Ponderings From Paradise

<> <>

IN LIGHT OF J.A.’s novel that’s releasing May 13th, 2016, through Prism Book Group, we’re reposting this blog written from the actual setting for the book. Details for “Family Lies, Deadly Lies” below.

NEXT week, J.A. will post an excerpt.

<> <>

KAUAI . . . Surrounded by the roaring Pacific—a force of oceanic strength capable of drowning an entire community yet ironically employed for enjoyment by surfers and boaters

PALM trees rattle in the breeze. Lush vegetation and brilliantly colored flowers adorn the mountainside.

SHARP cliffs soar above the lazy beaches, a contrasting, emerald ruggedness that man tries unimpressively to capture in photographs.

THE One Who created all this diverse beauty and strength deserves all the praise.

AFTER traveling the entire island by air, land, and sea, I attempt to describe, quite pathetically, the beauty of Kauai, Hawaii. My eyes and heart are overwhelmed by this tropical wonder, so I think I’ll simply let the psalms speak for my soul.

PONDERINGS FROM PARADISE (psalms 18 & 66)

SHOUT joyful praises to God. Sing!
Tell the world how glorious He is.

Everything on earth will worship You.
So powerful is my God.
So faithful is He
to save those who trust completely in Him.
He does not fail me.

THINK about

the good,
the glorious,
the miraculous things
our God has done.
Of what can we boast when standing before the I AM?

I PLANT His truth deep in my heart.
His living ways make inroads into my actions.
In You, I will not stumble.
“If I had not confessed the sin in my heart,
the Lord would not have listened”
He would not have heard me.

“I cried out to Him for help, praising
Him as I spoke.”
My mind and spirit work as one;
my soul knows the source of its salvation.

WHEN I cry out, He hears.
My voice reaches His ears
because He has cleansed me of all wickedness.
I can now choose to keep my way pure,
and I run from evil and corruption.
I make my home with Wisdom,
and Integrity is my accountability partner.

YOU test me,
and when I endure
you bring me out into abundance,
into rich fulfillment.

BECAUSE He is my God and I am His own,
He comes in might,
a force unseen by human eyes.
He rages in battle on my behalf.
The elements of nature are His chess pieces,
and He moves them where He wishes.
“No weapons formed against me, prosper.”