitantly saying something about God being in control, or sinfulness, or anything else to get the focus onto someone or something else. Thankfully, there is an answer to this question that is rooted in the Bible. It Starts With Creation In the beginning, God created. That first sentence in the Bible is so familiar that many Christians often overlook the power of it. God created everything. That includes you and me. This means that as Creat...