What a project!

Inside sample.....


Back Cover....

Front cover....

It's one thing to write for oneself...it's quite another to "put it out there" for others to read. I think my next writing will be on humility! :-)

If you want a copy, email me...see address below!

Here it is!

After heeding the advice of a few friends, I decided to self-publish writing I've been working on/sitting on for the past couple of years.

The book is called: Walking Forward - Discoveries in Freedom and Forgiveness

An encapsulated description: it's a cross between a journal and a devotional.

The book includes stories and events from my life through which God taught me lessons about both walking in increasing freedom in the Lord and learning forgiveness. My hope and prayer is that people who read it and grapple with the one or two questions at the end of each chapter will be challenged and encouraged to draw closer to Jesus and walk forward into more freedom and forgiveness. I also hope that it will inspire people to hear the voice of God in their every day experiences and how He wants to speak to each of us through those situations.

If you want to buy a copy, email me: tmhunarden@gmail.com

It's almost time.....

.....for the unveiling.....

I'll be posting here soon......

.....a fun surprise.....

Home from a LONG journey!

Yes, you read the odometer in the picture above correctly. 1860.3 miles! What a great east-coast trip I had seeing over 50 friends and relatives, enjoying lots of good food, laughter, serious soul-searching talks, and catching up on lives!

I'm staying home for a while now...at least that's the plan!

Driving

As of today, I have logged over 1700 miles on my rental car in 12 days! Today, as I was driving to Charlotte, NC, cars ahead of me, all going 70 mph, began to swerve to miss something in the road. I caught a glimpse of what it was...a very large piece of shredded tire from a truck. As drivers would approach this piece of rubber, they would swerve to try to miss it, but instead, they would hit it, flinging it and consequently cause the next driver to swerve another way to try to miss this dangerous road hazard.

I got to thinking of how nonchalantly we can be cruising along in life, going with the flow, when suddenly people around us begin making quick moves or start doing things out of the ordinary in order to avoid striking something harmful, but in the process, everyone around them is affected. Sometimes, in our attempts to avoid an "accident", we could be causing another one in our wake.

Back to driving many miles....tomorrow, I will log some of the last "long" miles on this wonderful rental car, driving from Winston-Salem to Raleigh, NC. Along the way, I will see 2 former students from my Covenant days, and my first teammate in Hungary in 1991!

I am going to need a few days...if not a couple of weeks....to process all the conversations I've had with people. It's been a great two weeks of reconnecting with many, and I am so thankful to have had the opportunity! Honestly, I have to admit I'm very excited to get back home to Kansas City, see my cats, and sleep in my own bed!

East Coast Trip

I'm on the east coast of the U.S. I cannot post photos here because thus far, I have seen nearly 50 people, with more to come in the next 3 days before I head back to the midwest! So, if you are on facebook, go to my profile to catch a smattering of photos from this trip. If you are not on facebook, get on it! :-)

Tired, but very happy and thrilled to have seen so many friends so far! I am blessed!

Musings

A dear friend of mine started blogging again after a year. (See blogs I read to the right and check out Marcie's blog) She inspired me to reflect on the past year, and since I have realized that it's been a year since I really and truly settled in to life in Kansas City---that occured when I brought both my cats back with me from Hungary in August 2009---I thought that indeed, a reflection on the past year is in order. I hope I'm not copying Marcie's ideas too much...just her inspiration.

A year of loss: I lost an aunt who lost her battle with cancer; I lost a friendship; I lost body fat (have, unfortunately, gained it back :-)

A year of learning: Learning so much in Intro that it was like drinking from a fire hydrant; learning a lot about narcissism and it's many facets and subtleties; learning that falling in love is sweet...and trying to stop loving is really challenging; learning who my true friends are and what I really want and need in friendship; that relative proximity to family is precious; learning that it's never too late to reestablish ties with family members; learning that God is much bigger that I ever conceived and loves more deeply than I could ever imagine....and this category could go on and on and on...but I will stop here.

A year of firsts: First time living in the mid-west; first time buying a new car in the U.S.; first time to come face to face with people who chose to be "enemies" and be able to love them and bless them; first time ever experiencing spontaneous physical healing in my body; first time growing a vegetable garden; first time helicopter skiing...again, a plethora of firsts...but moving right along.....

