Thanksgiving is tomorrow, and I thought I’d celebrate by showing my gratitude for my favorite music band: Tenth Avenue North! This Christian pop band’s music has been part of my life since I first started listening to them on the radio in 2008. I didn’t really know who they were until I was much older and started recognizing how important music was to me. I started following their career in earnest in 2016. It was around this time I realized their music had helped to shape my beliefs and personality for most of my life.

In 2020, just before the pandemic reached the U.S., the Tenth Avenue North (TAN) announced their retirement, and I was heartbroken. I continued to follow Mike Donehey’s music, which I loved just as much as the original band’s. Just a couple of months ago, TAN announced its return and almost two weeks ago released a new single. In celebration of the band’s return, I am going to discuss some of my favorite TAN songs, the biblical truths they expound, and what they mean in my life.

I’m going to start with one song that many people know but often don’t realize is a Tenth Avenue North song. This is “Worn.” Perhaps one of the most emotionally raw of their music, “Worn” has brought me much peace in moments of pain and heartache. The singer cries out to God, confessing that his hope has been lost and that just breathing on this earth is a struggle. The singer asks God to give him rest, to know struggles end, and that he will never be left alone.

This song always comes to me right when I need it most, and I cry almost every time I listen to it. I have experienced the weight of these lyrics many times, and I know they’re truthful. Being “worn even before the day begins” has been something I struggle with even now. There’s never a clear answer from God within the lyrics for this prayer, but—as Mike has talked about before (part 1 and part 2)—even the Bible has many psalms and prayers of honest pain and regret without a message of hope. Sometimes hopeless, honest lamentations can be just as helpful as words of affirmation.

The song “Hold My Heart” is another powerful confession of difficulties in faith. The song opens with the singer asking God how long he must wait for God to answer his prayers. Many people would see questioning God as a sin, but God isn’t hurt or angered by these questions. Even Jesus asked for his suffering to be taken away (Luke 22:42, Mark 14:36, and Matthew 26:39, 42). Just like Jesus, this song asks God to be near and hold the singer’s heart. It’s a beautiful reminder that even “one voice in a sea of pain” matters to the “Maker of the Stars.”

TAN’s song “Space to Speak” is a song of preparation for vulnerability. The singer knows that he’s spent too much time with the cares of this world to pay attention to God, and it’s taken effect on his soul. He opens himself to listen to what God has to say to him. He invites God to speak into his life, even if it’s just a moment to breathe.

Perhaps my favorite line from any of TAN’s songs comes from “Space to Speak.” It says, “As I wait, it feels like wasting precious time, like perfume poured on the floor; forgive me, Lord.” This confession and asking for forgiveness hit me hard. I know exactly what the singer means. I often feel like my time can be used for so many important, productive activities, but sitting quietly, listening for God to speak when I don’t know if He will doesn’t feel productive. But, if I truly want a good relationship with God, that is exactly something I need to do. Forgive me, Lord, for considering time with You a waste of time.

A song close to my heart is one of TAN’s oldest songs, and probably only known to people who have listened to their debut album, is “Satisfy.” The singer in this song asks God to satisfy him before anything else ever does. It’s a simple yet powerful prayer that I seek to implement in my life regularly. There are many things and temptations in this world that appeal to me, that promise to satisfy my desires, threatening to replace God in my life. Asking God to fill those places with Himself is the best defense I have against sin. The song’s refrain, “You’re beautiful,” reminds me to see God’s true beauty, which nothing in this world can compare to.

One of my favorite songs of worship—which I believe needs to be sung in churches, but I may be biased—is “Hallelujah.” The singer confesses he is sinful, small, and ugly, compared to God’s perfection, powerfulness, and beauty, which can be terrifying to think about. The singer asks how God could love him after all he’s done, and he asks God to hide his sin and help him with his unbelief, much like the father in Mark 9:24. The lyrics praise God for His sacrifice and love. He sings “Hallelujah for the blood of the Lamb that was slain.”

