Wednesday's Devotion: God's Selective Memory

Hebrews 8:12 (GNT) I will forgive their sins and will no longer remember their wrongs.

Psalm 103:12 says in the Contemporary English Version “How far has the LORD taken our sins from us? Farther than the distance from east to west!”
I’ve been watching Hallmark and Lifetime Christmas movies.  Monday night the story was about a woman at Christmas who had chosen a career in New York over marriage to her home town sweetheart.  Christmas Eve found her  miserable and wishing she could go back eight years when she broke their engagement and have another chance.  Being a movie, an angel happened along and granted her wish.  Someone posted this on Facebook yesterday, “Wouldn't it be nice if whenever we messed up our life we could simply press 'Ctrl Alt Delete' and start all over? AMEN, AMEN!” 

The good news is that when we sincerely repent – that involves being intentional about not repeating our sins, God will forgive our sins and wipe the slate clean.  But if we continue in our sin while we are hoping for forgiveness, God will certainly doubt our sincerity. And we must remember this, our sins don’t just come between us and God, most of the time they hurt other people.  We can’t just ‘Ctl Alt Delete’ those consequences away. This Advent season, let’s spend some time mapping out a game plan to truly overcome the compulsions to do things that hurt us and others and that come between us and God.

Precious Lord, take my hand lead me on.  Teach me your ways and guide me along your paths of right living. Forgive my shortcomings, my sins, and help me to live the life I really want to live. I pray in our Savior’s name.  Amen.

Tuesday's Devotion: In Praise of Scripture

Isaiah 40:8 “The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God endures forever.”

I looked for some documents on my computer yesterday but couldn’t find them.  How can my computer lose whole files?, I thought.  I believe most people who’ve worked with computers have lost documents, files or other information.  We used to have a saying when it came to preventing this from happening: “Jesus saves; so should you.”  I gave up looking for my files and turned to other sources for my research efforts.  Of course later, when tooling around my computer directory I came across the folder with the “lost” information.  It had been there all the time but I didn’t know where to look for it.  I’ve come across this scripture from Isaiah several times this past week.  It’s a comfort to me.  I know exactly where to look for God’s Word and I have confidence that no matter how long ago it was first put down in written form and no matter to whom it was addressed, God’s Word has a personal message for me every day and in every situation. 

Thank you God, for your Holy Scriptures; for their poetry, for their comfort, for their admonitions and for their guidance.  May your Living Word dwell within us and may we share it with others.  In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

Monday's Devotion: When Others Let Us Down

Proverbs 3:5-6 (NIRV) Trust in the Lord with all your heart. Do not depend on your own understanding.  In all your ways remember him. Then he will make your paths smooth and straight.

I like to get up early enough on Sunday morning to have some quiet time with my coffee and to watch Dr. Charles Stanley.  Yesterday he was teaching on the subject of letting go. He talked about things we hold on to, our motivations and what we should let go of.  Eventually he got around to letting go of material possessions – after all it is stewardship season for most churches.  I liked what he had to say and those who come to worship at Hapeville First will definitely hear some of it. 

I put thoughts of that aside as I was getting ready for church. Instead I thought about several people recently who had let me down. As the daughter of an alcoholic mother and very busy father I grew up learning to be independent and self-sufficient. It’s easier to rely on myself than others.  I’ve had to learn to let go and to be dependant.  That lesson becomes especially difficult when people let you down; when they say they will do something, then don’t, or walk away from church or responsibilities.  Although Dr. Stanley didn’t cover this type of letting go, in a way it’s the same thing.  We balance letting go of control with letting go of our expectations of others.  While I was pondering this, God showed me Proverbs 3:5-6.  One thing I need to hold on to is my trust in God.  If I do that God will help me overcome disappointment when others let me down.

We can’t do everything ourselves Lord.  Help us to let go and trust others and at the same time be with us if they let us down.  Help us to always trust you.  In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

Wednesday's Devotion: Sing Praises

1 Chronicles 16:23-24 “Sing to the Lord, all the earth!  Day after day announce that the Lord saves his people. Tell people about his glory. Tell all the nations about his miracles."

