Tag Archives: #ChristineGilliamHornback

Part 9 If Oak Trees Could Talk!

16 Jul

Part 9 If Oak Trees Could Talk

Wow!  I am so overwhelmed with the response that I’ve been getting to my Video Blogs of If Oak Trees Could Talk!  Truly it has been so encouraging to me.   Thank you to all who have taken the time to follow along!  I know that your time is valuable and the fact that you take the time to either listen or read along with me each week is so priceless to me.   As I’ve stated before I feel as though you could be sitting across from me at my kitchen table!  Once again I hope that you’re sipping your coffee or tea as I continue the story of If Oak Trees Could Talk!  We will continue in Chapter Four Daddy’s Little Girl! I will actually read the last paragraph from last week as I had ended in a middle of a conversation between Henry and Amelia.

Chapter Four

Daddy’s Little Girl!

“Daughter, when my time comes to leave this old earth, I want to be buried underneath those outstretched limbs that I remember so fondly. I want to be buried right beside my Dear Sweet Momma.  Do you understand me Amelia?  I want you to know also that as I remember bits and pieces of my life that I’ve been trying to write them down.  I know that it might sound crazy, but hey, I’ve been known to be a little crazy.  It’s ironic that I have what the doc calls “Amnesia that is making me even crazier huh. I guess the bright spot is that I don’t remember that I’m crazy most of the time” Henry said as he laughed out loud.

“Daddy, please don’t say stuff like that, you’re not crazy.  Your condition is only temporary.  I’m so glad that you’ve been able to talk with me today, it amazes me how there are times when nothing seems wrong at all, but then there are times, well…you know.”

“Daughter, do you know that I proposed to your sweet Momma right underneath that old tree?  Yep, I sure did!   I asked your Momma a hundred times to marry me, but she really never took me seriously until one evening when I told her that I had a big surprise for her.  I picked her up and asked her to please let me blind fold her.  She must have had quite a bit of trust in me because she let me do it!  Anyway, I blindfolded her and drove her around and around so that she wouldn’t know where we were.  When we stopped I lead her to the surprise.  I had a dinner prepared for us from Mrs. Dooley’s Restaurant. I put it all in a picnic basket, along with a lot of candles and a nice big blanket.  I had everything ready when I seated your dear Momma underneath that old Oak tree.  I had bought her the most expensive engagement ring that I could afford at the time and I prayed to the dear Lord that she would accept my proposal this time.  I wanted her to know without a doubt that she was the only woman for me.  Well, low and behold, when I took the blindfold off and she seen all that I had done for her, tears filled those brilliant blue eyes and she finally said yes!  We played the car radio until the battery went dead and danced underneath the starry sky until morning.  Here we are all these years later and I love her more today than I did back then!”

“Helen, honey, now pull you up a seat over there and quit coddling me.   Standing up over me like that must hurt your back!  It sure looks like a beautiful day, what do you want to do today?”

Before Amelia could answer Henry, there was a knock on the door.

“Excuse me, Ms. Amelia, but Mr. Tyler’s breakfast is here. He also needs his medicine as well” The nurse interrupted.  “Would you like to take him outside on the terrace? Maybe, Ms. Helen would like to go as well. She loves the gardens!” The nurse suggested with a wink.

“Yes Mam.”  Amelia said sadly.  For she really thought that today was going to be it.  Amelia knew that her Daddy was sick; however she never lost hope that one day as she visited him that he would just come to himself and never leave again.   She always believed that if there were anyone who ever came out of this dreadful captivity of the mind that it would be her Daddy.   She never knew anyone who was more passionate about life and living than her father was.

“He will come home to live again!” Amelia finally concluded.  “If anyone can beat this, it will be Daddy!”

“Do you want to go outside Daddy?  Come on let’s get you outside in that beautiful sunshine.”  Amelia cheered.  “The sunshine will do you some good!  How would you like to see Momma?”

“We can go outside if you want to Helen.  Why not?  All we do is stay inside these days.  It makes a body grow weary and it seems one day runs into another.”  Henry answered.

Amelia wheeled her Daddy down the hall to her mother’s room, where the nurse helped her get both of them outside into the beautiful sunshine.  She couldn’t help but notice that both of her parent’s heads were now much more gray and glistened in the brightness of the warm sun.  Amelia grieved the time that she felt her parents were losing.

