This Daily Grind

Biking With God

2012-01-20T17:20:00.000-08:00

This poem was shared by a writer Marianne Evans who reports she was unable to find the author of this poem but believes it was written somewhere between 1910-1950.

Thanks to whomever wrote these words. They still speak today.

A Bike Ride With God

When I first met Christ
It seemed as though life was rather like a bike ride,
But it was a tandem bike,
And I noticed that Christ
Was in the back helping me pedal.

I don't know just when it was that
He suggested we change places,
But life has not been the same since.

When I had control, I knew the way,
It was rather boring, but predictable...
It was the shortest distance between two points.

But when He took the lead,
He knew delightful long cuts,
Up mountains, and through rocky places,
At breakneck speeds,
It was all I could do to hang on!
Even though it looked like madness,

He said, "Pedal"

I was worried and anxious. I asked,
"Where are you taking me?"
He laughed and didn't answer,
And I started to learn to trust.

I forgot my boring life
And entered into the adventure.
And when I'd say, "I'm scared,"
He'd lean back and touch my hand.

He took me to people with gifts that I needed.
Gifts of healing, acceptance, and joy.
He said, "Give the gifts away;
They're extra baggage, too much weight."

So I did, I gave them to the people we met,
And I found that in giving I received,
And still our burden was light.

I did not trust Him, at first, In control of my life.
I thought He'd wreck it;
But He knows bike secrets,
Knows how to make it bend to take sharp corners,
Knows how to jump to clear high rocks,
Knows how to fly to shorten scary passages.

And I am learning to shut up
and pedal in the strangest places,
And I'm beginning to enjoy the view
And the cool breeze on my face
With my delightful constant companion, Jesus Christ.

And when I'm sure I just can't do anymore,
He just smiles and says...

"Pedal."

Help For An Opinionated, Stubborn Woman

2012-01-14T18:12:00.000-08:00

I am pleased to present an article by Author Nike Chillemi.

Hebrews 12:15 See to it that no one comes short of the grace of God ; that no root of bitterness springing up causes trouble, and by it many be defiled...

In the second novel in the Sanctuary Point series, GOODBYE NOEL, heroine Katrina Lenart has been called the most attractive young woman in the village. But she has one big problem, she's opinionated and stubborn. In fact, at one point, she wants to push hero Ian Daltry, the stalwart village detective, into a snow bank. I thought I'd write a devotional tailored to Katrina's needs...and to my needs as I've been known to be opinionated and stubborn. I also have a few friends who might benefit as well.

In our lives, we face many difficult situations. My husband and I were foster parents early in our marriage and those two precious little girls came to us filled with anger, disappointment, and hurt. Later in our marriage, we adopted our daughters and they came with their own resentment, a number of remedial issues, and a few deep wounds. I had a choice to make in each situation with my foster daughters and with my adopted daughters. I could get bitter about the hand these children had been dealt, or I could get over it and help these girls move on and heal.

I wish I could say I handled every situation perfectly, but that's not the case. I stumbled and bumbled through raising these girls, making many mistakes. Yes, and as some of my dearest writer friends know, sometimes I complained bitterly. However, with the love and support of my husband and of many friends, I didn't stay bitter. I prayed, sought wise counsel, cried on many shoulders, and got on with raising these girls as best I could, knowing I was far from the perfect parent. But I was the mother God had placed in their lives. I had a job to do and I did it. I've been called at times, a funny lady. I used humor more than once in real life to defeat bitterness.

I've also used humor in my novels as momentary relief from the mounting tension in a thriller. Of course, in a romantic thriller, the suspense comes back and with a vengeance. I'd like to give an excerpt that provides a glimpse into Katrina Lenart's stubborn personality.

GOODBYE NOEL, Chapt 5, scene 1

Long Island, New York

Late December, 1946

Katrina wanted to throw Detective Daltry into a snow bank. The nerve of him, barging into their house twice in two days, demanding she bundle the baby up and take him into the cold. How could that man not recall their harrowing, nighttime drive through the storm of the decade? She tossed her hair back over her shoulder, and with great difficulty held her tongue.

Momma apparently had no such reservations. "Detective, what you are doing is very wrong."

Katrina came up beside her mother, to show a united front. "This is outrageous." Her eyes narrowed and she crossed her arms over her chest. She hated the tone of her voice, but this baby wasn't a ping-pong ball to be batted back and forth as the detective moved forward with his murder case.

He ignored her and continued addressing her mother.

"I'm sorry, ma'am." He removed his fedora. "Chief Ferguson has already made the necessary phone calls and arrangements have been made. I must take Leslie Janos Bauer with me to the home of his aunt in Bay Shore. The chief would prefer your daughter come along in an official capacity as a nurse. It's up to her, but I have to take the baby."

Momma's face flushed beet-red, a sure sign she'd become enraged. "This is not good for him… this hustle from place to place."

"With all due respect, ma'am, a child belongs with his family, if at all possible." The detective took a step toward Katrina. "Now, will you please fetch the baby." It wasn't a request.

Katrina made sure she stood tall. "Yes, I'll get Leslie." She clenched her fists at her side and jutted her chin. "This is disgraceful. You are using this infant to solve your murder case. Perhaps your own tragic life experience clouds your judgment?"

His mouth fell open and he took a step back.

"If you have it within your heart, give me one minute. I'll get him ready and get my coat and boots on." Without giving him a chance to reply, Katrina turned and stormed up the stairs.

Leslie lay sleeping in the baby-doll cradle Poppa had made for her when she was a little girl. Poppa had that kind of talent. He could make anything. In her heart she knew, he'd figured it would be her baby's bassinet. At least now, it had a real purpose. She ran a finger over the hand carved leaves in the headboard.

"Milachku, time to wake up." She took the infant into her arms inhaling the smell of baby, sweeter than the most expensive imported perfume.

Leslie yawned and she snuggled her nose in the soft folds of skin between his head and shoulder, kissing his neck. He cooed, so safe in her arms.

She brought him to her heart, holding him, rocking him and spoke softly to her reflection in the mirror above her bureau. "Fat chance I'll ever walk down the aisle or have a family of my own with the man shortage since the war." Something deep in the core of her female-self rebelled, a throbbing turbulence, from which deep hunger erupted.

She stroked Leslie's cheek and made a funny face. The softness of his skin melted her heart.

He smiled at her and kicked.

"I'm so sorry. I promised I'd protect you and I can't." She forced a smile and made clucking noises.

He grabbed her hair and yanked.

"Ouch." She laughed, removing strands of her hair from his little fist.

A tear escaped and ran down the side of her cheek. "I can do this." She lifted her chin, sucked in a long breath, wrapped Leslie in a heavy quilt, and picked up his tote bag.

Nike Chillemi has been called a crime fictionista due to her passion for crime fiction. She is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW) and the Edgy Christian Fiction Lovers (Ning). She was an Inspy Awards 2010 judge in the Suspense/Thriller/Mystery category and a judge in the 2011 Carol Awards in the suspense, mystery, and romantic suspense categories. She is the founding board member of the Grace Awards, a reader's choice awards for excellence in Christian fiction. She writes monthly book reviews for The Christian Pulse online magazine. Burning Hearts is the first book in the crime wave that is sweeping the south shore of Long Island in The Sanctuary Point series.

Purchase Links:

Amazon (including Kindle). http://tinyurl.com/7sszu9c

Barnes & Noble (including Nook). http://tinyurl.com/cgp7e6o

Sony Reader Store. http://tinyurl.com/d88n7b2

Faith Can Still Move Mountains

2011-12-28T18:38:00.000-08:00

Who Put the Vinegar in the Salt?

Part X:

“You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men”

(Matthew 5:13NIV).

“Just have a little Faith.” How often have we been challenged with these words? What is Faith and why is it so hard?

The Bible defines Faith as “being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see” (Hebrews 11; 1 & 2). The heroes of old gauged their actions on promises yet to be fulfilled, even some that did not find fulfillment within their lifetime.

Has the church today lost the passion to follow after something promised yet not yet seen? Are there no more believers like Elijah, who challenged the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel? Or are we like the Israelites, who having clearly seen the cloud before us, continue to cave at the first sign of trouble? Is it any wonder the world views Christianity as ineffective when those who are called by His name turn tail and run?

If we don’t learn to trust God in the morning, how will we trust Him in the night?

Faith is a living thing. Few believers start out ready to venture across the Red Sea. But God grows our Faith through the mundane as well as the miraculous. When difficulty arises, we can either step out on dry land or we can turn back to Egypt. The choice is ours. But the sooner we follow the lifestyle of Faith, the easier it becomes to trust.

Here are a few modern day Faith heroes.

By Faith, a mother watched her doubtful child release a balloon containing their address into the air. “No one will find this,” the child said. The mother encouraged her to have a little Faith. A few days later they received a note. Their balloon was found wedged in a fence one hundred miles away. Whenever doubt comes, the mother holds to the memory of that balloon and trusts in the God of the unknown.

By Faith, a husband obeyed God’s call to start his own business, in spite of the financial risk, not knowing how the mortgage would get paid. God provided and the couple learned that He is the source of their daily bread.

By Faith, Peggy, who knew nothing about computers, followed God’s direction to become a writer. She is amazed at how God has used her words in spite of her limitations.

By Faith, K&D, enrolled an estranged couple in a retreat and transported them to the event. Because of their Faith, a marriage was saved.

By Faith, after the deaths of a daughter and a mother within a two-year time span, a woman gave her grief over to God, finding comfort the world could never have provided.

By Faith, a wife prayed for her husband’s salvation. Through her surgery, God spoke to him, drawing him into saving Grace.

By Faith, Martha journeyed through the valley of cancer discovering the peace of God that transcends all understanding.

These modern-day Faith heroes planted their Faith in an unfailing God and the resulting harvest far exceeded their expectations. We can choose to doubt or we can choose to believe. But if we choose to believe, Faith can still move mountains.

“I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you” (Matthew 17:20b NIV).

Song of Peace

2011-12-03T12:08:00.000-08:00

I wrote this poem the day God called me to write for Him. Eleven years to the day later, I received the call for a contract on The Other Side of Darkness, the title the Editor picked...not knowing about this poem. My original title was Dawn's Hope.

Praise the Lord most when
you cannot sing
Though broken, you are
beautiful

Praise the Lord when Hope
seems foolish
There is light on the other
side of darkness

Praise the Lord and believe
His goodness

Look at His creations and
give Him praise
for the stars shine
brightest in the night

Though defeat seems imminent
Praise Him still
Praise Him though sorrow
seems endless
The vast Horizon meets the
sky undefined yet limitless

Your Deliverer hears
He will lift you High above
the troublesome sea

This is the Song of Peace

copyright by Linda Rondeau
for reprint permission
lindarondeau@gmail.com

Whispers of Hope

2011-12-03T10:59:00.000-08:00

As the celebration continues

This was my first published poem

By Linda Rondeau

The long night has worn the soul to waste

Lucifer taunts, "Where is your God?"

Despair prepares a victory dance.

The doors to Desolation open wide.

The Evil One points to the pit-

"I will give you rest," he rails.

"God cares not, for where is He

In this your darkest hour?"

My body wearied, I long for sleep.

I cry, "This fight I cannot win."

The flags of Hell wave triumphant

Damnation awaits its zealous prize.

Abruptly devils cease their revel

They will not claim this soul.

I ponder on their sudden flight

Why this change in Satan's scheme?

I hear the sounds of rustling breezes-

The Heaven-sent Whispers of Hope.

Then louder clangs Angelic Realms

The Pimps of Darkness flee in haste.

Then upon the darkness breaks

Shards of Sonlight Glory

Visions of a blood stained cross

A Risen Savior's sword prevailing

He comforts me thru the night

"Child, come near my side.

Feel the prints upon my hand

My wounds for you endured.

From the highest heavenly places

To the lowest earthly baseness

I came to render sin powerless

If only you believe.

Take my hand and follow.

I will be your defender, shield.

Belial can no more harm you.

My death has won your victory."

Whispers of Hope he sends today

With each new sunrise promise.

Reminders of his sacred oath-

His ever present self.

Reprint by Permission

lindarondeau@gmail.com

2011-12-03T09:03:00.000-08:00

Today I'm Having A Cyber Party...leave a comment on the blog and be entered to win a door prize of free book or one of three drawings for Starbuck's coupon.

Send me an email or stop by facebook to see the fun. You can access my Youtube readings at

http://www.youtube.com/lindarondeau

http://www.facebook.com/events/291168014257365/

email: lindarondeau.gmail.com

See you there. I'll be on-line from 12:00 to 4:00pm

Thanksgiving in Early America

2011-11-09T15:38:00.000-08:00

Today's blog by courtesy of Elaine Marie Cooper

Thanksgiving in Early America

by Elaine Marie Cooper

When we sit down at our Thanksgiving meal this month, we’ll be recreating a celebration that is as old as our country: sharing food with loved ones while thanking the God Who has provided the abundance.

While we understand that the First Thanksgiving was celebrated here by the Mayflower survivors along with the Indians that had helped them, the first official proclamation that was decreed to celebrate such a holiday was in 1777. It was a recommendation to the thirteen states by the Continental Congress to set aside December 18^th that year as a “solemn thanksgiving” to celebrate the first major victory for the Continental troops in the American Revolution: the Battle of Saratoga.

The Battle of Saratoga has significant interest for my own family since one of my ancestors was a soldier there. But he was not on the American side—he was a British Redcoat. After surrendering to the Americans, he escaped the line of prisoners and somehow made his way to Massachusetts and into the life and heart of my fourth great-grandmother. *SIGH* L’amour!

This family story was the inspiration for my Deer Run Saga that begins in 1777 with The Road to Deer Run. There is an elaborate Thanksgiving meal scene in this novel as well as in the sequel, The Promise of Deer Run.

Some may wonder why such detail was afforded this holiday in my novels set in Massachusetts, while Christmas is barely mentioned. The reason is simple: Thanksgiving was the major holiday in the northern colonies, with Christmas considered nothing more special than a workday. According to Jack Larkin in his book, The Reshaping of Everyday Life, “The Puritan founders of New England and the Quaker settlers of Pennsylvania had deliberately abolished (holidays) as unscriptural.”

But Thanksgiving was begun as a way to give thanks to God for His provision. It usually began with attending church services in the morning, followed by an elaborate feast in the afternoon. The food for this meal was prepared for weeks in advance.

Since the individual state governors chose their own date to celebrate the holiday, it was theoretically possible for some family members—if they lived in close proximity—to celebrate multiple Thanksgiving meals with family and friends across state borders. The dates chosen could be anywhere from October to December, according to Dennis Picard, Director of the Storrowton Village Museum in West Springfield, Massachusetts.

Chicken was most commonly served, said Picard, as it was readily available in the barnyard. And the oldest woman in the home had the honor of slicing the fowl for dinner.

Pies were made well in advance of the holiday and stored and became frozen in dresser drawers in unheated rooms.

“I like the idea of pulling out a dresser drawer for, say, a clean pair of socks, and finding mince pies,” said Picard, tongue in cheek.

Indeed!

Have a BLESSED Thanksgiving!

Author Bio

Elaine Marie Cooper

Elaine Marie Cooper grew up in Massachusetts but now lives in the Midwest with her husband, her three dogs and one huge cat. She has two married sons and triplet grandchildren who are now one years old. The Promise of Deer Run is dedicated to the triplets and to veterans who suffer from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.Elaine has been a magazine freelance writer for many years, and is a regular contributor to a blog on the Midwest called The Barn Door (www.thebarndoor.net) and a blog on Christian living called Reflections In Hindsight (ReflectionsInHindsight.wordpress.com). She is the author of The Road to Deer Run and the sequel, The Promise of Deer Run. Prior to becoming an author, Elaine worked as a registered nurse.

2011-10-18T05:57:00.000-07:00

Guest blog today by Poppy Smith courtesy of Kathy Carlton Willis

Life Lessons from The Help

Pain Happens in a Broken World

By Poppy Smith

Have you read or seen the movie, THE HELP? If you have, you know it is a story about racism and the treatment of black maids who worked for white people in the South. People’s reactions range from outrage at the humiliation blacks have often received, to charges that it was biased and untrue.

I came out of the movie grieving. I not only felt wretched at the pain racism causes, but also at the hurt and suffering that comes when people mistreat others. Pain Happens in a Broken World. Being cruel to others, whether by actions or words, happens in every culture for many reasons: because individuals think they are superior for some reason due to their skin color, gender, position in society, wealth, or education. Whatever the reasons, they all flow from a sinful heart.

Have you been hurt?

Have you known what it is like to be looked down on, dismissed as unimportant, or made to feel unwanted? Have you experienced cruelty of some kind? How did it make you feel?
Have you wrestled with anger, wanting to get revenge, or feeling crushed and of no worth? In The Help, one of the poorly treated maids gets her revenge in a startling way. But revenge is God’s prerogative, and not ours to take (Romans 12:19).
Your pain might have come from someone you work with, live next to, or go to school with. Its source could be a relative or close family. Even fellow believers hurt others when operating in the flesh and not the Spirit. But no matter where your pain originated, it is something God wants to heal.
God Cares About You. Why should He care? Why does He call you to forgive those who have harmed you? Because He loves you and wants the appalling power of bitterness, hatred, and inner rage to stop poisoning your heart and your life.
God’s Path to Healing. How can you and I, followers of the Lord Jesus, indwelt by His Mighty and All-powerful Spirit, find freedom from pain? Only by forgiving the one, or many, who caused our pain.

Three necessary principles for dealing with pain:

Reject blame and bitterness. It doesn’t move you forward. It chains you to the past.
Pray for willingness to forgive. It is a process that often requires time to work through.
Forgive the offender. Be willing to release that person from your desire for revenge, or even for an apology. Realize they most likely have moved on and forgotten the incident. Remembering is only hurting you. Let it go.

Remember something else: the Lord is our Healer. He wants you to experience joy, no matter how much pain you have experienced. He wants you to THRIVE in every aspect of your life. And He has provided a way for this to happen! Will you walk in it?

Author Bio

Poppy Smith

With her fun personality and passion for communicating life-changing truths, Poppy Smith inspires believers to thrive spiritually and personally. Poppy’s practical how-to messages (in print or in person) uses colorful examples from her own struggles to be more like Jesus. She encourages women (and men, at times) to grow in every kind of situation—whether joyful or painful! Poppy is British, married to an American, and has lived in many countries. She brings an international flair seasoned with humorous honesty as she illustrates Bible truths. A former Bible Study Fellowship Lecturer, Poppy’s teaching challenges women to look at their choices, attitudes and self-talk. As a result, God’s speaks, changing hearts, changing minds, and changing lives.

