Chiara Talluto

Author, Wife, Busy Mom, A Woman after God's Heart.

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The In-Between of All Things

December 29, 2022 /

In life, you have a beginning, an end, and an in-between. We spend most of our natural existence in the “in-between”. What you do with that time is up to you. God gives you free will and choices that you can make any time you want.

Like a book, there is a beginning. It has to captivate the reader so that they continue reading the story. The beginning is the hook, and it should be strong. The end is the culmination of the plot, coming full circle and it too, should leave readers wanting more, satisfied and fulfilled, or retrospective. As a writer, I love all those kinds of endings and I work really hard in trying to achieve them in my stories. Most of the work, however, is in the “middle”. That’s where the booklover stays the longest. Sustaining the tale, keeping the interest, working through tragedies and triumphs, and transporting the reader on an adventure with the characters of the story.

Getting back to real life, we’ve reached the end of 2022. The end of the year. Like its beginning, it either ends strong or flat. Every one of us has a story and though we may have similarities and coincidences, our individual journeys are just that, individual. The beginning and end are only a part of an entire year. Your in-between or middle will either propel you or cripple you in the coming new year.

What’s your in-between going to look like in 2023? Start making plans. It’s hours away.

Until next time…

Be well. Be safe. Be happy.

 

References:

Photo by Jill Wellington: https://www.pexels.com/photo/happy-new-year-text-3334355/

 

And Then Christ Came – A Christmas Testimony

December 22, 2022 /

www.chiaratalluto.com

He took my sin and shame away!

For many, many years the Israelites were told of a coming Messiah. God first mentioned it in Genesis 3:15 after Adam and Eve disobeyed Him. God predicted that four generations would pass before Jesus was born. In fact, some Bible scholars suggest there are more than 300 Old Testament prophetic Scriptures completed in the life of Jesus Christ.

There are a ton of references in the Old Testament. Here are just a few scriptures references below: More can be found here.

Genesis 3:15 – And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, And you shall bruise His heel.

Isaiah 7:14 – Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel.

Isaiah 9: 6 – For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Isaiah 53 (A very lengthy chapter and description of the birth and death of Jesus. Click on the link.)

Galatians 4: 4-5 – To redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons.  And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, “Abba, Father!”

Micah 5:2 – But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, Though you are little among the thousands of Judah, Yet out of you shall come forth to Me, The One to be Ruler in Israel, Whose goings forth are from of old, From everlasting.

There has also been something called the “400 Years Silence”. “The 400 Years of Silence” is the name given to the period of time between the last of the Old Testament prophets and the arrival of Jesus in the New Testament. It began with Malachi’s prediction of Elijah’s return, circa 430 BC, and ended with its metaphorical fulfillment: the coming of John the Baptist circa 6—4 BC.

I believe the entire Bible is all about Jesus from beginning to end. However, I also believe specifically, The Old Testament is God’s testimony of His love toward our human race and His constant urging of His people to turn away from sin and back to Him. (2 Corinthians 7:14).

Why would He do that, you ask? Because from the beginning, He made man in His image, (Genesis 1:7), even though we are all sinners and frequently come short of the Glory of God, (Romans 3:23). And so… in order to help us understand how grand God’s love for us is, He had to send His only son, Jesus, to save us from sin. (John 3:16-17).

Yes, Jesus! King of Kings and Lord of Lord, (Revelations 19:16,  and 17:14) was, is, and always will be a King. There have been many babies born to be kings of their land, but only one king ever became a baby. The Old Testament scriptures lead to that revelation because the Israelites didn’t expect a baby, but a Mighty King. (Acts 1:6; Ezekiel 37: 24-25).

Wow, were they shocked? Hmm… God does have a sense of humor.

***

I love Christmas music. I start listening to it after Thanksgiving, as I like to give each holiday its respectful celebration. Some of my recent favorites are:

Somewhere in Your Silent Night – Casting Crowns

Mary Did You Know – Danny Gokey

Breath of Heaven – Amy Grant

And, this year,  Then Christ Came by MercyMe and Phil Wickham.

Raised Catholic, I never concerned myself with the Bible, the stories, the significance, God’s anointings and gifts to us, the Holy Spirit’s role in our lives, and how Prophesy is manifesting in the world today, right before our eyes. I’m not knocking Catholicism, but there is so much more to learn about Christianity.

You see, in June of 2006, I accepted Christ as my Lord and Savior. I didn’t think much of it then and how it would transform my life. Years later, I embarked on a reading journey of the Bible. It took me two years and almost two months, from January 2019 to February 2021, to read from Genesis to Revelations. It was quite an experience. So much history and happenings I hadn’t known. Exposed only to the Gospels, I felt now, my understanding of God was coming full circle. And still, I tread on. In August 2021, a phrase came to my mind; so I wrote this below and taped it to my Bible.

After that, I couldn’t go back. When the new year came in, January of 2022, I understood the next step in my new life. In July of 2022, I was baptized. Oh, and what a glorious declaration and dedication to Jesus it was. I was His! (2 Corinthians 5:17)

Fast-forward to December 2022, and I hear Then Christ Came. Two of my favorite verses:

You are the one I prayed for! You are the one I was made for! Hallelujah!!

