As an author, she focuses on Celtic and ocean themes for her mysterious, adventure-filled romances. But then, you NEVER know what might arise on the high seas…
Heidi Kortman’s published work features an eclectic mix of devotionals, short stories, flash fiction, and poetry. Her subject matter ranges from science fiction to everyday life and mixes the spiritual with the practical and mundane.
The Holy Spirit’s fifth gift is Kindness. Obviously, even to our human reasoning, it’s easier to behave with kindness when Patience is already engaged. Love, Joy, and Peace are frequently categorized as emotions. Patience is an attitude, but Kindness is shown in action. God chose every gift I’ve mentioned in this series of blogs to
The Holy Spirit’s Fourth Gift is Patience The Holy Spirit’s fourth gift is patience. He gives it perfectly, but that doesn’t mean it’s easy to use. There are times we ignore it, when we focus on the situations we interpret as causing us suffering instead. Once that focus has set in, the devil has us
Purest Fiction: Her Newest Refuge
She took a hard look at her newest refuge.
It was too bad Pennsylvania had no recycling refund like Michigan. If they had, she’d turn in the cans for cash. Still, if she resisted the lure of the Internet, it would be a long time until her pursuers found her.
Focus on the prime benefit of peace: relationship with the Prince of Peace. On a surface level, the benefits of peace are obvious: Safety in the streets, genetic parents and their children living together in stable families with both parents present, economies producing goods that have positive effects rather than destructive ones…the list could go
The Holy Spirit’s third gift is peace. Yes, it’s easier to have peace in your life if you already have love, and joy, but the truth of the matter is that the roots of our word peace come from pact, or agreement. This implies ceased hostilities, and beyond that, relationship. I’d like to suggest that
Purest Fiction: Just My Life No Wheels
The author blinked watering eyes as a woman’s voice rose up the stairwell.
“Ed, that weird woman left a huge suitcase under the table. What should I do with it? Mayor Perkins wants his usual seat.”
Today let’s spread the joy. I know that on Tuesday I wrote that the most lasting joy comes from Jesus’ death and resurrection. However, joy from lesser events can be expanded, and last longer if we share it with others. Sharing details about lesser joy opens the people we meet to the possibility of building
Joy is the Holy Spirit’s second gift. That joy proceeds from love is obvious to everyone who has met, wooed, and married their spouse. Webster’s definition of joy is a bit prosaic, though it does appear to suggest three levels of joy: The emotion evoked by well-being, success, or good fortune, or by the prospect
Purest Fiction: Mob Ties
“There’s an apartment vacant?” Control your voice, don’t draw more attention.
“Try me. I need a job and a place to stay while I work out some things. I promise not to hold parties above your premises.”
“G’wan, Lady, you don’t want to bus tables.” The owner snorted and scraped coins from the till for the remainder of her change. “The apartment isn’t much either. Three furnished rooms.”
“I do need work, and anything you’d pay me would stretch the money I have set aside. What terms do you want to set for the lease?” She held out her hand, and he laid a five-dollar bill in her palm, followed by a one, and the coins.
“Are you running from an ex, Lady?” He slammed the drawer of the cash register. “If some guy is going to come here and make trouble, I don’t need that.”
Love is the Holy Spirit’s First Gift Love is the Holy Spirit’s first gift. We established that much on Tuesday. But what, specifically, is Love? People have cheapened the word, reducing it to mere sexual attraction, or appreciation of foods. I’d like to focus instead on what amounts to Webster’s fourth definition for the love:
