Tag Archives: Dr. Rabbi Itzhak Shapira

August – The Sunday of Summer

August 7, 2023 By in Lightning Juice Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

Hello, Realmers! I flew solo this past Shabbat preparation while making Robin Luton’s challah recipe. If you haven’t tried your hand at challah, Robin’s recipe is a great place to start and can be found as a link in my blog post My Summer Vacation by HL Gibson.

So, the first lesson I learned when making challah is to never be too busy with other stuff. Neither a well-organized list of things to do nor past bread baking experience kept me from making a crucial mistake with my challah. For next week, I’m going to eliminate any activity and errand that isn’t Shabbat specific and guard my time with Adonai. The experience reminded me that when I make mistakes, I serve a gracious God who is patient and compassionate, who wants me to learn and succeed.

The verse in Torah about man not living on bread alone instantly came to mind, and I understood the lesson that just as I need to become familiar with the challah recipe so that I don’t make mistakes, I need to become familiar with Adonai’s Word so that I don’t make mistakes. Repetition leads to familiarity and familiarity produces understanding and understanding leads to wisdom.

Other exciting things taking place during my vacation from writing include two concerts performed by the Cleveland Orchestra at Blossom Music Center, tickets courtesy of my Aunt Mary Alice. The first was Debussy followed by Sibelius. Both evenings were absolutely magical, and the hubby and I are seriously considering season tickets next year. We had forgotten how peaceful and civilized such performances are and cannot wait to attend again.

I received my new book, The Way of Life by Toby Janicki, but before I allow myself to even remove the shrink wrap, I’ve made the promise to myself to finish with my study of The Rivkah Remnant. Several friends also ordered The Way of Life, and from what they are already saying about it, I’m getting excited to read it myself, and I can see another book study on the horizon!

If you follow me on Facebook, you’re probably aware of my drama with stray guineafowl that are wandering in our neighborhood. There were eight originally, but one has gone missing. I’ve taken to feeding the high-strung buffoons, and while they sound like a cross between a turkey, crow, and velociraptor, they’ve captured my heart. I worry they’ll be hit on our busy road or that our neighbor’s mean dog will attack them. My goal is to secure them in some sort of pen before winter sets in. Wish me luck.

I didn’t choose the guinea life; the guinea life chose me.

More exciting news—I’m getting ready for another book signing in September! A friend who owns a florist shop/greenhouse/giftshop and bookstore agreed to host me and other local authors. The event is going to be great with food trucks, and of course, gorgeous, colorful mums for purchase in the greenhouse. This is one event you won’t want to miss.

That wraps up this week’s report. Enjoy your summer, stay cool, and remember to grab your copy of Realm. It’s not your average beach read.

Of Bread & Study

July 6, 2023 By in Writing Advice, Writing Toolbox Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

While the words and story ideas haven’t been coming to me lately, and my fingers missed the sense of productivity that comes with typing or writing, I have perceived an overwhelming need to do something with my hands. And since most of us are familiar with what happens to idle hands, I have decided to bake bread. I’ve dabbled with it before, but this time, I want to explore the deeper, more complex world of bread baking.

The idea came to me when the writing began to dwindle, and that’s usually an indication that I need to focus on something else for a while. I’ve learned to pay attention to Adonai nudging me in a different direction as well as walking in faith that I’ll return to my writing with a backpack full of ideas gleaned from my experiences.

I knew I was on the right track with my decision when the following blog post by my editor, Kori Frazier Morgan of Inkling Creative Strategies, popped up in my inbox. While I strongly encourage you to read the entire article, the following passage made a deep impression on me:

But still, I hadn’t released myself from the task of writing until Kori’s next blog post arrived with more suggestions that I needed to hear.

“You have to do something other than write. If you assume that writing is your passion, and therefore, you don’t need anything else, you will instill a monotonous pattern into your life rather than a rhythm of creativity that lets you interact with the world in ways that inspire and invigorate.”

Backed up with Kori’s personal statement of:

“. . . I didn’t really have any hobbies. Writing is too much a part of what I do vocationally to be a hobby, and because reading is a huge part of what makes me a better writer, it’s not a hobby but rather a conduit for my work.”

That explained why my pleasure reading had become an uninspiring, boring chore. I mean, seriously, me not love to read. That’s unthinkable! But Adonai’s words through Kori’s posts provided the permission I sought to stop writing, and I freed myself from what had become my creative process ground between the millstones of fruitless drudgery.

Now, before you think that I have abandoned reading altogether, I still find that my non-fiction reading/studies to be quite productive, and since I also glean great story ideas from such reading, I’ve decided to embark upon a study with my friend and mentor, Dr. Sharon Stern, as we read The Rivkah Remnant by Dr. Rabbi Itzhak Shapira together.

I’ll keep you posted on how my new hobbies are progressing, most specifically bread baking. Recipes will be featured on my blog and archived under the section called Lightning Juice, which is about Gibson family life and where I tuck personal posts.

Please do not think that the randomness of my blog posts appearing on different days at odd hours means that I will not strive to offer you quality content. Nothing could be further from the truth. Think of my posts like an old friend arriving to sit on your front porch in the early morning with a cup of coffee, midafternoon with a glass of iced tea, or late in the evening with a glass of wine. We’ll still chat, and our relationship will grow.

In closing, I encourage you to obtain a copy of my debut novel, Realm. I’ve included links below to assist with the purchase. After you’ve read Realm and fallen in love with the story and characters, please remember to leave a review at BookBaby, Goodreads, or an online location of your choice. Thank you!