I’d Be Over the Edge Without My Black Wedge...Thursday

Devotional for 1/8/15

It’s been a week since the New Year began and I’m still working to find the little “pleasures and treasures” that God leaves for me.  I have to admit that I’m very thankful that my dryer (of which I wrote about last week) was fixed today, and I was so pleased to tell my gracious neighbor that I will no longer need to use hers.  Unfortunately, by the time I got a load finished in the washer and put into the dryer, my husband discovered a water leak in the garage. 

Turns out, after cutting into the walls in several places where he could hear the drip drip dripping and could feel the wet sheetrock, he found a sheetrock screw that was wrongly placed 9 years ago when the house was built.  It had punctured a hot water pipe.  How it took 9 years for the leak to begin is beyond me.  I guess it has something to do with construction materials swelling and receding over time. 

Financially, it’s all covered in the 10 year warranty of the builder.  That’s something to be thankful for, but they can’t come out till sometime tomorrow afternoon.   Hot water’s turned off.  And I have a lot of nasty laundry that needs hot water to get cleaned. 

Sometimes it’s hard to find the “pleasures and treasures” when every time I turn around, something breaks.  I’m barely able to tread water trying to make sure my family has clean clothes.  I’ve still got Christmas decorations to take down.  And I just found out that I was supposed to re-register my son for the next semester at the community college…last month!?!?  Apparently, when they’re concurrently enrolled in high school and college, you have to start the whole process over again every semester.  Sure wish someone would have told me that!

I feel like everything I reflect on is a complaint.  I don’t think I’m doing a good job of finding “pleasures and treasures”.  On the other hand, I’m surprisingly keeping my cool and not emotionally exploding.  I don’t know how to explain it, but I’m definitely thankful for it.  “Keeping my cool” is not something I would consider a “pleasure” nor a “treasure”, but my kids probably consider it to be.

Looking back over the hectic holiday season that had me constantly in tears because I just wanted to enjoy my favorite time of the year and couldn’t seem to find any joy, I remember there were some moments that surprised me and put a huge smile on my face.  I didn’t see them at the time as God providing little “pleasures and treasures” in the midst of my insanity.  But I still smile when I think about them…meaning they’re still “treasures” providing “pleasures”. 

One of those moments occurred when I climbed into the attic to find the last box of Christmas decorations my kids missed when I sent them up there to retrieve it all the day before.  Climbing up the ladder gave me a vantage point I don’t normally have in my closet.  I saw on a top shelf and pushed toward the wall too far back for me to see from the floor at my 5 foot 1 inch eyesight, the single black, sling-back, open-toed, wedge heel with the little bow on the toe that had been missing for months!  I just could not bring myself to throw away the one I still had even though I looked everywhere and could not find the missing one of the pair, and here it was all along.

I don’t think I’ve ever been so excited to find a missing shoe.  And it happened just in time because a week later when my daughter gave me a pair of black heels for Christmas, they didn’t fit me so she decided to keep them.  Then a week after that, my dog ate another pair of black heels.  If it wasn’t for finding that missing shoe a week before Christmas, I would have no black heels at all.  I know that seems insignificant, and a lot of people would not understand the devastation of having no black heels, but it looks to me that God knew that being black heelless would most definitely send me over the edge!

There are a lot of things to be thankful for when it feels like everything is falling apart right before your eyes.  I really am doing my best to find those things to be thankful for like a kind neighbor, and warranties that cover the cost of broken houses.  I know I must focus on those things so as to not wallow in my sorrows day after day.  But I’m starting to understand this simple little thing called “pleasures and treasures”.  I know the benefit of spending time in praise and worship daily, and I do that very thing praising God for everything I’m supposed to praise Him for…all that He’s created, my family, my health, my salvation, and just for who He is.  But I wonder if it would be wrong for me to laugh out loud with joy and shout, “Praise God that I still have a pair of black heels!!” 

After all, He’s the one who knew I would need something to put a smile on my face in the midst of a broken dryer, a leaking pipe, a missing crown (I wrote about that last week as well), over-due paperwork, and did I mention that my DVR just gave me a message about an hour ago that it’s no longer activated and I must call customer service during business hours to fix it???  I guess it’s a good thing too, because I would’ve forgotten to write this devotional if I was watching TV. 

Oh, by the way, my daughter did promise me she would buy me another pair of shoes, but I’m in no hurry since I now have my black sling-back wedges!

Amie Spruiell 1/7/15

Perfect Peace From Christ... Wednesday

Devotional for 1/7/15

I ran across this quote today and felt compelled to share it as a part of this devotion. No God ~ No Peace ~ Know God ~ Know Peace

Isn't that just like our God? In knowing Him we can have complete peace. In fact the greater our intimacy with the Lord, greater is the peace we can experience in Him. 

