tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21485952328391618972024-03-14T03:26:44.517-04:00EveryDayLifeRenee Swopehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04258797591709109230noreply@blogger.comBlogger182125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2148595232839161897.post-30113854515217225002012-04-01T13:10:00.000-04:002012-04-12T13:12:20.319-04:00Me, Me… Oh My!!! And I Thought We were Just Taking a Cruise…<div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; text-align: center; "><span style="font-size: 100%; ">By Beth Duewel</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span ><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; "><div style="font-style: italic; text-align: center; "><span style="font-size: 100%; ">“The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer:</span></div><div style="font-style: italic; text-align: center; "><span style="font-size: 100%; ">My God is my rock, in whom I take refuge…”</span></div><div style="font-style: italic; text-align: center; "><span style="font-size: 100%; ">(Psalm 18:2)</span></div><div style="font-style: italic; text-align: center; "><span style="font-size: 100%; "><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left; "><p class="MsoNormal">I woke to the drift of the balmy sea. I’d waited 25 years for an anniversary cruise with my husband, and so my rested body jumped eagerly out of bed before the suns rays pounced on the cabin window. <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">No lunches to pack. No searching for missing football socks. No scrambling to make the school bus. No,no,no. This day was all about me, mee, meee. Yipeee! Oh and Jerry, too.<o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">I headed to the bathroom to prepare for our first adventure on a tropical island. Of course, I left the light off, giving my honey a few more moments to slumber. <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">You know in horror movies how you can sense a scary moment looming with mood music and a dark tumultuous scene? And you know how you just want to yell “TURN THE LIGHT ON DUMMY!” and forewarn the innocent victim of impending danger… well, there was none of that. <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">I marched unknowingly into the miniature bathroom, grabbed my toothbrush, and began brushing my pearly whites with vigor. A few seconds into my regimen the verse from Revelation 3:16 rang true to my taste buds, “…I am about to spit you out of my mouth.” Waaaaay out! I flicked on the light to see a tube of ICY HOT returned to the toothpaste cup. Horrors!!! At that moment I could only assume I rubbed my legs down with toothpaste in the middle of the night.<o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">My tongue was like a lit match. I was one icy-hot mess! Now, since I don’t make a habit of brushing with Icy Hot. And because my mouth was on fire, I started mouthing muffled toothbrush sounds hoping my husband would investigate. He did.<o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">He asked questions I couldn’t answer with a numb tongue. In between rinsing, I declared in foamy manner, “I bwuthed my theeth with Ithee Hot???” For a few brief seconds Jerry refrained from laughing. Obviously, he didn’t get the “all about me” memo I thought I sent out before we departed. <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">While he stood in the doorway, he professed remorse. And I could tell—through his laugh induced tears—that he was “thruly” sorry. You see, it had been his job to unpack the health and beauty supplies. Too bad he unpacked them in the wrong places.<o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Then, before I left the tiny cubicle (a cruise ship’s version of a bathroom), I realized I had dropped several tear-filled Kleenex on the floor. When I stooped down to pick them up, however, my bottom-end met the squatty-potty (a cruise ship’s version of a toilet), with such force it was unparallel to any wedgie I’d ever experienced. My lower back ached with pain. It looked like I would need the toothpaste again that night. <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">With the early morning events, it became very clear the trip was all about me. Yes indeed! All about me killing myself before my toes ever tickled the <st1:place st="on">Caribbean</st1:place> sand. With a sore back and deep-fried taste buds, we headed out for more adventure. Oh, there was more. Much more.<o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">When we stopped at Tortola to take one of our fantastic excursions, I faintly recall the guide warning to watch the tide, that there were no life guards on duty, and some muffling noise about staying away from the dangerous rocks, but my mind was already splashing in the water. On the way down the trail my husband and I could hardly hold ourselves back from an all-out run to the shore. <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">With no kids underfoot, both of us were eager to have fun. The day was beautiful, not a cloud in the sky. The waves rolled in blue like bubbling whipping cream as people played in the surf between two heaps of massive rock.<o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">We couldn’t wait to get in the water. When we did the temperature was a perfect 85 degrees on a 95 degree day. Finally, we swam out to the invisible barrier that drew a line between the rocks edge and then relaxed and doggy paddled. Ahhh. <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Not long into my lounging though I felt a tug on my body, noticing the tide felt a little extra sucky that day. Sucky like when the end of the vacuum hose doesn’t want to let go of my daughter’s extra fluffy sock. That kind of suction. And one look at my husband’s face confirmed my thoughts. We were definitely being pulled out…way out. <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> I don’t know how much time went by because time seems to blur when you’re in a panic, but I remember waving at people standing on the beach. Then, I remembered there was no lifeguard. That’s when I saw Jerry heading for the rocks. <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Now, one thing I am is a rule follower! Even in my fright, I remember the warnings about the rocks. “Stay away” was all I heard in my head to the beat of my own heart pounding. But through the noise and the water plummeting over my head, I saw Jerry hanging onto a rock and yelling for me to swim over. There comes a point in every person’s life they succumb to something greater than themselves. I did. I went for the rock!<o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Twenty-five years ago I clung to another Rock and asked Jesus Christ to be my Lord and Savior. Gods forgiveness was gracious that day. Because I think it’s pretty clear if left to my own will and selfish ambitions there is a good chance (a very good chance) I wouldn’t survive. Me, me, oh, my!<o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">So, I am praising God for yet another day that He saved me from myself. My wanting to control, my need for comfort, my less than self-less motivations; all like an undertow, slow and unobtrusive at first, but able to carry me places I surely don’t want to go. So I cling to the Rock, cling to faith, and trust that I am “thruly” “thruly” loved. <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align: center; "> </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="font-style: italic; text-align: center; "><b>Going on a Cruise? Remember to Pack these Essentials:<o:p></o:p></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-style: italic; ">:<o:p></o:p></p> <ul style="font-style: italic; margin-top: 0in; " type="disc"> <li class="MsoNormal">Icy Hot-In a jar marked with a glow in the dark “X.”<o:p></o:p></li> <li class="MsoNormal">Toothpaste- Large tube for all those aches and pains.<o:p></o:p></li> <li class="MsoNormal">Watch- One that tells the correct time so you don’t run late catching a taxi and almost miss the boat.<o:p></o:p></li> <li class="MsoNormal">Extra clothes- In case you miss the boat.<o:p></o:p></li> <li class="MsoNormal">Extra cash (preferably $1 bills.)- Because the taxi drivers on <st1:place st="on">St. Lucia</st1:place> don’t take credit cards.<o:p></o:p></li> <li class="MsoNormal">Juicy Fruit gum- To pay the taxi driver just in case you forget to bring enough cash. And just in case you are curious, if you forget your wallet it takes two packs of Juicy Fruit, an apple, $3 and a very gracious taxi driver to get to the beach on <st1:country-region st="on">St. Lucia</st1:country-region>. But I’m just guessing. Really. Smile.<o:p></o:p></li> </ul> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-style: italic; "><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-style: italic; "><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-style: italic; "><i>Beth Duewel is a freelance writer and speaker living in <st1:state st="on"><st1:place st="on">Ohio</st1:place></st1:state> with her family. She continues to cling, and bask in the fact that she is "thruly" loved by God. You can send her an email atfourwheelfive@aol.com.<o:p></o:p></i></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-style: italic; "><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-style: italic; "><o:p> </o:p></p></div></span>Renee Swopehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04258797591709109230noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2148595232839161897.post-38568784988464871322012-03-01T13:46:00.000-05:002012-03-01T13:47:53.545-05:00Teaching Children to PrayBy Julie Sanders <br /><br /><br />As I peeled our toddler from my body and thrust her into the nursery, I straightened my hair, breathed deeply, and wondered if separation anxiety would last into college. Fears showed up at the worst times, and I was at a loss for how to help her trust God in times apart. <br /><br />I remembered calling out to God when strong waves pulled my childhood body away from my mother on the beach. My newly believing mom taught me quickly how to pray. How do children learn to talk to God on their own and trust Him in life’s current? How do we move from bedtime prayers to personal prayers?<br /><br />Giving kids a head start in talking to God is a mother’s goal, so our little ones learn to turn to their Heavenly Father on their own. A mom with a heart for personal prayer can pass it on to her children.<br /><br />Since we know children need to live healthy lives, we teach them to eat and exercise. Since we know they need to care for themselves, we teach them to tie their shoes. Since we know life brings waves of challenges, we need to teach them how to call out to God. We can show children prayer is personal, spontaneous, and effective. We can teach them to pray on their own. <br /><br />All children experience fears, including darkness, strangers, or separation. These opportunities show children prayer is a personal way to answer fear. Children learn that, “When I am afraid, I put my trust in you” (Psalm 56:3 ESV). <br /><span style="font-weight:bold;"><br />Making it personal:</span><br />Take sequential pictures of your child with a frightened face, a thoughtful expression, a bowed head, and a smiling face. Use pictures to make a wordless book together, training your child to pray when they experience fear. Show them that trusting God brings comfort.<br /><br />Instead of reserving prayer for special buildings, help children learn prayer is for any time or place. Prayer can be spontaneous. Life with little ones provides endless opportunities to stop and “Pray now:” a hurt friend at play group, a decision at a toy store, a passing ambulance, a lost kitten. Model spontaneous prayer, then guide your child to stop and “Pray now.” At the very moment of need, show them you can talk to God and ask for His help. Your example trains them to be comfortable with immediate prayer and helps them get in the habit of turning to Him for themselves. <br /><span style="font-weight:bold;"><br />Making it spontaneous:</span><br />Find a park bench to sit down, pull into a parking lot, or pause in a grocery aisle to pray when prompted. Show your child God is always ready to hear you. After your child is comfortable with impromptu prayer, ask them to pray. Hold their hand as physical reinforcement.<br /><br />Show your child prayer is effective by pointing out and giving credit to God for answers. Don’t let opportunities pass when He meets a need, gives wisdom, or provides comfort. Rejoice specifically about God hearing and answering. Your praise reinforces your child’s confidence in prayer’s effectiveness, confidence that helps her learn to turn to God all on her own. <br /><span style="font-weight:bold;"><br />Showing it’s effective:</span><br />Draw a picture together of answers you experience together. Call Daddy or a relative to share the praise. Stop and give thanks to God for hearing and answering. Get a “recipe style” book, so you can draw pictures on 3x5 cards and slip them in as your little one sees answers. You will have a praise book personal to your family.<br /><br />Before I started elementary school, my newly believing mother taught me to pray. Months later I was caught in an Atlantic rip current. My fearful mother watched from shore, as rescuers risked their lives for mine, but I was not alone. I was calling out to God with my own voice and from my own heart, because I knew He would hear the prayers of little ones like me. Many waves will wash over our children as they grow, but we can give them the gift of knowing prayer is personal, spontaneous, and effective. <br /><br />It’s been a long time since I left my writhing girl in ruffled socks in the nursery, and I’ve had many chances to help her make prayer her own since then. Next challenge? Leaving for college. I’m so glad she’s learned to turn to God on her own. We can equip our kids for whatever they’ll face when we pass on personal prayer.<br /><span style="font-style:italic;"><br />Julie Sanders is a Women’s Ministry leader who loves to share God’s word with women in her hometown and around the world in a way that shows truth applies to life. She keeps busy and prayerful with her husband and two teenagers and looks forward to camping in the spring. Julie is a graduate of She Speaks and blogs daily at Come Have a Peace. <a href="http://www.comehaveapeace.blogspot.com">www.comehaveapeace.blogspot.com</a>. </span>Renee Swopehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04258797591709109230noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2148595232839161897.post-13788108774762056772012-03-01T13:42:00.001-05:002012-03-01T13:46:03.818-05:00When God Tells You...By Brenda Flury Greig<br /><br />I will make the coffee! I will operate the lights! I will …I kept offering up to God all that I was willing to do, yet He was saying He wanted me to write and speak. As part of this quest, He brought the Proverbs 31 She Speaks conference to my attention. That was two years ago. <br /><br />I reservedly complied by signing up for the conference, along with the speaking critique and a publisher meeting. I felt the whole thing was really out of my realm. You see, as an introvert, I would rather starve than eat at a table with a bunch of strangers, and all meals were provided as part of the conference! Yes, that meant I had an unlimited opportunity to meet women from all over the country…yippee…I sighed sarcastically. <br /><br />The opening celebration was powerful, with hundreds of women filling the conference full of love and excitement for Christ. The singing shouted to the heavens as each woman poured out her heart, except me. I was the shy, Minnesotan way in the back, singing quietly, knowing that even raising one hand in the air to worship would be way over the top! There I stood. Very nervous, fully certain that everyone else had polished their writing and speaking skills as to be on the brink of the fame. I had come barely prepared. <br /><br />The usual small talk around the table started and the woman next to me asked, “Are you a speaker or writer?” Choking on my last swig of coffee, I stammered, “neither really, I would just like to make the coffee or something.” Needless-to-say, the conversation stopped in its tracks! <br /><br />Thankfully, the opening speaker came up on stage to take my mind off myself. She spoke funny, inspiring, caring girl-type words in an attempt to ease the anxiety in the room with assurance that the loving staff, coaches, agents, publishers, and evaluators were all there to help us use our talents to fulfill all that God had in mind for us. I just want to make the coffee, I reminded God. <br /><br />Off to the first breakout on “Ten Tips to Wow Publishers.” I couldn’t help but think how bizarre it was for me. Here I am in a room with others that know what a publisher, editor, and agent do! I had a rough idea …but still just wanted to make coffee. The next breakout told us how to promote our book. The steps included speaking engagements and the development of a blog…a what? I didn’t even know what that was! <br /><br />Leaving the room at the end of that session, I realized I wasn’t really hungry so I could skip lunch and go back to my hotel room for a minute. Well, minutes turned to hours and yes, I hid out in my hotel room for the rest of the conference! I reminded God that He made me this shy introvert, so I think its best I just stay home to care for my husband and occasionally volunteer at church. Assured that He understood the wisdom in my reasoning I comfortably got back on the plane to return to my safety net. Ahhhh.