Tag Archives: Faith

Da-Da Fix It – Susan Dollyhigh
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We are Broken

The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles. The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. The righteous person may have many troubles, but the LORD delivers him from them all… Psalm 34: 17-19 (NIV)

“Broke,” my grandson Drew said as he held up his red Matchbox car in one hand and a set of wheels in another. I watched as a frown furrowed Drew’s forehead while he turned the car over and tried to snap the wheels back into place.

With all of the manual dexterity of a two-year-old, Drew worked to replace the wheels on the underside of his small car. But it soon became evident, even to Drew, that this problem was too difficult for him. I expected Drew to become frustrated, perhaps cry or maybe even throw his toy down, but he walked over and calmly placed it on the coffee table; looked over at his mama, and said, “Da-Da fix it.” Drew left his broken car on the table and turned around to play with something else.

“Whenever something breaks,” Amy said, “Drew just puts it down and says, ‘Da-Da fix it.’ He thinks his daddy can fix anything.”

I have many things in life that I hold up and say, “Broke.” Relationships, finances, health – “broke.” A frown furrows my forehead while I try to put the pieces of my life back together.

With all the spiritual maturity of my fifty-four years, I work to fix my problems until it becomes evident that they are too difficult for me. Unlike Drew, sometimes I do become frustrated, cry, and even throw up my hands in despair.

Yet the Lord tells us to give him our broken pieces; to place them at the foot of the cross, walk away, and have enough faith to say, “My Heavenly Father will fix it.”

I know He can fix anything.

Heavenly Father, thank You for loving us and hearing us when we cry out to You. Thank You for being close to us when we are brokenhearted. Thank You for the promise of delivering us from all our troubles. In the sweet name of Jesus, Amen.

Susan Shelton Dollyhigh is a freelance writer and columnist who won the Women of Faith Shine the Light Contest and three awards at the Blue Ridge Christian Writers Conference. She resides in Mount Airy, NC. www.inspirationfrommayberry.com

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Every Need – Jean Davis
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Taken to the courts

And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:19, NIV

She was being sued and we were stunned. When our daughter Libby called to say she was being sued for three million dollars by the couple she’d had a wreck with, she was in tears. “Mom, can you believe it?”

My response was calm and automatic. “What’s three million dollars to God? He owns the cattle on a thousand hills.”

I told Libby every scripture that came to mind. “God, the Creator of the universe, promises to meet all our needs. The Word says no weapon formed against us shall prosper. God hung the stars in place. He called them by name. We’re not to worry about anything, instead pray about everything.” I believed the Word. I told my daughter what I believed, and she believed me.

Libby visited her neighbor later that day. “You sure are calm about all this,” her friend said.

“What’s three million dollars to God?” Libby asked. “I’m not worried. God owns the cattle on a thousand hills. He’ll meet all my needs.”

After a few months of negotiation between insurance companies, the couple involved in the wreck settled with her insurance company for two million, nine hundred ninety-four thousand dollars shy of what they originally asked for. That’s God.

Since then, I’ve wondered.

The possibility of coming up with three million dollars was so ridiculous we had to turn it over to God. The couple could have sued our daughter for an amount I couldn’t get my thoughts around. They could have sued for thirty thousand dollars rather than three million. Would I have been able to sleep as soundly during the weeks of uncertainty? I wonder if I would have turned to worry rather than to the Word.

God, who does the impossible, also performs the possible. We don’t have to lay awake at night worrying about how God is going to meet our needs or the needs of our children unless we choose to. He has all things under control, all things planned out.

When you are weighted down, depend on God for the little worries in life and the large—after all, He owns the cattle on a thousand hills.

Jean Davis lives in Delaware with her husband Vergil. She has published devotions and inspirational stories.

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Training Wheels – Sarah Stasik
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Training the Trainable

Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long. Psalm 25:5

I removed the training wheels from my son’s bike for the first time. It only took about an hour before he was flying up and down the driveway, but the first forty-five minutes of that hour I spent standing next to the bike, arguing with him. He was adamant that a bike simply would not work with only two wheels. Science and gravity and child-logic were all against it.

The last fifteen minutes were spent climbing—full of doubt—onto the bike. I pushed him around the yard until he was up to speed. A bit later, he made circles around us yelling, “It’s like I have extra legs. Two legs to pedal and two legs I can’t see, holding me up. It’s easy.”

I think about that moment now, years later, and as a mom, how proud I was of his accomplishment. It reminds me of a joy-filled afternoon. But I also think about how the lesson applies to life in general. I worry, fret, and decide things won’t work. Science and reason and adult-logic are against them.

How many times do we pedal furiously through life, sure we are about to topple over? Many people put their feet down every few yards, afraid of falling, and get nowhere. Our fear, our disbelief, and our inability to let go and KNOW we have two legs we can’t see holding us up, keep us from getting to our destination.

