Everyday Extraordinary

Penny Armstrong Sparks

Description

These stories will inspire you to see God in the seemingly insignificant stuff. He doesn’t just work in the earthquakes of life, but in the gentle whispers as well.
Everyday Extraordinary is a follow up to My Saturday Morning Posts, the compilation of a weekly journal posted on social media that followed Penny Sparks’ first year of grief after the unexpected loss of her husband. Through this format, her healing process developed into a continued walk through the “more” that everyday life can bring. So often we can see God clearly in crisis, turning points or big decisions, but what about the routines in our average days? He promises we will see and do more if we engage Him in the middle-of-the-road moments. This collection of thoughts is divided into four seasons in recognition of how we can feel differently and more deeply at different times of the year. Penny uses her everyday moments to share extraordinary lessons about the goodness of God. These stories will inspire you to see God in the seemingly insignificant stuff and show you how He doesn’t just work in the earthquakes of life, but in the gentle whispers as well.

Sujets

• Religion
• Christianisme
• Christian Living
• Inspirational
• Philosophie et théologie
• Seasons
• Moments
• Life Lessons
• Season
• Extraordinary
• Grief
• Everyday

Informations

• Publié par: WestBow Press
• Date de parution: 01 juin 2023
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781664296374
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 2 Mo

Extrait

everyday extraordinary
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Penny Armstrong Sparks
 
Edited by Michelle DeFord
 
 
 
 
 

 
Copyright © 2023 Edited by Michelle DeFord.
 
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
 
This book is a work of non-fiction. Unless otherwise noted, the author and the publisher make no explicit guarantees as to the accuracy of the information contained in this book and in some cases, names of people and places have been altered to protect their privacy.
 
 
 
WestBow Press
A Division of Thomas Nelson & Zondervan
1663 Liberty Drive
Bloomington, IN 47403
www.westbowpress.com
844-714-3454
 
Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.
 
Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.
Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.
 
Cover images and design by Nate Sparks
 
Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
 
Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
 
ISBN: 978-1-6642-9638-1 (sc)
ISBN: 978-1-6642-9637-4 (e)
 
Library of Congress Control Number: 2023905932
 
 
 
