WOW--Writing On the Word

The Empty Roll of Toilet Paper by Christy Fitzwater

2012-02-12T11:12:00.000-05:00

According to Wikipedia, in the 6th Century, the Chinese were the first to use toilet paper.

That was probably the beginning of the conflict about whether to replace the empty roll or leave it for the next guy.

I used the last of the toilet paper yesterday. I stared at the empty roll and wondered if anyone appreciates when I change it.

Do small acts of service have significance?

A few nights ago my husband and I grabbed oranges and sat down on the couch together. He got his peeled quickly and then unexpectedly handed it to me in trade for the unpeeled. It was like getting a box of chocolates from an admirer.

God came down to earth and took the form of a servant. In the Bible we read about Jesus’ great acts of service –forgiveness, healing, raising people from the dead. I know there wasn’t enough ink in the world to write it all down, but I wish we could read about the small acts.

Maybe, without being asked, Jesus cleaned up the tools at the end of a day of carpentry. Maybe He helped His mom carry a heavy basket of produce. Maybe He offered to get the firewood while the disciples rested.

Jesus said, “Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant.” (Matthew 20:26)

I wonder if that begins with changing the toilet paper roll.

About Christy Fitzwater:
"I am a nerdy book reader with an English degree and secondary teaching certificate. My cozy home is in Kalispell, Montana, where I enjoy serving the living God with my pastor husband and two teenagers." Read Christy's thoughts on her blog Tiddlywinks.

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I'm so thankful for God's guidance in servant-hood.

I Saw God Playing Tag in the Wind by Mollie Bond

2012-02-05T12:59:00.000-05:00

“I saw God playing tag in the wind through those trees.” My aunt said examining the photos of the Sequoia trees she saw during her last vacation at Yosemite. “I also saw God in those little purple flowers next to that tree, and just had to take a picture.”

Such tenderness next to such strength….

The strength these trees have is tremendous. The wind whips at speeds through the valley like an Indy car. Years and years of growth formed the massive trees to be so strong, so unyielding, so dignified. These trees are so old and large; a path runs through one large enough for those who built the hole to pass through…in their stagecoaches.

Then a miniature flower, full of vibrant color, posed next to the tree. Although small, the life it held spoke just as loudly to my aunt as the tree that shielded it from weather and other elements.

I can almost imagine the root system guarding the flower like a shepherd protects the littlest lamb in his flock.

“See, the Sovereign Lord comes with power, and his arm rules for him….He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; he gently leads those that have young” (Isaiah 40:10-11).

Isaiah shows two arms of God. One arm has justice and strong power. The other carries the lambs and holds them gently to his heart.

Although the trees majestically rule the scenery, the tender flower caught my aunt’s attention too. The tree offered strength and protection just as God does. The flower offered tenderness. God is strong, and he is tender.

Look for glimpses in your world of God’s strong power and perfect tenderness.

Mollie Bond is a writer whose articles have appeared in ChristianOnlineMagazine.com, GatheringTogether.com and ChangingZipCodes.com. After earning her MBA, she now lives in Illinois. See more of Mollie’s encouragement at molliebond.wordpress.com.

So thankful for God's messages in nature!

Discouraged?

2012-02-01T11:20:00.000-05:00

Dear WOW readers,

Are you discouraged?

Is someone you know discouraged?

Then check out these one-minute devotions from our sister site Bible Love Notes. They all deal with Biblical ways to handle discouragement. Best of all, each devotion only takes 60 seconds to read!

Encouragement for Discouragement!

Click the link above and you'll see a page with 14 ENCOURAGING devotions. You can scroll through them and read the ones you want!

And while you're on the Bible Love Notes site, why not subscribe? It's easy....It's free...and you'll receive a one-minute devotion (covering all areas of Christian life) in your email box each weekday.

Fashionable to the Very End! by Kim Jackson

2012-01-29T11:55:00.000-05:00

I didn’t mean to eavesdrop.

I just couldn’t help but overhear what they were saying. The three silver-haired ladies were at the dress rack next to the clearance items I was perusing. Their conversation began innocently.

“Oh Mildred, you would look good in this,” commented Lady Number One, as she held up a modest green dress. Lady Number Two agreed, “Oh my, yes.”

Mildred, who seemed to hold the trio’s seniority, responded, “Well, now, it’s interesting you’d say that. I already have a dress in that same style, only it’s blue.”

Ladies Number One and Two smiled and nodded in tandem. Mildred continued, “I’m going to be buried in it.”

I’ll admit it was at this point that I began to eavesdrop. And I’m glad I did. I would have hated to miss what came next.

“I’ll have to lose a little weight first,” Mildred concluded.

My brain desperately tried to comprehend what I’d just heard. Let me get it straight: this sweet little lady has to lose weight before she can die?

Now this is merely my humble opinion, but I think we’re getting into a weird area when you have to diet before you can die. Surely there’s a more simple solution: elastic, perhaps?

Still, there is something to be said for preparing to meet your Maker. The Bible gives great counsel in that regard, but as far as I can tell, none of it has to do with scales or fashion.

Unless you consider the believer’s pre-burial wardrobe, as outlined in Colossians 3:12-14: “Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.”

I don’t know if Mildred is still alive, or if her body has been laid to rest in her blue dress. What I do know is that each of us will one day be called into God’s glorious presence, where the perishable will be clothed with the imperishable (1 Corinthians 15:53, 54). Until that moment, we can choose to wear love.

And love always fits.

Read about Kim's exciting new ministry on the Lead Writers' Page.

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Thankful for God's love and eternal life!

When Life Stings by Martin Wiles

2012-01-22T09:04:00.000-05:00

It was a year I’d never forget and one that would change my future. Each sting was more painful and the reaction more severe.

Growing up, my cousin and I took pleasure in throwing clods of dirt at wasp nests. Though we plundered in old sheds and wandered through woods, I was never stung until I was a young adult.

Then came the year I was stung every time my brother and I hiked. With the exception of one occasion, I never saw the culprit; just felt the pain like a needle jabbed in my leg.

One incident finally sent me to the doctor. We were tent camping, and after breaking camp and heading up the trail, I soon felt a familiar jab on my calf.

Shortly thereafter, my hands began to tingle, my ears started ringing and my throat became lumpy. Fortunately, Benadryl and a more relaxed pace stymied the symptoms and allowed me to make it back to the car. The doctor prescribed an Epee Pen.

Life’s stings can be more painful than a wasp or bee.

In 2 Corinthians 6:5 Paul talks of “beatings, imprisonments and riots; in hard work, sleepless nights and hunger.”(NIV)

Paul certainly had his share: beatings, mobs, exhaustion, sleepless nights, shortage of food, jail, a shipwreck. Name the sting and he had probably felt the jab.

I’ve felt a few myself: betrayal, brokenness, depression, addiction, and financial hardship. Occasionally I only treated the symptoms and ignored the underlying causes. But sometimes I had enough sense to carry medicine and put on long pants.

Life’s stings are never enjoyable but it’s inevitable we’ll all face some. Some stings are self-initiated because we wore the wrong attire or forgot to take preventative medicine. But whether self inflicted or other-induced, God will either remove the consequences or carry us through them.

Paul’s stings matured rather than destroyed him and ours can too. The stings don’t mean God has left or is unconcerned, just that we live in a sinful world with consequences or that we need to correct a behavior or thought.

When the stings of life are intense, help us Lord to trust You for direction and comfort.

Read about Martin on the Lead Writers Page.

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Thankful for God's comfort when life stings!

15 Missed Calls by Laura Hodges Poole

2012-01-15T22:51:00.001-05:00

The answering machine’s red light flashed with seven messages. My eyes darted to the caller ID. Fifteen missed calls. My heart pounded as I scrolled through the caller ID to see who had called. Most of my siblings and my mom were accounted for. Every inch of my being knew there had been a death.

On this beautiful February morning in 2005, my son and I had gone to the park to enjoy the unseasonably warm weather. There couldn’t have been a more beautiful day, if we had orchestrated it ourselves. The birds sang, children laughed and played, and the wind blew gently around us. Still reveling in sunshine and fresh air, we arrived home to this.

My hand shook as I dialed numbers and listened to the answering machine at the same time. Cryptic messages from voices deliberately calm asked me to return their call. When I got hold of my younger sister, she delivered the news I’d dreaded receiving for the last twenty years. My older sister Michelle had taken her life.

Michelle had battled mental illness all of her adult life with varying diagnoses. The labels which seemed to stick were schizophrenia and major depression. She had survived many suicide attempts but not this day.

“Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death…you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.” Psalm 23:4

Words can’t describe the valley I walked through during Michelle’s funeral and for months afterwards. The only thing that got me through was God’s hand directing me. Though the rod and shepherd’s staff represent power, they also symbolize comfort and guidance. The most important word in Ps. 23:4 is “through,” because with God’s help, I got through the valley.

I can testify to the fact that God’s comfort guided me through this very dark period in my life.

Life is never the same after tragedy, but growth comes from it. Warm, sunny days in February bring back dark feelings, but the empathy God instilled in me for those suffering grew after my sister’s death. Because of trials, we are able to relate to others on a deeper level.

What valley are you walking in today? God’s hand comforts even through the darkest of times.

Laura lives in SC. She has written for Reach Out Columbia, Evangel, and Christian Home and School. She co-wrote the book, Laurie’s Story: Discovering Joy in Adversity. Visit her blog, “A Word of Encouragement.”

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Thankful for the comfort of God!

Kill Them! By Karen Wingate

2012-01-07T23:23:00.002-05:00

Mincaye lived his life by simple rules. If someone does something you don't like—something that you can't ignore—kill him.

While you’re at it, kill as many of his family as you can before they retaliate and kill you. His was a culture of death. His society, the Wodani Indians of Ecuador, were slowly killing themselves into extinction.

When five missionaries landed their Piper airplane on a sandbar near the Amazon river, Mincaye was filled with hate. He and his fellow tribesmen speared the five missionaries to death.

When Rachel Saint, sister of one martyred missionary and Elisabeth Elliot, the wife of another returned to tell Mincaye’s tribe about the Love of God, he threatened to kill them. Then one night, Mincaye sat beside Rachel Saint's hammock and asked her if her God was strong enough to clean anyone's heart.

He walked away, a changed man!

God is in the business of transformation.

Whether you are looking for a complete life overhaul or some fine-tuning of an entrenched behavior, the Bible gives us four prayers we can pray:

1. Search me. We cannot change unless we know what needs to be changed. The first step in praying for spiritual growth is to ask God to show us how our life needs to change. (Psalm 139:23,24)

2. Change my heart. We're all guilty of "stinkin thinkin,” skewed perceptions and misguided worldviews. As we face who we are in light of who God is, we realize just how far from God we are. We cling to what we've been taught, the way we were raised. God can soften our hearts and change our attitudes - if we just ask (Psalm 51:10).

3. Teach me Your ways. This prayer admits we don’t know all the answers and we are willing to learn to live life God’s way instead of our own way. God is able to show us not just what we need to change but how to go about doing it (Psalm 25:5,143:8).

4. Use me. Guilt over sin is often accompanied by discouragement and feelings of unworthiness. In his prayer of repentance in Psalm 51, David asked God to restore to him the joy of his salvation . . . "Then I will teach transgressors Your ways (Psalm 51:12)." God's kingdom is made up of broken people. He shines through the cracks of our lives so others will see His glorious transformational power.

Surrender - that’s the common thread behind each of these tough prayers. Change will happen when I allow God to take control and reshape me as He sees fit, then to use me in His Kingdom according to His perfect plan. Only then will I experience the thrill of God's brand of transformation.

"Melt me, mold me, fill me, use me. Spirit of the Living God; fall fresh on me."

Karen Wingate is a frelance writer and minister's wife from western Illinois. She writes a weekly Children's Ministry blog called Inside the Classroom, Reflections as a parent, teacher, and curriculum writer; and what the children, in turn, have taught me.

Click any of the Scripture verses in parenthesis to read them online.

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Trying To Live Whole In a Broken World by Lori Hatcher

2012-01-01T23:49:00.002-05:00

Do you ever feel like you are the only one who is trying to live godly in an ungodly world?

When you look around at the world and the values it embraces, do you feel lonely? Discouraged? Weary?

When you see the images on the news of war, murder, and perversion, does it make you sad? When you turn on network television and see what millions of people choose to fill their minds with, does it break your heart?

Do you wonder if it even matters to God that you are trying to serve Him, love Him, and influence others to walk in His ways? When you hear yet another tragic story about a Christian who has fallen, do you wonder if it's just a matter of time before Satan gets you too?

I wonder if Noah felt this way. Genesis 6 says that in the days of Noah, "The earth was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence." Yet Noah "walked with God."

Genesis 6 gives me hope when I feel like I am the only one trying to live godly in an ungodly world.

But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord" in the midst of millions of people who were living as if there was no God, God saw Noah. Not only did He see him, but He noticed that Noah was doing his best to walk with Him, to honor Him, and to live His life to please Him. And God cared.

"And Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord." It gives me hope that the God who bestowed grace on Noah will also bestow grace on me. And on you.

"Be not weary in well doing, for you will reap a harvest if you do not faint." (Galatians 6:9)

As we begin this new year, we are closer than ever to our Lord’s return. Knowing that God will reward His children with the words, “Well done, good and faithful servant,” I encourage you not to be weary in doing good, knowing that you will reap a harvest if you do not faint.

Read about Lori and her new book on our Lead Writers' Page.

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Gifts From Beyond the Grave by Kim Jackson

2011-12-25T01:00:00.019-05:00

“Mrs. Doris R. Jackson has presented you with a gift subscription to Reader’s Digest, with season’s greetings.”

I slowly reread the words on the card. I was surprised, to say the least. Mrs. Doris R. Jackson, my mother, has called heaven her home since July 22, 1999. So my first reaction to this strange correspondence was a tinge of sadness. I’ll always miss my mom, and Christmas-time seems to magnify her absence.

But when I started thinking about the absurdity of receiving a gift from a deceased relative, my imagination began to roam. It landed in a pretend conversation with my mom, the lady who can order Christmas presents from beyond the grave.

“Wow, Mom, I can truthfully say, ‘You shouldn’t have! How did you pay for it? Did you sneak a credit card up there?”

“So, Mom, can I expect a birthday present too?”

“And about the thank-you card that was enclosed for my convenience…how should I address that, do you think? Is ‘Mansion Street’ specific enough?”

“Not to be ungrateful, but really, Mom! You live on streets of gold and all I get is a lousy magazine subscription?”

By the time my imaginary discussion ended, my sadness had turned to smiles. It’s not every day you get a gift from Heaven, after all.

Or is it?

On December 25th, we honor the greatest gift of all, a shocking revelation in its own right: a teenager gives birth to God; our Savior arrives as a baby.

“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given…and he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6).

The baby grows, and as a man, the Son of God gives his life for the likes of us.

“For God so greatly loved and dearly prized the world that he gave up his only son, so that we who believe in him shall not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16).

At great expense, Jesus Christ made this saving grace a free gift, available every day, 24/7. In fact, all good gifts have his fingerprints on them.

“Every good gift and every perfect present comes from heaven; coming down from God…” (James 1:17).

I’ll never know what computer glitch caused Reader’s Digest to send me that startling gift card. But what I do know is that Jesus Christ, whose birth we celebrate at Christmas, is constantly sending us gifts from beyond the grave.

