Author: Valerie Cullers

Strategic

Valerie Cullers 38 Comments

lion-4098784_640Image by Christine Englehardt. Courtesy of Pixabay.

Historic: The twentieth century was a historic time. After WWI, the geopolitical landscape of the world changed dramatically. For centuries, the Ottoman Empire ruled most of the Middle East. Following their defeat, its empire was then ruled by the British. In 1917, Czarist Russia became engulfed in a civil war that ended when the Communists gained control. Sweeping changes again happened after WWII. The Middle East was parceled up into different countries. Chinese culture was upended after their Revolution when the Communists took power. Africa moved from a continent ruled by colonialism to one whose countries were ruled by self-determination. In the 1940s and 50s, the Soviet Union began to occupy its neighboring countries. This went on for decades until, near the end of the century, it broke up, and those countries were liberated. Just a cursory glance at world history during those one hundred years shows the epic changes that happened on the geopolitical landscape.

Prophetic: From a prophetic standpoint, the single most important event happened in 1948 when Israel became a nation. With its rebirth, the prophetic clock began ticking. Fast forward seventy years, and we see political entities lining up in a way that resembles Psalm 83 and Ezekiel 38 and 39. Add to that the increase of major earthquakes, the moral breakdown of societies, the epic rise of conflicts between nations and ethnic groups, and you have a scenario for the birth pangs of Matthew 24. One’s vision does not have to be 20/20 to see that we could definitely be living in prophetic times.

Strategic: So what do we do when we believe we are living in historic and prophetic times? How can we make the most of our gifts and talents to make a difference in the world we live in? We must learn to think strategically. We must take stock of what we have and pray about how we can best use those resources for the Kingdom of God. Then we can strategically aim our lives towards that eternal goal.

Dead Men Can’t Defend Themselves

Valerie Cullers 35 Comments

As believers in Jesus Christ, it is necessary to write to a higher standard than the secular media requires of us. If we want to write about someone who has hurt us personally, we need to think carefully about our words. It will be important to extend grace to the individual(s) as we write our story. Many times, we are not released to write about our experiences until the offending person has passed away.

trees in park

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com.

Most individuals are not entirely good or evil. They are, like us, a composite of both positive and negative traits. It would be easy to portray an offending individual in the darkest of terms and paint them with a brush entirely filled with black paint, or in our case, as writers, negative adjectives. People have also been shaped by the circumstances they have endured throughout the course of their lives. When we write about them, it is important to write about some of the extenuating circumstances they found themselves in.

When people have hurt us deeply, it may take us years to fully forgive them and heal from the pain of their actions. Only because we have received the forgiveness that Christ offers, are we are able to extend that same forgiveness to the offending person. The further away from the negative experience we are, the easier it is to write about it from an objective viewpoint.

We need to remember that there are always two sides to any situation. When we portray the situation from our point of view, the offending person, if deceased, will not have the opportunity to provide an answer to our statements. There will be no one to speak in their defense, and even if their actions are indefensible, we should allow them a certain amount of latitude when sharing our story. It might seem impossible to do this, but I have found that through prayer, I am able to view them in a more compassionate light.

Remember, when writing publicly about those who have hurt us, we must reflect on the words we use. After all, dead men (or women, for that matter) can’t defend themselves!

Invited

Valerie Cullers 22 Comments

Lately, I have been thinking about how it feels to be invited or not invited to a specific function. We all know the feeling of wanting to go to an event, but because we were not members of a particular corporation or private club, we were not invited.

women s brown and green floral dress

Photo by Dmitry Zvolskiy on Pexels.com.

Of course, on the other side of the coin are all the events we are invited to that we choose not to go to. This used to happen to us around graduation time. We would get several invitations to different ceremonies and their accompanying parties. We would then have to decide which to attend and which to decline.

Uninvited, Invited, Invited and Declined. That’s how it is in society.

It’s different with God, though. There is no one who is not invited to come into his house. Jesus said: “Come to me, ALL you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28. The invitation is for all; no one is excluded, period. This invitation can also be declined. It’s your choice.

Invited, Invited and Declined. That’s how it is with God.

