A Writer's Daughter – Brenda Proulx writes about life with words from the Author of Life…

Encouragement in a Car Dealership

A few Mondays back, I trudged to the car dealership for an oil change and some required maintenance. I do not relish car-related tasks, but I obliged, doing my part to protect the car warranty. As I have experienced before, waiting areas can provide blog material and the dealership lobby was no exception!

I have sat in some grungy auto shop waiting areas over the years; torn fake leather seats, burnt coffee on a hot plate in the corner, a crummy show blaring on the TV, all in an exhaust scented anteroom! But, these days, car businesses are upping their game, maybe as they up their prices. Furniture is new and stylish, a fancy coffee machine offers free specialty drinks next to a snack basket, and greenery brightens the feel and the air. One might actually enjoy the first hour of waiting.

This is similar to the waiting area where I sat. Caffia.com markets their coffee machines to dealerships.

I sat in the upscale dealership waiting area with my nice hot coffee and books I’d brought. I got a few things done. Others in the waiting area dozed or looked at their phone. One guy, about my age, was on the phone discussing a construction project. His phone conversation ended and then a dealership employee came into the waiting room and began chatting with him. They seemed to know each other personally. The friendly conversation lasted for quite a few minutes and at one point I heard them talking about “The Eagles,” singer Glenn Frey, and the new vocalist, Frey’s son; my husband and I had recently had the same conversation.

Eventually the dealership guy had to return to his job there, and in a parting salutation I heard him say, “Keep the faith.” His friend responded affirmatively then added, “But it’s hard.” From my observation overhearing a customer in a car dealership lobby, his answer was honest and from the heart and without self-pity but he apparently needed that word of encouragement.

I have no idea if the dealership guy meant his comment in a spiritual way. He might have just meant, “Hang in there, buddy.” Whatever the meaning, I think his intent was genuine encouragement. We all need encouragement. We need it often. We need to offer it. Encouraging each other spiritually is imperative … because keeping the faith is hard. Hebrews 3 v 13 tells us, “Encourage one another daily, as long as it is called “Today” so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness.” No sooner had this verse come to my mind for this blog post than it appeared in a Bible study book I’m working through. The study’s author is blind and she comically commented, “Wait, let me check my braille watch. Yep, today is still called today.” * This Easter week let’s encourage one another. Encourage the relative who is thinking of skipping the Easter service. Encourage the staff and volunteers at church who will have a very busy week. Encourage your spouse or friend who has a lot to do, getting ready for company. Encourage those who must work holidays. Who will you encourage and how? I’ve just shared some of my options.

* Rothschild, Jennifer. Psalm 23 The Shepherd With Me. Lifeway Press, 2025.

And the Oscar Goes To

I first heard about the animated film “Forevergreen” when a good friend posted that his son contributed to the making of a film nominated for an Academy Award. “Forevergreen” was a nominee in for “Best Animated Short Film” in this year’s Academy Awards. Later, I learned more about the film on my ‘go to’ news podcast, “The World and Everything In It,” through a news item (February 27 wng.org), followed by a full-length special feature with interviews.

“Forevergreen” is the creation of Nathan Engelhardt and Jeremy Spears. These two friends, both directors and guys who tell stories, teamed up on a concept of a story that pointed to the real redemptive story of the Bible, through Jesus Christ. Set in a forest, featuring an orphaned bear, the story exposes our spiritual need, and frequently our rejection of the Answer.

From the outset, the project was a labor of love, inspiration, ministry and sweat. The directors recruited a crew of over two hundred highly skilled volunteers, who had the passion and commitment to produce the film. Among the production crew was our friend’s son; a kid who grew up around our kids. He excelled in his teens in computer design. He majored in Film Studies in college, landed in California with a well-known studio, and has worked on several well-known animated movies. At one point, the studio assigned him to a film promoting ideas contrary to Biblical truth. He asked to be reassigned but instead he was furloughed. His career in animation continues successfully and he is listed as “Animation Lead” in the “Forevergreen” credits.