A song that literally pulled me from one of my first bouts with depression is “I Have This Hope.” This song is certainly the most hopeful of TAN’s lamentations. It reminds me of the hope we have in Jesus’s works and the promises of God. If all falls away, if I lose everything, if nothing makes sense, I can cling to the everlasting hope of my Heavenly Father. I can “believe that one day I’ll see Your (God’s) face.”

I clung to this promise when I couldn’t feel joy during the Christmas season, my favorite holiday, which made me sad, contributing to more depression. It was a vicious cycle I couldn’t understand. I heard this song, and a weight was immediately lifted from my soul, and I felt true joy, not just the seasonal kind. It was because of this song that I began following TAN’s journey and listening to all of their wonderful songs, not just what played on the radio.

Before I talk about my favorite TAN song of all time, I’m going to run through some honorable mentions. “I Confess,” is perhaps the most overt of TAN’s confessional songs. The singer says talking to God feels like talking to a stranger, and he wants to change that, and he knows the only way to do so is to confess his sins as they are. “Heaven is Now” is a reminder to Christians that we shouldn’t wait for Heaven to come to live the life that God wants us to. We can live His will now and seek out those who are hurting and introduce God to them so that they will join us in that joyous day.

“Beloved” is sung in the first person and includes intimate language, giving the listener a feeling of truly being God’s beloved and chosen bride, as is depicted many times throughout the Bible. “No Shame” is an upbeat celebration of the peace and joy God grants his children. We weren’t created to live with shame, and Jesus’s gift of grace—should we choose to accept it—takes that weight off our shoulders, and that’s something we need to celebrate. Lastly, I have to mention their Christmas album, “Decade the Halls.” Each track is wonderful. That’s it for the honorable mentions. Now for my favorite TAN song.

From Tenth Avenue North’s debut album comes a song of discourse between God and His children. It’s called “Times.” The song begins with the singer confessing to needing God, wanting to see Him, to feel Him, but when He’s near, the singer fears Him. He has done so much wrong, how can He keep forgiving? The second half of the song is affirmation after affirmation, promise after promise. The singer says he hears God saying that He will always be there, no matter what, even when temptations run awry and doubt enters the singer’s heart.

This song’s lyrics contain the album title it’s part of: “My love is over, its underneath, its inside, its in between.” God’s love is penetrating and all-consuming. It’s perhaps a wordier, if not more comprehensible, version of Jesus’s words in John 14:20. The chorus is a simple “Oh, oh” refrain, allowing the listener time to meditate on the truth and depth of the song’s verses. It’s a soft and gentle tune, allowing us to experience the sweetness of God’s love, which “never ends.”

On November 10th, 2023, Tenth Avenue North released its first new single since their return titled “Suddenly,” and honestly, it’s the perfect comeback. It encapsulates all of TAN’s personality traits. It’s confessional, joyful, and filled with praise. God’s forgiveness and promises can bring sudden change and peace, and it’s worth celebrating. Not to mention, the title reflects the way we TAN fans feel about the band’s return. Suddenly, they’re back!

You have no idea how hard it was to choose only the songs above to discuss. I love so many of their songs, and each of them contains special messages. They are raw, honest, and different from most Christian songs I hear. They speak the words of my heart and remind me of God’s truth and character. They’re not afraid to question God or end their laments without hope, and that’s a freeing way to deal with overwhelming hurt. In the end, the songs always cling to God’s promises. I hope these songs will help you to have joy in the Lord as they have me. You can listen to all their songs for free on their YouTube channel.

Happy Thanksgiving!

~ Beth

P.S. The cover photo are all of TAN’s albums I own. I need to get the rest, but these are my top favorites.

Can you believe we are at the end of October? This year has absolutely flown by, and now there are only two months left in 2023. Do you ever take time to look back and reflect on the past? I love looking back on history, but lately looking back on my personal life is becoming more difficult to do. It feels like I have fewer good things to remember than when I was younger, but I know if I took the time to really think about it, I could find many good things I’ve experienced during this year.

