God's Seasons: Steadfastly Reaping Until the Harvest

By Valerie Yvette Peterson

A praying woman is a powerful woman, and just as she is aware that God is in pursuit of her, so is the enemy.

God's Seasons is a book about faith in God, as it offers encouragement to remain steadfast in God's promises when trials are abundant. It is easy to say, "Thank you, Lord," in the good times, but what about in the

• Language: English
• Publisher: Trilogy Christian Publishing
• Release date: Nov 14, 2022
• ISBN: 9798887382142

Valerie Yvette Peterson

Valerie Yvette Peterson has been writing and storytelling for over thirty-five years. She learned early in her Christian home that love was an action.Throughout her life, she experienced marriage, divorce, and the joys of motherhood. But the greatest relationship that she came to know was her relationship with God.Valerie studied criminology and psychology at Portland State University, where she received her degree. She continues to use these studies as an influence in her work, focusing on the intersections of black life, relationships, and her faith in God.Valerie has three daughters and a granddaughter. She resides in Portland, Oregon.

Book preview

Chapter One

Daddy—The Planter of the Seed

*****

O Give Thanks unto the God of Gods

Psalm 136:2

My daddy was born in 1937,

Birmingham, Alabama.

I wasn’t quite old enough

to be in kindergarten,

but,

as a very young girl,

I can recall

my daddy and I

spending quality time

together

every morning.

Punctuality

was a necessity

with my daddy!

He did not believe

in being on CP time

for anything at all.

Together,

each morning,

we would either

get free coffee

at the local

Lynn Kirby Ford

Car Dealership,

or

we would drink Pepsi

and

eat Babe Ruth Candy Bars,

from the vending machines,

of the Walnut Park

Fred Meyer

Grocery Store.

Sometimes,

we would just hang out

at Eve’s Diner,

eating breakfast.

We would have Hash and Eggs.

The diner

was next to the Variety Section,

on the inside

of the store.

We

would start our plowing.

Start our day,

each morning

after

my mother

and my brother

left for the day.

Eddie,

my brother,

is two years

older than me.

He was already

in elementary school.

My mommy

was a schoolteacher.

My daddy

would wake me up,

help me get dressed,

all while teaching me

how to brush my teeth.

My fondest memory:

after each swipe

of my face,

with the warm towel

across my cheek,

my daddy

would give me a kiss,

and he would say,

"You are all ready now,

Butterball."

So, off we would go,

just me

and my daddy.

We were ready

for our daily

Furrowing.

And so, it was;

we

would head out the door

and

into my daddy’s

1962

red, Chevy, Impala,

four-door.

Even at three years of age,

it didn’t take me long,

to recognize

God’s existence

in my daddy’s life.

I mean, how could I not?

God was mentioned

throughout the hours,

throughout the days;

all day, every day.

Thank you, Jesus,

Yes, Lord,

"God will make a way

out of no way,"

my daddy would say.

And so on

and so forth.

Not only

was God

continually discussed,

studied

and

sought after

in our household,

I came to understand

that God

was much more

than just a name.

God was an action.

When things happened,

it was God.

When prayers were answered,

it was God.

If God blocked it,

it was God.

So on and so forth.

God equaled action

in my parents’ household,

and God is power!

For,

to be God,

meant blessings,

grace,

mercy,

love.

All action!

To know God

is to love God.

To know God

is to acknowledge

His power.

This was something

that my daddy taught me

early on in my life.

"The greatest relationship

that I would ever

come to know

would be the relationship

with God."

With this relationship

I would come

to trust in

and

depend on

Him.

*****

Train Up a Child

Proverbs 22:6

One day,

while leaving

a gas station,

on our way

back home,

a man

came up

to my daddy’s car window.

I wasn’t sure

what the man

had said,

but

I did, in fact

understand

the facial expression

on both

my daddy

and the man’s face.

The words spoken

by