Thank you so much for “tuning in” or reading along today! I hope that you will subscribe to my Youtube Channel as all of my videos are archived in order!

 It is my hope that you will keep the comments coming for not only are they encouraging me but I know that they are encouraging others who take the time to read them as well! 

 

If you are interested in purchasing If Oak Trees Could Talk or any of my other books please go my Author Page Christine Gilliam Hornback on Amazon 

Or my website http://www.covenantessentials.com

“Tune in” next week for Part 10 If Oak Trees Could Talk!

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Part 6 If Oak Trees Could Talk!

24 Jun

Part 6 If Oak Trees Could Talk

Book Cover for If Oak Trees Could Talk

Welcome back to my Video Blog!  I have been so thrilled with the response that I am receiving as I am attempting to do something new or at least new for me! My hope is to truly Inspire One Dreamer at a time!  I hope that you are that dreamer! This past week was Father’s Day!  Even though my characters are fictional in my books I always model them after people that have impacted my life!

In the main character is Henry William Tyler, I wrote this character based on my Precious Dad!  My Dad was a loving, passionate, larger than life man that I loved with all of my heart!  As I wrote the characters of Henry and Helen, it was my hope and desire to honor my wonderful parents!  So again I thank you for taking the time to “Tune in” or to read along as I continue to read today If Oak Trees Could Talk beginning in Chapter Three entitled Henry’s Homework!

Chapter 3

 

Henry’s Homework

The morning light came in unusually bright and Henry found himself awakened early and alone. His precious Helen had awakened even earlier and went back to her room before the nurses came to their rooms.  Henry squinted for a moment until his eyes adjusted themselves to the light. As he sat on his bed, he remembered some of what the Oak tree helped him to remember, but he really did not know if he had actually remembered it or if he had only dreamed about it.  Regardless, Henry decided to take action and regain some of his life.  He rang the on-call button frantically and impatiently for a nurse to come to him.

“Well, aren’t you up early and raring to go this find and glorious morning?  What’s your big emergency that you hit that button a dozen times or more?”

At first Henry did not recognize Nurse Wanda, but then he answered her.

“Pencil and paper, I want pencil and paper please.”

“Now why do you want a pencil and paper Mr. Tyler?   Are you fixing to write yourself a letter?”

“Yes, a letter sounds good.”  Henry answered with an urgent plea in his voice.

“Okay, Mr. Tyler, if you want a pencil and paper, then a pencil and paper you’re going to get!”  Nurse Wanda said as she was glad that Henry seemed to want to do something besides sit and stare.

It wasn’t long until Nurse Wanda returned to Henry’s room with his medicine, breakfast tray, and of course, a pencil and paper.

“What’s this for?”  Henry asked.  “You want me to do homework or something?”

“It’s for your letter that you were going to write.  Do you not remember asking me for a pencil and paper so that you could write a letter?”  Nurse Wanda probed.

“Yes, Mrs. Stone, I’ll take them home so that Mom can help me with my homework.”

“Yes Sir, Mr. Tyler, you just let your Momma help you okay?”

As Nurse Wanda left Henry alone once again, he stared at the blank piece of paper.  He thought as he looked upon it, that this is how his life had been, just a blank space that he couldn’t remember.  What kind of homework was he supposed to do? Henry wondered.  Before long, he found himself with pencil in hand.  He put the pencil on the paper and even to his amazement he began drawing a picture of his dearest friend.  As he drew, he drew branches extended wide and a huge trunk to an old tree.  He thought of how his friend towered above the others and so he drew it the entire length of the sheet of notebook paper.  As quick as a bolt of lightning, the memories from the night before came flooding back to him.  Henry began writing what he had remembered. As he penned the events of the night before, more and more thoughts kept coming into his mind. He wrote as fast as his stiff hands and fingers would allow him.  He wanted to capture every memory before they vanished away, possibly for forever.

At first the memories came just as a flash of something that seemed to be real.  However, then another image would come and still yet another one until finally Henry once again had enough of the pieces to realize that he had  real memories of a  whole event.  Every one of them always involved his old friend.   He frantically wrote down what he could see in his mind’s eyes.  He tried to pen down all the emotions as he experienced the events again, so that when Helen and dear Amelia read his letters, they would know why what they were reading was important to Henry.  Henry felt hope for the first time in months.  He felt as though he was reclaiming some resemblance of his life.  He knew that in his memory bank was a treasure chest of precious hidden treasures.  For whatever reason, the old Oak tree was serving as a key to help him open his treasures to share with others.

