Sliver of Heaven: Coffee on the Porch (“Unafraid—Trusting God in an Unsafe World” by Susie Davis Gives Readers New Perspective)

Nobody can beat Hubster’s coffee. Who knew I’d marry the best Barista this side of the Mississippi??? (Please don’t reveal this to Starbucks or they may recruit him.)

On vacation last week, our family rented a home near Lake Keowee in South Carolina. (For you Clemson fans, we were only about twenty-five minutes from the stadium.)

I must insert this picture of LT, Lauren, a most decorative Clemson Tiger, Gordy and Woody at Mellow Mushroom in Clemson, or my friend Susan would never forgive me, avid fan that she is…)

The home we rented has forever ruined any future family vacation (It had stellar finishes in every room that one only dreams about.) It has not one, but two porches.

One porch is screened-in with an outdoor kitchen (pardonnez-moi), while the other overlooks the golf course and mountains with lovely, sturdy rocking chairs. Oh yes, those rockers called to us each morning.

Seated with a stack of books next to me, out comes Hubster, armed with two mugs of steaming coffee. Mornings just don’t get any better than this! (Surely this is a sliver of Heaven???)

One of several books I packed for this trip, Unafraid: Trusting God in an Unsafe World by Susie Davis offers comforting perspectives. (I’m only about half way into the book, so I’ll be sharing more snippets with you in the future when I finish.)

One perspective Susie gives us readers is this simple thought:

Open your eyes to “love letters from God”.

What in the world is a love letter from God? Anything you spy that catches your eye, STOPPING you in your tracks, causing you to instantly think of God, to literally stop and smell the coffee….even when you’re drinking coffee as John and I did each morning on the porch.

Allow me to give you a couple of examples from our trip. Before we arrived in South Carolina, we began our adventure in Asheville, North Carolina. We took our kiddos to The Biltmore Estate. www.biltmore.com They’d never been, so to see it thru’ their eyes was our first love letter from God.

After we toured the house, we ventured into the garden. Oh the roses! And oh, the orchids!!! Once in the conservatory, winding our way thru’ many hibiscus trees and other multiple-bloom-filled trees, I quietly, but urgently whispered to John, “Look!!!!

Within my arm’s reach, was the tee-tiniest hummingbird, flappin’ those wings faster than you could see, tasting nectar from one bloom, after another, after another. He was not at all concerned about us and John was able to capture him in a video on his phone!

We joined the kids at a nearby table and that’s when I shared with them the concept of “love letters from God.” That little hummingbird was one of many “love letters from God” during our vacation. I enjoyed jotting them down each day, akin to Ann Voskamp’s One Thousand Gifts: A Dare to Live Fully Right Where You Are.

Susie Davis, in Unafraid… says, “God has been leaving me love notes all my life—tangible signs of how much He loves me…saying,

I love you.

I’m thinking of you.

I’m protecting you.

I have good plans…”

Susie’s story, and how she overcame her many fears, is an only-God-can-pull-this-off-kind-of-story. While her horrific experience from the late 70’s nearly paralyzed her, I believe we all should read her story given the scary culture in which we live.

Dear friends, we must not live in fear.

Susie recounts telling her children of all the great things the Lord has done, of all of His mighty miracles. She calls them “God stories– so they can set their hope on God and live unafraid.”

Two of many beautiful Scriptures Susie reminds us of are:

Stay tuned for more pearls from this most helpful book soon! And be on the alert for love letters from our Lord.

‘Til next time!