"Give Thanks"....Thursday

5/1/14

This past month I have been waking up each morning focusing on our God's goodness, on His love that He has for me.  I know we all have stuff going on in our lives, but for today I encourage you to enter into His gates with thanksgiving, enter into His courts with praise.  

Give thanks to our God for He is ALWAYS good, He is ALWAYS loving and kind. Thank Him because His love never quits, His love has taken over our lives.  His ways, God's ways are faithful and eternal.  Let us rejoice in Him.

OH, GIVE THANKS 

to the Lord, for he is good; 

his loving kindness continues forever.

Give thanks to the God of gods, 

for his loving kindness continues forever.

Give thanks to the Lord of lords, 

for his loving kindness continues forever.

Praise him who alone does mightly miracles, 

for his loving kindness continues forever.

Praise him who made the heavens, 

for his loving kindness continues forever.

Praise him who planted the water within the earth 

for his loving kindness continues forever.

Praise him who made the heavenly lights,

 for his loving kindess continues forever:

the sun to rule the day, 

for his loving kindness continues forever;
 and the moon and the stars at night,  

for his loving kindness continues forever.

Psalm 136:1-9 NLT

Written by 

Kathryn Hansen

"My Strength Comes From God"...Wednesday

4/29/14...................................................HAPPY BIRTHDAY, SANDY  

More and more each day I realize how much I rely on the Lord's strength. My own physical strength faileth but God is the strength of my heart. He is my full portion. As I call out to Him and draw close to Him He supplies the strength that I need at that time in my life. He never ceases to amaze me how He shows up for me at that appointed time. He has never let me down.

His word says...

"The Lord is my
strength and my song, 

and He has become 

my salvation; 

this is my God, 

and I will praise Him, 

my Father's God, 

and I will exalt Him."

Exodus 15:2 

Not only is He my strength, but He is my song and my salvation as well. I will never stop praising and exalting Him all the days of my life! His goodness never ends for His children and He so worthy of all of our praise.

In His Great Goodness, 

Sandy Billingham

Making An Impact...Tuesday

4/29/14

Last Friday night I attended a meeting for our women's group at my church. It was called "Impact." There were three women there who are involved in organizations working on problems in the valley where I live. 

One had founded the Crisis Pregnancy Center which councils, and helps girls and young couples in making their decision whether to have the baby and keep it, whether to adopt it out or to have an abortion. During the pregnancy there are classes about the season they are in, and the center helps  provide things that will be needed after the birth.

Another woman there is involved in a program that helps families in crisis in dealing with whatever their crisis is. They find temporary care for the children while the parents work towards making their situations better without getting involved in the longer care situation that foster care can be.

The third woman is part of a group called City Serve. This is a group who keeps communication with non-profits as to needs of the particular non profit to help out in times of crisis. City Serve also finds volunteers for their projects. 

These women, each in her own way, were making an Impact.

At the end of the evening we all received this card...

I love the way it is worded. Not only does it end with the prormise to make an IMPACT, but also it gives how and whys of what must be done to affect the world and make it a better place.

In the Bible there are many women who have made a difference in the world. Here are just a few of them...Ruth, Naomi, Mary Magdalene, Deborah, and Rahab. One of the most famous Biblical women was Esther. Who can ever forget what was said to her by her uncle Mordecai that led her to courageously face the danger of death to save her people...

"For if you remain silent at this time, 

relief and deliverance for the Jews 
will arise from another place,
 but you and your father’s family will perish. 
And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?”

What about you? What about me? God has created each of us with special gifts and interests. We can make a difference. We can make an impact on our world in some unique way for which God had prepared us and exactly in the time when it is needed. It can be something big that the entire world knows about, or it can be just quietly coming alongside, speaking into people's lives and letting them see the glory of God. Are you preparing now to be ready to spend  your time to impact others?

Written by
Corinne Mustafa

The song for today is sung by Wayne Watson, "For Such a Time as This."

Lesson in a Bottle.....Monday

With my heart pounding and my eyes burning green I headed down the hall to drop off the kids in their classes. It was going to be a quiet Sunday night gathering in our small church. Yes, it took effort to get back for the 6 o'clock service after a busy Sunday schedule but all of our friends would be there.

As I found a seat my heart was still pounding and my head was bursting with thoughts of self-pity. I had just heard that one of my good friends wasn't coming tonight. She had decided to skip church and go see a movie alone. Her husband had announced it as if it was a normal thing - but in our circle of friends -it was not normal. And I was over-flowing (like an active and angry volcano) with jealousy.


