"Mindful of Him" by Hollis Hughes

Chance events—the source of all that was or ever would be in the universe—has been a reasonably comfortable view for Rob McLain during the past two years in college. As he watches his parents’ caskets being slowly lowered into the grave, he wonders about his decision to discard God in favor of enlightenment. Without a belief in God, whom can he blame?

Besides his questions and his rage, Beth, his wife of nine months, is all Rob has left. Warm, loving, optimistic—Beth is the only source of light in Rob’s life now. With her, he might be able to make it through the next few months; without her, he is completely hopeless.

Following a shocking turn of events, Rob is stripped of everything he holds dear: marriage, friendship, and his future career. Embittered and empty, Rob relinquishes the last of himself and embarks on a wilderness journey to follow the Canoba River to its beginnings. At the end of his quest, Rob discovers the source of the river and someone he never expected—the Source of all truth.

Mindful of Him is a tale of heartbreak and triumph set in the 1950s, although it could easily be transformed to present day. Rob, in his 20s, is on a quest for answers to life’s deepest questions. But it is not only the young who search for meaning and answers.

This is a book for those who love the great outdoors and fishing, and even if you’re not all that fond of fishing (which I’m not), author Hollis Hughes takes you on a journey you will not soon forget and may find yourself currently traveling or having the desire to do so. He packs tall tales, common sense and a quest for truth into 265 pages that you won’t want to put down. He weaves words together that make you think and rethink … “Working all the time, like most do, ain’t living. We take time to live.”

Author Biography
On a cold February day in 1928, Hollis Hughes was born in a ramshackle house with no insulation, plumbing, or electricity. Growing up on a farm during the Great Depression, Hollis spent his youth chopping wood, tending the family farm, milking cows, and tending to livestock. Following college graduation, Hollis worked as a high school teacher and counselor for 38 years and operated a successful rhododendron nursery. When Hollis’ wife developed Alzheimer’s disease in 1988, he spent the next 12 years taking care of her. Today, Hollis is retired from education. He is a fly fisherman, hiker, and gardener. He is a member of the American Camellia Society, and a lifetime member of the Birmingham Botanical Society. Hollis and his wife, Lera, make their home in Alabama.

The book is available in paperback or ebook.



Check out Hollis Hughes’ website at http://www.mindfulofhim.com To order your own copy of the book, visit http://www.WinePressBooks.com

Act of obedience brings ministry to the nations

Do you believe? Are you obedient?

You are precious in His sight

Don't let despair seize you ... don't become despondent ... don't become bitter.
Go on.

Completely surround yourself with Christ - all of Him. Believe in Him, follow Him, be obedient to Him. Pursue. Do not stop pursuing because events in your life have darkened your path, resulting in increased hardship.

Hardships come and hardships go. We all struggle. We all suffer. At some stage in our lives we all are rejected -- BUT the rejection is from our peers, not from the Lord.

When we are one with Christ Jesus we understand better what it means to suffer and be rejected.

Jesus died for all - every one of us - those past, present and future. He died for me.
He died for you. He suffered. He was rejected. Yet He obeyed the will of The Father - His Father - God.

He had to suffer. He had to be rejected to fulfill God's promise. And we as believers in Christ can do no less.

"3He is despised and rejected by men, A Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him; He was despised, and we did not esteem Him. 4Surely He has borne our griefs And carried our sorrows; Yet we esteemed Him stricken, Smitten by God, and afflicted. 5But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed. 6All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way; And the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all. 7He was oppressed and He was afflicted. Yet He opened not His mouth; He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, And as a sheep before its shearers is silent, So He opened not His mouth." (Isaiah 53: 3-7)

His death was not in vain. His life too, however much suffering and pain, was not in vain.

Our life, filled with suffering, pain, rejection, is also not in vain when it is to Jesus we cling.

All we do, as believers in Christ, show others where we stand - what we stand for, who we stand with. Is it for Jesus, with Jesus? Do we follow Him whatever the cost? Do we hear and respond? Do we say yes in our mind and no in our heart? Do we listen to outside influences? Has our subconscious swayed our thinking so much that whatever the Spirit of the Lord says to us "feels" wrong?