So “Merry Christmas,” indeed, but perhaps the better phrase is, “Happy Day After Christmas, and day after, and day after…”

To read more about Kim and her ministry to homeless seniors in Romania, click HERE. To subscribe to WOW and receive devotions in your email box each Sunday, enter your email address below:

Christmas Stress, Tension...Peace, Relief by Marilyn Nutter

2011-12-18T01:00:00.007-05:00

As Diana set her coffee mug on the table, she sighed, “I just can’t do it.”

“Do what?” I answered.

“I just can’t get everything done. I’m stretched to the max. Actually, at this point I’d like to take down the Christmas tree.”

“It’s December 20!” I said incredulously.

“I know, but I still have lots of baking and shopping to do; then there is a school concert and an open house on the calendar. I’ve decided I won’t have time for our Christmas letter. Maybe I’ll write it after the New Year. Joey’s gift is on backorder. I feel like I am letting everyone down.”

Conversations like that are heard among friends and in households across the country. Perhaps you recently had one. Tensions rise, expectations are deflated and the holiday season becomes one of stress rather than joy.

What expectations have caused you stress?

Not seeing some of the family during the holidays?
A limited budget for shopping?
Unanswered prayers?
A broken relationship that continues to be unreconciled?
Job interviews that lead nowhere?
Hoping that tomorrow will be different?

Jesus did not promise us smooth sailing but He did offer us peace for journey.

In fact, he bequeathed it to us. In John 14:27 He tells us, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”

Yes, we have expectations and disappointments. We have stress and questions.

Jesus invites us to exchange those for His peace. Our situations may not change, but our outlook can. The Peace-Giver walks with us and His peace becomes ours. Can you pray today and ask for His peace? You can expect an answer because He has already given it.

Read about Marilyn and her devotional books on the Lead Writers' page.

Is There An Empty Chair at Your Table This Year? by Lori Hatcher

2011-12-11T01:00:00.003-05:00

At my Christmas table this year, there will be three empty chairs.

In the past two years I have lost a brother-in-law, a sister-in-law, and a sister. All three professed Christ as their Savior, and there is great comfort in that. As Mary said to Jesus after the death of her brother, Lazarus, "I know he will rise again in the resurrection."

But it still hurts.

I can still hear my sister-in-law Kay's classic "Bummer!" ringing in my ears when things don't go my way.

My brother-in-law Luther's traditional dry humor resonates in my memory. Whenever I would ask him how he liked a particular dish, he would say it "tastes like chicken."

And the sharing of leftovers is not quite as satisfying without my sister, Cindy, making the rounds of the buffet table with her red heart plate.

Many of you may be staring at similar empty chairs around your holiday table. You may also have similar quirky memories of times you took for granted with your loved ones, assuming that they'd always be with you.

Yesterday I read the account of the death of Lazarus. His two sisters were heartbroken. "Lord," they both said to him, "if you had been here, this would not have happened." Sometimes we feel that way too, that God must have been somewhere else the day our loved ones died.

This holiday season, if you are missing someone who has died, take comfort from the words of John 11:5, "Jesus loved Martha, and her sister, and Lazarus." Because I we know Christ loves us just as He loved Martha, Mary, and Lazarus, we can feel comfort.

While Jesus's love doesn't return our precious family members to us, it sure brings a whole lot of comfort when we miss them. Their deaths weren't random acts of cruelty from the hand of an uncaring god. Their deaths, like Lazarus', were allowed to give us a chance to glorify Him, even in our sadness.

Especially in our sadness.

Then Jesus heard of Lazarus' sickness, He said, ". . . it is for God's glory, so that God's Son may be glorified through it" (John 11:4).

Take comfort this holiday season. God loves you very much. And remember that one Christmas long ago, God loved us so much that He had an empty seat at His house on Christmas day.

"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life" (John 3:16).

Read more about Lori and her new book on the Lead Writers' Page. To subscribe to WOW and receive devotions in your email box each Sunday, enter your email address below:

"12-13-14-15" by Lois Handy

2011-12-05T16:51:00.001-05:00

December shopping is the extended excitement of not having a clue what I’m looking for!

It’s scanning the aisles, noticing something that is utterly perfect for a particular person, checking the price, gasping aloud that I’ve scored a sale, and then patting myself on the back for a shop well done!

“Shop, Score, Pat” charges my batteries to pinball onward in a Family Circus kind of way.

Time at TJ Maxx, Ross, and Marshalls gets my juices jingling! To me, these stores are reminiscent of the now defunct Filene’s Basement where thousands of wide eyed shoppers once raced to discover treasures unknown. Admittedly, I’m unsure if the joy is in the anticipation of plucking that perfect present at savvy savings or if it is merely the convergence of over-heated bodies levitating over sale tables.

Some years ago, Cabbage Patch dolls were in huge demand. It came down to the wire just before Christmas, and all I could envision were two weepy little girls at our house on Christmas morning without their #1 requested gift from Santa.

Alas, a notice appeared in the paper that Service Merchandise had received a shipment of dolls. They were poised to open at 7 a.m. My husband, a friend, and I schemed our doll attack, and within two seconds of the doors opening, our gleesome threesome was bobbing up for air from the smothering smoldering crowd of eager shoppers.

Arms waved Cabbage Patch dolls above heads screaming, “How about Milton Louis? Josephine Caffery?” Exhausted and relieved, I nodded approval to two selections, as the tsunami of shoppers receded.

Yet pressure to snag a sale or snitch the perfect doll catches me completely off track. I’m ashamed that I get so greedy that I even snare others into my web.

Luke 12:13-15 teaches me to “watch out and be on guard against all greed because one’s life is not in the abundance of his possessions.”

Those last two words are not about His possessions; it’s my possessions we’re talking about! Greed is destructive and contagious so I must guard against it because its innocence can lead to ever more dangerous behaviors.

In other words, by recalling 12: 13, 14, 15, I have a shield against temptation.

I need to give up the gift quest and translate my energy to a God honoring project, finding my satisfaction in fulfilling His intentions for me. Additionally, I must lasso the charge of vaulting over crowds of people and invest that energy in others emotionally, caring about that result far more than the momentary high of conquering the mall.

Every time I have a greedy urge, I’m just going to count: 12, 13, 14, 15.

Luke makes it so simple! I’m going to turn my fortitude to filling boxes for Samaritan’s Purse, sending a gift check to the Retinitis Pigmentosa Foundation, and volunteering with youth. I think this December I’ll even surprise myself by taking a more active role in feeding the hungry, and I’ll add intentional calmer introspective moments with Him.

Lois is a retired schoolteacher who loved her 31 years in the classroom. She and her husband Dave and have two married daughters, and love to show pictures of their first “grand,” Lilly B. Phil. 4:19

Scraps on the Floor by Lori Hatcher

2011-11-27T01:00:00.002-05:00

Digital Photos/Carlos Porto

As I marveled at the rows of ladies sewing busily at their machines, I noticed an elderly woman dressed in Amish garb moving quietly among the sewing machines.

While I watched, she traveled from one work station to the next with a broom and a dustpan, sweeping up the small scraps of fabric the ladies had discarded as they cut out their patterns.

I was touring a small textile business in Lancaster that made handcrafted Pennsylvania Dutch items, and I was intrigued by this scrap lady so I asked what she was doing.

“Oh, she’s been doing that for years,” the supervisor answered. “She came in one day and asked me what we did with the leftover scraps of fabric. When I told her we threw them away, she asked if she could have them.”

“What does she do with a bunch of useless scraps?” I asked.

“Believe it or not, she uses them to make quilts,” the supervisor explained and then led the way to an office area to show me one of the intricately designed quilts on display.

“Who would have thought,” I marveled, “that something so beautiful could come from leftovers you threw away?”

Ruth Myers, in her book Thirty-one Days of Praise, says to the Lord, “With You, nothing is accidental, nothing is incidental, and no experience is wasted . . . every trial that You allow to happen is a platform on which You reveal Yourself, showing Your love and power, both to me and to others looking on.”

What a comfort to know that God uses the “leftovers” of our lives. All the mistakes, all the failures, all the hurts and all the pain that we would rather throw away, are raw materials in His hands. Like the little Amish lady, God moves quietly among the events of our lives gathering up the pieces, fully able to link them together into a beautiful tapestry of grace.

“And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, who are the called according to His purpose.” (Romans 8:28)

Today, will you join Ruth Myers and me in saying to the Lord, “I praise you for Your sovereignty over the broad events of my life and over the details?” Let’s trust Him together to make something beautiful out of the events of our lives that we would rather throw away.

Read Lori's bio, find out about her new book and her blog on the Lead Writers' Page and if you are interested in the empty nest stage of life, don't miss Lori's latest Book Review.

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I Don't Love You, God, Because You Don't Give Me What I Want by Gail Purath

2011-11-24T03:19:00.045-05:00

We were on furlough from Budapest, and my first granddaughter Emma was about 3 years old. Because I saw her so rarely, I couldn’t resist buying her little presents whenever we went out.

One evening Emma went to the grocery store with me, and she started asking me to buy her things. But since it was close to supper, I kept saying 'no.'

Finally, she looked up at me and said, “I don’t love you, Grammy, cause you won’t buy me anything.”

I bent down to her level, looked her in the eye, and said, “Emma, Grammy always loves you, no matter what.”

Emma was silent for the next few aisles. Then she tugged on my hand and said, “I love you too, Grammy.”

This is sometimes a picture of my relationship with God.

Sometimes I’m like a child who doesn’t know what’s best for her. I fail to grasp the truth that everything God gives and everything He withholds is motivated by His deep love for me and His wisdom and knowledge of the big picture of my life.

Today (Thanksgiving) is a holiday started by a group of people who had experienced religious persecution, death of close family members, lack of food, and many other hardships, yet they recognized they served a generous God! And they set aside a day to honor and thank Him.

Let's take time today to thank God for His many blessings. And let's thank Him for the things He withholds from us as well. But most of all, let's thank Him for bending down to tell us He loves us, no matter what.

Let's make Thanksgiving a time to tug God's hand and tell Him that we also love Him, no matter what.
" Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus." 1 Thessalonians 5:18 (NLT)

Gail authors Bible Love Notes, a site devoted to one-minute devotions for women.
to see the site click HERE. To subscribe, click HERE. Read Gail's Bio here.

I'm Directionally Challenged by Marilyn Nutter

2011-11-20T01:00:00.004-05:00

“Aunt Marilyn, I prayed for you the whole time you were gone. I hope that you didn’t rent a car and drive by yourself.”

I laughed when I read my niece’s e-mail to me. She knows me well. I am directionally challenged and I get lost easily.

While accompanying my husband on a business trip to Switzerland, I was free to explore on my own while he was in meetings. My niece prayed that I wouldn’t get lost.

I didn’t rent a car, but asked the hotel desk clerk for suggestions and walked my marked path on a map. I enjoyed the sites and stopped at a quaint restaurant for quiche and coffee.

At one point, I realized that I had gone in a circle. My feet ached. I prayed. I asked people for help and worked through a language barrier.

When all was said and done, I had to trust God to get me where I needed to go.

In Psalm 25: 4-5, King David asks for direction when he prays, “Show me your ways, O Lord, teach me your paths; guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long.”

He sought direction on how to travel. He knew his weaknesses. Pleading for guidance and direction, David wanted God to teach him so that his paths would be the right ones, not costly mistakes. He placed his hope and trust in God.

You and I may not be in a foreign country, but every day we can intentionally ask for direction as we make our plans, and look for help as we move along. We can trust God every step of the way, even in the unfamiliar and when we feel lost. When His truth guides our paths, we can walk safely and head in the right direction.

Read Marilyn's bio on the Lead Writers' Page.

Helpless, Homeless, Jobless...

2011-11-16T16:12:00.004-05:00

Imagine working hard all of your life but ending up with a pension so small you have to sleep on the streets and beg for food.

Such is the plight of many seniors in former-Communist Romania.

Now imagine being a single woman over 50 in Charlotte, NC and having your job eliminated with no employment prospects or financial resources.

Such was the plight of Kim Jackson.

How could these two difficult stories converge into one story of hope? To understand, you need to know more about Kim.

To read the rest of Kim's story and see the grateful faces of the formerly-homeless elder orphans, many of whom were confined to bed before Kim's ministry, click here:
Kim Jackson and Charlotte Friends Help Homeless Grandparents

Book Review--Empty Nest

2011-11-12T22:21:00.001-05:00

Barbara & Susan’s Guide to the Empty Nest

Discovering New Purpose, Passion, and Your Next Great Adventure

by Barbara Rainey & Susan Yates

Reviewed by Lori Hatcher

In an empty nest:

You dust more than you clean.
You throw away leftovers instead of never having enough.
You turn the radio on for noise instead of turning it down for quiet.
You still buy a gallon of milk at a time, but find yourself giving half to the neighbors before it spoils.
You frequent Facebook to see glimpses of your college student instead of telling her that she shouldn't spend so much times posting pictures.
You pray more than you work, although prayer is the hardest work of all.

It is a different season of life. Not all good, not all bad, just different.

I recently read Barbara and Susan's Guide to the Empty Nest -- Discovering New Purpose, Passion, and Your Next Great Adventure. Co-authors Barbara Rainey (Family Life Today), and Susan Yates, mother of five, come alongside readers in empathy and identification with the realities of the empty nest.

What I appreciated about this book is that although they spoke candidly from their own lives about the sad emotions that often come with launching their children out of their homes and into adult lives, they also shared the other side of the coin. Empty nest time can be a time of great personal growth, opportunity, and adventure.

While I miss my young adult daughters' presence in my home greatly, I am also enjoying some freedoms of the pre-parenting years:

spending uninterrupted time with my husband
buying a tub of ice cream one day and knowing it will still be there the next day
receiving the phone calls from my girls sharing the big things and the small
more time to write, and think, and pray

I have absolutely loved being a mother of young children and of young adults. Each season of life holds great potential, joy, and adventure if we seek God's face every day.

Guide to the Empty Nest will comfort, encourage, and challenge you to give your empty nest years to the Lord and watch what He will do.

Other Book Reviews:
Promises to Keep by Ann Tatlock
Finding the Groove by Robert Gelinas
Untamed by Lisa Harper
Same Kind of Different As Me by Denver Moore and Ron Hall

Movie Review:
The Grace Card

He Sacrificed His Leg by Gail Purath

2011-11-11T01:00:00.002-05:00

"Would you mind carrying my food tray?” the young soldier asked me.

We were in the cafeteria at Walter Reed Military Hospital, and this young soldier needed my help because he only had one leg.

That same morning my husband and I had seen a score of others like him, young soldiers in their twenties recovering from amputations and other serious war injuries. It’s easy to forget about the war in Iraq until we're faced with people who will carry its scars the rest of their lives.

Being the wife of a career soldier for 22 years, I was forced from time to time to consider the costs of military service.
When we lived in Germany 25 years ago:

I knew that at a minute’s’ notice I could be whisked onto an evacuation plane while my husband fought the very real Communist threat across the border.
I also realized that plane might not make it out of Germany.
My husband Michael spent four months every year training away from home, often missing birthdays and holidays. When home, he worked 60 hours a week.
Frequently the phone rang in the middle of the night, and Michael hurried onto post for an alert not knowing until he arrived if the threat was real.
Our presence brought hatred from some groups. I once had to answer our seven year-old son’s worried questions about anti-American bomb threats in our housing area.
Phone rates at that time were prohibitive, and there was no email to connect us to our loved ones in the U.S.