<br /><br />Afterwards, I was convicted numerous times by the Holy Spirit about my disobedience. Recently, while facilitating a Twelve Step group, everyone fell silent when asked to share a time of obedience or disobedience in their life. In an attempt to spur conversation, I shared about the clear directive I heard from God and my subsequent decision to hide out in my hotel room. One of the participants replied, “You never know, God is a God of second chances.” I chuckled and moved on. <br /><br />That night I arrived home and checked my emails to discover the Proverbs 31 She Speaks Conference Director was announcing the conference had been full but now had a limited number of openings! I thought “No….you’ve got to be kidding!” Out of curiosity I checked the costs of the flight, hotel and conference to discover it would be approximately $1,400. “Well, there you have it,” I proclaimed. We don’t have an extra $14 dollars let alone $1,400 so that’s it! While lying in bed, I shared the story with my husband and he agreed there was surely not $1,400 somewhere in our budget. Relieved, I claimed the day and went off to sleep. <br /><br />The next evening my husband came home from work and said, “Honey, you know those two people I recruited and hired at work? Well Human Resources told me today that there is a $700 recruiting bonus for each one!” I stood in silence staring at him. No matter how I calculated it, $700 plus $700 equaled $1,400. Yikes. <br /><br />Quietly, but with a stern intent, my husband said, “I believe God wants you to go to that conference.” I stuttered and stammered questioning the validity of that conclusion. In another attempt to sway his thinking, I reminded him that his Jeep needs air conditioning and wouldn’t he rather have air in the Jeep? The answer remained…no. I was to go to the conference…again.<br /><br /><br />On the first morning of the conference, I found myself having breakfast with about eight other women. The question of prior attendance came up and everyone else was attending for the first time. When I mentioned this was my second time, they all fixated on me intently and began asking what it was like, was the writing critique hard, did I have a meeting with a publisher, etc. I proceeded to share from my heart what God had called me to do two years ago and how I had disobeyed. I shared my regret and sadness over disappointing Him; and how I ended up here today. It was as if God put His arms around each and every woman at the table and said “Be strong for I am with you!” <br /> <br />It was a magnificent conference and I have been blessed many times over for my obedience to Him. I continue to write and submit articles on a regular basis. My greatest desire, to write a book, is in the making. So when God tells you to do something, just do it!<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Brenda Flury Greig has been described as passionate, inspiring and very authentic. She is a devoted follower of Christ who delights in leading Bible Studies, facilitating Twelve Step groups and walking one-on-one with others in their journey to sobriety. Brenda lives in Minnesota with her husband and their German Shepherds and Yorkies.<br /></span>Renee Swopehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04258797591709109230noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2148595232839161897.post-79792331327651591522012-03-01T13:40:00.001-05:002012-03-01T13:42:09.681-05:00Easy Entertaining RecipesBy <a href="http://http://www.shecooks.org/">LeAnn Rice</a><br /><br />Looking for some easy recipes for your next get together? Here are two of my favorites.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Honey Ham Biscuits</span><br /><br />1 package Bisquick honey-butter biscuit mix<br />1 container honey nut or pineapple cream cheese spread<br />Sliced ham<br /><br />Prepare the biscuit dough according to package directions. Gently roll out the dough as directed on package. Cut biscuits with 1½-inch biscuit cutter and bake, according to package directions or until golden.<br /><br />Split the biscuits with a serrated knife and spread both sides with cream cheese. Place ham between layers and sandwich together.<br /><br />These can be prepared ahead of time and wrapped in foil. Heat in a 350° oven for about 20 minutes or until warmed through. <br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Icing-In-The-Cake German Chocolate Cake</span><br /><br />1 (18.25 oz) German Chocolate Cake Mix<br />1 (15 oz) Coconut-Pecan Frosting<br />4 eggs<br />1/2 cup oil<br />1 cup water<br /><br />Preheat oven to 350º. Spray pan with non-stick cooking spray. This can be made in either a 9” x 13” pan or Bundt pan. Baking time is the same on either one.<br /><br />Mix all ingredients (including the icing), in mixer at medium speed for 2 minutes. Pour into prepared pan and bake 50-60 minutes. Remove from oven to wire rack and allow cooling for 10 minutes. Invert onto serving plate and dust with powdered sugar.<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">LeAnn Rice shares recipes and menu ideas along with a helping of grace through her food site, <a href="http://http://www.shecooks.org/">www.SheCooks.org</a>. She lives in North Carolina with her teenage son, Nick, who sadly prefers frozen pizza to his mom’s cooking experiments.</span>Renee Swopehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04258797591709109230noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2148595232839161897.post-15235688056598220952012-02-01T10:05:00.000-05:002012-02-01T10:06:15.554-05:00Teaching Our Children Empathy<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><b><br /></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><b>by Laura Hodges <st1:place st="on">Poole</st1:place><o:p></o:p></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b><o:p> </o:p></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Recently, my son Josh and I were surfing the Internet for a particular charity to which he wanted to donate. With the click of the mouse we made a contribution, and he was off to his next activity. Something troubled me about this, and then it occurred to me what it was: It had been too easy to click and run.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal">When I thought further, I felt my husband and I had been fairly successful in instilling empathy in Josh for those less fortunate in our world. He understands their plight. But I wondered—does he feel it? Do children today grasp the hardships facing those who are barely getting by? How can they, if their own lives are not impacted by this suffering?</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal">Helping others is simple when you write a check and drop it in the mail, or better yet, go online and donate with a click of the mouse. But our children are easily misled by the instantaneous process of helping someone without physically being involved. It can be difficult for them, based on this kind of giving, to develop a true servant’s heart that puts someone else’s needs ahead of their own interests. And, they miss the opportunity to show Christ’s love to a fallen world. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal">Many obstacles impede success in this area. Let’s be honest. With the demands of family and homework, it’s challenging for us as working parents to carve out time to physically minister to others. But when we don’t, we lose the opportunity for teaching moments for our children. Furthermore, hurried living can create a disconnection in the way family members relate to one another, reducing opportunities to model empathy for the child.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal">Other obstacles are the competing forces, including school activities and sports, vying for children’s attention. When they do have free time, children are too often plugged into and saturated by electronic media. Television scenes depicting starvation, homelessness, and calamities are so routine that children are desensitized to the suffering they see without experiencing it firsthand. Regular, hands-on activities are necessary for them to develop true empathy for others in need.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">The Bible teaches, “In everything set them an example by doing what is good. In your teaching show integrity, seriousness, and soundness of speech that cannot be condemned” (Titus 1:7-8a ).</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal">I got up from the computer that day resolving that Josh’s concept of helping others wouldn’t begin and end with a click of the mouse, writing a check, or the occasional drop at Goodwill store. Sure, we participate in Samaritan’s Purse Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes each year and drop our coins into the Salvation Army buckets outside department stores. But I knew we needed to be involved in helping the less fortunate regularly, locally, and in a hands-on way. As a Christian parent, it is my responsibility to teach my children the integrity of doing God’s work. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal">I phoned a food pantry in town to inquire about their needs, and then Josh and I headed to a grocery store to buy canned goods and bread. At the pantry, we observed impoverished people standing in line, barely making eye contact or nodding as we came in, and a few thanking us or saying “God bless you,” as we walked out. Back in our minivan, I knew the seed had been planted when Josh said, “Mom, did you see how poor those people looked?” </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal">I wanted to do more. Our church youth group feeds the homeless and disadvantaged in a parking lot downtown on Monday evenings. Josh and I baked cookies and arrived that Monday, ready to lend a hand. As we handed out hamburgers and drinks, I observed the impression the experience was having on Josh. He responded to the nuances of people’s personalities, some cordial but quiet, others talkative, but all taking their food with a “thank you” or “God bless.” Many hung around and chatted while we refilled their plates and cups. Although it was a hot summer afternoon in an asphalt parking lot, the time went quickly and no one seemed to mind the feeling of discomfort. After all, most of the people we were serving lived out in the elements all of the time. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal">During the drive home, Josh and I discussed the men and women we had met, but he had been particularly impacted by the street-savvy children whose lives were so different from his. Several had ridden up on old, rusty bikes, none of which matched its rider in size. For the first time, Josh had been amongst children who needed his help. And they weren’t from faraway countries but from right here in the backyard of our small town in <st1:place st="on"><st1:state st="on">South Carolina</st1:state></st1:place>. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">The experience opened Josh’s eyes in a way that watching the scenes unfold on television never could have. He had felt the plight of those disadvantaged. He understood it by experiencing firsthand the implications of their life situations, and he was eager to return the following Monday.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Despite our family schedules, finding even occasional opportunities and time to participate in service projects is not difficult. Involvement takes purposeful living. Modeling the concept of physically ministering to others is an essential step toward instilling empathy in our children. Their spiritual development is far too serious not to do so.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><i>Laura Hodges Poole resides in <st1:state st="on"><st1:place st="on">South Carolina</st1:place></st1:state> with her husband and son. She has written for Reach Out <st1:city st="on">Columbia</st1:city>, Evangel, <st1:place st="on"><st1:placename st="on">Christian</st1:placename> <st1:placename st="on">Home</st1:placename></st1:place> and School, Christian Devotions, and WOW-Writing On the Word.. Co-author of Laurie’s Story: Discovering Joy in Adversity, Laura also writes Christian novels and is a member of ACFW. Join her for “A Word of Encouragement” at <a href="http://www.laurahodgespoole.blogspot.com/">laurahodgespoole.blogspot.com</a>. <o:p></o:p></i></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>Renee Swopehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04258797591709109230noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2148595232839161897.post-54489798374835289972012-02-01T10:04:00.000-05:002012-02-01T10:05:31.674-05:00Rise Up For Excellent Service<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><b><br /></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><b>By Lisa Bevere<o:p></o:p></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">This word “service” has multiple applications. It is both a verb and a noun. As a verb, it means “to repair, check, tune, and examine.” Jesus did us a great “service” through his sacrifice and made us fit to stand before a holy God. We live in a way that reflects this life-giving service. He was broken so we might be repaired. The noun form of service can mean “ceremony, ritual, or sacrament.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Sometimes I fear we’ve forgotten that the purpose of a church “service” is to learn how to serve God and one another well. Far too many Christians gather with the wrong expectation. They come to hear how God will serve them. Instead, let’s come together for the purpose of reaching out to those who falter within our buildings and outside our sanctuaries.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">With the promise of freedom, favor, and new opportunities opening up before us, let’s move forward in the things of God so that none might fall behind. I love this charge: Don’t imagine us leaders to be something we aren’t. We are servants of Christ, not his masters. We are guides into God’s most sublime secrets, not security guards posted to protect them. The requirements for a good guide are reliability and accurate knowledge</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> (1 Corinthians 4:1–2).</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">We are to be guides, not security guards. We are to invite others into the kingdom, not keep them outside the mystery of God. We are charged to be reliable guides with accurate knowledge. Let’s be certain to pause at the openings God has made for us, and if necessary, reach back so that others do not fall behind. As a daughter of the Most High, your reach should be both generous and noble. The life of God liberates, while the law burdens. You have been released from the “eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth” approach to Christianity.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Yet there are far too many partially blind and toothless ones walking around in the body of Christ. Never forget who you are—strong, majestic, fearless, fierce, protective, at rest, and unworried. God repeatedly compared the strength of his royal children to lions and lionesses: “Like a lion, <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">Israel</st1:place></st1:country-region> crouches and lies down; like a lioness, who dares to arouse her?” (Numbers 24:9, NLT)</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">If you forget your fierce and fearless nature, then all who look to you for protection and guidance will be at risk. The body of Christ is made up of noble, powerful guardians who have awakened to the realization that God has opened up a wide expanse before us.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Dear sisters, lionesses, and friends… I can’t tell you how much I long for you to enter this wide-open, spacious life. We didn’t fence you in. The smallness you feel comes from within you. Your lives aren’t small, but you’re living them in a small way. I’m speaking as plainly as I can and with great affection. Open up your lives. Live openly and expansively! (2 Corinthians 6:11–13)</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Do you hear this? We have been invited to enter into the wild, wide-open spaces of God. This is a summons to live expansively, here and now. You don’t have to wait until heaven to see heaven’s power released on earth. God is not the one fencing you in.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">But the lionesses did not move outside their enclosure until their hunger exceeded their desire to be safe. In the same way, our lack of vision or hunger for something more can limit and restrain us from stepping out into the wild. We are emboldened or held captive by how we see ourselves, our world, and our God. The world “out there” can look daunting if you imagine it a dark, scary place.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Open your eyes and remember who you are—a golden bearer of light who has the power to dispel darkness wherever she goes. “The Spirit in you is far stronger than anything in the world” (1 John 4:4). It is not even a close match. The Spirit within you far exceeds the might of any opposition you may encounter in this world! It is the Most High God who calls you out. He sent his Son to die on a cross so you might cross over from death to life and from this world’s places of confinement into the eternal expanse. Even before you drew your first breath, he had made a way to release you from captivity.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">He chose to confine himself and experience our small, fenced-in life so you could join him in the vast freedom of the kingdom. Even now he calls to each of us, “Cross over and enter in!”</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><i>Lisa Bevere is an international speaker who empowers women to live fearless and purposeful lives. She is the bestselling author of “Fight Like a Girl,” and “Nurture,” among others. She co-hosts the television program “The Messenger,” which airs in more than 200 countries. Bevere and her husband John, are the founders of Messenger International (<a href="http://www.MessengerInternational.org">www.MessengerInternational.org</a>), a Colorado Springs-based ministry. <o:p></o:p></i></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><i><o:p> </o:p></i></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><i><o:p> </o:p></i></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><i>Excerpted from “Lioness Arising” by Lisa Bevere Copyright © 2010 by Lisa Bevere. Excerpted by permission of WaterBrook Press, a division of Random House, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.