My First Stalker Encounter - I'm Your Biggest Fan

So, I had my first stalker incident...

and, surprisingly, it wasn’t me doing the stalking. 

I’m heading to the grocery store and this guy in the car behind me starts honking at me - repeatedly, excitedly. He rolls down his window, waving at the stoplight so I roll down my window and he yells out, “I’m a writer, too.”

You see, my license plate frame identifies me as a writer.

So, I give him a thumbs up, say “that’s cool,” and keep driving. Well, he follows me. 

I turn left, he turns left.

I turn right, he turns right.

I pull into grocery store parking lot, he turns into grocery store parking lot. 

Now, I just start praying:

“LORD, if this guy is some crazy stalker, or has some deep seeded hatred towards Christian bloggers, and it’s my time to go, forgive me of my sins, into Your hands I place my life....If it’s not my time to go, let him be a publisher!”

Trepidatiously, I park and exit my vehicle. He jumps out of his car and asks me, “Hi, what do you write?”

No - “How do you do” or “Sorry I freaked you out by following you.”

So, I told him I’m a Christian writer and have several children’s books. He nods politely and then proceeds to tell me he’s a poet, with a published poetry book, and starts reciting to me his poetry. It is surprisingly very good! Stalker friend if you are reading this, “Your poetry is very good. I enjoyed it. Please, don’t track me down.”

Ok, better.

Now, this is my life.

My first stalked doesn’t really want to know about me. Isn’t really interested in my writing. He has a need to share his. I could be offended. I could feel sad. But, really this is my calling in life - To listen to others. To encourage others. To pray for others. That’s the life Jesus calls us to. He wants us to pour out our lives like a drink offering of sacrifice. Writers crave feedback. It’s a writer’s love language. So, if I get honked at, followed, and recited poetry too, that’s my Divine appointment for the day. I lived. I survived. I have a new blog post to write. It’s all good.

Philippians 2:1-4 MSG

If you’ve gotten anything at all out of following Christ, if his love has made any difference in your life, if being in a community of the Spirit means anything to you, if you have a heart, if you care— then do me a favor: Agree with each other, love each other, be deep-spirited friends. Don’t push your way to the front; don’t sweet-talk your way to the top. Put yourself aside, and help others get ahead. Don’t be obsessed with getting your own advantage. Forget yourselves long enough to lend a helping hand.

Love (not stalker love- just sisterly love of Christ), 

Yolanda 

Bea Kind - Children's Book on Kindness

One day, a pocket full of sunshine walked through my classroom door. She was a breath of fresh air and unlike other children I'd met. What made this 4-year old child so special? She was filled with the Holy Spirit and God's love overflowed from her and touched everyone in our classroom.

Once during our preschool chapel, we prayed to accept Jesus into our hearts and as children went forward to pray she exclaimed, "I feel Jesus in my heart!"
As she said it, the atmosphere in our classroom was charged with the Holy Spirit's presence so much that I got literal goosebumps.

Her kindness to others inspired my new book called, Bea Kind. This children's book is beautifully illustrated by Deborah Delaney. She brought the spirit of this child to life in every page. As you follow Bea Kind through her day, you'll see her plant seeds of kindness on her way - impacting her family, school, and community.

This sweet little story will inspire children of all ages to plant their own seeds of kindness wherever they go.

Was the Bea Kind in my class a perfectly behaved child? No. As I recall, she stuck her tongue out at me twice. I probably deserved it. However, what made her special was that she reflected God's love so sweetly and purely. Jesus said, "The kingdom of God is made up of ones such as these." (Luke 18:16) God is calling each of us to Bea Kind.

Jesus said, "The world will know you are my disciples by your love." (John 13:35) Not by our Bible knowledge, reciting memory verses, church attendance, or even positions in ministries. Jesus said, "It's your love for one another that will be a reflection of who I am."

Being kind is not always easy, especially as we get older. Sometime, we want to stick out our tongue at the world. The only way to Bea Kind is with Jesus in our hearts. Through His Spirit living in us, overflowing out of us, we can plant seeds of kindness wherever we go.

At a time when the world is becoming more and more unkind, with people having no regard or respect for the elderly, children, and even devaluing the life of the unborn, this book will hopefully inspire children to model for us older folks the love of Jesus for all of humanity. That is my prayer for this book.

For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him will not perish but have everlasting life. (John 3:16)

Love,
Yolanda

Bea Kind available on Amazon