Connie Writes

His Banner – August 2019 Connie Corner Life’s Troubles By Connie Hawkins My son brought a new house last March and moved his family to Freeland.   What was supposed to be a joyful experience turned out to be one headache after another.   Everything that could go wrong with that house – did! There were electrical problems, plumping problems and even a gas leak! Six months later and nearly an empty wallet (from all those repairs) things are finally settling down – troubles are taking a backseat to joy. It’s easy to be pleasant when life flows like a song.   But the man worthwhile is the one who smiles when things go wrong.   For the test of the heart is ‘trouble’, it always comes with the years. And the smile that is worth singing God’s praises is a smile that shines through the tears.   The gloom of the world is but a shadow; behind it, yet within reach, is joy –take joy. (Parts of this article are from the book Apples of Gold) ...

His Banner June 2019 Sweet Summer By Connie Hawkins “I love how summer just wraps its arms around you like a warm blanket.” ― Kellie Elmore .    What a great quote.   It’s no secret to those who know me, I love summer. By midday the smell of the heat takes center stage, as dry, and or, humid air has a scent all its own. Then, as night approaches, sweet scents of night blooming flowers – honeysuckle, flowering tobacco, evening primrose – woo the olfactory sense.   There’s nothing better than the smell of a barbecue, wood burning in the fire pit. The sounds of summer are equally special. The nighttime lure of crickets, a gentle breeze (if you listen you can hear it), the rhythm of the falling rain, the rumble of thunder in the distance, barking dogs and the laughter of my grandchildren climbing trees, riding their bikes and picking berries from our mulberry trees. But the best part of summer, for me at least, is sitting on the deck enjoying these...

His Banner May 2019 Yearning for Spring By Connie Hawkins It was a very long, cold and snowy winter.   I am glad that sidewalks coated with ice and dingy leftover snow piled beside the road is over.     I was already longing for spring the end of February.   I had had enough winter to last me a lifetime! I was ready for a change. There’s something about a change of season that builds excitement in all of us.  My mother used to say of spring, “it’s a new beginning”. But new beginnings don’t just happen with the seasons. They’re also part of our faith and our lives. God says it best in His Word: 1) 2 Corinthians 5:17 “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” 2)  Isaiah 43:18-19 “Do not remember the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I will do a new thing, now it shall spring forth; shall you not know it? I will even ma...

Connie’s Corner – His Banner July 2019 God’s still in the miracle business By Connie Hawkins Based on a true story, the movie “Breakthrough” is about 14-year old John Smith who fell through the ice and was under water for 14 minutes before being rescued.   It’s a story of the faith and courage of one mother determined not to give up on God.   John who is now 19 years old says he remembers being in the water and fighting for his life.   John spoke at First Assembly of God church in Saginaw, Michigan on June 2 about his harrowing experience. “There was a 99% chance that I wasn’t going to make it,” he said to a packed house.   “I was in the water 14 minutes and 30 seconds. I drowned.”   He was pronounced dead at the hospital.   “God doesn’t allow things to happen unless you’re prepared for it,” John’s mother, Joyce said. “I was not prepared to lose my son.” His mother refused to give up on her son or on God. “I remember praying, ‘Holy...

His Banner – November 2018 Much to be Thankful For by Connie Hawkins I love Thanksgiving.   It really makes me sad that retailers hop into September advertising ‘back to school’ in July.   In September Halloween is on display; they brush right past Thanksgiving as they hurry into the Christmas season. Thanksgiving Day is a national holiday celebrated in Canada , the United States , some of the Caribbean islands , and Liberia . It began as a day of giving thanks for the blessing of the harvest . Although Thanksgiving has historical roots in religious and cultural traditions, it has long been celebrated as a secular holiday and that, in my opinion, is sad.   God has a lot to say in the Bible about hearts of gratitude, being thankful and giving thanks. Although it’s deemed a ‘secular’ holiday, Thanksgiving is the one day of the year that we should come before God with hearts of thanksgiving, not taking the day for granted or brushing it aside as if it’s only...

We just got back from a family vacation at Disney World.   It took months of saving and planning but taking the grandchildren to Disney is a memory I will always cherish and I hope they will, too.   Memories are a gift that shows us what life is all about.   They don’t just happen, they are made.   The faces of my grandchildren as they stepped from their world into a Magic Kingdom was priceless, a memory that you just can’t put into words. I’m sure a million feelings swirled inside their heads…their oohs and aahs and wows warmed this grandma’s heart.   I’m sure the kids didn’t even realize that we, as a family, were making memories – they were just having fun. I think one of the reasons we hold onto our memories so tight is because memories are the only things that don’t change when everything else around us is changing.   No one can ever take our memories from us; they will remain with us throughout our lives if not in our thoughts but through our ...

His Banner -   September 2018 Connie’s Corner Faith by Connie Hawkins As I sit at my computer thinking what to write for the September issue of His Banner I find my thoughts wandering to several friends who are having a tough time.   One dear friend has had a stroke, another is battling cancer, and one is in rehab fighting an infection; my husband’s coffee buddy recently died.   Dear me I say to myself, what next? I honestly don’t know how a life without Jesus survives.   I do know that trials, those of my friends, as well as my own, keep me on my knees.   Difficulties and struggles are a challenge to our faith, and faith is simply trusting God when we don’t know what lies ahead. When we are beside ourselves wondering what is going to happen next that is the time to exercise our faith and belief in a God who loves us so much that he won’t let us down; we won’t suffer alone.   When we find ourselves on the edge of a cliff two things will happ...