<o:p></o:p></i></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><o:p> </o:p></p>Renee Swopehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04258797591709109230noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2148595232839161897.post-1601704892482494162012-02-01T10:00:00.001-05:002012-02-01T10:04:08.697-05:00From Princess to Pornography: One Woman’s Struggle with Lust<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><b>t<o:p></o:p></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Pornography, by its very nature, assaults everything beautiful in a woman. It is devoid of beauty, grace, innocence, joy and compassion. So, after becoming hooked at age 13, I constantly found myself questioning how I could have ended up there. I am a woman! How could I be getting some twisted satisfaction from watching the destruction of everything I was created to be? Was I even getting satisfaction if all I felt was guilt, shame and loneliness? What was wrong with me?</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Every little girl is born with a certain beauty, grace and innocence that fills her heart. There’s just something beautiful about the joy and compassion that comes with being a woman. For some, though, the fairy tales are squashed before they can ever grow. Hearts are left searching for acceptance, love, compassion, joy and fulfillment. The consequences of that search are dire.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">For whatever reason, my heart was searching, and I felt an acceptance in pornography. Grant you, I was being fake. When I wasn’t in a chat room being the blonde-haired blue-eyed “angelface001” I was in my bedroom, isolated, dreaming about my prince Charming. Fantasizing. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Every time, though, I just felt more and more empty—hollow. I was becoming a shell of who I was supposed to be. After being told “women just don’t have this problem,” I gave up hope of ever becoming anything worthwhile. But then, God sent me a rescue.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">Seven years after my struggle began, one woman stood in front of 300 young women and said, “We know some of you struggle with pornography and masturbation and we are here to help.” It sent a surge of hope through me, and began my journey to freedom and a restoration to the life God wanted me to have.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">In the years since then, I have found that I am not alone. Many Christian women struggle with lust, with masturbation, with fantasy, with pornography. Some are married, some are single, but all are carrying the weight, guilt and shame of their sin. They know what it is to battle alone because they fear rejection at the hand of those closest to them. Fear keeps them from being honest and open, and it keeps them in chains.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Be assured, that if you are a woman struggling with lust, you are not alone. In fact, you are joined by a growing number of fallen princesses, many who probably sit beside you in church. Cling to the promises of God’s word that He will provide a way for you to escape temptation! Pray diligently for an open door to be honest and throw away the mask.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Remember that no matter how far you have fallen and how much you feel you have wasted away, God’s grace is enough to pick up your broken pieces and restore your joy, grace, innocence and compassion. There is freedom for you and hope found in Christ.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><i>Editor’s note: The author’s name has been withheld to protect her privacy. <o:p></o:p></i></p> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><o:p> </o:p></p>Renee Swopehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04258797591709109230noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2148595232839161897.post-39644162651874901142012-01-01T15:25:00.000-05:002012-01-01T15:27:21.163-05:00Why We Homeschoolby Lori Hatcher<br /> <br />Thirty years ago when homeschooling first reappeared on the educational radar screen, it was limited primarily to families who appeared to be, shall I say, unusual. One family that achieved national recognition left their suburban lifestyle and moved to a goat farm in upstate New York to rear and educate their sons. The boys did quite well academically and ultimately secured full tuition scholarships to prestigious Ivy League colleges. The results were great, but what average family wants to go live on a goat farm for the purpose of educating their children?<br /> <br />Today, homeschooling has once again proven itself as a viable educational option. I say "once again," because for 200 years in this country homeschooling the only educational option. All of our founding fathers were quite well educated using the tutorial method. State-sanctioned "public education" did not come into full use until the late 1800's.<br /> <br />As the homeschooling mother of two teenaged girls, I am often asked the question, "So, why DO you homeschool?" While my answers are not the answers of all homeschooling families, I believe they capture the essence of why so many families choose to educate their children at home. <br /> <br />We homeschool because it gives us:<br /> <br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">A rich family life</span>- <br />The nature of homeschooling lends itself to activities that the whole family can do together. Instead of being age- and grade-segregated, all members of the family explore an area of science, history, culture, or the arts together. We've visited the places where the Civil War began and ended, watched loggerhead turtle babies released to the sea, toured the museums in Washington, D.C., and lay on our backs in the grass to track the stars in the summer sky. In addition to the educational lessons my children have learned, we have had the opportunity to build relationships with each other as we built family memories.<br /> <br />The chance for our children to pursue their interests- Because homeschooling is more time efficient, our children have more time to pursue their areas of interest once the academic portion of their school day is complete. One daughter is fascinated by the political process. The flexibility of the homeschool setting allowed her to travel to Florida in 2004 to campaign for former President George W. Bush in the I-40 corridor of Orlando with a group of 100 homeschooled students. Another daughter loves children and swimming. One day she hopes to be a physical therapist. Our homeschooling schedule allowed her to work with a USC grant project teaching autistic and mentally retarded children to feel comfortable in the water.<br /> <br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">The freedom to be children-</span> <br /> When other children ask my girls if they have homework, they reply, "ALL our work is homework!" It is a funny way to comment on the fact that their homework is built into their school day. Because they have the benefit of someone working one-on-one with them in challenging subject areas, extra remedial work and practice is not necessary once they have completed their assignments. This allows them time to play outside with their friends, read for fun, daydream, and generally just be a kid.<br /> <br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">The chance to disciple our children- </span> <br />We have the freedom to open our school day with prayer and Bible reading, stop during the day to address an area of sin or disobedience, or deal with an area of character development using the principles found in God's Word. We take time in our school day to cook a meal for a sick friend, visit a neighbor in the hospital, and serve our church. We memorize Bible verses as a part of our school work, not in addition to it. I learned the Ten Commandments for the first time as I helped the girls learn them for AWANA. Now that they're teenagers, we work our way through devotionals that teach them how to keep themselves pure, be a witness to their friends, and impact the world for Christ. Our daughters see us living out our faith day in and day out because they are with us.<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;"> <br />The chance to live life at a slower pace-</span> <br />One friend shared with me that her family life was so busy that between school, homework, extracurricular activities, church activities, and the rarely shared family meal, that she didn't even have time to bathe her children during the week. Our lifestyle, while still busy, makes time for home-cooked meals with friends, sleeping in after a late night, and read-alouds after dinner. <br /><span style="font-weight:bold;"> <br />A chance to be well socialized- </span> <br />Because they have been taught in a learning environment that regularly reaches beyond a classroom, my children can communicate and interact well with people of all ages, not just their peers. They learned to talk with the elderly as we visited a nursing home every week for a year and a half. They learned to enjoy young children as they volunteered at summer camp and Vacation Bible School. They learned to relate well to adults as they worked alongside them and learned from them in various campaign events and ministry opportunities. Imagine my surprise to hear my daughter interact in an informed and articulate way with her Senator regarding a recent education bill he had introduced! The world is not age-segregated, so my children need to be able to relate to people of all ages and walks of life. Homeschooling has given them that opportunity.<br /> <br />I am the first to say that homeschooling, like any other educational alternative, is not for every family. It is right for mine, and it might be right for yours. I encourage you to evaluate your current situation, pray with your spouse, and ask God to show you what is best for your family. If you feel led to consider homeschooling, I encourage you to do some research. Check out some books from the library, talk to a homeschooling friend, do a web search on it. "If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God who gives to all men liberally, without finding fault, and it shall be given to him." (James 1:5) NKJV God bless you as you seek His will for your family!<br /> <br /><span style="font-style:italic;"><br />A 17-year veteran homeschooler of two daughters, Lori Hatcher shares life with her youth pastor husband David. She is the author of the book Joy in the Journey -- Words of Encouragement for Homeschooling Moms, available in early 2012 from Mardel.Com. Visit her blog, Be Not Weary at <a href="http://www.lori-benotweary.blogspot.com">www.lori-benotweary.blogspot.com</a> for more encouragement.</span>Renee Swopehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04258797591709109230noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2148595232839161897.post-75608683298123472242012-01-01T15:22:00.001-05:002012-01-01T15:25:08.720-05:00I Stopped Giving It All at ChristmasBy Lara Krupicka<br /><br /><br />“Please let me give flowers to my teacher,” my daughter begged that first year we were introduced to Teacher Appreciation Week. But out in my yard the only blooms visible were rows of wilting daffodils. <br /><br />“Can it wait a few weeks?” I asked. My daughter cried. Within a few minutes, however, I had her excited at the prospect of the bright pink peonies and deep purple irises yet to bloom. More tears were shed that week as she daily recounted the flowers and gifts other children brought for the teacher. But, two weeks later she returned from school bursting to share how her flowers brightened the teacher’s day and her empty vase. That day I learned the value of bucking tradition when it comes to gifts.<br /><br />If you’re like me, sometime in late October the anxiety begins to build. By Thanksgiving it’s a palpable knot in your stomach, and by mid-December it has become full-out panic. In the name of tradition and expectation we push ourselves to stressful heights during the annual holiday season. And chances are, at the end of each one we vow not to do it again. Yet October rolls around and… stress again. What to do? Change it up! Stop the old, stressful tradition and start a new one. Stop giving gifts to everyone on your list at Christmas. Instead, give your gifts of appreciation to people like your hairdresser, the mailman and yes, the school teacher, at other times of the year. You’ll find that spreading out your gratitude will result in benefits for both your recipients and for you.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Thoughtfulness</span><br /><br />You’ll benefit by having the ability to be more thoughtful in choosing your gifts. With a self-imposed, flexible deadline, rather than one dictated by the calendar, you can find space to be creative and considerate. There will be no more last-minute dashes to the store to grab some old something for the doctor or babysitter. <br />Not only that, but the thoughtfulness becomes more apparent when the gift does not arrive at the traditionally appointed time. A few years ago I started giving teacher gifts during October and November. Having seen the mounds of gifts some teachers receive in December and the less-than-enthusiastic reception they induce behind closed doors, there is no doubt tradition equates with obligation for some people. And that defeats the purpose. My October gifts are separated from the season of obligation, and as such, stand a better chance of being appreciated for their sincerity. Rather than showing up in obligatory fashion, my gifts arrive unannounced, unexpected.<br /><br />One year, my youngest daughter particularly enjoyed giving her teacher a fall gift. She giggled as we created the padded pumpkin, wrapping a roll of toilet paper (more giggles) in cushy batting and patterned fabric. And she proudly inserted the stick she’d found in our yard in the pumpkin’s top as a “stem”. The next day she stood erect in the line at school, clasping the gift bag to her chest. Later that afternoon, she leaned into my arm as I read the note from the teacher. “Thank you for the adorable pumpkin. It’s the only fall decoration I have for my desk. How thoughtful of you.” It made not only the teacher’s day, but my daughter’s as well.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;"><br />Focus on the Recipient</span><br /><br />Taking the time to think through and act on what would be most meaningful to our beneficiaries can greatly enhance the value of a simple gift. When during the year could they use the appreciation and encouragement the most? What gift or gesture would speak to them personally? Putting the focus on our recipient means watching, listening and learning about them in an effort to truly appreciate them individually. Instead of following our timeline or our “to do” list in a mechanical fashion, we act on a timeframe more suited to those we seek to bless. That speaks volumes. It elevates the value of the gift by virtue of being other-focused.<br /><br />As church nursery coordinator I saw the need for this in my gifts to the nursery volunteers. I baked them cinnamon rolls in December in a nod to tradition. But then in February, when cabin fever reached its height and the end of the term seemed far away, I gave each of them a gift: an encouraging book I’d selected for specifically for each of them, along with a hand-written note expressing my gratitude. The impact of my timing led one of my volunteers to come thank me for my encouragement to her.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Freedom and Peace</span><br /><br />Other rewards for bestowing appreciation gifts outside the frenzy of the winter holidays include freedom and peace. My holiday gift-buying list shrinks by at least a dozen when I shift the timing of my gifts of gratitude. This frees up space for baking, or entertaining, or even shopping for gifts for family members. It reduces the load of holiday preparations to a manageable size. I’m less stressed and it shows in everything I do during December.<br /><br />We need to rethink giving our gifts of appreciation at Christmas. It may mean explaining to people our intentions, to counter any expectations related Christmas gift-giving traditions. But in doing so, we’ll lighten our own load and open the door to a season of peace and joy. We’ll bring our gifts into an open time frame; one better suited to the needs of those we’re giving to. And we’ll have more time, both for considering the gifts we give to those we appreciate and for those gifts remaining on our list for the holidays. <br /><br />Why not give yourself a break this year and take appreciation gifts off your holiday “to do” list? You might come off as the best giver ever when you spread out the blessings over the entire year. <br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Lara Krupicka is a wife and mother to three tween girls. She writes and speaks regularly about gift giving, hospitality, and finding simple ways to live the abundant life Jesus promises us. Lara is also the author of Pampering Gifts: Crafting a Ministry of Treating People Well for Less.<br /></span>Renee Swopehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04258797591709109230noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2148595232839161897.post-40289267674065665442012-01-01T15:20:00.001-05:002012-01-01T15:22:33.752-05:00Loving Your Man as God Loves Youby Cindi McMenamin<br /><br />I was once a wife who was quick to point out my husband’s faults. Quick to let him know when he was falling short of my expectations. Quick to let him know when he wasn’t loving me as God does. <br /><br />But, when I turned it around and started trying to love my husband as God loves me, that’s when things began to change in our marriage. I began focusing less on his faults and more on my own…and my own need for God’s grace in my life. <br /><br />Can you imagine what marriages would look like today if both partners practiced unconditional, sacrificial and persevering love? There would be no strife, no stress, no bitterness, no built-up baggage. There would be no devastation or divorce. There would be two people, giving up their rights to themselves so they can serve one another. There would be a perfect picture in our love toward each other, of God’s love toward us. <br /><br />Take a look at God’s never failing, unending, persevering love for you and see if you can’t try modeling this to your husband: <br /><br />• He has promised He will never leave you. <br />“Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” (Hebrews 13:5)<br />Can you say this to your husband, and truly mean it as God means it toward you?