The above article comes from Poppy’s recent Thrive e-newsletter.

Receive Poppy’s Ten Tips for Saying “No” by signing up for her newsletter at:http://www.poppysmith.com/newsletters.htm

Who Put the Vinegar in the Salt? Part VIII: What is a Community of Believers?

2011-10-17T18:32:00.000-07:00

Who Put the Vinegar in the Salt?

Part VIII: What is a Community of Believers?

“You are the salt ofthe earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again?It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men”

(Matthew 5:13NIV).

David H. Johnson describes salt as “anactive element found naturally in combined form.” Salt is formed by linking twoseparate elements together, sometimes the unthinkable and unlikely. Commontable salt is formed from the union of sodium and Chlorine, a poisonoussubstance that gives bleach its offensive odor. Yet once combined, the resultis a substance that preserves and adds flavor.

Christ has called believers “thesalt of the earth.”

Was he speaking that truth toindividuals or to a collective group?

Does he expect that believers will,like sodium and Chlorine, disparate yet redeemed, bind together and form asubstance that blesses the world? Is Christian unity even possible?

The origins of the word communitydate back to the Arabic, from the word Umma,sometimes used to describe a collective nation of states. Community is alsoa way of life in the Israelite tradition. The word for community in Hebrew is, אוּמָה, meaning “a people.” From its Judaic roots, community also infused theearly church. Indeed, Christendom refers to CorpusChristianum, the Christian body…the community of all Christians.

But doesthat mean that God intends for believers to become a community exclusive tothemselves, developing their own government and way of life? Must we live inisolation of all others in the world to preserve our mutual beliefs? If not, iscommunity more than coming together for an hour on Sunday morning, singing thesame songs and bowing in corporate prayer?

In Acts 2,the birth of the church came in a mighty way, with fire and passion after aunified seeking of God’s presence, an event so powerful that thousands wereadded to their number in a single day. The church continued to grow asbelievers “devoted themselves to teaching, to fellowship and to communion.”

An amazing thing happened. AsChristians bonded together, the world tasted the saltiness of their joy, loveand peace. Not because they sold everything and lived together. The magnet wasin their love for one another. No one was greater than anyone else and togetherthey met each other’s needs. They prayed together and cared for one another. “Andthe Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.”

While mostwould say that communal living was a first century phenomenon in churchdevelopment, have we, the body of Christ, His bride and His possession, dousedour salt with vinegar in our quest for rugged individualism and pridefulpromotion of our isms, buildings, suppers, programs, and ministries? Have wepursued uniqueness rather than unity? Isthis part of the reason, the world hates us and wants nothing to do with churchpeople?

How do we get back? By binding together with cords that cannot bebroken…Made for the glory ofGod…Purchased by His precious Son… Born with the right to be clean…For Jesusthe victory has won (From the hymn, Bind Us Together). When we focus on Whose we are, our individual egos melt, moldingwith our fellow believers into a new element, a community rich in flavor, acommodity to be desired. “…so in Christ we who are many form one body and eachmember belongs to all the others” (Romans 12:5 NIV).

Who Put the Vinegar in the Salt? Part VIII: What is a Community of Believers?

2011-10-17T18:22:00.000-07:00

Who Put the Vinegar in the Salt?

Part VIII: What is a Community of Believers?

“You are the salt ofthe earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again?It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men”

(Matthew 5:13NIV).

Christ has called believers “thesalt of the earth.”

Was he speaking that truth toindividuals or to a collective group?

Does he expect that believers will,like sodium and Chlorine, disparate yet redeemed, bind together and form asubstance that blesses the world? Is Christian unity even possible?

2011-10-14T00:00:00.000-07:00

Today I'm hosting Clare Revell's blog tour...here's some bit of information about her book.

Steeplechase jockey Cassie Hinton's dream was to walk down the aisle in her medieval wedding gown to become Mrs. Jack Chambers. Injured in the Grand National, she returns home...only to find Jack is now the Pastor of her parent's church.

Jack Chambers, now a widower and single parent, still has feelings for Cassie, but she sees him as nothing more than a Pastor. Even if he could change her mind, there is still his position to consider.

With the Royal Wedding fast approaching, Cassie makes her dress, little dreaming of the consequences of doing so.

Extract:

“Everyone else has photos of the royal couple and ribbons, silver bells, hearts and balloons. I wanted something more sophisticated but this…” she gestured at the window, “…isn’t it.”

“Maybe tie it in with what Danny sells. After all, the bakers did a wedding cake and the printers did invitations.”

Cassie nodded, her mind whirling. “Yeah…thank you.”

Clare lives in a small town in England with her husband of 19 years and her three children. Writing from a early childhood and encouraged by her teachers, she graduated from rewriting fairy stories through fanfiction to using her own original characters and enjoys writing an eclectic mix of romance, crime fiction and children's stories. When she's not writing, reading, sewing or keeping house or doing the many piles of laundry her children manage to make, she's working part time in the breakfast club at one of the local schools.

She has been a Christian for more than half her life. She goes to Carey Baptist where she is one of three registrars.

2011-10-06T05:47:00.000-07:00

Today I welcome Rose my dear friend, Rose Allen McCauley. Rose has worked hard on the writing journey and her first book publication, a novella featured in the anthology, Christmas Belles of Georgia.

Six Things I Learned on my Way to Publication

by Rose AllenMcCauley

I have been a member of ACFW for nine years now, since Ijoined in Sept. 2002, right before the first national conference. Several timesat conferences, I’ve heard the statistic that it takes an author an average ofseven years from beginning to write to attaining a contract.

My contract was awarded at last year’s conference inSeptember, 2010, and I began writing in 2000, so it took me ten years. GuessI’m a slow-learner at learning to write. Unlike writing, most learning has comeeasy to me all my life. My aunt taught me to read before I ever went to school.I breezed through most of my school years with top grades and awards andscholarships, and graduated from college with two degrees.

Then I started down the road to publication and found myselffloundering to stay on the road, sometimes wondering if I were still on theright path or would ever reach the end. So, I want to share some things I wishI had done differently or sooner in hopes of encouraging other new authors tostay the course. And maybe take less time getting there than it took me!

6. Join ACFW and other organizations in your area ofwriting. I truly don’t believe I would be pubbed today if I hadn’t joinedACFW. Not only for what the classes both online and at conference have taughtme, but for the friendships and encouragement it has brought.

5. Become a life-long learner of the craft of writing. Writingis a very subjective craft. The writing style you read or studied years ago isnot what is acceptable now. Always keep reading/studying books and blogs aboutwriting and taking classes.

4. Always keep learning about the writing market. Italso changes all the time. Study the market and keep up on trends.

3. Keep reading, reading, reading. I have alwaysloved to read, but when juggling reading time with writing time, especially ifyou have a deadline, the reading often suffers. The past three years I havekept a record of the books and authors I have read, and keeping that listencourages me to read more, to try to read a greater number of books this yearthan last year. And remember to read CBA and ABA and various genres.

2. Write, write, write! Nothing teaches you how towrite more than writing itself. I don’t think “practice makes perfect”, but Ido think it makes you more proficient at whatever you are doing. All theknowledge in the world doesn’t do you any good if you don’t sit at thatkeyboard and put what you’ve learned into practice by writing.

1. Do your part, then pray and wait for God’s timing.

Bio: Rose Allen McCauley’s first novella from BarbourPublishing, Christmas Belles of Georgia, just released this month. Sheknows she still has a lot to learn about writing, but knows she is in the bestorganization in the world to do so—ACFW.

2011-09-30T16:01:00.000-07:00

REPRINTED BY PERMISSION

Tomorrow Had Come
by Jessica Kirkland

In every season of life, the Enemy would whisper the lie that I would “never make it” to the next. I believed it. Time and time again, I thought his words held power. As a young child, I never thought I would live to see my school years. Once I entered school, I never thought I would live to see the next day, next grade, or milestone in life. I listened to a very real enemy, even though I didn’t want to. Even though I came from a strong, Christian family, I felt powerless to stop the lies. Fear gripped me, stole from me, and taunted every careful step I took.

I gave my heart to Christ at six years old, yet fear still held me tight. Though I had renewed hope, the whispers and lies continued to flow and drown out truth through every season. When, I heard the words that burned a hole straight through, I was nose-to-nose with what appeared to be the sum of all my fears.

“Mrs. Kirkland, you have congestive heart failure. If your babies are born now, they will probably not live or be severely impaired.”

I was twenty-six weeks pregnant with triplets. In the beginning, I had been pregnant with quads, but had lost one child at 14 weeks. I never imagined we might all go meet Jesus on the same day. I mourned the thought of my husband walking through life alone. I grieved for the children that would either die, be disabled on this earth, or grow up motherless. And I burned with anger, not just because of the oxygen mask strapped to my face as I struggled for breath and life, but for twenty-five years of allowing Satan to tell me that I would never make it to tomorrow.

Tomorrow had come.

As nurses whirled around me, I prayed Acts 17:25 out loud, “…You give life and breath to everything, and satisfy every need.” I pleaded with the God I personally knew through a relationship with His Son, Jesus. I knew He had a plan for my life that was good according to Jeremiah 29:11. In my humanity, I struggled with the thought that death might be His plan for us on that day.

Today, we are parents to three healthy five-year-olds. You would never know they were born nine weeks premature. The joy that Satan has stolen from me in 30 years, through a spirit of fear, is great. I imagine if you strung each lying sentence end-to-end, they might wrap the globe. Yet, I have promised to tell others of God’s miracles in my life and do my part in setting captives free. Tomorrow had come, but so had Jesus, and it is He who has defeated the grave.

“For God has not given me a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and a sound mind.”

2 Timothy 1:7

Author Bio

Jessica Kirkland

Jessica Kirkland lives in Southeast Texas with her husband, Robb, and five-year-old triplets. She is an author and speaker whose greatest passion in life is to see young families grow deeper in their walk with God. Jessica's newest adventure includes launching Christian Apps 4 Kids, which seeks to draw kids closer to Christ one app at a time. A recent release is a book app that addresses fear and scary nighttime sounds called The Sounds of Night, designed for kids ages 2-8. It is currently available on iPad, iPhone and all Android devices. When Jessica isn't writing, you can find her cheering her boys on at the soccer field, or watching her little girl at the dance studio.

To find out more about her current writing projects,

connect with her at: http://www.christianapps4kids.com

or on her personal blog: http://www.jessicakirkland.com

To purchase The Sounds of Night at iTunes:

http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/the-sounds-of-night/id456046823?mt=8

To purchase The Sounds of Night in the Android Market:

https://market.android.com/details?id=pro.roar.thesoundsofnight&feature=search_result

The above article is loaded at docstoc.com. If for some reason you have difficulty copying or downloading the article, we will be glad to email the article in .pdf or .doc format.

Russ@kathycarltonwillis.com

This article content is provided free of charge by the author through Kathy Carlton Willis Communications. You are welcome to place this article on your site or in your publication as long as 1) it’s used in its entirety, 2) the full bio is also used, and 3) you notify KCWC at russ@kathycarltonwillis.com.

All other standard copyrights apply.

In Honor of September 11

2011-09-10T06:23:00.000-07:00

I wrote this poem on September 11, 2001 as I contemplated the loss. Please feel free to leave your comments and memories regarding this day.

I was working as a smoking cessation counselor when the Director of Nursing came into our office to announce the first plane crash...we were stunned. How could a plane have "wandered" into a building like that? When the second plane crashed,we all thought the same thing. An act of war.

All I could so was pray...to pray for those lost this day and their families. I hugged to God's promise..."All things work together for good."

THE STEEL HAS BROKEN

I wrote this poem on September 11, 2001 as I contemplated the loss. Please feel free to leave your comments and memories regarding this day.

All I could so was pray...to pray for those lost this day and their families. I hugged to God's promise..."All things work together for good."

Babel has fallen

A rumble heard around the world

Steeled arrogance fades to reverence

I weep a thousand tears and yet

Too few to mourn the countless lost

A world shaken turns to God

In search of answers unknowable

Dormant devotion awakened

Atoning for the past

An ember ignites to bring new light

The morrow brings courage

Resilient light dispels the dark

Justice will prevail

A poem by Linda Rondeau

Written 09/11/01

Commitmentphobia

2011-08-28T13:16:00.000-07:00

Who Put the Vinegar in the Salt?

Part VII: Why Do We Fear Commitment

“You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men”

(Matthew 5:13NIV).

According to many psychiatrists, there is an alarming growth in the occurrence of a social disorder called commitmentphobia, or fear of commitment. The disorder is manifested, not only in basic human relationships, but in the workplace as well. Unable to engage in the purposes of their companies, commitmentphobes become quickly bored with their jobs. They either quit, are fired, or their employers impose fewer expectations with the result of lost productivity.

Commitmentphobia impacts the sufferer on the most primitive levels. Yet, the commitmentphobe is difficult to spot until after the harm is done. The commitmentphobe will often talk the talk, but cannot walk the walk. While on the surface, the commitmentphobe hints at a future, the relationship soon crumbles because the commitmentphobe cannot let go of his personal investment to further the goal of the relationship. Furthermore, if an individual cannot commit to another human being, how then can he or she commit to a cause or a group?

Why do people fear commitment? Psychologists believe that commitmentphobia is rooted in a fear of the unknown or a pervasive need to control. Deeper roots may be found in an early traumatic event such as being stuck in an elevator or disappointment in a trusted authority figure through abuse or neglect.

Commitment, according to Susan Sheppard requires becoming a team player. She states that the benefit can sometimes be miraculous, as in the case of the 1980 US Hockey team’s triumphant gold medal. “Commitment creates synergy…it is sort of like a seed that drops on the forest floor and becomes a brand new true.”

Regardless of its roots, commitmentphobia may be one of the most pervasive issues within the church. No wonder non-believers shy away from attending fellowships where its members are unable to team together for the common cause of Christ. Such disharmony most often is the result of spiritual commitmentphobia, that inability to engage beyond what pleases the individual.

Paul writes of the very human struggle to commit to God. It is man’s nature to rebel. However, the Bible clearly indicates that our lives will be richer and fuller when we come under God’s control rather than the lusts of the flesh. “He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers…” (Psalm 1:3 NIV).

“Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him and he will do this: He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun” (Psalm 37: 4 – 6 NIV).

Part VI: Peace Within the Tumult

2011-07-28T12:15:00.000-07:00

Who Put the Vinegar in the Salt

“You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men”

(Matthew 5:13NIV).

Recently in the news:

Norway: a man hunts down and kills innocent campers, mostly young people.
China and the United States are embroiled in a Cyber Cold War.

An Army soldier who had been granted conscientious objector status because of his Muslim faith has been arrested near Fort Hood, Tex., after authorities allegedly found bombmaking materials in his motel room.

An endless parade of man’s inhumanity toward man.

We cry for that increasingly elusive peace, assigning blame everywhere: our schools, parents, the economy, the Internet, guns, whatever buzz word seems contrary to the mission of peace. Tossing blame is like trying to mop a dirty floor with milk, adding a layer of stickiness to filth. The Church is not immune to finger-pointing, either, in America and in other traditionally religious nations.

Last year, atheist Italian judge, Luigi Tosti, actively sought to have the crucifix removed from public gathering places. He believed the symbol violated religious freedom. “I want to challenge the crucifix being a symbol of morality….We must consider that the swastika for example is a symbol of negative values because Nazis are responsible for the death of six million people, of Jews, gypsies, homosexuals. And if we evaluate the history of Christianity, we are not talking about 6 million people killed, but of 100 million people killed, tortured, ghettoized in its 1,800 years history…”

Such ramblings are becoming common place. In view of the attacks, many Christians have succumbed to fear, understandably so. Yet, I wonder. If we surrender to our fear, are we in danger of repeating the very offenses that give credence to these attacks? Some say, “But if we do nothing, we will lose our freedom.” But what is the something we must do?

As I wrestle with my Christian responsibility to a world that has run amok, I wonder, is our time so different? I believe the prophet Habakkuk’s words apply today as they did then. He preached before the fall of Judah, in a time of significant moral decadence, perversity, and when war ravaged a nation. He complains to the Lord, questioning his call and purpose. No one listens. Nothing seems to change. “Why do you make me look at injustice? Why do you tolerate wrong? Destruction and violence are before me; there is strife and conflict abounds” (Habakkuk 1:3 NIV).

“I’m working on it,” God says. He reassures Habakkuk that his plan is the best. Though there will come a time of punishment, Judah will ultimately be restored. Finally, the prophet, though still incredulous as to God’s methods, comes to an irrefutable conclusion: even if he is left with nothing, “Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will be joyful in God my Savior” (3:18). He realizes that peace does not rest in nations, but in God.

Just as love, goodness, and mercy generate from the Lord, so does Peace. I believe, he stands ready, as he did then, to replace uncertainty with assurance. He will guide our hearts, our hands, our feet, and our wills toward His perfect Peace.

¹⁴For he himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility” (Ephesians 2:14 NIV).

Another Home for Aiden

2011-07-18T19:37:00.000-07:00

My guest today is Salena Stormo...rejoice with me on how God helped her through a difficult time in her life...making a huge decision.

Is there such a thing as a living, breathing definition? If so I would make the perfect one for klutz. I can’t juggle and never tried waitressing for the lack of coordination. So how is it that I have managed to juggle life so easily?

There was a time when it was not balanced. A darker time when I felt alone and nothing worked out right. The ups were low and the lows were lower. But a voice beckoned to me loud and clear, assuring me that I was not alone. It was a wake up call and one I gladly answered. From that point on life has still had its ups and downs but the ups are very high and the lows are not so low anymore. Juggling has become a way of life and one that is greeted every morning with a smile…. well most mornings anyway. I have learned to lean on God more and give Him burdens I cannot carry.

One such burden was how to raise my son as a single mom. I made a huge decision last year to sell my house and move my six year old son, Aiden and I into my parent’s house. I became a single mom when Aiden was 12 months old and it has been just him and I for a long time now.

My decision to move in with my parents was not a financial decision. In fact I took the money from the sell to add onto their log home to make room for us. No, the decision went much deeper than that. Aiden, who doesn’t remember his dad, needed a steady, loving male role model in his life. He has a firm grip on his Heavenly Father but there was a void when it came to his earthly father. Who better to help fill those shoes than his grandpa? My parent’s were ecstatic! Suffering from Empty Nest Syndrome was no longer an issue!