You can enjoy this film online or in an upcoming Roadside Attractions in theaters.

“Forevergreen” did not win the Oscar last night but what an honor, an achievement of the highest degree, to be a nominee, for excellence “in craft” as Engelhardt and Spears say, in concept, production and PR, music and … animation! Well done, Brendan and all the production crew! All of you demonstrated what it means to invest your talents for the Gospel.

Closing in Scripture is never the hard part in my writing. At church yesterday, we looked at 2 Timothy 2 v 21. Returning to the passage this morning, I realized how aptly it described the “Forevergreen” creative team: “… (those) will be instruments for special purposes, made holy, useful to the Master and prepared to do any good work.”

Time for February – Part 3

For the past couple of days, I have been thinking about how to end my short February treatise on ‘time.’ I researched some Scriptures on the topic, but nothing popped out at me. This morning, I received a Bible verse in a daily texting group that feels exactly right.

Second Corinthians 9 v 8 says, “And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things AT ALL TIMES, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.” What struck me on first reading was the obvious abundance: the words “abundantly”, “all” used three times, “abound” and “every.” God promises lavish fullness, demonstrating His generosity toward His own.

A dear friend, Sandee, regularly texts a big group of us a pretty picture with a Bible verse. I received this from her this morning.

In Bible reading, context is of utmost importance. Chapter nine of 2 Corinthians is about giving. Believers in the Corinthian church were preparing to give a gift (likely monetary) to Christians in another region. The writer Paul is reminding them about their promise to give generously, as they were “blessed” and able to follow through on “every good work.” Paul then quotes Psalm 112 v 9 , supporting the concept of the righteous giving generously from another book of the Bible.

It feels odd to wrap up “Time for February” on an altered note, but I hope you can follow my track. While I was thinking of chronology in this month of numerical confusion, God’s Word brought my post to God’s goodness to us all the time, especially through Jesus our Savior, and our opportunity to live generously with good works all the time. In fact, doing so may help pass the time these last days of February, without a 29th day this year! AMEN

Time for February – Part 2

As this shortest month of the year, which sometimes wearily drags on the longest, passes the halfway point, I extend “Time for February” with a recent incident.

Over the holidays, I decorated our fireplace mantel. In typical fashion, I decked it with Christmas-y greens, lights, and ornaments. Also in typical fashion, a mantel clock usually sits centered there. I moved the mantel clock off to the side on a nearby bookshelf, planning to keep it running, visible and audible in a temporary spot.

This clock was built in a train station in Paris, now the Musee d’Orsay art museum.

The clock is mechanical. I wind it monthly and it keeps relatively good time, ticking in a calming, familiar way. I gave the clock a few winds as I set it on its new perch and gently pushed the pendulum to restart it. After a time, I realized the clock had not restarted. I again gave the pendulum a little shove to get it going. Again, some time later, the clock was not ticking, not keeping time. Just to make sure, a third time, I wound it a bit more and started the pendulum. This attempt also failed.

Now, I realized something else was awry. I suspected the bookshelf where I placed the clock might not be level. When the holidays ended and I put all the decorations away, the mantel clock went back on the mantel. With no prompting from me, the clock began its ticking, meting out its normal timekeeping. Apparently, the carpenter did a better job on the mantel than on our bookshelves!

Where do I take this time-keeping anecdote? I think of one of Jesus’ more familiar parables: The Wise and Foolish Builders (Matthew 7:24-27, Luke 6:47-49). Many know it well from the Sunday School ditty, “… the rains came down … and the floods went up!” What happened? When the winds and the rain came, as they certainly will, the house built on the sand collapsed, similar to my clock on the unlevel bookshelf. The house built on the rock foundation stood firm in the flood: my clock was perfectly functional on the solid mantel. In this construction story, Jesus says our lives must be founded on something solid, namely Him and His Truths, or there will be “destruction” (Luke 6 v 49). Storms are inevitable but grounding ourselves in Him stands the tests of time.

