When we think our hands are empty…..

Looking back on the number of things that I did not try in the past; I can’t help but wonder how many blessings I have missed because I did not understand just how big OUR GOD truly is.

Well, the past is the past, and I cannot waste time with regrets on who I am not. I may not have become who I think I might have been; I must look at who I am in Christ – TODAY – and love the journey that brought me here.

The things that were difficult or painful for me, may appear to have been easy compared to what you have endured. But we each have our own walk and must take our own steps in order to grow the way we are intended to. Otherwise we continue to be stuck in the places that we are afraid of leaving.

I know that I am not strong on my own. I am “petite”; which now just means short instead of slender and delicate. But my lack of physical strength within my own power can, and will always be overcome by the Power of the Holy Spirit that lives in me!

The tools that I am often unaware of are inside me; just waiting for me to ask the Lord to show me what to do on every occasion in my life. The men and women who have stepped out on faith before me – in the distant past and right before my eyes – are proof that God can perform miracles through everyone who asks for that power to be ignited.

My empty hands, my lack of known skill and even my doubt in my being prepared are all that I need when I allow my faith in The God who created me for greatness to do His work.

This Sunday, I let go of my will and let the Holy Spirit lead me to pray for and with someone at just the right moment. And the words that I used, the powerful things that came out of my mouth were spoken for me as much as for the one I prayed with. I needed to hear my voice speak of the Infinite Power of God’s Love for each of us! How He is big enough and strong enough to let us get angry at Him and tell him that we do not understand.

My hands and at times, my head may feel empty. But those are the times when I am best equipped to ask Him to fill and use me for the good of The Kingdom. As long as I remember to tell myself that “I AM” lives in me.

“But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you,

for my power is made perfect in weakness.”

Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses,

so that Christ’s power may rest on me.”

2 Corinthians 12:9

Lynda Kinnard
10/18/2011

WHAT DOES IT MATTER?

Sunday 11/06/11

We celebrated All Saints Day today in church. It is an occasion to remember those believers who have passed away. Some will be remembered by many for a very long time, perhaps because they touched so many lives while they were here on earth, or maybe even because they became famous for something they did. Others may only be remembered for a very short time by only a few people. They may not have many other relatives or friends still living that had much interaction with them. Does that matter?

Sometimes I feel so insignificant. I wonder, why am I here? Why do I keep trudging through this life? What is my purpose? I feel like just a tiny speck of dust in the whole universe of life. What would it matter if I were no longer on earth? My importance is minimal in the overall scheme of this world.

Then I am gently reminded by God, I am here because He sent me to be here, in this place, at this time. It does not matter if my name in not known around the world or if I make no mark in history that will be remembered by many people years after I am gone. That is not what is important. The important thing in life is God and what HE matters to the world. My life simply exists to bring him glory and to bring others to him.

There is a song called "Do Everything" sung by Steven Curtis Chapman that talks about our day and that it matters, no matter how unimportant it may seem. Maintaining faith and giving glory to God is what matters most! Here is a video and the lyrics of his song:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FEqdDdvFXZ0

You’re picking up toys on the living room floor for the 15th time today
Matching up socks and sweeping up lost Cheerios that got away
You put a baby on your hip and color on your lips and head out the door
And while I may not know you I bet I know you Wonder sometimes does it matter at all
Well let me remind you it all matters just as long as you

Do everything you do to the glory of the One who made you
Cause He made you to do
Every little thing that you do to bring a smile to His face
And tell the story of grace
With every move that you make
And every little thing you do

Maybe you’re that guy with the suit and tie, Maybe your shirt says your name
You may be hooking up mergers, cooking up burgers, But at the end of the day

Little stuff big stuff in between stuff, God sees it all the same
And while I may not know you I bet I know you Wonder sometimes does it matter at all
We’ll let me remind you it all matters just as long as you do

Everything you do to the glory of the One who made you
Cause He made you
To do every little thing that you do to bring a smile to His face
And tell the story of grace with every move that you make
And every little thing that you do

Well maybe you’re sitting in math class, Maybe on a mission in the Congo
Maybe you’re working at the office, Singing along with the radio
Maybe you’re dining at a five star, Or feeding orphans in Myanmar
Anywhere and everywhere you are, Whatever you do it all matters
So do what you do and don’t ever forget to do

Everything you do to the glory of the One who made you
Cause He made you to do
Every little thing that you do to bring a smile to His face
And tell the story of grace as you do
Everything you do to the glory of the One who made you
Cause He made you to do
Every little thing that you do to bring a smile to His face
And tell the story of grace with every move that you make
And every little thing that you do.

Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. Ephesians 5:1-2 NIV

written by Jan Andersen, keeping the faith and passing it on

Where Do You Want Me to Go?

In Genesis 16:8, we read, "Hagar, Sarai's maid, where have you come from and where are you going?" I think God has probably asked all of us this question in a variety of ways. Maybe we've come from an abusive situation. Maybe we've come from an unforeseen disaster. Or, maybe we've come from a long and laborious season of life.

It's important to assess not only what's happened to us or in our lives, but what our plans are from here on out. God may not want us to wallow in the past, but He doesn't want us to bury it either. If we do, nothing redeeming can come from it. It's important to remember what we've been through so we can recognize that God is the One who got us through it. Then we can learn from it and teach others as well.

What's even more important in the above question is,

"...where are you going?"

Are we going to move forward and heal from our past rising above the gravitational pull of it? Maybe where we're supposed to go is right back where we came from to finish up unfinished business. Whatever the situation, I think the appropriate answer to God when He asks the question of, "...where are you going," should be to ask Him, "Where do You want me to go, Lord?" Then I guess the real question is,

“Are we going to obey Him and go where He says?”

Hagar found herself thrown into a disastrous storm beyond her control. It led to an abusive situation which she ran away from. Then she learned that she had to live out a season in her life before she would be released to move on. When God asked her this question, she answered Him with the ugly truth. He responded with direction that she didn't want to hear. Yet, even though this was her first encounter with the true God of the universe, she obeyed Him. She finished out this difficult season of her life. When she was released from it, she found herself without direction thinking she had no hope. This time, He did not ask her where she had come from...He simply gave her direction and she followed.

There was a time when I was told to move forward and rise above. There was also a time when I was told to stay in the moment and ride out the storm until the clouds had cleared. I guess there's no telling how many times I've tried to walk away from a long and laborious season only to be told to go back. And believe me, I've had to be told these things way more than a few times only to find that if we don't go where He says to go, guaranteed, He will continue to ask,

"Now, where have you been and where are you going?"

It's not a question meant to bring pain, guilt or shame, but direction, healing and victory! Praise God!

Amie Spruiell

11/04/2011

Time Differences

"And at that time I told you everything you were to do”.
Deuteronomy 1:18

While traveling recently with my husband, we experienced a three hour time difference upon arrival of our destination. This was a bit different for us, and we noticed that we were continually checking our watches for the correct time. After awhile I began thinking about how we experience “time differences” not only in the natural or physical way, but in the spiritual sense as well.

 

I believe that the Lord gives us spiritual “charges” if you will. To me this means that He places specific things in our minds and on our hearts in order for us to pray for. These may be people, situations, relationships, places, events, etc. In other words, He places us in “charge” of praying for these things, and He trusts that we will carry this responsibility with the greatest of care.

While on vacation, I noticed that quite frequently my timing was “off”. Even though it “felt” to me that it was the right time for such and such to take place, all I had to do was take a glance at my watch and I would quickly realize that my timing was off again. So it is in spiritual situations as well.

There are times when I can begin to feel discouraged about some of the situations or some of the people that I am praying for. Even though I try my best to be patient, sometimes things just don’t happen as quickly as I’d like them to. Perhaps you can relate to this. I have come to understand that when this happens, there’s a good chance that I need to “reset” my (spiritual) watch in order to get back in sync with the Lord, and with his timing in that specific situation.

The Lord’s timing is always perfect. There are, however, lots of situations that we can read about in the Bible, that it would seemingly appear otherwise. Take the book of Daniel for instance, and the story about Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. To anyone reading the story, it almost certainly would look as if the perfect time for the Lord to have sent help would’ve been before those three men were tied up and placed into the fiery furnace. If you are familiar with the story, then you already know that that was not what took place. Still… I believe you will agree with me, the Lord’s timing was perfect.

Or, we can take a look at the story of Lazarus and the account of his death in the book of John. To many it would seem that in this story also the Lord’s timing was “off”. We can read John 11:6 and choose to think that the Lord should have hurried to the bedside of his beloved friend in order to do all that he could do to save him. That is not what took place, but again, the Lord’s timing was and is perfect.