I was jealous on two levels, as I proceeded to explain to God in much detail. First, how come she got to skip church and not be in trouble (see how immature I was!). After all, no one was gasping in disbelief that she wasn't there. It seemed to me that everyone was happy to excuse her for the evening.

Secondly, how come she got to go do something fun and I didn't? On top of that, the movie sounded like a beautiful love story, just my cup of tea.

Now no one told me I had to be at church every time the doors were open. We were young Christians and we wanted to be there - we enjoyed being with our friends and visiting with them before and after service. And although my husband and I didn't typically go to movies during that season of our lives, I could have. I didn't go because I didn't think of going.

I continued to pout and feel sorry for myself. When I explained my little drama to my husband after the kids were in bed, he simply said, "Go to the movie if you want."

A few days later I forgave my friend for doing a fun thing without me as she mollified my feelings by saying, 'Oh, you could have gone with me."



I never did go to the movie theater, and in those days we waited a long time for a movie to be available to rent at a video store. Some time later I thought fondly of my friend as I put the VHS tape of "When A Man Loves A Woman" in the player. Fifteen minutes later I humbly asked God to forgive me for ever feeling sorry for myself or being jealous of my friend. As tears flowed down my cheeks, I ached for my alcoholic girlfriend, and what she must have gone through, alone in the theatre that day, as God used a movie to bring her face to face with her addiction and what it was doing to her family.

By then, my friend had admitted to her problem, gotten help, and was on the road to recovery and health. I learned to be careful what I wish for, and not to envy another person's life, because no matter what I think I know, I have absolutely no idea what it is to be them.

Dear Lord, thank You for the creative ways You speak to us and the ways You can drive a message deep into our heart of hearts. Please help me to remember that You have a plan for each one of us and that one plan is not better than another - just different and perfectly suited to the needs of each of our souls. In Jesus name, amen.

Written by
Mary M. Wilkins

CRUCIFY SELF, LIVE BY THE SPIRIT... Sunday

Devotional for 4/27/14

Jesus was crucified on a cross and his flesh died, but he arose to life again on the third day.  All this was done as payment for our sinfulness so that we might have eternal life with him in heaven.  

Let us therefore be ever grateful for his great sacrifice in our place. Let us live by the Spirit.  In doing so we get rid of sinful behaviors and instead do good and give credit and thanks to God.  This is not to earn God's favor, for we already have that through faith in Christ!  But rather it is to give witness to others of the great love God has for all.  Even when we falter or fall in our efforts, God is there to lift us up again.

Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh (sinful nature) with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.  Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.  Galatians 5:24-26 NIV

Dear Lord in heaven, help me to live life in your Spirit, doing good and shunning what is wrong.  Help me to always give you the glory, remembering to thank and praise your holy name for all you have done and continue to do in my life.  Even in difficult times, help me to see your gracious gifts, especially the most precious gift of all, eternal life with you in heaven.  In Jesus' name,  AMEN.

written by 
Jan Andersen

  

GOD IS NOT MOCKED...Saturday

4/26/14

"Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. 
A man reaps what he sows."
 Galatians 6:7

     

Many people live fruitless and even dangerous lives, thinking nothing will ever catch up with them.  Sometimes it is true that justice is denied people here on earth.  Some criminals are never caught.  Many, however, are caught years later when thy thought they had gotten away with their crimes.

     Whatever happen on this earth, rest assured, God is not mocked.  He sees everything.  Either He will repay on earth or worse yet, will repay in eternity for those who live immoral and godless lives and never repent and turn in faith to Jesus.

     A man does reap what he sows, now in this time and into eternity.  So don't sow to your sinful nature and reap destruction.  Sow to please the Spirit of God and have a blessed life on earth and reap eternal life forever.

Written by 

Carol Steficek

Song for today is "They That Sow in Tears Shall Reap in Joy" - Ps 126

Hope...Friday

4/25/14 

I am on the verge of a meltdown today.  It came upon me suddenly, and I have really struggled with what has caused it.  I made it through my crazy and difficult time at work; I had four days off to rest away from work.  And I thought that I was going to have a smooth re-entry into the post season.  It has now dawned on me that apparently that is not the case.  I have been focusing on getting healthy physically, but, now my mental state is hollering that I have been neglecting it.

