Tag: WriteYourBook

Stayin’ Connected to the Vine

Posted in @jimmiekepler, Ancient Wisdom for Today, Bible, Bible Memes, Blog, Caregiver, Caregiving, Christian Living, Christian Writers, Jim Kepler, Jimmie A. Kepler, Jimmie Aaron Kepler, Jimmie Kepler, jimmiekepler.com, Poet, Poet's Life, Poets, US Military History, Writer's Life, WritingLeave a comment

🍇 Stayin’ Connected to the Vine
by Jimmie Aaron Kepler

“I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.” — John 15:5 (KJV)

This verse found me again today—like a well-worn song that still knows how to stir something deep inside.

I had just come back from a walk down by the park, coffee in hand. The sun was rising slow over the little lake. No wind, no birds chirping just yet. Just that stillness you don’t get much anymore unless you go looking for it. I sat on the bench under that same old oak tree that’s been leaning over the water longer than I’ve been walking this earth. The lake was still as glass, not a ripple, and I thought to myself, now that’s what peace looks like.

And right there, the verse popped into my head—

“I am the vine, ye are the branches…”

I don’t know about you, but I’ve had seasons where I’ve tried to live like I was the vine and the branch and the whole blessed vineyard. Working hard, pushing through, convincing myself I could carry the load if I just gritted my teeth and bore down harder.

But all that ever got me was worn out and wondering why the joy had up and left.

Jesus wasn’t just making a poetic point when He said this. He was telling us a truth that ain’t changed since the Upper Room. He’s the source. He’s the strength. He’s the reason anything good grows in us or through us.

See, when I abide—really stay close, like a branch wrapped tight around the vine—I’m not running on empty. I’m not hustling for fruit. It just shows up. Not because I earned it. But because I stayed connected.

I’ve noticed it in the small things. A little more patience when someone cuts me off in traffic. A kinder tone when talking to a loved one who’s had a hard day. A deeper peace in the middle of medical appointments or long nights when sleep won’t come easy. And yeah, sometimes even a bit more creative spark when I sit down to write.

It ain’t about striving. It’s about staying.

Without Him, I dry up. But with Him? Things bloom. In His time. In His way.

So this morning, with the sun rising over that still lake, I whispered a simple prayer—not for strength, not for direction—but just, “Lord, help me stay close today.”

That’s enough. That’s where the fruit grows.

Reflection:
Have you been feeling dry or disconnected lately? Maybe it’s not that you need to do more. Maybe you just need to stay close. Let Him be the vine. You just hold on.

Grace and Peace,
Jimmie

Did you enjoy this article? You can find more of Jimmie Aaron Kepler’s books at Jimmie’s books available in paperback, ebook, audio, and large print

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Peace In The Storm

Posted in @jimmiekepler, Ancient Wisdom for Today, Bible, Bible Memes, Blog, Caregiver, Caregiving, Christian Living, Christian Writers, Jim Kepler, Jimmie A. Kepler, Jimmie Aaron Kepler, Jimmie Kepler, jimmiekepler.com, Poet, Poet's Life, Poets, US Military History, Writer's Life, WritingLeave a comment

🕊️ Peace in the Storm
By Jimmie Aaron Kepler

📖 “These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” — John 16:33 KJV

Some mornings whisper their way in.

That’s how it was today. I woke up a little before sunrise, just as the world was starting to stretch and stir. I poured my coffee, fed the feral cats who were already pacing like little sentinels by the back fence, and decided to do something I hadn’t done in a while—I walked down to Cottonwood Park.

The air was cool, like the tail end of a prayer. The breeze was soft, just enough to rustle the leaves overhead. I made my way to the edge of that little lake—the one tucked behind the row of pecan trees—and stood still.

And there it was.

The sun, just beginning to peek up over the far side of the water, casting gold across everything it touched. The lake looked like glass. Not a ripple. Just stillness. Still and soft and sacred. Even the birds seemed to hush in that moment, like creation itself was pausing to watch.

I stood there a long while. No noise, no rush. Just peace.

And that’s when the verse rose up in my heart, like it had been waiting for the right time to speak: 

“These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace…”

I felt it right then—not some vague idea of peace, but real peace. The kind that settles deep. The kind you don’t have to explain. The kind that shows up not because the world is easy, but because Christ is near.

You and I both know the rest of that verse. 

“In the world ye shall have tribulation…” 

And Lord knows, I’ve had my share. You probably have too. Trouble doesn’t take a holiday. It knocks when it wants and doesn’t care if it’s a good time.

But that little lake—still as faith and bright as hope—reminded me of the rest of what Jesus said: 

“But be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.”

That’s the promise we hold to. Not that trouble won’t come, but that it won’t win.