It was hard for me to give up my house. I loved every square inch of it and every blade of grass on my one acre of Texas land. But living alone in that big house was taking its toll on Aiden. He felt like he was the man of the house. That is a lot of burden for such a small child. He began acting out and was easy to cry and have nightmares. So I prayed and prayed and prayed some more. I decided to put my house on the market. If it was God’s will then it would happen. In this bad economy in a small town where houses take upwards of 8 months to sell mine sold in 6 WEEKS.

But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. 2 Corinthians 12:9

Asking God to guide my footsteps He has willingly guided me on this path. I am assured daily that it was the right decision. One such affirmation is how my son now responds to every day situations. He smiles more and sleeps at night knowing he is safe. He can finally be a little kid! It fills my heart with joy to watch him laugh heartily and be comfortable with himself and life.

You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last— and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you. John 15:16

What Traveling Alone Has Taught Me About Myself & My Writing

2011-07-08T06:00:00.000-07:00

I welcome Elaine Stock today...seems we have a lot in common both heralding from New York State, writing and working. She has some good advice today. Read on:

I work as a sales associate in the bakery section of a very fast-paced national-chain café. On a typical day I average anywhere between 120 and 135 separate transactions. By the time my weekend off creeps up I oscillate between wanting to be social and wanting to stay clear of all human beings throughout the entire world. I’m by no means a loner but I’ve learned through many moons of life that it’s okay to be alone and to do things by myself. Most writers I know seem to fit well into this semi-escape-from-reality world where we’re pulled—not gently but with deliriously happy force—by the characters our imagination creates and thrust into their world, losing our own.

So, is it that shocking that I’ve traveled some great (at least for me) distances by myself in the name of bettering my writing? Okay, sure, I admit the shrinking economy the past handful of years has made it difficult for my husband to travel with me to writing conferences as we used to. However, I’ve wondered lately if God has had me traveling solo to learn a few things.

My first big trip was driving from upstate New York to Virginia to attend a writer’s workshop. It was the first significant distance for me to drive since I’d regained arm mobility from a neurological injury. Could I do it without major pain? And driving an ancient vehicle, could I put up with crazy highway traffic or finding my way through small towns as I crossed through Pennsylvania, Maryland, and into Virginia? I didn’t know a soul. What happened if my car quit? Or if I quit and needed medical attention?

I survived.

Then came the 3-hour trip into Massachusetts to meet up with an agent at a retreat. Three hours isn’t much, especially compared to the previous trip. However, the light rain coming down when I pulled out the driveway turned into torrential downpours of a hurricane that decided to veer its course and backlash into the bay state. Halfway there I pulled into a rest stop and called home, seeking advice whether to continue on or to turn back. I continued on and up . . . climbed hills and eventually followed this narrow road into no-man’s-land and nearly missed the retreat house that seemed to be hanging off a cliff. I didn’t snag the agent but the lesson on perseverance renewed my determination.

I survived.

I took Amtrak to my first ACFW conference in Minneapolis—a long overnight trip with both some cruddy and beautiful scenery. When the cops searched the train in Rochester (NY) and stared suspiciously at me, well, that was so not interesting. By the way, the only drugs I had were aspirin and the only weapon I carried was a hairbrush. Lugging way too much luggage around and rooming by myself were downers but the joys from meeting some fantastic people—whom some now are dear friends—were well worth it.

I survived . . .and flourished.

Then last year I flew round trip to and from the ACFW Indianapolis conference by myself. Since my husband won’t step foot onto a plane, it was the first time I’d flown since I’ve been married twenty-eight years ago. Other then wondering if a group of unsavory looking men at the airport were terrorists, waiting for another plane at O’Hare since the one had a door that wouldn’t latch shut (not convenient when flying at any altitude), and an ear that felt like it was about to burst, I had the greatest of times and made significant progress, like meeting my new agent.

I thrived.

Life lessons always have me questioning things as they occur. It’s only later on, in hindsight, do I see the value of these life slices. My trips a la solo have pointed out that if I really, really, want something—like pursuing publication—that I’m able to place any fear I have into God’s enormous hands and to let Him handle it.

Just don’t ask me to navigate through the wilds of New York City. God is still whispering in my ear that it’s not necessary to achieve this bucket list feat.

Guest Author Bio:
Born and raised in Brooklyn, and then enjoying the more rural areas of upstate New York, Elaine Stock never expected that a college major in psychology and sociology would walk her through the see-saw industries of food service and the weight-loss business; co-ownership with her husband in piano restoration; and ten years in community leadership. All great fodder for creating fiction. With her first short story published on Christian Fiction Online Magazine, she is represented by Reclaim Management.

Let's Do Lunch and Other Thin Fellowship Promises

2011-06-30T21:02:00.000-07:00

Who Put the Vinegar in the Salt

Part V: The True Spirit of Fellowship

“You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men”

(Matthew 5:13NIV).

A popular Christmas carol invites all to “Deck the halls with boughs of holly.” Whenever I sing it, I am struck with the simplicity of the call to come together in fellowship: “Sing we joyous, all together…heedless of the wind and weather.”

Something about Christmas that brings out the socialite in the most reclusive. There is a sense that the season is to be shared. But what about the rest of the year? When the New Year is old and the fervor of the season has waned? Will the desire for fellowship burn out with the return to the mundane? Is the art of fellowship dead in the church? Maybe we’ve forgotten what fellowship truly means.

Over the centuries, the church in America became a social institution, exclusive clubs where only those that looked, dressed, and acted a certain way felt welcomed. Perhaps Christians cloistered themselves out of fear of contamination, quoting that light has no business with darkness. Losing its ability to salve a hurting world, is it any wonder church attendance fell dramatically over the last several decades?

Fortunately, many churches today are experiencing a resurgence of social Christianity and have come out from the vestibule to the streets of the needy. Believers are spending less time organizing the monthly pot luck dinner and are more engaged in community work. Volunteers stack cans in food pantries, and women’s groups knit blankets for premature babies, worthwhile efforts, to be certain.

But I wonder if the impact on those outside of the church might still be received as different kind of aloofness? Do we inadvertently demean in our effort to uplift? For all our good deeds fall short, if we are not motivated to reach outside our walls with the same love that is found within. If we extend our fellowship with only a handout and not a handshake, have we given the same subliminal message as our secluded forbears? Does fellowship require more than erecting a shelter? Have we traded one form of indifference for another more insidious because it hides beneath a veil of caring? Or does God require us to extend His Grace through genuine affection for even those who do not think as we do or value what we value?

Fellowship denotes a sense of belonging.

Our fellowship with others is an extension of our fellowship with God. He loved us even in our iniquities. Then when we stopped warring with Him, accepted his provision of Salvation, our spirits were aligned with Him. Our joy complete.

When we relate to others with that same unconditional love, a love that planned a way of reconciliation from the beginning of time, then and only then can we begin to appreciate the true spirit of fellowship whether inside the church walls, lunch with a friend, or ministering to the homeless. For our fellowship mirrors the joy we find in God’s Grace. This then is our joyous measure

“But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light,

we have fellowship with one another…” 1 John 1:7a).

Who Put the Vinegar in the Salt Part IV

2011-06-18T20:11:00.000-07:00

Joy Cometh in the Morning

“You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men”

(Matthew 5:13NIV).

The sign says, “Smile God loves you.” An overused phrase, perhaps, but I wonder if as believers we forget that basic truth. What has happened to our joy? Why have we let the mundane and the dreary rob us of our joy? Why do we forget that we are the Beloved’s and the Beloved is ours? I must confess, there our days when choosing joy is difficult—much easier to wallow in my self-made bog of defeatist attitudes. Then the Lord reminds me of a lesson he taught me years ago:

I had just put the misappropriated toy gun back on the shelf. “No, John. Ask first.” At three years old, he should know better than to put things into the grocery cart without my permission. I continued my grocery shopping trying to forget, at least for the moment, that I was destitute.

An unemployed, single mother of three, I believed, until that morning, I had already sunk to the bottom. Now, I was faced with possible eviction. Self pity filled me. My sour mood trenched in, doubt became my war buddy.

Putting the baby in one cart, I lifted the other two children into another and pulled it behind me. I choo-chooed my way through the supermarket, a maternal steam engine with a trailing caboose. I unglued my eyes from my grocery list just in time to witness John dump a handful of candy bars into the cart. My howls echoed through the store like canyon winds. “What are you doing? Don’t even think you’re getting candy.”

Feeling like Snow White’s evil step-mother, I heaved the treats back on the shelf. Wet trickles slid down my cheeks as John’s little face turned from rosy innocence to gray fright, his wails even louder than my reprimands. Like an out of body experience, I saw myself in frozen ugliness, and I wondered if this was what a nervous breakdown looked like.

Staccato-like bursts of joy pierced my nightmare. I reeled to find their source. No one around accept a near hysterical, rotund man, a department store Santa type even sporting a long white beard and black boots but sans the red suit. What nerve to find pleasure in my pain! But, as I passed from participant to observer, I realized how absurd I must appear. Soon, my own giggles sprayed the atmosphere like a happy geyser.

I don’t know how long time stood still for the near Santa look-alike and me. But when the bustling resumed, despair was replaced by a cotton-cloud of peace. I remembered God’s promise that he would never leave me forsaken. Despair gave way to hope.

God sometimes sends his angels at times when we least expect Him to. Was that that odd, obese man on the supermarket bench, one of these times? Had I been so graced? I won’t know this side of heaven for sure. But when sorrow crowds my day, I’m reminded of that fat elf, and I am filled with joy unspeakable. “Sing unto the LORD, O ye saints of his, and give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness. For his anger endureth but a moment; in his favour is life: weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning” (Psalm 30:4 – 5 KJV).

God Commands Gratefulness

2011-06-14T15:02:00.000-07:00

From the series: Who Put the Vinegar in the Salt?

“You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men”

(Matthew 5:13NIV).

That day the bank gave me two blue lollipops and one red. I had three children to placate. Even if the blue lollipops would have been satisfactory, the fact that I had only one red could ignite World War Three. Just because there was only one, they all wanted the red. I should have listened to my instincts and left the lollipops at the bank.

What ever happened to gratitude? What causes this tendency to focus more on what we don’t have than what we do?

Gratitude, according to the emerging branch of science referred to as positive psychology, is an emotion which acknowledges an anticipated or received benefit. Gratitude is experienced if the benefit is perceived as valuable, costly to their benefactor, and given without expectation of return. Gratitude is not a feeling of indebtedness. For when one feels obligated, there is a tendency to avoid the giver. Gratitude, however, motivates the recipient to seek out the benefactor and improves the relationship with the giver. According to this school of mental health, an attitude of gratitude is not dependent upon an individual’s circumstances. Gratitude transcends negative events within a person’s experience.

Grateful people, it seems, are happier, less depressed, less stressed, and more satisfied with their lives and social relationships. Gratitude will enhance coping skills when dealing with life transitions or unexpected road bumps. Rather than seek blame, the grateful person focuses on his or her many blessings.

Says an old song from yesteryear, “When you’re worried, and you can’t sleep, just count your blessings, instead of sheep…”

I ask myself, why does God command believers to acknowledge His goodness? Why should we offer up thank-you notes in our prayers? In the days of Moses, God instituted a practice of thank offerings in addition to the sin offerings given by the priests. Why did He do that? God is self-existent, and therefore needs nothing from us. While God inhabits the praises of His people, perhaps the value of gratitude is not for God’s benefit but for ours. The New Testament also admonishes the believer to offer thanks to God for our many blessings. “Through Christ then, let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God” (Hebrews 13:15).

Maybe, gratitude keeps the believer centered. Without God’s intervention, sin would enslave us. Yet, by God’s grace, we are free. Because He loved us, he provided a remedy for our sinful natures, the sacrifice of his only son, Jesus Christ. (John 3:16). This is the basis, then, for my gratitude. From there, the benefits God gives the believer are endless.

“…Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Ephesians 5:20 NIV).

Disposable Loyalty

2011-06-06T08:34:00.000-07:00

Excerpted from: Who Put the Vinegar in the Salt?

“Our loyalty is due not to our species but to God…

it is spiritual, not biological kinship that counts.” C. S. Lewis

Although statistics indicate a slight downward trend in divorce, marriage rates are significantly decreasing. A recent report says that for the first time in our culture, more couples living together are not married than married. More and more people shun pledging fidelity to one person for a life-time. Perhaps this is one more symptom of a society that is devaluing loyalty, even those who claim the name of Christ.

Loyalty is defined as a state of adherence to a sovereign, government, leader or cause. It suggests the feeling of devotion, fidelity or allegiance to a cause beyond self-centered living.

Where I work, reports indicate that customers who have store credit cards are more likely to return to the store. In an effort to keep customers loyal, special deals and promotions are generated throughout the year. Loyalty cards and rewards benefits are nothing new, but are part of a growing trend in businesses to engage return customers. However, out of the 75 percent who claim satisfaction with their providers, only 34 percent say they are "truly loyal." It would seem then that a customer remains loyal as long as it is cost effective to do so.

Unfortunately, this same mentality is creeping into our personal relationships as well as the church family. We are loyal as long as the relationship benefits us. It seems our choices depend more upon what others can do for us, rather than what we can do for others.

I am reminded of the story of Ruth and Naomi. Ruth must have felt tugged between logic and loyalty. She wasn’t a Jew. Why should she give up all that was familiar to stay with Naomi and face uncertainty? Didn’t Naomi encourage her to go home? But Ruth’s loyalty prompted her to beg Naomi to reconsider. Ruth’s pledge to her mother-in-law is still included in many marriage ceremonies: “Where you go I will go and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God…” (Ruth 1:16 NIV). And so began one of the greatest love stories in the Old Testament, about a woman who would become a great-grandmother to a king. A story birthed from loyalty that lead from poverty to blessing.

The movie, The Lost City, tells the story of a wealthy Cuban family caught in the upheaval following the decline of Fulgencio Batista and the rise of Fidel Castro. Ultimately, the patriarch urges the family to flee to New York City. In a poignant scene he says, “If change comes to our country…in spite of our differences, we will always put family first.”

I wonder how much more effective church families would be if we followed that principal? Why do we let petty arguments fracture the work of the faithful?

The story is told of a young soldier’s prideful confession to his chaplain. “I never cheated on a girl who lived fifty miles from me.” Seemed his loyalty extended to an hour’s drive. How far does your loyalty extend?

“Many a man claims to have unfailing love, but a faithful man who can find?” (Proverbs 20:6).

2011-05-13T12:53:00.000-07:00

Who Put the Vinegar in the Salt?

Don't Get No Respect Nowhere Nohow

“You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men” (Matthew 5:13 NIV).

“No respect, Rodney Dangerfield complains. “I get no respect.”

Aretha Franklin sings her lament, “R-E-S-P-E-C-T.”

Everybody wants it, but few are willing to give it.

Michelle wanted to treat her children to breakfast at McDonalds. Just as they sat to eat, loud foul language filtered over their heads. No, the source was not ill-behaved teenagers. Behind her sat several elderly men who'd met for coffee.

Michelle approached them. “Excuse me, but do you realize that you’re swearing and I have my young children with me? They can hear you.”

One of the men scowled. “Hey, lady. They hear a lot worse on the school bus.”

“Maybe so, but those are children. You’re supposed to be the grown ups.”

Frustrated with their disrespect to her and to her children, she left.

Sometimes the only difference between a grownup and a child is height.

A group of school professionals have asked other school districts in their state to ban together to bring the concept of respect back into the school system. Inner city? No. These complaints are coming from affluent residential areas. Principals and administrators are concerned because too many teachers are quitting, citing unmanageable classrooms as the most prevalent reasons. Children simply have no concept of respect for other children let alone adults. The consequence? Our schools are failing, and our country is losing its educational edge.

On their website, Nikalodeon Channel advises parents that the most effective way to teach children respect is to be respectful themselves. Parents are reminded that one can disagree with another’s point of view without denigrating the person. If parents call people names, swear at others, belittle those who are different, children are certain to mimic what they hear and see.

Christians are quick to blame the lack of prayer in the school system. They have become hostile and angry at a world that does not share their values. But are their actions those that exemplify respect? “Well they don’t respect us,” many believers shout from the height of their anger and what they perceive as injustice.

Two children were seated at the table. The older child complained that the younger child kept putting his elbows on the table. He complained to his mother, insisting the mother reprimand his little sister for her poor manners. Then he picked up his bowl and slurped the soup down like drinking from a glass.

Unfortunately, we fail to give respect to others feeling that we are justified for our lack of example because others do not show us respect first. We, who have been provided knowledge and truth through God’s grace, find extending that Grace beyond ourselves much too bitter a pill to swallow. Christ’s respect for us held no preconditions. But, if we are no different than those who do not claim to know Christ, why would anyone want to?

But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5:8 NIV).

The Dreaded Typo (and Other Improvements)

2011-05-04T18:25:00.000-07:00

Guest Blogger Tessa Stockton knows...perfection is hard sought after but rarely found in this life...yet within our imperfections, God sees us as perfect. Amazing. Whether you're a writer or other professional worker or a professional parent, you'll see the truth in this blog:

It never fails. I can proofread and reread a document, but as soon as I hit the Send button there it is: a misspelled word. On the first line no less. And while I pressed that key sending my work through cyberspace—the point of no return—to the intended recipient, my body position might have appeared erect and still but my heart skipped a beat. My inside voice screamed, “Nooooo.” Can you relate?

After I scoured through the manuscript of my novel—my debut, no less—progressed through the course of revisions, survived line edits, and then dared trespass the final proof stage, those little buggers yet burrowed in the word count like nobody’s business. Has this ever happened to you?

And you’d think that three, four, no—six pairs of expert eyes might have caught all of those rascals, yet alas…one generally hunkers into near invisibility until the final print. It’s also interesting that one beta reader catches a different typo from another. My comrades don’t all unearth the same errors. That’s why I’m convinced it’s an excellent idea for authors to have a variety of willing souls to read their work before submitting.

In the world of writing I can strive for perfection. However, the fact remains that I am not faultless and oversights occur, much to my dread. Still…a typo isn’t going to sink a story. If the message is evident, the plotline strong, characters well-developed, timing stamps enhanced allowing the novel to flow as it should…a novel can prove its value by its content, regardless of the pesky flaws such as those typos we all hate.