I really enjoyed the Community Thanksgiving Service.  Music is a big part of the way I praise and worship God.  The combined choirs brought us a blessing of praise through song.  I have many things to sing praise about.  First I sing praises that my husband, son and I will get to spend some time in the mountains for Thanksgiving.  I sing praises for Noreen who will house sit and care for our three dogs (AKA spoil them).  I sing praises for my two staff members Randy and Jay who have efficiently taken over the administrative assistant’s duties when she suddenly departed to be with her seriously ill fiancé.  I sing praises that my yard is raked, my sermon is finished and my ironing is done.  I sing praises for those who will decorate the sanctuary for Advent while I am away. It would be easy to focus on all that goes wrong and this week has certainly held challenges from dead computer mice to finding time to get everything done. But I find that I’m much happier when I count my many blessings as we sang at the service.  I Don’t know if we will have internet at the cabin so if you don’t receive devotions the rest of the week, have a great and happy and blessed Thanksgiving.

Holy God, thank you for giving us the ability to praise you and to seek your strength for our lives.  We pray for traveling mercies for all those who will travel over the holiday. May we have peace and harmony as with gather with family members to give thanks. In Christ’s name. Amen.   

Tuesday's Devotion: Giving Thanks in All Situations

Philippians 4:6  Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

I am continuing my determination this week to increase my attention to giving thanks to God.  Sunday at the 11:00 service my friend Jasmine used a current TV commercial as a sermon illustration.  It’s the one that shows a food-laden Thanksgiving dinner table, a family that has accidently locked themselves out of the house and a beautiful and hungry golden retriever inside with the food.  She then asked, “How do you give thanks when Thanksgiving is ruined?”  My husband Joe kiddingly said, “Go to Waffle House!” Yet he has something, too.  There are many people struggling all the time.  While holidays roll around that call for praise and thanksgiving they still suffer from unemployment, grief, terminal illness, or broken relationships.  How do they give thanks?  Our scripture speaks to this.  In every situation stay connected to God. In order to give thanks, one must focus on the good in life that is still there in the middle of other struggles.  If one is ill, be thankful for relationships.  If one is struggling with divorce, be thankful for good health.  If Thanksgiving dinner is ruined, be thankful for Waffle House!

Gracious Lord, help us to give thanks in all circumstances.  In the middle of our worries, please help us to feel the care, comfort and joy of the Holy Spirit.  Help us to turn our troubles over to you and to rejoice over the good in our lives.  We ask in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Monday's Devotion: O Give Thanks!

Psalm 107:1-2 (NLV)  Give thanks to the Lord for He is good! His loving-kindness lasts forever!  Let the people who have been saved say so.

I went to Perimeter Mall this past week. Nordstrom’s had a large sign explaining that they had not decorated for Christmas because they believed November should have its own holiday.  I thought that was nice.  It made me reaffirm my own desire to focus on giving thanks and not jumping ahead to Christmas.  So please let me share some things I am thankful for.  I was at my favorite mall because I needed a few clothing essentials. I’m thankful that I needed them not because my current clothes were getting too tight to wear, but because they were too big!  I’m thankful that I’m healthy enough to do the exercise necessary to lose weight and get into shape.   This year we are celebrating the 50^th anniversary of the movie West Side Story.  I love the music – and one song that tells another thing I am thankful for:

I like to be in America
Ok by me in America
Everything free in America
For a small fee in America

I am thankful that my good friend Rev. Jasmine Smothers preached at Hapeville First yesterday on the subject of the Priority of Thanksgiving.  She asked us to think about waking up in the morning with only the things we thanked God for the day before.  I hope you spend sometime today and this week reflecting on your blessings and praising God for them.

Gracious and holy God.  We give thanks to you for this day. Help us to remember that all good things come by your generosity.  We ask your presence with us this week that we will find many things to be thankful for as we go about our days.  Amen.

Friday's Devotion: Signs and Wonders

Psalm 8  LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory in the heavens. . . .  When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them?  You have made them a little lower than the angels and crowned them with glory and honor. You made them rulers over the works of your hands; you put everything under their feet: all flocks and herds, and the animals of the wild, the birds in the sky, and the fish in the sea, all that swim the paths of the seas. LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!