Famed Yale Computer Science Professor Quits Believing Darwin’s Theories | Jennifer Kabbany — Reasoned Cases for Christ

QuoteValerie Cullers 14 Comments

‘The origin of species is exactly what Darwin cannot explain’ David Gelernter, a famed Yale University professor, has publicly renounced his belief in Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution, calling it a “beautiful idea” that has been effectively disproven. Gelernter, who is known for predicting the World Wide Web and has developed many complex computing tools […]

via Famed Yale Computer Science Professor Quits Believing Darwin’s Theories | Jennifer Kabbany — Reasoned Cases for Christ

Beautiful and Well Trained

Valerie Cullers 35 Comments

Our company left this morning for Utah. It was a pleasure seeing them again, and we so enjoyed visiting with them. Before they came, the husband asked if they could bring their dog to our home. He said she was well-behaved and they had spent thousands of hours training her. So jokingly, I said, ” So you’re saying she is better behaved than we are!” He replied with a laugh, “Yes, I guess I am.”

True to form, Moxie was everything they said and more. She was one of the most beautiful dogs I had ever seen. She was polar white and had dark eyes and a dark nose. It was absolutely striking in its beauty and demeanor. I had never had a dog in my home that was so beautiful and well-trained. We later learned she had been a search and rescue dog and had been trained in multiple areas to find missing persons. They had indeed spent thousands of hours training her.IMG_0072 Moxie 

She was an older dog, but was still beautiful. Lying in bed the first night of their visit, I said to my husband, “That dog is SO beautiful!” To which he replied, “It’s the spirit of the dog you see.” I thought about his remark for a while. He was right; the sweetness of the dog was coming through in my every interaction with her. 

That got me thinking. As I age, I want to have an inner beauty about me. When people look at me, I want them to see a beautiful spirit inside of me shining through. How can I achieve that?

Well, for sure, I know a few ways that will help make me into the beautiful person I want to be. One is by spending time with the Lord in His Word. “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be equipped for every good work.” 2 Tim. 3: 15-17. If I do this, I will be well-trained and able to handle the situations I encounter in a godly manner. 

The second way is by yielding my life to the Holy Spirit and letting Him develop His fruit in my life. “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.” Gal. 5: 22-23. A person with that kind of spirit will be truly beautiful and a delight to be around. 

Yes, beautiful and well trained…that’s what I want to be!

Taxis vs. Ubers: Vehicles for Delivery

Valerie Cullers 34 Comments
panning photography of yellow taxi

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Do you remember taking taxis when you needed a ride? You called the company, requested a ride and waited twenty minutes for them to show up. You were taken where you needed to go, then you paid the driver and gave him a tip. It’s not so different from Ubers. You order one online, and depending on the closeness of the vehicle, someone may be there to pick you up, sometimes in as few as five minutes. There are advantages to each one, although cost-wise, Uber is the best value by far. The destination is the same as if you ordered a taxi, but the delivery vehicle is different.

pile of books

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Having taken the plunge again into the world of publication, again, I noticed that the stats on Amazon were higher for the Kindle version vs. the print version. When you order a Kindle version, it comes to the Kindle immediately, costs a lot less, and you can begin reading as soon as you want to. It’s no surprise that Kindle is much more popular than print. When you order a print book online, it costs a lot more, and you may have to wait a few days or even a week to get your book. The final result is the same, i.e., you have read the book, only the vehicle for delivery is different. 

It’s all a matter of preference. For me, I prefer to have a print book in my hand when I read. I underline, highlight and make notes when I need to. I have friends who, for them, it is all about the Kindle. Fast, easy and cheap, they can buy as many books as they want to because it is so affordable.

Taxis vs. Ubers, Print vs. Kindle…same destination…different vehicles for delivery. Which do you prefer and why?

Tips to Deal With Life’s Floods — Confessions of a Type A Woman

QuoteValerie Cullers 19 Comments

My Sunday hike by the flooding Mississippi got me thinking. We all experience floods in our lives: unexpected situations which sweep through our lives, uprooting routine and confusing our plans. Sometimes all we can do is hold on, tread water… and pray. We can be flooded with fear, flooded with pain, even flooded with joy. […]

via Tips to Deal With Life’s Floods — Confessions of a Type A Woman

Giveaway – Writing Historical Fiction by Rhona Martin

Valerie Cullers 5 Comments

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If any of you are interested in writing historical fiction, this is the book

I first bought in order to get started. I found it very informative and

easy to read. I am ready to pass it on. It is in very good condition and if

you are interested and live in the U.S., please leave a comment below.

On Thursday, I will put the names in a hat and draw one out!

I’ll then send you the book!

Have a great week!

Valerie