Time for February

The month of February defies time. It is the shortest month of the year with only 28 days, but winter weather woes, Super Bowl woes, and Valentine’s Day woes can drag February painfully on. The short month further confuses us with the Groundhog Day syndrome (immortalized by the Bill Murray movie) and a 29th day of the month that only happens every four years. What to do!?! Blog about it!

Scripture speaks much about time. God is the author of time, though in His divinity He is beyond our human limitations of time. God is not a Father Time; that was Chronos, a figure out of Greek mythology. Our God of the ages is the “Ancient of Days*,” and He points us to (a sampling of) His perspectives on time, beginning with my favorite:

Teach us to number our days [aright], that we may gain a heart of wisdom. Psalm 90 v 12 (Note – this verse is a prayer or request of God)

My times are in Your Hands. Psalm 31 v 15

The seasons chapter, a time for everything. Ecclesiastes 3

But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. 2 Peter 3 v 8

“I am the Alpha and Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.” Revelation 1 v 8

May God’s Word sustain your days and weeks. I will continue this post in a few …

February roared in like a lion (oops, that’s March) with a rare coastal snowstorm!

*Daniel 7 v 13

The Purple Foyer Welcome

Over the Christmas holidays, an experience brought to mind the Biblical principle of hospitality. Possible blog post topics pop into my head, and I often let them formulate for days, or weeks, before I finally put my thoughts into writing. As I ruminated on the topic of hospitality, the word surfaced in my Bible study as a desired quality in leadership (Titus 1 v 8). Days later, hospitality was the theme in a devotional I’m currently reading. For me, that was enough confirmation to pen the blog!

It’s OK that none of us has a grand foyer like The Mandarin Oriental.

As I mentioned, after Christmas we experienced overnight hospitality with close friends from our DC days. Halfway through our two-day drive home, we arrived at their house depleted of emotional and physical energy. Approaching the front stoop and entering their purple foyer, I felt relief at being “home,” as I later shared in a thank you note. The familiar surroundings, the memories, the dear friendship and warm welcome ministered deeply. There we’ve sat by fires in the fireplace and cookouts on the porch. We landed there the night we left our family home for the last time and munched leftover Halloween candy in our exhaustion. The guest room often welcomes me with a special treat from the hostess, and the host makes sure we help ourselves to the tea drawer. Being able to spend the night in their home and catch breakfast together before hitting the road again is the spiritual gift of hospitality: sharing out of God’s provision to others in the family of Christ.

While specific spiritual gifts are given especially to some, the New Testament calls all Christians to be hospitable. Romans 12 v 13 says, “Practice hospitality.” I do not think that means doing routines like piano or soccer practice, rather the instruction suggests making hospitality part of your way of life. Unfortunately, hospitality seems threatening to many due to the likes of Martha Stewart in my day and Joanna Gaines these days. We get the idea that everything must be perfect: the food, the décor, and the beautiful hostess. But this is not God’s hospitality plan. Biblical hospitality is genuine and unassuming, from a humble heart and even a humble abode. I encourage you to practice it: have a friend in for coffee, a family over for supper or host a mid-winter party. Scripture says you might even entertain angels unaware (Hebrews 13 v 2)!

A Lesson from 2 Oxford Dons

I listened to a podcast recently on the friendship between C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien, two 20^th century English authors (Lindsay Mast interviewing Joseph Loconte, The World and Everything In It, link below). Specifically, the discussion centered on the context of their friendship and a shared mission that developed. They were Oxford professors building a friendship in the 1930’s, as British foundational beliefs in humanity, Judeo-Christian values and human purpose declined, followed by isolationism and apathy toward Hitler’s rise in power, before eventually facing the threat of German invasion, the terror of the bombing of London.

