I am an avid tea drinker with a small but treasured teacup collection.
I am also a huge fan of Emilie Barnes.
Though today Emilie is in heaven, I wanted to introduce her and her encouraging words to a whole new audience.
So I contacted Harvest House Publishers who generously gave me permission to share some of the gems from Emilie’s out-of-print book, A Cup of Hope. Thank you Harvest House!
Therefore, I am proposing that in the coming weeks we gather together to fill our cups with new helpings of HOPE as we–Have Tea with Emilie!
I know if MY teacups could talk…
Mine would indeed confess that Emilie and I have a shared passion for tea and teacup collections.
But, we also have a passion in common, for sharing the HOPE of the Lord Jesus and His word.
So, I thought, “Why not meet together each week, talk about HOPE–and Have Tea With Emilie?”
Why A Cup of Hope?
Because hope is something we all need! And today, more than ever, people are losing their grasp on any kind of hope for their futures.
These are difficult days, but I love the way the Message Bible talks about hope in Jeremiah 29:11 when God says,
I know what I’m doing. I have it all planned out—plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for.
“Wow!” that encourages my heart!
In my devotional, The Divine Romance, Brian Simmons wrote for today,
“…Let hope arise in areas that once held you back. It’s time to live with expectancy.”
(Okay, that definitely floats my boat!)
Then I decided, “Why not peek ahead to see what my theme calendar by Lisa Kaus had for the month of September?”
Guess what it said?
Yahoo! I am definitely sensing that we are on the right path and going in God’s direction!
So, “Who was Emilie Barnes?”
Well, here’s some of Emilie’s bio I found out on the internet. I did a little updating and my changes will appear in brackets like these.[ ]
A gifted communicator, for more than 20 years Emilie [spoke] throughout the United States and Canada teaching women creative ways to simplify their lives by getting organized. The success of her teachings created further demand, which motivated Emilie to put her much-requested survival secrets into print. She [authored] more than 60 books and [also co-authored] several books…
Emilie wrote an autobiographical account of her diagnosis [and] treatment, from life-threatening cancer. Stricken with non-hodgkins lymphoma… Emilie’s foundation was shaken to the core… following a bone marrow transplant, Emilie [shared] her story of hope, healing, and God’s faithfulness. Her words [still] offer comfort and encouragement to others suffering through illness, bereavement, job loss, or relationship struggles. Emilie [spoke] from the heart as she explored how to rediscover God’s plan for life when your world is shaken, trust the reality of God’s provision, receive joy in times of trouble, and live in hope. While in the midst of her illness, Emilie wrote two books. Safe in the Father’s Hands outlines God’s promises and blessings and A Cup of Hope speaks of the enduring strength of His peace and comfort…
Emilie published more than 60 books including, If Teacups Could Talk, The Twelve Teas® of Celebration, The Twelve Teas® of Friendship, A Grandma Is a Gift from God, Quiet Moments for a Busy Moms Soul, Welcome Home, Beautiful Home on a Budget, Simply Dinner, Simply Organized, Time Began in a Garden, 15 Minutes Alone with God, The Spirit of Loveliness, 15 Minutes of Peace with God, Your Simple Guide to A Home-Based Business, and Fill My Cup Lord. Together her books have sold more than four million copies.
Chatting over our teacups
Here’s what I’m thinking.
- Each week Emilie will bring us one of her gems from her book, A Cup of Hope.
- I will attempt to bring a “cup” of my own inspirations on hope.
- And together, we will open God’s word to be encouraged and lifted up by what our Comforter, the Holy Spirit, has to say on the subject.
Please come, and bring your empty cups to be filled to the brim with new hope and some destiny-inspiring optimism, to feed those dreams you have tucked away in your heart.
Ah… but bring a FOURTH cup!
This cup is to be filled with hope for someone else.
I recently heard Steven Furtick say to his church, “You are NOT an audience–you are an army!”
Each week we will all have a “homework assignment” to take a cup of HOPE out into our world to be shared with someone who might really need some encouraging.
(I am hoping these will become interactive posts. I think if Emily were still here–she would definitely be on board for that!)
So here is your invitation…
You are cordially invited to a tea party of hope.
Ready or not, let’s get our hearts encouraged, our dreams inspired, and our cups filled up with the hope from God’s word that this hurting world needs.
Yeah, let’s do tea… you, me, and Emilie!
Women With Destiny 