<br /><br />• He is always thinking only the best about you. <br />“How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them! <br />Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand.” (Psalm 139:17-18)<br />Can you say that your mind is always filled with only good thoughts about your husband? <br /><br />• He is gentle toward you when you’re broken. <br /><br />“He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.” (Psalm 147:3)<br />Are you gentle toward your husband even when he is angry or unlovable – which is how he often responds when he’s hurt?<br /><br />• He promises nothing will ever come between the two of you.<br /><br />“(Nothing) will be able to separate us from the love of God...” (Romans 8:39)<br />Are there any conditions or exceptions in your mind when it comes to loving your husband? Is there something in the back of your mind that he could do that would end it for the two of you? God holds none of those reservations about you. He has promised nothing – that includes nothing you can do – will ever come between you and God. Can you say the same to your husband? <br /><br />• He delights in you, quiets you with His love, and sings over you.<br /><br />“He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing.” (Zephaniah 3:17) <br />Can you delight in your husband and rejoice over him, simply because of who he is – one who is loved by his heavenly father and by you? Think about the joy and comfort you have, knowing God feels that way about you. Now what would it add to your husband’s life if he knew you truly delighted in him? <br /><br />• He loved you so much He was willing to die so He wouldn’t have to live without you. <br /><br />“For God so loved the world that He gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16) <br />Have you cemented your love for your husband so deeply that you are convinced you would not want to live without him? In many ways, that’s how God felt toward you. He found a way so that the two of you would never have to be separated. <br /><br />• He loved you in spite of yourself and still does. <br /><br />“But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8) .<br />Would you show sacrificial love to your husband even if he didn’t deserve it? Even if he had turned his back on you? Scripture tells us: “This is the kind of love we are talking about – not that we once upon a time loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to clear away our sins and the damage they’ve done to our relationship with God. <br /><br />“My dear, dear friends, if God loved us like this, we certainly ought to love each other.” (First John 4:10-11, The Message)<br /><br />Now, from what you’ve seen about God’s persevering love for you, can you love your husband: <br /><br />Even when he’s annoying you? <br />Even when he’s inconsiderate? <br />Even when he’s clearly ‘unlovable’?<br />Even when he’s clearly wrong and unrepentant?<br /><br />Because we are not like God who never grows weary or wounded, we must know how to renew love for our husbands. We simply can’t wait for the feelings to be there. I’m so glad God doesn’t depend on His feelings for us. He has determined to love us, regardless. We must love our husbands that way, too, because the world will take it out of us. Pain will take it out of us. The everyday stuff of life will take it out of us. But, God alone can replenish it in us. <br /><br />In Isaiah 40:28-31, we are told that the God who never grows tired or weary “gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak” and “those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength.” How do you renew that love you once had for your husband? How do you get back that delight in him when he – or something in this life – has taken it out of you? By waiting on the Lord for His strength to love your husband through you and by focusing on what first drew the two of you together. <br /> <br />Next time you’re tempted to start listing what your husband is doing wrong, I encourage you to start listing what you love about him. It’s what God would do if He were in your shoes. <br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Cindi McMenamin is a national speaker and the author of several books including When Women Walk Alone, Women on the Edge, and When A Woman Inspires Her Husband (from which this article is an excerpt). She and her husband, Hugh, have also co-authored the book When Couples Walk Together. For resources and free articles of encouragement to strengthen your soul or your marriage, see her website: <a href="http://www.StrengthForTheSoul.com">www.StrengthForTheSoul.com</a>.<br /></span>Renee Swopehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04258797591709109230noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2148595232839161897.post-30445541667923441272011-11-01T06:00:00.002-04:002011-11-01T06:00:08.505-04:00Recovering Genuine Companionshipby John and Stasi Eldredge<br /><br />John has a circle of things he loves to do. It includes fly- fishing, rock climbing, working on cars, hunting, reading, smoking cigars, and just about anything with adventure in it. I have a circle of things I love to do. It encompasses going to movies, working in and enjoying my garden, talking, taking walks, worshipping, and reading novels.<br /><br />Oh, dear. Hopefully, somewhere, we can find some overlap. I am also the mother of three sons. I live in a house hold of men. I love them passionately but it can be lonely at times being the only woman around. Do some of you feel that way too? It isn’t easy to find places to connect with them and to share in their lives. I don’t play Xbox. I’m not a hunter. I’m not a rock climbing, mountain biking, backpacking, snowboarding teenager. Often I don’t even understand them. I long for real relationships with them and have been praying for ways to connect.<br /><br />And John just gave me a Ping- Pong table for Christmas. Ladies, I know what you are thinking—doghouse gift; what a miss! But John knew what he was doing. My family had a Ping-Pong table while I was growing up and I spent hours playing with my brother and with my dad. Those are sweet memories for me, times of real connection with my family. The present of a Ping- Pong table was an invitation to connect. Now I am playing with my sons and my husband. Team games. Single games. It doesn’t matter games, because we are spending time together doing something we all enjoy. Big sigh. Yay!<br /><br />I also love water. I love being near it, on it, and in it. Pools, ponds, lakes, rivers, streams, oceans, and even bathtubs! All of it. Diving in, putting my head under, swimming as deeply as I can breathes life into me. I’m happy sitting next to a beautiful mountain lake; I am happier paddling a canoe on top of it, but happier still diving into it. We have found ways to share our love of water. First, John introduced me to canoes, those wobbly precarious silent crafts that can explore shallow channels and mysterious inlets. How many adventures we have had paddling around lakes, bays, and rivers! He got me into my first kayak; I was so close to the water I was sitting in it but somehow still remained dry. It was while we were kayaking as a family that we came so breathlessly close to a humpback whale; I felt I’d crossed back into Eden.<br /><br />Over the years we have found other ways to build companionship. We love to travel. We love going out for Chinese food. We share with each other movies that we like, or something from a book that has stirred us. John loves the wilderness; we found a way to enjoy it together using lodges. In this way we can spend a day out on the trail, but at night I get a shower and a bed!<br /><br />And, we still enjoy many of our loves alone, or with other friends. There is no need to feel jealous that your spouse loves to do things without you. There is simply no way you can be everything to each other; your hearts are too vast and your interests are too diverse or you to “be one in everything.” It would be weird if it were otherwise. And of course you want your spouse to have a “full cup,” to be filled and happy and well; they will be so much easier to live with. And they won’t be looking to you to make them happy. So good grief, do not fight their enjoyment of other things or other people! Sometimes I [Stasi] would feel that I was in competition with John’s close friends and other interests.<br /><br />How freeing to come to understand that that was not the case. The place I hold in John’s<br />heart is not up for grabs. (But John had to reassure me this was so, and God needed to move in my heart so I could believe it.) There is an ebb and flow to the companionship of a marriage. During hunting season, I don’t expect to see John much. But afterward, I do expect him to come home and re engage with me! There are seasons when the two of us are “connecting” well and seasons when we aren’t. What you want to do is create an environment where over time and with intentionality, you are nurturing companionship.<br /><br />Every day is unrealistic; once a month isn’t often enough. Somewhere in between.<br />This can feel a little awkward if it has been a while since the two of you spent time together. Initiate anyway, and don’t be put off if your first few efforts aren’t warmly received. A friend tried to get her husband to enjoy bubble baths; that was a miss. Watching American Idol might be a miss. Bass fishing might be a miss. But you are going to have to find some meeting place together. Tennis. Beachcombing. Vietnamese food. A favorite TV show. Scrabble. Square dancing. Do you ever read together? (One suggestion: Maybe you two could read “Love and War” together and talk about it chapter by chapter.)<br /><br />Maybe you should just ask your spouse what they’d like to do. Our suggestion is to explore this together. Find those intersections of life that you each enjoy and both can share.<br /><br /><em>Excerpted from Love and War by John and Stasi Eldredge Copyright © 2009 by John and Stasi Eldredge. Excerpted by permission of WaterBrook Press, a division of Random House, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.<br /></em>Renee Swopehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04258797591709109230noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2148595232839161897.post-6612039568551364292011-11-01T06:00:00.001-04:002011-11-01T06:00:05.821-04:00The Hold of HoardingBy Johanna Tooke<br /><br />Maybe one of God’s greatest gifts to us is misery and suffering. After all, without them we’d continue to walk obliviously through life as though nothing were wrong. Like any normal human being I was doing my best to avoid undue pain. My strategy was a simple one: Do good, make things look good, and life will be good. <br /><br />At all costs (literally at times) I wanted to avoid repeating pain or remembrance of it from life’s past. What’s more, I was convinced if I saved anything from my life that had represented a good memory or a happy time, somehow the darker times would fade out with the tangible memory of things from happy times. As if that weren’t enough, I had reasoned by having a passel of possessions I could single-handedly create happy memories. <br /><br />My strategy was foiled by the time it took to not only keep track of, care for and organize the possessions, but create the happy memories in between. My memories- “instead of happy” were becoming prominently miserable. This problem of mine was hoarding or in kinder terms- excessive saving. <br /><br />Hoarding had never even been a consideration in my litany of life dilemmas. Among the complaints on my exhaustive list were: never enough time to exercise, a lack of money to buy organizing essentials, a lack of time to organize and have a workable system, a husband who lacked a vision to see the potential behind all of my belongings and moreover a vision of what could be done with them to glorify God. Yes, I had wrapped religion into being a justifiable reason to keep whatever I deemed worthy.<br /><br />I knew I kept a lot, but I also believed I was honoring God by having the items. When in all reality, I was trying to play God by keeping things and hoping I wouldn’t have to depend on Him for the things “I could handle.” <br /><br />Since hoarding had never even entered into my conscientiousness, all I knew was I was miserable. Each consecutive day seemed harder then the day prior and circumstances seemed dimmer. Waking up in the morning was stifling and meandering through the day felt more like a convoluted maze. I began feverishly reading self help books on organizing and de-cluttering. Several years later and heaps mounting higher than ever before, I felt hopeless. As I swirled in the abyss of confusion, I called a professional organizer as a final effort. <br /><br />Without mincing words she told me what my husband had all along, “Whoa you have a lot of stuff.” Okay, so she couldn’t stop exclaiming in between breaths how much I had. Her reaction to my basement sent me reeling. We made a plan to help me stop the influx of stuff and begin the outtake. Once we parted ways, I spent every spare moment doing my best to clean and cull. Bravely I’d pack another box full of things we weren’t using, ready to be hauled off. My efforts seemed to be paying off. Except I noticed instead of experiencing freedom, I was feeling suffocated and smothered by this new lifestyle. <br /><br />Still determined, I continued to zealously makeover our home. That was until one day I had a stomach ache I couldn’t shake. When the pain was intolerable a visit to the emergency room was in order. A couple of days later in the hospital, I felt as though there was more than a bug that had paid me a visit. I was reminded of Psalm 23:2, “He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside still waters.” While I didn’t have angels hovering over my hospital bed delivering a message, I encountered a stillness I hadn’t known for some time. Moreover, I had gotten to spend time praying and reading my Bible, disciplines I had abandoned until the house was placed in proper order. <br /><br />Before I headed home I recommitted myself to be faithful in reading my Bible, journaling and giving God my day before it took off without me. The next morning I flipped open my Bible to the ribbon that held its place in the New Testament. That day’s reading was in Matthew 23. I was caught by the words in verse 26: “Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean.” <br /><br />“Wait,” I thought, “the Bible does have a thing or two to say about cleaning house.” After calling upon a wiser friend in Christ, I confirmed what I had suspected: I had been cleaning house in precisely the opposite order Jesus had intended. I had been so immersed in scouring, decorating, organizing, and saving ALL for the outside- I had given hardly any thought to the inside. At once I felt relief wash over me with a healthy dose of insufficiency to humbly level me; leveling me to the foot of the cross where my real help could be found.<br /><br />Three years have passed since my hospital visit. Since then trailer loads of things have backed out of our driveway. As a family we are still vigilantly attempting to live with less. Now, instead of turning only to man’s wisdom to weave my way out of the colossal messes, I turn to God’s Word. Regardless of the battle, we fight with the same weapons. “The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.” (2 Corinthians 10:4)<br /><br /><em>Johanna Tooke lives in Forsyth, Montana with her husband Ryan, and three children: Gracie (10); and twins Royce and Katie (7). In between family, friends and country living, Johanna leads Bible Studies for girls and women. Her hope is to encourage women of all ages in their walk of faith with Jesus Christ. For more on Johanna’s journey, go to <a href="http://www.johannatooke.com/">www.johannatooke.com</a>.<br /></em><br />Editor’s Note: Hoarding can be a sign that an individual needs more help than a book or a friend can provide. If you know someone who hoards, please visit The Institute for Challenging Disorganization (<a href="http://www.challengingdisorganization.org/">www.challengingdisorganization.org</a>) for resources.<br /><br />If you need a little extra push to get organized, please consider purchasing one of these two resources by our own Proverbs 31 Ministries writers: <a href="http://http//shopp31.com/iusedtobesoorganizedhelpforreclimingorderandpeace.aspx">“I Used to Be So Organized”<br /></a>by <a href="http://www.glynnis%20whitwer.com/">Glynnis Whitwer </a>and <a href="http://http//shopp31.com/thecompleteguidetogettingandstayingorganized.aspx">“The Complete Guide to Getting and Staying Organized”</a> by <a href="http://www.karenehman.com/">Karen Ehman</a>.Renee Swopehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04258797591709109230noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2148595232839161897.post-57291982894897973002011-11-01T06:00:00.000-04:002011-11-01T06:00:00.105-04:00Count Your Blessings<div align="left"><br />By LeAnn Rice<br /><br /><br />Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his steadfast love endures forever!<br />(Psalm 118:1)<br /><br />His steadfast love endures forever! Reason number one to be thankful!<br /><br />All of us have good days and bad days. It’s part of life. But no matter how bad the bad days are, we can always hold on to this truth: The King is still on the throne and His love is steadfast and true and always. You simply can’t escape it!<br /><br />As a young widow with a child, I experienced many “bad days” in the past 14 years (especially during the toddler years). There were days when I thought I wouldn’t make it another 24 hours without some help. But God never left my side and, over the years I started to notice the little blessings that each day held.