Just as the little child must learn the bike will work with only two wheels, we must know there is someone else in charge of our bike ride through life. We may pedal, we may turn the wheel, but our bike is guided by Jesus. If we believe, if we turn our bike over to him, then we too can cry out as we are caught up in the joy of life:

Believe. “It’s EASY!”

Sarah Stasik lives on a crooked mountain in Virginia with her husband and son. Her writing has appeared in publications such as The Kid’s Ark, Penned from the Heart, and Standard Publishing’s Program books. Read Sarah’s devotions.

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What’s in Your Buggy? – Julie Jones
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What's in Your Buggy?

Cast your cares on the LORD and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous be shaken. Psalm 55:22

I set down my cup of coffee and smiled. Squeak . . . pause . . . squeak . . . pause . . . squeak . . . I heard my three-year-old come down the hall.

Each morning my oldest daughter rolls a plastic toy grocery cart from her bedroom, filled with all sorts of her things. Every night, she rolls the same cart back where it rests by her big-girl bed until morning. What’s in the cart? There’s an orange Little Tykes lantern, a pink baby doll, one of her younger sister’s yellow shoes, and three books: Curious George, Pat Conroy’s My Reading Life, and a book for writers full of inspiring pictures. Only one of those books is actually hers. Tonight as I adjusted her cart’s position by the bed, I smiled as I looked at its contents. Things so simple and random to me are so very precious to her.

It made me think of all I carry with me. The job applications (for which the phone isn’t ringing), my mother-in-law in the hospital, what to cook the children for dinner, and how to get laundry done by a reasonable bedtime hour. Some of these are so much bigger than the others, but still I carry them all.

Do my concerns look to God as my daughter’s cart looks to me? Many times we carry our worries and concerns around with us as we go throughout our day, seemingly so important that we do not realize how they slow us down or take our attention from the blessings around us.

God commands us to cast our cares on Him; to give our concerns to the Lord. If we do, He will take care of us. If we can let go, He will keep us steady and strong.

Cast what you carry on Him. He will see you through.

Julie P. Jones, PhD is an educator in Spartanburg, SC. She received her doctorate in Curriculum and Instruction in 2009 from Clemson University, a Master of Education in Administration from the University of South Carolina, and a Bachelor of Arts in Deaf Education from Converse College. She maintains an active research agenda that includes both practitioner and family-oriented articles. Julie is married with two daughters.
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Flapping Wings or a Peaceful Heart – Kimberly Wells
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Was Lost but now am Found

During the days of Jesus’ life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with fervent cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission. Hebrews 5:7 NIV

A hummingbird trapped in our garage furiously tried to peck his way out. The more my husband tried to help the bird by showing him the way out, the more frantic and stuck the bird became. After many fruitless attempts to get out, the bird decided to rest on the end of a broom that my husband held up. Once he stopped fighting and laid peacefully on the broom, my husband gently led him out of the garage to safety.

Sometimes I feel like the frantic hummingbird. A problem comes into my life and I begin to spend my energy worrying and trying to fix the problem. I want to take control of the situation and rely on my own abilities to fix the concern. The more I struggle, the greater the difficulty becomes and the wearier I grow.

Jesus offered up prayers and petitions with fervent cries and God heard Him because of His faithful submissions. When we choose to first stop and pray for wisdom, our problems are much easier to handle. Our concerns are in the hands of an almighty God who takes care of anything. Jesus regularly took his concerns to God in prayer and His willingness to do whatever God asked him to do drew God’s undeniable attention.

When you’re faced with problems, are you immediately filled with anxious thoughts or do you pause and take the time to talk to God about your fears and concerns? Cry out to Him first and avoid being trapped by worry. Take the hand of a powerful and wise God who will gently guide you to safety.

Kim Wells is married to her soul mate, Jeremy, and is the mother of three active young boys. She enjoys writing and has authored The Charter School Leader’s Guide to NCLB for the Center for Charter Schools at Central Michigan University. Kimberly takes pleasure in serving in her local church by teaching preschoolers and leading a small group with her husband.
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The Day the Brick Wall Fell – Joy Miller
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You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. Psalm 139:2-3

The day my world crashed I found relief.

It began as any other ordinary day. I drove to my job where I worked as an assistant in a corporate office. Turning into the parking lot, I felt grateful to get a spot close to the street. I pulled in, parking in front of an abandoned downtown brick building. A few minutes later, coffee in hand I settled into my chair in my windowless office. As usual, I had brought my lunch, but at the last minute I decided I needed some sunshine so I went out for my meal. When I returned, my prime space was gone and I had to park on the opposite side of the lot.

After work I hurried to my car, passing my prime spot. I got in, put the car in reverse, and backed out. Suddenly I heard a horrible crash. In disbelief I watched in my rear-view mirror as the façade of the ancient brick building tumbled down. Bricks pelted the row of cars parked beneath…including the car that had taken my space. “Jesus,” I said. “Thank you, Jesus.” If I had left one minute later I could have been seriously injured or killed.