In reality I haven’t had enough time to do much of any focusing or pampering of myself in any way.  It has only been about ten days.  I am still catching up at work, and the bottom line about work is that I am not happy there.  I have been trying to act like I am, but, it is hard to live in a fake world, both from the outside and me being fake by trying to be happy.

I was about to cancel my writing for this week when I found this scripture:

Don’t envy evil men 

but continue to reverence the Lord all the time, 

for surely you have a wonderful

 future ahead of you. 

There is hope for you yet!

Proverbs 23:17-18

(TLB)

And this is what I need to get me through today….and everyday.  However, I especially needed to read that today, as I was feeling so hopeless and stuck.  Envious of others and how their lives seem easier and are able make changes in jobs, or other things because they have a spouse that can support them through a change.  What I need to remember is that I can do changes; I just need to keep my God in the spouse spot as well as the God spot.  When I keep my hope in Him, there is hope for me.

Written by

Kelly Dobyns

Today's song is "Pour Out" performed by Shawn McDonald 

"Trust in the Lord"...Thursday

4/24/14

I trust in Your unfailing love.  

I will rejoice because You have rescued me.  

I will sing to the Lord because He has been so good to me.  

Psalm 13:5-6.

The only hard part in letting God handle your problems is dealing with fear that He won't because of unbelief.  Put your trust in Him and let your burdens be light. While it is easy to believe that He can, the words "if he wants to." always slide into your mind and results in uncertainty that he WILL.

We have all lived through times when we do not feel that our problems are being taken care of in spite of how much we pray for God's help. We also see other people who do not seem to receive what they are praying for. One person survives cancer, while another succumbs. Both are praying and being prayed for. God reminds us that He is God and we are not...we cannot even hope to understand the things that He does.

At times in 20/20 hindsight we can see why we did not get what we prayed for. We see from the history of the request that God had something better for us. At other times we try to figure it out and cannot understand why our prayers seemed to go unanswered.

The bottom line is found in the scripture above. We must trust in His unfailing love and know that He has been good to us. 

This is a key point and we should believe this fact.                                  

                                        It pleases the Father to help his children.

Written by 

Kathryn Hansen  

Today's song is performed by Chris Tomlin..."Sovereign" 

"Chillin' With Our Lord"...Wednesday

4/23/14 

There is no better place in the whole world than to spend time with our Precious Lord. After all, when we are in Heaven, it will be eternal with Him, so why not get used to spending good times with the Lord now.

I yearn and love to be in His presence and just rest in His wonderful peace and love. When I spend time with Jesus, He melts all my cares and worries and stress away, and it is just Him and I together. He gives me great assurance that He will take care of me all the days of my life.

The beauty of living for Christ is that we can come and sit with Him any time we want. There is no appointment to be made and we are never put on hold... He is there for us every second, minute and hour of the day.

 

He tells me in His Word in 

Hebrews 10:19-20 

"Having, therefore, brethren,

 boldness to enter into the holies 

by the blood of Jesus.. 

By a new and living way, 

which He hath consecrated for us, 

through the veil, that is to say, His flesh."

We can have great boldness and confidence in entering into His presence by the blood of Jesus. He made a way for us to have access to Him continuously. And He well worth Chillin' with all the days of my life!

In His Rich Love, 

Sandy Billingham

Whom Shall I Fear?...Tuesday

04 22 14 

I was watching the news this morning and remembered why I don’t watch it too often. Even though good things do happen, it seems like bad news takes center stage. Seven babies found dead in a garage, father kills crying baby so that he could concentrate on a video game, grandmother kills two of her own grandchildren, tribal feud in Egypt sparks deadly fight, the Malaysian airliner still missing, South Korean ferry sinks; killing many high school students, earthquakes, mudslides, devastating fires, drought, the list goes on and on. In addition, there seems to be quite a lot of action going on at the Wailing Wall. Satan is really turning up the heat, so to speak. He knows that his time is very short. We can see that this is true just by what is going on in our own families. I don’t know of anyone that isn't dealing with some type of family issue, whether it be problems with an unruly child, unhappy marriage, financial issues, health issues, etc. We could become fearful, anxious, and depressed because of everything going on around us. However, we serve a mighty God who has a great deal to say about fear, anxiety, and depression.

