Darla's Dash of Salty Grace

Life is full of goods and bads, bigs and littles, the predictable and the come-at-you-from-out-of-nowhere kind of things. But no matter what, we have total control over how we handle any and all of it. We can respond or react. We can let life deal with us, or we can deal with life. Most of the time (nobody's perfect) I do my best to respond with what Bible calls 'salty grace' (Colossians 4:6) which is to say and do things the way Jesus would. This blog is my salty grace to you. -Darla

Tuesday, March 25, 2025

When You Know the 'Why', the 'What' Makes Sense

As a freelance writer, I was recently hired to develop a series of video scripts for a church to use in a study on gratitude. More specifically, what the Bible has to say on the matter. I have a long working history with this client, so I wasn't surprised when he said he would leave it up to me to pull out ninety verses or passages of scripture on the subject matter. So, I spent the better part of one day combing through my Bible and one of my favorite websites: openbible.info. choosing the verses and passages I wanted to use.

I knew I wanted to look at gratitude from a variety of different angles--our gratitude to God, God's gratitude for us, Jesus' gratitude to God, what happens when we aren't grateful, why gratitude matters, what gratitude is and isn't, and several others, including what to do when gratitude is the last thing on your mind. In other words, I want to create a project for my client and their congregation that is realistic, relatable, and something they can genuinely benefit from.

So, keeping all that in mind, I turned to one of my favorite books in the Bible. The book of Job. Job 1:20-21. Here's what it says:

“At this, Job got up and tore his robe and shaved his head. Then he fell to the ground in worship and said: “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised.”

To put Job’s words into perspective, he had just gotten the news that everyone in his family, except his wife, had just been killed in what we would call a tornado. Children, children in-law…all of them dead.

Yet he fell to the ground to worship God.

Yet he said that they were given to him by God, so they were God’s to take away, too.

Yet still he said, “...may the name of the Lord be praised.”

Praise the Lord? Why? For killing his family? No. That’s not what Job was saying. Not at all! Job’s declaration of praise to God is because he IS God. I know that might sound a bit confusing, so let me do my best to explain. Job worshipped God, acknowledged God’s sovereignty over creation, and praised God...for being God. But it's important to note that he did those things AFTER he professed his gut-wrenching grief in the deepest, rawest ways known to the Jewish community in his day; one of which was ripping his robe (outer clothing) in half.

I've often wondered why the people did this back in those days. I've even heard a few assumptions as to why this was done. But not wanting to make guesses and assumptions which were incorrect, I decided to get to the bottom of it myself. And let me just say, now that I know the 'why' to the 'what', it makes absolute perfect sense. Here is what I learned...

Tearing a garment in half (some versions of the Bible say ‘rending it in two’) was an expression of grief AND an expression of hope. One half of the torn garment symbolizes grief over the loss of a loved one. The other half of the torn garment, however, symbolizes the hope of heaven.

Yes, even though Jesus’ ministry was still centuries away, those who lived faithfully and obediently to God, had the hope of heaven just like you and me. And because of that, I believe you will see why Job could praise and worship God and cry out in utter grief and despair all in one breath.

In tearing his clothes to express his grief, Job...

1) Admitted there was no way he could deal with or recover from his grief without God.

2) Humbled himself to God’s mercy and comfort because he knew it was the only thing that would help.

3) Shared his testimony of faith and hope. The enormous and overwhelming grief could have swallowed him whole, but he didn’t let it. He stood on the foundation of the hope of heaven…the hope of the knowledge of being reunited with his family someday.

Let that all sink in for a minute, then ask yourself this question: as believers, isn’t that what we do? Minus the hair and clothes ripping, of course. Don’t we grieve for OUR loss but say things like…

*It’s a blessing to know they aren’t suffering anymore, but it’s going to take some time before my heart agrees with that.

*I know this is only a temporary separation and that we’ll be together in heaven again someday.

*I don’t know what I would do if I didn’t have the peace of mind knowing they will be with me in heaven someday.

Essentially, that’s what Job was saying. His heart was aching with the deepest, most intense ache possible to the human heart–the ache of losing your child. Or in his case, all of them. But Job’s acts of grief paired with declarations of praise, are Job’s thank you to God for heaven. For the hope of eternity after the temporary separations we experience when someone we love…when someone we love who is also in Christ, dies.

