First Female Govenor

Our world in 1925 looked a bit different. The first woman govenor in the country was elected in Wyoming. The first all-female US state supreme court was appointed in Texas. A few days after the first female govenor was sworn in another woman was sworn is as govenor in another state.

You will have to click on the link to see who that was and what state she served in.

To find out more, click here.

Research for novel writing is fun.

Donna

Out of Darkness

Out of Darkness

Read:  The Messiah will lead you out of exile and bring you through the gates of your cities of captivity, back to your own land. Your King will go before you—the Lord leads on.
Micah 2:13 The Living Bible

Winter can be a depressing time of year for many people.  The cold, the reduced sunshine, the long nights – all can cause us to want to just curl up and wait it out.  Often weather keeps people indoors more, and encourages solitary pursuits such as reading or sleeping.

The winters of our faith life can be much the same.  Snow and ice can cause our hearts to grow cold.  All around us looks dead, and we can despair that we will ever see life again. Perhaps we draw away from our church family, seeking to be left alone.  Sometimes the busyness of the Christmas season leaves us feeling drained – financially, emotionally, physically.  We just want to be able to hibernate and recuperate by ourselves.

And yet, drawing away from the encouragement and support of our church family is the worst thing we can do.  It is in their presence that we will be reminded that good weather is just around the corner, and we will be able to see that life does go on.

Just as underneath the snow, the grass is gaining strength for the hot summer ahead, we need to draw from each other to strengthen our faith walk.  Just as the bulbs are using up energy stored from last summer, we need to expend some energy to get past our lethargy, and push back into God's light.

We can overcome the desire to be by ourselves by spending time first with God, seeking His will, getting rejuvenated in His presence.  Then, when you are filled to overflowing with His love and peace, you will be able to give it out to others.

Our Scripture from Micah this week reminds us that God is there, waiting for us to follow, as He leads us out of the prisons we have all found ourselves in from time to time.  Micah says that these are "Our cities of exile."  In many ways, we have created and maintained this exile, and he says that God wants to lead us out from there, back to the place He has for us.

We know that everything God has is good, so this place where He wants to lead us will be good.  It might be a little scary at first, following Him when we don't know where we are going.  But we can be sure, just as the little crocus is sure, through the struggle to come up through the layer of ice and snow, that the Son is just ahead, leading the way, warming our world, and lighting our path.

Father, forgive me for withdrawing from you and from others.  Open my heart to Your light and Your love for me.  Give me a glimpse of what You have in store for me.  Amen.

 Donna

Happenings in 1925

Good afternoon readers,

I found a fun site that lists major events as they were happening in 1925. Sears opened its first store, world leaders were elected, and books were published that influenced world events.

Click here to read more.

Donna

Elitch Gardens in Denver, Colorado

Good evening readers,

This link is rich with the history of Elitch Gardens in Denver, Colorado. Elitch's Zoological Gardens opened in 1890 and was the first zoo located west of the Mississippi.

John and Mary Elitch owned and operated the Gardens. When John died, Mary operated the zoo and was the first woman to do so. That is a fun fact.

To see pictures and learn more, click here.

Donna

Tour the Homes in Independence, Kansas in 1925

Oh readers,

What a find! Take a tour of the homes in Independence, Kansas in 1925. For my research ,I came across this link that features old homes.

There are some interesting historical facts about the owners of the homes, even some feuds. One started over the pronunciation of the word baggage.

Read all about it here.

Donna

Kansas Had a Football Team in 1925

Good evening,

I'm trying to learn as much about Kansas and what was happening in that region in 1925.

I ran across this interesting historical fact about football in 1925.

Click here to read the stats.

Donna

President Coolidge

Today's research yielded an old movie. Calvin Coolidge was president in 1925.

Click here to watch President Coolidge's inauguration.

Donna

Choose Life

Choose Life

Deuteronomy 30:19-20 TLB
"I call heaven and earth to witness against you that today I have set before you life or death, blessing or curse. Oh, that you would choose life; that you and your children might live! Choose to love the Lord your God and to obey him and to cling to him, for he is your life and the length of your days. You will then be able to live safely in the land the Lord promised your ancestors, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob."


We recently passed the 38th Anniversary of Roe v. Wade and Doe v. Dalton, two landmark rulings from the Supreme Court regarding abortion.  Since that time, over fifty million babies have been aborted in the United States. It is terrible to think about a population greater than the entire country of Canada simply being wiped out for convenience, economics, pride, or shame.