Thank you once again for either Listening or Reading along with my Video Blogs on Youtube! I hope that you will subscribe to my Video channel so as not to miss any! 

 

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , ,

What a Year!

23 Dec

What a Year!.

Tags: , , , , ,

What a Year!

23 Dec

 

What a Year 2014!

 

Christine Gilliam Hornback's Book Signings

Book Signing

Psalms 37:23( KJV) The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, and He delights in his way.

 

I had posted recently on my facebook page about how my life has been like a whirlwind lately. Especially through the year of 2014!  Simply meaning that it has been rapidly moving in circles to where I absolutely have to trust God to help me navigate through them!   I am not complaining but rather rejoicing, as I’ve labored seemingly for years to have the personal success that I am now enjoying.  If you have read any of my writings or followed my blogs then you will know that I am a Mom of two boys that I home school which is and will always be my greatest blessings and  priority.  I am also an Author, Artist and an Inspirational speaker.   I actually have four books published at the present time and am currently working on several more, however, being any of these things especially being an Author is not a golden ticket to success!  As a matter of fact, writing the books was, in my opinion, the easy part.  Marketing the books or promoting them to get the messages inside of them out to the public has proved to be the real task!   I have had so much to learn and am still learning every day.  There have been times where I’ve honestly just became overwhelmed and wanted to throw in the towel!  However, again if you’ve followed my blogs or my writings than you know that I am a very determined person!  I do not give up without throwing my most valiant effort toward that thing.   Unless GOD releases me to do something different!

I was a director of Women’s Ministry for many years!  It was honestly a joy and a privilege to help so many women over those years!  I found that with the Lord, that what I helped to make happen for them, He made happen for me.  I actually published two of my books during that time although I had written nearly a dozen.  I think that I thought in my mind that since I was so active in my local church doing Women’s ministry that the Lord would somehow combine the two.  I never thought in the beginning of publishing my first book that it would come down to a choice, however, when I realized that it was coming to that, I actually stopped writing for a while.  I loved Women’s Ministry and truly would not even let myself think about stepping out and doing anything different.  What I now know, is that it wasn’t trading one for the other, but that the Lord simply wanted to add to what I was doing and to promote me to a larger platform!  I bucked against God like a stubborn mule at first when I felt in my heart that I was going to release the Women’s Ministry, but one day in His sweet and calming still voice He spoke to me, “My Daughter, you will always be in Women’s Ministry because you are a women!”  Duh!… This was such a simple thing, but it became a revelation to me, so much so, that it allowed me the freedom to step out without looking back!  I dared to pursue my writing/ art career but also still do ministry which I so loved with a passion! When I say ministry, I do not necessarily mean to go to packed out church buildings and preach to multitudes, however I would do that with invitations, but, what I mean is that one on one ministry that now happens everywhere I go!  Life is absolutely exciting and full of adventure.  I never know how the Lord will use the open doors, but all I have to do is simply walk through them by faith and let Him use me once I am there!

God’s plans for me are always so much larger than my thoughts can take me. So I wrote all of this blog not to toot my own horn of obedience or successes, but rather as stated before my passion is to minister to you my readers!  I want to encourage you to trust the Lord! What He is doing for me, He will do for you!  Maybe you’ve stepped out before and felt like you were a failure.  Yes I’ve done that before as well but no attempt with GOD is a failure!  I’ve shook  myself off and simply began again!  I am hardly making a fortune, (YET) on my books or art, and my calendar is not filled for the next six months up the road, but do you know what?   I am thrilled because I have learned to let the Lord order my steps so that I can truly delight in my way! I have no doubt that He will bring me to success in every area!  I hope in the coming year, that you experience this kind of freedom that I am talking about and simply walk with the Lord and let him lead you!  I would love to hear of what the Lord is doing or has done for you in the coming months.  Please feel free to contact me!  We will rejoice together!

Happy New Year, May it be beyond your wildest imaginations

Tags: , , , , ,

Decorating the Christmas Tree!