God doesn't expect you to suffer loss without grieving and mourning that loss, but we must never forget God, who loves us the way he does, is worthy and deserving of our praise because we know he will comfort and heal our broken hearts. So, go ahead and rip your robe--literally or figuratively speaking--because God can and will be there for it all.

Be salt and light,

Darla

Who am I?

I’m Darla Noble—wife, mom, nanna, and a little ‘oldish’ lady who loves Jesus, her family, playing in the dirt, walking…walking…and more walking, riding bikes, eating popcorn, roast beef, Mexican food, reading, and watching old sitcoms.

What do I write?

Inspirational nonfiction—Christian devotionals, books that spark the creativity in every mom and nanna’s heart, and one that breathes new life into the art of being a good neighbor and reminds you of why it matters.

Historical nonfiction—WWII and family memoirs.

Character Education & Family Fun—Books that use science and scripture to teach positive character, scavenger hunts of all kinds that are both educational and FUN, and write-in journals for tweens and teens.

What do I say and who do I say it to?

*WWII hands-on display and presentation based on “All My Love, George…Letters from a WWII Hero”. The presentation consists of brief reading from the book, an interactive time of Q&A, and time for participants to view and examine a variety of WWII memorabilia including George’s original letters and medals.

*Keepsake In The Making Classes, using the book, “Please Pass the Memories” as inspiration, the class consists of exploring and brainstorming fun, creative, and interesting ways we can use your family’s keepsakes, recipes, photos, stories, and even traditions (YIKES) to bring past, present, and future generations of your family together. Everyone needs and wants to have a sense of who and where they come from, and the Keepsake In The Making Class is the perfect way to do just that!

*Women’s ministry events/conferences/retreats. I offer several programs that are easily adaptable to fit your needs and timeframe. Workshops for each one are optional. Programs offered include: “Jesus and Zinnias Make Me Smile”, “Deuteronomy 6 Parenting”, “Please Pass the Memories:, “Love, Momma D; Getting to the Heart of Parenting From the Heart”, and “Sippin’ Tea With Jesus”. NOTE: I am also happy to speak on a topic/subject matter of your choosing.

*The Nanna Subscription—an easy, but oh, so fun mini-class which equips Nanna, Gma, Granny, Mama, Mimi, or whatever name your grandkids have for you, with EVERYTHING you need to engage and connect with your grandkids on a regular basis. No matter how young or old they are, no matter how many miles separate you, no matter how many grandkids you have, no matter…anything!

*Brighten the Corner Where You Are” is my newest book as well as the focus of an event I offer to individuals, community chambers of commerce, neighborhood organizations, HOAs (Home Owner Association), church groups, and anyone else interested in reviving the art of being a genuine friend and neighbor. Participants will discover (or rediscover) the value of kindness among neighbors, and of having a small circle of people you can count on and who can count on you…no matter what.

*Fun with science and a few illusions, “The Sneaky Banana Lesson (plus 26 more)” is a character education program for ages 5 to 15. This event is engaging, interactive, and overflows with life lessons young people relate to and that will make them want to be a little better and stand a little taller.

Fees for events vary. For more information, questions, or to book an event, CONTACT ME at dnoblewrites@yahoo.com, on Linkedin (Darla Noble), or on Facebook (Darla Noble).

Where can you find me?

My books are available worldwide via Amazon, Barnes and Noble, or directly from me when you email me at dnoblewrites@yahoo.com. You can also request any title from your favorite brick and mortar bookstore.

Thursday, January 23, 2025

I Wanna Be Like Erma

There are a lot of you out there who probably don’t know who Erma Bombeck was. If you are one of those who don’t, in a nutshell, Erma was a humorist whose syndicated newspaper column, books, and public speaking ‘gigs’ made people smile, laugh, and become more comfortable in their own imperfect skin, for over thirty years. And she did it well. Very well. But humor wasn’t her only gift. She had a wisdom about her that countless people benefitted from. One of the wisest things Erma ever said was this: “When I stand before God at the end of my life, I would hope that I would not have a single bit of talent left, and that I could say, ‘I used everything you gave me.’”

I would very much like to be able to say that, too. And for it be true. I would like to believe most of you would, too. But it’s not enough to merely want it to be so, is it? If we want this to be true of us, we have to do. We must take responsibility for our own actions…how we use our talents. And yes, we all have them.

That is why, instead of taking up my usual amount of space talking about why Erma’s hope should be ours, and how to make it ours, I simply want to say this: God created each of us for specific and varied purposes. Multiple purposes to take us through the multiple stages and phases of our lives. So, go use them. Use them to share Jesus, show Jesus, grow closer to Jesus, and to help others want Jesus, too.

