Author: Carol Underhill

Lost car keys, again?

/ Carol Underhill / Leave a comment

I have errands to run this morning. But I woke up before three a.m. and didn’t know if I’d get back to sleep. If I couldn’t sleep longer then I wouldn’t feel like getting out and, well, I’d already placed a grocery order.

My kids were still up. They work second shift so they stay up until the middle of the night then sleep until noon. It isn’t often that I’m awake in the middle of the night but when I am, we have a chance to chat.

Lately I’ve wasted time looking for my car keys when I have to go somewhere. At four this morning, I decided to find them and put them beside my purse. So I would be ready to just walk out the door.

Only I couldn’t find them. I searched everywhere. Pants pockets even though they’d been washed, floor under the table, underneath the clutter on the counter and table, washer, dryer – I grew frustrated and concerned about them.

I prayed about it. Lord, please let me find my car keys.

When I paused in my search, I remembered I’d taken them with me when my brother picked me up to take me somewhere last week. I’d laughed about it then, because I hadn’t needed MY car keys.

So I concluded that I must have left them in my brother’s van. It was too early to call him. I ended up falling back asleep for a couple of hours. This time when I woke up and thought about my car keys, I remembered I’d worn a jacket the day my brother picked me up so I checked the pocket of that jacket.

Found them.

Thank you, Lord. Thank you for loving me enough to help me find my car keys even though it’s a minor inconvenience. The errands could have waited.

But this isn’t the first time I’ve prayed over losing my car keys and found them with a nudge shortly after praying.

I thought about how God blessed me with this little win. I wondered why, when other people are facing such horrible circumstances right now.

The small prayers that God answers help prepare us for the big things that come up. If we can trust God to pray and know that He will answer in the minor things we ask for, we can trust that when we pray for the big things He will answer those, too.

Just because: Here’s a view of a peaceful haven where I’ve spent time praying and singing and visiting with friends.

Good Wednesday Morning. October 2, 2024

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Wait, Good morning? What is so good about it?

I didn’t sleep well. I woke up early, disoriented from my dreams. Then I remembered something I wanted to change about an ad I placed, so I left a message at the newspaper desk and also sent an email.
Whew! Hopefully they can make the change in time before publishing.
If not, though, that is going to have to be okay.

What was I saying?
Oh, yes.

What is good about this morning?

I’m alive. I woke up. I’m breathing. At almost sixty, this is no small feat. God has blessed me with another day.

Often I get discouraged and negative about things in my life. I look around my house and think of the remodeling I want to do and lament that there is not enough money or time to do all that I want to do.

Is it a good morning?

For me, it is. Forget about the remodeling. It seems so unimporant in light of photos I’ve seen from the hurricane, of whole homes dropping into the flood waters. Kind of puts my remodelinginto perspective, doesn’t it?

I’m thankful I have a house, a solid house, standing on a firm foundation. Not everyone can say that this morning, especially those in the midst of the disaster.

That kind of reminds me of the way it is with the Lord, also. I have a solid faith, a firm foundation on the truth of the Word of God. Unlike the houses in the flood, my spiritual house remains standing even when life’s challenges flood around me.

My focus is too often on me, myself and mine. When I really think about it, none of what I own is permanent. If it isn’t swept away in a flood, it will all be left behind when I move on to my glorious reward. (And my kids will have to decide what to do with what I leave behind).

I enjoy my material possessions, but I need to not let the acquiring of more or the “Best” become my focus. In this world everything is temporary, except us, and our faith and love for others.

My biggest accomplishment in life is raising my kids to become adults. They are well-liked, responsible and people I can be proud of. Not that I did it all on my own, and some of it was in spite of my rocky years as a parent who didn’t know what she was doing.

Wait, that’s still me! I don’t know what I’m doing when it comes to maintaining a relationship with them, other than to love them for exactly who they are. And to pray that God will show them the way to Him.

I want them to learn what I’ve learned, that my faith in God is the solid rock on which I stand no matter what happens around me. Or to me.

Faithfulness on my part, and faithfulness on God’s part, makes for a strong relationship with my loving Heavenly Father.

Today, pray for the victims in the flooded states. Give in any way you are able.

And remember how blessed you are that you woke up this morning and likely in a place that is solid and maybe even comfortable.

Pray that God will help you take your eyes off what is temporary in this world and fix your focus on what is permanent: A life well-lived and a one way ticket across that golden bridge into Heaven.

So yes, it is a good morning.
Good morning to you.

Good Monday Morning July 15, 2024

/ Carol Underhill / Leave a comment

It’s been a few months since I wrote a blog post. And before that, it had been almost a year.

What have I been up to? Many of you may not know that in 2010, my husband passed away from a tragic work accident. My faith in God remained strong through my grief, but the light of joy in my life was buried in darkness. For several years, I floundered like a fish out of water as I tried to find my path as a widowed single mom.

After my kids were raised, I found my way back to church to stay. In November 2021 I returned to the church I was raised, married, buried my parents and my husband in. Friends welcomed me back with open arms.

I began working with the Sunday morning children’s ministry. That led to writing curriculum, coming up with ideas and activities for usually two or three children.

I found my joy in life again.