3 Dec

Decorating the Christmas Tree!.

Tags: , , , ,

Decorating the Christmas Tree!

3 Dec

Decorating the Christmas Tree!

Blustery Winter!

  1.     Start with a live Christmas tree and think about the tree that was used to crucify our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
  2.     Notice the trees wonderful fresh fragrance and aroma.  Think about his precious anointing and presence in your life.
  3.     Place the tree in its stand and water it well to keep it nourished.  This is what the blood does for us.   If we stay saturated in his blood we are always nourished and refreshed.  We will never fade or fall back.
  4.     As you wrap the tree in bright lights think about his power in your life and what you can do in him and what it was like in your life before you knew about his power.  How many times did we struggle in ourselves to try to be “good” or to try to break free from chains that kept us bound?  Thank God now all we have to do is rely on his power through the Holy Spirit and let him be God in us. He sets us free and places us in good standing with him.
  5.     Now as you take the time to examine the branches, think about the Lords loving arms around you.  How many times has he picked you up and loved on you?  His arms are always outstretched like the beautiful branches of the tree.  As the tree’s branches hold treasured ornaments so does the Lord’s loving arms, for he counts us as a precious ornament that he himself has fashioned.
  6.     Next, bring out the heirloom bulbs.  These are usually ornaments that are safely tucked back into their boxes each year and when brought out you reminisce all of the past years that they were used.  These ornaments are ornaments of grace.  As you look back over your life and reminisce where you started, hopefully you can see how far the Lord has brought you and cry “GRACE!”  God’s enabling ability on your inability to do what you could not do yourself.  It was his wonderful unmerited favor that opened doors of safety for you and closed other doors that could have meant you harm.
  7.     Then of course there are those very special personal ornaments that you treasure.  These ornaments are the testimonies of what the Lord has delivered you from and what he has delivered you to.  Everyone of us have these special ornaments in our lives and only you and I can tell what God has done for us and do it justice.  These ornaments stand out on the tree and attract attention and so do the testimonies of the saints, after all we overcome by them.  Hopefully every year we add more and more of these personal ornaments or treasures on the tree. 8.
  8.     Now it is time for the garland which is God’s mercy.  We have all sinned and fallen short of his Glory, but thank the Lord you or I did not get what we deserved.  Instead as the accuser bellows “Guilty!”  We have a wonderful Savior that we have been hidden in who resounds the word “Mercy, Mercy!” all over heaven.  We deserved his justice but have obtained his loving mercy!  His mercies are renewed every morning which tells me that we cannot exhaust his glorious supply.
  9.     For the final decoration let’s place the beautiful shining star on the very top of the tree. The shining star represents God’s word or direction.  His word should always be at the very forefront of our thinking.  How do we do anything without first knowing what direction to start? His word is a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path. The star pointed to Jesus and showed the Kings of the East where he was, and so does the star of his word.  As you read through the pages every line and every passage points to Jesus, for the word is Jesus.  He is the bright and morning star!
  10. After the tree is decorated we place beautifully gift wrapped packages underneath.  So are the Fruits of the Spirit beautifully wrapped in a wonderful package.  These fruits operate in our lives to help us win others to Jesus.  The Fruits of the Spirit also are given for our benefit and when yielded to, will help us to live the abundant life that through Jesus was made available to us.  Just as all of the beautifully gift wrapped packages have wonderful things inside, we also possess wonderful treasures inside placed there by the Lord himself.  Jesus is the gift that keeps on giving and giving and giving!
  11. HAPPY BIRTHDAY JESUS!

Tags: , , , ,

Challenge!

14 Nov

Challenge!

Ecclesiastes 9:10 (KJV) Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest

Is it just me, or does the years seem to be going by faster?  As of this day that I am writing this blog, there are only forty-five days left in the year of 2014!  I don’t know about you, but I always try to examine my year to see if I have passionately pursued the desires in my heart and done what the Lord had called me to do.   I don’t do this so that I can beat myself up if I didn’t quite meet every goal, but rather I do it because it teaches me life lessons that I can’t learn any other way!  When I take the time to think about what I spent my time on, I can see some very rewarding things that I’ve done, but on the other hand there will be other things that didn’t quite work out.   If I honestly evaluate the things that didn’t quite work out the way that I wanted them to,  I can usually use them as good teachers that will help me in the year to come!