Isaiah 41:10 reads, 

“Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God;
 I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”

Philippians 4:6-7 says,
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and 

supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 

And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, 

will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

Psalms 34:17-18 instructs, 

“When the righteous cry for help, 

the Lord hears and delivers them out of all their troubles. 

The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.”

It is true that even though we are followers of Christ, we pray, we cry out, and we trust God, we will face trials and tribulations. However, God promises to walk with us through difficult times. He promises to crush our enemies. He goes before us and stands behind us. He is our sword and our shield, a lamp unto our feet. 

The God of angel armies is truly by our side at all times. In the end, we WILL have victory.

Let’s not forget, He is Risen! If the One who defeated death is on our side, whom shall we fear? What shall we fear?

Written by

Storm H.

Song- God of Angel Armies by Christ Tomlin

What am I Missing?....Monday

Yesterday plastic eggs filled with goodies were hidden in homes, yards, and parks. Children of all ages ran to find these little containers of delight. At the end of the hunt eggs were counted, treats were nibbled, and a few determined searchers continued looking for any missing eggs. They did not consider it work because there was the hope of something good to be found.

When I have lost an earring, sometimes I only realize it because I have one left to remind me. Once I know it is gone, I will shift furniture, empty a purse, and search every crevice in a car to find the missing piece. I don't always succeed but I keep the one earring in hopes of finding the missing one eventually.

When the incredible sacrifice of the cross of Jesus Christ is brought before me at Easter, I am overwhelmed by the complete gift God has given us. Forgiveness of sins, redemption from hell, and the promise of eternal life. In light of this Truth, if we have believed in Jesus as the One and Only true Son of God, then none of us are missing anything.

This is how much God loved the world:

He gave his Son, his one and only Son.

And this is why: so that no one need be destroyed;

by believing in him, anyone can have a whole and lasting life.

God didn’t go to all the trouble of sending his Son

merely to point an accusing finger, telling the world how bad it was.

He came to help, to put the world right again.

Anyone who trusts in him is acquitted;

anyone who refuses to trust him

 has long since been under the death sentence without knowing it.

 And why?

 Because of that person’s failure to believe

 in the one-of-a-kind Son of God when introduced to him.

John 3:16-18 The Message

Dear Lord, thank You for the reminder of all You have done for us through Your Son, Jesus Christ. Please help me to keep my mind and heart focused on what You have already given me, for surely that is more than enough. In Jesus name, amen.

Written by Mary M. Wilkins

Chris Tomlin performs "More Than Enough"

HOPELESSNESS TO HAPPINESS... Easter Sunday

Devotional for 4/20/14

Many of us have had moments of despair and dejection.  It is often difficult to see through these depressing times to anything positive.  How could this happen to us?  Isn't God hearing our prayers and pleas for mercy and rescue?  We are in desperate need of a flicker of hope in times like these.  

The followers of Jesus had a devastating time like this.  Their teacher and friend had been crucified, and they all ran away out of fear for their own lives.  Jesus was supposed to be the Son of God - their Savior.  How could this happen?  Why didn't God do something to stop it?  They likely had thought Jesus was going to be with them for a very long time and make everything better.  They were in desperate need of a glimmer of hope also.

Then something miraculous happened.  On the third day they found that Jesus was no longer in the gloomy grave.  Their hopelessness changed to great happiness!  They were elated that Jesus had risen from the dead and even walked with them again for a time on earth.  In God's perspective it all was happening the way it should, the way it needed to happen for the forgiveness of all humanity.  Jesus had even told them of his impending death and resurrection.  But they had not understood and were looking in the wrong place for the wrong thing.  They didn't have God's perspective until after it all unfolded. 

[The angels said] “Why do you look for the living among the dead?  He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee:  ‘The Son of Man must be delivered over to the hands of sinners, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.’ ”  Then they remembered his words.  Luke 24:5b-8

When we find ourselves in a dark place, with seemingly no place to turn, we can be certain that God is still with us and that there are brighter days ahead.  He has told us so!  Our hope and delight is in Jesus and his presence in our lives regardless of what is going on around us.  When all we can see is the dark grave, we must cling to the empty cross and the bright resurrection of Jesus Christ.  Let God turn our hopelessness into happiness!

Christ is risen!  He is risen indeed!

written by Jan Andersen

Because He lives here is the end of the story!

GRACE SEEKS...Saturday

 4/19/14 

"You gave me life and showed me kindness, 

and in your providence watched over my spirit."