When I dressed to walk yesterday morning it was warm in the house and bright outside so I wore a short sleeved tee under my running suit.  It was actually cooler than I anticipated when I got outside.  The first thing I saw was a completely black woolly bear caterpillar in the carport.  According to folklore, the smaller the reddish brown band around the middle of the woolly bear, the harsher the winter.  Oh, well!  I thought about the signs of the times as I walked. On my way home I spotted a man taking down Halloween decorations. He was wearing only denim shorts. He had no shirt, no socks, no shoes, and no sense in my book.

Last week someone sent me a link to a power point presentation.  It started by showing a picture of a tree with a close up of one leaf such as we would see if we were standing beside the tree.  The power point then zoomed out by powers of 10 using animation until our galaxy was only a small point in the vast universe.  It then reversed direction, eventually zooming into the interior of the leaf and going into subatomic space.  Yesterday I thought a lot about the vastness of our universe, the many different things and people in this world and what I place might be.  It’s easy to cocoon in our own created little environment and forget that we are smaller than a speck of dust in the grander scheme of things.  I’m going to try to spend more time looking around and wondering at the marvel of our existence.

Thank you Lord for all you have created and for placing us in your kingdom.  Guide and bless us as we care for one another and for your creation.  Amen.

Thursday's Devotion: Don't be Fooled!

Thursday’s Devotion:  Don’t be Fooled!

1 John 4:1  Discerning False Prophets – “Dear friends, do not believe everyone who claims to speak by the Spirit. You must test them to see if the spirit they have comes from God. For there are many false prophets in the world.”

 I finally watched the Black Swan last night on TV.  I don’t know if you’ve seen it but after watching the entire movie I still don’t have any clue what happened.  It reminded me of the old Twilight Zone series / half reality, half science fiction.  I did enjoy the ballet and music but not bird feathers coming out of Natalie Portman’s skin.  Even in real life, I’m sometimes clueless.  You don’t know who you can believe on the news, especially when it comes to politicians.  There are scientific studies to prove almost any point of view.  I learned in a college course on research methods that when one starts with a theory, information gathering is skewed to finding facts that support that theory while opposing information is discounted or ignored.  Any book, article or documentary that pushes an agenda should be viewed as highly suspect.  Most of them include half-truths if not downright misinformation.  It’s unfortunate but the same happens with some Christians and their biblical interpretation.  They have a certain point of view and then seek scripture to support it, ignoring scripture that would not support that opinion.  It’s hurtful to see people walk out of church when they find the preacher is a woman or to hear people yelling obscene things to gays just because they are gay. I know that God called me into the ministry and that many gays are born with a predisposition to be attracted to the same gender. God doesn’t make mistakes and God doesn’t make junk. What God does do is to want people to be thoughtful and careful about believing what they hear, and read.

You created us with a mind, Lord, but sometimes we don’t think carefully. Help us to have the gift of discernment in all areas of life.  Teach us your Truths and protect us from believing things that are not true.  We ask in the name of your perfect Son. Amen.

Wednesday's Devotion: Trying Not to Step in It.

Proverbs 14:15  The simple believe anything, but the prudent give thought to their steps.

I got up early yesterday and got a 4 ½ mile walk in before breakfast. Cofield Park is a great place to walk if you want quiet prayer time.  I walked around and around the track and prayed.  My first time around a low flying fly warned me that someone’s doggie had left a little present in the middle of the path. Every time I went around I had to watch to keep from stepping in poo.  Life presents us plenty of opportunity to step into poo!  It comes when we blunder along without planning, when we speak before we think, when we fail to resist temptation, when we find ourselves in places we shouldn’t be. I just pray, Lord help me watch my steps.  As a follow up on yesterday’s devotion I identified a habit I would like to overcome and asked God for help.  So far, so good!

Faithful Lord, we ask that you direct our steps as we move though our days.  Remove obstacles in our path that could harm us. Help us to stay alert and to put thought into our actions. We give thanks in all things. Amen.

Tuesday's Devotion: Haunted by Habits

James 1:12  (NLT)  God blesses those who patiently endure testing and temptation. Afterward they will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.