The same can apply to our daily walk. We’re human. We have flaws. If I were a walking manuscript, I’d probably have TYPO marked across my forehead. Thank the Lord I’m not an upright stack of papers. Then everybody would see the blatant blunder! Kind of like the feeling when you spot a typo, yet it’s too late to do anything about. It’s published. It’s out there. Grin and bear it.

Really, though, what’s great is the fact that I can have flaws, make mistakes, nevertheless the content…while abiding in God’s purpose and our daily journey in him…is what is important, and it can shine with his glory. A novel can glorify his name in spite of imperfections.

When I first stepped into this field of writing there existed such moments of worry they disturbed a good night’s sleep. I suppose I’ve learned to accept mistakes from the extension of my hand as a part of life. Nevertheless, those annoying, detracting features don’t keep me from continual pursuit of the best work I can accomplish each and every time.

I often wonder if God looks upon us as his manuscripts, fully aware of all the typos. Yet focuses on the beauty of the content, the orchestrated storyline of our lives, how we deliver ourselves, and most of all, the improvement we make with each and every step, ensuring our development into greater communicative vessels.

While I read scripture the other night, a verse popped out at me. “…but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears.” (1 Corinthians 13:10). Sweet! Christ is our perfection. If we hold him in our hearts and allow him to abide in us, he no longer sees the imperfection. We are made whole, perfect in his eyes. When I held the first copy of my debut novel in my hands, I didn’t see anything but a work made whole, perfect in my eyes. That doesn’t mean I’m not going to seek improving on every count, but I know I have a communicative vessel in my hands, achieving what he sees fit by it. He called it into being, a rough draft now a final print.

The next time I spot an error in the form of a red flag snapping in my face after I initiate Send, I just have to live with it. Dreaded or not, typos are a fact of a writer’s life. Dismayed or not, mistakes are a guarantee of a human’s life. We can only hope to do better the next time around. There is always room for improvement. Maybe next time I’ll have fewer typos, but I doubt it. So, I’ll count my blessings as I go, grateful for a loving God who overlooks my typos, yes, my imperfections, and makes them “disappear” by the mere act of his existence in my life story.

A former contemporary dancer, Tessa Stockton—who has always had an interest in things of a debatable nature—now writes Christian political intrigue novels. The Unforgivable is her first book in the Wounds of South America series. She is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW), International Christian Fiction Writers (ICFW), and the Lost Genre Guild (LGG). Tessa also enjoys hanging out at Pentalk. Visit her website at www.TessaStockton.com

Commitment Phobia

2011-04-16T19:13:00.000-07:00

Who Put the Vinegar in the Salt?

“You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men”

(Matthew 5:13NIV).

Why Do We Fear Commitment

But for most of us the failure to commit may be as simple as lacking the compelling emotional criteria that unites us to something larger than ourselves. One author describes commitment at its core: “You’re either in or out.” Commitment, according to Susan Sheppard requires becoming a team player. She states that the benefit can sometimes be miraculous, as in the case of the 1980 US Hockey team’s triumphant gold medal. “Commitment creates synergy…it is sort of like a seed that drops on the forest floor and becomes a brand new true.”

Commitment, like love, does not seek its own reward. It does not flaunt itself or boast. It flows out of our desire to please rather than get, propelling the believer to action rather than fear. Are you able, asks the Master? “Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him and he will do this: He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun” (Psalm 37: 4 – 6 NIV).

PARTNERS IN DEFEAT: DISCOURAGEMENT AND DISAPPOINTMENT

2011-03-23T11:00:00.000-07:00

I read a devotional this morning that said discouragement and disappointment go hand in hand. When we are disappointed, discouragement soon follows. If you are struggling with either today, I hope these poems will be a blessing to you.

DISAPPOINTMENT

By Linda Rondeau

The expected unfulfilled

Longing for the path denied

The something unattainable

Emptiness and sorrow mingled

Yet in that vacant spot

God prepares His filling

Now unknown but promised

Something better than the lost

Trusting in an unseen pledge

Steadfastly pursuing faith

Resting solely in His Grace

Hope is ours to hold

Determination

By Linda Rondeau

Consider the squirrel.

He scurries through snow-covered grass

Gathering his winter supply

Undeterred by chilly mornings

He forages through autumn leaves

The sparrow sleeps upon a branch

Content within the fortress of his wings

Shielded from the midnight rain

When morning breaks he sings his song

Though none may hear its resonance.

Even the slug continues on

His pace nearly stagnant

Toward his mysterious destination

And yet there is a scheme in his existence

If our Maker

Created these so small

Resilient to nature’s tempers

Why do we worry

When buffeted by the gale?

Are we not more than these?

TIME'S a WASTING guest blog by Dalyn Woods

2011-03-15T17:22:00.000-07:00

My bedside radio comes to life, announcing the weather, traffic and morning news. I grab my Blackberry to check Facebook, Twitter and e-mail updates. Progressing into the bathroom, I turn on the TV to catch The Today Show while I shower and dress. Glancing at the clock, I’m shocked to see how late it is. There’s just not enough time in the morning for devotions and prayer.

In the car, I listen to a popular morning drive show. It’s a little raunchy, but I’ve gotten used to it. Everyone at work will be talking about these DJs; I just need to fit in.

At work, I log in to my computer and immediately check the Web sites of ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN and Fox. Assured the world isn’t ending at the moment, I turn on my IPod – a top 40 mix - and start to work. Praise music might offend some of my coworkers.

At lunch time, I again check Facebook and Twitter statuses; read and forward the latest urban legend via e-mail; and then surf the Web for YouTube videos and the most popular news stories. Before I know it, an hour is gone. I really need to keep up with current events. It’s such a fast-paced world.

Just before leaving work, I check important Web sites - E!, Style and People. I must keep up with the latest trends or what will people think?

I spend the drive home on my cell phone. The inventor of Bluetooth was a genius. This is quality time with my kids and spouse. There are so many activities in the evenings; we just don’t get a chance to talk.

At home, I spend hour on tread mill with inspirational reading – Cosmo, Elle, and Shape. I’m just trying to be healthy.

I multitask, simultaneously eating my microwave dinner, watching the most popular shows and surfing the Net. I do a final Weather Channel check (snow expected in Montana – good to know in Florida) and go to bed way too late. I’m so tired. God can’t possibly expect me to do a Bible study and pray at the end of such a busy day. I’ll do better tomorrow…

“O God, you are my God, earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you, my body longs for you, in a dry and weary land, where there is no water.” Psalm 63:1 (NIV)

Time’s a Wasting

By Dalyn Woods

My bedside radio comes to life, announcing the weather, traffic and morning news. I grab my Blackberry to check Facebook, Twitter and e-mail updates. Progressing into the bathroom, I turn on the TV to catch The Today Show while I shower and dress. Glancing at the clock, I’m shocked to see how late it is. There’s just not enough time in the morning for devotions and prayer.

In the car, I listen to a popular morning drive show. It’s a little raunchy, but I’ve gotten used to it. Everyone at work will be talking about these DJs; I just need to fit in.

At work, I log in to my computer and immediately check the Web sites of ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN and Fox. Assured the world isn’t ending at the moment, I turn on my IPod – a top 40 mix - and start to work. Praise music might offend some of my coworkers.

At lunch time, I again check Facebook and Twitter statuses; read and forward the latest urban legend via e-mail; and then surf the Web for YouTube videos and the most popular news stories. Before I know it, an hour is gone. I really need to keep up with current events. It’s such a fast-paced world.

Just before leaving work, I check important Web sites - E!, Style and People. I must keep up with the latest trends or what will people think?

I spend the drive home on my cell phone. The inventor of Bluetooth was a genius. This is quality time with my kids and spouse. There are so many activities in the evenings; we just don’t get a chance to talk.

At home, I spend hour on tread mill with inspirational reading – Cosmo, Elle, and Shape. I’m just trying to be healthy.

I multitask, simultaneously eating my microwave dinner, watching the most popular shows and surfing the Net. I do a final Weather Channel check (snow expected in Montana – good to know in Florida) and go to bed way too late. I’m so tired. God can’t possibly expect me to do a Bible study and pray at the end of such a busy day. I’ll do better tomorrow…

“O God, you are my God, earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you, my body longs for you, in a dry and weary land, where there is no water.” Psalm 63:1 (NIV)

Time’s a Wasting

By Dalyn Woods

My bedside radio comes to life, announcing the weather, traffic and morning news. I grab my Blackberry to check Facebook, Twitter and e-mail updates. Progressing into the bathroom, I turn on the TV to catch The Today Show while I shower and dress. Glancing at the clock, I’m shocked to see how late it is. There’s just not enough time in the morning for devotions and prayer.

In the car, I listen to a popular morning drive show. It’s a little raunchy, but I’ve gotten used to it. Everyone at work will be talking about these DJs; I just need to fit in.

At work, I log in to my computer and immediately check the Web sites of ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN and Fox. Assured the world isn’t ending at the moment, I turn on my IPod – a top 40 mix - and start to work. Praise music might offend some of my coworkers.

At lunch time, I again check Facebook and Twitter statuses; read and forward the latest urban legend via e-mail; and then surf the Web for YouTube videos and the most popular news stories. Before I know it, an hour is gone. I really need to keep up with current events. It’s such a fast-paced world.

Just before leaving work, I check important Web sites - E!, Style and People. I must keep up with the latest trends or what will people think?

I spend the drive home on my cell phone. The inventor of Bluetooth was a genius. This is quality time with my kids and spouse. There are so many activities in the evenings; we just don’t get a chance to talk.

At home, I spend hour on tread mill with inspirational reading – Cosmo, Elle, and Shape. I’m just trying to be healthy.

I multitask, simultaneously eating my microwave dinner, watching the most popular shows and surfing the Net. I do a final Weather Channel check (snow expected in Montana – good to know in Florida) and go to bed way too late. I’m so tired. God can’t possibly expect me to do a Bible study and pray at the end of such a busy day. I’ll do better tomorrow…

“O God, you are my God, earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you, my body longs for you, in a dry and weary land, where there is no water.” Psalm 63:1 (NIV)

NEVER TOO OLD TO START OVER: Dialoging

2011-01-19T14:24:00.000-08:00

“Should I get a new phone instead of a new camera?” I asked my husband, one of a myriad of questions I’ve bombarded him with as the uncertainties of my relocating ahead of him loom before us.

“Should I bring a supply of linens?”

“Why transport our crappy dishes. Why not get new? But some of our dishes are nice. How do we decide which ones to keep?”

“What kind of new GPS system should we get?”

“Will I depend solely on a cell phone rather than spend big dollars for a landline?”

“Who gets temporary custody of our new HDTV?"

“Where can we cut corners to manage paying for a second home?”

“Should I look for a one or two bedroom apartment?”

Many of the concerns we discuss, such as what furniture we’ll need immediately, won’t be answerable until I physically find a place to live. I won’t be able to look for a job until I get to where I’m going. And where exactly that will be will depend upon what’s available as well as affordable. Yet, discussing the fears, needs, and obstacles the transition generates brings us closer together as we empathize on the difficulties each of us will face while we’re transitioning.

I suppose this is true of our relationship with God.

As in a major relocation, life is full of the unknowable. We have a God who beckons us to bring our questions before Him. Sometimes, he provides a ready answer. Sometimes, the answers will come in the course of time. Sometimes, the answers must wait until we see Him face to face in eternity. Always, however, a dialogue with God concerning those uncertainties will bring us closer to Him. And that makes all the difference.

Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.

(1 Peter 5:6 – 7 KJV)

2011-01-06T09:11:00.000-08:00

January 5, 2011

What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ

(Philippians 2:8).

Today I started the process of thinning. Not my body but my possessions. In reality, very little needs to be kept. My recycle bin is getting thicker while my file cabinets look like they’ve been on a crash diet.

I’m reminded that we can’t take these things with us, so what’s the point in holding on? Yet, as I touch certain items, I sense a memory attached to each and every sheet of paper. Writing conferences that encouraged me, inspirational thoughts, and most of all, copies of my vanities, my works, published and maybe someday published.

What criteria do I use to make such a decision as to what to toss and what to keep? My eyes well with the reality that from henceforth, I’ll need to live a Spartan existence, keeping only my lance and bow nearby…that which is purely a necessity rather than a want. While there is a weight through the process, there is a lightening when I finally cast the truly unnecessary aside.

I wonder how much of my soul I’ve cluttered through the years, catalogues of unnecessary thought and design, buried in dogma that holds no purpose. So as I purge my worldly goods, I pray that God will purge my soul as well, casting my life solely at the foot of the cross. Christ crucified, risen and alive, living in me and nothing else.

Never Too Old to Start Over

2011-01-03T11:04:00.000-08:00

At least it feels like I’ll be starting over.

What insanity drives a person to load up a car with only clothes and take off for an uncertain new life? How can I know what else to bring when no decisions can be made until I get where I’m going?

Worsening health issues have forced my husband and I to re-examine our long term retirement plan. Not that we actually had one but our big questions were: Stay in the frigid north country since our mortgage is paid for? Snowbird, gobbling up our nest egg, and then what? Or relocate? If we relocate, where?

Then winter 2010-2011 hit hard on the winds of a serious lung problem from which I hadn’t fully recovered. Bout after bout of acute and severe bronchitis has me worn out. I finally realized, I’m not invincible. Sometimes the cries of the body need to be listened to. It’s hard to admit that I’m vulnerable to the same infirmities that hit most of the aging population…reality enough. Now God has pushed us off the fence of indecision and forced us to forge ahead, even though the path will unfold little by little.

So we made the decision…sort of. We will proceed with a relocation plan, our best financial option. But before we make a long-term housing commitment, we need to know that my asthma can handle the humid summers of northern Florida. That opens up a floodgate of decision-making…none of which can be made until I physically get there. I must go ahead of my husband, my right hand, who cannot retire until May 2012.

How does one manage a year of uncertainty? One day at a time. Factoring what are the most immediate decisions and what can be postponed. Reorganization is a process like a caterpillar inside a cocoon. The caterpillar doesn’t know what to expect…he’s never been a butterfly before. He knows it’s time to crawl inside and let God do the rest.

So January is a month of reflection… a time to mentally prepare. February will be a month of travel, a slow crawl to the birth of a new life. March begins the process of cracking open the life God has prepared for me in advance. Will I have anxiety? Absolutely. But God has given me these promises to call upon when my courage fails:

Psalm 55:22

Cast thy burden upon the LORD, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved.

1 Peter 5:7

Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.

Let the adventure begin

Adversity the Core of Strength

2010-12-06T09:20:00.000-08:00

Free to Be the Me God Wants

Part XIII

"Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him” (James 1:12 NIV).

Conflict. Conflict. Conflict. That’s the mantra of the fiction writer. Take your characters, make them uncomfortable and turn up the heat. Like an overtaxed character, we wonder why life must be so complicated. Can’t we just finish out our days on a warm sunlit beach, stretched in our lawn chairs? No job hassles, no family issues, no teenagers to worry about?

As much as our human nature detests the uncomfortable, opposition is a good thing. It heightens our awareness and drives us from our complacency. God allows adversity in our lives, not to relish in our discomfort like the twisted mind of an overzealous author, but to enhance the outcome of our lives. For when we look back, we can say, “Not of might, nor by power, but by His spirit” (Zechariah 4:6 KJV).

Such was the case with Nehemiah, an Israelite prophet during the period of the Babylonian captivity. Nehemiah was the king’s cupbearer. Definitely overqualified for his position, Nehemiah was also educated and sensitive. He might have better served the king as a scholar or advisor. But instead of grieving about his underappreciated status, he served the king faithfully and won his favor. When Nehemiah became burdened for the condition of his homeland, his countenance changed, and the king noticed even though Nehemiah said nothing. The king permitted Nehemiah to return to Jerusalem and equipped him for the task of rebuilding the wall.

Yet, Nehemiah’s challenges had only begun. There were those who viewed a renewed Jerusalem as a threat to acquired power. They hinged a four-pronged attack against Nehemiah’s vision: physical, mental, social, and spiritual, even before the first brick was laid.

“Give up, Nehemiah,” some said. “God has forgotten you” … “God has changed His mind” … “You’ve bitten off a whole lot more than you can chew.”

Nehemiah held fast to what he believed to be God’s will for His people. Instead of taking the negativity to heart, Nehemiah prayed. As he prayed, his confidence increased (Nehemiah 4:6). In spite of false flattery, duplicity, and personal attack, the impossible was achieved in a phenomenal fifty-two days (6:15). Even with today’s technology, the feat was beyond human endeavor. Nehemiah did not put his trust in men, but in God.

Do you believe God has called you to a work that seems insurmountable? No one would criticize you for abandoning the job when attacked from all sides. Satan’s taunts are often overwhelming.

Besides death and taxes, Jesus predicted universal adversity, but He has also promised victorious Christian living within the same reference (John 16:33). Therefore, as Nehemiah learned, we can be confident that if we are experiencing adversity, God has already paved the way for success. Otherwise, why would Satan even bother with us?

THE CURE FOR THE WEARY SOUL

2010-10-29T09:27:00.000-07:00

Free to Be the Me God Wants Part XII

“But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well (Matthew 6:33 NIV).

James Dobson states that fatigue is currently the biggest obstacle facing the family. “It is over-commitment; time pressure. There is nothing that will destroy family life more insidiously than hectic schedules and busy lives, where spouses are too exhausted to communicate, too worn out to have sex, too fatigued to talk to the kids …. If Satan can't make you sin, he'll make you busy, and that's just about the same thing.”

Perhaps this busyness is the most significant cause of weariness, or fatigue. Fatigue is a lack of energy or a feeling of futility. Whether physical or mental, fatigue interferes with the most basic of our human needs as well as those pursuits that bring us the most pleasure.

Spiritual fatigue has the same physical manifestations as chronic or pro-longed mental and physical fatigue. We are vulnerable to factors that make us say, “Stop the world, I want to get off.” Likewise, our spirits are susceptible to overload and Satan’s harangues. We tire of constant vigilance. When we reach a point of spiritual fatigue, reading the Bible or going to church seems beyond our endurance or even pointless.

Dr. Richard Cabot, a physician educator of the late 19th century, was noted for his innovative approach to holistic medicine, treating the patient as a whole person. In his book, What Men Live By, he emphasizes that the weary spirit can be energized through worship. “Worship is needed by men and women as regularly as food or sleep.” He stated that spiritual fatigue, like physical fatigue, drains us of energy. When the spirit is tired, there is “a lack of feeling for life.”