I sometimes questioned whether those sacrifices were worth it.

But they were so very insignificant compared to the price paid by this young soldier who asked us to carry his tray that day at Walter Reed.

I’m not sure how I feel about the war in Iraq; but I know how I feel about men and women who are willing to fight for a cause in which they believe. And I’m challenged by their example.

What sacrifices am I willing to make for the Kingdom of God?
What price am I willing to pay for the One who paid the ultimate price for me?

I will probably never be asked to die for Christ or give up my arm or leg in His service, but will I be faithful when I’m asked to make easier sacrifices?

“Endure hardship with us like a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No one serving as a soldier gets involved in civilian affairs—he wants to please his commanding officer.” 2 Tim. 2:3,4

Read Gail's bio on WOW Lead Writers page.
For another Veteren's Day Thought by Gail, see: Freedom to Love Our Enemies (this will only take you one minute to read).

Are You Saving That Seat? by Kim Jackson

2011-11-06T01:00:00.004-04:00

It was my first Sunday in a new city. I arrived early at the church that had been recommended.

Sitting by myself waiting for the service to begin, I noticed a woman and her family coming down my row. She looked at the empty seat next to me and asked “Are you saving that for your husband?”

The sarcastic side of me wanted to quip, “Yes, but it may be a while,” but since I’m not married, I simply smiled and said, “No.”

Without a word, she and her family sat down.

At one point, all visitors were asked to stand. At nearly 6 feet tall and wearing a neon green outfit, I was hard to miss.

After the benediction, friends gathered while I stood by myself. I could have crashed one of their holy huddles, but since I was the guest, I decided to wait for someone to greet me.

It never happened. I left and went home to eat lunch by myself.

What’s wrong with this picture?
Everything.

Unfortunately, I’ve had many opportunities to feel unwelcome, or at the very least, invisible, when visiting churches. Consequently, I make it a point to look for visitors in my church.

Here’s what I’m learning:

Pray for the visitors you hope to meet.
Get to church before the visitors do.
Be on the lookout. Some guests are easy to spot. Ask the Holy Spirit to direct you to the ones who are not.
If you don’t know guests from members, say, “I don’t think I’ve met you. Hi, I’m _______.”
If guests are already seated, sit with them. If not, invite them to sit with you.
Consider saying, “If you don’t have plans for lunch, we’ll be at Sonny’s BBQ at 11:30.”
If appropriate, get their contact information.
Say, “I’ll look for you next week.”
Think. I once asked a greeter for directions to the restroom. She obliged with no further comment. Tipoff: if someone doesn’t know the way to the bathroom, you’ve got a guest on your hands.
Don’t be exclusive. Know when to visit with friends and when to look for new ones who might be disguised as guests.

It’s interesting that I received a warmer welcome at the local Toastmaster’s Club than I have at many churches. Why? If I could boil all the reasons down to one, I think it would be this: they enthusiastically expect guests.

Obviously, there’s a lot more at stake when guests walk through the doors of a church. What if in my opening story, I had been someone who woke up Sunday morning after a sin-filled Saturday night, thinking, “I’ve got to get my life together. Maybe I’ll go to that church on the corner….God’s people are rumored to gather there”…?

"So reach out and welcome one another to God's glory.

Jesus did it; now you do it!"

Romans 15:7, The Message

Recently Kim Jackson has been greeting new friends in Romania through Elder Orphan Care. Read about Kim on the Lead Writer's page.

A President's Gentle Love by Karen Wingate

2011-10-29T12:00:00.001-04:00

Free use photo from Hub Pages

Michelle Obama has an active role as First Lady of the United States, yet not all First Ladies have been healthy enough to support their husbands in their work as President.

Ida McKinley, wife of President William McKinley (1897-1901), suffered multiple health issues including frequent seizures. William adored his wife and, in spite of his many responsibilities as governor of Ohio and later, as the United States President tailored his schedule so he could stay close to his semi-invalid wife.”

Every afternoon, at three o'clock, McKinley stood at his office window and waved a handkerchief at the governor's mansion window across the narrow street. He would not leave his post until he saw his frail wife wave back. It was their special signal to each other.

When William campaigned for the Presidency, he did not want to leave Ida alone as he campaigned, so he chose ways to campaign that would keep him close to home. He was the first presidential candidate to use printed brochures that outlined what he stood for. He was famous for his "Front Porch" speeches that newspapers across the country reprinted.

Ida’s risk of epileptic seizures didn't keep the couple from attending state dinners or other public functions. If a seizure hit, McKinley calmly diverted his guests’ attention away from Ida. In an era when epilepsy was easily misunderstood, McKinley courageously demonstrated gentleness and respect toward his wife when he could have so easily hid her from public view.

McKinley valued the person behind the pain. Ida's dignity was as important to him as her physical needs. Instead of ridiculing or criticizing what we don’t understand, Christians can shine brightly like stars in the heavens by portraying the biblical trait of gentleness.

Paul told his readers in Philippians 4:5,

"Let your gentleness be evident to all.”

Gentleness means that as I realize who I am before God, I treat others with mercy and consideration rather than thinking first of my own agenda or treating them as I think they deserve. Gentleness minimizes the faults of others and puts their needs before my own needs.

Like President McKinley’s treatment of his wife, gentleness goes beyond care of physical needs. It treats the weak with dignity and respect, valuing them for who they are in God's sight rather than for what they can or cannot do.

Who in your life needs an extra dose of gentleness and mercy today?

Karen Wingate writes regularly for the Lookout, Christian Standard, and Clubhouse magazines. She also writes a Children’s ministry blog Inside the Classroom. She and her husband, Jack serve a church in Roseville, Illinois.

Completely Corrected by Martin Wiles

2011-10-23T01:00:00.011-04:00

My first experience with typing was in high school on a manual typewriter. Learning the letters and numbers was important because correction was a chore. Liquid paper sat nearby. Mistakes were pasted and blown until dry, and trying to return the carriage to the same space was a challenge.

In my second year of typing I used an electric typewriter. With the press of a key, the carriage would advance to the next line. Correction was easier because correction paper was available. No mess and no blowing, but still the ordeal of returning to the same space.

By the time I attended college, electric typewriters had improved. No more liquid paper or correction paper. Now there was correction ribbon. With the push of a button mistakes could be obliterated. But still no method for rearranging text.

God performed a miracle when the computer became available and affordable for the average person. I soon purchased one. No more return handle or button. And mistakes? No problem. Backspace or delete keys removed my errors. Need to rearrange text? Not an issue either. Highlight, cut and paste. And if I accidentally deleted something, the undo button retrieved it.

God performed an even greater miracle at Calvary and the results are still flowing. He placed the sins of the world on his Son. When I ask forgiveness for my sins, God presses the delete button and all my sins-past, present and future are forgiven. I am no longer under condemnation. And he does this for all who ask. Everyone has a past, but in Christ the past is the past and we can leave it there. We may be a product of it but we never have to be a prisoner.

Colossians 3:3 For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. (NIV)

But the news gets better. God will never click the undo button. Once forgiven, we are always forgiven. He will never take away what he has freely given. Our sin problem has been completely corrected. Are you still trying to delete what only God can?

Thank You Lord Jesus for Your gift of love on Calvary and for the forgiveness You freely give to those who ask.

Read about Martin W. Wiles, his books and his ministry on WOW Lead Writers page.

How To Amaze God by Lori Hatcher

2011-10-15T15:25:00.001-04:00

"You are AMAZING!"
It’s wonderful to hear these words from friends or family. How much MORE exciting would it be to hear these words from God? According to the New Testament, there are two ways we can amaze God.

1. The first way to amaze God is to doubt him.

In Mark 6, Jesus was teaching and preaching in his hometown. The people were impressed by his teaching and curious about His miracles, but they were offended to think that this man who had grown up among them wanted to be Lord over their lives.

"He could not do any miracles there, except lay his hands on a few sick people and heal them."

"And He was amazed at their lack of faith."

I wonder how many times I amaze God this way.

How many times do I read His promises, hear His Word preached, see His hand in my life and in the lives of others, and continue to doubt and disbelieve?
How often do I take offense at God when He instructs me to surrender a stronghold in my life?
How often do I hold something tightly in my fist, not allowing God to take it out, failing to realize that clenching my fist also prevents Him from putting anything in it?

Is God amazed at my lack of faith?

2. The second way to amaze God is to believe Him.

Luke 7 tells of a Roman centurion whose beloved servant was sick. Perhaps he had heard Jesus preach, for the Bible says he loved the Jewish nation and had given money to help build a synagogue. When he heard Jesus was in town, he sent elders to ask Jesus to heal his servant.

Jesus, started toward his home, but the centurion sent him these words: 'Lord, do not trouble Yourself, for I am not worthy that You should enter under my roof. Therefore I did not even think myself worthy to come to You. But say the word, and my servant will be healed.'"

"And Jesus was amazed at him, and turning to the crowd following Him, He said, 'I tell you, I have not found such great faith even in Israel.'”

I wonder how many times I amaze God this way?

How many times do I read His promises, hear His Word preached, see His hand in my life and in the lives of others, and choose to trust and believe?
How often do I quickly and willingly obey when He instructs me to surrender a stronghold in my life?
How often do I hold something loosely in my hands, trusting Him to remove anything I do not need and replace it with every good and perfect gift?

Is God amazed at my faith?

I want to amaze God with my faith. Let's be AMAZING together!

Read about Lori Hatcher, her upcoming book and her ministry on WOW Lead Writers page.

Jimmy's Marbles by Judy Furnish

2011-10-08T13:59:00.002-04:00

My third graders were just settling into their desks after recess that day when I heard a noise and then many noises near Jimmy's desk. His bag of marbles had fallen out of the shelf scattering across the floor. I responded in irritation and correction, the way I always responded to Jimmy.

"Why didn't you tie that bag up securely? Now we have a mess." His little chubby cheeks looked scarlet and everyone looked at him. Some jumped to the floor and began crawling around with him retrieving the marbles, and I waited.

Then I sensed the Lord asking me why I responded to Jimmy this way. Had Sean or Travis, two of my other students, done the same thing, I would have been more patient and used a softer tone of voice. But it was Jimmy.

What had he ever done that caused me to see him with a more critical spirit? He was overweight, messy and not a very good student. But I had other children to whom that same description could apply and I responded to them with more grace and more charity. For a reason I could not explain, I had never found Jimmy likeable and it was apparent in how I treated him.

At that moment I began to ask God to change my heart and to replace my contempt for Jimmy with love. I wanted to see him through God’s eyes, not through the negative lenses I’d been wearing. He continued to be messy and undisciplined. But I truly began to love him, and as I did, I noticed that my responses to him changed. At the end of the year his mother sat across from my desk,

"I want you to know that this was the first year Jimmy loved school. You are the first teacher who has really cared about him and he knows it. He really loves you and your class."

It has been nearly 40 years since that day. And even now I find myself getting weepy at the thought of how I treated that little boy until the Lord confronted me with my sin. It was God who loved Jimmy through me. I don't recall by name most of the students I have had over the years. But I remember Jimmy. I wish I knew what became of him. For he changed me and showed me the heart of the Father.

Sadly, it is a lesson I continue to have to learn. There are other Jimmys in my life, those whom I view more critically and contemptuously than I do others. God continues to confront me and I continue to yield. And I expect that there are probably people to whom I am a Jimmy. Jesus came for all the Jimmys in the world. For while we were yet sinners, He died for us. For our sins, for our contempt for others and even for when we lose our marbles...all over the floor.

Judy Furnish is a wife, mother and a grandmother of seven. She has taught public school, home-schooled, and currently teaches history and journalism at Covenant Life School in Gaithersburg, Maryland. (She is also WOW manager Gail Purath's sister.)

Sweet Aromas by Marilyn Nutter

2011-10-02T01:00:00.020-04:00

As I entered Mary’s house, the aroma filled my senses.

“Hmm, I can’t figure out if you’re baking a cake or burning candles.” I said smiling. I took in another breath and silently hoped it was the cake. After all, Mary had invited me to share a cup of tea with her that morning and she usually served muffins or coffeecake.

“Neither,” Mary said with a smile. “I just poured some new potpourri into a container.

“It smells wonderful and makes your home smell fresh and inviting,” I said.

In scripture, Paul speaks of aroma when he tells us,

“But thanks be to God who always leads us into triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of him.” 2 Corinthians 2:14 NIV

Paul reminds us that wherever we go, we can spread the fragrance of the knowledge of Christ. When we know Christ, we know love, truth and power for living. He wants us to spread that fresh fragrance to our sphere of influence.

As Mary and I talked over tea (and muffins she’d baked the day before), we reminded each other of the power of fragrance.

We were thankful for a friendship that included the fragrance of encouragement when we were going through a tough time.
We reminisced and shared times when Christ met our needs and we could spread the effects of that fragrance to others.
We talked about the fragrant joy of our friendship in Christ and its influence on our families.

On any given day you may be baking, filling jars with potpourri or burning scented candles. All of those enhance a home, but how can you enhance your surroundings by spreading the fragrance of Christ?

Can you offer encouragement to someone who is discouraged?
Can you display His joy in the midst of your own less than desirable circumstances?
Can you share the truth of the Gospel?

When we wear Christ’s fragrance it can be soothing or invigorating to those around us, exactly what someone else needs for the moment. His fragrance is fresh and inviting and puts life in perspective.

Read about Marilyn Nutter, her books and her ministry on our WOW Lead Writers page.
Would you like to submit a devotion to WOW? Read How to Write Inspiring Christian Devotions for tips on getting published.

Does the New Testament Say Anything About Tithing? by Gail Purath

2011-09-28T01:00:00.005-04:00

Her mom made her spend $2 on her grandfather’s birthday gift when she was a child.

When she grew up, her grandfather gave her a substantial inheritance, but each year she continued to buy him a $2 gift.

Sounds ungrateful and childish, but I wonder if it isn't how we sometimes treat God.
Did you know there’s no New Testament command to give God 10%?

"In the New Testament the words “tithe” and “tithing” appear only eight times (Matt. 23:23; Luke 11:42; 18:12; Heb. 7:5–6, 8–9). All of these passages refer to Old Testament usage and to current Jewish practice. Nowhere does the New Testament expressly command Christians to tithe."

--Thomas Nelson's Bible Dictionary (1)

Ten percent isn't a magic amount, nor is it a New Testament requirement. Ten percent may be too much for some, but it's probably too little for most of us.

Christ paid a price for us that we can never repay. New Testament giving is an act of gratefulness, not a legalistic command. When we love Christ, we want to give Him a portion of our money, our time and our talents. It's a natural response to His grace that saved us from Hell and His daily gifts of comfort, guidance, strength and joy. Genuine gratefulness leads to voluntary, generous giving, not legalistic minimum requirements.

"...as believers we are to be generous in sharing our material possessions with the poor and for the support of Christian ministry. Christ Himself is our model in giving. Giving is to be voluntary, willing, cheerful, and given in the light of our accountability to God. Giving should be systematic and by no means limited to a tithe of our incomes. We recognize that all we have is from God. We are called to be faithful stewards of all our possessions (Rom. 14:12; 1 Cor. 9:3–14; 16:1–3; 2 Cor. 8-9)."