Night before last I dreamed I ate donuts.  The emphasis is on the plural.  I don’t have a sweet tooth. I’ll eat dessert if I’m out somewhere once in a great while.  I like an occasional piece of dark chocolate candy or a bite-sized Baby Ruth and sometimes ice cream in the summer. But sweets don’t tempt me that much, except for still warm glazed donuts.  The ones from Golden Donuts in Columbus are the best.  Once when I was pregnant, my husband and I bought a dozen fresh from the oven.  We went for a drive and consumed the entire box.  Maybe remembering those donuts at that special time of life is what keeps me so fond of them.  Things from the past trigger present responses.  We develop habits that return even when we aren’t expecting them to.  That’s known as retroactive inhibition.  If you trade a car with the gear shift on the console to one with the gear shift on the steering column, you will probably unconsciously continue to reach for the console to put your car in park.  It takes about 30 days to ingrain a new habit.  Sometimes it takes much longer.  God can help us replace our harmful habits with healthy ones if we make a conscious effort to help ourselves and seek God’s help, too.  I just read an article by a man who smoked 2 to 3 packs a day who prayed for help in kicking his habit.  He wrote that he fell unconscious during his prayer and after he came to never craved another cigarette. I wish it were that easy for everyone, still all things are possible. “What is impossible for people is possible with God.” – Luke 18:27  We can be successful if we identify we have a problem habit, become determined to overcome it, and partner with God for a solution.

We do so much, Lord out of habit.  Some are good habits, some are harmful.  Help us to realize the difference between the two and to put harmful things behind. We ask in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Monday's Devotion: Rejoice in Hope

 Romans 5:2-5 Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.

I’ve learned a lot from this scripture over the years by living it.  I don’t know about rejoicing in my sufferings – this letter was written during a time of serious persecution for Christians.  Still, I know that perseverance builds us up and makes us stronger.  Sometimes, though people just don’t make it through to the other side of their pain.  Friday was Veteran’s Day.  I saw a story this week about post traumatic stress disorder.  Did you know 18 veterans who suffer from PTSD commit suicide every day?  These are men and women who survived wars going back as far as WWII.  That is so very sad.  We spend billions on fighting wars and subjecting soldiers to unbearable experiences, but how much do we spend to help them recover?  Maybe not enough.  Yesterday I found out that a woman I interviewed for our church administrative assistant position earlier this year shot herself a month or so ago because she could not find work.  She had once been the executive secretary to the CEO of a very large well-known concern.  That was a difficult thing to hear.  I usually try to write a uplifting devotion for the first of the week but this is all weighing heavily on me.  I love the Lord so much and feel cared for and consoled in difficult times but some people don’t feel that and their difficulties become too much to endure.  I hope we will all be more attentive to those around us and will reach out and help the troubled seek counseling.  In the meantime we can live by another verse from Romans 12:12.  Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.

Gracious God, we lift up to you today people who are struggling with difficulties and finding it hard to carry on.  We especially pray for our veterans and pray that one day we will all see world peace.  In Christ’s name we pray. Amen.

Friday's Devotion: Life and Toilet Paper

2 Corinthians 4:16  We never give up. Our bodies are gradually dying, but we ourselves are being made stronger each day.

My hairdresser John Siggers often shares little tidbits of information he’s gathered here and there.  Last week we were talking about ageing.  He said a client told him, “Life is like a roll of toilet paper. The closer you get to the end the faster it rolls around.”  We would like to turn back the clock and be young.  Some spend a lot of money trying to look younger and a great deal of effort trying to keep their bodies in shape.  I like the good news of this scripture.  We might not be in our 20’s anymore but at any age we can continue to grow in faith and wisdom.  Learning new things brings delight in life. 
It keeps our brains younger, too.  I ran into a friend from seminary on Monday.  We reminisced about how much we liked our time there, even though it was difficult.  Bible study can then serve two purposes.  It grows us in our faith and understanding and it can actually help renew our ageing brains.  Seems like a great thing to me.

Creator God, Thank you for the opportunities you give us to continue to grow even as we age.  We know that one day this perishable body will become imperishable.  Until then, we ask that you keep us healthy in mind, body and spirit.  Amen.

Thursday's Devotion: A Well of Well-Being

 Psalm 119:11 I have hid your word in my heart that I may not sin against you.

Like many of you, I am faced with many challenges.  That doesn’t mean I don’t have a great life, I do.  But God has called me into a profession that is impossible to fulfill on my own.  And when God calls us to tasks beyond our capabilities as he often does, we rely on the Holy Spirit and then can be quite successful in our endeavors.  My pastor, Jerry spoke often on the importance of memorizing scripture as a life tool.  This morning I want to share some that I have memorized (if not word-for-word) that I do recall and that helps me on my Christian walk. These are in no particular order.