<br /><br />Whether you are experiencing the loss of a loved one, chronic illness, financial hardship, addiction, marital stress or other painful situations, you can find something to be grateful for each day. Looking for these blessings will refocus your thoughts toward Him, instead of your situation.<br /><br />Honestly, this hasn’t always been easy. I have had days when all I could find to be grateful for was that the sun was shining or that I could actually get myself out of bed that morning. But, day by day I forced myself to count my blessings and eventually, I started to notice them all around me.<br /><br />You may not be experiencing a rough patch. You may just be in the midst of a “normal” but hectic life and have a desire to develop an attitude of gratitude. Thanksgiving is a great time to focus on the things we are thankful for and get into the habit of thankfulness! Isn’t it easy to complain about the things that are inconvenient, frustrating, not going our way, etc? Just this week I found myself complaining about my piles of laundry. I should have been grateful that I have running water and a working washer and dryer when so many in our world do not have these items that I take for granted.<br /><br />What about you? Do you struggle to notice the simple blessings in the midst of your hectic days? Are you experiencing a challenging time and really need to see some “good” right about now?<br /><br />Here are a few practical ways to count your blessings that may become a new Thanksgiving tradition in your home.<br /><br />Create a Blessing Box- Make or purchase a simple or ornate box (if you have kids, perhaps they can make and decorate one). Place cute notes or strips of paper, along with a pen, beside the box. Display the box, paper and pen in a location where everyone will see it several times a day. I like to place mine in the center of my kitchen table. At least once each day have everyone in the family write something they have to be grateful for on a strip of paper and place it inside the box. Do this throughout the year and then read the strips together in the weeks leading up to Thanksgiving.<br /><br />* Keep a Blessing Journal</div><br /><div align="left"></div><br /><div align="left">Keep a journal beside your bed. Before you go to bed each night, write down at least three things that happened to you that day that you are grateful for. It could be as simple and wonderful as a child’s smile or laughter. It could be that you had enough money to fill your gas tank. Maybe a long soaking rain started right after you did some planting. Write down anything that you were grateful for that day. When you are having a rough day, pull out your journal and read through your blessings as a reminder that there is much to be grateful for, even in the midst of life’s challenging circumstances.<br /><br />* Give a Good Night Blessing</div><br /><div align="left"></div><br /><div align="left">When you tuck your kids in at night, ask them to tell you one good thing about their day. This ends their day on a positive note and gets them in the habit of noticing the blessings. Perhaps, keep a journal beside their beds as well!</div><br /><div align="left"><br />* Create a Blessing Chain</div><br /><div align="left"></div><br /><div align="left">You know those paper chains kids make in school? Make one out of blessings! Cut up strips of red and green paper a few weeks before Thanksgiving. Have your kids write down blessings on the strips and then staple together to form a chain. When you decorate your Christmas tree, place your blessing chain on the tree, around the bottom of the tree or on the mantle. Your decorations will be covered in blessings! This makes a great conversation piece, and provides the opportunity to share the Gospel with visitors!<br /><br />* Make a Blessing Tree</div><br /><div align="left"></div><br /><div align="left">Instead of making a chain out of the strips of paper, punch holes in the strips, tie a pretty ribbon through the hole, and then hang strips of blessings on a tree. You can do this for Thanksgiving or Christmas, just select the color of paper and ribbons to match the occasion! You can even use a large twig with lots of branches as your tree, or a houseplant, or make one on poster paper and tape on your blessings.<br /><br />* Give a Treasury of God’s Promises</div><br /><div align="left"></div><br /><div align="left">If you know someone who’s going through a difficult time, consider creating a box for them and fill it with God’s promises personalized just for them. Imagine opening the box and reading, “My plan for your future, Gabriel, is filled with hope.” I have created a free template with 100 of God’s promises ready for you to customize. Simply purchase or create a box, personalize the promises, print and cut them into strips, fold the strips and place in the box, and then tie the box with a beautiful ribbon. Perfect gift for any occasion! You can find the free template by visiting <a href="http://www.shecooks.org/">www.SheCooks.org</a> and clicking on “Resources.” Scroll down to the middle of the page and you will see the template.<br /><br />Sweet friends, I pray that your blessings will be too numerous to count and that God will reveal Himself to you in the most unexpected ways.<br /><br /><em>LeAnn Rice is the Executive Director of Proverbs 31 Ministries. She lives with her 17-year-old son, Nick, and their ornery cat, Angel, in a small town just outside of Charlotte, NC. LeAnn is co-author of the book <a href="http://http//shopp31.com/search.aspx?find=Untangling+Christmas">“Untangling Christmas: Your Go-To Guide for a Hassle-Free Holiday,” </a>an e-book filled with recipes, organization and gift suggestions, as well as tangible outreach ideas and ways to seek our Savior during the holiday. LeAnn shares recipes, grace, and southern hospitality on <a href="http://www.shecooks.org/">www.SheCooks.org</a> and hope and inspiration on her site <a href="http://www.awidowsmight.org/">www.AWidowsMight.org</a>.<br /></em></div>Renee Swopehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04258797591709109230noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2148595232839161897.post-5343567526802332652011-10-01T11:14:00.000-04:002011-10-03T11:17:13.013-04:00My Lips are ConcealedBy Cynthia Brown Cooksey<br /><br /><br />“Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, But only what is helpful for building others up, According to their needs,That it may benefit those who listen”(Ephesians 4:29)NIV.<br /><br />I rummaged through my purse in the seat next to me as I sat waiting for the traffic light to turn green. My lips were dry and cracking from the bitter cold conditions, and I was trying to find my Chap Stick for quick relief. The light turned green, and traffic began to move. With my eyes now on the road, I kept blindly feeling for the tiny tube as I accelerated with the flow of cars.<br /><br />Instead of the Chap Stick, I came upon what I thought was my lip gloss. Thankful for anything that could provide relief to my irritated lips, I grabbed the tube from the bottom of my purse. Still watching the road ahead, I unscrewed the cap and used the sponge applicator to rub the moist balm onto my lips.<br /><br />At the next traffic light, I looked in the rear view mirror to check my application of lip gloss. Something did not feel quite right, and I wondered what was wrong. To my surprise, when I looked in the mirror I realized that I had applied ivory toned concealer instead of lip gloss. My lips were now the same color as the skin surrounding them!<br /><br />As I looked for a tissue to wipe away my mistake, I thought about the fact that sometimes it would be best if my lips really were concealed. I recalled many times when being silent would have been a much better choice than speaking my mind. The reflection in my mirror reminded me that I frequently speak harshly to my husband or children and say things to them that I would never say to others outside my home. When stressed or frustrated, I submit to the urge to "say the last word" during an argument. More often than not, the "last word" should be eliminated from my vocabulary. There are other times when the problem might be the tone I use to speak to my loved ones; in other words, it's not what I say, but rather how I say it.<br /><br />The Bible has many lessons on how we should talk to others and the types of conversations we should be having with them. Here are a few verses to meditate upon concerning our speech:<br /><br />• “Wisdom is found on the lips of the discerning” (Proverbs 10:13).<br /><br />• “When words are many, sin is not absent, but he who holds his tongue is wise” (Proverbs 10:19).<br /><br />• “The lips of the righteous nourish many” (Proverbs 10:21).<br /><br />• “A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger” <br />(Proverbs 15:1).<br /><br />• “He who guards his mouth and his tongue keeps himself from calamity” (Proverbs 21:23).<br /><br />• “A word aptly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver” (Proverbs 25:11).<br /><br />• “But I tell you that men will have to give account on the Day of Judgment for every careless word they have spoken” (Matthew 12:36).<br /><br />If we hit the pause button on our lips and think about these instructions, we can live more harmoniously with our families, friends, co-workers, acquaintances…even strangers who cross our paths. More importantly, our testimony will not be tarnished by the use of careless words. Stop and think about the visual of "concealed lips" before you snap back with a quick response to someone in your "line of fire." Use words that build up, rather than tear down. You never know when your kind words may be life-changing for someone. Choose to sow peace with your words, rather than anger…my lips are concealed.Renee Swopehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04258797591709109230noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2148595232839161897.post-40466912708093762852011-10-01T11:10:00.000-04:002011-10-03T11:13:59.985-04:00The Sandwich Generation: Make the Most of the MealBy Heather Gearhart<br /><br />Every day, at the retirement community where I work, I see women speeding around in a frenzy. Cell phones are glued to their ears and organized chaos reigns. One is organizing a bake sale for her child’s school. Another is putting the final touches on a marketing proposal for her job. All are coming to visit a loved one who is ill or disabled. These frenzied individuals are part of the sandwich generation where multi-tasking is taken to a whole new level. <br /><br />The term “sandwich generation” is the name given to those individuals who are caretakers for both the younger and the older generations. The notion of caring for our children comes naturally. However, the thought of caring for our parents or another elderly loved one may not have occurred to us. When you find yourself in this situation know that the Bible gives unmistakable directive. Psalms 71:9 says, “Cast me not off in the time of old age; forsake me not when my strength faileth.” <br /><br />Given the responsibility of caring for two generations of loved ones isn’t an easy task. The “sandwich generation” comes in many different varieties. The elderly person can be cared for at home, in a facility, locally, or even hundreds of miles away. Most care givers are women, over 40, married, employed, raising children or helping with grandchildren, and stressed to the max. <br /><br />Take a look at what’s on the menu. It’s a lot to swallow. <br /><br />The bread. The kids are pulling from the top for gas money, tuition and new clothes. The adults are pulling from the bottom. They need supplies, caregivers, products, and equipment. <br /><br />The cheese and the meat. The care giver is the sustenance. You are now caring for two generations of loved ones. The children need you to shape their lives. They need your guidance and boundaries. The elders need support. They need independence and dignity. <br /><br />The condiments: ketchup, mustard and pickle. These are the spices of life. Of course there will be ups and downs. Just think about what you will have to look back on in the years to come. When the children are gone and raising kids of their own they will have so many memories to share. <br /><br />The knife, fork, and napkin. Now, you have the whole meal set in front of you. It seems like a lot to chew on, right? <br /><br />Here are a few tips to make the most of your sandwich:<br /><br /><br />* Have those uncomfortable conversations sooner than later. Ask about living wills, advanced directives, do not resuscitate (DNR) orders and funeral arrangements. Chances are your loved one has already made these plans or has ideas about them. <br /><br />• If you need to draft any of the above documents, know that each state has different rules and some documents are not honored if your loved one moves or even travels across state lines. Be sure to consult with a professional. <br /><br />• Find out if your elderly loved one is making the most of benefits they are entitled to. A good place to start is www.medicare.gov. Also, obtaining a durable power of attorney will allow you to be able to act on their behalf when and if the time comes. <br /><br />• Check out support services. If you provide in-home care you need to plan for relief. Most assisted living facilities offer respite services for short-term stays. There are adult day care programs that will care for your loved one while you work. PACE (Program for All-inclusive Care for the Elderly) is a new hybrid that combines in-home care with an adult day program. More information on PACE can be found at www.PACE4you.org. <br /><br />• If you live far from your loved ones, you could enlist the services of a care manager. They are available to coordinate services locally. You can find additional information on care managers at www.caremanager.org. <br /><br />• Don’t forget about other informal support. Your friends, family and church are there to offer you physical, emotional and spiritual support. Be sure to ask for help. Many times your friends and family are willing. They just don’t know what you need. Tell them. <br /><br />Do you want fries with that? Don’t forget to save room for rest of the meal. Life can not and should not be a singular event. Life must be enjoyed and appreciated. Be sure to fill your life with side dishes. Take time to take care of you. So, if you need to eat dessert first go ahead. Wash it down with a healthy does of reality. Don’t expect perfection. <br /><br />Just remember to go slow. Savor it. Enjoy every last bit of it. The sandwich generation portion of your life won’t last forever. Just like that meal eaten too quickly, you will wonder where it went. Chew on each new situation a while. Don’t let problems overwhelm you. Reach out for some assistance. And most of all, remember you are neither a piece of meat caught in the middle, nor are you the sole substance for your family. You are the chef making the whole meal work well together. <br /><br /><em> <br />Heather Gearhart has a master’s degree in long-term care administration and works for a non-profit retirement community in Blacksburg, Virginia. She enjoys spending time with her husband and daughter, extended family and family of friends. </em>Renee Swopehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04258797591709109230noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2148595232839161897.post-48335695715681559702011-10-01T11:06:00.000-04:002011-10-03T11:09:59.332-04:00Choosing to Do GoodBy Amanda Berry<br /><br />I’ll never forget the first time I made tuna noodle casserole. It turned out to be quite an ordeal. First, I started on dinner much later than I had hoped and was pretty hungry. Next, my can opener broke and I had to borrow one from a neighbor. But I persevered and the recipe made a gigantic casserole, more than enough for dinner and plenty of leftovers for the next few days. <br /><br />At the time, my husband and I had a general rule in our house: whoever didn’t cook the meal had to do the dishes. Since I had been the chef for the night, my husband handled the cleanup. Or so I thought . . .<br /><br />The next morning I awoke and found my 15 x 10 tuna casserole sitting out on the kitchen counter from the night before! All of my hard work had been ruined; it all had to be dumped out. Anger boiled within me. I honestly wanted to take the leftovers and rub his nose in them (both literally and figuratively). But mercy won out. As mad as I was, I didn’t respond as my flesh had craved. I threw my masterpiece in the trash and told him about it later.<br /><br />As with the tuna casserole, the thought of retribution tempted me after I learned of my husband’s pornography addiction. After the reality of it all set in, I wanted him to pay for his mistake and I wanted him to feel as bad as I did.<br /><br />But thankfully, God allowed me to play out the scenario and visualize the reality of my thoughts. How would repaying my husband for the betrayal bring any good to our marriage or to our family? I acknowledged that further damage would be done if I responded in my flesh.<br /><br />When I’m looking for encouragement to persevere in my quest to be a godly wife and mother, I often read Proverbs 31. I often wonder how the Proverbs 31 woman had it all together. Recently, I read the following verses and received fresh insight: <br /><br />“Her husband has full confidence in her and lacks nothing of value. She brings him <em>good</em>, not harm, all the days of her life” (Proverbs 31:12, emphasis added).