Feelings. Following Christ, obeying Christ, has nothing to do with feelings.

When we become One of His, we are called to a new life set apart for God.

We have been forgiven - God has forgiven us. What does it matter, of what importance is it really when our peers refuse to forgive us, when our families and "friends" bad-mouth us and turn their backs on us. Did Jesus receive any less treatment?

Jesus loves you.

If you profess to be One of His and wear His cloak upon you, then you must live and walk as He did, not as your peers.

You are just as precious in the eyes of the Lord
as a newborn baby.

You have been granted asylum..

You have received His grace.

He bids you go - to live, to walk, to pursue as He, to not stop to consider "did He really say.... did He really mean..."

His answers to our every question, every concern we face, is found in His Word when we study, meditate, pray, follow, obey.

Obedience is so very hard to do when we struggle to see the Light, when we allow thoughts of the world to penetrate our minds, when we find excuses, and we lose sight of Jesus.

He is our everything. Move Him to the forefront. Keep Him there. Don't allow those dark thoughts of despair to take control and rule your every move.

Live in the Light. Be fruitful. Be One with Him.

Walk with Him.

You stepped out once. Continue the steps, one foot in front of the other, being obedient to His demand, wherever it takes you. He is always with you.

Where there is obedience we find faith and our faith renews our obedience to Him who calls us.

Do you believe?
Are you obedient?

God is faithful ...

Blessings
Salvation
A Calling

Gifts
each given
each received
to you and you
and me too

You accepted and received His greatest gift
The gift of His Son
The gift of eternal security
The gift of a new life
Salvation

But what of other gifts?
What of that special calling He placed on your heart?
You heard the call
You responded to the call
And you followed a path you thought
was God's direction for fulfilling the call

But your new life got muddied a bit
So muddied it became unrecognizable
and the direction thought so clear
was now quite cloudy and overcast.

Trudging on,
we seek advice from another
perhaps individuals ill-equipped for such a task.

Our answers
may not be God's answers,
however,
our discouragement
has brought us to a
pit of deep despair,
so much so that
even our fellow Christian brothers and sisters
stand against us.

But God is faithful
We gave our hearts to Jesus.

God does not change.
God is able to do all things.

Why do we question God?
Why do we think His answers
are the ones we hear from another,
one we thought was on the same path
of striving for Godliness as we were?

God is not lower. We are.
God is above all.
He is the enabler -
not any one person, not a group -
only God can say NO! to us.

We don't always hear His response.
We hear our neighbor,
the man in the next pew,
the elderly woman in Sunday School.
We hear our subconscious.
We see scorn
and put downs.
And we withdraw.

Did God tell us to withdraw?
Did He say listen to them, they are my children, they know what is right?
Did He?

No, He didn't.
He said
Read My Word
Study My Word
Meditate on My Word
Listen to Me My Child
Follow Me
I AM able to do all things.
Trust Me.
Obey Me.
You are My Son, My Daughter.
I AM He who enables you to be all I desire you to be.

Who will we listen to going forward?

Are the messages we hear not taken to heart?
Do we think they are meant for another?
Is God not speaking to your heart?

God healed you.
Why do you continue to live
as though there is no hope, no future.

God forgave you.
Just because another has not forgiven you your trespasses,
just because grudges are held
and the open wound seems to stay forever open and fester,
does not mean God has turned His back on you.

God is faithful.

Our relationship first and foremost
needs to be with the Lord Jesus.
IF we stay true and faithful to Him,
our lives will be changed for the better
and no matter what another says or does,
it will not matter.

Jesus promised there would be suffering.
The thorns of life
would surround us on every side,
just like with Him,
but when we remain mindful of Him
and not listen to Satan,
remembering God is with us,
we can overcome.

Go ... tell what great things the Lord has done for you and how He has had compassion on you ... Go in peace ... be healed ... your faith has made you well ... Go and preach the Kingdom of God ... Go and do not look back forlorn ... do not lose heart. ("Go, and" study:
 http://windowtochristianministries-journeys.blogspot.com/2011/09/go-and.html)

Don't miss the "Light of Jesus" for fear of the darkness