Into this time period, the two men, Lewis and Tolkien, forged a deep relationship, grappling with the problems of their day, concerned about the demise of a classic Christian worldview, and asking how in their university setting with their limited assets they could fight back. They agreed they could write! They could write stories reflecting the great story; stories that demonstrated goodness over evil, fighting for what is right, heroism in a pure form. The result was Lewis’s space trilogy Out of the Silent Planet and Tolkien’s The Hobbit. Armed with their thoughts and a pen (or a typewriter) they produced a mighty advance, “a beachhead of resistance against the ideological madness that is (was) all around them.” (Loconte)

The modern acclaim for these two esteemed intellectual authors clouds the reality that they really didn’t start with much. They could only endeavor to take a stab at a large and looming moral collapse with the sword of their pen, their writing skills (Ephesians 2 v 10 ). But oh my, how God used and continues to use their stories to point readers to God’s redemptive story, the real savior, Jesus Christ!

Using what you have, the competence and forte of your background, your mind, and your heart, to participate in God’s kingdom is the call of Christ followers. Years ago, I heard Rick Warren preach a sermon on Moses’ calling. When Moses, joined by his brother Aaron, did not think he had much to offer as God called him, he was asked what they had on hand. Aaron held a staff or a walking stick, and the Lord told him to throw it down, where it immediately became a live, writhing snake! God used Moses’ one asset when Moses was willing to respond.

The feature photo and this one were taken in Oxford, England. This is the door of Magdalen College, where C.S. Lewis taught.

This is what I pray for myself in the New Year: in interviewer Lindsay Mast’s words to “meet the forces of evil in starting where we are and doing what we can with what we have.” Loconte agreed, quoting Ecclesiastes, “Cast your bread upon the waters.” (Ecclesiastes 11 v 1) Blessings and Godspeed for your 2026 endeavors, Brenda

https://wng.org/podcasts/oxfords-inklings-and-the-christian-imagination-1764950179, Lindsay Mast interviewing Joseph Loconte for The World and Everything In It, wng.org, 12/06/2025.

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The Salvation Army Part 2: A Salvation Story

When I was growing up, my family was close friends with the McIntyre family. Bob and Mary were sweet Southerners, deeply committed to the Lord, through church and family. Bob was a successful educator, having founded a school early in the movement to develop special education for learning disabilities. Mary joined him in business and education endeavors. They raised two boys in the DC area where my family also lived.

Bob’s back story was surprising given his successes in adult life. He and a brother were born to an unwed mother. A sister carried a different last name. Bob lived with his maternal grandparents. During his young teen years, the ministry of the Salvation Army touched his life and Bob was saved! Salvation Army Officers took him in, and at age 16 he moved with them to another state where he graduated from high school at nineteen.

Bob’s faith in Jesus deepened. He took serious Bible training and pastored churches. Later he and his wife Mary attended Moody Bible Institute and then earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Wheaton College. Eventually they came to DC for educational administration opportunities and, as I mentioned, founded a prototype model for special education, The Oakwood School. He continued church and missionary work throughout his life.

I do not know the specific details of Bob’s salvation other than it was “through a meeting.” I doubt that Salvation Army bell ringers were present, but I am confident music must have been part of what drew him in – – he enjoyed music and was a good musician himself.

Bob’s faith testimony includes significant influences and spiritual impact on my life. The McIntyres gave me my first job in education: summer help at their daycare as a junior higher. (And thanks Mom for driving me back and forth for those weeks.) I followed them to Wheaton College, one of the most formative and meaningful experiences of my life. They gave me a place to stay temporarily when I got my first teaching job out of college, and I observed their beautiful Christian home and marriage. That’s legacy: God began His “good work” in His servant Bob through The Salvation Army. God’s work in him flourished until it was “carried to its completion” when Bob died of a stroke three years ago at the age of ninety-one. I pray that God’s salvation is at work in your life too. Philippians 1 v 6

Merry Christmas.

