This week, I'm veering just off the path a tad, away from my nature-centered blog, unless you consider teenagers a bunch of "wild" creations, and at times, I certainly did with my own teens and with the ones I volunteered with at my church! 

I wrote about that in a devotional that was published in The Upper Room, and I would be honored if you'd take a look at that devotional and join in on the comments on that page. 

God does take us down various paths "on our walk" with Him, and I enjoyed my time of serving Him while volunteering with the youth group for many years.

Please click here to read. 

Also, please take a look at "more from Julie Lavender" and you'll see pictures of the two grandmothers that encouraged me while "on my walk with God" as a youngster. I'd be delighted if you'd check that out, also. 

Thank you, as always, for reading. I treasure each one of you!

CONSIDER THE MILLIPEDE

by Julie Lavender

The steamy hot humid nights we’ve had lately in southeast Georgia have brought out a plethora of millipedes on my evening walks with my husband. My morning walks seem to catch those arthropods heading back to daytime shelter after nocturnal foraging for decaying leaves and other dead plant matter.

CONSIDER THE PAINTED LADY BUTTERFLY
by Julie Lavender

Beautiful Painted Lady butterflies caught my attention as I headed out for my morning walk with God. Flitting about the bright-colored lantana blooms, the winged insects searched for sweet nectar amongst the blossoms. Flashes of deep orange against black, with white-spot embellishments, are eye-catching and appealing as the butterflies never seem to sit still for longer than a few seconds.

CONSIDER THE CICADA 
by Julie Lavender

I love my walks with God anywhere, but I especially like the quiet, serene ones that take me out of my neighborhood and away from civilian life. Like the opportunity to hike in the mountains of north Georgia, where I know the roar of vehicles won’t interrupt my thoughts or the occasional plane flying over won’t distract me. Or the pleasant sounds of children playing won’t take me out of my daydreams or prayers.

GUEST BLOGGER

Please join me in welcoming my guest blogger today, Debbie Wilson. I met Debbie online first, because we had mutual writing friends, but then figured out we both graduated from the same college, Georgia Southern University! I enjoy her writing, and I know that you will also. I'd planned to share this post on my site at some point, and, with Hurricane Dorian on the prowl, this weekend seemed like the appropriate time! Delight in and be challenged by her writing, then check out more of her words on her own blog, Refreshing Faith.

How a Storm’s Anger Revealed God’s Angels

On a Wednesday evening my daughter Ginny opened a letter saying her insurance agency had suspended her comprehensive and collateral car coverage. Her records showed continued withdrawal payments to her insurance agency. She figured the notice was a mistake.

CONSIDER THE DEVIL'S WALKING STICK
by Julie Lavender

My early morning walk took me past a small stream, and just on the other side, I noticed the prickly-stemmed Devil’s walking stick standing resolute and firm in the bright sunshine.

Named aptly for the sharp, menacing spines all along the trunk, the Devil’s walking stick is a shrub or small tree that grows native in the southeastern United States. Armed with unforgiving prickles on the trunk, the upper portion offers green leaves, late-summer flowers, and juicy black berries.

GUEST BLOGGER

Please welcome my guest blogger, Adria Wilkins. I first met Adria at the Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference, and her JOY was evident with the first introduction. Her smile is never-ending, and her kindness extends to everyone around her. It's no wonder her newest book is entitled, The Joy Box Journal.

After suffering the unthinkable - the death of her son, three-year-old Blake, Adria found that Jesus sustains, and evens surprises His followers with joy. She shares that "joy" with readers in her book that just released in late July. 

Read her post below about a tender moment with her married kids' dog, then check out her bio and more information about her delightful book.