You might be thinking it’s a bit early to be going through a “year-end review,” and I am inclined to agree, but November is the month of giving thanks. What better way to prepare than by remembering good things to be thankful for? Plus, practicing gratitude now just might help us make these last two months the best of the year. So, how do we practice gratitude mindfully? Well, I’m going to figure that out as I write this post. I invite you to join me as you read, and maybe we’ll figure it out together.

First, I want to find one big thing about each month. In January, I started my final semester in college, and I turned 27. I remember feeling distraught about graduation and still being single. There wasn’t anything I could do about those “problems,” but they lead my thoughts to the month of May. I know that’s a five-month time jump, but a stream of consciousness can be healthy when looking back.

I graduated college on May 6th, 2023, a day I’d dreaded for a year. After seeking professional help, praying a lot, and being honest with my friends, I was able to enjoy and celebrate that day. One small moment that helped me happened the night before: my roommate gave me a graduation card. It was signed by some of my closest friends, each leaving a message of endearment, expressing the same love to me I had shown them.

A short time later, I told one of those friends that I was thankful for all the delays in my life because they had led me to meet these wonderful people. That person told me she was so proud of me for being able to look back on my life with gratitude. I didn’t even realize that’s what I was doing, and I felt so much joy. Sometimes I still feel impatient and am tempted to complain about life not happening like I wanted, but I’m far more content than I was a year ago, and that’s worth celebrating.

Wow! All of that just because I thought about January! I wonder what would happen if I kept going. Let’s see, I don’t remember much about February. I think I published with my flash fiction club, but nothing else is coming to mind. I was probably stressing about homework. Haha! I could say the same about March, honestly. And that’s okay. Sometimes big things don’t happen every month. I know if I looked through my calendar and messages, I’d find lots of little events, good and bad. I encourage you to do that in your own time later. For now, I’m sticking to the bigger things.

Next up is April. I remember April being a very stressful time. It was the last month of the semester, I was behind on almost all of my schoolwork, and both my parents were celebrating their birthdays. I spent late nights in the library working, and I even broke down crying in Starbucks where I was hanging out with some friends. They comforted me and we listened to the library storytime together while eating cookies. I remember how loved I felt, and I knew I didn’t want to be anywhere else at that moment.

I’ve already touched on May. Besides graduation, I moved out of my apartment, I got to see my grandparents from Arizona for a couple of days, and inspiration for A Week in Galerod struck me at random, and I began writing veraciously. I also began searching for a job and actually trusting God with my post-graduation life. May had a lot going on, both stressful and good, and many of my current activities got their start in May.

Next up, June. It wasn’t a terrible month, but it wasn’t good. I don’t remember a whole lot about that month except I filled out a lot of job applications and kept writing. July was a bit more chaotic since my dad spent almost two weeks in the hospital and I started a new job. The fact that we all survived the hospital stay and I’m employed are good things to be thankful for.

August brought sorrow as my new reality became apparent to me. My friends returned to college and I was not there with them. Both August and September were emotionally rough months, but we continued to keep in contact and find new ways to spend time together. I finished training in September, and now I’m working hard as a reading tutor (am I training the next generation of Beth Freemont fans? Maybe. 😉😆).

And here we are, October. This was going to be an exciting month. I was going to publish A Week in Galerod, I had so many plans for advertising, I was supposed to be driving a car, I was supposed to be doing so many things. Instead, I have a delayed publication, I still haven’t learned how to drive, I’m behind on what feels like everything, and I was sick for a week. However, I got to celebrate two of my friends’ birthdays, meet my pseudo-niece, and join my old college writing club for its annual 24-hour lock-in (the reason I was sick for a week 😏).

Every month has setbacks, celebrations, and growth opportunities. I mean, even though I didn’t make my publication deadline, I’ve learned so much about my writing and how to handle feedback, and I learned to never set a publication date while I’m still working on draft one. I’m feeling good about my life right now, even with all the challenges. Still, I do have many days where I struggle to be content and patient. I’m learning to embrace both the good and the bad (kind of like Ursula in the short story I shared last week).