<br /><br />Wow, all days mean every single day. Nowhere in this passage does it say that her husband deserved good all the time, I’m sure they had their moments. They likely had disagreements about finances, frustration from the children and just got on each other’s nerves once in awhile. And like us, she probably felt tempted to repay evil for evil when things got heated or when he hurt her in some way. But she chose to do good. She acted with grace and mercy, even when it may not have been merited. <br /><br />The more I think about it, I think I may understand how she responded in this way. It all depends on focus. When I’m focused on the misdeed that’s been done to me, it’s hard to act with goodness. But when I’m focused on God and how He forgives me when I sin against Him, I can then act with mercy and do good to my husband instead of harm. <br /><br />I’m thankful that God doesn’t rub my nose in the mistakes that I make. He forgives me and He desires that I extend that same forgiveness to my husband and to others — even when my casserole has been ruined or a relationship has been damaged. <br /><br />Jesus says in Matthew 5:7 “Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.” <br />In reading Proverbs 31:12, I see that it’s a deliberate choice I must make to bring my husband good and not harm. There’s a variety of ways that I can do this:<br /><br />•When my husband does or says something hurtful, I will stop and pray for the Holy Spirit to guide my response instead of acting in my flesh. <br /><br />•I will choose my words carefully and remember that once I speak them, they cannot be retrieved.<br /><br />•I will communicate to my husband, instead of expecting him to read my mind and becoming angry when he doesn’t. <br /><br />•I will remember that God calls me to forgive, even if my husband doesn’t ask for it or deserve it. I will be grateful that Jesus died for my sins and those of my husband. I acknowledge that I am not worthy or deserving of the forgiveness that God extends to me.<br /><br />•I will pray for my husband and his struggle with pornography. I acknowledge that doing him good and not harm will help to restore our marriage and encourage him in his daily battle of purity.<br /><br />Even years after my husband confessed his addiction, I still experience painful reminders of the betrayal. They often spring up out of the blue and send my emotions whirling. But lately when I find myself in this place, I recite Proverbs 31:12 in my head, “She brings him good, not harm, all the days of her life.”<br /><br /><em>Writing under a pen name, Amanda Berry desires to see women and their marriages restored from the devastation of pornography. Connect with her at www.healingforyourheart.com.</em>Renee Swopehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04258797591709109230noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2148595232839161897.post-25811475413555539572011-10-01T11:01:00.000-04:002011-10-03T11:05:49.244-04:00What Can I Afford?By Rebecca C. Bradshaw<br /><br />I always knew I was destined to be a business owner, but the only business experience I had was that of selling cosmetics and plastic containers for a few months. This time was going to be different. I was going to be successful. However, my definition of success and God’s definition are different. During my experience at an unsuccessful attempt of trying to own my own business, I learned about something even more valuable. I learned what I cannot afford.<br /><br />I had noticed a “tugging at my heart” for several months to open my own business as a Guardian ad Litem. My work would focus on providing recommendations to a family court judge for the placement of children in custody cases. I volunteered for 10 years during my career as a paralegal. Because of those experiences and the marketing research I conducted, I knew I was making a sound business decision and would be able to manage every aspect of my new business. I also knew success was definite because, after all, I was being obedient to God.<br /><br />I gave my two weeks notice at work and started immediately. After intense training at the state level, it was not long before I received my first three cases. Although I experienced fear, I knew my new strength was coming from the Lord. The excitement and heartfelt joy I experienced in helping the children also kept me exponentially inspired. <br /><br />Things were going well and I was happy to be completely obedient to God for the first time in my life in the area of finances. I knew my paychecks were going to come from the parents of these children I assisted, but I did not realize that two-thirds of them would end up not paying me at all. Unfortunately, in some instances, these parents did not have the money to pay their electric bill, let alone enough money to pay me for the work I provided. After several months of intense work, the funds I expected were nowhere near sufficient to offset my costs.<br /><br />I asked God all my questions, but no answers came. How can God clearly tell me to start this business and it not thrive? Was I completely wrong in hearing from God? Did I quit my job prematurely? I started to doubt my relationship with God and seriously doubt my faith. With every passing month, I got deeper and deeper into a financial mess. Frustrated and with no answers, I reluctantly took a paralegal job which was unexpectedly offered to me, to temporarily ease the burden.<br /><br />Despite my efforts to return back to my Guardian ad Litem work, I never got any additional cases. I finished the ones I had started and continued with my paralegal job. Confused and exhausted, I believed God was still with me, but I could not make any sense out of anything. I continued looking to Him for guidance in order to meet my expenses. <br /> <br /><br />One night, while sitting at the dining room table after planning the budget, tithing and paying the bills, I realized I had no money for gas. I had only a quarter of a tank in my car so I knew that by the end of the next day I would need to do something. At that point, I just poured my heart out to God. With tears in my eyes, I explained to Him that I get paid monthly and that meant two more weeks of waiting. “I just give it all to You, God. Here it is. Here’s my budget, my checks, my priorities and my bills. You tell me how I can make it work,” I pleaded between bitter sobs. I went over and over the figures, but I had made no mistakes. I looked upward with empty out-stretched hands and then I put my tear-filled budget calendar away, and went to bed. <br /> <br />The next day I went to work with the same pleading, pondering heart. How long would it be before I would know what to do? I caught myself trying to take it all back as I so often do after giving something to God. That morning, I was asked by my boss to come in for a meeting. When I got there, he apologized and said when I was hired he had forgotten to give me a gas card which he had always given his paralegals after the hiring process. As he handed it to me, my hand and chin trembled simultaneously and with tear-filled eyes all I could say was “thank you.” <br /><br />My boss was telling me about the parameters in which I must use the card, but all I could do was think about how humbled I was beyond words to be so assured that God was with me and taking care of my every need. How could the God of the universe care about where I get gas money? How could He answer a prayer with such distinction, clarity and creativity for ME? <br /><br />That day, God’s financial plan for my life started to unfold, which was far better than anything I had ever imagined. Learning to trust Him and resting in His peace has brought me ultimate joy, which goes beyond my human comprehension. Within six months, He moved me into the job I still have today. The last six years have been an incredible journey. I have been able to go back to school and will finish my Bachelor’s degree in three months. Every debt but my mortgage will be paid off within this next year. <br /><br />Progress has come in small steps, but I have been able to do things and help people in life-changing financial ways that, without God’s guidance, would have been impossible. <br /><br />Sometimes in our total states of failure, God shows us His plan for success in our lives through Him, and He guides us with a gentle hand and a whispering voice. Looking back, my own direction almost cost me everything. I learned that I cannot afford to overlook God’s priceless guidance in any area of my life. Can you?<br /><br /><em>Rebecca C. Bradshaw became a Christian during her sophomore year of college. She lives in South Carolina, and will be celebrating her 25th anniversary with her husband David next month. A writer for many years, Rebecca enjoys using the “power of the pen” for God’s glory.</em>Renee Swopehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04258797591709109230noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2148595232839161897.post-79406943372756452102011-09-01T06:00:00.001-04:002011-09-01T06:00:08.726-04:00How to Say "No" to Others, So You Can Say "Yes" to GodEditor’s note: Due to circumstances beyond our control, we are not able to publish “Beauty from Ashes.” We apologize for any inconvenience and appreciate your understanding. In its place, we are featuring an article from Glynnis Whitwer’s newest book, “I Used to Be So Organized.” We hope you enjoy it.
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<br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-I4atCJ7ntRE/TlfprExyB4I/AAAAAAAAADg/xiUA0NFmBKM/s1600/I-UsedToBeOrganized2.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-I4atCJ7ntRE/TlfprExyB4I/AAAAAAAAADg/xiUA0NFmBKM/s320/I-UsedToBeOrganized2.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5645237584158394242" /></a>
<br /><a href="http://http://www.proverbs31.org/writingMinistry/writingTeam.php#glynnis">By Glynnis Whitwer</a>
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<br />September is a month when many of us gear up for fall activities. Whether it’s church, community groups or school, many of us will face with new requests for our time. And so much of it will sound exciting … and fun … and easy … and it won’t take much time at all (at least that’s what we are promised).
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<br />And then by October, what seemed so effortless, will be a burden. We’ll find ourselves wondering how we got so overcommitted, and start looking for a way out. Stress will set in, there will be an underlying anxiety at times that you can’t explain. Your family will suffer due to your frustration. How do I know all this? First-hand experience.
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<br />I’m a highly motivated woman, and tend to be overly confident in my ability to manage many projects at once. But I’ve discovered that if I say yes to something new, I’m saying no to something else. That tends to be time with those that matter most to me.
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<br />In my latest book, <a href="http://http://shopp31.com/iusedtobesoorganizedhelpforreclimingorderandpeace.aspx"><em>I Used to Be So Organized</em></a>, I share a lot of my story. But today, I’d like to share some tips from my book on how to say “no.” Hopefully they will help equip you for a more balanced life in the coming months.
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<br /><strong>But I don’t want to hurt her feelings! </strong>
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<br />Most of us never want to hurt another’s feelings. So we are afraid to say “no” and this can lead to over-commitment. Learning how to say “no” with grace will give you a freedom to make choices about your time, and attend to your priorities.
<br />The simple truth is always the best approach when saying no. A five-minute exposition about your busy life, your demanding mother or your clinging children isn’t the most effective approach. That may be the truth, but you’ve given too much information, and your listener tuned out four minutes ago.
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<br /><strong>Ask for time to decide</strong>
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<br />When someone asks for your help, ask for time to pray about it. If you don’t feel comfortable saying “pray,” then ask for time to “think.” Then take it to God. By establishing this pattern, you’ve built in a response time, and eliminated a response based on emotion such as guilt or sympathy.
<br />God may surprise you with His answer. It may be yes. It may be no. Either way, you are learning to seek God’s approval rather than man’s and that is the first step to a healthy schedule. Here’s how to say it:
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<br />I’d like to pray/think about that. When do you need an answer?
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<br />I need to check my schedule. I’ll get back to you in a few days.
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<br /><strong>Ask for more information</strong>
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<br />Get a complete picture of the task. Ask how much time it will take and what’s involved. You might also ask to speak with someone who has done it before. It’s called due diligence, and in doing it, you may discover a conflict that makes it easy to say no.
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<br /><em>I’d like to know more. Can you write up a description of what’s involved?
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<br />That sounds interesting, but I’d like to get an accurate picture of what would be required of me before I say decide.</em>
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<br /><strong>Scripts for saying “no”</strong>
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<br />If you don’t believe this request fits into your life at this time, then decline with a simple answer that doesn’t invite questions. Normally I express my appreciation and honor for being asked, and then offer a response like:
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<br /><em>God is calling me to simplify my schedule. As much as I would love to help, I need to say no.
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<br />I’m trying to be a better steward of my time. As important as this request is, I hope you understand, but I need to decline.
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<br />I’m trying to focus on my main priorities, and need to say no at this time.</em>
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<br />These are confident responses that show you’ve thought this out. Most people respect these types of answers, and respect you for giving them. Make sure you don’t open the door for a “yes” later on. It only postpones the inevitable, and increases your stress. But most importantly, learning to say “no” to others, creates opportunities for you to say “yes” to God.
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<br /><em>Glynnis Whitwer is on staff with Proverbs 31 Ministries as the Senior Editor of the P31 Woman magazine. She is one of the writers of Encouragement for Today, the Proverbs 31 e-mail devotions, with over 500,000 daily readers. Her newest book, <em><a href="http://shopp31.com/iusedtobesoorganizedhelpforreclimingorderandpeace.aspx">I Used to be So Organized</a></em>, has just been released. Glynnis, her husband Tod, and their five children live in Glendale, Arizona. Visit <a href="http://www.GlynnisWhitwer.com">www.GlynnisWhitwer.com </a>or <a href="http://www.HerOrganizedLife.com ">www.HerOrganizedLife.com</a> to learn more</em>.
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<br />To purchased Glynnis's new book, <em>I Used to Be So Organized</em>, just click <a href="http://http://shopp31.com/iusedtobesoorganizedhelpforreclimingorderandpeace.aspx">here</a>.
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<br />Renee Swopehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04258797591709109230noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2148595232839161897.post-64717147133520701592011-09-01T06:00:00.000-04:002011-09-01T06:00:16.693-04:00Scrambled SongBy Heather Gearhart
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<br />A few months ago, Taylen, my 10-year-old daughter, was asked to sing a solo for our church. Taylen has been singing with the children’s choir for many years. She has had small solo parts within the choir many times and participates in a competition choir and talent show at her school. Taylen is no stranger to the stage, has a beautiful voice and nerves of steel.
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<br />In the days leading up to the performance, she practiced every chance she got. We kept the CD in the car and sang with it every time we drove. She practiced without the music while getting ready. She attended rehearsals with the choir director where she was instructed to smile, make eye contact with the congregation and stay at the microphone until the last note was played on the piano. She was ready.
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<br />Before she walked on to the stage I reminded her to smile and we said a quick prayer about the performance. I know for certain that I was more nervous than she was. I glanced around the congregation with pride in my heart. My little girl was about to blow the socks off these people.
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<br />As she stepped up to the microphone, she glanced down at the sheet music in front of her. She looked up at me and smiled, just a bit. Then, the music started. Taylen started to sing. The notes flowed through the air melodically and perfectly pitched. Perfectly pitched, melodic, incorrect words. Somehow she had started with the chorus instead of the first verse. She realized her mistake right away but couldn’t correct it.
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<br />She stopped singing for a moment and listened to the music, trying to figure out which words she should sing. The pianist kept right on playing. Taylen chose another verse. It was still the wrong one. She had the tune right but the words came out jumbled and disorganized. She stood there for what seemed like an eternity. As the song came to a close Taylen dropped her eyes and stood still until the very last note was played. From the back of the sanctuary I could see her chin quivering.
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<br />Taylen hurried down the side aisle and collapsed silently into me. Heavy sobs shook the pew as she tried to hide her tears behind my shoulder. We quickly made our way out the side door and into the nursery. I held my precious daughter with her wounded pride. I whispered to her how proud I was of her, and that very few 10-year-olds would have the nerve to stand up there in front of the crowd.