When I look to the New Year I like to think of it as if it is an action adventure in a brand new chapter of a book that has yet to be written.  I guess it is the writer in me, but I find the new adventure to be very exciting!    Although the steps I am beginning to take can be somewhat unfamiliar, this to me is what makes life worth living and stirs up my passion to pursue it with all my might!  I love that with the Lord, I get more chances at reaching the goals that I may not have reached before in the previous year! He redeems my time so nothing is wasted!

Even though I have published four books before, I am excited to be preparing another one!   It’s like having a new baby! I know that I have to take care of it, but it does not mean that I necessarily know how.  I cannot always do the same with this baby as my last!  Every child is different!  You just sort of play it by ear and let the baby tell you what it needs.  More than I want to promote the fact that I am working on a new book, I really want to promote the message behind the books that I have written and will continue to write!   I have a passion and a desire to encourage others to follow their dreams, no matter how crazy they may seem.   I am a farm girl who was born and raised in a small little rural community in Kentucky.  Why would I, of all people, be chosen to write books?  My answer is simply this…because I said YES!   If I, of all people can write books and be published, then there is no limit to what you can do… What is your passion?  If you do not know what your passion is, then this blog is your divine challenge!   Until you know what you truly desire to do and are passionate about, then you will spend much of your life (years) being unfulfilled and very unhappy.  However, when you know what your passion is and the Lord co-labors with you in fulfilling your purpose, there is nothing more rewarding and satisfying!

So this is the challenge! I know that I’ve said a lot, but it all boils down to:  What is in your heart to do?

Ecclesiastes 9:10 (KJV) Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest.

It sounds to me like you have been created to do something passionately with your life and that you are to do it with all your might!  This blog is one of my attempts to passionately pursue what is in my heart! I hope that you will follow suit and arise to the challenge to pursue your passion as well, no matter how outrageous or crazy it may seem!

Tags: , , ,

Treasure on the Inside!

5 Nov

Treasure on the Inside!.

Tags: , , , ,

Treasure on the Inside!

5 Nov

Treasure on the Inside!

Nativity window

I know that sometimes changing things up a bit is not always easy for people to accept, however I feel that it is change that makes life so interesting! Because I feel this way, for this week’s blog and with Thanksgiving and Christmas being right around the corner, I decided to post something a little different!  I hope that you will enjoy it!  Yeah, well I could already hear in my hearing someone stating that “Thanksgiving has not come yet, and here is this lady writing about Christmas!”  I know that this post is about Christmas, but it is really not just about Christmas, but it is about every season in our lives!  If you read my blog last week, then you know that I wrote of Thanksgiving!   Also I decided to post my Nativity picture because it represented some of the change that I so frequently blog about.  The painting is an old antique window that I painted a few years back. It might not be that great, but it was a time of stretching or change for me.  I had never attempted to paint faces before and because of that I am pleased with it!

 

Treasure on the Inside!

To look on my outward appearance

You may not be impressed,

There may not be much beauty, poise,

or gracefulness.

But take another look, please, look

deep and look wide,

For what I may lack on the outward

is hidden treasure  inside.

 

No longer hidden though

is my greatest heart’s desire,

I want to live from the inside

out for others to admire.

For inside this vessel a living treasure

Not acquired by myself,

But hidden on the inside is a kingdom

of infinite wealth!

 

A priestly King from Heaven, a Holy seed

Born through virgin loins,

To demonstrate the Father’s love

That many children could be born.

A holy child given unto the world on a starry Christmas night

Hark the herald angels sing praise in abiding shepherd’s hearing

A Heavenly Father’s greatest present freely was in sight

A celebration in my heart as I counted his gift so endearing

 

I accepted his sacrifice of the punishment meant for me

A kingdom that was purchased not with sweat on brawl

Jesus now my savior that was hung upon a tree

By the shedding of Holy blood no other was endowed.

The Father’s holy gift is still being offered in each and every season

As a precious treasure for all to freely accept and to receive

His heart was to love you; His gift is for this reason

His invitation to be a member of his family for those who will simply believe!

 

 

Tags: , , , ,

Thanks Giving Adventure!

29 Oct

Thanks Giving Adventure!.

Tags: , , , ,

← Older Entries
Newer Entries →