His Word tells us in John 14:27 "Peace I leave with you, My Peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid."

The world cannot give us true peace. Only counterfeit through many avenues such as alcohol, drugs, food and the like. Knowing Christ as our Personal Savior and spending time in worship, prayer and in His Word, we can bask in His perfect peace.

That is one of the great benefits and perks in being His children. That is,having access to His peace that He richly pours out on us amongst so many other things as well.

I am ever so grateful for the Peace that Jesus has given onto us. His Peace is the real deal!!

In His Perfect Peace,

Sandy Billingham

My Peace - Maranatha Singers:

What are you willing to do?...Tuesday

1/6/15

I am in Bangladesh now, and I am observing their culture here. They love their children and young mothers spend a lot of time following them around...not very different. Some husbands from villages go to the cities to work and only get home every year or every other year...very different. Preparing food in the village is an all day affair. Cutting vegetables and meet and cooking on a gas stove or over a wood fire. One meal is served and cleaned up. Then another meal starts preparation. Fruits and vegetables are always fresh. In the middle of all of this they chase after children; they hand wash clothing in the ponds; they never stop.

When I compare the jobs are the same, but how to accomplish them is very different. It is hard to actually and really understand how blessed we are. Even the people who are relatively well off have challenges that we know nothing about.

In the middle of this they stop to pray.They pray five times a day. If they live close to a mosque the call to prayer can be heard as a call is made from the minaret to remind everyone that it is time to pray. They put their prayer rug down and pray. Now I am not implying that we do not pray. I know so many devout women who have God at the center of their lives. However it does strike me as sad that my family members are clueless about Jesus. Still they pray with devotion to the god as they understand him.

This whole thing reminds me of a song that was popular...maybe thirty or so years ago. I tried for more than a half hour to find the song but I could not. I can explain it however. The song mentions several groups and cults that work in a missionary way totally dedicated to to their beliefs and promoting the to the world. They followed their ways and gave up life for them. One of these groups was the Hari Krishna people who used to be at the airports handing out their pamphlets and trying to gain followers. They were famous for their orange robes and sandaled feet. 

The song asks the question, 

"Would you do for the truth what they do for a lie?"

 The Bible says...

Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

John 14:6

Today I ask and invite you to prayer for our Moslem sisters and brothers to find Jesus and learn of the salvation He offers. Please mention my family specifically. Let their willingness to reach for God become doing it for the truth and not for an untruth (for a lie).

Written by

Corinne Mustafa

How Not to Make and Keep A Resolution.....Monday

Let me clarify, I have never fully kept a resolution I made for a New Year. So this year I told myself to not make any resolutions. Five days into January and so far so good: I have no resolutions. Nada. Zilch. Nothing. I do believe this is going to be a very good year.

Having a bit of a background in perfectionism, performance based self-worth, and a love for list making, my resolve to not resolve is actually requiring effort for me. I can remember receiving a diary for Christmas each year as a young girl and filling in the first page with my resolutions. I usually wrote in the lockable book only about 6 more times each year but I always re-read the list that I never accomplished. 

Was it me? Or the list? Were the goals too broad and undefined? Did I need support and didn't know how to get it? Or was I trying to change my way of being and doing in order to achieve a perfect vision I had for myself? 

As I continue with my effort to resist resolution thinking I know I will face tougher situations than the past 5 days have brought to me. The real work will come as I face times where I will be tempted to change or fix myself or others! But I know that it is not possible to do either:

And I am convinced and sure of this very thing,

that He Who began a good work in you

will continue until the day of Jesus Christ

[right up to the time of His return], 

developing [that good work] 

and perfecting and bringing it to full completion in you.

Philippians 1:6 AMP

 For God is at work within you,

helping you want to obey him,

and then helping you do what he wants.

Philippians 2:13 TLB

When I am at my saddest and loneliest, I am desiring one thing in particular: to be loved and accepted no matter what kind of mess I am in. There is One who loves each of us in exactly that way even when those around us are not:

 What can we ever say to such wonderful things as these? 

If God is on our side, who can ever be against us?

Romans 8:31 TLB

He is merciful and tender toward those who don’t deserve it;

 he is slow to get angry and full of kindness and love.

Psalm 103:8 TLB

Dear Lord, thank You for a new year. May we live each day aware of Your love, and may we choose to share Your love and kindness with those who cross our paths- not for our own agendas and desires, but simply because the greatest of these three things: faith, hope, and love, is love. In Jesus name, amen.