Cabot theorized that a balanced life spins around these four elements: work, play, love and worship. Worship is the most vital, because, the heart that worships embodies the other elements. Just as exercise pumps vigor into the physically fatigued and improves our overall health, communion with God restores joy to the battered spirit, renewing the joy of living.

Modern humankind knows full well the value that is inherent by balancing work and play. We also know the importance of social interaction. But when it comes to worship, we think in terms of doing, rather than being. So we busy ourselves in our charitable deeds, rather than bask in the presence of God and wonder why we feel spiritually spent.

In the Sermon of the Mount, Christ addressed these very issues. He warned about the pursuit of good deeds for wrong reasons and warned against public displays of piety. He warned against the accumulation of possessions and the preoccupation with necessities such as food, clothing, and drink. For everyone seeks these things. He warns that God knows our needs. If He cares so much for plants and animals, how much more will He provide for us? God would rather we communicate with Him than ignore His presence while preaching about Him to the world.

When we seek God, work, play, and love flow naturally from God’s miraculous provision. Then we can rise upon eagles’ wings and find the purest joy in a child’s smile.

Transcending Grief through Glimpses of Grace

2010-10-04T10:27:00.000-07:00

Free to Be the Me God Wants: Part X

“For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin (Hebrews 4:15 NIV).

“I don’t understand it,” I told my friend. “When Dad passed away, I mourned but not for a long time. Why is it so hard to get over my mother’s death?”

Like many people, I thought grief could be measured like days, weeks, and months. I wanted to take a pill and get over the uncomfortable feelings. But in reality, grief is not something we get over. Loss is permanent. But we can get through the pain of change and emerge stronger in our faith. The International Bible Society’s treatise of grief states, “And yet, according to Scripture, grief is not entirely negative. It gives us a heart of wisdom—it deposits a spiritual and emotional understanding that is not found on the outskirts of human existence, but at the very center of what it really means to be alive.”

Any loss can cause grief, including: loss of personal relationship, loss of physical health, loss of income, loss of financial security, or the loss of freedom. Seemingly less significant issues may cause us to mourn such as: moving away from home, changing jobs, selling the family home, or retirement.

Grief hurts. The body may go through a host of physical reactions such as fatigue, nausea, lowered immunity, weight loss or weight gain, aches and pains, and insomnia. Initially, one may feel shock or disbelief then profound sadness. Some experience intense guilt over words said or not said, actions taken or not taken, and feelings felt or not felt. Significant loss may trigger intense fear. Some are angry and direct that anger toward God. One mourner confessed, “I shook a fist at God for five years.”

Psychology experts suggest many ways to cope with grief; chiefly: laughter, rest, relaxation, support groups or counseling, and acknowledgment of the hurt we feel. GriefNet.org and Compassionate Friends have on-line support groups. Hospice also offers bereavement services. But, for the believer, having an honest dialogue with God is the first step toward healing and comfort. Doubt is not evidence of a lack of faith unless we allow our doubt to keep us from the One who has the answers. As the song says, “Lord, I believe, help my unbelief.”

Many scriptures remind the believer that loss is a common human experience. Jesus understands our loss, because He himself experienced loss. Though divine, he became flesh and willingly surrendered to associated indignities of the flesh. His obedience led to His death on the cross. (Philippians 2:6)

Isaiah 53 shows us how the Messiah would die to alleviate our grief. Other scriptures tell us that Christ binds up our wounds. The Hebrew words translated as “bind up” means to wrap around. Christ wraps His Grace around us to help us transcend to a place of peace. Our Lord understands our pain. He is the Someone who passed through grief’s door and came out the other side. Though we may never know the why, we know the Who.

THE PIT OF SELF-ASSURANCE

2010-09-02T15:33:00.000-07:00

Free to Be the Me God Wants: Part IX

Complacency

The animation clip shows a cautious pedestrian waiting at a crossing lane. He pushes the button and waits for the light before crossing. He waits and waits and waits then looks up and down the street several times. Since there’s no traffic, he wonders if it safe to cross. Growing impatient, he steps into the road. Amazingly, the light changes when his foot hits the pavement. At the next stop, the same thing happens, but he tests the pavement a little sooner. With each intersection, he meets similar success until he skips the rest of the way to his destination. The next day, with no reservations, he steps onto the road, certain the power to change the light was in his feet. He is surprised when he comes head to head with a semi.

This man’s dangerous complacency is all too universal. We fall into its pit because we believe the same set of circumstances will bring about the same result. Only when the chair comes crashing to the floor do we wish we had tested it before sitting down.

Complacency is defined as a feeling of contentment or self-satisfaction, an inability to sense danger. Complacency damages the Christian because our action or inaction is based upon a flawed assumption. Our animated friend was quite content, but his self-confidence led him into a death trap. He put his faith in his own feet rather than in God’s power.

Author, Kevin Eikenberry lists five faces to complacency in the corporate world. Perhaps these same truths apply to the Christian experience as well.

The Champions: Why change the tried and true? “Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall” (Proverbs 16:18).

The Resigned: What’s the point in striving if the effort won’t bring you closer to the goal? “I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:14).

The Comfortable: When life seems good, why change? “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).

The Tired: How can I climb to the heights when I can’t even manage the first step? (We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed” (2 Corinthians 4:8).

The Lazy: Why push any harder than what is necessary to get through the day? “For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do” (Ephesians 2:10).

We can avoid complacency by staying close to where God is for as he breathes in us, we are being continuously changed and readied for eternity. The Israelites had wandered in the desert for forty years. Then God told them to move… to cross the Jordan and claim the promise given decades before. No matter where we are in the sea of complacency, once we set our sights back to Jordan, God will pull, push, or prod us out of our complacency toward an ever increasingly vibrant Christian experience.

“The LORD our God said to us at Horeb, "You have stayed long enough at this mountain” Deuteronomy 1:6.

DON'T WORRY BE HAPPY

2010-08-24T09:13:00.000-07:00

Free to Be the Me God Wants

Part VIII: Diffuse Apathy with Enthusiasm

“I will give them a heart to know me, that I am the LORD. They will be my people, and I will be their God, for they will return to me with all their heart” (Jeremiah 24:7 NIV).

In the movie, Schindler’s List, Schindler wonders how the prisoner disposing of dead bodies can smile through his tears. “I smile,” he says, “because I am grateful I can still cry.”

War and destruction are not the only influences that cause a heart to become apathetic. Apathy is defined as a state of indifference, an inability to become ruffled or roused to active interest or exertion by pleasure, pain, or passion. Spiritual apathy is a slowing down of vigor and passion for the things of God.

Solomon may be the saddest example of spiritual apathy. While Solomon’s early life is filled with remarkable accomplishment, we see the tragic results of apathy in his golden years. His numerous marriages for political gain not only led to idol worship but Solomon’s active participation. While Solomon never truly stopped believing in God, his passion grew cold. All that Solomon had accomplished collapsed within a few years of his death.

Apathy is sometimes caused by physical fatigue. Rest and physical exercise can help invigorate us in those cases. Sometimes our apathetic state is the result of corporate disinterest. We tend to be like the people with whom we spend the most time. .

Most often the root cause for our apathy is spiritual dryness. When we fail to stay hydrated, our bodies die. Likewise, if we fail to keep our spiritual needs fed, we will suffer an atrophy of the heart.

In his essay, Spiritual Apathy: The Forgotten Deadly Sin Abbot Christopher Jamison says, “… we have created a culture of spiritual carelessness that neglects the disciplined life of the soul. This state of mind is often accompanied by statements such as ‘I have no time for that sort of thing’, where having no time means both not having enough hours in the day and not having the inclination.”

Is there hope then? Are we doomed to languish like Solomon? Some theologians and teachers, like Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat, believe enthusiasm counterbalances apathy and boredom, two common blocks to an engaged spiritual life. Apathy and enthusiasm cannot occupy the same mind.

The word enthusiasm is derived from the roots, en (meaning within) and theos (God). It means having God within or being one with God. People infused with God carry a special kind of energy. They bring warmth and feeling to their relationships and vigor to their activities. If we have lost energy, we can dispel our apathy by surrounding ourselves with people who are energetic. We can throw ourselves into new projects that will jump start our stalled hearts. Some suggest cranking up the radio and singing our hearts out to the Lord. God won’t care if we lack perfect pitch.

The cure for apathy is first to recognize it. We can only realize our true state as we sit by the waters of God’s grace. If we stop and listen and bend an ear toward Him, He will come to where we are and pull us the rest of the way.

PART III We need to Hate Sin

2010-07-23T04:52:00.000-07:00

Part III
By Guest Blogger
Pastor Pat Ward’s

We need to understand how horrible sin is. If we don’t, then we will continue to live in it, and we will allow others to continue to live in it.

Psalm 38:3-6 “There is no soundness in my flesh because of your anger, nor any health in my bones because of my sin. For my iniquities have gone over my head; like a heavy burden they are too heavy for me. My wounds are foul and festering because of my foolishness.”

James 1:14-15 “But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death.”

Sin leads to death, it breaks us of all strength and health. If this is true, then why do we ignore sin? Why do we allow our brothers and sisters in Christ to live in sin?

One of two things. We either don’t take sin seriously, which means we don’t take God seriously. Or we don’t love them!

Now let me give a few warnings here.

This order is of absolute importance. To confront a brother or sister in Christ about their sin, we need to first love God, then love them, and finally hate sin.

This means we need to be right with God ourselves. We must have a good grasp on our own relationship with Jesus Christ. Next, we must, and I emphasize MUST, already have a relationship established with the person. If you are not willing to establish a relationship in good times, what makes you think you have a right to confront that person in bad times?

We cannot skip from love God to hate sin. We must also love the people. And that is not a passive love, but an active love. One of the reasons Christians are called hypocrites is because they love to point out sin, but hate to actually get to know people.

If the person doesn’t genuinely know that you care about them as a person, it isn’t time to confront any sin.

Finally, let’s discuss v6

What is holy? What are the pearls? In judging we like to try to change the world. Sometimes I think as Christians we are getting the cart before the horse. We are trying to get the world to act like Christians, yet we are not telling them about Christ. We want the world to hold to biblical beliefs, but we aren’t sharing with them the God who can allow them to keep them.

If you see a non-Christian living in sin, do me a favor. Don’t tell them about it. Tell them about Jesus.

You are wasting your time confronting sin, when you haven’t given them the answer to sin. You are giving what is holy to the dogs.

Don’t believe me? Let’s see what Jesus has to say about this.

Luke 11:24-26

You can help people clean up their act on their own, but if they haven’t filled their life with the One True God, it will be worse for them then before. They will fall back into sin and more, because they don’t have the only power that can defeat sin. Jesus.

So let’s judge. Ourselves. How is your relationship with Jesus Christ? Do you have one? If you do, are you listening to Him through His Word and obeying? If you don’t have a relationship with Him or if you are being disobedient, repent. Turn from your sin and follow Jesus.

If you are thinking about confronting somebody in their sin, I urge you be careful. Pray and follow the steps I have listed: Love God, Love the person, hate sin.

JUDGE NOT, THAT YOU BE NOT JUDGED

2010-05-26T11:04:00.000-07:00

Part II by Guest blogger, Pastor Pat Ward

What this does not say: never judge. If we look at the context here, and throughout scripture, we see that judging is appropriate. Verses 6 and 15 of this same chapter can only take place if we judge. Our society has taken this to an unhealthy extreme. We say that everybody is right, that there are no absolutes, therefore your opinion is as good as mine. The problem with that is both of our opinions are useless, but God’s Word is right.

We must judge, but we must do it with God’s perspective v2

If it isn’t saying we can’t judge, then what is it saying?

2. Judge others. V5

We need to make sure we are following Christ, but we are also responsible to our brothers and sisters in Christ. We are the body of Christ and we are accountable to one another. (See 1 Corinthians 12:12-27)

This is why church membership is so important. God has called us to work together to join together. Church membership tells others that you want to be held to the Word of God. It says you have made a commitment to God and to His people. It says that you admit that you belong to one another.

In God’s plan, He uses people to help other people grow. If we don’t commit to one another, then we are not allowing other people into our lives to grow with.

Let me give you a couple of key steps in judging others.

1st. It must be based on a Love for God.

This cuts back to the first point of judging yourself. You need to get your heart right with God, before you ever try to get somebody else’s heart right with God. Everything you do as a Christian needs to come from your love for God. Speck/log

Colossians 3:23 “And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men,”

We need to make sure our hearts and our lives are right before God. We need to make sure our thoughts and our actions are right before God. We need to make sure we are “Seeking first the kingdom of God and His righteousness,” in our own life, before we try to interfere (help) in someone else’s.

2nd. We need to have a love for God’s people.

Galatians 6:1-2 “Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted. Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.”

This is another example of the need to be connected with other Christians, so you can restore them, and so they can restore you. If we are not connected with others, they won’t know when something is wrong, because they won’t know you.

Sure the outward sins will be evident, but not all spiritual problems are noticeable to the general public. But when we get close to others, we reveal ourselves to them. We get to know one another’s strengths and weaknesses and we can help. We can bear one another’s burdens.

We are doing a disservice when we allow Christians to remain secluded from others. They are not going to grow, without being connected to the body.

We need to love God’s people. Not just when there is a problem. If the only time you want to love them is when you want to confront sin, then don’t bother. You don’t love them. But if you want to get to know them, if you want to work together with them for the kingdom. If you are eating together and playing together and working together, then when there is a problem, you will have the right to judge it. Because you will be judging based on your love for God and your love for the person.

2010-05-14T09:35:00.000-07:00

GUEST BLOGGER Pat Ward is pastor of Community Revival Baptist Church, Maone New York

Here is a fresh look at the familiar passage from Matthew 7:1-6

“Judge not, that you be not Judged.” Part I of IV

What this does not say: never judge. If we look at the context here, and throughout scripture, we see that judging is appropriate. Verses 6 and 15 of this same chapter can only take place if we judge. Our society has taken this to an unhealthy extreme. We say that everybody is right, that there are no absolutes. Therefore, your opinion is as good as mine. The problem with that is both of our opinions are useless, but God’s Word is right.

We must judge, but we must do it with God’s perspective v2

If it isn’t saying we can’t judge, then what is it saying?

1. Judge yourself first.

We said a few moments ago that our opinions are useless, but the Word of God is right. So we need to start by judging our own lives by the Word of God.

It is important that we look at our lives through the scope of scripture. First of all, how can I gain a right relationship with God?

In Acts 3:19 we read “Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord,”

When we turn from our sins and put our faith in Jesus Christ, we will be converted, a new person, and we will have times of refreshing.

Then we need to walk in that newness of life. If we have given our life to Jesus, then we need to let Him be in control. That means as we read the Word of God, we follow it.

Judging yourself means placing your life up to God’s standards, knowing, as a believer, that it is Christ’s strength that will allow you to accomplish it.

But to be a Christian is to constantly be growing. Nobody is perfect, so that means we always need to be judging ourselves based on God’s standard, based on God’s Word.

FIRST NOVEL STORY

2010-03-25T02:38:00.000-07:00

Henry McLaughlin

Your novel will be published as a result of a contest. Which one?

The contest is Operation First Novel, sponsored by Jerry B. Jenkins’ Christian Writers Guild and Tyndale House.

Why did you enter?

I’m not sure why. I’d like to give the Christian cliché: because I was led to. While there is a lot of truth in that, I also have to admit there was some ego involved to. Partly, I wanted to see how I measured up against other writers in the eyes of professionals.

DiAnn Mills also provided a lot of inspiration and encouragement. I met DiAnn at the North Texas Christian Writers Conference in September, 2008. She read my first five pages and asked why I hadn’t entered the conference’s fiction writing contest because, in her opinion as one of the judges, I would have won.

DiAnn’s encouragement, mentoring and challenging have had a huge influence in my growth as a writer.

I entered Operation First Novel in 2008 and bombed. Got a nice letter that said I proved I could complete a novel and pointed out some of the more serious flaws in my manuscript.

In truth, I was led to enter this year, which is actually the 2009 contest. I had no plans to enter until the deadline approached. I had this spiritual nudge to enter the contest, so I did.

I did an extensive re-write of the novel during the year and received feedback from agents, publishers, critique partners, DiAnn and others.

I knew it was better, I didn’t expect it to be that much better to win.

Are you a member of Christian Writers Guild?

I’ve been a member of Christian Writers Guild for about four years. I’ve been a member of ACFW for about three years and North Texas Christian Writers for about five years.

Did you take the Christian Writers Guild courses?

I’ve taken all three of the CWG courses: Apprentice, Journeyman, Craftsman.

Tell us a little bit about your writing journey up until now.

This is another one of those hard to give a definite answer questions. Writing has always been part of my life in one way or another. Writing stories as a kid, poems in college, etc. Writing has been part of my work, too: policies, procedures, training curriculum including skits, court documents. Graduate school for social work was constant writing.

In the mid-1990s, I put the first part of my novel on paper. Very rough, very bad. I would take it out every few months and fiddle with it. Never got much past the first chapter. Would you believe I have a perfectionist streak in me? 

In 2002, I had serious heart surgery: valve replacement, double bypass, with complications. It was like a combo meal that got supersized. To quote Miracle Max of Princess Bride, I was mostly dead at one point. That I’m here today is a testimony to the power of faith and prayer. One of the nurses actually called me the Miracle Patient.

While I was in ICU and then a regular bed, I heard the Father telling me to “Write.”

So I took out my novel and started working on it again. I read writers magazines and stumbled along. I saw an ad for the North Texas Christian Writers conference so I went, met other writers, attended workshops, and bought books on writing. Plugged along sometimes feeling I had a NASCAR inspired GPS to guide me—I could only make left turns and went in circles a lot.

But the Father’s hand was there all the time. I knew I was called to write Christian fiction (Habakkuk 2:2,3).

Discovered CWG and signed up for the Apprentice course. Learned a lot about the basics of writing in every area from newspaper articles to devotionals to non-fiction to fiction. The Journeyman course helped me hone my skills and craft.

2009 was the breakthrough year for me in many ways. I focused on rewriting my novel. I attended two fiction mentoring clinics with DiAnn Mills. I attended the Writing for the Soul conference, the North Texas Christian Writers conference, the ACFW conference and the Ridgecrest Writers Retreat. I was exposed to and inspired by excellent faculty who had a profound influence on me. People like Brandilyn Collins, Steven James, Angela Hunt, Doc Hensley, Mary DeMuth and many others. I dug into my local critique group and my on line group.