WestBow Press rev. date: 05/26/2023
Contents
thank-yous
preface
intro…don’t skip this
spring
spring cleaning
training vs trying
editing my heart - part I: interpretation
editing my heart - part II: something reserved for God
celebrate your days
assurance in connection
a light in dark places
an audience of one
finding strength in the unknown
when no one is watching
the beauty of surprise
trauma
the battle in my mind
living my best life
let’s get moving
vast inadequacy to immeasurable sufficiency
can you just tell me why?
to your knees, to the word, to the wise!
God is EVERYTHING!
can’t fix it
ring around the rosie
moving forward
freedom to fail
daddy’s girl
grow through what you go through
the dust never settles with God
the diversity within
the other side of the stage
Summer
road trips and mile markers
adapt and depend
peace - the divine weapon
all your ways
equipment and footholds
nothing surprises God
let go and let…
rest is holy
do it afraid
do your givin’ while you’re livin’
sweet mercy
what’s in your toolbox
so ready!
the puzzling process
his pace
he is lit
the more you know…the deeper we go
heart maintenance
trust the process
smells like forever
the small stuff
delight and desires
the scar
background music
made known
the overcomer
pause
stop, collaborate, and wait
a work in progress
fall
truth not tradition
invite the seasons
imitate the faith
from candy corn to Christ
vows
choosing the unpredictable
take in the view
never forgotten and fully known
the truth will set you free
circumstance + heart = interpretation
new growth
See the need – meet the need
all my stuff
impact
fearlessly authentic
post your story
take the mask off and dance
like clockwork
i will remember…
kindred spirits
attention to detail
the pain that heals
distractions or holy ground
pick a side
holy tension
who’s behind the wheel
joy in the journey
no pain, no gain
my familiar
winter
experience is a best seller
fullness
the greatest donation
we just don’t know
remember to reapply
leave the platform and ride the train
the winds of change
promises
start strong, pace, finish well
perspective is personal
God plays by different rules
didn’t go as planned
a little somethin’ somethin’
my one wild and precious life
connect
trust is perfect timing and a powerful grip
it’ s not about me
trust the designated driver
a beneficial change
what’s in your arsenal?
the kiss
red toes, no woes
sweet harmony
and the Oscar goes to…
a penny for your thoughts
have it to the full
touch
forever shaped by Your providence
Endnotes
thank-yous
“Thank you” feels so small in light of how I feel about what someone does for me and who they are in my life. However, until a new word is introduced that encompasses all of these feels…it will have to do.
To those who have been a part of these documented moments – Thank You!
To all the sweet, hard, beautiful, painful, and challenging conversations with people that helped me see this project through to fruition – Thank You!
To my tribe of ladies who are always in my balcony, cheering me on – Thank You!
To the voices of family and friends who have encouraged me in ways they will never know – Thank You!
To Trish, who generously provided two getaways that made the compilation and closure of this book possible – Thank You!
To Michelle, my precious friend, who has pushed me, seen and loved my best and worst parts, spent countless hours editing at my kitchen table with me, and consistently reminds me that I have MORE inside me…I will never forget the sacrifices you have made to help me finish both of my books – Thank You!
To my boys (Nate, Cooper and Brodie), you daily inspire me to move forward, do hard things, challenge myself, and live my life abundantly – Thank You!
To my God…WHO is my ALL and my EVERYTHING – Thank You!
I am blessed beyond measure!
preface
My entry into the world of writing began in February of 2018, when I unexpectedly lost my husband of 26 years. Because of the connections we had individually and collectively made, there was an outpouring of response to the news of his passing. I turned to social media to express my appreciation for all the love and support I had received, but also to update our circles on how the boys (Nate, Cooper and Brodie) and I were doing. The first year of my weekly posting turned into a book, My Saturday Morning Posts . For more than five years, I continued to post every Saturday and many of the chapters you will read have been adapted from those weeks of reflection. These raw thoughts are extraordinary inspiration taken from little everyday moments with God. My prayer is that sharing my stories will inspire you to see God in the seemingly insignificant stuff. He doesn’t just work in the earthquakes of life, but in the gentle whispers as well.
May God touch your heart with thoughts from my journey.
intro…don’t skip this
It’s no hidden secret that mountains and oceans relax me. They bring me back to the reality of how small I am in the grand scheme of things, and how surreal it is to be passionately loved by such a big God. When it came time to begin compiling the writing for this book, I retreated to the coastal town of Ocean Isle, North Carolina. The quiet beauty of this sleepy setting was the motivation behind my sojourn. There are very few cars seen here and fewer people roaming up and down the streets. Restaurants with only three tables occupied and shops where you are the only other person besides the clerk are the norm at this beach during the winter months.
I promised to start the process of writing my second book immediately after releasing my first book, My Saturday Morning Posts in 2019. For five years, I continued to write my weekly post (@my_saturday_morning-posts, facebook.com/MySaturdayMorning Posts ), but compiling thoughts into a book is a completely different breed of animal. There is a finesse required when putting thoughts in book form, and to do this, I needed to isolate myself from distractions, concerns, lists, and agendas. I set out on this adventure with my dear friend Michelle, who also helped in the compilation and editing of my first book. We worked for four solid days - wrote, ate, walked on the beach, slept, repeated. As I sat on the back deck each morning wearing my fuzzy socks, sipping coffee and watching the elements do their thing, I remembered who was in control and that nothing that happens in this life is a coincidence.
Part of editing my book is reading…and then rereading all my thoughts, stories, and conclusions about lessons learned from life experiences. This book is about seeing God in all the everyday circumstances of life, not just the major milestones or turning points. After all, we are called to make small choices every day that determine our path. One day, Michelle and I made a choice to use our afternoon break to check out a local treasure a few miles down the beach. It’s called the “Kindred Spirit Mailbox.” A gentleman and his girlfriend decided to put this mailbox on a little stretch of Sunset Beach called Bird Island. They wanted this to be a place for people to come and share their private thoughts.