The Salvation Army Part 1: The Red Kettle Campaign

The “Red Kettle” campaign is back! Collecting money donations in a big pot started in 1891, initiated by Salvation Army Captain Joseph McFee in San Francisco. He needed money to fund a Christmas dinner he hoped to provide for “San Francisco’s many poor souls.” “Today, generous contributions to the kettles enable The Salvation Army to bring the spirit of Christmas to people who would otherwise be forgotten.”

Bell ringing is a traditional feature of the Salvation Army Red Kettle campaign. Paid and volunteer staff stand at the kettles ringing faithfully. Sometimes workers play musical instruments or recorded Christmas music. Once I saw a kettle volunteer entertain shoppers with animated dance steps as she rang; she was having fun! Another time we chatted with an older ringer named Charlie who asked for prayer for his own needs. Apparently, the Christmas song “Silver Bells” from the movie “The Lemon Drop Kid” was inspired by the tradition of kettle bell ringers standing outside city department stores.

I enjoyed sharing the book Gus and Grandpa and the Christmas Cookies, by Claudia Mills, illustrated by Catherine Stock (1997), with my ESOL students. In the story, a boy and his grandpa encounter the red kettle and a bell ringer, which is new to the young boy. A sweet conversation and a giving response follow. And I guess some bell ringers dress as Santa!

While in-person shopping is declining due to online purchases, and fewer businesses welcome Christian charities, I will be shopping about locally and be on the lookout for red kettles and keep an ear out for the bell ringers too! As the name implies, the Salvation Army is a movement focused on sharing “good news and love with … neighbors” and is dedicated to “soul-winning and compassionate service.” The pairing of practical support and spiritual counsel may be why they are “Doing the Most Good.” “Christ’s boundless love presses on our hearts, leaving us joyfully compelled to serve Him,” (a summary of 2 Corinthians 5 v 14, Biblehub.com)

Quotes are taken from Salvation Army literature, both online and direct mail sources, 2024 and 2025.

NOTE: I continue to notice formatting issues with my posts in automated emails and even phone access. Blogposts are best viewed at “A Writer’s Daughter”

The Red Kettle Campaign

Quotes are taken from Salvation Army literature, both online and direct mail sources, 2024 and 2025.

NOTE: I continue to notice formatting issues with my posts in automated emails and even phone access. Blogposts are best viewed at “A Writer’s Daughter”

Saying “Grace”

“Grace” is the traditional term for prayer before a meal. Scripture tells us Jesus modeled the practice of thanking God for food (Matthew 14 v 19; Matthew 15 v 36; Luke 22 v 19). We also read that Jesus blessed food before He ate, hence we say or ask “The Blessing” at meals (Matthew 26 v 26; Luke 24 v 30)*.

The vast majority of Americans, even Christians, no longer regularly say “Grace” at mealtimes. Look around the work lunch table or a restaurant dining room and you will rarely see folks offering a blessing over the food. Thanksgiving however will be the exception, as many will pause to acknowledge their plenty in the form of a prayer to the Almighty.

I grew up in a home where every meal began with a prayer of thanks, usually led by my father. (See photo below) And although “Grace” was a routine and might have become rote, instead the ritual solidified foundational beliefs. By praying at meals, we were acknowledging God’s reality and presence, and His provision at our family table. Gratitude is a desirable, health-promoting trait and it rightly positions our hearts toward God “from whom all blessings flow.” ** Remember Jesus leading at the last supper: “and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, ‘Take, eat…’” (1 Corinthians 11 v 24 NJKV).

I am grateful for you, my readers. I am looking forward to some entries I have in mind for December – stay tuned! As always, my posts are best viewed at “A Writer’s Daughter” especially to view the photos.

* I found “gave thanks” and “blessed” to be interchanged depending on Bible version.

** Thomas Ken, “Doxology,” 1674.