A year of encounters: with Holy Spirit; with so many amazingly broken people who willingly and whole-heartedly seek the Lord for healing and freedom; with naturally supernatural people; with the love of the Father to depths before unknown; with amazing people; etc., etc., etc.

A year of disappointments: a friend who turned her back on me; a friend who still cannot own up to pain inflicted; inability to keep weeds out of my garden :-)

A year of BLESSINGS: easy transition back to American culture; enough food and clothing and money to pay every bill; faithful friends; encounters with God that have transformed everything in a positive way; realizing my true love language!

This could very well turn into a tome, which I don't want, so suffice to say these are the things that popped into my head first...it's been a GOOD year!

On the east coast

There is nothing like seeing old friends! Thus far on my east coast excursion, I have met with a friend I'd not seen in 18 years, family I'd not seen in over 10 years, and other friends, the years between our meetings which we couldn't even figure out! How BLESSED I am to have such precious people in my life with whom, after all this time, I can simply pick up where we left off and move forward!

Pumpkins

Pumpkins are popping up and growing fast in my garden. These are pictures of just three of them....

New hair

Some friends wanted to see my "new" haircut. Growing out my hair...and getting it closer to its original color.

Amy Carmichael

"Never be shaken in hope. Never be cooled in love. Never get tired of loving and hoping---yes, and believing." (Amy Carmichael)

More God tweaking

There's nothing like editing your own writing to help you recognize how deep-seated perfectionism resides in the heart. Even more revealing is when you realize that you forgot to edit something very important before giving it to someone. Yikes!

So, I'm beating myself up a bit tonight as that perfectionist streak comes raging to the surface once again, and at the same time, hoping that I can have a second chance to edit one more time.

I'm learning the ways of the Lord in how He deals with us. As I edited chapters, and each one was finally "complete", I began to sense things coming together. Then, just when I thought everything was completed and ready, bang, I realize another onion layer needs to be peeled off. It's not yet perfect. I'm not yet perfect. This writing venture has shown me that even when the final product is completed, I am sure I will read through and say, "Boy, wish I would have worded that differently!"

Perfection comes when we cross over from here to there, from the temporal to the eternal. Until then, God's tweakings will continue, and He truly is the perfect "editor".

Godly Tweaks

The moment I began logging on to my blog, the warning sirens for tornadoes began to blare. Mind you there is not a cloud in the sky...this is just a test of the emergency broadcast systems. I can hear the sirens in the distance, but it's not very loud, and my home is completely silent. My ears must be attuned to the warnings or else there could be trouble. How true this is in our relationships with the Lord.

"WARNING! DANGER! STOP! CHANGE! TURN AROUND! DON'T GO THERE OR DO THAT!"

Our heavenly Papa sees and knows, everything, the end from the beginning and every detail in between. The mystery of that reality of His sovereignty combined with the human free will is enough to give a real thinker a headache. Somehow in the grand cosmic scheme of things which God designed and orchestrates, we humans have a tremendous power: our free will. If we didn't, Love would not be love.

Early this morning I bolted awake at 3:35. Immediately, I inquired of the Lord and sensed His almost instantaneous response: Proverbs 17:17. Then I heard Him whisper in my spirit: "remove that chapter". Then the battle of the will began: "But God, there are so many good things in that chapter! Think of all the people who will be able to relate to what is written there! Some of the greatest points in the whole book are in that chapter!"

Again, the small still voice..."Proverbs 17:17...delete that chapter."

I've learned from limited experience that awakening in the wee morning hours and hearing the Spirit of the Lord speaking is usually something worth heeding. So, when I finally awakened again at 7:30, I turned on my computer, pulled up my book again, read "that chapter", cringed at the thought of deleting it, and then read Proverbs 17:17: "A friend loves at all times..."

A friend loves at all times....a friend loves at all times....a friend loves at all times.

Deleting that chapter meant loving a friend...at all times and in all circumstances.

So, while many excellent points, lessons and truths are now 'missing' from my book (self-publishing by the way), the peace of God, which passes ALL understanding, is guarding my heart and mind in Christ Jesus, and I have loved a friend in the process.

Ironically, the deleted chapter was entitled: "Let God Be God". My heavenly Papa has such a great sense of humor!

Good 'ole OC

"When we become certain that God is going to work in a particular way, He will never work in that way again."