Hi Reader,

With so much war and unrest in the world--and perhaps even within our own hearts--I’m sharing some encouragement about peace.

(And at the end of this email is a link to a free ebook giveaway with 14 Christian-related books.)

The devotion below is about peace. It's from my newest book, From Sea to Shining Sea: 50 Daily Devotions from Traveling to Every State in America, written with my parents and based on their travels to all 50 states.

This devotion is a reflection on visiting an artist's home. We visited it as a family of four--my parents, my sister, and me.

Like all the devotions in the book, it's written in the voice of my parents...

New Hampshire

Peace

Anymore, it’s rare when we travel as a family of four. Sometimes, though, John or Tricia will be with us for a short trip.

In May 2010, traveling as a family of four, we stopped at the Saint-Gaudens National Historic Site in New Hampshire. This is the home and workshop of sculptor Augustus Saint-Gaudens (1848–1907), a famous Irish American sculptor whose monuments are still in prominent places today.

We drove up the long lane to the entrance gate and walked around the grounds. The porch of the house where this artist lived has distinctive Greek-style columns, and purple gladiolas and huge red poppies were in full bloom in front of it. A mountain stood in the distance.

Some of Saint-Gaudens’s sculptures and artwork are here. In a small courtyard was a bright golden-winged figure—something like a golden angel—that reflected in a still pool. Inside what is called the “Little Studio”—a workshop where the artist created some of his sculptures—is a wall of windows that lets in natural light. It must have been a quiet, lovely place to create art.

We saw a bronze statue that stands six feet tall, called “Diana”—a goddess standing on one leg, pointing a bow and arrow to her left. Standing next to the statue, Tricia struck the same pose with an imaginary bow and arrow, and we snapped a picture. On our way back to the car, we walked between rows of white birch trees, concluding our time in this beautiful place.

It’s wonderful to be in a peaceful place with family, as well as to have peace within the family. We know that many families don’t live in peace, though. Maybe that’s because of internal conflicts that divide them, or things out of their control like war or poverty.

It’s worth taking time to reflect on what we can do to help foster peace in our families—to consider the importance of developing harmonious relationships among our loved ones and doing what we can to have more peace in our daily lives.

Reflection questions:

--What helpful attitudes can I develop within myself that can bring more peace in my family?

--Am I a peaceful influence on those around me?

Bible verse:

Philippians 4:7

And God’s peace will keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. The peace that God gives is so great that we cannot understand it.

Prayer prompts:

--To strive to live peacefully with others.

--To relay peaceful feelings to my family members.

As you go into the weekend, may you feel inspired to live more peaceably with those around you. It's worth pondering the question again: Am I a peaceful influence on those around me?

Thanks for being part of my reader community.

John Christopher Frame​

p.s. here's the link to the ebook giveaway: https://books.bookfunnel.com/ehcreativestudio-faith-in-abundance/ze67xwy3qr​

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