--Thomas Nelson Bible Dictionary (1)

We need to drop the words tithe and 10% when it comes to giving and use New Testament words for giving:

Heartfelt
Freely
Cheerfully

Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. 2 Corinthians 9:7
Copyright Gail Burton Purath, 2011
What do you think…is 10% too much, too little or just the right amount to give? Leave a comment and let me know!

Read Gail's bio on the WOW Lead Writer's page
For some other WOW devotions about our attitudes toward money:
Really? Another Jar? by Brad Bridges
Is Wealth a Waste of Time? by Martin Wiles
Childhood Shopping Trips and Treasures by Tami Gilman
No Matter What by Gail Purath

(1) Youngblood, R. F., Bruce, F. F., Harrison, R. K., & Thomas Nelson Publishers. (1995). Nelson's new illustrated Bible dictionary. Rev. ed. of: Nelson's illustrated Bible dictionary.; Includes index. Nashville: T. Nelson.

Heart Receptivity by Josh Fletcher

2011-09-25T01:00:00.001-04:00

My youngest daughter accidentally broke a favorite toy.

She brought it to me, her daddy, because she thought that only I could fix it. But this toy was a beloved toy and she stood with tears in her eyes unable to give it to me for fear that she may never see it again.

I wanted to bless her and fix her toy, but her hands were too full of the broken pieces for me to help her. It wasn’t until I wiped her tears and helped her
understand that in order for me to fix her toy she would have to relinquish it.

When we speak of heart receptivity we are speaking about the willingness to come to Jesus open-handed rather than with clenched fists.

Are we willing to let go of whatever we must so that our hands will be open to receive whatever He has for us? Are we willing to receive whatever God has for us even if it is painful or will require risk and courage? The receptivity of one’s heart in the Christian life may mean the difference between a fruitful or fruitless existence.

God can be trusted. Jesus loves us and He has our best interests at heart. Heart receptivity is about reckless abandon to the coming King and His Kingdom. Our attitude is like the man who sold everything to buy the field that held the one pearl of great value (Matthew 13). Will you have ears to hear and eyes to see? I believe that you will.

Josh is the Director of Spiritual Formation and Men's Ministries at Crossroads Church in Concord, NC. He enjoys spending time with his family as well as fishing, doing artwork, reading and writing.

Do You Know Who You're Driving On? by Kim Jackson

2011-09-18T01:00:00.005-04:00

“I go to church up on George W. Liles.”

“Take a sharp left on Dale Earnhardt.”

“How do I get to Frank Liske from Warren C. Coleman?”

Four years ago when I began to find my way around my new hometown of Concord, North Carolina, I asked lots of questions. For example, “Why does Zion Church Road East dead end at Zion Church Road, only a mile from a block-long street named…. Zion Church Road?

I’m confident that I’ll never get a satisfactory answer to that question, but I have enjoyed asking—and getting answers for—the question I ask whenever I travel on person-named roads: “Who are these people?”

Perhaps this is due to the fact that I’m a firm believer that not all street names are created equal.
Oak Street, 1st Avenue? Boring.
Irish Potato Road, Beagles Crossing? Odd.

I greatly prefer “driving on people,” whether obvious or obscure.

Dale Earnhardt Boulevard falls in the obvious category, even to me, a non-NASCAR-knowledgeable resident of the “racing side of Charlotte.” Is it just my imagination, or do I tend to speed when driving on Dale Earnhardt?

But what about George W. Liles? Turns out he is highly “Google-able,” so I quickly discovered that he was a doctor, mayor of Concord for eight years, and founded the Community Free Clinic. Every article I read describes him as a progressive leader and compassionate person.

That makes me happy to drive on George.

Likewise on Warren C. Coleman. I first met him via a roadside marker, but a drive-by read didn’t quench my curiosity. Further investigation revealed Mr. Coleman to be not only the first African American to start and own a cotton factory, but none other than the New York Times described him as “one of the most remarkable men of his race” (remember, this was late 1800’s). Born a slave, Mr. Coleman by his many entrepreneurial pursuits, became a wealthy man. And generous, it would seem. In his obituary it is noted that “He built a beautiful brick church in Concord and presented it to the congregation.”

Thank you, Mr. Coleman. When I drove on your street this morning, I took time to be grateful for my many freedoms.

I’m glad Mr. Liles and Mr. Coleman distinguished themselves in this world to the degree that the North Carolina Department of Transportation deemed them worthy of street designation.

But there’s a way I travel every day--although unnamed and invisible to the human eye—that ranks above all. Jesus declared, “I am the Road, also the Truth, also the Life. No one gets to the Father apart from me” (John 14:6 The Message).

So no matter if my journey takes me down Irish Potato Road, or the preferable Warren C. Coleman, I can be assured that I’m on the right—the only—road.

Do you know who you are driving on?

Kim Jackson has been traveling exciting new roads far from Concord, NC. Her ministry, Elder Orphan Care, takes her to Romania, where she serves formerly homeless elderly men and women. Read about her adventures at : Elder Orphan Care.

Read more about Kim on the WOW Lead Writer's page. Even though we still accept submissions, we now have a "staff" of five terrific lead writers on the WOW blog!

Tomorrow a German Will Frisk Me by Gail Purath

2011-09-11T09:35:00.001-04:00

Tomorrow a German woman in uniform will frisk me as if I were a criminal.

I'll be forced to walk through metal detectors without my shoes and show complete strangers everything in my purse.

And if that weren't enough, I'll have to wait in long lines in three airports--Charlotte, Munich, and Budapest--for the privilege of being searched!

Ten years ago air travel was so much easier. But that was before the Trade Towers fell and changed our world forever.

Ten years ago today in a matter of minutes:

3000 Americans lost their lives.
3000 children lost a parent.
$35 billion in property was damaged or lost.

Evil and suffering rocked our world, exposing our strength--the courage of rescue workers and the patriotism and generosity of the nation as a whole. But it also exposed our weakness:

“…an act of monstrous evil exposed the shallowness of an entire society. Professional sports ground to a halt, television comedians went off the air, as did all commercials. In a flash we saw the comparative meaninglessness of much of our lives. That three thousand people could go to work as part of their daily routine and never come home made us all aware of our fragile mortality.” Philip Yancy, Rumors of Another World, Page 31

Ten years have passed since the Trade Towers fell, but the cost continues. Since September 11, 2001, America has spent $1.28 trillion on increased security and the war on terrorism.

Tomorrow when I wait in security lines at three airports, I'll be forced to remember that my world was forever changed by 9/11, but I'm determined to remember this as well: my God and His values are unchanged!

On this tenth anniversary of an event that rocked our world with vicious hatred, let's ask God to help us rock our world with His marvelous, sacrificial, powerful, incomprehensible love!
copyright Gail Burton Purath, 2011

Statistics sources: New York Magazine; Huffington Post; Institute for the Analysis of Global Security

Gail at the Trade Towers 1991

Gail and her husband Michael are traveling to Budapest, Hungary tomorrow. Please pray for them as they travel, live and do ministry in Budapest for the next three months. Read Gail's daily one-minute devotions on Bible Love Notes.

Have You Folded Any Socks Lately? by Gail Purath

2011-09-07T20:36:00.000-04:00

When we left the restaurant where we'd had lunch with our daughter and her children, four-year-old Gracie begged to come with us. It was hard to say no, but we remained strong. We had too much to do that day to let the disappointment in her little freckled face persuade us.

An hour later while we were standing in the plumbing department of Lowes, I got a call on my cell phone. It was from Gracie, and she was so excited she was slurring her words. All I could make out was she had learned to do something new.

“Well, I must have one of the smartest granddaughters around!” I told Gracie even though I couldn’t understand. When our daughter got on the phone, she explained that they’d been doing laundry and she’d taught Gracie how to roll a pair of socks into a little bundle. As soon as Gracie mastered this task, she said, “Where’s the phone! I have to tell Grammy!”

I can’t tell you how honored it made me feel to know that Gracie wanted to share this event with me. The fact that sock folding is somewhat insignificant actually made Gracie’s call more meaningful. It means she understands how much I love her, and how pleased I am to hear about everything that’s going on in her life. If it’s important to her, she knows it’s important to me.

As I thought through this incident, I couldn’t help but relate it to my relationship with God. God knows everything; I don’t need to share anything with Him. But knowing something is not the same as hearing it from one of your children. God actually enjoys hearing my thoughts, questions, sorrows, disappointments, joys, and requests, no matter how insignificant they are to everyone else.

1 Thessalonians 6:16-18 tells us to pray continually, but what does this really mean? I’ve heard it described several ways:

It means that prayer is automatic, almost like breathing; our first response in every situation.
It means God is our “default mode” so whenever we are not speaking to someone else, our thoughts turn to Him.
It means living in a state of constant and complete dependence upon God.
It means praying whether we feel like it or not, any time, any place, with or without speaking aloud.

We have to learn to pray continually—it doesn’t come naturally.
I’ve known people who actually set the hourly alarm on their watch so they can remember God every hour they are awake.

The thing Gracie showed me about praying continually is the way it must bless God. When I include Him in the ordinary things of life, I imagine He feels like I felt when Gracie called—like a loved and respected friend, not just a faithful caregiver.

I’ll ask you the same question that I’ve been asking myself the last few weeks: “Have you folded any socks lately?”

God is eager to hear about it!

To read Gail's bio, go to About Us page and check out her one-minute devotional site for women: Bible Love Notes.
This devotion was first published on Crossroad's Communicators' Weblog in May 2010.

Heart Habitation by Josh Fletcher

2011-09-04T01:00:00.002-04:00

Almost everyone has been through a storm in which the power has been out for at least a few hours. Some may even have had to go without electricity for several days or longer.

How did being without power make you feel? Did you take the presence of electricity for granted? Did you flip switches even when you knew that the power was out forgetting that the storm had left you without lights?

There are many times in my spiritual life when I feel like the power just went out inside me. I have learned to take this as a warning sign that in some place in my life I am not connected to the source, something has broken the power line.

Sin can do this as well as a lack of discipline. Often, when this happens, God is calling me to a deeper dependence upon Him. If I listen to His call I will receive greater understanding and more of His indwelling presence in my life.

Heart habitation is about realizing our position before God and coming to a place of complete dependence upon Him through confession and repentance.

When we speak of heart habitation we are speaking about a holy eruption of the Spirit of God in all its fullness from the innermost heart of a believer as a result of our dependence upon Him.

As long as we believe that we can get along without God in any fashion the indwelling Spirit remains locked away inside the believer. Cultivating a clear and unmistakable dependence upon Christ is a sure way to receive more Holy Spirit power for living. When the power of God comes, the whole house will benefit.

Are you asking God for more power for triumphant Christian living? Are willing to be completely dependent upon Christ in order to receive it? Ask the Holy Spirit to make your heart more hospitable to His Holy Spirit and be willing to change whatever it takes to let the Spirit turn the lights on.

Josh is the Director of Spiritual Formation and Men's Ministries at Crossroads Church in Concord, NC. He enjoys spending time with his family as well as fishing, doing artwork, reading and writing.

My Garrison by Linnette R. Mullin

2011-08-28T23:54:00.001-04:00

The doctor’s eyes sparkled as his grin spread wide, "You are very pregnant. Congratulations!"

Shock paralyzed me. No joy. No sorrow. Just fear, dread, and… a spark of hope? I couldn’t fathom what God was up to.

“Trust Me! For my ways are higher than your ways.”

I want to, Lord.

The sparkle in the doctor’s eyes dimmed, “Well, I’m excited.”

I gave him an exhausted smile, “Thanks. I will be. I’m just in shock right now.”

He didn’t know what darkness filled my life.

Job loss loomed large.
My tattered health dangled me over the grave.
My family was coming apart at the seams.
Desperation clawed at me.
How would having a fourth child help?

Arriving home, the tiny spark of hope that flickered burned a little brighter. I prayed God would use this baby to heal all the broken places inside me.

Deciding he needed a special name, I took down my New Testament Hebrew dictionary. My eyes skimmed the pages when one word jumped out at me: “Garrison.” Though a garrison is a fort placed in a strategic location for supplying troops for the protection of the defenseless, the Hebrew dictionary simply said "placed."

My breath caught. God’s spirit touched my heart and that tiny spark of hope ignited into a tenuous flame. I knew in that moment God had placed this baby in my life at this particular time for a special purpose. He would work everything out for my good and His glory. Though the darkness in my life had not lifted, I could trust God. He would deliver me.

In the time it took to carry and deliver Garrison, God began to heal my family, provide for our financial needs and improve my health.

Though trials of life continue to come, the darkness that once engulfed my soul has lifted. God’s ocean of grace carries me through every moment – good and bad.

And as God reminded me the day I learned Garrison was on his way: “…My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways, declares the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts.” Isaiah 55:8-9 (ESV)

Now, when I start questioning God’s wisdom, I look to the miracle of my fourth son. He is my constant reminder that no matter what happens in life, God knows what is best. When God brings an unexpected twist into my life, I remind myself that He’s in control - and that’s a good thing.

“The LORD is my rock and my fortress [my garrison] and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.” Psalm 18:2 (ESV)

Linnette is a freelance writer and author of Life-Changing Romance. She’s the founder of Palmetto Christian Writer’s Network – PCWN, and has several published articles and devotionals. Visit her at www.LinnetteMullin.com.

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The Ultimate Trash Talker by Gail Purath

2011-08-24T17:17:00.010-04:00

The American soldier fired ten shots at a target, first without distraction and the second time with trash-talk piped into his ear protectors.

The soldier, a special forces veteran of war, actually shot slightly better the second round. He said live bullets were a worse distraction than trash talk.

Trashtalk and smacktalk are relatively new terms, but the practice has been around a long time. Goliath of Old Testament infamy is perhaps the most famous trashtalker.

He said these things about/to David:

“Am I a dog that you come after me with a stick?”
“Come on. I’ll make roadkill of you for the buzzards."
“I’ll turn you into a tasty morsel for the field mice.”
He also cursed him by the names of his gods.

1 Samuel 17:41-44 (The Message)

Goliath had more than trash talk going for him. He was a champion of the Philistines and nine feet tall (yes!). The armor he wore weighed more than David (17:4-7). He'd trash-talked the Israeli Army on eighty occasions before David arrived (17:16).

David was still a boy, too young to be a soldier. He was only at the battlefield because he’d brought food to his older brothers.

But David had something that none of the older Israelite soldiers had.

Was it courage?
No, others besides David had courage.
Was it stupidity? No, David wasn’t stupid.
It was faith.
And he didn’t need to trash talk.

He said this to his king:
“I have been taking care of my father’s sheep…When a lion or a bear comes to steal a lamb from the flock, I go after it with a club and take the lamb from its mouth. If the animal turns on me, I catch it by the jaw and club it to death. I have done this to both lions and bears, and I’ll do it to this pagan Philistine, too, for he has defied the armies of the living God! The Lord who saved me from the claws of the lion and the bear will save me from this Philistine!” (17:34-37)

After refusing King Saul’s armor, David faced trashtalking Goliath and said this:
“You come to me with sword, spear, and javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord Almighty—the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. Today the Lord will conquer you…And everyone will know that the Lord does not need weapons to rescue his people. It is his battle, not ours. The Lord will give you to us!” (17:45-47)

Not a word of that was trash talk…it was truth talk.