Click to hear Hillsong perform "I Surrender "

Written by Mary M. Wilkins

SPIRITUAL AWAKENING... Sunday

Devotional for 1/4/15

When you walk in the dark, you can easily hurt yourself, from a stubbed toe on an immovable object, to falling into a chasm with nothing to stop you.  Many people wander through life in darkness, not knowing why they are here or where they are going.  Or they may have decided to reject God outright and follow evil ways without a second thought.  We all actually have this tendency as part of our human nature, and we all fall short of fully following God daily.  This can lead to spiritual death and ultimately eternal death if nothing is done.  All of us need to come to the realization that we need light to best find our way through life.  We all need a spiritual awakening, whether it is a gradual growth with daily repentance or a sudden inspirational event with a clear vision.

Thankfully, God provides us with the light.  First, he sent the Savior into the world to bring that light to all who do not reject his free gift.  Then he gave us his Holy Spirit to help keep that faith light shining within us, whether it is just a tiny glimmer of an ember, or a roaring bonfire.

The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned.  Isaiah 9:2  

We celebrate Epiphany this week, on January 6th, which is the remembrance of the coming of the Magi who followed the bright star in the sky to find and worship the "king of the Jews."  This light in the sky reminds us of the light coming into our lives, awakening us to God's salvation in Jesus, just as the coming of the wise men symbolized the sharing of the Light of Life and salvation with the Gentiles, the spiritual awakening brought to the whole world.

Thank you, dear Father in heaven, for sending your Son to earth to die in our place and rise again in order to pay for our sinfulness and for sending your Spirit to light and fan the flames of faith in our hearts.  Help us to see where we have done wrong, and to make amends to you through repentance, a complete turning around from our sinful shortcomings.  Thank you for continually forgiving us and helping us to serve you, shining your light to the world.  May all that we think, say and do bring you glory.  In Jesus' name, Amen.

written by Jan Andersen

RICHES... Saturday

January 3, 2015

"... though your riches increase, do not set your heart on them." -- Psalm 62:10b

     With the stock market crash of 2008 and the housing market decline about the same time, one would think people would realize that it doesn't pay to set your heart on riches as they can be gone in an instant.

     Yet, I meet a lot of people who are never content with what they have and are always working for more and more.  People sometimes let the quest for wealth take over their lives to the detriment of their health and at the expense of their family life.

     God has promised to provide for all of our needs without this frantic scrambling for more and more.  He wants us to center our hearts on something more lasting -- heavenly matters.  Our hope should not be in the fragile and fleeting things of this world but should be centered on Jesus.  He will never fail in His promises.  His promises don't go up-and-down with the Dow Jones averages.  What He gives you is so lasting you can take it with you right into eternity.

     When you die, EVERYTHING you possess materially in this world will be left behind you.  Find your riches in your relationship with Jesus and His kingdom.    

written by Carol Steficek

Blessings and Beginnings... Friday

January 2, 2015

I am taking this time to reflect on the many blessings that I have in my life, such as my first born son turning 30 years old today! Also, I am so grateful for the fact that my younger son and I drove to Las Vegas to surprise him for his birthday. What an incredible time to be able to share with family. I am so happy and blessed to be mom to these two amazing sons!! My biggest goal in life was to be a mom, and I was able to do that. Raising them was not always easy…..there were some very challenging times, however, the more challenging times I have gone through are over the last couple of years, ever since my youngest graduated high school and is pretty much independent, and even though he still lives with me, I have had the hardest time adjusting to life on my own. The Empty Nest Syndrome, as it is called. This sure caught me of guard, as I looked forward to this time and having freedom. Wow, that it not what I expected. Don’t get me wrong, I am so very grateful that they are doing so well, and as so many friends have told me…. that proves that I did an amazing job of raising them!!! So blessed from God for these wonderful young men!!

With the beginning of this New Year I am taking the opportunity to get a stronger faith and connection with my Lord Jesus. Over the last couple of years I have been more depressed and emotional than I ever have been in my life. I have periods of doing well followed by periods of deep sadness. It has been a very trying and confusing time for me. I have self medicated, hidden my feelings, avoided things and situations…..I have come up with many ways of getting through it, but, in the end, always going back to the sadness. I got to the point a few weeks ago of being angry with God, and with that having a conversation with him asking WHY??? I need a new beginning!!

I know now that I have not been completely turning my life over to Him. I keep taking control back. I need to absolutely let it go!! I know that works….I have done it in the past; however, I guess it is my natural instinct to take control, as I have had to do that so much my whole adult life. With marriages not working out and having to keep it together as the main provider of shelter, food and all other life necessities, I have had a hard time letting control go. With that being said….I am now determined to give Him the absolute power to guide my life. I am going to walk and live by faith from here on out. God, I give you the control of my life to do your will, in Jesus’ name. Amen

written by Kelly Dobyns

Jeremy Camp - Walk By Faith