Jesus you gave me purpose.  Jesus you told me I’m worth it! Hallelujah!!

Just like the Israelites who hoped and prayed for a Messiah. I patiently prayed for Jesus to open my eyes to accepting Him into my heart. Hallelujah!! He changed everything. Jesus changed our history. Born of a Virgin, a Son named Immanuel, God with us. (Mathew 1:23)

He changed me from the inside out! Jesus said, I am in you, and you are in me. (John 15:7)

This is the reason for the season. Glory to glory in the highest and peace to its people on earth. I bring good tidings. A Savior, Christ the Lord, is born in the city of David. (Luke 2:8:20)

This Christmas, may you all learn to know about Jesus!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Until next time…

Be well. Be safe. Be happy.

Photo credit by Vinícius Vieira ft: https://www.pexels.com/photo/nativity-set-figurine-3355002/

 

A Nugget of Halloween Historical Perspective

October 28, 2022 /

This weekend marks a big party celebration. It’s Halloween weekend! Costumes and candy, and all things scary will be rampant. There’s a lot of interesting information that I learned about this “holiday” but I’m not quite knowledgeable to discuss this in depth; I’m still absorbing it, and frankly, some of the things I’ve learned about the history of Halloween are evil. I’ll have to save this for another time. (Wink) However, if you’re so inclined, you can read about Halloween and ties to Samhain.

Recently, I read about an incredible event that happened and it’s not celebrated in the Catholic or Christian religions, at least not that I know of. It’s an eye-opening revelation and I’m just scratching the surface. You’ll need to do your own research, but I feel compelled to share some of my findings.

Martin Luther, a German Monk was the man who was responsible for lighting the fire of the Protestant Reformation of the 16th Century, protesting the Vatican along with many others, in their defiant battle cry of Sola Scriptura, which means Scripture only, and bringing the Word of God to the masses. He is responsible for translating the Bible into the German language.

Why is this important? Because over 500 years ago, on October 31st, 1517 (Halloween), Martin Luther posted his 95 Theses on the church door at Wittenberg to start a discussion about abuses and other problems he saw in the church of his day.

***

You see, during the Roman Empire in the 5th and 6th centuries, the Roman Catholic Church, used the Latin version of the Bible, called the Latin Vulgate, for only those in the elite Catholic hierarchy, bishops, popes, cardinals, etc. Only those in the church who read Latin, could decipher it, and explain it to the common folk like you and me. It was said that the Bible was chained to the alters of the church, and not to be removed. No one else had access to the Word of God except those in the Church. This continued well after the fall of the Roman Empire.

***

Over a thousand or so years later, when Martin Luther, a monk and university teacher, heard Johann Tetzel’s message, he was livid. Johann’s job was raising money for the building of St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome.

“When a coin in the coffer rings, a soul from Purgatory springs.” Tetzel claimed.

Tetzel explained that the Pope had sent the common people a gift, a way to escape the flames of eternal damnation: a special indulgence granted for the building of St. Peter’s church in Rome. If they paid for this indulgence and thus help build this church, they would “lay the stone of eternal salvation” for themselves.

God did not command the preaching of indulgences, but of the Gospel! These indulgences were just paper. “You must trust in God’s love,” Luther urged his congregants.

Luther raised his voice with a desire to bring an end to this injustice. The reign of the church was keeping people from a relationship with God, using practices that separated them from the very One who came to save them by His grace through faith in Christ.

“For as long as I have God’s Word, I know that I am walking in His way and that I shall not fall into any error or delusion.”

—Martin Luther

***

This historical event thus opened up the translation of the Bible to English by another man, William Tyndale, which later became one of the biggest publishing houses.

If it weren’t for men like Martin Luther or William Tyndale,  and many others, the Bible would not be in the hands of millions and millions of people and translated into 704 languages. According to Wikipedia, there could be over 3,000 translations between the Old Testament, the New Testament, and other books of the Bible.

So while everyone else is celebrating Halloween on October 31st, we might want to give thanks and homage to the Reformation Movement as well.

 

 

 

 

References:

https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/martin-luther-posts-95-theses

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vulgate

www.revelationmedia.com

https://www.christian-history.org/john-tetzel.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Tyndale

https://www.britannica.com/biography/William-Tyndale

https://www.history.com/topics/holidays/samhain

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bible_translations

 

 

 

This Old Piano

September 12, 2022 /

There she stood, erected on a crate. Weathered, worn, abandoned. Set apart from the beautiful sunflowers that bordered her. It was an ironic visual. An old piano, an old piece of unwanted furniture among living foliage, and buzzing bees in the open air and under a cloudless sky. She was dead among life.

I approached her with awe and reverence. It sounds weird, I know, but this piano commanded a regal presence. Her keys were faded, some even torn, and when I went to press on them to make a musical note, it was out of tune with barely a sound. Just a dull ring.