What battle are you fighting today? What giant taunts you?
You don’t need to handle it with your own power, intellect or weapons.

And you don’t need to trashtalk.

Let the Lord fight for you! He knows how to bring down our Goliaths.
copyright Gail Burton Purath, 2011

What Motivates You? by Brad Bridges

2011-08-21T01:00:00.002-04:00

What motivates you?
Think about it. We all have motives. Some good, some bad. But very few of us stop to identify them, evaluate, and, if necessary, change them.

I frequently hear people asking why their political party does not win. Some complain about the actions of coworkers as a reason for their poor results. Others find a way to make all the problems of the world about other people.

Honestly, I make mistakes in these areas frequently myself. I think selfishly. I regard my goals or thoughts as more important than others. I look out for my own interests.

At a basic level, self-preservation motivates me; pride motivates me.

Okay. Now that I have that out (my guess is that you are in the same boat with me), let’s look at a few tangible ways that we can shift what motivates us.

1) Identify Your Motivations
Ask yourself what motivates you? (Warning: this can be emotionally painful). Ask someone who knows you well what motivates you? Take some time to write down five things that typically motivate you. (Note: be honest with yourself, it helps no one if you lie).
2) Evaluate Your Motivations
When you look at the list, what surprises you? What frustrates you? What encourages you? Where do you need someone else’s help? Although it’s a painful process, it is helpful to see your motivations written on paper (or typed) with some critique as well.
3) Change Your Motivations
Doing this alone is tough (enlist a friend, family member, or colleague). If you don’t like what’s motivating you, ask yourself what you are afraid of. Ask God to give you wisdom and to change your heart.

In the same passage where Paul discusses how Jesus emptied himself out and came to earth to die and be resurrected on our behalf (Philippians 2:5-12), we find clear instruction on motivation. Paul writes, “Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.” (Philippians 2:3-4)

Ask yourself, what changes do I want to see in my life? If you haven’t seen the results you would like, perhaps an analysis of your motivations could help.

As Craig Luper recently reminded us (Identity 7/24/11) if we are to find significance rather than confusion, hope rather than desperation, we must root our identity and motivation in Christ. Motivation rooted in your identity in Christ will yield humility rather than pride, selflessness rather than conceit, and community rather than independence.

What thoughts do you have? What motivations do you plan to change? What impact would a motivational change have on your relationships, career, or future?

Brad, Lindsey & daughter Shiloh

Brad loves Tarheel basketball, pork BBQ, bluegrass and classical music. He and wife Lindsey are executive and life coaches and English teachers with an international foundation in Uruguay. Interact with Brad on Facebook,Twitter, Personal Website, or Coaching Website.

Nine Things That Will Disappear In Your Lifetime and One That Won't

2011-08-16T12:13:00.001-04:00

“Nine Things That Will Disappear During Our Lifetime” is an article making the cyber rounds.
The Nine Things:
1. Post Office
2. Checks
3. Newspapers
4. Books
5. Land-line phones
6. Music CDs
7. Television
8. Things we own—hard copies of photos, written records, videos
9. Privacy

It's interesting that most of the nine involve words--words written, spoken, and sung.
Ways of sending, recording, transmitting and storing words may change and disappear, but words are essential for life. And not all words are created equal...

For the word of God is full of living power. It is sharper than the sharpest knife, cutting deep into our innermost thoughts and desires. It exposes us for what we really are. Hebrews 4:12 (NLT)

Alive, powerful, cutting through truth and error, revealing our hearts and God's heart...

No matter how they are stored or transmitted, they are life-changing. Let's not let a day go by without enjoying God's Love Notes (the Bible).

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The Complainer's Corner by Martin Wiles

2011-08-14T01:00:00.008-04:00

May I invite you to the complainer’s corner?
I have a nice cushiony sofa for you to recline on. There.
Comfy?
Now, go ahead, complain.

Who could resist that invitation? So you begin.

“My husband never helps around the house. All he wants is his recliner, remote and newspaper. He’s another Archie Bunker.”

“My wife spends and spends. She thinks money grows on trees. I work hard for our money and she blows it on getting her nails done, having her hair fixed and a new outfit.”

Can’t leave the kids out. “Mom and Dad never let me do what I want. There’s always some reason why what I want isn’t good for me.”

And what about the boss who makes unreasonable demands? The cashier who obviously doesn’t know you’re in a hurry. Or Mrs. Know-It-All at church who thinks her two cents is more important than your five. Why I’m even guilty of complaining about complainers.

I, for one, have to make an effort to avoid the Complainer’s Corner. It’s more tantalizing than the Encourager’s Corner. And certainly more comfortable. Complaining seems natural while encouragement takes effort. It’s easier to criticize people than recognize their good points.

To complain or not to complain, that is the question. Perhaps we should change the “time out” corner to the “complain out” corner.

Heavenly Father, help us learn to encourage rather than complain.

Dr. Martin W. Wiles is Pastor of First Baptist Church, Harleyville, SC, author of two devotional books and former correspondent for the Baptist Courier. He and his wife Michelle have a devotional ministry called Morning Lite Ministry.

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I Turn the Heat Up; He Turns It Down by Lori Hatcher

2011-08-07T10:14:00.003-04:00

I turn the heat up; he turns it down...

I like vigorous walks; he likes vigorous channel surfing. I like fruit, veggies, and pasta; he likes chicken, beef, and pork. I like making lists and planning; he likes to be spontaneous. I think chocolate without nuts is a waste of good chocolate; he thinks nuts belong in the bird feeder. I sleep like a swaddled newborn; He sleeps like an end zone ref declaring a touchdown. I like sweet stories with happy endings; He likes action movies with guns and bad guys.

There's no doubt about it. We are different.

A wise counselor once said that some of the fights in our marriage would be over matters of right and wrong. Others would be caused by selfishness. The vast majority of our fights, however, would be over what she called "differentness."
And this is true of friendships and other family relationships as well, not just marriages.

It took me about ten years to begin to realize that just because my husband, David, thought differently than I did, he wasn't necessarily wrong. Prior to that revelation, I assumed that there were two perspectives -- my way and the wrong way.

Albert Einstein is famous for saying, "Insanity is doing the same thing the same way and expecting different results."

I don't remember the subject of the stalemate, but I do remember being frustrated enough to say, "Fine, we'll do it your way." And it worked.

That success caused me to begin to wonder what other pearls of wisdom might lie buried beneath my husband's alternative point of view. Guacamole on hamburgers? Eeeew! Let our daughter attend youth group in the sixth grade? Intimidating! Buy a newer car before the wheels fall off the one we have been driving forever? Frivolous!

As I learned to say, "This is the way I see it, honey, but what do you think?" I began to discover a depth of wisdom and insight in my husband's often very different perspective. God also revealed to me the root issue in my own heart -- the sin of pride. Simply put, my unwillingness to consider another's viewpoint was arrogant and presumptuous. I was also guilty of usurping my husband's God-given position of authority in our home.

I would love to say that I was cured of my pride in ten days like strep throat after a round of penicillin, but I'd be lying. To this day, after almost 27 years of marriage, I still catch myself making important decisions without getting my husband's input. God's Word, however, encourages me with instruction on how to live life in respectful consideration of the husband with whom He has gifted me.

"Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others" (Phil 2:3).

Guacamole on a hamburger? I’m still not a fan. But I did have a really good steak with my pasta salad the other day!

Lori Hatcher lives in Columbia, SC, with her youth minister husband, college-aged daughters, and four-footed child, Winston. Her writing goal is to type the Words God whispers into her heart. She is the author of the blog, “Be Not Weary”.

Every Quilt Tells a Story by Emily Carter

2011-08-03T08:34:00.000-04:00

One fall, a few of my cousins joined me in the Queen City (Charlotte, NC) for a girls’ weekend, where we visited the Mint Museum of Craft and Design.

In the American Quilt exhibit we saw a quilt that spoke of hours of tedious work where no two pieces of fabric were the same.

We saw quilts of vibrant colors and one in solid off-white. Each one was handmade and unique; no two were the same.

These quilts mirror our lives.

1. No two are alike.
Each of us has been created uniquely to tell a story. For Christians, the stories may be similar as we recount who Jesus is to us, but still, every story will be different because Christ has done a special work in each of our lives.

2. All quilts have a pattern. The quilter must have a vision for what he or she is trying to accomplish with the creation. This thought as it applies to life causes me to ask myself some questions. I hope you will ask yourself the same ones.

       * As I am sewing my experiences together, am I using the Master’s plan for my life or am I haphazardly
          putting the pieces together?

       * Am I trying to live my life by the detail of God’s plan or am I doing things my own way?

       * What is my excuse for having pieces that don’t fit or pieces that don’t please God? (What is my
          reasoning for unkind words and actions?)

Yes, I am human and therefore I sin, but should I abuse God’s grace? The apostle Paul says no! I must live as the new creation that I am.

As friends and family look upon the quilt of your life, what do they see? Do they see a story of devoted service and undying love for the King? If not, know that it is not too late to change your story. What new pieces can you sew into your quilt to point others to Jesus?

Emily, wife of Hayden and mother of three, loves to teach God’s Word. She leads Bible studies and works with young adults at Pitts Baptist Church in Concord, NC. Emily’s site: www.abundantlyhis.com.

Not Guilty by Jan Darnell

2011-07-31T08:02:00.000-04:00

There are times when things happen that defy explanation...

The verdict returned by the jury on July 5th, 2011 regarding charges against Casey Anthony for the murder of her young daughter, was just such a thing.

With professional composure, the court clerk announced acquittal decisions on each of the assault charges brought by the prosecution, “We, the jury, find the defendant, not guilty.”

If you live in the United States, you probably know the criminal case I’m talking about since the news channels covered the trial thoroughly. Three years ago, Casey Anthony was charged with murdering her 2 year old daughter, Caylee whose decomposed body had been found in the woods with duct tape over her mouth and nose. Casey didn’t even report her daughter missing for 31 days, avoiding family and friends in the interim.

Our nation mourned the loss of this innocent child, many of us also angered at the lack of justice that played out in the courtroom. After the emotional dust settled within my own heart however, I began to notice Casey’s response to each “not guilty” verdict that the court clerk announced. Her somber expression exhibited throughout the trial reverted to welcome tears of relief. Casey had been exonerated and released from all accusations carrying either the death penalty or long term sentences.

As I watched her embittered expression dissolved by relief, I thought about my own exoneration from sin. You see, we are all guilty of sin and every one of us carry the penalty of death for that sin. (Romans 3:23) Casey Anthony was on trial for a crime that if prosecuted to the full extent of the law, would require execution. But she was spared. Her obvious criminal neglect of little Caylee, abdicated.

In Christ, we who accept His grace are exonerated and delivered from the penalty for our sins. Do we deserve death? “The wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23). We are all guilty because we are born into this world as sinners. Yet we can be released from the sin and guilt that condemns us through the death of the One who paid the price for our release. “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace” (Ephesians 1:7).

You and I have been freed from all the charges against us as sinners and declared “not guilty.” May our sorrow turn to joy and our tears be wiped away! “For in Christ, we have redemption, the forgiveness of our sins” (Colossians 1:14).

Jan loves to write Bible studies and devotionals with a passion to know and make known the gospel of Jesus Christ. She is mother of seven and wife of Barry Darnell a nuclear engineer at Duke Energy.

Smell the Coffee!!

2011-07-27T08:00:00.000-04:00

Do you like the aroma of freshly brewed coffee? Experts have discovered that the pleasure of smelling coffee may release powerful antioxidants in our body to protect nerve cells from stress-related damage even if we don't drink it! (Coffeesbar)

God created us multifaceted, and we are
sensitive to things even when we aren't conscious of their influence—like the smell of coffee!

Proverbs 4:23 says, “Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.” (NLT)

Television, movies, books and music are powerful influences. When they have violent or immoral themes, they affect our attitudes and emotions. These “strong smells” alter our "spiritual chemistry.” Only as we smell the good things of God can we guard our hearts.

Are there things that badly influence your life? Ask God to take away your desire for these "aromas."
© copyright Gail Burton Purath, 2011
Coffee mug photo: digitalart / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

This is a devotion from our sister site Bible Love Notes for women. If you would like to receive a one-minute devotion in your email box each weekday, click the picture to the left and find out how easy it is to subscribe.

Identity by Craig Luper

2011-07-23T08:23:00.000-04:00

“What is my purpose?” “What is my destiny?”

I hear a lot of people asking this.

We see the next generation wandering from place to place trying to find significance in what they do.

We also see senior citizens wrapping up their careers and heading into retirement with a look of confusion and dismay on their faces as they wonder what to do next. For 30, 40-plus years they have been tied to a title, position and job that has defined who they are and has dictated what they do, but now they find themselves wondering what they’re supposed to do next and asking the question, “Who am I really?”

I believe one of the crucial themes and teachings that needs to be brought out to the body of Christ and to the world is that of “Identity.” The world has put such an emphasis on what we do as opposed to who we are, and the church has fallen right in line with that way of thinking. I believe God laid out the order from the very first, in Genesis 1.

Genesis 1:26,27,28,31--God's Emphasis on Identity
In Genesis 1, God lays out for us in the very beginning the correct order – His order – of priority for identity versus purpose. Take a few moments to read this passage of scripture and let the Lord speak to your heart.

First we see that when He said, “let us make man into our image,” He was establishing the priority of identity from the very start of creation. Identity was more important than purpose! He did give them purpose, but it was after He gave them identity. He established who they were from the very beginning.

The definition of image is “likeness, splendor, form, appearance, figure,” so when God said “Let us make man in our image,” He was making man in their likeness, splendor, form and appearance. Adam and Eve could rest in the fact that their identity was in Him.

After God gave them their identity, He established their purpose and destiny. He told them to be fruitful, multiply, subdue the earth and rule over it. Isn’t it interesting that we want to go to the ruling and reigning before establishing our identity? It is so much easier to tie our worth to what we do or what our title is, rather than to simply rest in who we are in Christ.

We have to understand and get a revelation that identity precedes purpose and destiny, and it also affects our behaviors (i.e., attitudes, emotions, values). What you and I do will tend to flow from who we perceive ourselves to be.

The New Testament order is not “do in order to be,” but rather “act consistently with who you actually are.”

God meets our deepest needs through our new identity in Christ. So today, where does your identity lie? Is your worth centered around what you do, or is it established in Him?

Craig Luper is the executive director of Nehemiah International Ministry located in Concord, NC. He enjoys all types of sports, going to movies with his wife, playing golf with his sons, and spending time with friends

Can You Give Us a Hand?

2011-07-20T09:25:00.000-04:00

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Do Uninformed Men Go to Hell? by Gail Purath

2011-07-16T20:43:00.000-04:00

Recently there’s been controversy in the Christian community about hell.

One of the issues is this: Some people are raised in pagan cultures where the Gospel is never preached. They will never have the opportunity to trust Christ, so how could a good God send them to hell?

My question is this...Does this ever happen?

God is, after all, in the business of miracles. Do we really think someone raised in a Muslim or Hindu country is beyond His reach?

I have a case in point—Rahab (Joshua, chapters 2 and 6).