Philippians 4:13  I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.
Romans 8:28  And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love   him, who have been called according to his purpose. – This one helps me look for God in the big picture.
2 Timothy 1:7  For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.  – I use this when I do get anxious about something.
Psalm 23:1 The Lord is my Shepherd I shall not want.
Jeremiah 17:4  Heal me, O LORD, and I will be healed; save me and I will be saved, for you are the one that I praise.  – I use this as a breath prayer, saying it over and over when I am really in need of God’s comfort.
1 John 1:9  If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. – For times when I feel I fail in my attempts to be completely in God’s will.
John 3:16  For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 
Matthew 25:40  Truly I tell you, as you did it unto the least of these, my brothers and sisters, you did it unto me. – I cannot live a life for myself.  Life is also about serving the least, the last and the lost.  Those three words encompass people in many different life situations.  We are serving Christ directly when we help others.
Jeremiah 29:11  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.  – A favorite of mine. 

Holy Scripture is a well of good advice, admonitions and comfort that we can dip into whenever we want.  In times of need we have the quickest access when we have memorized those words and hidden them in our hearts.

Gracious God, reveal your Word to us in ways that it will constantly help us in life.  Amen.

Wednesday's Devotion: One More Simple Thing

Galatians 6:9 Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest.

Yesterday I wrote about three simple things Rev. Steven Soulen said a church should do to grow. They were to be in prayer, develop relationships and develop leaders.  I wrote that as individuals, we could do the same.  Steven talked about a 4^th element, too.  He said a church must be missional.  He said being a church in mission is a spiritual discipline.  A church that isn’t reaching out in mission to the needy and spreading the gospel isn’t a vital church by Methodist standards.

Here’s where it gets dicey.  I missed much of what he said on this subject because my phone kept ringing and I had to run out to answer it.  The team leader from a mission team of Methodists from Kentucky who had been building a church in Haiti called to touch bases with me.  We let them spend the night in the church the night before they flew from Atlanta to Haiti and provided breakfast for them. They were in Ft. Lauderdale on the way back to Atlanta. I met them later at the church around midnight and they gave us a beautiful carved Madonna and Child signed by the team.  They said through our hospitality we became part of the mission team. Another call came from our new Assistant Pastor for Hispanic Ministry.  We started another session of ESL and Advanced Spanish classes and he wasn’t sure how to lock one door.  The third call was from the teacher of our Monday night children’s program that we provide for the children of the ESL students.  I was too busy doing the business of being a missional church to hear about one!  Like with the first three simple things, as individuals we are called to be people who are compassionate and help the needy.  I call them the least, the last and the lost. Whether it’s a simple act of kindness or a mission trip to Haiti, our life will be rewarded when we help others. Likewise, we want to take every opportunity to share the message of God’s love and grace through Jesus Christ with others.

Loving God, when we are needy please bring people to help us; when we have plenty please bring people for us to help.  We ask in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Tuesday's Devotion: Three Simple Things

James 5:13-14  If any of you are having trouble, pray. If you are happy, sing psalms. If you are sick, call for the church leaders. Have them pray for you and anoint you with olive oil in the name of the Lord.

Four of us went to a training event on Evangelism last night. The leader, Rev. Steven Soulen was appointed two years ago to a church in a declining community.  His church however is growing. Steven said he didn’t profess to be an expert but shared things that have helped turn his church around.  The first was prayer.  He said become a praying church. Have your leaders pray at the altar together.  Second, be relational.  Develop relationships within and beyond the church family.  Go deep, he said.  Don’t stop at talking about baseball, ask about their faith experiences.  Finally focus on leadership development.  Study together instead of just having meetings. 

I think we can apply those principles in our own lives, especially when faced with trials.  First, become a praying person.  Pray fervently and expect answers. Lay all your concerns before God.  Even pastors sometimes just get so caught up in problems that they don’t think to pray to God about a solution. Second, develop relationships within your family and beyond.  Two are better than one. Third, work on your own spiritual growth. Steven said faith is like a muscle; you can develop it and become stronger for whatever challenges might face you. These three simple things can have a positive effect upon our lives but it is up to us to make them happen.  Mentos has a new gum called UP2U.  Maybe we should all carry a pack around to remind us that our success really is up to us!