A sadness came over me. It’s a thing, not a person, still, I wondered. I was curious as to where she had come from. Who played her? Why was she put here? Was she placed here for ambiance or dumped there because there was no more use for her? How long had she been on the grounds of this sunflower farm? The questions consumed me.

I imagined this piano in a sitting room in a large home, like a Victorian surrounded by shelves of books. Not just any books, but Encyclopedias volumes, Classic novels, Medical Journals, Poetry, and heavy Historical tomes. It would be a circular room, a study perhaps. A woman, in a formal gown, stroking her long fingers across the keys, effortlessly, as melodies sang through the hallways and winding staircases. What kind of music would she play? Would it be melancholy or uplifting? We shall never know. As I ran my fingers across the keys, I hoped that this old piano had had a glorious life of music and made her owners joyous.

How will our lives end? I believe our destinies have already been decided and that God knows. Whatever course, I pray it’s not one of abandonment, either, but rather, tattered in blessings and bruises. Wherever we complete our journey of life, we should take heart to live it fully because it’s the music you leave behind and not the structure of your being that makes it all worthwhile.

 

Grow Where You are Planted

August 29, 2022 /

Heraclitus, a Greek philosopher, was quoted as saying, “change is the only constant in life.” It is true, isn’t it? Nothing stays the same, and time stops for no one. Time. Hmm… I can write a whole other post on “time,” but not now. Let’s get back to the “change and the constant thing”.

In a recent discussion with my two teen daughters on how change can be a good life-experience, I came up with this parable. (Wink) I clear throat…. (Help me out here God, this is a teachable moment.)

“You see, in life, we have to look for the good soil in the world because there’s plenty of bad soil overridden with weeds.

When a circumstance happens and one is shaken out of their comfort zone, or needs to be uprooted, their roots have to find a new place to settle in. It doesn’t matter how big the soil, it can be a potted plant,

a flowerbed,

or a field.”

I sigh, “The important thing to remember is that you firmly dig your roots (morals, values, gifts) into the soil, take time to water it, and continuously prune the good roots, so that the bad roots do not take.

Life throws us curves and however long we are planted in that soil, our job is to grow in God’s grace and be fruitful. When things change, and they will, we can rest assured with hope to grow where we’ve been planted. It’s just whether YOU are desiring to grow where you’re planted.”

Moral of the story: Build strong roots, stand your ground, and always be ready to move.

 

References:

Photo by Karolina Grabowska: https://www.pexels.com/photo/crop-faceless-woman-planting-seedling-into-soil-4207909/

Photo by Muffin Creatives: https://www.pexels.com/photo/close-up-photo-of-person-holding-sand-2203683/

Photo by Teona Swift: https://www.pexels.com/photo/woman-planting-green-seedling-into-flowerpot-6913449/

Photo by Greta Hoffman : https://www.pexels.com/photo/crop-person-in-gloves-working-in-garden-7728070/

Photo by Nothing Ahead: https://www.pexels.com/photo/rough-ground-in-countryside-in-daylight-7501538/

 

Full Heart; Empty Space

August 17, 2022 /

Fourteen years ago this month, I received this beautiful maternity chair at my baby shower. It has been one of the best gifts as I spent many hours feeding and snuggling with my two daughters. Seasons passed, day became night, and night became day as I rocked my children on this chair. I prayed, I cried, I laughed, and fell asleep on multiple occasions in the middle of the night with a child or both, in my arms.

As the children grew older and the need for middle of the night feedings ceased, I utilized this relaxing contraption as my journal-writing chair, book-reading chair, and praying chair. However, there comes a time when its use is no more. In recent years, it has become my decorative pillows holder.

Moved to the corner of my master bedroom, the space it occupied had become a bit cluttered. My husband reminded me that it was time. Yes, time to remove it and pass it along to someone else. It has served our purpose. It has been a wonderful reminder of the “challenging years” in mothering babies and toddlers. I do miss that period. It was simpler and I wasn’t rushed. Everything revolved around the beating hearts of my two blessings.

Like life, change is the only constant. At least that’s what I’ve heard. My daughters are blossoming and growing up. It’s what it should be, right?

Today I say goodbye to my chair. I pray that it will bring comfort and beautiful memories to the next family.

Until next time…

Still Water; Rampant Thoughts

August 16, 2022 /

It started out with a request to borrow my phone from my eldest daughter. I relinquished the phone, distracted by the scene before me. Caught in the still small sound of water and whistling hummingbird off in a tree, I went to my far-away place. It was in that moment my thoughts came alive.

Unbeknownst to me in this intimate setting with myself, God, and nature, my daughter took a picture. I don’t like taking pictures. They’re always so formal and planned but scrolling through my gallery of photos on my phone, I ran across this still shot of myself. And it brought me back… calming my spirit and sending a joy resonating through my body.

It’s a vulnerable photo of me. I wasn’t ON or had to pretend. It was real and honest. In a world where we have to be STRONG and fake our way, I was talking to God. My protector. Don’t be afraid to be yourself because at the end of the day, it’s you who has to look in the mirror.  And, don’t borrow your phone to your teenage daughter. Lol!
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