The high point of the year was in November when I attended a five day residency as part of the CWG Craftsman Course. Five days with Brandilyn Collins, Jerry Jenkins, McNair Wilson and John Perrodin where we not only worked on our craft but on our abilities to pitch and sell ourselves and our books.

By the time of the Residency, I knew I had made the ten semi-finalists for Operation First Novel. During the Residency, they announced the four finalists. I wasn’t among them but I was humbled and honored to make the semifinalists.

You are a writer with a day job. Tell us about your other life.

I can’t. Witness Protection program, you know. If I told you, men in black suits and dark glasses would show up at your house. It wouldn’t be a pretty sight.

Actually, I work for Kenneth Copeland Ministries. I’ve been with the ministry for ten years. My current assignment is in the mail processing department where we read and respond to letters sent to the ministry for prayer, product, etc. Prior to this, I worked in the personnel department screening applications. Before that I worked in the audio department running sound for services and meetings, etc.

Family?

Linda and I have been married for over forty-two years. We have five children. The oldest, Sean, is in heaven. Scott and Meaghan live in Rhode Island, Shannon lives in New Jersey, and Patrick lives in Branson. We have one grandson, so far. He’s nineteen and in college in Ohio.
How do you begin your day?

On work days, I get up at 4:00 a.m. I do my treadmill time, devotions and get ready for work. By then I have between one and one and a half hours of writing time before I have breakfast and finish getting ready for work. I think I can expand this to two hours without having to get up earlier. I’m working on it.

What are your writing habits?

My morning writing time is devoted to working on fiction only and CWG course assignments which directly tie in to my fiction. I don’t have a set word count. I just try to discipline myself to write steadily for the time allotted. To paraphrase William Faulkner: “I only write when I’m inspired and I make sure I’m inspired at 5:30 every morning.”

Evenings after work is the time I devote to e-mails, blogging and critiquing. I stop between 8:30 and 8:45 p.m.

On weekends, I review and edit what I wrote during the week and I work on ideas, outlines, characters sketches, research, etc. for current and future works.

What is the name of your winning book?

Journey to Riverbend

When will it be released?

It will be released in February, 2011 by Tyndale House.

How excited are you?

This is hard to describe. The initial euphoria has worn off. I’m still touched, honored and humbled to win this contest. It’s another example of the favor, grace and mercy of my Father. When people congratulate me, I do my best to reflect it back on Him. I want my ego out of this. I want Him to be glorified.

One of my test readers brought this home to me in a very touching the other day in an email. She wrote: God, I pray you give Henry wisdom, knowledge, creativity, patience and energy to finish Your book. Amen and Amen.

This isn’t my book. It’s His book. I am His vessel and I’m honored to be used by Him in this way. My goal is to bring Him honor through my writing in obedience to Him.

Henry’s Links

http://www.christianwritersguild.comwww.ntchristianwriters.com/

http://www.acfw.com/

http://www.kcm.org/

CHRISTIAN DEVOTIONS LAUNCHES NEW BOOK

2010-03-16T16:24:00.000-07:00

Jesus spoke about money and material possessions more than he talked about heaven, hell, or prayer. He noted the relationship between a man's heart and his wallet, warning, "Where your treasure is, there your heart will be." This contemporary retelling of the Rich Young Ruler brings a fresh look at the relationship between a person's faith and their finances.

Great faith calls us to trust God, not our wealth. Read how others have cast off the golden handcuffs and learned to live the abundant life Jesus promised in this contemporary retelling of the Rich Young Ruler. Faith & FINANCES: In God We Trust, A Journey to Financial Dependence - turning the hearts of a nation back toward God one paycheck at a time.

Within the pages of Faith & FINANCES: In God We Trust you'll find spiritual insight and practical advice from Christy award-winning writer Ann Tatlock, plus best-selling authors, Loree Lough, Yvonne Lehman, Virginia Smith, Irene Brand, DiAnn Mills, Miralee Ferrell, Shelby Rawson and many more.

Read an Excerpt: http://www.christiandevotions.us/pdfs/F&F-Chapter-One.pdf

Take the Faith & FINANCES: In God We Trust, A Journey to Financial Dependence Challenge. http://www.faithandfinances.us/challenge.html

Follow Faith & FINANCES on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Faith-FINANCES-In-God-We-Trust/262400030539

Share This Tour: http://www.facebook.com/share.php?u=http://www.facebook.com/pages/Faith-FINANCES-In-God-We-Trust/262400030539%2F&t=Faith and FINANCES: In God We Trust

Publisher: Lighthouse Publishing

ISBN: 978-0-9822065-4-6

Special Price: $5.95 (during our book tour)

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0982206542?ie=UTF8&seller=ATX1EQU3FWDKF&sn=Lighthouse%20Publishing%20of%20the%20Carolinas

Would you like to earn money promoting Faith & FINANCES: In God We Trust? Contact books@christiandevotions.us to learn how.

Miralee Ferrell talks about Faith & FINANCES: In God We Trust, A Journey to Financial Dependence. http://www.faithandfinances.us/

“The concept of exercising your faith where finances are concerned is something God has drummed into my husband and I over the years. Maybe because my husband Allen has the heart of a giver and Satan doesn’t want us to give, but we’ve been tested (and seemingly tormented, LOL!) in this area many, many times.

“When I was presented with the opportunity to write a short story for the Faith and Finances book, I jumped at the chance to share one of many instances when the Lord brought break-through into our lives…and our finances. God has been faithful to us over the years and while we’ve experienced setbacks, we’ve never lost the assurance that He is with us in all that we’re doing.
“We continue to trust Him regardless of the circumstances, not always an easy thing to do when money is tight and things feel like they’re spinning out of control. We’ve learned that whether we’re prospering our tightening our belts, God is in charge. As long as we put Him first in our finances and don’t misplace our priorities, our lives and family will continue to stay strong.
Miralee Ferrell (www.miraleeferrell.com) is the author of Love Finds You in Bridal Veil, Oregon (historical romance) and Finding Jeena, (contemporary fiction). Her devotion “Provision Today, Tomorrow and Forever” appears on page 122 in Faith & FINANCES: In God We Trust.

THIRD TIME'S A CHARM A CHARMING READ FOR THIRD IN A SERIES

2010-02-05T12:57:00.000-08:00

THIRD TIME'S A CHARM
By Virginia Smith
Revel

Third Time’s a Charm is the third in Virginia Smith’s Sister-to-Sister series involving three spirited yet very different sisters. As in the other books, the author plays with the symbolism in the title. Tori Sanderson, the youngest, is the third of three sisters and so-on goes the use of threes in Tori’s life.

Tori has a tiger by the tail with her successful career. But now, she is challenged in ways she had not intended, competing for advancement against a man whom she finds attractive…at least on the surface.

The job isn’t the only aspect of her life that forces Tori into self-analysis. When her grandmother’s house is readied for sale, old photographs of her father surface…bringing back the unanswered question as to why he abandoned her and her sisters, sending Tori on a quest for truth. The answers she unravels will catapult her into still more challenges.

If all that weren’t enough, her sisters have pushed her toward a romantic interlude that she would never have imagined possible. A farm boy? A poor one at that who’s working his way through college. He’s handsome though, and Tori surprisingly finds his companionship both comforting and enjoyable. Could they possibly have anything in common? Plus he’s a religious nut like her sister’s fiancé. But there’s something about Ryan that causes Tori to be introspective, seeing her exterior, designer veneer for what it is.

Virginia Smith’s Third Time’s a Charm will not disappoint. This author has a gift to present truth without preaching and with subliminal humor and sometimes with out-and-out hilarity. I recommend this book.

Freedom in Want

2010-02-02T07:48:00.000-08:00

Free to Be the Me God Wants

Part VII: Want leads to Discovery

“And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God (Ephesians 3:17b-19 NIV).
Regardless of your personal feelings regarding President Barack Obama, of the many historical tidbits of his earlier years, one particular moment struck me as perhaps the most defining--the feeling of abandonment by his biological father. The loss shaped Barack’s perceptions, haunting and tearing at his heart, until he confronted the deprivation. Finally, after journeying to Kenya and examining his father’s life, Barack was able to put his heritage into perspective. His want no longer a numbing trek of longing, but the impetus bringing him to a destiny God prepared for him. Now he was able to give, in some ways become the son his father hoped he would be.

Limited by time, finances, and opportunities, Selena feared she would not find the wedding dress she hoped for since she was a little girl. She asked for God’s help. The store clerk brought five gowns to look at. She tried the first one on. Not only did it fit perfectly, no alterations required, but the dress fit every expectation of her youth. She gave credit to God who heard a bride’s fanciful request, a God who prepared for the desire of her heart even before she knew she had a need.

Like beauty and power, we tend to see our lack rather than our abundance. With our vision askew, we fail to recognize that God’s intervention transcends our physical appearance as well as our possessions. He knows what we need even before we realize our inadequacy and has already made arrangements to supply in ways and means we could never imagine.

Sometimes God puts want in our lives to propel us toward fulfillment. Like hunger, if we do not want, we do not seek supply. Deprivation is not the lack but the misalignment of what we perceive as lacking with God’s perfect will for our lives.

Sometimes our perceived want is the result of unrealistic expectations. How do we expect to become a brain surgeon if we can’t even tie a shoe? True God can and sometimes does reshape us for impossible tasks. However, sometimes we simply need to ask God if our wants are in alignment with His design?

Sometimes our want is a result of envy. We want the same gifts he lavishes upon others. Why does she get to have the Lincoln Town Car when I have to drive a five-year old Focus? We stand with our assortment of desserts begging God for the green lollipop, too. We forget that He gives to everyone according to His great abundance.

Barack Obama’s want led him to greatness. Selena’s want led her to prayer. We can choose to let our wants trap us in dissatisfaction, or we can turn our wants over to The Great Supplier, who will chisel and shape our wants to align with His plan. Then we may realize the gift Paul prayed for every believer:

SWEETENING OUR SOUR GRAPES

2010-01-25T10:20:00.000-08:00

Free to Be the Me God Wants Part XI

“We have escaped like a bird out of the fowler’s snare, the snare has been broken, and we have escaped. Our help is in the name of the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth (Psalm 124:7 – 8NIV).

Dodging traffic and sniffing dogs, I continued the daily grind going house to house with a not so happy spirit. Hired as a census taker, each day brought me further into the hole of despair. Broke, I took the job from desperation. How was I to know that God prepared a blessing in the shadow of shattered dreams?

The day I met her had been just like the one’s preceding—void of anything reaffirming. She was a woman about my age. At first glance, I knew something wasn’t right. Although cheerful, her words streamed in gibberish. Her handicap, forced me to rise above my self-pity and focus on another’s need. I thought I was the one reaching out. But her enthusiasm healed me in ways even a decade later, I can’t comprehend.

She pointed to her head and squeaked out the word, “Stroke.” As in this woman’s case, aphasia, the loss of comprehensive speech, is sadly a common occurrence. As an experienced medical social worker, I was familiar with these symptoms and had learned to communicate with patients whose language skills were compromised. I reassured her that together we could come to an understanding, and she invited me into her home. Through stammers, misused words, and speech that resembled a toddler’s, she showed me the huge scar from the extensive surgery that followed her stroke.

She smiled and said, “I not to live!” Then she showed me how well she could walk. She rejoiced in the gains she had made from an injury which should have taken her life. Amazed, I wondered how she maintained such cheerfulness given the disabilities she now faced. With a smile that would light up Chicago, she said, “God—good! Better me than dead!”

What wisdom. I wished she could preach that message to the world. But it was what I needed to hear that day. No matter what tragedy comes our way, we can still be grateful that we are alive. Problems are inevitable and may throw us into turmoil. But as long as we have breath, they need not defeat us.

Our human nature will, of course, turn to bitterness when external forces thwart our desires. Like that fox, we sit in full view of what might have been. We determine that they would have been sour anyway and walk away in defeat. If only that fox had given the Maker a chance. Maybe God would have sent a mouse to add those few extra inches and they could have shared a feast. Or perhaps God had a sweeter, more attainable bunch on the vine just down the road.

Our natural tendency is to blame God for the circumstance rather than look to Him as benefactor and solution maker. For the believer, there is a promised flight above our circumstances.

2010-01-04T11:49:00.000-08:00

“For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin (Hebrews 4:15 NIV).

Free to Be the Me God Wants: Part X
Transcending Grief through Glimpses of Grace

“I don’t understand it,” I told my friend. “When Dad passed away, I mourned but not for a long time. Why is it so hard to get over my mother’s death?”

Like many people, I thought grief could be measured like days, weeks, and months. I wanted to take a pill and get over the uncomfortable feelings. But in reality, grief is not something we get over. Loss is permanent. But we can get through the pain of change and emerge stronger in our faith. The International Bible Society’s treatise of grief states, “And yet, according to Scripture, grief is not entirely negative. It gives us a heart of wisdom—it deposits a spiritual and emotional understanding that is not found on the outskirts of human existence, but at the very center of what it really means to be alive.”

Any loss can cause grief, including: loss of personal relationship, loss of physical health, loss of income, loss of financial security, or the loss of freedom. Seemingly less significant issues may cause us to mourn such as: moving away from home, changing jobs, selling the family home, or retirement.

Grief hurts. The body may go through a host of physical reactions such as fatigue, nausea, lowered immunity, weight loss or weight gain, aches and pains, and insomnia. Initially, one may feel shock or disbelief then profound sadness. Some experience intense guilt over words said or not said, actions taken or not taken, and feelings felt or not felt. Significant loss may trigger intense fear. Some are angry and direct that anger toward God. One mourner confessed, “I shook a fist at God for five years.”

Psychology experts suggest many ways to cope with grief; chiefly: laughter, rest, relaxation, support groups or counseling, and acknowledgment of the hurt we feel. GriefNet.org and Compassionate Friends have on-line support groups. Hospice also offers bereavement services. But, for the believer, having an honest dialogue with God is the first step toward healing and comfort. Doubt is not evidence of a lack of faith unless we allow our doubt to keep us from the One who has the answers. As the song says, “Lord, I believe, help my unbelief.”

Many scriptures remind the believer that loss is a common human experience. Jesus understands our loss, because He himself experienced loss. Though divine, he became flesh and willingly surrendered to associated indignities of the flesh. His obedience led to His death on the cross. (Philippians 2:6)

Isaiah 53 shows us how the Messiah would die to alleviate our grief. Other scriptures tell us that Christ binds up our wounds. The Hebrew words translated as “bind up” means to wrap around. Christ wraps His Grace around us to help us transcend to a place of peace. Our Lord understands our pain. He is the Someone who passed through grief’s door and came out the other side. Though we may never know the why, we know the Who.

Humor With a Practical Punch

2009-12-10T05:40:00.000-08:00

Humor With a Practical Punch

Jim Watkins’ ten most valuable lessons in dealing with life’s lemons:

10. Don’t confuse them with hand grenades (Identify the problem).

9. Check the delivery slip (Determine if it’s your problem).

8. Sell them on eBay (Profit from the problem).

7. Paint smiley faces on them (Laugh at the problem).

6. Join a citrus support group (Share your problem).

5. Use as an all-natural, organic astringent (Grow from the problem).

4. Don’t shoot the delivery driver (Forgive the problem-maker).

3. Graft to a lime tree for a refreshing, low-calorie soft drink (Take the problem to a higher level).

2. Grow your own orchard (Live a fruitful life despite—or because of—the problem).

1. Give off a refreshing fragrance (Live a lemon-fresh life).

Jim Watkins’, Squeezing Good Out of Bad is written by one who has been through the juice mill once or twice himself. While the book is authoritative, as one who has experienced the pain of the squeeze, the book is also humorous—exemplifying one of Jim’s top ten treatments when life gives you lemons—paint smiley faces on them (chapter seven).

Squeezing Good out of Bad is not only authoritative and humorous but practical, providing information and education on such items as how and where to seek help when the squeeze has completely zapped your ability to cope. A must read for anyone who has problems. That pretty much includes everyone.

Available at http://www.jameswatkins.com/xariscom.htm

For kindle edition: http://www.amazon.com/Squeezing-Good-Out-Bad-ebook/dp/B0027IQHU0/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1260322190&sr=1-2-spell

Apathetic? Get Enthused

2009-12-01T08:29:00.000-08:00

Part VIII: Diffuse Apathy with Enthusiasm

In the movie, Schindler’s List, Schindler wonders how the prisoner disposing of dead bodies can smile through his tears. “I smile,” he says, “because I am grateful I can still cry.”

War and destruction are not the only influences that cause a heart to become apathetic. Apathy is defined as a state of indifference, an inability to become ruffled or roused to active interest or exertion by pleasure, pain, or passion. Spiritual apathy is a slowing down of vigor and passion for the things of God.

While Solomon’s early life is filled with remarkable accomplishment, we see the tragic results of apathy in his golden years. His numerous marriages for political gain not only led to idol worship but Solomon’s active participation. While Solomon never truly stopped believing in God, his passion grew cold.
Apathy is sometimes caused by physical fatigue. Rest and physical exercise can help invigorate us in those cases. Sometimes our apathetic state is the result of corporate disinterest. We tend to be like the people with whom we spend the most time. .

Most often the root cause for our apathy is spiritual dryness. When we fail to stay hydrated, our bodies die. Likewise, if we fail to keep our spiritual needs fed, we will suffer an atrophy of the heart.
Is there hope then? Are we doomed to languish like Solomon? Some theologians and teachers, like Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat, believe enthusiasm counterbalances apathy and boredom, two common blocks to an engaged spiritual life. Apathy and enthusiasm cannot occupy the same mind.

The word enthusiasm is derived from the roots, en (meaning within) and theos (God). It means having God within or being one with God. People infused with God carry a special kind of energy. They bring warmth and feeling to their relationships and vigor to their activities. If we have lost energy, we can dispel our apathy by surrounding ourselves with people who are energetic. We can throw ourselves into new projects that will jump start our stalled hearts. Some suggest cranking up the radio and singing our hearts out to the Lord. God won’t care if we lack perfect pitch.

The cure for apathy is first to recognize it. We can only realize our true state as we sit by the waters of God’s grace. If we stop and listen and bend an ear toward Him, He will come to where we are and pull us the rest of the way. “I will give them a heart to know me, that I am the LORD. They will be my people, and I will be their God, for they will return to me with all their heart” (Jeremiah 24:7 NIV).