Gracious God, help us not to give up when all around us seems to be going downhill.  We know that you are faithful and that you equip us with gifts and talents to make our way in life, if we will use them.  Be a constant presence, encouraging and helping us to grow in our prayer life, our faith and our relationships.  In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

Monday's Devotion: We Want to Pass it On

Mark 1:30-31 (NIV) Simon’s mother-in-law was in bed with a fever, and they immediately told Jesus about her.  So he went to her, took her hand and helped her up. The fever left her and she began to wait on them.

I used to have problems with this scripture.  I don’t know about you but when I’m sick, even after my fever has subsided, I still feel bad for awhile.  So Simon Peter’s mother gets up from her sick bed to wait on these men. Where was her daughter?  Couldn’t someone cut her some slack?  Yet with scripture, new insights are always possible. And I have two from these verses.  First Jesus healing was complete.  He healed her fever and made her completely well.  Second, her desire to serve came maybe not just because that was her role as a woman; it also came from a gratitude for Jesus’ work in her life.  I’ve seen God do wonderful things in people’s lives.  Many responded by wanting to pass their blessings on to others. I’m learning from the Celebrate Recovery ministry offered at our church that everyone has hurts, habits and hang-ups of some type and that faith in Christ and willingness to work towards a better way of living through faith will make overcoming those hurts, habits and hang-ups possible. I also see people in that program passing on the blessings by helping and encouraging one another. It’s a wonderful thing to see the healing power of Christ have a ripple effect. Thank God for Christ’s healing touch in our lives just when we need it and thank God that we have the opportunity to respond. And while I may live a life of Christian service as a pastor, I too am benefiting from the service of others.  The Great Commandment is working at Hapeville First!  Have a blessed week.

Most Holy God, We’re beginning a new week with both challenges and opportunities.  Draw near to us as we draw near to you.  Give us strength to meet what each day brings and to help others do the same.  We ask in Jesus’ name. Amen.    

Friday's Devotion: Stars and Lemonade

 Proverbs 3:5-6 (NLT) Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding.  Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.

I had a wonderful conversation with a church member yesterday about trusting God. I told her that I liked the old saying even if trite that says, “When life gives you lemons, make lemonade.”  But I changed it.  I said that because God chose to create the world with certain laws of physics and to give humankind free will both good things and bad things happen.  God does not cause the bad things to happen.  God does not cause a child to die.  No; God does not need another little angel.  The child dies because there’s illness in the world and accidents can render the body unable to function. God may not intervene and stop our hard times, but God can and will make lemonade from them.  We either learn a lesson, have another door opened when one shuts, or gain a valuable life experience with which we can help someone else facing a similar problem.  In those dark hours, we need to seek God and see where he is working for our future good.  Noted psychologist Lee Salk told the story of his mother coming to this country in 1901 and living in poverty for many years.  In spite of all her challenges she taught her family to think about what they had, not what they didn’t have. She taught them that in hardship you develop a capacity to appreciate the beauty that exists in the simplest elements of life.  She always told her children: “When it gets dark enough, you can see the stars.”  It’s hard to be optimistic or cheerful when awful things happen but if we trust God’s love for us we will find inner peace and hope just as surely as he hung those stars in the sky.

In both our good times and in our dark times Lord, let us see your light and power in our lives.  Remind us daily that you are always near. We ask in the name of the one who promised he would send a Comforter to dwell with us. Amen.

Thursday's Devotion: Coincidence or God-incident?

John 1:5  The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

 In our Wednesday night program last night we had a discussion about the relationship between our prayer life and our sense of having an engaged relationship with God. I shared that as my prayer life improved I experienced many answers to prayers.  They often came in different ways and still do.  Here are some excerpts from a journal I kept while I was going through the discernment process after I realized God was calling me into the ministry.  I was so anxious to know if God was REALLY asking me to do this! It all started when I came across this quote:

“Writing is like driving a car at night.  You can only see as far as the headlights, but you make the whole trip that way.”             -E. L. Doctorow

I realized after reading this quote that this is the way God reveals himself in my life.  I don’t see everything at once.  Instead, God shines just enough light on his nature, his Word, and his will for my life to get me through my present situation.  If I follow this light faithfully, it will show me the way through my entire life’s journey. I wrote in my journal what this quote had revealed to me.  The Daily Bible Verse for that day on the internet was also about light.  “God is light; in Him there is no darkness at all.  If we claim to have fellowship with Him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth.  But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His son, purifies us from all sin.” I John1:5-7  The daily thought was “To walk in the light is to live in obedience to God’s commandments.”

