In This Issue

1. The Hurricanes of My Heart
2. Health Tip
3. You Made Me Blush
4. Please Join Me
5. Humor
6. Refreshing Insight
7. The Perfect Christmas Gift
8. Contest: $200–Basket
9. When Life is Too Hard
10. Story of the Month
11. May We Pray For You?
12. En Espanol

Welcome

Every trial has a treasure...
Every triumph holds His truth
Welcome!
So glad you took a moment to receive a Splash of Inspiration in the midst of a hurried world.

Hang on to your sombreros - This newsletter is a bit longer than usual, but I’ve got lots of good stuff!

The Hurricanes of My Heart

“Good morning everyone." began the TV announcer. "Let me correct that. There is nothing "good" about this morning of September 26, 2004."

He was right. We encountered, once again, an unwelcome visit from another member of the destructive and malicious gang: Charley, Frances, Ivan and Jeanne. They engaged in a vicious game of outdoing each other in merciless destruction.

At first, the action outside was not much different than the usual storms in Florida. But we knew this was no ordinary storm. It was a preamble of a destructive hurricane named Charley.

“Let’s go in the laundry room,” my husband suggested with apparent composure. “It’s the safest place in the house.” My parents, my son, his girlfriend and I headed in that direction.

“Everyone grab a pillow and a blanket,” I said. I made a mental note of the supplies we would need: a flashlight, water and our cell phones. Grabbing the small transistor radio with fresh batteries, a bit of reassurance trickled in. Bodies tense, we huddled in our confined shelter.

As expected, the lights went out. The TV was silenced. In the dark, the rage of the hurricane became more audible. The wind howled and whistled as if to announce, “I’ve arrived.” Its ominous nature intensified our vulnerability.

Charley had a vicious and unique personality. It was capricious. First giving the impression it was headed in one direction and at the last minute changing directions, it had its own raging madness as it ripped through neighborhoods mercilessly.

“Shhh…!” I ordered. I turned the volume up of the radio I held on my lap, “Listen!” I added with urgency.

Our family huddled attempting to tune out the loud roaring outside. We hung on each word coming from the only device connecting us to the outside world. “It’s headed for Orlando; the winds here are unbelievable. With the last moments of daylight, we can see the roaring winds snapping trees in half like pretzel sticks. In other areas, it’s been reported that trees have been yanked with force, their roots entangled in blocks of cement tossed aside like toys.” Some static interrupted his description. Then he continued, gasping between words, “The huge glass windows of buildings nearby move in and out in a swaying motion attempting to resist the fierce wind, but with no success.”

More reports followed: “Now the road is in total darkness. Traffic lights are gone, with those remaining not working,” announced another brave reporter standing outside to give us the detailed recount of Charley's fury.

Without air-conditioning, our cozy area turned into a small oven. But safety tossed out comfort as Charley’s rage grew closer. The strong winds thrust sporadic bangs, rattling our garage door. The hurling debris against our front and back doors as well as those slamming against the large windows gave the same sensation of the tic…tic…tic of a bomb. We knew it would strike, but didn’t know exactly when, nor did we know which window would burst or what part of the roof would yank away first.

“What is that scraping?” I asked with curiosity.

“It’s my yogurt cup,” my mom said in her characteristic calmness. “It’s my bedtime snack,” she added with a matter-of-fact tone.

“How can she eat at a time like this?” I thought.

But then I remembered her words: “My hope is in the Lord. He will protect us. Do you think this hurricane is catching Him by surprise? He is always faithful.”

Charley’s furious winds struck with more intensity in some areas, yanking off roofs like box tops. The roaring winds hurled traffic lights, smashing them to the ground. Some fatalities were reported.

“The tracking shows Charley is now in Orlando’s downtown area,” the radio reporter announced.

We all went silent to make sure we heard the good news correctly and then it was confirmed. Charley had moved north; it finally passed us. And although fatigued with anxiety, we breathed a sigh of relief.