Rahab was raised in a thoroughly evil city surrounded by the worship of false gods.There were no people of God in her city. Nor was she a rich woman who could study religion and history. She was a working woman, a prostitute, constantly surrounded by immorality.

What hope did she have?

She had this hope:

God loves mankind and wants everyone to be saved from hell (1 Timothy 2:3,4).
Therefore, he puts clues to His existence everywhere:

He puts a sense of right and wrong in everyone's heart. (Romans 2:14,15)
He reveals His divine character in creation. Every human being who looks at the beauty and design of nature knows there is a God. (Romans 1:20).
He reveals His power in other ways. In Rahab’s case, God made sure the people of Jericho heard about His power in the Red Sea miracle (Joshua 2:10).

Despite these loving messages sent to each man and woman on earth, most people refuse God’s invitation. But Scripture says those who refuse are "without excuse" (Romans 1:18-20).

No one in Jericho listened to God's voice except Rahab. But God refused to destroy the city until He rescued this one true seeker. He guided two Israelite spies to her door, and she made an incredible statement of faith (Joshua 2:10,11). This shouldn’t surprise us—God assures us that true seekers will find Him (Matthew 7:7-11), and Rahab was obviously a true seeker.

The Israelite spies thought they were on a fact-finding mission, but they were on a soul-finding mission when they sneaked into Jericho. What information did they need in Jericho anyway? They destroyed it miraculously by marching around the city walls shouting (Joshua 6)!

God is interested in every individual--so interested that He will change the course of history to save a single prostitute. So why do we think thousands of people are dying without a chance to know Him?

Perhaps we have too high an opinion of man, assuming that everyone who hears God’s voice will answer. But we have a Bible full of proof and world history to confirm that man is more likely to reject the wonderful love of God than receive it.

Instead of challenging the concept of hell, perhaps we need to challenge our high view of man and our small view of God!

I’d love to know what you think…please leave a comment.

For more insights into Rahab's life, read:

The Prostitute

She Had a Past & a Future

A Scarlet Cord

Crumbling Walls

God Honors a Prostitute

Gail is the manager of WOW. Read her bio on "About Us" page.

Bible Reading Can Ward Off Dementia!

2011-07-13T12:32:00.000-04:00

Researchers believe that people can decrease their chances of developing memory and cognitive loss by keeping their brains active. One study showed that people who are mentally and physically active significantly reduce their risk of developing dementia.

Reading, language learning, word puzzles, and stimulating conversations build reserves of active brain cells which delay and/or diminish the symptoms of diseases such as Alzheimer’s. (Television viewing doesn’t help—in fact, some studies show it contributes to brain atrophy.)

Reading the Bible can play a significant role in brain development, but it has even more to offer:

Romans 10:17 says: “faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ.”

Reading the Bible (God's Love Notes) offers us dual benefits: it affects both the mind and the spirit, building brain cell reserves and “faith reserves.”

This devotion is from Bible Love Notes, a site offering 1-minute devotions for women each weekday morning. If you would like to subscribe, click the picture on the right.

Keep Climbing by Marilyn Nutter

2011-07-10T13:11:00.000-04:00

“Which way do you want to go?” my husband asked as we began our morning walk.

“How about this way?” I answered and pointed left, “We haven’t been out this direction yet.”

About twenty minutes later, my husband groaned,“You took me the way of all the inclines.”

“I’m sorry; I didn’t realize there were so many steep areas in this part of the neighborhood.”

We waited a few minutes for the pain in his knee to diminish before resuming our walk.

“I’m okay now,” he said. “It’s good to see the view from this part of our neighborhood. The extra stretch is good for me.”

In Habakkuk 3:19 we read that “The Sovereign Lord is my strength; He makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to go on the heights.” Habakkuk encourages us that we can climb to great heights, not because of our strength or ability, but due to our stable confidence in God’s strength. Habakkuk is determined that regardless of circumstances, whether celebrating or suffering, whether pain or comfort, his trust will be in God.

Climbing takes endurance and confidence. Sometimes we are out of breath or wince in pain as the next steps stretch us. We might be too hot and very thirsty. Perhaps we even question if the climb is worth it and we consider turning around. Habakkuk encourages us, “Keep going!”

What is your climb today? Are you dealing with a situation that is disappointing, seems hopeless or irreversible? Do you need to make a painful decision? Are you wrestling with doubts? Perhaps you feel as if you are on a treadmill and going nowhere. Join Habakkuk in shouting as he does in Hab. 3:18, “Yes! Despite appearances, I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior.”

Climbing is not about looking at the challenge of our circumstances but reaching the heights by developing our relationship with the Lord and grabbing on to His strength to deal with them. How can you do that today--developing a regular practice of Bible reading, finding an accountability partner to pray with or memorize scripture? God wants to be our strong companion. He can help us go to the heights as we learn more of Him. With each step, we will see that the climb is worth the effort. As we reflect and move on, He changes our perspective. When we do we’ll discover an amazing view.

Marilyn Nutter lives in Mt Holly, NC, is the author of three devotional books and a speaker for women’s groups. She is a contributor to several compilations, most recently Faith and Family: A Devotional Pathway for Families. Contact her at marilynnutter@gmail.com or view Extraordinary Treasures. Marilyn maintains a blog for boomer women at Grandmother's Views.

Photo credit: Evgeni Dinev / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

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Same Kind of Different As Me--Book Review

2011-07-07T04:43:00.001-04:00

Same Kind of Different As Me

By Denver Moore and Ron Hall with Lynn Vincent

Reviewed by Gail Purath

What could a wealthy white art dealer have in common with a street-smart African-American ex-con who was unable to read or write? Nothing…

Denver Moore was homeless and meaner than a junk-yard dog when he met socialites Ron and Debbie Hall at a Dallas rescue mission. Ron had made millions selling fine art and Denver had never owned more than the clothes on his back.

But Ron’s wife Debbie knew something Ron and Denver didn’t know. She was one of those unique saints ‘of which the world is not worthy,’ and she was as persistent as she was loving. Sure that God had a plan for Denver and her husband, Debbie persevered until she melted both mens' hearts.

Chapters in the book alternate between Denver and Ron, starting with their childhoods and early lives, giving their personal commentary on the events that brought them together and changed both of their lives. One of the most tragic aspects of this true story is Denver’s early life as a share cropper, a system which benefited whie owners but kept blacks uneducated and poor.

The story is about human strength and weakness, faith and doubt, joy and sorrow—the things that keep us apart and draw us together. The message is clearly Christian and should inspire readers to persevere in loving others, especially those who seem “different.”

What could a wealthy art dealer have in common with a street-smart ex-con who was unable to read or write? Nothing…and everything.

Are You Tottering? by Lori Hatcher

2011-07-06T17:23:00.000-04:00

I watched her as she made her way across the parking lot. She struggled with a toddler on each hip and a baby in a carrier on her back. Perfectly balanced yet precariously upright, I wondered if a wiggle from one of the toddlers would tip the whole equation and send them all spilling to the ground. The look on her face said it all. Weary and overwhelmed.

I thought of her when I read Psalm 145:14: “The Lord upholds all those who fall and lifts up all who are bowed down.” The Hebrew word for “bowed down” is Kaphaph which means “bent double.”

You don’t have to be a young mother juggling three children to be “bent double.” Maybe sorrow, disappointment, or heartbreak has you overwhelmed.

Perhaps you are struggling to carry the weight of a single parent household or the responsibility of caring for an aging parent.

Whatever it is that has you bowed down, allow the words of Jesus to fill your heart, straighten your back, and carry your load. “Come unto me, all you who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” (Mat. 11:28) Let Jesus be your burden bearer.

Restricted Love by JoAnn Lampe

2011-07-03T12:29:00.000-04:00

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Restricted Love

“No, Dixie! NO!”

I shouted in vain as my white husky leapt over the fence running for all she was worth. That freedom to run wherever she wanted to go, without the confines of a leash, was just too tempting. Or, maybe it was the cat next door, taunting her as she swished her tail to and fro.

Whatever it was, she was gone and I had to go find her. She could get hurt or she could cause someone else to get hurt as they swerved or slammed on brakes to avoid hitting her.

Grabbing her leash and the car keys, off I went in search of my wayward dog.

Around the corner, a swish of white, “Aha! There you are!” I got out of the car, leash in hand and gently called, “Dixie, come on girl, let’s go for a walk.”

Hearing my voice, she turned, then with blue eyes laughing, she tossed her head and off she dashed, just out of reach, her legs stretching out, running, running, running. Twice more, I caught sight of her and each time, I’d call her name, and she’d turn and run.

Finally, I stopped, because with every attempt to catch her, she was running closer to the busy, main road. I drove away, leaving her to fend for herself.

“Isn’t this exactly what we do to God?”, I thought as I drove off. Sometimes we find a weak spot in the fence, lean on it and before we know it we’ve fallen over and to our surprise, we’re free! This is where we want to be. We haven’t inquired of the LORD, He calls us back; we hear His voice, it’s familiar, so we stop for a minute and glance back, but then we toss our heads and off we go into unknown territory.

I could let Dixie run free, but what would happen to her? There would be danger all around, she doesn’t know to not run into traffic, there would be kind people, but also cruel people, where would she find regular meals and fresh water? Is Dixie restricted? Yes. Is she loved, coddled and taken care of? Yes.

As Christians are we restricted? Yes. Are we loved, and taken care of? Yes. We have a choice, we can come back to the voice of our Father, the good shepherd or we can run into the unknown. What will you choose?

"…The shepherd walks right up to the gate. The gatekeeper opens the gate to him and the sheep recognize his voice. …he leads them and they follow because they are familiar with his voice. …I am the Gate. Anyone who goes through me will be cared for—will freely go in and out, and find pasture. A thief is only there to steal and kill and destroy. I came so they can have real and eternal life, more and better life than they ever dreamed of." John 10: 3-4; 9-10 The Message

JoAnn works for Wells Fargo Bank and volunteers at Wings of Eagles Ranch. She has 2 married daughters, a grandson and a granddaughter who’s “on the way”. Her dogs, “Honey” and “Princess Dixie” keep her company.

Dixie was returned, by a kind neighbor, but keeps “testing” the fence, hoping for another adventure.

Untamed Book Review

2011-06-27T21:46:00.000-04:00

Untamed, How the Wild side of Jesus Frees Us to Live and Love with Abandon
by Lisa Harper, Reviewed by Lori Hatcher

"Jesus confronted confusion, oppression, dishonesty, and spiritual deadness because He cares so much about us and isn't willing to let us settle for anything less than the abundant life and absolute freedom God created for us to enjoy,"

Untamed, Chapter 8: "The Divine Trait of Stepping on Toes."

Untamed turns Jesus upside down!

One by one Harper debunks the myth of the milquetoast Jesus that plagues our world today. Even her chapter
titles challenge wrong perceptions of Christ and offer scriptural proof that we serve a God who is wildly untamed.

For example:

• "Rough, Tough, and Ready to Rumble,"

• "Simply Irresistible,"

• "The God Who Leaves Men Gaping,"

Harper weaves a mixture of anecdotes from her difficult childhood with Bible passages, all the while unveiling characteristics of Christ. To this she adds powerful quotes from respected Bible teachers and preachers and Greek and Hebrew word studies. She concludes each chapter with discussion questions & scripture passages for further study.

Harper focuses on those characteristics of Christ that we desperately need to understand and experience in order to "live and love with abandon." At times, I found myself tempted to cheer out loud as Harper championed our Savior as wildly pro-women, wildly confrontational, and wildly redemptive. Other times I was moved to tears when she reminded me that Christ is wildly devoted and wildly attentive.

My only complaint is that Harper occasionally tries too hard to make her Bible stories contemporary and that becomes distracting and slightly irreverent. But most of the book is thoughtful and relevant.

Untamed is appropriate for Sunday school, women's Bible studies, small groups or personal study. It would be helpful to seasoned believers, newer believers and even unbelievers because it reveals Christ in all His fullness, which is very winsome.

Note: Lori received this book free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.

Capture Them! by Kim Jackson

2011-06-25T10:20:00.000-04:00

Salvatore Vuono / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

“What a great story!” is a phrase I’m hearing frequently these days.

The story begins when I’m asked, “Have you found a job yet?” and I reply, "No, not a job, but I do have an adventure!"

The three months since my position was eliminated at an assisted living community have been amazing. It’s exciting to share what God is doing in the here and now. But long before March 1st I had been journaling my prayers, thoughts, struggles and stories.

This has provided several benefits:

As God makes His answers known, I have both request and response in “black and white”
My faith grows stronger as God’s faithfulness is more fully revealed
I can remember the details of God’s goodness
My “God-stories” can easily be shared
Others are encouraged
God gets the glory!

It was a wise person who wrote, “The faintest ink is more powerful than the strongest memory.” Because we are called to be encouragers, and because our testimonies have power, I believe God wants us to “capture” our stories.

If you like to journal, you may already be documenting your God-adventures. But if you’re not a pen-in-hand type, try one of these ideas:

Videotape yourself telling your stories. If you also want your stories in print, ask someone to transcribe them.
Type your stories as blog entries. Setting up a blog takes less than 5 minutes. Keeping it current will take more time, but you’ll find it worth the effort. Determine to post something to your blog at consistent intervals.
Tell your story via photography and simple captions. Investigate www.smilebox.com for free templates and great ideas for online scrapbooks.
Make time to tell. For example, host “Second Saturday Stories” and invite family and friends to bring their favorite God story to share. Ensure the stories are “captured” in some fashion.

There are over 6 billion people on this planet but no one else has your unique story. God is writing a story through you like none other. It is worth capturing: for you, for others, and for His glory.

"I will teach you hidden lessons from our past, stories we have heard and known; stories our ancestors handed down to us. We will not hide these truths from our children; we will tell the next generation about the glorious deeds of the Lord, about His power and His mighty wonders." (Psalm 78:2-4)

Kim Jackson is daily learning more about God being the Author of her faith. She is currently raising financial support so she can invest her energies with Elder Orphan Care. Follow her God Story at Elder Orphan Care.

God is Never, Ever, Ever on Vacation

2011-06-21T22:28:00.000-04:00

God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.”
Hebrews 13:5

In Greek(1) this sentence is best translated "I will never, ever, ever forsake you."

That means God's Spirit is with us no matter what........through thick and thin........in good times and bad.......always.......no exceptions......whether we feel His presence or not.
The most important aspect of this promise is our response. Do we ignore God or take His hand throughout the day? We can't leave His presence, but we can take him for granted.

Please join me today in thinking of ways to remember God's faithfulness. One way to do this is to set an alarm to go off every hour as a reminder to pause and say "I love You" to the God who will never, ever, ever leave you.

(1) the original language of the New Testament

© 2011 Gail Purath

This devotion is featured on the WOW blog from Bible Love Notes, a new devotional site beginning daily (week-day) posts on July 1st. You can subscribe now to have these one-minute (yes, 60 second!) devotions sent directly to your email box. If you would like to subscribe, see the feedburner subscription box on the Love Notes site.

An Innocent Man Imprisoned for Life by Gail Purath

2011-06-19T10:50:00.000-04:00

In 2009 James Bain was freed from prison after serving thirty-five years for a crime he didn’t commit.