I hope you can do the same. I pray that we will both embrace the last two months of 2023 with contentment and patience. There is still so much in store for us—our own little adventures to take. Maybe that’s how I should always look at my life: the mini adventures of Beth Freemont. The same can be said for you: the mini adventures of [insert your name]!

Until next time!

-Beth

P.S. Yes, I had to push back the publication date for A Week in Galerod. I do not yet have a new date planned since I still have so much to do. But, you can receive the latest updates about this and many other things by joining my newsletter. In fact, my subscribers found out about the delay two weeks ago, four days before the infamous missed deadline. If you’d like to be in the loop, subscribe to my newsletter today. It’s free! When you sign up, remember to confirm your email address in the confirmation email sent to you immediately following your sign-up. Thank you!

Have you ever had a story just come to you from the depths of your soul, but you didn’t realize its origin until much later? Well, that’s what happened to me. The day was Friday, May 12th, 2023. I was listening to the same music I always do, but for some reason, that night, the lyrics spoke to me differently than they usually do, and a whole story sprung to life in my mind.

I could see it: three girls were walking together in the twilight, laughing and enjoying each other’s company. One of them stopped to daydream about going away somewhere large and grand, somewhere different from their tiny town in the middle of nowhere. She wanted to find handsome men to dance reels with. Of course, the other two girls were the voice of reason, chiding her for being so unseemly.

The girl didn’t care what her friends thought. In fact, she tried to convince them to come with her. One was firm on not going, but the other was swayed. Just before they were supposed to leave, the dreamer fell in love with someone right there in her small town, and she decided to stay. Her friend she convinced to travel with her still wanted to go on this trip, so the third friend decided to go with her and keep her out of trouble. They would have many adventures along the way, and girl two would fall in love, deciding to stay in the new place. Meanwhile, girl three also fell in love, but her heart was broken by that man, and she was going to end the story realizing her self-worth and the beauty of waiting for true love.

Pretty interesting, right? That was everything; all of that came to my mind like a bowling ball making a strike. I began searching for names, making character portraits, finding more songs as inspiration, putting together a playlist, brainstorming more scenes, and eight days later, I began writing the first draft. The words flew onto the page with furry. Characters I had yet to think of manifested from thin air. Personalities developed and ran wild. Soon enough, most of the story had changed. Suddenly all three friends were traveling together, plus two other characters, one who didn’t exist until chapter two.

I had to stop and reevaluate where this story was going. After a day or two, I regained control, forming a partnership between my inspiration and my logic. Every day I wrote 2,000 or more words. The chapters ranged between 1,500 to 3,000 words each. I hit a groove, and they became consistently 2,000 words each. Six weeks later, on June 30th, I completed draft one of A Week in Galerod, stopping at 33,969 words.

I had never written a story that long that quickly. I knew instantly this was a special story. I didn’t realize until I finished draft two that the story reflected my thoughts and feelings about graduating college, leaving my friends, moving home, and finding a job. The ending events of the story were almost the way I wish my life could go, but metaphorically, it is how my life is going.

I don’t want to give you exact details, that would spoil the story for you, and I would hate to spoil it for you. Now you’re probably wondering why I told you all that if I don’t want to spoil it. I’m glad you asked. It’s because this story holds a special place in my heart, and I wanted to share a glimpse into why. I can’t express enough just how much excitement is seeping from me. It’s too much and I have to release some of the pressure. But I also have exciting news to accompany this exposition.

A Week in Galerod has successfully passed through beta readers, and I am starting draft four (maybe five, I lost count) this week! You might be interested to know that the feedback was wonderfully positive! There are some places that still need some smoothing out, but it’s almost there! Squeals into a pillow. Seriously, I cannot wait for you to read it!