Be salt and light,

Darla, aka, Momma D

Who am I?

I’m Darla Noble—Author, Speaker, and Ghostwriter with over thirty years of experience. I am known for being a great storyteller, but not merely for the sake of telling a story. The stories I tell are a) true and b) they always have a takeaway, i.e., a life lesson meant to help you be a better version of yourself. I’m Darla Noble—wife, mom, nanna, and a little ‘oldish’ lady who loves Jesus, her family, playing in the dirt, walking…walking…and more walking, riding bikes, eating popcorn, roast beef, Mexican food, reading, and watching old sitcoms.

What do I write?

Historical nonfiction—WWII and family memoirs.

What do I say and who do I say it to?

Fees for events vary. For more information, questions, or to book an event, CONTACT ME at dnoblewrites@yahoo.com, on Linkedin (Darla Noble), or on Facebook (Darla Noble).

Where can you find me?

Monday, January 6, 2025

Not Much of a Game

Two of my kids were especially fond of playing games when they were kids. They still are. And one of their favorites was a matching game using a deck of Garfield-themed cards. The deck consists of eighteen sets of Garfield in a variety of silly costumes.

Over the years (35+) those cards have gotten a LOT of wear-n-tear. How much is a lot? Well, my card shark kids (and now grandkids) can distinguish several of the sets by the pattern of the wrinkles on the backside of the cards. Yep, that's right--in a lot of cases they don't even have to turn them over to know which is which. They think it's fun because it's an easy win. Not me. And no, it's not because I can't recognize them like they can. I can distinguish a few of them, but not enough to win the game...like that. But that's okay, because the way they play pretty much cancels out the reason for playing in the first place.

The point of the game is supposed to be recall. But when they know which cards are which without ever turning them over, there's no recall involved. Not the intended kind, anyway.

So, what's the lesson here, you ask?

The lessons I want you to take from this are to not let your kids settle for taking the easy way out and to teach them to rise to the occasion of a challenge.

I'm not saying they should revert back to an old-fashioned encyclopedia instead of the internet or never eat a frozen waffle or buy pre-sliced apples. What I am saying, though, is that your kids shouldn't be encouraged or allowed to always take the easy 'A' classes, have you do most of the work on their class projects yet still receive all the credit, or 'earn' their way onto the team or cheer squad because your business generously offers to buy new uniforms.

John F. Kennedy once said that "To whom much is given, much is expected." You could also turn that around and it would still be true: "To whom little is given, little is expected". So, as a parent, if you don't challenge your children to grow in integrity and intellect, and if you don't challenge their curiosity and sense of adventure, it won't develop. Instead, they'll spend life doing only what is familiar, safe, and sure.

Children ABSOLUTELY, POSITIVELY NEED a certain amount of 'safe', 'familiar', and 'sure' in their lives. These things are necessary for building confidence and self-worth. These things help them lay claim to their identity. But too much of a good thing isn't really all that good.

Love,

Momma D

Who am I?

I’m Darla Noble—Author and Speaker with over thirty years of experience. I am known for being a great storyteller, but not merely for the sake of telling a story. The stories I tell are a) true and b) they always have a takeaway, i.e., a life lesson meant to help you be a better version of yourself.

I’m Darla Noble—wife, mom, nanna, and a little ‘oldish’ lady who loves Jesus, her family, playing in the dirt, walking…walking…and more walking, riding bikes, hanging out with my mini-dachshund, eating popcorn, roast beef, Mexican food, reading, and watching old sitcoms.

What do I write?

Historical nonfiction—WWII and family memoirs.

What do I have to say and who do I say it to?

*If you don’t think it’s possible to have fun teaching math, science, verbal skills, ordering, rational thinking, and grammar, social skills, and team building, think again! “The Medium-Sized Book of Scavenger Hunts” event gets kids up and about, inside and out, talking and listening, and learning on the sly. This event is fun for classrooms, parties, family events, social gathers, team building, and lots more. NOTE: Fees for events vary. For more information, questions, or to book an event, CONTACT ME at dnoblewrites@yahoo.com, on Linkedin (Darla Noble), or on Facebook (Darla Noble).

Where can you find me?

I am winding down the season of speaking and book signings before the holidays, but if you 'like' or 'follow' me on FACEBOOK you will know about any and all upcoming events.