When convicted of sexually molesting a young boy, Bain was nineteen. When DNA evidence proved he was innocent, he was fifty-four.

James Bain spent more time behind bars for a crime he didn’t commit than any other American on record.

When DNA testing became available in 2001, authorities repeatedly refused Bain's requests to test the evidence from his case. He sat in prison eight more years before they tested it and found him innocent.

Can you imagine spending thirty-five years in prison for a crime you didn’t commit, especially such a despicable crime?

It makes me think of Joseph's story in the Bible (Genesis 37-50). Joseph’s brothers sold him into slavery and false testimony landed him in prison for a rape he didn’t commit. Then Pharaoh’s cup-bearer, who offered to help Joseph, forgot about him and let him languish a few more years in prison. Like Bain, Joseph had every reason to be bitter, angry and full of self-pity. Everyone and everything seemed to be against him.

However, when Joseph was reunited with his family after 17 years of unjust separation, he not only treated his guilty brothers kindly, he assured them that God had used the injustice in his life for good purposes! Joseph had the unique ‘faith-ability’ to judge his circumstances by God’s character instead of judging God’s character by his circumstances.

He was able to accept injustice and forgive those responsible because He trusted God's goodness.

Incredibly, James Bain had the same ‘faith-ability.’ He spent twice as much time in his unjust circumstances as Joseph, but when released he said “[It] was the right time for God to release me from this. I just had to be very patient... I cannot feel angry. I put all that in God's hands."(1)

Bain's words remind me of Joseph's in Genesis 50: 19,20: "Am I in the place of God? You intended it to harm me, but God intended it for good..."

I don’t know about you, but Bain’s attitude both shames me and inspires me. I’m ashamed that I have so little ‘faith-ability’ with my lesser difficulties, but I’m blessed by those like Joseph and Bain who show me the way.

(1)-Friday, December 18, 2009, BBC News Online
© 2011 Gail Purath

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Since it's Father's Day, take time to read Gail's story from the Archives: Does the Fifth Commandment Apply to Adults?

See Gail's bio on the "About Us" page.

Why? by Martin Wiles

2011-06-15T22:35:00.002-04:00

My daughter’s cross country coach had just received the most tragic news a parent could hear. His daughter had been killed. She was riding her bike through their genteel neighborhood when a gentleman accidentally ran a stop sign and hit her. The father was asking why, and I was contemplating the question myself.

It wasn’t the first time I had wrangled with a confusing and senseless situation, and it wouldn’t be the last. The why of apparent meaningless tragedies that destroy lives and hard earned possessions is never simple to answer. Some suggestions offered are purely insufficient to soothe our anger or sadness and others are theologically incorrect. Time worn responses are just that-worn. Like a thread bare towel, they provide little substance to dry the tears of misunderstanding.

The question predates this instance in Jesus’ career, but Jesus gives a new spin on the ancient “why dilemma.”

Teacher, his disciples asked him, why was this man born blind? Was it a result of his own sins or those of his parents? John 9:2 (NLT)

Jesus and his disciples happen upon a man born blind. Reflecting the typical mindset, the disciples ask Jesus who sinned-the man or his parents. After all, suffering-at least in their philosophical understanding, was always the result of sin. Jesus’ answer was radical. No one. He was born blind so the power of God would be seen in him.

So God created him blind just so He could look good? Jesus’ answer may seem as insufficient as some we hear, but it does challenge us to revolutionize our focus when difficulties intrude on our otherwise serene existence.

Asking God why is not sinful as some have supposed. It is a normal human response to unexplainable or confusing events. But the more appropriate question is what. Redeeming tragedies is more important than wallowing in them. Learning from difficulties is healthier than letting them destroy our initiative.

The healed blind man redeemed his misfortune. Following his healing, he spread the good news about Jesus’ power. We redeem our tragedies by telling others how God’s sustaining grace has kept us afloat when it appeared we’d sink. We redeem our trials by sharing the lessons He has taught us through the “what.” My priorities were wrong...Those wants weren’t needs after all...I’m stronger than I thought.

God consoles so we can comfort even when we still need comfort ourselves. Making the effort to comfort others while still suffering takes the attention from us and reminds us our struggles are shared ventures not solo flights. Faith is not blind, but it does entail trusting God even when circumstances don’t make sense.

Dear Lord, enable us to redeem what otherwise might appear unredeemable.

Master Craftsman by Lois Handy

2011-06-12T11:24:00.000-04:00

She’s the only woman in the place who can tell men to take their pants off! “Just step in the next room, and then bring them to me,” she says. Measuring five feet one and shrinking, her short stature doesn’t take away from her amazing spunk. At 96, her crown of snowy white hair accents her ready smile. My mom, Josephine Brummer, practically dances the floor as she fleets from one locale to another. No assistance needed!

Mom’s passion in life is sewing. She and my dad live in a life care facility where mom blesses over 300 customers with her clothing alterations skills. A tour of her walk-in closet reveals a fashion show of clothing to be altered. A tuck in the bodice, 50 cents, a new zipper, $1, trousers hemmed, 75 cents. It’s the love of the work that motivates mom and the monetary gain is meaningless.

Watching mom at the sewing machine is like observing a master craftsman. She is gentle and respectful of the fabric whether old or new. She bastes her clothing projects with even stitches, being careful to get the tension just right. Looking at her work, whether from the back or the front, is like looking at an artist’s rendition of symmetry, each stitch mirroring the last. When she inserts the fabric and puts the presser foot down, she wisely and respectfully keeps in mind the endless possibilities of such a fine tuned instrument.

Isn’t that the way with God? My life is in constant need of a quick tuck, an all around hem or an unexpected expansion! My master craftsman gently leads and revives me, and it’s all accomplished by Hand! Jeremiah 18:6 reminds us: “Like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand…” He diligently bastes my soul preparing me so that I can be a personal witness for his kingdom.
Just as my mom alters garments, God takes great pleasure in molding me in his image. Sometimes it seems that God’s message is methodical as he encourages me to have a listening ear for his next instruction. Other days, the presser foot is down and I know I need to heed immediately. He gets the tension of life just right! That Bible bobbin spins keeping me grounded while the Lord makes that path of my life straight, yet there’s enough tension to catapult me back to His Word for answers. Just as the sewing machine creates even stitches, each of God’s steps mirrors the last, consistent and true. Furthermore, his fee is nominal. All that was required of me was to repent and accept Him as my Lord and Savior. Jesus paid it all and washed my sins away in one fell swoop. Just as my mom knows the possibilities of the fabrics and her sewing machine, my Holy Master Craftsman knows my potential as He molds me to further his kingdom.

Lois is a retired schoolteacher who loved her 31 years in the classroom. She and her husband Dave have two married daughters, and they love to share pictures of their first "grand," Lilly B. Phil. 4:19.

Landing on an Aircraft Carrier by Lori Hatcher

2011-06-08T20:33:00.001-04:00

Landing on the flight deck of an aircraft carrier is one of the most difficult things a navy pilot will ever do. The flight deck only has about 500 feet of runway space for landing planes. In order to land on the deck, the pilot must catch his plane’s tail hook on one of four arresting wires stretched across the deck of the carrier. If the pilot is successful and snags an arresting wire, it pulls the wire, stopping the plane.

According to the website "How Stuff Works," the arresting wire system can stop a 54,000-pound aircraft travelling 150 miles per hour in only two seconds.

There are two critical steps to the success of each landing. The first is that the pilot catches hold of the arresting wire with his plane’s tail hook. The second is that the arresting wire is strong enough to hold the plane and keep it from skidding off the runway, crashing into the sea.

David said to the Lord in Psalm 140, “You are my God; Hear the voice of my supplications, O Lord . . . the strength of my salvation.” Like the pilot on the aircraft carrier snagged the wire, trusting it to save him, David reached out to the Lord in faith. And like the super-strong arresting wire that keeps planes safe, God is strong enough to hold anyone who places his trust in Him.

Because the strength of our salvation is the Lord, and there is nothing stronger than God, we can rest secure. We know that it is not our strength that determines our success, but God’s. My pastor once said, “The Christian life is not about me holding on to God, but about God holding on to me.” Some trust in chariots, and some in horses; But we trust in the name of the LORD our God. (Ps 20:7)

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Lori Hatcher lives in Columbia, SC, and is the wife of a youth pastor, homeschooling mother of two lovely young women, part-time dental hygienist, published writer, and author of the blog “Be Not Weary.”

Oh the Beautiful Chaos on My Kitchen Table! by Emily Carter

2011-06-05T11:24:00.000-04:00

This is not what my kitchen table looks like!!

My kitchen table could describe my life right now. On it sit:
• a white bowl of fruit with two, slightly aged apples and one delicious looking navel orange
• an empty juice container that is being reused as a pencil holder
• a container of artificial sweetener
• a salt shaker lying on its side with salt spilled out
• my son’s papers from school
• my daughter’s spelling words
• my Bible and this week’s Sunday school lesson
• the grocery list
• my calendar
• my to do list
• the lap top
• and a glass of water.

These things are a picture of my slightly messy, always busy, beautiful life. Can you relate?

• The fruit in the bowl reminds me to work on displaying God’s fruit. Galatians 5:22-23 instructs us that the “fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control. Against such thing there is no law.”
• The empty orange juice container reminds me to pour myself out for others and be joyful doing it. In Philippians 2:17 we find that joy can be a part of spending ourselves for others.
• The artificial sweetener reminds me to be sincere, not just to pretend that I care. The greatest commandments are to love God with everything I am and to love others like I love myself. Mark 12:30-31.
• The spilled out salt is a great illustration for being salt and adding flavor to the lives that I come in contact with today. Reading Matthew 5:13 reminds us “You are the salt of the earth.” Colossians 4:6 encourages us, “Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.”
• The school papers and the spelling words remind me to be the kind of mom God wants me to be. Proverbs 31 is filled with advice for women about taking care of their families.
• My Bible and Sunday school lesson remind me to be in God’s Word and to mentor those younger than me. Psalm 119 and Titus 2 are filled with both commands and suggestions for ways to improve our lives.

• My calendar reminds me that God is the God of order and the “to do” list reminds me that sometimes His order is different from mine. Jeremiah 29:11 reminds us that God has a good plan for our lives.
• The lap top reminds me to do the work that God has called me to do. First Corinthians 12 reveals that God has given each believer a spiritual gift to be used.
• The glass of water reminds me that He is the living water that longs to replenish my soul and give me life. John 4:1-26 illustrates that Jesus longs to satisfy our deepest needs.

What’s lying around your house? How does it remind you of God? What does it challenge you to be?

Emily loves telling people about Jesus and teaching from God’s Word. She is the wife of Hayden and mom to Coleman (8), Grace (6), and Rachel (2 months). Emily is looking forward to spending the summer with the kids and traveling to the beach and Washington D.C.

Why I Don't Like Marigolds by Marilyn Nutter

2011-06-01T09:31:00.000-04:00

Why I Don't Like Marigolds

by Marilyn Nutter

My friend Pat and I were on a morning walk admiring some beautiful yards when we passed a home that had a large planting of marigolds.

“I finally figured out why I don’t like marigolds.” I said.

Pat laughed at my comment. “What? Not liking marigolds is a preference and I understand that, but what’s with figuring it out?”

“Well,” I continued. “It’s the colors—gold, yellow, and orange; those are autumn colors. They seem out of place in summer. Pink and purple petunias, red knockout roses; lavender hydrangeas—those are the flowers that should decorate our yards in summer. We can save the marigold colors for mums in the fall.”

“Well, I’ve never quite thought of it that way, but I see your point,” she answered, as we picked up our pace and turned our attention to a majestic foxglove.

Scripture speaks about spiritual gifts and says: “There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are different kinds of service but the same Lord…and he gives them to each one, just as he determines” (1 Corinthians 12: 4, 11b).

Every Christian has at least one spiritual gift. We haven’t chosen the gifts; they have been graciously given to us by the Spirit to serve, nourish and encourage others. But there can be problems when we wish we had another’s gift and ignore God’s grace in giving us the one we have.

We wish we could sing or speak in front of groups but our gift is helping others or showing mercy. We might be envious of someone who has the gift of administration and organization, so we try to “run” an event and fall flat on our face. Nothing can frustrate us more than imitating a gift we don’t have. Nothing breeds failure more than operating out of our giftedness. Not using the gift the Spirit has given us leaves us unfulfilled.

Out of place…a wrong fit…creating dissonance and disunity. Doing things that we aren’t made to do and neglecting our true gifts. For me this describes marigolds in summer!

Have you discovered your spiritual gifts? Read Romans 12: 6-8 and 1 Corinthians 12: 4-11. Can you find your gift(s) listed? Pray about it. Ask a friend if he or she recognizes your spiritual gift(s). I bet friends will know if you have been an autumn-colored marigold in July or a beautiful pink knockout rose in summer.

Marilyn lives in Mt Holly, NC, is the author of three devotional books, contributor to several compilations, and a speaker for women’s groups. Visit her sites: Marilyn Nutter.com and Grandmother’s Points of View or contact her at marilynnutter@gmail.com.

It is Finished! by Tammy Blackburn

2011-05-29T09:52:00.000-04:00

The end was in sight. So near, yet so far away. Seven long years I had worked for this goal and now all that stood between me and my diploma was one research paper and a final exam. I sat at my desk with my head face down in my book. I was not sure I could summon up the strength for even one more page.

Then, from somewhere deep inside the perseverance rose up and I pushed forward. What a wonderful feeling it was to type the final word in that paper and turn in that one last test. I had finished! I had achieved the goal!

God has been drawing my attention to finish lines lately. God rested only after he saw that creation was finished. Jesus gave up his Spirit on the cross only when the work of redemption was finished. Paul was diligent to finish the race God had set before him.

A friend recently participated in her first 5K race. She did not come in near the front, but she was thrilled and proud to have finished. My father-in-law is facing some serious life threatening health problems at the moment. We are praying for his recovery, but I know he has served the Lord faithfully and would be able to stand before God knowing he had finished what he was called to do.

“My food,” said Jesus, “is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work.” John 4:34

Now finish the work, so that your eager willingness to do it may be matched by your completion of it, according to your means. 2 Corinthians 8:11

As Christians, we have all been given a goal to complete. We were commissioned by Christ to tell the world about Him. We are to spread the Gospel of Christ to everyone, here at home as well as in other countries. God has also called us to individual goals. We are to be good and faithful wives, husbands, parents, friends, employees, etc. Satan will do everything possible to trip us up in our race to the finish. There will be hardships, friends will betray us, loved ones will pass away, loss of jobs and finances, and numerous other struggles. Sometimes, we may feel like I did as I was trying to write my final paper; like we cannot possibly continue the race. But, deep inside lives the Holy Spirit. He will empower us with the strength and determination needed if we only ask. Jesus desires for us to experience the satisfaction that comes with a job well done. He is cheering us on.

2 Thessalonians 3:3 tells us Christ is faithful and protects us from Satan. 1 Thessalonians 5:24 reminds us that whatever God has called us to do, he will be faithful to do it through us.

Where are you in the race? Do you ever feel like giving up? Keep pressing toward the finish and never give up. We are empowered from on high!

Tammy recently completed her degree in Psychology, attended the beautiful wedding of her son and new daughter-in-law, and is excitedly awaiting the birth of her first grandchild this summer. She loves to write, read, and hear God speak through his awesome creation.