So it is the same with us. Many times we pray and pray and pray… and we wonder at why the Lord doesn’t answer our prayers or work out the situations in the way in which we think he should. Once again, when we find ourselves in these places, we must stop and ask ourselves if we are lagging behind, or perhaps running ahead… of the Lord and his timing. We must get our steps back in sync with his, and we must allow him to be our guide. It is in this very place, when he is beside us… in which we begin to feel strengthened. It is in this place where we begin to feel our hope beginning to rise once again on the inside of us… and before we know it we are soaring… high above any of the places which we have ever seen or known… until all around us all we can see and all we can feel… is the blessing of hope… for we know and we understand, that in ALL of his ways, he is perfect.

Written by Beverley A. Napier

November 3, 2011

One Friend, Many Choices

I was heading out the door when I stopped to give my husband a peck on the cheek and a see you later smile. I got a lot of stuff done and arrived home satisfied later that day. Then it was his turn to kiss me in parting while promising to be back as soon as he could. A few days, no weeks, later while lying in bed I realized that something was missing. Our friendship connection was looking a little thin. My heart skipped a beat as I thought of life without my most devoted friend. Even if my marriage wasn’t in perilous danger of breaking I certainly didn’t want to take any chances. I made a decision in that moment to redirect my life to include more time with him.

A great mystery in my life is how new commitments come when I am not looking. That’s not entirely true, of course, I am the one who says yes to this project, that event, or seeing a friend. Even when everything is for a good cause or a good reason, it doesn’t mean I am the one who should do it. I learned one time in a life management course that every hour of commitment really costs us two hours, not including travel. That would explain how saying yes to a single 2 hour event can morph into a 6 hour hungry time eater.

It wasn’t easy to switch gears. I still carpooled kids around according to a regular flow of school, activities, meals, laundry, church, social events, etc. But I was determined to set aside some time every week when I would be home and mentally available for my marriage. I asked God for wisdom, after all, I was pretty sure He was the One who brought the need to my attention. As I prayed I got the impression I was to be careful and intentional in assessing my priorities. Simply put: is everything I claim to be important and of utmost value have a place, a decent chunk of time, in my life?

First, I completed each of my current commitments being careful not to allow my involvement to transition into another event. Then I gave my notice for my ongoing commitment and finished out my role until the next cycle. I stopped scheduling extra-curricular stuff for us unless it was something we both wanted to do. I even told the kids not to say yes to one more thing without checking with me and the calendar first.

Reviewing the details of my schedule I saw that I frequently put certain things on the back burner. Visit a friend in need? Very important, but what will I cancel to make it happen? Typically I would say, relaxing after dinner, except that is usually time with my husband, because we can “make it up later.” I believe that can be an acceptable answer. But I was discovering it was my usual answer.

A surprise was waiting for me the next week. My husband, understanding my passion for all things Starbuck’s, asked me to go out after dinner for a little hand holding and private conversation over a hot drink. I silently thanked the Lord for inspiring my husband and filling him with so much patience as I sorted out the busyness I had wrapped around me. Wow, what a difference one little coffee date made to our relationship!

Oh God, please help me to have eyes to see and a heart that understands and a spirit of willingness to give up perfectly good things for important things. I truly desire to seek Your Kingdom and Your righteousness and trust You in all situations. Only You know what is best for me. Help me to slow down and listen for Your leading. In Jesus name, amen.

Encouraging articles on marriage can be found at: http://www.realrelationships.com/

I was inspired to share my real life struggle after reading Dr. Leslie Parrott’s story on friendship and marriage in Focus on the Family’s October/November Thriving Families magazine. http://www.family.org/

Written by

Mary Wilkins

"God Will Not Pass You By"

Do you ever feel like the Lord has passed you by? You may see many others all around you being blessed left and right, but you may feel somehow that the Lord has forgotten about you. I can tell you right now that is not true. That is a lie straight from the enemy.

Throughout the Bible, God shows us over and over that He is not a God of partiality. He does not have more preference over one of His children than the other. You are just as valuable and treasured to God as your brothers and sisters in Christ. You belong to Christ and truly all the promises of God are for you!

In Romans 2:10-11 it says

"but glory, honor, and peace to everyone who works what is good,

to the Jew first and also to the Greek.

For there is no partiality with God.

Aren't you thankful
    that each of us is "God's favorite?"

          Receive all that God
                 has for you today.

                     He will never pass you by!

Blessings,
Sandy Billingham

Give thanks to the Lord

Enter into his gates with thanksgiving,

and into his courts with praise:

be thankful unto him, and bless his name.

For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting;

and his truth endureth to all generations.

Psalms 100:4-5

Knowing our strong tendency to imitate what we admire in others, God wants us to worship Him because of what He is and what He does. He wants us to worship Him because of His attributes and what they produce.

Written by Annie Allen