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<br />It turned out, that wasn’t the problem. She was embarrassed, of course. But her main concern was that she hadn’t delivered the message the song had intended. Taylen wasn’t as upset about forgetting the words in front of everyone as she was disappointed that her words didn’t illustrate God’s message.
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<br />Luke 8:16 (ESV) tells us, “No one after lighting a lamp covers it with a jar or puts it under a bed, but puts it on a stand, so that those who enter may see the light.” She wanted to show God’s message in the best possible light. Her scrambled up version of the song didn’t do that, or so she thought.
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<br />That little girl, declaring her faith to her heavenly Father overwhelmed me and many others in the church that day. I had worried about her dress being clean and her hair being brushed. I fretted over her smiling and making eye contact. It wasn’t a show to her. She was truly making a joyful noise to the Lord. It was a declaration of love from a child to her Father.
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<br />Worship is not about performance or production. It isn’t about looking good or wearing our “Sunday best.” It’s about each of us shining our light in a darkened world with our God given talents. Taylen taught me the lesson of a lifetime through her scrambled song. We shouldn’t worry about being perfect or getting it just right. Sometimes a scrambled song is just what someone needs to hear.
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<br /><em>Heather Gearhart lives in southwest Virginia with her husband of 16 years and their exuberant 11- year- old daughter. She enjoys spending time with her family and friends. Heather has a master’s degree in long-term care administration, works for a non-profit retirement community and enjoys writing fictional faith romances in her free time. </em>
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<br />Renee Swopehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04258797591709109230noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2148595232839161897.post-9477479842461060172011-08-01T06:00:00.002-04:002011-08-01T06:00:04.300-04:00My Story<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> <w:snaptogridincell/> <w:wraptextwithpunct/> <w:useasianbreakrules/> <w:dontgrowautofit/> </w:Compatibility> <w:browserlevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:latentstyles deflockedstate="false" latentstylecount="156"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if !mso]><object classid="clsid:38481807-CA0E-42D2-BF39-B33AF135CC4D" id="ieooui"></object> <style> st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } </style> <![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;} </style> <![endif]--> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:center" align="center">By Daria Wilson</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:center" align="center"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:150%">I had been ridiculed, overlooked, and made fun of.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:150%">I had been beaten, bruised, and called stupid.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:150%">I had been yelled at and ignored and rejected.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:150%">I had searched for love and had been used.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:150%"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:150%">I was broken. (1)</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:150%">And then…Jesus came. (2)</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:150%">He waited. (3)</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:150%">Those that hurt me had finally been silenced.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:150%">They had tried to throw their stones, but I was still alive. (4)</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:150%">He gently called to me. (5)</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:150%">He silently waited until I was ready. (6)</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:150%">He waited until the ache in my heart was ready for His healing.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:150%">He whispered to me again. (7)</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:150%">And when I began to lift my head, He softly called to me, “My child.” (8)</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:150%">“My child, I have been waiting.” (9)</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:150%">He tenderly placed His scarred hand under my chin and ever so gently lifted my head. (10)</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:150%">And there - in my tears - I looked up and saw Jesus who had died for me, the Lord who had taken all my hurt for me. (11)</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:150%">He took it all away.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:150%">He had healed all my bruises, all my pain. (12)</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:150%">He knew what it was to be hurt. (13)</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:150%">When all had failed me, there He stood. (14)</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:150%">I no longer flinched.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:150%">I no longer cried myself to sleep in utter silence. (15)</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:150%">He told me tenderly that I was now worth something. (16)</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:150%">He had carved me on His hand. (17)</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:150%">He softly said, “You are my child. I love you.” (18)</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:150%">And I had finally been…set free. (19)</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:150%"><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:150%">1. Psalm 34:18 “The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:150%"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:150%">2.1 Timothy 1:15 “Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:150%"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:150%">3. 2 Peter 3:9 “The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:150%"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:150%">4. John 8:7-11 “When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, "If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her." Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground. At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. Jesus straightened up and asked her, "Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?" "No one, sir," she said. “Then neither do I condemn you," Jesus declared. "Go now and leave your life of sin."</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:150%"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:150%">5. Matthew 11:9 “Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:150%"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:150%">6. 1 Corinthians 4:20-21 “For the kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power. What do you prefer? Shall I come to you with a whip, or in love and with a gentle spirit?”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:150%"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:150%">7. 1 Kings 19:12 “After the earthquake came a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:150%"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:150%">8. Matthew 18:14 “In the same way your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should be lost.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:150%"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:150%">9. 1 Timothy 1:16 “But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe on him and receive eternal life.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:150%"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:150%">10. Psalm 3:3 “But you are a shield around me, O LORD; you bestow glory on me and lift up my head.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:150%"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:150%">11. John 3:16-17 “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:150%"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:150%">12. Isaiah 42:3 “A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out. In faithfulness he will bring forth justice.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:150%"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:150%">13. Isaiah 53:5 “But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:150%"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:150%">14. Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:150%"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:150%">15. Romans 10:11 “As the Scripture says, "Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:150%"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:150%">16. Matthew 10:30-32 “And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows. Whoever acknowledges me before men, I will also acknowledge him before my Father in heaven.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:150%"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:150%">17. Isaiah 49:16 “See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are ever before me.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:150%"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:150%">18. John 14:23 “Jesus replied, "If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:150%"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:150%">19. Romans 8:1-2 “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:150%"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:150%"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">Daria Wilson is a single mom of a cherished 18- year old daughter and is a professional court reporter who works in New York City Criminal Court.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>She goes through life ever humbled by the tender care of her Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.</i></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:150%"> </p>Renee Swopehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04258797591709109230noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2148595232839161897.post-20369452683825105172011-08-01T06:00:00.001-04:002011-08-01T06:00:12.767-04:00My Last Day<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> <w:snaptogridincell/> <w:wraptextwithpunct/> <w:useasianbreakrules/> <w:dontgrowautofit/> </w:Compatibility> <w:browserlevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:latentstyles deflockedstate="false" latentstylecount="156"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if !mso]><object classid="clsid:38481807-CA0E-42D2-BF39-B33AF135CC4D" id="ieooui"></object> <style> st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } </style> <![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;} </style> <![endif]--> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:center" align="center"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><br /></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:center" align="center">By Kimberly Rae</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal">Small buzzes, clicks, whirring sounds surrounded me.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I lay flat on my back, in the flimsy hospital gown.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Medical technicians were thinking about the MRI, about the fluid on my brain, about the eclamptic seizures that had brought me back to the hospital. I was thinking about death. <span style="mso-tab-count:1"> </span>Would today be my last day?</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal">I thought of my husband, my little boy, and my new tiny baby daughter.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I thought about all my big goals for my life, goals that had been crippled and marred by chronic health problems. Health problems had brought us home from the mission field and removed from me all the activities and ministries that gave me identity.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>These problems had, as I saw it, taken away my significance.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal">Over the past year I had struggled with discontent, a restless need to find some way to prove I was still worthwhile. <span style="mso-tab-count:1"></span>Yet with each attempt, each new ministry or activity, eventually my health (or lack thereof) would hinder it, would require more help from my husband, would leave me exhausted, sick or both.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I would end up neglecting my family as I used up my energy trying to keep up with the other things.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>After all, organizing a missions conference sounds a lot more important than changing diapers.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Leading a Bible study feels more significant than reading bedtime stories.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-tab-count:1"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">But that day in the hospital, the possibility of it being my last brought a fear more claustrophobic than the MRI machine I was encased in.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>What if it really was my last day?<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>What if I was dying? <span style="mso-tab-count:1"> </span>What would I want to do with my last day?</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal">All those former seemingly significant priorities I had chased did not come to mind.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>All the activities that had given me a false sense of identity lost their appeal in the valley of the shadow of death. <span style="mso-tab-count:1"> </span>If it was to be my last day, I wanted to spend it loving my husband, loving my children, loving my God.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal">That was how I wanted to be remembered.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Content.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Unafraid.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>No longer striving, chasing after the wind.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I wanted to be remembered as one who loved. And in that moment of light, as the machine whirred and clicked over my head, I had a blazing realization: If that is how I would want to spend my last day, why isn’t that how I am spending every day?</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal">If my God and my family are most important, why am I living as if they aren’t?<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Why are they taking second place in my day, in my effort, even in my heart sometimes?<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal">The months and years leading up to that day in the hospital, I had struggled with wondering what my life was worth if I could not chase after my dreams, if I could not attain the amazing, biography-worthy life I had always wanted.</p> <br /> <p class="MsoNormal">However, that day I saw with beautiful certainty that I wanted to stay.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I wanted to live, even if life for me meant fewer abilities and possibilities than it might for most others.<span style=""> <br /></span></p><br /> <p class="MsoNormal">Lying in that MRI machine, I prayed, “God, if all I can do with my life is serve my husband and raise my children, I want to stay.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Please let me stay.”</p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal">God answered that prayer with a yes.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Later that afternoon, as a neurologist, an emergency-room doctor, and one other “ologist” stood over me, discussing which of two life-threatening treatments to try, they chose the right one.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Eventually I was released from the hospital.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Eventually I returned to my state of “normal.”<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Eventually I even had enough energy to go right back to struggling with my old addiction: the pull toward proving my own significance.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal">Like an addict, I still find myself longing to commit to activities, drawn toward proving that I am spiritual by outward show.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Then another health crisis will knock me down, bringing back with startling force that promise I made that day as death faced me head-on.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I made the promise, and I am accountable for that promise before God.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal">I know that God wants abundant life for each of us (John 10:10).<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I am learning, however, that His definition of abundant life for me is far different than what I had ever supposed.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Abundant life is not an urgent, fast-paced life rushing from one significant thing to the next.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Abundant life is having contentment in every season, with whatever role God has assigned for me within that season.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>It is a place of peace, green pastures and still waters.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal">Regardless of how small or large my role feels at any given time, God wants me to accept it with joy, to be a shining example of peace—of a gentle and quiet spirit—in a world where women feel they must prove their own worth by their talents, or beauty, or ability to make money.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal">That day in the hospital did not turn out to be my last day.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>However, one day will be.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>When that day comes, I want my restless, discontent spirit to have been replaced by a gentle and quiet one.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I want me to have decreased, and Christ to have increased.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I want those I love to really know they were loved.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Most of all, I want God to be pleased, because I was finally willing to give up my own dreams for His.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">Kimberly has rafted the Nile River, seen Mt. Everest, and eaten cow brains in Bangladesh, just to say she'd done it!<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>She now lives in North Carolina with her husband and two young children.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Her first novel, Stolen Woman, a Christian suspense story about a woman trying to rescue a trafficked girl, has been released this year on Amazon.com and stolenwoman.org.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>You can contact Kimberly on her Facebook page under Human Trafficking Stolen Woman.</i></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p>Renee Swopehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04258797591709109230noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2148595232839161897.post-81160440449151834632011-08-01T06:00:00.000-04:002011-08-01T06:00:06.546-04:00Trusting in the Storm<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> <w:snaptogridincell/> <w:wraptextwithpunct/> <w:useasianbreakrules/> <w:dontgrowautofit/> </w:Compatibility> <w:browserlevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:latentstyles deflockedstate="false" latentstylecount="156"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if !mso]><object classid="clsid:38481807-CA0E-42D2-BF39-B33AF135CC4D" id="ieooui"></object> <style> st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } </style> <![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;} </style> <![endif]--> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:center" align="center"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><br /></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:center" align="center">Cheryl Fellores</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal">Fears.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>We all have them.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Fears come in different shapes and sizes, but they share something in common:<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>their ability to paralyze us and take our focus off God.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>The little voice of fear we hear becomes louder than the gentle whisper of our loving Savior.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal">In August 2007, my biggest fear became a reality.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>My teenage son, Justin, moved back to Indiana to live with his father.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>The weeks leading up to his departure, I prayed my most heart-felt prayers for God to stop the madness.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>God’s response was “Do you trust Me?”<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>My instant answer was “yes, but not enough to give up my son.”<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>That began my journey of truly trusting Him.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding” (Proverbs 3:5).</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal">“Do you trust Me?” Those four simple words rocked me to my core because I understood what it meant.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I’d have to face my biggest fear in life: losing Justin.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>God didn’t stop the nightmare.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Instead, He held me close as I gave up my son.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal">None of this surprised God.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>He had been preparing me when He prompted me months prior to get serious about quiet time with Him.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>During that quiet time, He taught me how to listen for His voice and to dig deeper into His Word.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>That was paramount to helping me through my dark days.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal">Over the next few months, I battled hopelessness and depression as I prayed for God to bring my baby back.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>His answer was “No.”<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>God reminded me that Justin had become more important in my life than my relationship with Him, violating the first commandment of “You shall have no other gods before me” (Exodus 20:3).<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>As I continued the learning process, God poured into me by surrounding me with women of faith.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>He also used Christian music to shift my focus from me to Him.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal">One morning, the light bulb came on while listening to Casting Crown’s “Praise You in This Storm.” Right then and there, I thanked God for my circumstances.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28).<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>God had a reason for this storm.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>He used it to help me completely rely on Him for peace.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>It was then that I accepted my situation.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>My heart was filled with gratitude right there in the middle of the biggest storm of my life.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>My thankfulness was no longer conditional upon Justin coming home.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>My faith had grown wings. I was soaring with God.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal">A few months after Justin’s move to Indiana, he came home for a visit.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>As he shared his desire to live with us again, I had to put my faith into action while fighting every urge in my body that wanted to take control to make it happen.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>No, this time, I was committed to doing it God’s way.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Taking Justin to the airport was gut-wrenching, but I had to trust God, and this time I really did. As we waited, over and over I prayed “Your will, Your way in Your time – not mine.”<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal">Then, it happened.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>On January 27, 2008, God rewarded my obedience and trust.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Justin came home.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>This time, it was to stay.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal">In looking back, I realized something.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>There were a few prodigal experiences running simultaneously.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Before this storm, Justin wanted very little to do with God.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>But now, he’s on fire for Jesus.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I also ran back into Jesus’ arms, and that is where I will stay.