I plan to have this book ready to sell on Saturday, October 21st, 2023*, but you can read it for free if you sign up for my monthly newsletter! When you sign up, You’ll also get exclusive content and the latest updates, as well as cover and other content reveals before I post them to my socials. The next email will be sent out on Friday, October 6th! If you sign up now, you’ll receive the book blurb and advanced cover reveal, both of which will not go live on social media until October 17th! On the 21st, you will receive a link to your free ebook copy of A Week in Galerod. Remember to confirm your address when you sign up so you receive all the emails!

Thank you for choosing to join me on this journey. I can’t wait for you to read this story. Be sure to come back for a new short story this Friday, the 29th. While you wait for that, leave a comment about a time when inspiration struck you and you couldn’t help but follow its every whim. Also, be sure to check out my Instagram to learn more about the songs that helped to inspire A Week in Galerod. Until next time!

-Beth

*Due to unforeseen events, the publication date of A Week in Galerod has been postponed. The new publication date is TBD. Thank you for your patience.

What do you do when you’re stressed? How do you feel? Does it affect the way you think about and handle things, or does it target your body in odd ways? This is something I deal with a lot as a human being, and if you’re a human being you know what I mean. Today I’m going to talk about what’s been stressing me, how it affects me, and what I’ve tried to do to mitigate it. After you read, I want you to share what you do to mitigate stress. I’d love to hear what you have to say.

So, what’s been stressing me? Lots of things. For one, I started a new job last week. The week before that, my dad was in the hospital with a severe infection (he’s doing better by the way). And all summer I’ve been trying to get back into writing and building a business from it. That’s not even to mention trying to maintain a social life, family dynamics, self-care; the list goes on. Some of these are wonderful things (like writing), and some not so nice things, but that doesn’t mean they don’t all cause stress.

The funny thing is, they each stress me differently. When my dad was in the hospital, I couldn’t focus, on almost anything. I mostly played computer games that week because I couldn’t formulate my own words for writing, I couldn’t comprehend words for reading, and what little mental capacity I had I needed to use it to talk to doctors and nurses. Ever since then, I’ve had to catch up on everything.

Sometimes the stress manifests itself physically. I can have ankle cramps, trouble speaking, or drop things randomly. Having Cerebral Palsy makes these problems worse, and can even disguise the stress as simple CP flare-ups. It can be hard to identify a headache as being related to stress if you already have them because of your disability. Sometimes stress can manifest as a stomach ache. That’s especially hard to identify. Anything can cause your stomach to be unhappy. Usually, I figure these things out when they go on for a while, and I experiment with different remedies, or when the stressor disappears and my physical problem goes with it.

So, what do I do when I realize I’m stressed? Well, I kind of experiment. The situation with my dad couldn’t be changed, and I had to learn to be patient with myself. My body was more than happy to remind me I needed naps as much as my dad. I had to tell myself my writing would still be there when I was ready for it, and that I would be able to catch up. I had to remember why I was stressing, and that anyone would struggle with the situation.

There are times I can do nothing to change or help a stressful situation, and I have to first identify that I can do nothing, then I have to let go of it. When I was in school and living away from home, one of our family cats got sick. I could do nothing about it except pray. I felt far away and helpless. I had to realize that my parents were doing everything they could to help our kitty⸺they took him to the vet, gave him medicine, etc. I had to release the worry and give it to God, which is easier said than done. It’s a test of faith and trust, being okay with the outcome He might allow, which is stressful in itself. Deep breathing and praying, while visualizing the stress leaving my body, are all ways I do this. I admit, I don’t do it as often as I should, but it does help.

Then there are the few things in life that I can control, like my author’s business. When I feel overwhelmed by all the things I need to do and the time I have to do them in, I have to back up, take a deep breath, and get out my tools. For me, these tools are my notebooks, which I use to brainstorm ideas, action steps, timelines, etc.; my whiteboard, where I’m free to visually sketch outlines and calendars without worrying about using up precious paper or being unable to erase something (I don’t like pencils for writing because I feel like I have to press them harder on the paper, which causes hand cramps. Markers glide easily, and my brain can’t jive with computers as easily); and the internet, where I can look up answers to questions, look at my stories or website and see what I’m missing. When I slow down and work on what I can control, the stress turns to anticipation for the execution of the plan.