Job 10:12

     No matter what we are doing in life, no matter how far we have strayed from God, He is always looking for a way to bring us home to Himself.

     One of the best things about the characters we read about throughout Scripture is that they are real people, just like you and me.  Peter had a temper and denied Christ three times.  Hew was rescued by God's grace and worked spreading the gospel message until his death.  Kind David committed adultery and murder and yet was rescued by god's grace.  we have the Psalms from him which speak to our needs, and moods and invites us to taste and see that the Lord is good. The parable of the Prodigal Son shows us a picture of a forgiving and loving God who doesn't wait for us, rather, He runs out to meet us!

     God's grace seeks us out.  If you don't know about this wonderful grace, open the pages of your Bible.  Start with the gospel of John and learn who Jesus is.  Read the Psalms.  God's grace is always there, seeking you to return home to Him.

Written by 

Carol Steficek

Matt Redmond sings "Your Grace Finds Me"

Plans For Me...Friday

4/18/14

I went out on a limb and made a commitment to go to a woman’s retreat last weekend.  Even though I manage a tax office/CPA firm, I thought it would not be a problem, as we are always able to keep a handle on the work flow and remain above the deadline by about a week.  Yes, the last week we always have a few last minute clients waiting for completion due to various reasons.  Well, guess what this year has been a madhouse.  One of my bosses whose just been through his 42^nd tax season, stated that this has been the worse one ever.  I have also spoken with other CPAs in our building, and they have had to deal with the same insanity and frustrations as we have this year.  There have been many different reasons for such madness, some of it is the tax law, some is the delays in getting necessary documents needed to complete accurate returns, and some are more specific to our firm.  Whatever the reasons are, we have all been struggling, yet surviving and managing to still remain relatively calm, yet exhausted.

What I have learned through all this is something I am so grateful to God for.  My being faithful to Him has allowed my ever loving Father to open my eyes, ears and heart to what He has been speaking to me for years, I am sure of, but, I have not slowed down or been open enough to see, hear and absorb the love that He has for me.  I now know that I am a gift to this firm.  I add value to the ‘family’ that is here.  For the nine years that I have been with them, I have allowed myself to feel put down, as I am not a CPA.  There is a level of respect that I am not given by them, due to that fact, however, the huge thing for me is that I have ALLOWED myself to be bitter about that, as well as create a worse scenario in my head of how I am NOT good enough.

I had a moment of clarity a few weeks ago in which I realized in a very humble and loving way that neither one of them could do the job that I have.  And I don’t mean that I am superior to them, just that they have different personalities that allow them to be great at what they do with the tax returns and I have a gift for picking up the fluff duties of the office administration, as well as some tax preparation,   In fact, both of them have told me in the past that I am awesome at what I do.  It is amazing how I am with the clients, as well as other compliments. I am the one that has held me back from embracing these gifts, accepting them and myself, as well as my bosses for sharing their honest feelings to me.

1 Corinthians 7:7

New International Version (NIV)

I wish that all of you were as I am. 
But each of you has your own gift from God;
one has this gift, another has that.

Now my plan for the after tax season craziness is to do some work on myself….some more listening to my beautiful,  loving Father and figuring out how I will best use the gifts He has given to me specifically.  Praise the Lord and all His greatness!! It is my prayer that others who have felt inadequate and unappreciated will see the reality and turn to the Lord to show them their strength.

Jeremiah 29:11

New International Version (NIV)
For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, 

“plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

Written by

Kelly Dobyns

Today's song is "I Know The Plans" sung by Damaris Carbaugh

"Taste and See that the Lord is Good"...Thursday

4/17/14

This past weekend I had the privileged to Taste and See that our Lord is sooo GOOD at a retreat with 25 beautiful women of our Precious Savior.

We sought our Lord together and separately; 

He heard us and delivered us.

We saw His love and compassion wrap 

around us like a warm blanket/

We drank from the lake of Living Water and were refreshed.

We waited upon the Lord and He renewed our Strength.

We mounted on the wings like eagles

 and we ran and were not weary.   

We walked and did not faint.

We soared with the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

For in Him we Live.

For in Him we Move.

For in Him we have our being.

We are His beloved and He is ours.

O taste and see tat the LORD is good: 

blessed is the man that trusteth in Him.

Psalm 34:8

Thank you beautiful women of God

Blessings, 

Kathryn Hansen