As dreadful as the realization of the magnitude of the number, however, is the realization that there are twice as many people whose lives have been irrevocably changed as the result of one decision: the natural parents of those babies have been changed as well.

A decision made in the panic of the moment, where it seemed there was no other choice, has lifelong consequences.  For these men and women, they chose to destroy a part of themselves.  Even if they didn't view the baby as such, even if they chose to call it an embryo or a fetus, the fact remains that it was created from them.

As these men and women went on to possibly marry and choose to start a family, the decision they made in years prior most likely came back to haunt them.  As they look lovingly into the faces of their children and grandchildren, the eyes of the aborted look back at them.  And for those women who were physically scarred from the procedure, unable to ever bear children, every birth announcement from happy friends and family must feel like a stab in their hearts and souls.

As we reflect on the impact on this country over the loss of an entire generation, we must also reflect on the "walking wounded" around us.  Because abortion is a secret shame, hidden from judgment, we may never know if the person we are sitting next to in church, or praying with in a small group, or who is teaching our children in Sunday School, may be a victim of abortion.

Continue to pray for the eyes of our government and our law makers to be opened to the truth of Scripture – that all life is precious, is sanctified by God for a special purpose, and is to be respected.  Pray for the survivors of abortion, for those who choose to perform abortions, and for those scared men and women who are trying to make the right choice.  Stand in the gap for abstinence programs, for chastity, and for high morals for our young people.

Most of all, choose Life.  Jesus said He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.  When we choose Him, each and every day, in everything we say and do, then others will see that Life in us, and they will want to know Who we know.

Share Jesus this week in this dark world, and watch new Life spring up everywhere around you.

Heavenly Father,  forgive us for the bad choices we make, when we turn to some other solution than to You.  Thank you for Your grace and mercy that is new every morning.  Help us to be a light unto someone else's darkness today, in Jesus' name, Amen.

Donna

Tornado in 1925

Dear Readers,

I have been researching for my book Independence. This link shows a picture of the tornadoes that went through the Tri-state region in Missouri. It was one of the worst tornadoes to go through the area.

The pictures show buildings and clothing styles during 1925.

Click here to view the article.

Donna

Memorials

Dear Readers

Memorials

                As writers, we acknowledge the call of God to put into the words the story and message of God in our lives. While it may be easy to recognize the gift and talents, we often struggle with accepting the enormity of the call.

                In Genesis 12:1, the Lord speaks to Abram, calling him from his place of comfort and familiarity into a strange and unfamiliar land. No fanfare, no ceremony, no anointing oil. Just, “Come, go where I tell you.” And in verse 4, we see the phrase, “So Abram left.”

                In the same way, our writing is a call from a place of comfort and familiarity, a world of ordinariness and obscurity, into a place of accountability and responsibility. Once we tell other people that we are writers, that we write novels and stories, there will be an expectation of future productivity. Writing moves us from that group of people who could write, who should write, or who would like to write, into the realm of those who respond to the call.

                If you are anything like me, even a four-hour road trip requires some preparation. A change of shoes, an extra jacket, food, and water – all the things we might need along the way.

                Abram’s preparations went beyond anything I can imagine. Verse 5 tells us he took his wife, his favorite nephew, and all the goods and people he owned.

                Like Abram, we will have people who depend on us to write the stories God gives us, stories that will nourish, encourage, lead, heal, and bless them. Every step of his journey, Abram was surrounded by reminders of God’s goodness to him. And yet, when he arrived at his first stop, he built an altar to the Lord to remind himself and others of God’s goodness.

                At their next stop, he repeated the process, building another altar. And later on, he built more altars. Surrounded by hundreds of people and thousands of sheep and goats, Abram still felt the need to leave a physical remembrance of God’s presence and His goodness.

                Perhaps Abram was thinking about future generations. Maybe he thought that if he ever came back this way broke, busted, and disgusted, he’d have a reminder to cheer him up when he saw the altars.

                Like Abram, we will need to trust God’s plan for us, and believe that those plans are good and for our benefit  (Jeremiah 29:11).  And like Abram, we need memorials to remember God’s goodness, not just for our benefit, but so others can see that the God we serve is good.

                Memorials help us find out way back when we can’t recall the reason we write, or when circumstances such as rejection, failure, or criticism surround us and block our path.

                This week, I challenge you to find a rock that signifies your writing life, and put it near where you regularly write to remind you of your call and gift.

Click here to read the same article on the ACFWColorado site.

Donna