But I stopped writing fiction. Instead, my focus was on God’s word. Bringing stories and Bible truths to life for kids. My heart expanded as I found fulfillment spending time with the kids.

Soon, almost three years had passed since I’d written a word of fiction. I really felt there were stories in my head that needed to be told, about characters who’d stayed in the back of my mind as I went about the normalcy of life. Every time I tried to write about them, however, I felt writer’s block.

In June, a few weeks ago, I rented a room at a bed and breakfast in a town not far away from home. The 130-year-old house with 11,000 square feet was steeped in local history. They had a twenty-four hour kitchen and my favorite brand of coffee with a Keurig.

I’d recently purchased a mini word processor that was like a laptop only made for writing. There aren’t many editing keys so it’s hard to go back and change what I write. That moves the story forward without distractions. I put it to use. One early morning in their back sunroom I broke through the writer’s block.

I returned home, and within three weeks I’d completed a novella. I’m currently working on a sequel to one of my other books and hope to have it done this month. Ambitious, you might say, but doable.

What happened to writing for children’s ministry?

There are many good resources available and while I am stepping back as leader of the children’s program, I am going to continue as a helper or shift my focus to the younger age.

God is faithful. In spite of my husband’s death, or maybe because of it, I understand the faithfulness of God. There were dark times, but God shone his light through them, like light through the trees of a forest. Friends, family and especially my children brought joyous moments and filled my life with love and blessings.

One day, I broke through the forest. The joy of the Holy Spirit brought me out of the darkness and shadows.

Was it easy? Was it perfect?

No, and no. But it was a change that I felt and showed in the way I looked at life and handled its challenges.

Walk this road with me. Cast all your grief and failures on Jesus. His shoulders are strong enough to carry your burdens. His Holy Spirit longs to fill your heart with joy and love and peace and all of the blessings of God the Father.

In times of uncertainty, I choose to remain faithful to God and stand in his strength. Let me be the hand that reaches out to you and helps you out of the pit of darkness.

January 8, 2024: Good Monday Morning

/ Carol Underhill / Leave a comment

Good Monday Morning.

I have not posted to my blog for almost a year due to health problems. While I am still not 100%, I am able to pick up a little on my writing again. I have some actual goals this year.

I’ll be writing curriculum for children’s ministry again this year. I enjoy working with the kids. They are so honest and have great questions. They inspire me to dig a little deeper in my faith, to keep my life centered on Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of our faith.

By the end of the summer I hope to have my Bible lessons ready for publishing. There are two series in particular: The Passport to the Promised Land, and the Hall of Faith series, both of which focus on Old Testament Bible stories.

I haven’t written any new fiction since 2021. Instead I have focused on my real life. Unfortunately, much of last year was mired in pain and some depression and I didn’t have the motivation or energy to make up scenes and dialogue. This year I am going to return to my familiar characters and stories and work on sequels.

Thank you to all who have stuck with me on this journey.

May 2024 be a blessed year, indeed.

Feed the Light (Previously published in February 2023.)

/ Carol Underhill / 1 Comment

This post came about almost one year ago when I was really struggling with my faith and felt quite hopeless. I share it here today as a testimony that God has shown His great faithfulness to me. But for anyone who needs to hear this uplifting message I share this original post:

It’s been a rough week.

I wish sometimes life would be good all the time, but that is not the case. Not for anyone. The tide ebbs and flows. The sun rises and the sun sets. Seasons change. We grow from helpless infants and travel through life only to find most of us helpless as we reach our final breath. The darkness comes at night, only to become light again as the sun rises.

“Feed the Light.”

Those were the words whispered in my ear last night.

As I said, it’s been a rough week. After some tests to find out what is causing abdominal pain, a doctor I saw in a walk-in clinic took time to talk to me about it and find out what was going on. She ordered an MRI so she can look at the big picture. I hope to find out what is causing the pain, yet if it is something serious, I don’t know if I want to know. People deal with pain all the time, but sometimes there are serious conditions causing that pain. Since I haven’t received a call to schedule the MRI yet, then there is nothing I can do but wait.

And pray.

And trust in God’s faithfulness.

I also may be facing laser surgery to correct glaucoma. It is a scary thought to me, to be so vulnerable to eye surgery. But without it, I could lose my eyesight. I have an appointment scheduled to see the specialist in December.

Again, there is nothing to do but wait.

And pray.

And trust in God’s faithfulness.

Our God is a good God, but not everything that happens in life is good.

We live in a fallen world full of darkness. God is our source of Light and Strength.

I wasn’t myself yesterday. I think the pain, the missed time from work, the fear of the unknown, all weighed heavy on my mind.

Late yesterday afternoon I found myself hurtled towards the darkness of the pit of depression.

“Feed the Light.”

Those words came to me.

I got out my phone and fired up my Spotify playlist.

As I listened to the worship music and meaningful lyrics of contemporary Christian songs, I am thankful that my hope is in the Lord.

I couldn’t help but find the source of my strength and hope as I played the song.

This morning, I still don’t have answers. I still have pain. Yet I have found my hope.

I have once again avoided falling into the dark pit of depression.

God is good. And faithful. He has promised to never leave me nor forsake me.

He is my Light.

The Lord is my light and my salvation—whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold of my life—of whom shall I be afraid? Psalm 27:1