Each member of the family gasped nervously as they glanced at the destruction barely visible through the shadows of the night. But in contrast, a deep yawn slipped from my mom’s lips and she tossed her empty yogurt cup in the wastebasket. “There was no need to worry then; no need to worry now. God is in control. Good night everyone,” she announced with tenderness in her voice.

Her profound trust and hope impacted my heart and stirred a personal hurricane of awareness within me. I’d heard these words countless times, but perhaps never before understood their significance: "We wait in hope for the LORD; he is our help and our shield. In him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in his holy name." (Psalm 33:20-21)

My mom’s hope and trust in the Lord was contagious. I embraced it and during storms in my life, it became my generator providing the energy to keep moving forward.

When storms rattle the doors of our heart, His grace is still at work, His truth still prevails and His hand is active. And even when those emotional hurricanes file through, God’s protection silences the winds of fear.

“Therefore we will not fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea…” (Psalm 46:2)

Fear may divert faith, but faith always devours fear.

The above is a reprint from Lifeglow Magazine in which my stories appear in this year’s issues.

The Perfect Christmas Gift

Just when you thought there was no such thing as a perfect Christmas gift, one lands right before you…check this out:

A Scrapbook of Christmas Firsts
Stories to warm your heart; Tips to simplify your holiday!

By The Word Quilters- - -Trish Berg, Terra Hangen, Cathy Messecar, Brenda Nixon, Karen Robbins, & Leslie Wilson (plus Christmas first stories by authors throughout the country)
Release date: October 1, 2008

160 pages, full color on every page
ISBN 978-0-89112-564-8
Paperback, $16.99

Designed like a scrapbook, this full-color book beautifully contains "snapshots" of the history and traditions of Christmas, vintage poetry and lyrics, tips on ways to engage your young children in sharing and giving, ways to establish new family traditions, suggestions for holiday fun, recipes for yummy Christmas treats, holiday gardening tips, trivia, stories and scriptures about Jesus and the first Christmas.

Making this book unique (not just unusual) are the many, many stories of Christmas Firsts! 

What is a Christmas First? A Christmas First is an event that you experienced for the first time in your life surrounding the Christmas holiday. Christmas Firsts sometimes lead to new or important revelations about you or about God. In A Scrapbook of Christmas Firsts, readers will see, feel and experience many unique Christmas Firsts with families from across the country - - life-warming events and heart-touching moments. As you read these stories, you will laugh and cry, but most of all, you will be moved by the love, light and joy found between the pages. Here are a few summaries of the many "Christmas Firsts" you will experience.

Christmas Dinner at the Waffle House

Charlotte Holt's heart-touching story of her first Christmas spent with her prodigal son after he returned home from the depths of human misery … and his flight to a new life in Christ.

The Light in my Heart

Janet Eckles relates her inspiring story of when she spent her first Christmas with her three young sons … after she lost her eyesight. How she grew closer to her husband and God.

Decorating for Love

Trish Berg tells about braving a winter blast to decorate her first outdoor Christmas tree and how she discovered "the perfect Christmas."

Christmas in Kansas

Cathy Messecar tells how she spent her first Christmas with her husband … and how they hiked through a Midwest snow storm to find ornaments for their first "Charlie Brown" tree.

A Twice Shared Christmas

Linda Lamar Jewell tells her creative way she shared her "first Christmas away" with her military son serving his country overseas.

Other "Christmas Firsts" include Jeanette Sharp's story about how five boxes of Christmas cards helped her first experienced God's love and care for her; And, how a 79 year-old's snow angel taught her neighbor that life is what you make of it in a story by Karen Robbins. Plus, many, many more.

Endorsements
 
"A Scrapbook of Christmas Firsts helps readers bring back the simplicity of the season. By incorporating Scriptures, recipes, short stories, experiences, and words of wisdom the authors draw readers into heart and physical preparation for a new old-fashioned Christmas."
 
