Gayl Wright

TRUE HOPE For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.   (1 Corinthians 13:12) "The prognosis is not good." No mother wants to hear a doctor say these words. My son's heart was only functioning at 10% capacity, his life hanging by a thread…. So begins the Introduction to my book,  Through A Glass, Darkly: Daily Hope in Light of Eternity .   How do we find hope when our world seems to crash in on us? Is there such a thing as true hope? Yes, true hope does exist and is rooted in eternity. God is real. The scriptures show us that Jesus is the only source of real hope. He is the One I cling to when hope seems lost. I am convinced that hope based on anyone or anything else is false and will not hold up when the pressure comes.  This hope is not a fairytale. It was part of God’s plan before the beginning of time, and nothing can ever thwart His purposes. It is a promise secured by the...

The Five Minute Friday word for this week is nurture . I thought of that word as I read Psalm 128 this week. Though the word does not occur in that psalm, it came to mind when I read Psalm 128:3 : Your wife will be like a fruitful vine  within your house, your children, like young olive trees  around your table.  The cross reference sent me to Psalm 52:8 , where David said:  But I am like a flourishing olive tree  in the house of God; I trust in God’s faithful love forever and ever. So I began to research the characteristics of young and mature olive trees. The young trees need a lot of nurturing, making sure there is enough water so that the roots can go deep. As they grow and mature, the branches become gnarled and spread out. They are actually beautiful trees. Like olive trees, when we were children, we needed a lot of nurturing. As we continue to mature and grow older, we pick up scars and become somewhat gnarly. Yet, God is with us throughout our lives, nu...

JESUS IS OUR PEACE For 2025, peace  is my #oneword. I started the year well with my word, writing, looking up scriptures, and making journal pages using various materials. Focusing on scriptures about peace reminds me that true peace is only found in God. I am grateful for the peace found in Christ alone, which is beyond all understanding. This peace is never far away because Christ is always with me. When grief comes to call, peace in Christ brings comfort. This peace is full of hope that carries me through trials. With the peace God gives me, I can encourage others. HOPE BRINGS PEACE In late spring, my focus was on finishing my second book and getting it ready for publication, but the thought of peace was never far from me, even when I wasn't consciously thinking of it. My book is called Through A Glass, Darkly: Daily Hope in Light of Eternity , available on Amazon. My peace is found in Jesus, who is also my hope. He is the One who left the glory of heaven to come down to ea...

MORE THAN JUST A TURKEY DAY The #FiveMinuteFriday word for this week is turkey . A big thank you to Andrew for hosting while Kate is away. I thought it would be fun to write an acrostic using the word turkey .   T hank you, God, for all the beauty U nderneath the Autumn sunshine. R emind us of our loving Savior who is K ing of kings and Lord of lords, the great I Am. E verything belongs to Him, our Creator and Sustainer Y ou, God, are the Sovereign Lord, worthy of honor and our praise. THANKFUL   This Thanksgiving season, I want to remember that all I have comes from God. He gives me strength and grace for all the days I walk this earth. Because of Him, I can have joy and peace even in the chaos, because He is a God of order and calm. Today and every day, I want to remember to praise Him for all His works and the way He meets my every need. Thank you, God, for everything. I'm linking up with #fiveminutefriday with Andrew .

*Quilt with the word accumulate  *What does a quilt have to do with the word accumulate ? You'll find out at the end of the post.* The #FiveMinuteFriday word for the week is accumulate .  Raise your hand if you're good at accumulating stuff. I confess, I am guilty. Though not all the clutter I find in and around my house is of my own doing. Still, as I sit here and look around, I see books overflowing the shelves, games and videos spilling out of the cabinet. To the side is a collection of stuff to go to recycling…. Someday….  It would be easy to complain about it all, but that never turns out well. It seems I look at all the clutter at once throughout the house, and then I just want to give up. But that's not a good way to be either. No, I can't clean it all at once, but I can take baby steps. Yet sometimes even that seems hard. I think the best thing to do is to set aside a few minutes per day, focusing on one small area, and then work each day until that area is cle...

THROUGH A GLASS, DARKLY Where is hope when your world is crashing in on you?  Are you struggling with finding hope in your current situation?  If you need encouragement, my new book  T hrough A Glass, Darkly: Daily Hope in Light of Eternity ,  with personal stories, scriptures, poems, and also writings from my late son, Stephen, demonstrates that true hope exists and is rooted in eternity. This book has been long in coming, but through the process, I have learned more and more to trust in God and His timing. He has led me every step of the way. Nearly two years ago, I wrote the first rough draft. It came mostly from blog posts I had written about hope, with a few poems and scriptures sprinkled in. I wanted a catchy title, but couldn't seem to think of anything. Then, one night in bed, I woke up and the words, through a glass, darkly , came to mind.  After a while, I toyed with changing the title and tried many different ideas. Finally, after more thought and mu...