of The Sublime Soiree
Hi! I am Linda, and since being given the gift of motherhood in 1998, I have invested the majority of my efforts and attention on home and family management. I am the blessed and grateful wife of Dave, to whom I have been married for 35 years. I also am the oh-so-thankful mama of Noah, and Hannah. In June of 2021, our family suffered the devastating blow of Noah’s sudden passing. We miss him more than words can say, but we look forward with hope to our someday reunion at God’s glorious table.
Being my family’s biggest cheerleader would not be possible without the grace and love of my Savior Jesus Christ. I purpose to meet with Him daily through prayer and study of His word and to serve Him in whatever way He leads.
In addition to His guidance in my roles as wife and mother, God’s leading has sent me on two Mission trips to Mozambique, as well as domestic trips with middle-school and high-school students that I mentored for five years. My first mission trip to Mozambique was life-changing, resulting in the co-founding of an outreach ministry that seeks to meet the needs of women locally and around the globe who are physically, mentally and spiritually oppressed. The ministry has opened up many opportunities to share the hope and love of Jesus Christ to women and families from Africa to Asia to Greater Akron and the Americas.
Prior to 1998, I worked for 13 years in public relations and fund raising in the business, health care and education sectors. But my love of writing really took off in the sixth grade when I won Mr. Thompson’s classroom writing competition. I have been writing in some way ever since, but my greatest pleasure comes from writing about the hope of Jesus Christ!
– The Day I Accepted God’s Invitation –
I grew up in church and knew about God and Jesus my whole life. But I didn’t really know them. In high school, I even belonged to a contemporary Christian singing group, and we would travel around the camp grounds of North and South Carolina, singing worship music to the campers. What a joy it was to watch people come toward the music and the words! I loved it! But somehow, I just didn’t understand the fullness of God’s invitation. My goals and my ideas were very worldly and honestly, very temporary. I jokingly say now that I suffered from “just had” syndrome. I thought that if I “just had” the right education I would land a good job. If I “just had” a great husband, a nice house and two children, I would be fulfilled. Problem was, I just never seemed to have enough. Life for me was like riding on a train through the most glorious scenery, but never seeing any of it, because I was so focused on getting to the next train stop.
Until one day, the train derailed.
I heard the words “unexplained infertility,” and I went into a tail spin. I had no idea how to deal with this unplanned change in my journey, and I began to look for answers in all of the wrong places. My husband and I even separated for a time, as I struggled in my search for happiness and fulfillment. But, even then, I could sense God inviting me to come to Him. He drew me into reading His word, and He placed new friends in my path that had walked through similar circumstances as I was in, but they had so much joy! One friend offered me a book called Lord, Heal My Hurts, by Kay Arthur, and I practically drank in every word! In one chapter, she talked about a passage from 1 Kings 18 that describes the prophet Elijah confronting the prophets of a false god. In verse 21, I read:
“And Elijah came near to all the people and said, ‘How long will you go limping between two different opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him; but if Baal, then follow him.’”
And that is when I heard God’s invitation completely! I prayed to God in that moment and said “I don’t want to limp between opinions anymore, God! I am not even sure what it means to follow You, but I want to! Today, I will follow only You!” And at that moment, God welcomed me into His Family and into an eternity spent with Him. The most glorious day of my life!
Romans 5:8 says, “but God shows His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Those words are powerfully true for me. Do you remember that train ride I described earlier? Well, I no longer suffer from “just had” syndrome, and I am no longer missing the beautiful scenery. I am enjoying it daily, because I know where the train ride ends – in glory with my Savior!