Cecil Murphey, Author or co-author of more than 100 books, including the New York Times' best seller, 90 Minutes in Heaven and Heaven is Real.
Read additional endorsements and place your order here:
www.christmas-scrapbook.info

Visit: http://scrapbookofchristmasfirsts.blogspot.com/

Contest:
Authors of Christmas First will award one person a basket of Christmas goodies worth $200, including 10 different books, a music CD, a Christmas presentation CD, travel candles, Chai tea, a Willow Tree figurine, an old fashioned bubble night light and more.

Visit the link and place your entry to win.

When life is too hard, when the pain is deep, when answers drift away like sand in a storm, an inspirational book points the way to victory, peace and reassurance:
In Trials of Today, Treasures for Tomorrow: Overcoming Adversities in Life, Janet Perez Eckles shows how to capture contagious joy in a frowning world.

My Ugly Mask

“Yikes! You scared me,” I screamed feigning fright. “Who’s that!?” I peered down at the three-foot little person wearing a mask framed with black, purple, pink and shades difficult to pinpoint wild hair. The features were distorted by a huge lumpy nose, droopy eyes and a mouth revealing jagged teeth, giving a new meaning to the word ‘ugly’. A muffled, “Trick or treat” wafted from behind the mask.

“Goodness, you really scared me.” I chuckled as I dropped hard candy into the orange plastic pumpkin.

Those are memories of times my little boys also dressed in strange costumes and dashed from house-to-house with their daddy trailing behind. I stayed home greeting the neighborhood trick-or-treaters.

But now, years later, Halloween masks resemble those I once slipped on to cover the real me. So often in my life I’ve worn masks, perhaps not as distasteful as the friendly trick-or-treater’s, but an effective masquerade nevertheless.

When people ask me how I lost my sight, I give the routine answer: A disease called Retinitis Pigmentosa deteriorated my retina and took my sight. A simple question followed by a simple answer. But when they ask about how I dealt with the unexpected tragedy, that’s a different story. I’m tempted to pull down the mask over my heart and give a bland answer.

“It was tough at first, but in time, I adjusted.”

Ah, but beneath that mask is a whole different script with the real answers: “I wanted to die, I hated my life, I wanted to give up, and wondered if my little boys would survive with a mommy who couldn’t see.”

Then God’s Word nudged me. No, actually He gave a more forceful push for me to remove that mask. He must have known the glow of truth needed to shine through. He said so in Proverbs 12:22: “The LORD detests lying lips, but he delights in men who are truthful.”

In obedience, I resolved that when asked a question, I’d spill information that reflected what truly stirred in my heart.

Here are the results: When my words are strung with honesty without omissions, deletions or embellishments, I can breathe easier. When the mask is off, the air is fresher and the view is clearer. My new motto declares for me not to omit the negative nor squelch the positive.

I put it to the test. A good friend called and asked about my writing. I started to blurt out that it was great, moving along fabulously, and that my agent is working on a possible submission to a publishing house. But then I silently gasped at the mask, stuffy and binding. No one noticed, but I yanked it off. Then the truth spilled out: though my agent is working for me, I’m furiously laboring on the first edit. Writing a novel is grueling, it’s demanding and at times, the work is so hard that it makes me wonder if I’m really supposed to be doing this.

Ah, the feeling of telling the real scenario with honesty is like opening the window to a musty room and letting the fresh spring breeze come in and caress your face!

While our little ones dip into that candy, the sweetest thing we can unwrap for them is the lesson to speak the truth. The trick is to obey God’s Word and the treat is the image reflected in the mirror that sparkles with honesty.

If you have enjoyed any of my stories, I’d love it if you’d invite your friends and family to sign-up for this newsletter and join our inspiration family.

Does bad news darken your world? With gas prices going up, the real estate industry in trouble, war issues, the election…whew! How about a break from this bad news? I invite you to visit my blog throughout the week for light reflections to refresh your day.
www.janetperezeckles.com

Janet Perez Eckles