Hidden Treasures Sneak Peek!!

The release date for Hidden Treasures is, August 31st!
That's only 9 days away!

Having trouble waiting that long? I know I am!
So, I'll give you a little taste of what to expect in Hidden Treasures: 


"We’re traveling the path to the little white church.
It’s only a mile long, but the road is steep in certain places, making for a good workout. 
The sun shines brightly, but the wind wins the battle this time. 
I shove my hands in the pockets of my light jacket and pick up my pace.  Everything’s quiet and peaceful. The journey to the church is always that way.  For forty or so minutes you can leave the world behind, and bask in the tranquility of God’s creation.  
No ringing telephones. 
No noisy electronics.
No nagging alerts to check your email or text messages.
It’s simplicity at its best.  It’s peaceful.  And other than personal Bible time, it’s my favorite part of each day. 
We top the hill, my sister’s dog panting from the exertion. 
Without fail, every time we walk past this hill, Woody is always here to greet us. Only Woody doesn’t really care about us at all. Woody is only concerned about his prize, his treasure.  He’s persistent, I’ll give him that.  
The hollow, tap, tap tap, never fails to bring a smile to my face. 
Woody is a woodpecker. 
He’s just one of the wild creatures we’ve named on this route to the church. But Woody is by far, my favorite.  Why?  Well, because he’s an inspiration. He’s a reminder. 
But before you’re able to understand that statement, you’ll need to know just a few woodpecker facts.

• The pileated woodpecker can strike a tree trunk at around 20 times per second.
• They strike the tree with the speed of 16 mph. 
• They do this about 12,000 times a day, average. 

 
Imagine you’re a beautiful woodpecker.  You not only have to hunt for your food, but once you’ve found it you must dig a hole to get to it. 
Now that you’ve finished that task you get to enjoy the quick snack. But then you’re back to work and you do it all over again.  12,000 more times to be exact (give or take a few). The woodpecker is a picture of persistence.  He doesn’t stop at any cost. He pecks away with only one thought in mind: getting to his prize. 
If only we could feel the same way about God’s word. 
 
“If thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as for hidden treasures; Then shalt thou understand the fear of the Lord, and find the knowledge of God.” (PROVERBS 2: 4-5)
 
If only we could search for wisdom and understanding just as the woodpecker searches for his prize.
If you had reason to believe there was a treasure chest hidden in your backyard, would you sit still and do nothing?  Or would you take your finest shovels and digging equipment outside and begin searching at once? Probably the latter. So what should make God’s Word any less valuable than the treasure in your backyard?
One of my favorite things to do is go scripture hunting. I’ll flip through my Bible in search of scriptures that bring me joy and peace. When I find one, I’ll underline it in a specific color.  If I’m feeling down or troubled all I have to do is flip through my Bible in search of scriptures underlined in florescent green.
So how can we search God’s Word as hidden treasure? 
 
Here are a few ideas: 

• Read slowly; we can retain more that way.  
• Try reading aloud.  
• Ask the Lord for insight and understanding. 
• We come to know God and His wisdom when we search for it with our whole heart.  We find understanding when we seek it like silver and search for it like hidden treasure. The Bible says if we seek it, we shall find it. 

“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.” MATTHEW 7:7
 
Have a heart of understanding. A humble, broken spirit and a contrite heart. (Psalm 51:17) Always be quick to listen and slow to speak. There’s a reason God gave us two ears and only one mouth! 
We should never be afraid to ask God for help and insight when we don’t understand something. He’s perfectly capable of answering our many questions. He wants us to understand. 
Pray for wisdom and understanding. Search for them as hidden treasures. And guess what? We’ll find some, if we enlist His help. 
Don’t stop when you get tired. 
Don’t stop when it gets difficult. 
And always remember this…the treasure is always worth the effort.