I think about the storms I’ve faced—some recent, some from a lifetime ago. The ones that knocked the wind out of me. The ones that left scars I still carry. But somehow, every time, Jesus was already waiting on the other side, steady as sunrise.

The peace He gives isn’t about escaping the hard stuff. It’s about standing firm in the middle of it. Like that lake, unmoved by the wind. Like a song my grandma used to hum while hanging laundry—“It is well with my soul.” That’s what faith looks like. That’s what overcoming feels like.

So I say this to you, as much as I say it to myself: Take heart. Breathe deep. Walk down to your own lake—whatever that looks like—and let the peace of Christ speak louder than the storm.

He’s already overcome.

Grace and peace to you,
Jimmie

Did you enjoy this article? You can find more of Jimmie Aaron Kepler’s books at Jimmie’s books available in paperback, ebook, audio, and large print

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Write It Plain

Posted in @jimmiekepler, Ancient Wisdom for Today, Bible, Bible Memes, Blog, Caregiver, Caregiving, Christian Living, Christian Writers, Jim Kepler, Jimmie A. Kepler, Jimmie Aaron Kepler, Jimmie Kepler, jimmiekepler.com, Poet, Poet's Life, Poets, US Military History, Writer's Life, WritingLeave a comment

Write It Plain: A Morning Reflection on Habakkuk 2:2
By Jimmie Aaron Kepler

Well now…

This morning, as the sunlight spilled soft across my writing desk and the feral cats lounged lazy on the other side of the backyard fence, I found myself staring at a familiar verse. Not just reading it, but hearing it in my bones.

“And the LORD answered me, and said, Write the vision, and make it plain upon tables, that he may run that readeth it.”— Habakkuk 2:2 KJV

I reckon most of us have a vision tucked away somewhere. Maybe it’s scribbled on the back of a church bulletin. Maybe it’s just whispered in prayer after midnight. Maybe, like an old photograph in a shoebox, it’s something you haven’t looked at in years.

But friend, God didn’t give you that dream just to leave it gathering dust.

Put Pen to Paper

There’s something holy about a blank page. It’s honest. It doesn’t pretend to have all the answers. But it sure will hold the questions, the hopes, the prayers you’ve been carrying around in your chest like a thundercloud.

Writing the vision down doesn’t make it easier. It makes it real.
It makes it something you can hand to someone else and say, “Here. This is what I believe. This is where I’m headed.”

The Lord told Habakkuk not just to write the vision—but to make it plain. Not fancy. Not dressed up in churchy words or business-speak. Plain. Simple. Understandable.

Why?

“That he may run that readeth it.”

Because somebody out there is waiting for that clarity. Waiting to run. Waiting to follow something true.

Don’t Keep It in the Shadows

We live in a world where dreams often die of hesitation. We wait until the timing feels right. Until we feel “qualified.” Until we’ve got it all figured out.

But faith doesn’t always walk hand-in-hand with certainty.

Sometimes the boldest act of belief is to write the first sentence. To sketch the idea. To speak the vision out loud in a room that isn’t clapping yet.

If the Lord gave you the dream, He’ll give you the strength to see it through. And if you’re still squinting for clarity? That’s alright. Keep writing. Keep praying. Keep stepping.

Clarity often comes in motion.

A Little Story

Years ago, I had a story stirring in my soul. A tale set in a small Texas town with coal-miner-helmet-wearing prairie dogs, no less. Every time I thought about it, I’d grin. But I kept telling myself it was too silly, too strange, too “out there.” Finally, I wrote it as a short story. I shopped it. I sold it to science fiction magazine – “Bewildering Stories” That issue of the magazine won a major award.

Then one day, I read Habakkuk 2:2 again, and it hit me different. I was thinking about what to write next. I thought about turning the short story into a speculative fiction novel. I grabbed a pen, opened a fresh notebook, and started writing the first draft of my book in progress: The Shamrock Incident: The Night the Ground Started Glowing. Within four weeks I had completed a 105,000 word first draft.

Was it perfect? Not even close.
But it was mine. It was clear.
And once it was on paper, it had a heartbeat.

And now I’m doing the rewrites and edits — getting it ready to go to the editor in a few weeks.

Friend, Start Today

Maybe it’s a book.
Maybe it’s a ministry.
Maybe it’s a new chapter of life entirely.

Whatever the Lord has planted in your spirit—write it down.
Write it plain.
Speak it bold.
Live it true.

There’s a runner out there who’s been waiting to see what you’ve been holding back.

So go ahead.
Uncap the pen.
Pull out the journal.
And start.

Right now’s a mighty fine time.

Grace and Peace,
Jimmie

Did you enjoy this article? You can find more of Jimmie Aaron Kepler’s books at Jimmie’s books available in paperback, ebook, audio, and large print

jimmiekepler.com | jimmiekepler.substack.com