Hello!
Welcome to the Dorie's Stories {devotional} Blog!!!
Announcing the winner of this week's Hope necklace giveaway: Kristy Baish! Congrats! (I will be emailing you separately to get your mailing info!) Hoping the rest of you will continue reading (ha, ha!) I will do more giveaways, I'm sure you will win next time:)
Since I accidentally launched my blog last week with a strange picture of the puppet I made in college, I thought this week I would share the excerpt from my devotional book that actually included said puppet.
From my new book, Hope Looks Good on You!: a Comedian’s Joy-inducing Daily Devotional for Women...
Chapter #17: Puppets, Towel Cakes, and Silversmithing
I was in a puppet-making club in college...because I liked to party.
Yes, it was a real club and I spent hours with the other puppet-making members learning the craft and important things like: how to choose the perfect puppet tongue shape or what size baby clothes to buy for your puppet.
And, maybe most importantly, that I was not quite ready for a high-temp hot glue gun.
After my crazy college days, my husband and I worked as youth and children’s ministers in Boston. When our finances didn’t quite add up, I decided that I would start a business; yes, a puppet-making and puppet-selling business.
I would be the master creator and exporter of said puppets.
I was convinced this would be a huge hit...it’s surprising that more people were not clamoring to be in the puppet business. Besides, I already had all those puppet-producing skills.
I had the cardboard patterns.
I bought the supplies.
It didn’t work out.
Apparently, people need to want to buy puppets.
Next, my aunt gave my sister a wedding shower gift — a cake made out of towels. This was my next big break. I begged my sister to let me take it apart so I could reverse engineer it, taking detailed notes and measurements.
I had the prototype.
I bought the supplies.
It didn’t work out.
Apparently, I would need to be able to re-create the towel cake at least one time.
Next, I saw a necklace I liked with the names of children stamped into the metal. This was it: I would be a silversmith.
I googled the instructions.
I bought the supplies.
(So much silver I bought.)
It didn’t work out.
Apparently, there is a skill set involved in silversmithing...one where you need to be able to stamp the letters next to each other.
Also, maybe most silversmiths don’t decide that it’s a good time to start the smithing right after having a baby and that maybe banging on metal every nap time isn’t the best idea.
So...maybe puppets had their day, maybe it wasn’t the season for towel cakes or silver smithing, but I think God delights in us trying new things and exploring the gifts He has given us (or realizing the ones He hasn’t).
So many people are paralyzed by perfection...they don’t want to try new things because they don’t want to do something that God didn’t tell them to do directly or because they fear failure. God has blessed us all with special gifts and talents and abilities. I believe
He truly wants us to try them on for size.
Maybe your best contribution to the world is doing that special thing that God made you to love to do.
Granted, I don’t think puppets was my thing or cakes made from towels, and I don’t feel like I was a born silversmith, but I think God smiled at my efforts in trying something creative and playing with my gifts.
And, I think He knew that, ultimately, I would enjoy telling these crazy stories to groups around the country as part of my comedy sets!
He is a giver of good gifts. He knows the desires of our hearts. He will direct your path...even if it has nothing to do with exporting puppets dressed in baby clothes.
“Whatever is good and perfect is a gift coming down to us from God our Father, who created all the lights in the heavens. He never changes or casts a shifting shadow. He chose to give birth to us by giving us His true word. And we, out of all creation, became His prized possession.”
James 1:17-18 NLT
“O Lord, you have examined my heart and know everything about me. You know when I sit down or stand up. You know my thoughts even when I’m far away. You see me when I travel and when I rest at home. You know everything I do. You know what I am going to say even before I say it, Lord. You go before me and follow me. You place your hand of blessing on my head. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too great for me to understand!”
Psalms 139:1-6 NLT
Reflect & Journal:
What special gifts did God give you that you should be playing with right now? Take a moment to write them down here!
. . .
I hope you enjoyed the devotional excerpt! Feel free to share it with someone you think would enjoy a devotional story involving puppets, towels, and things I have learned about God whilst silversmithing.
Here’s the link to share:
With hope & joy,
Dorie Mclemore
P.s. next week, I’m planning to post a brand new devotional story I wrote for my next (currently unnamed) book! Make sure you are subscribed to get the notification in your inbox!
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