Slavery is a Black & White Issue by Gail Purath

2011-05-24T10:43:00.008-04:00

Air holes in the church floor.

They could breathe in the dark underbelly of the church only because there were holes in the Georgian pinewood floor above them. Some would die before they reached northern safety, but these runaway slaves thought freedom was worth the risk.

The First African Baptist Church in Savannah, Georgia has a pattern of air holes in their basement floor above an historic secret tunnel of the Underground Railroad. Before slavery was abolished, slaves purchased the church property with money they'd saved to buy their children's freedom. (Some masters paid slaves small stipends for work done after their unpaid workday.) Working nights, the slaves rebuilt the church, creating a secret tunnel in the process.

A white church (still in existence today) accepted the slave's freedom money for a property they no longer needed. Like other "Christian" slave owners, they justified slavery with out-of-context Bible passages while ignoring in-context passages.(1)

From Stephen's Cornerstone Speech

Sarah Grimke, one of a tiny minority of white southern abolitionists, described the beating of a runaway slave woman: “[A] finger could not be laid between the cuts…a heavy iron collar with three prongs projecting from it, was placed around her neck, and a strong and sound front tooth was extracted, to serve as a mark to describe her, in case of escape…These outrages were committed in a family where the mistress daily read the Scriptures, and assembled her children for family worship.”(2) Accounts like these are common.

I’m not a Southerner—I didn't grow up hearing the “state’s rights” justification for the Civil War(3), and I’m sad to see anyone fly the Confederate flag. But my ancestors were not innocent. Slavery couldn’t have survived for over two hundred years if northern and western Christians had united against it.

From Texas Secession Papers

Slavery isn't a morally gray area--it's a black and white issue, and most of our ancestors have some culpability. The worst part is that we haven’t fully repented. Less than fifty years ago, southern white “Christians” insisted on segregated seating at Billy Graham Crusades until Graham refused to put up with it any longer! And the poison that caused slavery is still with us in the form of bigotry, half-truth justifications for the Civil War, and ignorant or deliberate honor for the Confederate flag.(3)

I'm ashamed to say that sometimes when I hear uninformed remarks about the war, slavery, and the Confederate flag from white Christians, I say nothing...just like many of my ancestors said nothing during the days of slavery.

From SC Secession Papers

In 1995, 150 years after they broke from northern Baptists, the Southern Baptist Church officially repented of their pro-slavery and anti-civil rights sins.(4) What about the rest of us? Are we ready, like the slaves beneath the church floor, to take a risk for freedom? There is only one escape from sin's dark underbelly where we huddle. It is through honesty and repentance--"Then you will know the truth and the truth will set you free” John 8:32.(5)

(1) During the Confederacy, most 'Christian' slave owners had convinced themselves that slavery was Biblical. To read how ridiculous this claim is read: Does the Bible Support Slavery?

(2) From Sea to Shining Sea, Peter Marshall and David Manuel, (Fleming H. Revell), 1986, page 246.

(3) The main “state’s right” that caused secession was the right to own slaves. Alexander Stephens, Confederate vice-president, said the foundation of the Confederacy rested "upon the great truth that the negro is not equal to the white man; that slavery, subordination to the superior race, is his natural and normal condition.” (from Stephen's Cornerstone Speech).

(4) Resolution On Racial Reconciliation On The 150th Anniversary Of The Southern Baptist Convention

(5) Even if you have done what is right, consider Daniel's confession in Daniel 9.

Gail writes one-minute devotions for Bible Love Notes. For Gail's bio, see the Lead Writers page.

Read a one-minute devotion about this subject: The Freedom of a Slave

Seashore Surprise by Kim Jackson

2011-05-21T13:35:00.000-04:00

Birthday on the beach. Just seeing those words in print makes me smile. I was raised in Illinois near the Wabash River, but I feel connected to the ocean. Something deep within me rises up to rejoice when I experience the waves and the roar.

So of course I replied “Yes!” when my friend Cathi invited me to spend my birthday on the beach. The morning of May 2nd we spread our blankets on the white sand at New Smyrna. There were only two people as far as the eye could see: Cathi and me. An hour passed before another human being appeared.

I watched him come over the dunes with his seven children following behind like proverbial little ducklings. When I smiled he said, “Yes, they’re all mine. And my wife is back at the house with the baby.” The children ran in to the ocean with joyful glee. Cathi and I watched scene after scene that confirmed this family was something special.

When we started packing our belongings I said, “I’ll be right back. I’ve got to tell that Dad how fun it was to watch his family.”

“Excuse me, but I just have to tell you that your family is a delight to watch.”

“Well, you caught them on a good day,” he said with a wink, “but my wife and I try to raise them to love God and love others.”

He explained that he and his wife had become Christians at a nearby church. He mentioned they’ve been involved in many mission trips.

“Really! God has just launched me on a new adventure. I’m going to Romania July 9th.”

“I love Romania! We’ve been lots of places in the world, but Romania is our favorite.”

Seriously? Only three adults anywhere in sight, and two of them are connected to Romania?

He was amazed to hear how God opened the door for me to work with the elderly in need. Because he’s been to Romania, it was easy for him to visualize the dozens of formerly homeless elderly who are now living in makeshift nursing homes in Dumbrava.

When he gave me his email address so we can stay in touch, my heart overflowed with gratitude to receive such a confirmation, such a “God Kiss.” And who knows what may come of that seashore surprise?

What are the odds of that happening? There are over six billion people in the world yet God purposefully placed Josh and his family on my birthday beach. Some would say, “That was serendipitous.” But I know better: it was Spiritipidous!

“I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources God will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit” (Ephesians 3:16 NLT).

Kim Jackson is a writer and speaker living in Concord, North Carolina. You can read about her latest God-Venture at Elder Orphan Care.

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A Three Skunk Morning by Martin Wiles

2011-05-18T04:00:00.000-04:00

Though he slay me, yet will I hope in him. Job 13:15

By the time I encountered the third skunk, I was ready to return home.

It was early morning, and I was taking my usual walk. Behind our house were rolling pasturelands and hilly roads, which made for good cardio workouts. Heavy fog had rolled in during the night and sight was limited. Finally reaching a breaking point, I noticed a precarious situation-a nearby skunk strolling through the pasture. I hurriedly crossed to the other side and continued back into the fog. Shortly, the fog lifted again. Another skunk appeared. Again I crossed the road and rushed on, catching sight of a third skunk.

The fog made it difficult to see what could have been a smelly situation and reminded me some days just stink. I imagine Job felt the same. God and Satan were making a wager on Job's faithfulness while Job was living in the fog of ignorance. Satan was asking permission to test Job. He felt Job only loved God because He was so good to him. God knew Satan was mistaken but allowed the test anyway. So Satan went to work.

Suddenly Job was afflicted by some putrid days. He lost his children, possessions and health. His wife encouraged him to curse God and die. After listening to his fair weather friends insinuate his troubles were self-inflicted, Job maintained he would trust God even if He killed him.

Job learned the art of doing what a later writer classified as walking by faith not sight (II Corinthians 5:7). Faith is formed and matured in the fog. Seldom are we given details ahead of time. God’s plan is usually understood only in reverse, and Job’s story reminds us there are plans we may never be privy too.

But God wagers we will come out smelling like a rose, not a skunk. And we will, if we trust Him by faith even when experiencing the fogs of doubt, uncertainty, mistrust, fear and anxiety. Our faith can flourish in the fog.

Dear Lord, when the fog of the unknown engulfs us, strengthen our faith so we may see clearly to trust You.

Fight the Fight by Jan Darnell

2011-05-16T01:35:00.000-04:00

C.E. Brock, Bible Picture Gallery

We are at war! Are we fighting? Or are we too intimidated…

As a youth, David traveled to the battlefield of Socoh where three of his oldest brothers had joined Saul’s army to defend it against a Philistine attack. David was going as a courier with provisions, yet didn’t find Israel fighting when he arrived. (1 Samuel 17)

Why not? Weren’t they at war?

Consider the giant, intimidating nine-foot Philistine warrior, Goliath. This enemy solider stood against Israel, arrogantly flashing a seventeen pound spear that was twenty-six feet long, tipped with an iron spear-head also weighing seventeen pounds. Thirty five pounds is the weight of two heavy bowling balls by comparison. Can you imagine the strength it took to throw a spear like that?

Goliath’s bronze scale-armor and helmet weighed 125 pounds. He also wore bronze shin guards, carried a bronze javelin on his back between his shoulders and a sword by his side (1 Samuel 21:9). It has been estimated that the total weight of Goliath’s armor and weaponry would have been at least 700 pounds. A bit intimidating, wouldn’t you say?

This enormous enemy towered over and mocked the army of Israel and the living God, calling for an individual to fight against him. “Choose a man for yourselves and let him draw near to me.” We have to wonder don’t we… why did Goliath want a personal confrontation rather than a battle between armies? Did he crave the attention? Or was the Philistine army inferior and using Goliath as a diversion? Whatever the reason, Goliath was dictating the battle much like Satan attempts to dictate our battles today, calling us out to face huge obstacles of fear...alone.

David picked up five stones from a nearby brook and ran toward the battle line with nothing more than a slingshot. Catapulted from his sling, the first stone pierced Goliath’s forehead, killing the giant instantly. David did not fight in hand to hand combat. Like Indiana Jones pulling out a gun against the flashing sword of an attacking Ninja warrior, David used a slingshot against 700 pounds of enemy weaponry. David’s faith changed the terms of battle to be in God’s hands, not those of Goliath.

We are living in a day of huge, taunting giants, who are mocking the kingdom of the living God and calling us out individually. It is intimidating to think of fighting these giants by ourselves because we feel so powerless in comparison. Yet, we can and we must fight in just the same way as David – by faith in our victorious God. David picked up five stones because there were four other giants besides Goliath in Saul’s army he might have to face (2 Samuel 21:18-22). David was willing though. Are we?

Jesus taught that we are like sheep in the midst of wolves (Matthew 10:16). How did He say to handle this adversity? Be shrewd as serpents and innocent as doves. We are at war. Would David find us fighting?

Jan loves to write Bible studies and devotionals with a passion to know and make known the gospel of Jesus Christ. She is the wife of Barry Darnell a nuclear engineer at Duke Energy and mother of seven.

Words for the Weary by Lori Hatcher

2011-05-11T21:42:00.000-04:00

"The purpose of the voice of condemnation is to push you away from His presence -- that which is the very source of your victory. The purpose of the voice of conviction is to press you into the face of Christ."

Bob Sorge, Secrets of the Secret Place (1)

Sometimes I forget that mothering is a spiritual endeavor. That it is only through the empowering and equipping of God's Spirit that I have any hope of success. And somehow, Although I know it to be true, that I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me, I sometimes begin my day without a moment spent in His presence. Brushing Him breezily aside, I dive into my busy day without taking even a moment to consult with Him. I wonder, how many of the "imperative" items on my to-do list might be cast aside if I had held them up to His wise eyes? Better yet, had I sat before Him with an empty page and asked, "Lord, what would YOU have me to do today?", how different might my list have been?

It is no wonder then, that when I fail miserably, the voice of the enemy shouts loudly and clearly words of condemnation into my ear. His voice causes feelings of failure, doubt, confusion, defeat. His voice pushes me away from the things that are good and right. His voice isolates me from those fellow sojourners whom God has placed alongside me to help. His voice makes me doubt whether I even have a right to an audience with the King whose presence I've neglected so many times.

But God the Father is long suffering and forgiving, slow to anger and abounding in love. (Ex.34:6) He forgets our sin of independence as quickly as we confess it, and He runs to take us in His arms and restore us to a right relationship with Himself. Do you realize that the only time scripture reveals God hurrying is when He, as the waiting and watching Father, ran to welcome His prodigal home?

Dear reader, whether you are enjoying success or are experiencing struggles, I encourage you to begin each day with an appointment with God. As you seek Him through prayer and His word, He will give you wisdom (James 1:5), strength (Phil. 4:13), freedom from fear and anxiety (Phil. 4:6), and clear direction for each day (Is. 30:21). Even 15 minutes with the Savior each morning is an investment in the quality and effectiveness of your day, of your very life! Time spent at Jesus' feet is never time wasted. And if your heart and mind are filled with HIS words, then when the accuser whispers lies in to your ears, you will recognize whom it is that is speaking. Dear reader, run to Jesus!

(1)-Lee's Summit, MO: Oasis House, 2001, 57-58.

Childhood Shopping Trips and Treasures by Tami Gilman

2011-05-08T14:04:00.000-04:00

I fondly remember the most exciting shopping excursions as a child were with my Mom and sister at back-to-school time. The only time we ever got anything new was for school and Christmas.

Before credit cards if you didn't have the money to pay for your selections, you had the option of lay-a-way.
You would fill your cart with what you wanted and take it to the counter at the back of the store. The clerk would ring up the items, tag them with your information and lock them in a special room for safekeeping. You would then come in as often as you wanted to make a payment on the total, but it wasn't until you paid in full, the merchandise was yours.

“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Matthew 6:19-21

At the time, finally having the long anticipated new clothes in my possession seemed to be as good as it was going to get them. The reality was, the clothes would wear out or I would grow out of them and give them away. I don't even recall what any of my precious threads looked like and they are most certainly out of circulation by now.

As Believers our hope is not in what we have, what we wear or even how we look. Our treasure is the anticipation of eternity with our Creator. As exciting as it is to get something you desire, the greatest gift to all who receive it, Jesus paid for in full.

Tami lives in Kannapolis, NC with her husband and 2 dogs. They enjoy the outdoors, good food and good friends.

Do You Trust Your G.P.S.? by Ann Wayne

2011-05-04T09:29:00.000-04:00

A few years ago, I was traveling down a winding country highway after dark that I had only driven on once before during daylight hours. Suctioned to my windshield was my trusty GPS. Or at least I was hoping that I could trust it.

My destination address was typed in and I hoped for the best. It had never failed me before, but a little anxiety flowed through my veins as I took a deep breath and sped down the highway.

Then the Spirit nudged me as if to say, “Be still and know that I am God (Psalm 46:10). I’ve always been here for you in times like this. Do not be afraid! Why are you stressing over this?”

I began to pray and ask the Lord to wrap His hedge of protection around me and deliver me safely to my destination.

I began to think about God’s word being the road map for our lives. Many times we try to take things in our own hands instead of trusting in His word and putting our faith in Him. In Deuteronomy 31:6, Moses reminded Joshua that the Lord was with him as he took the leadership role in delivering the Israelites into the Promised Land. He said, “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of [the Egyptians], for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.” Moses had the kind of faith that God wants us to have, the kind that moves mountains or parts seas.

In Proverbs 3:5-6, the scripture says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.” The Lord wants us to read and follow His road map to life – The Bible.

If we can put our trust in a man-made device like a GPS to help us reach our destination, shouldn’t we trust God with our lives?

After arriving at my destination that evening, I realized that God was really in control of my trip that night - even while traveling on a desolate highway depending on a GPS. That evening was a test of my faith. I asked the Lord to increase it so that I would trust Him more.

G.P.S. on the road-map of life = G.od P.rovides S.ecurity

Ann has recently been approved to become a Presenter for the National Center for Biblical Parenting and will travel to Texas in September for training. She will lead parenting seminars at churches in the Southeast.