I spoke with my pastor that evening about my desire to know the future. He said something to the effect that I was trying to shine light too far into the future, in order to control it. There was the light again! The following day as I pondered this at lunch, I decided to read from the book of Psalms.  “Psalm 89” popped into my head.  I read it searching for a message.  Verse 15 says “How blessed are the people who know the joyful sound!  O Lord, they walk in the light of Thy countenance.”   I knew that God’s hand was on me, telling me through all this to trust him to reveal (shine light) on his path for me and to follow his leading.  This experience was one of many that have taught me to pray and expect an answer but to also expect that the answer may come in unexpected ways.

Creator God, we are humbled and amazed that you would listen to our prayers in such a personal way and that you answer those prayers. Help us to trust enough in this that we will not hesitate to pray about the things that are on our heart.  We ask in your Son’s holy name.  Amen.

Wednesday's Devotion: A Lesson from Mud-Wrestling

Mark 14:38 (NLT)  “Keep watch and pray, so that you will not give in to temptation. For the spirit is willing, but the body is weak.”

 A conversation with a friend about men still having a lot of “boy” in them reminded me of a friend's little boys. One day Susannah looked out her kitchen window to check on her boys who were playing in the back yard and found that they had used the hose to create a large mud puddle.  They had taken off their shirts and were mud wrestling.  Susannah was not about to let them track mud into the house, so she stood them on the deck and hosed the mud off of them. Jeffery and Will squirmed and yelped as the cold water hit them, but soon they were clean enough to be dried off and allowed inside.  As she related this to me, it brought to mind a line from an old hymn, “What can wash away my sin?  Nothing but the blood of Jesus.”

We may not wallow in sin, like the boys were wallowing in the mud, but we often brush up against it. I often define sin as anything that separates us from God or harms us or others.  Thanks be to God, that because Jesus Christ shed His blood on the cross for us, we may be cleansed of our sin.  When we accept the fact that Christ did this for us, we can then say to God, “I’ve messed up, Lord.  Please forgive me and help me to be what you would have me to be.”  Sometimes this cleansing process can be painful as we let go of old habits. However, there is a price to pay in order to enter into His kingdom.  This kingdom is here and now.  We become a part of it, and it becomes a part of us when we accept Christ as our Lord and Savior.  The rewards are both immediate and eternal.  Where have you brushed up against sin recently?  Are you asking God for forgiveness and guidance on a regular basis?  Are you seeking to grow in your faith?   If you need help with any of this, my door is always open to you.

Gracious God, We ask that you help us through the Holy Spirit to overcome temptations that would hurt us or others. Give us wisdom and discernment as we make choices in our lives so that we may lead lives of love, health and happiness.  In Jesus name we pray. Amen.

Tuesday's Devotion: Use It or Lose It!

Proverbs 14:23  All hard work brings a profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty.

My title is from an old saying but it certainly rings true.  Studies have shown that seniors who engage in activities that work their minds, like playing solitaire and other strategy games can improve their mental alertness.  The same goes for our bodies.  I hope that by living in a house that requires me to go up and down stairs frequently, I will retain my ability to climb stairs.  Many of my church members cannot get up if they have a fall. I regularly sit on the floor and get up without holding onto anything.  It may not be a pretty sight but I make it with relative ease. Use it or lose it!  What about our relationship with God?  I believe we must stay in touch with God or slowly our spirituality will be supplanted by worldly preoccupations.  Someone once used the illustration of a flashlight.  If you put it away in a drawer the batteries will eventually corrode then when the lights go out, it won’t be there to guide you.  I hope you regularly give your mind and your body a regular workout but even more I hope you work on staying in relationship with your divine creator. 

Gracious and Holy God, I pray that you will keep us healthy in mind, body and spirit.  That you will put a hedge of protection around us and that you will help us resist temptations that would lead us beyond your will for our lives.  We ask in Jesus name. Amen.