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal">The memories of that experience are still painful, but it changed my heart as I learned to completely trust the Lord.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>God had a plan for this.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>He used it to transform Justin and our entire family, including me.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>This became part of our story.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>The story will be told as each of us reach out to the hurting to help them find hope in the Lord.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>“He comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God” (2 Corinthians 1:4). God has led me to write a book and to share our story with Christian women’s groups.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>For Justin, God is calling him to become a youth pastor.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal">Do we ever learn when the experiences are easy?<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I rarely do, but I wish I had!<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>This lesson stuck and has become my reference for every time the storms brew.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I’ve learned that even though the storm clouds are rolling in, the sun still shines behind them.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Our Lord shines even when we can’t see Him in the raging storms of life.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>He’s still there – just like the sun shining behind the storm clouds.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>“God has said, ‘Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you’” (Hebrews 13:5b).<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>But, it’s not enough to just know that in our heads-we need to know it deep in our hearts.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal">God has a plan for each of us.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>He needs us to step up and engage in that plan.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>It brings meaning to our lives and to the pain we have suffered.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>We are called to help others to find Jesus in their storms of life.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal">“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future” (Jeremiah 29:11).</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal">God’s promises aren’t just for those who lived many, many years ago.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>They are for you and me.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>We have a choice.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Will we trust Him?<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Will we strain to hear His voice in the midst of our storms?</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">Speaker and writer Cheryl Fellores is passionate about helping others find Jesus.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>She and her husband Joey raise four children, ages 18 to 5, just outside of Charlotte, North Carolina.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Cheryl actively volunteers with a number of organizations including the Cove Church and In His Steps dance ministry. </i></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p>Renee Swopehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04258797591709109230noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2148595232839161897.post-89615549483544280192011-07-01T10:59:00.000-04:002011-07-27T11:02:12.840-04:00Lessons from a Momma Raccoon<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> <w:snaptogridincell/> <w:wraptextwithpunct/> <w:useasianbreakrules/> <w:dontgrowautofit/> </w:Compatibility> <w:browserlevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:latentstyles deflockedstate="false" latentstylecount="156"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;} </style> <![endif]--> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:center" align="center"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><br /></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:center" align="center">By Kelli Combs</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal">“Maybe one day you will have a daughter and will get a taste of your own medicine.”<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>These words from my mom, from many years ago, have echoed in my head recently.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>This is one of those times when I wish she had not been right.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>But, as it turns out, my mom was right most of the time.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal">Let’s just say I am now “there,” and one of my three children, who will remain unnamed, seems to be on a mission to challenge me daily.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>There is always that “one” who God uses to grow and stretch us.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>And my “one” just happens to be the most like me.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">Yes, Lord, I get the picture.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal">It had not been a good week.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>One afternoon, I was on my way home from work and was consumed with prayer, begging God to show me how to protect my daughter.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I’m so thankful He knows our kids even better than we do.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal">On this particular day I was specifically asking the Lord for wisdom as to how to love her through the struggles we currently found ourselves in.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>As I was driving, I noticed a small animal crossing the road ahead, so I began to slow my car down.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>As I eased closer, I was able to make out what the small, fuzzy figure was.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>It was the cutest little baby raccoon I have ever seen.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal">As I inched a little closer, the baby’s momma came out of nowhere and it was obvious that she was aware of my presence, which, for her baby, equaled danger.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>As she frantically looked from me to her little one, I could see the desperation in her eyes.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>What came next was so precious that I will never forget it.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal">This sweet little momma ran over and placed her body on top of her baby’s and gently tried to guide him off of the street and away from danger.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Everywhere her baby went, she went.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>This went on for about a minute, until it became apparent that her offspring had no intention of leaving the road.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>It was then that our momma raccoon decided it was time for a little more aggressive “Plan B.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal">Glancing nervously in my direction one last time, she picked her unassuming little rebel up by the neck and proceeded to carry him off the street and out of harm’s way.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I think I laughed out loud as I watched this little one flailing and fighting to break free.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I could tell it was a waste of energy because this resolved little momma wasn’t letting go until her child was a safe distance from danger.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I had to wonder what was going through his little raccoon mind as momma literally dragged him off the road.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal">As I watched the spectacle, it occurred to me that this was a beautiful and loving answer to my prayer.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I had prayed and asked the Lord if I was being too hard on my daughter.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>He faithfully gave me a real-life illustration in His response to my question.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal">What did I learn that day? There are times when we, as mothers, can gently lead our kids away from danger.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Then there are those times when we have to yank them up by the nape of the neck and literally drag them to safety.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Will there be times when they don’t understand and maybe even accuse us of not loving them?<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Will they often resist and accuse us of being mean? Yes, but it’s all worth it and it’s our job to make sure they don’t end up as road kill on the road of life.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal">Tears began to flow as I started to see myself as the baby raccoon, looking back on all the times that, just like that sweet momma raccoon, the Lord had to drag me, kicking and screaming, away from danger, all while I resisted and accused Him of being unfair.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I now see that He was showing me love as much then as He ever had in my life.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Sometimes a little tough love is in order, especially with us particularly stubborn children.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal">I drove away from that scene knowing I had been with Jesus.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I was fully aware that these raccoons had been sent on a mission by their Creator just for me.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>All I could do the rest of the way home was thank the Lord for being such a personal God.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I guess if He can speak through a donkey, He can surely speak through a raccoon.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>It’s one of the things I love most about Him. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal">Psalm 91:4 </p> <p class="MsoNormal">He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">Kelli Combs is married to her pastor, Michael, and they are the parents of three teenagers.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>She is the director of a ministry that helps women in the aftermath of abortion.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Her greatest passion is studying and teaching the Word of God and helping women to overcome the lies of the enemy regarding their pasts.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></i></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal"> </i></p>Renee Swopehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04258797591709109230noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2148595232839161897.post-835576283975244792011-07-01T10:56:00.000-04:002011-07-27T10:59:32.230-04:00Coping with Alcoholism: A Mother's Perspective<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> <w:snaptogridincell/> <w:wraptextwithpunct/> <w:useasianbreakrules/> <w:dontgrowautofit/> </w:Compatibility> <w:browserlevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:latentstyles deflockedstate="false" latentstylecount="156"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if !mso]><object classid="clsid:38481807-CA0E-42D2-BF39-B33AF135CC4D" id="ieooui"></object> <style> st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } </style> <![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;} </style> <![endif]--> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:center" align="center"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><br /></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:center" align="center">By: Debbie Karis Graham</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal">Dealing with my 25-year-old alcoholic son, Will, is a bit like a game of Candy Land.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Sometimes I feel like I am coping with his disease fine, and am close to reaching the Candy Castle. Other times I feel like I am stuck in the Molasses Swamp.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">The drinking hasn’t changed, but my reaction changes frequently.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>God has been the one constant in my life. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal">Alcoholism, like any other disease, has its ebbs and flows.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>On days when Will is not drinking, he is my fun-loving son, always armed with a joke.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Usually, they are directed toward 1960’s rock icons, as that seems to be the era of music on my radio dial.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>We banter back and forth about Keith Richards and his latest death defying incident and laugh until we are both in tears.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>At that moment, I feel as I have just picked the card that will take me up the Gum Drop Mountain Pass. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal">Then, there are those days when Will comes home from work bathed in the stench of beer, flops in a chair, and blankly stares at the television.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>He usually watches the History Channel and marvels at the lives of others, while his slowly slips away into the abyss of alcoholism.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>These nights, I reach for my Bible, and cry.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal">Sometimes I can’t even open it because I am in such emotional pain. I don’t believe there are words in there to help me through the night or even the next five minutes.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I hold the thick black book tightly to my chest and run my fingers along the indentation of the gold cross on the cover.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Then a sense of peace comes over me.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>God is there waiting.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal">We have traveled this road for three years and his drinking has taken its toll on every aspect of life, including my faith, my marriage, my job and my health.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Many sleepless nights have left me terribly unproductive at work and not the wife described in Proverbs.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I don’t “laugh at the days to come (Proverbs 31:25).”<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Instead, I fear them.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>When is the next call from the police saying, “We have your son in custody for drunken driving?”<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Or, I wait for an officer to knock on my door with the sad news, “I am sorry to tell you ma’am, but…”</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal">I have come to the harsh realization that I can not do anything about his drinking.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>A shopping trip to the mall, a favorite dinner, bribes (although I like to call it the incentive program), and even now AA has not and will not stop him until he chooses to change. But, I can do something about the way I respond to it.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal">I have decided to get serious about taking control over my own life and doing a spiritual inventory. I have often read, “If you can worry, you can pray.”<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Sometimes my prayers are scarcely nothing more than, “God, please help us.”<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>But, that is a start.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal">Lately, Psalm 91 comes to mind:<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>“He who dwells in the shelter of the Lord most high will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.”<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Rest.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I like the sound of that word.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>It evokes many good feelings.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Then a sense of peace comes over me.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>God is there waiting.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>All I have to do is draw the right card to get unstuck and I can proceed on my journey.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Maybe one day I’ll make it to the Candy Castle.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">Debbie Karis Graham is both a secular and Christian writer of personal essays, mainly for and about women.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>She has been published in newspapers throughout New Hampshire and also in the Washington Post.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Her goal is to raise awareness on personal topics that are sometimes otherwise not discussed and empower women who might be struggling with these issues.</i></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p>Renee Swopehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04258797591709109230noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2148595232839161897.post-23359145137658257262011-07-01T10:50:00.001-04:002011-07-27T10:56:08.442-04:00The Middle of a Miracle<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> <w:snaptogridincell/> <w:wraptextwithpunct/> <w:useasianbreakrules/> <w:dontgrowautofit/> </w:Compatibility> <w:browserlevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:latentstyles deflockedstate="false" latentstylecount="156"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;} </style> <![endif]--> <p class="MsoNormal">by Joy Brown</p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">“I’m sorry. You must have the wrong number.”<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I wish I could force those words out of my mouth.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>It’s the way I longed to respond to the voice on the other end of the phone.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>She must have dialed incorrectly.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>This call couldn’t possibly be for me.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>My name in the same sentence as “cancer” was inconceivable.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>This wasn’t part of my plan. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal">Months earlier I had found myself sitting with my family doctor as he explained some urgent and worrisome findings.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Still, my mind remained positive.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Yes, there was a mass on my left ovary, but it would be surgically removed and life would carry on.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>During this same time, a routine mammogram showed areas of concern and a biopsy was scheduled.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Suddenly my safe and quiet life was plunged into a whirlwind of appointments, hospital visits, ultrasounds and a world of unknowns.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Doctors and technicians whispered quietly in my presence, pointing at images on screens and using terms I didn’t understand.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal">My life is defined right now by instability.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>The wind is blowing.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>It's not a gentle wind that lifts wisps of hair and caresses my face.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>It's a billow, desiring to force me off my feet. A current from an area of high pressure air to an area of low pressure petitions to move joy to despair.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>A gale of doubt longs to bend my attitude and carry away all strength in its movement.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal">The big bad wolf is huffing and puffing and threatening to blow my house down.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Is my faith made of wood, hay, straw or brick?<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>As I watch the flag outside being whipped in the wind’s embrace, my life feels so beaten and defeated. How can one stand against such unrelenting power?</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal">A call to the surgeon's office brings winds of change.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Uncertainty collides with faith.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Test results return.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Surgery dates are changed.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">A violent storm of impending danger is on the horizon.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">I pray for the weather to change and the forecast to be kind.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Yet, there are whispers in the wind.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Whispers rise up to stay the blast of feelings and emotions which aspire to knock the life out of me and isolate me inside for fear of such flurry.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I'm carried away, not aimlessly, but deliberately.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Wind’s path has a purpose.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Contrary to appearances, there is direction in the seeming chaos.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>It is not an arbitrary impulse, but an intentional appointment.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal">Listening, I giggle and rub my ear from sounds as soft as a feather's touch.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Amidst the howling, God and I share a secret.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">He speaks tranquility in the turmoil.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">The wind shifts my focus and God keeps me occupied with gladness of heart (Ecclesiastes 5:20, NIV).</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal">With the wind, the seasons change.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Spring is budding growth.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>God is moving me to a new place and a deeper faith.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Although at times feeling forgotten and abandoned, God reminds me that He sees me. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal">He speaks words of encouragement from His Word.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>“I am your strength, joy, your personal bravery and invincible army. I make your feet like hind’s feet and will make you to walk [not stand still in terror, but to walk] and make [spiritual] progress upon your high places [of trouble, suffering, or responsibility]” (Habakkuk 3:19, amplified).</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal">I lose my breath as a rush of thankfulness lifts me off my feet and I am carried to heights not experienced prior, choosing to make that sacrifice from a tender heart.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">I let go.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Surrendering to soaring.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal">The letting go of what was to what is ahead has not been easy.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>As I write this, I am in a place of waiting.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I am standing in the middle.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>The middle of a miracle.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal">Waves crashing all around.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal">The sound of the wind whirling.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal">I'm standing in the middle of my miracle. My feet are planted in the center of my impossibility, but God's possibility.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal">Firmly planted? Not always. Waves of doubt, despair and discouragement threaten to drown my heart. I ask the Lord to fix my feet on the Solid Rock. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal">Leaning in, I listen to the swirling flow of nature’s energy. I have a loving, powerful God who can produce vineyards and fruit in places of wilderness. There is growth to be born and birthed in this current climate. He will come to me like the spring rain, bringing a downpour of peace and joy. Fear wants to leave the soil barren, but hope issues an invitation, whispering that God is creating a fresh faith in me, one whose season it is to bloom in the middle of a miracle.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal"><span style="color:#2A2A2A">Joy Brown is a homemaker who lives in Ontario, Canada with her husband Gord and 19 year old son, Chris. Having being diagnosed with ovarian cancer, she is now receiving chemotherapy treatment and is trusting God from the "middle of a miracle". She believes that God has purpose in allowing this "storm" to touch her life and refuses to settle in this season. Believing God, she's listening for His whispers. </span></i></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal"> </i></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p>Renee Swopehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04258797591709109230noreply@blogger.com0