Speaking of plans, I have exciting news! I am launching a monthly newsletter on August 24th! I will continue to use WordPress, Instagram, and Facebook, but with a newsletter, I won’t have to rely on social algorithms to get all my latest writing updates into your newsfeed. I can deliver everything straight to your inbox where you can look at it anytime you want and know it’s there. But that’s not the only benefit you’ll get from signing up for my newsletter. You’ll also get exclusive updates and special offers on my published books. And, on October 21st, you will get a free download of A Week In Galerod! If you would like these benefits, sign up for my newsletter here!

Because of the newsletter, I’m changing up my WordPress schedule a little bit. You’ll still get a blog post on the second Thursday of the month, but short stories will be posted the third Thursday, and the newsletter will be sent out the fourth Thursday to recap the month and preview the next one. I’m so excited to be expanding my business like this. It has been a little stressful, but I think it will be worth it. Did I mention it’s free to subscribe?

That’s all I have for you today. I’m so glad you stopped by. Please, leave a comment about the kind of stress you’re dealing with and how you’re working through it. I’d love to learn from you!

Until next time,

-Beth

Do you believe in miracles? I do. Yes, I believe that God still works miracles, big ones and little ones. The bigger ones may not be very common, but we don’t know everything that happens in the world, and people do keep things to themselves. Even so, there may be more to the absence of big miracles, and we’ll come back to that. I want to take some time to talk about the little ones.

What do I mean by little ones? You might think children. They are miracles (by the way, you used to be a child too, if you aren’t now, and that makes you a miracle), but I’m talking about the insignificant moments that happen and we think, “Wow! That was kind of cool.” No, not the time someone paid for your coffee, but rather the things that have no real explanation except that it was a little gift from God. Let me give you some examples from my own life.

When I was a kid, my dad left for work after dinner and came home before breakfast. There was one night my mom awoke us kids, got us dressed quickly, and in the car. My dad’s nose was bleeding profusely at work, and we needed to get him to a hospital. My dad has had chronic nosebleed problems for as long as I can remember, so he knows how to care for his nose. The fact he was asking for help in the middle of the night meant bad enough nothing he did made it stop.

I remember being so sleepy, but I could tell my mom was concerned, and that kept me awake. She was driving and fervently praying at the same time. I don’t remember what she said, but I do know that as she ended her supplications as she always does—in Jesus’ name, amen—the phone began to ring. My mom answered and it was my dad saying the nosebleed had suddenly stopped. We went back home and back to bed. All was well.

I don’t think I could ever forget that moment. It was a little miracle in a big way. Some might consider it a coincidence. I believe otherwise, but that’s not the only time I experienced a little miracle. Another that comes to mind is the time we prayed as a family for the life of a baby chicken. My mom was excited to get chickens and have home-grown eggs. She got approval from the city council, and my dad and I built the coop that housed them.

We got six chickens in total, and one of the two Black Stars stopped drinking water and became lethargic. We had no idea why, but we did know if she didn’t start drinking soon, she would die. My mom said we needed to pray over her. We all gathered around and placed our hands over this little chick, who was so small she fit comfortably in one palm. We prayed together—again, I don’t remember the prayer, I just remember we were all in agreement.

It’s common for chicks to die, and professionals recommend buying a backup chick for this reason. My mom did so, but that didn’t stop her from trying to save this one anyway. Very quickly, that little chick perked up and acted normal. You know what’s even better? She turned out to be the nicest chicken I knew (I have plenty of terrible experiences with chickens), and she outlived all the other chickens we had. She adopted many of the kittens that wandered into our backyard, and they all respected her until the end.

Another little miracle I want to talk about is probably the smallest one, though it is the most recent and the inspiration for this post. I recently sent handwritten letters to a few friends, because handwritten letters are nice, and I want to use my stationery. I had picked five people to write to, and I planned to use two pieces of paper from my stationery for each. I packed them into my backpack the day before going to the library where I wrote them.