Want: The Path to Discovery

2009-11-06T11:09:00.000-08:00

Free to Be the Me God Wants
Part VII: Want leads to Discovery

Of the many special programs heralding the life of President Obama, one particular moment struck me as perhaps the most defining--the feeling of abandonment by his biological father. The loss shaped Barack’s perceptions, haunting and tearing at his heart, until he confronted the deprivation. Finally, after journeying to Kenya and examining his father’s life, Barack was able to put his heritage into perspective.

His want was no longer a numbing trek of longing, but the impetus bringing him to a destiny God prepared for him. Now he was able to give, in some ways become the son his father hoped he would be.

Limited by time, finances, and opportunities, Selena feared she would not find what she wanted. She asked for God’s help. The store clerk brought five gowns to look at. She tried the first one on. Everything she ever thought she wanted in a wedding dress, and it fit perfectly, not a single alteration required. She gave credit to God who heard a bride’s fanciful request, a God who prepared for the desire of her heart even before she knew she had a need.

Like beauty and power, we tend to see our lack rather than our abundance. With our vision askew, we fail to recognize that God’s intervention transcends our physical appearance as well as our possessions. He knows what we need even before we realize our inadequacy and has already made arrangements to supply in ways and means we could never imagine.

Sometimes God puts want in our lives to propel us toward fulfillment. Like hunger, if we do not want, we do not seek supply. Deprivation is not the lack but the misalignment of what we perceive as lacking with God’s perfect will for our lives.

Sometimes our perceived want is the result of unrealistic expectations. How do we expect to become a brain surgeon if we can’t even tie a shoe? True God can and sometimes does reshape us for impossible tasks. However, sometimes we simply need to ask God if our wants are in alignment with His design.

Sometimes our want is a result of envy. We want the same gifts he lavishes upon others. Why does she get to have the Lincoln Town Car when I have to drive a five-year old Focus? We stand with our assortment of desserts begging God for the green lollipop, too. We forget that He gives to everyone according to His great abundance.

Barack Obama’s want led him to greatness. We can choose to let our wants trap us in dissatisfaction, or we can turn our wants over to The Great Supplier, who will chisel and shape our wants to align with His plan. Then we may realize the gift Paul prayed for every believer:

A Hunger that Leads to Filling

2009-09-29T06:57:00.000-07:00

Free to Be the Me God Wants
Part VI: Hunger

Got the munchies the other night. I opened the refrigerator and poked at the leftovers. I started to grab an orange from the bottom shelf, then decided I needed something hot. Soup would be nice. Nope. That would dirty dishes. So I settled for two slices of bread and butter.
Sometimes, I have specific cravings. Like the author, I scream, Hand Over the Chocolate and No One Will Get Hurt. And if I try to substitute something besides what I crave, I end up devouring half the cupboard’s contents and still feel wanting.

Cravings are a kind of hunger.

Hunger is defined as an uncomfortable feeling associated with prolonged deprivation. When we need nutrition, the body reacts. Some will raid the kitchen while others will go out to the hen house and hatchet a solution. How we satiate will depend upon our resources, culture, and degree of perceived deprivation.

People can hunger out of boredom or even habit.

Hunger generally promotes action. The greater the hunger, the more intense the desire to satiate. But first, we must recognize that we are hungry. Sometimes we are so filled with non nutrients the brain fails to hear the body’s cry for sustenance.

Perhaps this acceptance of mediocrity, the lack of desire for something better, spills into our spiritual lives as well. We starve spiritually because we don’t hunger for the things of God.
Physical starvation occurs when the body experiences a total lack of necessary nutrients. Amazingly, starvation can still occur though a person consumes a lot of food. If the body does not receive sufficient vitamins and minerals to sustain itself, life ceases. Nutritional deprivation causes fatigue and apathy over time. The starving person becomes disinterested in his surroundings.

Could it be that the same is true of spiritual starvation? Do we stuff ourselves with pleasure and selfish pursuits and leave no room for the meat of God’s Grace? Have we fooled ourselves into thinking we are satisfied and drifted into apathy because we are spiritually malnourished? Have we become content with our discontent? If we don’t feel the pangs, how then will we ever seek the remedy?

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness for they will be filled”

(Matthew 5:6).

Free to Be the Me God Wants Me to Be

2009-09-13T18:42:00.000-07:00

PART V: Guilt

Two men were on trial for armed robbery. As the eyewitness took the stand, the prosecutor moved about the courtroom.
“So you say you were at the scene when the robbery took place,” asked the prosecutor.
“Yes,” said the eyewitness.
“And you saw a vehicle leave?”
“Yes.”
“Did you see the occupants?”
“Yes. Two men.”
“And are they in the courtroom now?”
Just then, the two men raised their hands, ending all doubt as to their guilt.

In our feel-good society, we strive to ignore feelings that we have done something wrong. We tend to blame others or use the excuse our poor behavior was a compulsion, something over which we had no control. We dislike guilt because guilt incriminates. Like the famous Edgar Allan Poe story, our own beating heart condemns us.

Guilt is a basic human experience. According to some psychologists, the expression of guilt will vary from person to person. In some cases, guilt will lead to improved behavior. While in others, guilt eats away at the soul, and the smitten can find no peace.

Sometimes we own guilt that we do not deserve. Like Robert Barone, in the television series, Everybody Loves Raymond, we walk into a room armed with a predisposition that we will garner disapproval.

Guilt causes us to automatically brake whenever we encounter a police car, even if we are not purposefully speeding—a Pavlovian reaction to the mere presence of a higher authority. We fear recrimination and are reminded that, after all, we are creatures answerable to the power of the law.

Like fear and anger, guilt can be a useful emotion when tempered by a right relationship with God. For guilt that comes from conviction, that loving slap to our souls sent by the Holy Spirit, is the means by which God woes us. Without a realization of our need, we would not seek forgiveness. With forgiveness comes release.

For those of faith, there is a remedy for guilt. For once we have acknowledged our sinful state, God has promised forgiveness. He doesn't leave us to wallow in our failures, real or imagined.

“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus” (Romans 3:23 – 24).

Why then, do we insist on carrying our guilt like bricks around our necks? By ignoring God's provision, our continued guilt keeps us hostage. His forgiveness is complete and eternal: “Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus”(Romans 8:1a). This Thanksgiving season, let us claim God’s provision of forgiveness, and leave our guilt where God himself has placed it. “…as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us” (Psalm 103:12).

When Someone You Love Has Cancer

2009-07-25T12:48:00.000-07:00

“I felt helpless,”

Cec Murphy writes in his introduction to his book, When Someone You Love Has Cancer, compiled because he has experienced the uncertainty that the diagnosis brings. When his wife received the news, he could do little. “I felt powerless and empty. I did for her the only thing I could—and I did it for me as well—prayed.”

The book not only contains anecdotes of personal experiences from family and friends of the suffering, put also contains practical advice to equip those who love cancer patients to be more in tune with things they can do and things they should avoid doing.

NY Times bestselling author and international speaker Cecil (Cec) Murphey—The Man Behind the Words—is the author of 112 published books, including the bestseller 90 Minutes in Heaven (with Don Piper). His books have sold millions and have been translated into more than 30 languages. His newest book, When Someone You Love Has Cancer, will release January 1, 2009. Cecil has also written hundreds of articles that have appeared in a variety of publications. He stays busy as a professional writer and travels extensively to speak on many topics such as Christian living, spiritual growth, prayer, caregiving, significant living, male sexual abuse, and writing.

Beautifully illustrated by Michael Sparks, the book is designed for easy reading, divided into ten meditations from various viewpoints, relatives, spouses, and friends.

Contest
Leave a memorial post or an honorarium comment at the bottom of this blog remembering someone you know who has died from or is living with cancer and be placed in a drawing for a free copy of Cec’s wonderful book.

2009-07-17T11:25:00.000-07:00

Free to Be the Me God Wants
Part IV Anger Can Lead to Positive Change

In all innocence, John picked the offensive goop off the floor. “Oh, it’s a squashed Cherrio,” he said. Like a two-by-four from nowhere, the torrent of accusations unleashed. For the next five minutes, his beautiful bride railed about John’s insensitivity. She had worked hard all day, cooking and cleaning, running the children here and there, meeting the project deadline at her job. Then he comes home and the first words out of his mouth were perceived as condemnation. Hubby bristles at the attack. And so the stage is set for five hours of ping-ponging blame. And all because of a wayward Cherrio.

Anger can be an insidious emotion. One that lies buried, simmering and waiting for that explosive trigger to send it spewing unchecked like exploding lava. We read the headlines of unspeakable acts perpetrated as a result of unbridled anger. The escalation of violence in our colleges and schools, restaurants and malls and our highways and city streets. “Why has the world become so angry?” we ask.

Unrighteous anger, anger that leads to distress, stems from many sources. Poverty, injustice, jealousy, and inequality among the most common triggers. But if we go deeper, we see the fuse is not necessarily the external factor, but the inward rationale. A sense that hostility toward another is justified because wrong had first been done to us. A false sense that we somehow deserve better than we received.

Perhaps that unholy, selfish view associated with anger is the reason Christians deny its existence. I used to think that the Christian had no business being angry. And so I pushed my rage inward with unhealthy consequences. One day, I realized that anger is an attribute of God. And, we who are made in God’s image, are designed with His attributes. The problem is not the emotion, part of human equation, but our unholy reaction to our anger—the poor choices anger elicits because our hearts are far from God.

Just as we physically react to fear, our bodies go through physiological changes when we are angry. The red corpuscles fill up giving us that red glow. Increased adrenaline gives some people superhuman strength. And like fear, continued unresolved anger is the cause of diseases such as high-blood pressure and gastrointestinal disorders.
Psychologists recommend a process called reframing when we feel ourselves becoming angry. Not to deny the anger, but to understand the anger and redirect it toward positive resolution. If we are angry over a social injustice, we could join a proactive group to affect positive change. If a friend has hurt our feelings, we can let the friend know, affirming how much that friendship is valued.

Festered resentment is certain to give rise to hostility sooner or later. Psychologists also recommend what God has favored from the beginning of time: to forgive and forget. Forgiving lowers blood pressure and eases tension, producing a feeling of good will and relaxation. Perhaps the best advice in handling anger is from the Great Physician:

“In your anger do not sin; when you are on your beds, search your hearts and be silent” (Psalm 4:4 NIV).

Free to Be the Me God Wants Part III

2009-06-08T15:53:00.000-07:00

Courage is Not the Absence of Fear

I have always been afraid of bridges.

More than a few years ago, in pre-Internet days when airline tickets were bought from travel agents, I had to pick up our boarding passes in Ottawa, requiring I cross the Ogdensburg-Prescott Bridge. My heart raced before I even got into the car. Remembering that perfect love casts out fear, I met the challenge with God’s help. I couldn’t let my recently widowed mother-in-law spend Christmas alone. With all the determination of a Ruth, I sang Jesus Savior Pilot Me, took shallow breaths over the water, and shouted a hearty Hallelujah when the car rolled past the last span.

Psychologists say that fear produces the “fight or flight” autonomic response. Respiration increases causing an auditory gasp. Blood vessels constrict, and we hear our hearts pound. We either engage the obstacle or run from it. Staying put only intensifies our physiological reaction.
A wise man penned, “Courage is not the absence of fear. It is the action we take in spite of being afraid.” Courage is when the adrenaline of purpose oils down paralyzing dread and slides us through the ordeal.

The source of fear is often external, forcing us to decide between two undesirable choices. Like the children of Israel, the soldiers advance from the rear and the Red Sea looms ahead. However, fear can also be internal, those demons of our past that make our present so terrifying.

Sometimes circumstances that create a sense of fear are because of our poor choices, like the college student who sweats his mid-term because he failed to study.

Sometimes experienced trauma makes us cautious when like circumstances arise. Caution is not necessarily a negative emotion. As the adage says, “Discretion is the better part of valor.” Yellow lights exist for a reason. Gauging the waters temperatures before we take the plunge can prevent hypothermia. However, there comes a point when we drown in our caution, too fearful to take that first stroke toward victory.

Sometimes, our fear stems from our feelings of insufficiency. We tend to see our lack rather than our abundance and consequently feel trapped in our perceived need. Much like the widow who sought Elisha’s help (2 Kings: 4). She feared losing her sons to slavery, a fate far worse than starvation. In spite of her fear, she opted to trust the man of God and did as he told her and placed her empty vases before her only measure of hope. God multiplied her current resources until the creditors’ demands were met and she lived on what remained.

For the believer, raging streams of fear are eased, not as much by opening the dam, but from the simple reassurance of God’s presence. He not only stands on our right side, but He is on our left. Like a cloud, he surrounds us, above and below, with His mercy and goodness. He calls us to confidence in His perfect love that casts out fear.

“So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand” (Isaiah 41:10 NIV).

The Bridge of Loneliness

2009-05-08T08:13:00.000-07:00

Breaking Free
Part II
Loneliness

When Abraham Lincoln was assassinated, the contents of his pockets were stored in a box and later opened during a much talked about PBS broadcast. One resource them as follows: an embroidered handkerchief, a country boy’s pen knife, a spectacles case, a purse containing Confederate currency, and old newspaper clippings. Oddly, the clippings contained accolades regarding the President’s good deeds, heralding him as “one of the greatest men of all times.” Why would a man noted for his humility carry words of self-adulation? Although the reporter’s praises have proven to be true, at the time, Lincoln suffered from personal isolation and self doubt as a result of harsh and brutal criticism.

Loneliness is defined as “an emotional state in which a person experiences a powerful feeling of emptiness and isolation.” All of us are vulnerable, from the youngest to the oldest, from the richest to the poorest, from the most privileged to the most destitute. Loneliness knows no social classification. Even Christ felt the pang of loneliness on the cross when he cried, “My God, my God. Why have you forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46).

Loneliness is more than the feeling of wanting company. Indeed, many report feeling lonely in the middle of a crowd. Alarmingly, loneliness is one of the key challenges facing college students. Loneliness is a feeling of being cut off, disconnected and alienated from other people.

Recent studies have classified loneliness as the cause of many illnesses, certainly an enhancer of heart disease including high blood pressure. Weight gain, sleeplessness, and premature aging are only some of the resulting physical impacts of prolonged loneliness. People who are lonely are also vulnerable to depression with accompanying feelings of uselessness and hopelessness.

Just as loneliness is manifested in physical and mental illness, that sense of disconnectedness is at the core of our spiritual deprivation. Sin cuts us off from the love God wants to lavish on us.

But even the most devout of believers experiences feelings of isolation. Troubles found in the hailstorms of life can obliterate our usual bridges. We find ourselves in an emotional, physical, social and sometimes spiritual wasteland.

Dog Hammershold, Swedish Statesman (1905-1961) once remarked, “Pray that your loneliness may spur you into finding something to live for, great enough to die for.”

Loneliness, like many of life’s discomforting experiences, can provide opportunity. Anna, widowed after only seven years of marriage, found herself cut off from the life she expected. During her long widowhood, she never left the temple, but found purpose in prayer. And because of this passion in her life, at the age of 84, she was present when Simeon officiated over Christ’s circumcision. And she, along with Simeon, prophesied to “all who looked forward to the redemption of Jerusalem” (Luke 2:38).

To be human is to be lonely. Pearl S. Buck stated, “Inside myself is a place where I live all alone and that's where you renew your springs that never dry up.” Anna, in her loneliness, drew closer to God. In turn, generations have been blessed by her story. Loneliness is sometimes viewed as a wall, a barrier to success or fulfillment. But with God’s enlightenment, that wall falls down and becomes a bridge to untold blessings.

“I have set the LORD always before me. Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken” (Psalm 16:8 NIV).

Free to Be the Me God Wants Part I

2008-09-06T17:05:00.000-07:00

“Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the LORD's purpose that prevails” (Proverbs 19:21 NIV).

REDIRECTING DISAPPOINTMENT

“That’s not what I imagined in my mind,” I say. Then I wished I had spent the extra four dollars to have the package professionally gift-wrapped. I can barely make a bow with my shoelaces.

What is it about our visions and reality that sets them as far apart as night and day?

I watched the Olympian turn sorrowful eyes toward his teammate. The gold had been but a breath away. But like that instant between sleep and wakefulness, someone snatched victory from his grasp. Someone else reaped the glory while he would forever remain someone who also swam. Like a raised scar, a scathing loss never leaves us. And the pain is real. Often times, though, the sting of disappointment is eased through God’s redirection in our lives.

Tom and Jane waited anxiously for the word on their loan request. The home seemed perfect. They were fast outgrowing their tiny apartment. How desperately they wanted a yard for the children to play in. When the bank turned down their request for a seemingly stupid reason, they were devastated. Two weeks later, Tom learned his company was transferring him. The house would have been a stumbling block to the move that also brought a promotion. God sometimes disrupts our plans because he has other plans, better plans than we could have ever thought possible.

The adage, “God doesn’t close a door without opening a window,” simply means that disappointment won’t leave us dead in our tracks. In a popular Christian song, “Day Star Shine Down On Me,” the writer asks God to make him a reflection of God’s light. In the chorus, the songster remarks, “You can take what’s wrong and make it right.” Redirection from disappointment brings blessings that would otherwise never be experienced. The way we confront our disappointment might also bless another in turn.

Sometimes, like Jacob, our disappointment is not of our doing but is the result of another’s thoughtlessness or greed Jacob approached his wedding night with great hopes. Finally, after working for seven years. His beloved Rachel would be his. How surprised he must have been to look behind the veil and find his beloved’s sister had become his wife instead. Although, he did finally obtain his heart’s desire, God allowed the disappointment to redirect Jacob’s life. In so doing, he became the third in a prestigious line of Patriarchs, the father of the twelve tribes of Israel.

When disappointment comes, we do a have choice. We can wallow in despair. Cry, “Foul! Unfair!” We can vent our anger and seek revenge upon the one who wronged us. When we fail to meet our own expectations, we can flail ourselves with emotional insults. Or we can seek God’s council in the face of disappointment. We can allow him to shower us with the grace to forgive, even ourselves. We can trust his redirection.

HONOR IS AS HONOR DOES

2008-05-17T07:54:00.000-07:00

Picture a small cottage at the edge of a green forest. Add a bored, angelic youngster. “Mama, may I go outdoors and pick flowers?”

“Why yes. But, don’t go into the forest. There are pretty daffodils in the meadow over the hill. The forest is much too dangerous for a little girl.”

“Okay.”

Goldilocks disobeys, goes into the woods, stumbles on a cute little house, explores much too freely and winds up staring into the faces of three not so happy bears. She jumps out of bed and runs home never to venture into the woods again, so we are led to believe.