Here’s where the details get interesting. I wrote to Person One using two papers. Person Two had two papers. Person Three, one paper. I surprised myself with that fact, but, that’s how it went. Person Four, two papers. Person five, four papers. Now, if you’re keeping track, you will notice that’s eleven pieces of paper, not ten. No, I did not take paper from the library; I had accidentally grabbed an eleventh paper from my stationery the night before. But wait, there’s more!

As I wrote to Person Five, I felt the need to give them some very specific encouragement. I’d only intended to say hi and let them know to expect more letters from me, but I just had important thoughts about something coming up in their life I felt led to encourage them about, and it took all four papers—the original two, the one left over from person Three, and the extra one I grabbed by “accident”.

I can’t explain this except as a miracle. Now, before you say that I subconsciously felt safe to write a letter that long because I knew I had the paper to do so, I will say I wanted to stop writing; my hand was hurting. Writing four letters by hand is hard when you’re not used to it! I pushed through the hand cramps anyway. I had to write this letter.

Each of these events may be simple coincidences, but these are only three moments from my 27 years on this earth. I can’t tell you how many times someone lost something, looked for it several minutes to an hour in every place possible and impossible more than once, prayed that God would send His angels to bring it back, and then immediately find it—either in the open, in a pocket thoroughly emptied three times before, or in the floorboard of the car already scouted inside and out. These are the tiniest of the little miracles, yet they are the most complex. It’s hard to believe those are simple coincidences.

Is God really working in these instances? Are little miracles the only way He works now? People have said God doesn’t operate like He did in Bible times. In some ways that’s true—as evidenced by his forgiveness through the cross—but that event did not end miracles. The book of Acts chronicles real-world events following Jesus’ resurrection, and it’s filled with miracles, both big and small. Just like today, people didn’t always believe what they saw and heard.

The people in the Bible didn’t have the Bible to tell them about God’s work behind the scenes like we do now. Think about the Old Testament. People laughed when Noah built the ark. Do you think when the rain came they knew a miracle was happening? God had communicated with the one person who would listen to him and saved him from death—and that’s miraculous.

Think about Abraham and Isaac. Do you think people knew about what happened on the mountain at Moriah, how God provided Abraham a sacrifice in place of Isaac? If they did know, some would have attributed it to a coincidence, a convenience, or their own gods. What about later when Balaam’s Donkey spoke to him—how many people knew about that? As these stories were written down and passed on, becoming what we know as the Hebrew and later Christian Bible, they provided people with God’s perspective of past events no one had known before.

People in the New Testament were aware of Old Testament stories, but they were unaware of the work God was doing in their time, as evidenced in the aforementioned book of Acts. Today, we have a Bible filled with explanations of God’s work that were only known to a few. It’s possible God is putting together another testament chronicling the time between Jesus’ death and His second coming, but we may never know about it in our lifetime. Even if He isn’t adding to the Bible, He still performs miracles today.

Did you know about the events in my life I just told you before today? Do you think God had a hand in them?

Don’t get me wrong, these are instances where God answered prayer, and times when He just did something that didn’t actually have prayer before it, like with the letters. I am painfully aware that there are times God does not answer prayers the way we want. I have a previous post all about that. Do I know why those things happened and are happening? No. I probably won’t know this side of Heaven. But we do know about God’s past work this side of the Bible.

God still does miraculous things. Sometimes people talk about it, and other times they’re not allowed to. If you don’t believe me, I encourage you to watch the movie or read the book titled “The Insanity of God.” It was created by missionaries who shared what God’s been doing in countries where Christianity is illegal. I also highly recommend the book “I Found God in Soviet Russia” by John Noble. For a story closer to home, check out Christy Wilson Beam whose big miracle became a book and movie titled “Miracles from Heaven.”

There are miracles all around us. God is always working. If you still don’t believe it, that’s a choice you’ve made, and I can’t say any more to convince you. But if you ever change your mind, I would say that’s a miracle of God changing your heart.

-Beth