I’m thinking the sequel will read, “Goldilocks and the Case of the Stolen Cookies.” For the moment, Mama’s tested instructions proved to be true.

Many children, especially today, don’t trust grown ups. In some cases, those children may have very good reasons not to. For you see, respect is earned. God is perfect, but we humans fall far short of His perfection. Our children will be the first to recognize just how far from perfect we are. How then, do we imperfect beings generate respect from our critical relatives? By being imitators of Christ and being the first to offer respect.

Paul’s formula for a happy home is based on all members holding one another in high regard. Husbands and wives are commanded to respect one another. Why? Because children learn from example. Simple as that.

Interestingly, Paul addresses the parents first. Then he instructs the children to honor their parents, “in all things.” The Greek word here denotes “value.” And when we value something, we don’t discard it. We hold the object near and dear to our hearts. Paul also expects this honor to be given unconditionally. That is, the respect offered is not patterned on the other’s position or ability to reciprocate.

When we read Paul’s admonitions, many of us tremble when we count our mistakes. Shirley visited her daughter in the early stages of her first pregnancy. She peeked at her daughter’s book, What to Expect When You’re Expecting. Within a few minutes, she tossed the book aside. “I did it all wrong,” she said. “I had a playpen with bars. I placed my babies on their tummies to help eliminate gas. I told them never to go outside with wet hair because they would catch cold. Now I find out that, too, was a lie.”

Her daughter laughed. “You did the best you could with what you knew. But when it comes to love, you had it all right.”

Loving our family members as Christ loved us is what counts. No matter what our home situation is, the opportunity to display that love abounds. Whether single or married, whether childless or having a quiver full. No matter how old or young we are—no matter how poor or wealthy—no matter how powerful or lowly of station, each and every one of us has the opportunity to demonstrate that same unconditional love that Christ freely extends to us.

“Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children, and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God”
(Ephesians 5:1 NIV).

Burnt Toast and Whispering Breezes

2008-05-10T13:38:00.000-07:00

I couldn't understand it. I had mimicked her stance to perfection. Her drives rarely missed the fairway. I reasoned that if I did everything exactly as she did, then I should be as good a golfer. Committed to my false assumptions, I struggled the entire season with poor results. Then on a hot and sunny day, when our shadows stretched across the fairway, the reason for my failed swing became clear.
All a matter of height. I stood half a foot taller than my mentor. She had developed her perfect swing to fit her five-foot-two frame. The truth hit me like a fast flung nine-iron or if Tiger Woods himself had uttered the maxim. No golf technique is designed as universally applicable.

On the off-season, I studied golf magazines especially for women and watched more women’s tournaments. I discovered even among the greats, a swing was personal. The end desire might be the same—longer fairway drives and putts that sink—but everything else about the swing seemed catered to that golfer.

Some players used visualization techniques. Seeing the ball in action before they hit. Others used approach techniques that were one of a kind. From left-hand players, tall players, and overweight players, the whole approach to the game varied according to their individual tastes and practices.

As I thought about the variant aspects to golf, I realized the implications applied to my spiritual life as well. “I prayed the exact words Elijah prayed, Lord? Why didn’t the fire come down for me?”

It took awhile, but I finally realized why. First of all, Elijah’s actual prayer had been uttered in a language I didn’t understand then translated for my benefit. Secondly, his prayer was used in a specific way for a specific need.
Likewise, when we witness to others, we insist on using Golden Arches in our testimony. We fail to realize that God has a swing for everyone and for every situation. Paul mentions his desire to be adaptable so that more men would come to know God. For the jailer, he would forego the opportunity of escape. For the tempest-tossed seaman, he endured shipwreck. For the Greeks, he appealed to their belief in an unknown God. He reminded the Hebrews of their heritage.

Through the might of His great love, God has designed a unique package for every sinner He woos. He will do whatever He must to bring us to enlightenment. He may present himself in the whisper of a breeze or the thunderous trail of a tornado. He may reveal himself through the cry of a newborn infant or through burnt toast. He may rein us in or give us slack. The method He chooses has been designed specifically for the recipient of His love.

He is "all things to all people" that some may choose to believe. “I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some” (I Corinthians 9:22b NIV).

From Royality to Writer

2008-03-11T16:34:00.000-07:00

For more info on Nana's Bible Stories:http://www.nanasbiblestories.com

Guest Author Roberta Simpson tells why we are never too old to be used of God:
Your personal story is one of obedience. You didn’t plan to become an author. Tell us about some of the challenges you faced from family, friends, etc. on your journey.

Answer: Challenges do come, and they come often. Some years ago, I did a writing seminar, here in Barbados. I remember being so excited, as I did want to write, but up until then, I had only written articles for the newspaper, and a few plays for church.

The gentleman who read and corrected all that I had written scribbled all over them with a nasty little red pen. On the bottom he wrote, “You can’t write!” I shrugged and thought, “I have five kids to raise and I have lots to do, so never mind!” He was a very influential man in Barbados – in fact, he was a well known Pastor! Lesson to be learned in this? When God says you can do it, even a well known Pastor cannot get in the way with his negative comments!

Years later, when I knew God spoke to me about writing, I felt excited and flew home (I mean drove!) and started to write. I believe what was important at that time, was obeying God, and not listening to man!

Friends and especially family have totally encouraged me on my adventure, and this is really special!

The seven stories featured in Nana’s Bible Stories are biblically correct – but, you have a unique style of storytelling. You have created stories within stories. Would you please explain why you used this style?

Answer: When reading the Bible, I tend to stop and meditate on what I have read, and often, especially looking at characters in the Bible, I wonder how they felt, where they lived, etc. My heart always went out to the leper who Jesus healed. For instance, did he have a family? His heart must have been broken at having to leave home. I believe other people—including children—might wonder the same things…so I thought it would be interesting to develop stories around the stories.

I do a lot of research and I insist on maintaining the actual story from the Bible. I do not remove the tiniest meaning from the Word!

I had a wonderful time writing “A Father’s Miracle.” Here is a little boy, who I invented, who just loved his Abba – Daddy. His dad gets sick and has to move away from his home, and all he loves. I wanted kids to be able to identify with this child. It could have been them, and many kids face this sad experience – maybe not leprosy, but sickness and death!

I believe kids will be encouraged and inspired, like the little boy, and pray for loved ones who are sick, and have faith that they will be healed by Jesus, who is the same today as He was yesterday!

Your family has a rich history…tell us a little about your parents and grandparents.

Answer: My life was very interesting with the parents and grandparents that I had. A lot of it was wonderful, but there were difficult times as well. I loved my life as a little girl. My father was a big band leader in England, and we had two pianos in our house. A grand piano in the living room, and a small piano in his music room. Music was such a huge part of my life, and I remember performing in front of his friends, singing and dancing! I even went to a few of his performances, which was a great treat, especially when I went up on the stage with him.

My mother was very beautiful and made a few movies with my father. My grandfather and grandmother were the last Rajah and Ranee of Sarawak. My grandmother, who was JM Barrie’s inspiration for “Wendy” in Peter Pan, was quite a character—she was an artist and an author as well. She took me to many interesting places, many of which she should not have taken me, like scary movies!

When I was around 9 years old, my parents got divorced and I thought it was the end of the world. She remarried to an American Colonel, who for a while was my hero, as he could get unlimited candy, coca cola, and chewing gum! Unfortunately, he was not a hero and that marriage also ended in divorce.

We learn difficult lessons in life, and I can relate to many people because of the things I had to face, including World War II, and being hated and singled out for being Jewish. Through all of the pain and heartache, I loved my family very much.

Some of your royalties from Nana’s Bible Stories will be going to children’s charities. Please explain.

Answer: While we were working with Jane Seymour on her narration, we learned about all the wonderful work that she was doing on behalf of various children’s charities. It was touching to see first hand the work that is being done and actually meeting some of the young people who are benefiting from her charity work. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of my book will go to these charities, including City Hearts in Los Angeles.

I am also involved the Children’s Trust in Barbados. They do a marvelous job of helping, sick, and underprivileged children on this island.

It is a great joy to be writing, knowing that the Lord is blessing children both spiritually and financially through Nana’s Bible Stories.

Do you think we ever become too old for God to use us?

Answer: Absolutely not, not, not! As long as we have breath we can be used. As long as our heart is ticking, we can move out of our comfort zone! Even if bad health or accidents get in our way, we can pray, pray, pray!

SECOND HAND KNOWLEDGE DOES NOT MAKE US WISE

2008-02-25T17:07:00.000-08:00

“Oh, I never go see a movie,” Jane said. “They are way too expensive. I just let my friends tell me what happened. That’s just as good, isn’t it?”
That makes about as much sense as losing weight by listening to how much exercise our friends do. We can only truly understand and appreciate an event by first hand experience.

We want to glean information the same way. Through the work and research of others.

Before the days of the Internet explosion, an article in Campus Life magazine commented on the vast increase in the availability of knowledge: “Knowledge is exploding at such a rate—more than 2000 pages a minute—that even Einstein couldn’t keep up. In fact, if you read 24 hours a day, from age 21 to 70, and retained all your read, you would be one and half million years behind when you finished.” How much truer are these words in the computer age?

We have become a self-help society. With so much information at our fingertips, we want to be in control of our decisions. That is good consumerism. However, assimilation of knowledge will not make us doctors or lawyers anymore than staying in one of those smart hotels.

When Mindy had a pain in her abdomen, she went a medical website, entered her symptoms and discovered she could have anything from a stomach flu to terminal cancer. When she finally consulted an expert, her doctor put her on a high fiber diet for chronic constipation and the symptoms cleared.
Unfortunately, we approach our spiritual life in much the same way as our search for knowledge. Through second hand resources.

Sheila Walsh says in Women of Faith Devotional Bible, “I think we Christians have become lazy. We would rather read a book about him or how someone else became closer to God than spend time alone with him ourselves. We would rather listen to someone else’s interpretation of the Word of God than read it for ourselves. And yet we alone are accountable for what we believe.”

We rob ourselves of intimacy with God because we stop short with our knowledge about God. He has given us his Word, the power of prayer, and His very presence to lead us into a relationship with Him. Why then do we persist in secondhand Christianity?
Probably, the issue is one of trust. Trusting in an entity other than ourselves is an antithesis to what we have been taught. From the cradle we are told: “The Lord helps those who help themselves.” And we are fed the myth that the solutions to life’s problems are already deep within our psyche. We only need to flesh them out. And so we frequent the bookstores and thumb through volumes of sage advice. And we are drawn to those who claim to have found the secret to longevity, wealth, and power.

As a writer, I believe wholeheartedly that the written word has the power to inspire. The problem rests in treating these “heralds” as substitutes for God’s direct influence.

“Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight”
(Proverbs 3: 5 – 6 NIV).

2008-01-16T12:44:00.000-08:00

“I don’t care what you pick, but pick something!”

Betty’s eleven-year-old son had become one with the couch. She could barely distinguish where his body ended and the cushions began. Mr. Negativity booed every suggestion she made. Finally, she passed a mandate. His choice, but he would have to choose some sort of activity.

He tried a variety of musical instruments from horns to reeds only to discover not just a dearth of talent but a complete lack of interest. He tried track, dropping out in mid season when he gasped for breath after the fifty-yard dash. He even tried playing hockey, quitting after the first season because the coach only played the better skaters.

The list of failed attempts grew—sometimes because of poor effort and sometimes because adults failed to encourage him. Then he went out for the swim team. He never became a fast swimmer, but as his strength increased, so did his endurance. He became a competent, long distance swimmer, usually placing well enough to earn his team a few points. He advanced his skills to become a lifeguard and camp counselor. Betty’s son learned that failure was merely the opportunity to succeed at something else.

Many folks made New Year Resolutions. For most, those lofty want-to-change-my-life ideas have already fallen by the wayside. One man remarked, “I made five, I’m down to two I’m still working on.”

When faced with failure, we have an option. We can wallow in defeat, hit ourselves with wet noodles or try to understand the good and worse of the attempt and then learn to go on to something different. Or perhaps even try again with a different approach.

This same truth applies to our spiritual lives. Sometimes we think this Christian walk much too restrictive, like a 900-calorie diet. We truly want to be closer to God. With the same idealism that we approach our New Year resolutions, we zealously promise to be at church every time the doors are open. We vow to read ten chapters of the Bible every day. And, we’re going to give away half our income to the poor.
When we reach the low point and realize that the best of our human efforts fall well below our best intentions…when we think we are incapable of doing this thing called Christian…that’s when God is most able to teach us how to depend on Him. With the absence of pride, He then can show us deeper spiritual truths. For at these vulnerable places of failure, we are ready to listen.

Failure is a teacher that forces us to evaluate and redirect. We grow by falling down, standing up, and trying again. But, when we fall, God does not leave us crying face down in the dirt. He puts His loving arms around us, picks us up, and dusts us off. He may send us right back into the game, encourage us to try something different, or to examine our failure from new heights of clarity. With each attempt, we learn to trust Him a little more.

“For we have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure” (Hebrews 6:19a NIV).

Looking Up and Away

2007-11-28T09:30:00.000-08:00

I lift up my eyes to the hills—where does my help come from? My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth (Psalm 121:1 – 2 NIV).

I didn’t see them the first few times I walked the corridor. Then a friend who journeyed with me glanced upward. “Oh, look at these tiles!”

We had been visiting a mutual friend hospitalized for cancer treatment. We were worried about her and our eyes had been cast downward. The strategically placed tiles, painted by children contained messages of hope, laughter, and occasional scripture reminders. But we couldn’t see them without deliberately looking away from our worries. The sight brought us much joy to remember that our dear friend was important to God and tucked inside His palm.

Sometimes we get a better perspective when we keep our eyes heavenward.

Sometimes, we get a better perspective when we look away from our troubles.

The Psalmist looked toward the hills, the place where sacrifices were made to idols. And he realized he was looking in the wrong direction. So he looked away from the idols to God.

We forget how precious His presence is to our whole life. We need to look away from faithless distractions before we catch a glimpse of God’s goodness.

God Turns Our Messes Into Messages

2007-11-14T07:27:00.000-08:00

He has made everything beautiful in its time” (Ecclesiastes 3:11a NIV).

Ever start to bake a pie and realize you’re out of eggs? There are days when the mistakes glop together like a half blended pastry shell. And there’s no way to get to the store in time to put it all back together. It seems the only hope we have is to throw the mess out and start over.

When my pot roast comes out looking more like beef jerky, I am reminded of many who have summoned a life of influence out of the messes in their lives. And that gives me hope.

Allison Bottke, creator of the God Allows U-Turns series, author of the novels, A Stitch in Time and One Little Secret and the non-fiction books S.A.N.I.T.Y. and Setting Boundaries with Your Adult Children, shares her story at writers conferences. The founder of several ministries including Baby Boomer Women Rock, Allison is a high-profile speaker and author.

But she recalls when life seemed hopeless.

Coming from a dysfunctional home life, Allison ran away to get married at the age of fifteen. That relationship proved to be abusive. She left a year later but was pregnant. Life was hard. To fill the void in her life she turned to every popular “ism” of the day. She states she even taught her son to believe there was no God. Allison says, “I was so open minded that my brain slipped out.”

At the age of thirty-five, she realized her only salvation rested in the hope of Jesus Christ. With that spiritual awakening and centered belief, she began to find passion and purpose. She tells writers that once you’ve given your life over to God’s direction, every test becomes a testimony and every mess a message.

And then there’s Saul of Tarsus, a highly educated Jew and a Roman Citizen. Saul was the opposite of being open-minded. He feared any ideation apart from his interpretation of the law, a law he knew better than most. A Pharisee and dedicated to the scriptures, Saul became committed towards the eradication of this Jesus nonsense and to do away with these followers of “The Way.”

His persecution of the church caused havoc. He stood while Stephen was stoned to death. Saul’s mind was so closed, not no amount of reasoning could dissuade him from his self conceived purpose.

But that would change when Saul encountered the Living God. Saul of Tarsus became Paul the Apostle. Under his ministry the church spread across the known world. And we are indebted to this servant for large portions of The Holy Bible. He was no longer a persecutor but a preserver of the Lord’s message.

When I am reminded of these, I stop wallowing in the cesspool of my past. For God will turn the worst beginnings into the most wonderful of endings.

There's Love in Those Burned Casseroles

2007-11-13T18:59:00.000-08:00

In my mind, I pictured a lovely four course meal. Fried fillet of cod, light and well seasoned, fluffy-buttered rice, tender, juicy corn and a side of fruit cocktail. Well, at least the fruit cocktail turned out okay. Hard to ruin something you just dish out of a can.With visions that should make Emeril envious, I dove into my project. However, the outcome looked more like Martha Stewart with Alzheimer’s. The fish burnt to a crisp. I scaled the worst of the charcoaled coating and put some of the fish portions on our plates, resting the platter on the stove.

I’d let too much of the rice water boil away. Never did fluff. I didn’t time the corn correctly either, and scooped the lukewarm kernels unto the plates with the fish. While emptying the canned fruit cocktail into bowls, I heard the pop of a cracking plate. Apparently, I’d forgotten to turn off the burner when I set the platter down. As the plate caught fire, I blew heroically at the flames and yelled, “Help!”

My husband ran into the kitchen, threw the incinerating remains of my failure onto the floor and smothered the fire. I apologized for the less than satisfactory meal. “At least I didn’t sabotage the fruit cocktail,” I said between sobs.

He gave me two thumbs up. “Don’t worry about it. I love you for trying.”

Sometimes our best intentions literally go down the drain. We visualize how perfect everything will be. But all too often the end result falls as flat as a soufflé taken out of the oven too soon. But has it all been for naught? Are our best efforts truly lost when motivated by love?

The Bible says that love covers a multitude of sins. I believe that God looks at even our worst attempts with gratitude. He will bless the sourest voice in the congregation because the song has been offered with a worshipful heart.

Humor writer, Barbara Johnson, who suffered multiple losses in her life, has learned a valuable secret when life’s disasters pin her to the wall. “Change the wall to God. Imagine yourself pressed tightly against his heart, wrapped in his everlasting arms, soothed by his life-giving breath. Picture yourself encircled in God’s love, soaked in his strength. Then step out into the highway once more.”

So when our best intentions turn out to be the worst of offerings, rest assured God sees the love inside those lumpy mashed potatoes.

“…for though a righteous man falls seven times, he rises again,but the wicked are brought down by calamity” (Proverbs 24:16 NIV).