The Psalmist says God is familiar with all our ways. He knows us by name. We may feel lost in the crowd at times but He knows our thoughts, our concerns, and our struggles. Scripture shows us time and again how God worked in individuals’ lives in an intimate way.

As I drove away, amazement and joy filled me. You see, I had been wondering if God really knew where I was. I feared He’d forgotten me. But His dramatic protection that day reminded me He truly is involved in my daily life.

How has God fashioned your story? When you are disheartened, journal. Take time to note the smallest blessings. When we become discouraged we can find comfort by reading the Psalms – David’s journal – and by reviewing our own “passage markers” to recall how God has been faithful to us in the most painful of times.

Joy Miller lives in Central Virginia. She is passionate about volunteering at her local crisis pregnancy center. One of her greatest pleasures comes from encouraging others, both at the center and through writing devotionals and sending notes to loved ones. Having worked at one time at a home improvement store, Joy now has her own interior decorating consulting business. Fun times are spent with friends, her precious niece and nephew, and her beloved golden retriever.
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Stillness Required – Mary Denman
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Be still before the Lord, and wait patiently for him; do not fret over those who prosper in their way, over those who carry out evil devices. Psalm 37:7

Be still. Wait patiently. Do not fret. Simple words. Difficult assignment.

Unless you catch and understand three other words. Before the Lord.

All of us live in a super busy world. Noise is a constant for most of us. Our to do list grows exponentially. Electronics dominate our lives. With the click of a button, we communicate with others around the world. Another click and we get the latest updates on news, entertainment, fashion, or our friends. Then there are the play dates. Sports teams. Business meetings. Each of us has our own busy schedule.

I recently had surgery. A week later, a migraine cluster hit and that lasted four weeks. With migraines, sometimes the only thing to do is be still in a dark, quiet room. As a mom with five kids, that’s hard to do. How was I to get my daughter to her college classes when I couldn’t drive? My son to swimming?

Thankfully the body of Christ stepped in. I had wonderful people I’d never even met bringing meals. Someone drove my daughter for me. Others picked up my son. And through all of it, I came to realize that the surgery and migraines were part of God’s reminder for me to slow down. Way down. And be still. Before Him.

It took a while to understand that the suffering is ultimately for my good. The surgery will help in the long run and the migraines made me step back and evaluate what’s important in life. It hurt me to not be so active with my kids, but I spent more time just holding them, as well as praying for God to step in and work on my behalf. I saw God using my suffering in their lives to develop sensitivity and compassion. Is this a path I would have chosen if God had asked me first? No. But has He taught me through it? Yes. And I am thankful.

How has God tried to slow you down to be still before Him? Don’t fight Him. Instead, take a moment and be still before Him.

Mary Denman is an author and photographer and, in her words, an observer. She’s a homeschool mom of five kids. Mary’s keen eye through the camera has allowed her to capture much of God’s beauty in new and unique ways. You can visit Mary at http://marydenman.blogspot.com/p/about-me.html

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Sometime, Somewhere, Somehow – She Said
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Somewhere Over the Rainbow

Sometime, Somewhere, Somehow – She Said

If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. – Hebrews 11:15 (TNIV)

Listen to Sometime, Somewhere, Somehow – She Said

Someday. Sometime. Somewhere. That was my dream as a child. Thing was, I didn’t know what the someday, sometime, somewhere was. It was just innately clear to me I would be used somehow. Some way.

I was pretty much an only child. My brother was twelve years older than me so he was married by the time I hit third grade. There were four neighbor kids who occasionally came around to play but for the most part, I was alone. If I needed a friend, then I found that friend in my imagination.

The woods behind our house made for a wonderful fantasy kingdom. There I could enter my own world of fantasy. There I could speak my imagination out loud and no one would hear the stories I conjured up. I suppose it was sitting inside the base of a huge elm tree that I discovered the deep connection.

When I snuggled inside the tree trunk, God squeezed inside with me. I talked to Him too. Outloud. And He answered. We drew pictures in the dirt of the forest floor and swung on the giant grapevine Dad had cut loose from the ground.  We shimmied up trees and dangled by the knees from limbs. God and I were friends. And when we huddled inside that tree He whispered, “Someday. Sometime. Somewhere.”

As I grew into an adult it wasn’t hard to follow. My naivety of the world gave me the courage to walk into situations without a second thought. Even when the woods grew dark, I still felt the presence of the God who’d comforted me as a child.

“God,” I said, “When? Where? I could sure use now.”

But it wasn’t yet. Still faith kept me holding on …waiting.

Paul talked about the depth of faith as he listed his predecessors…Noah, Enoch, Able, Moses, and Abraham and how they, in faith, walked an invisible path. Their “sometime” didn’t always mean they saw the materialization of the completion of their tasks; still they were faithful. They didn’t look at what they had left behind; rather, they sought after what lay ahead.

When God finally said where, I asked how. He whispered, “In time.” I’m seeing the where, hoping for the how, and knowing time is now. Sometimes I’m tempted to look back at the places I used to be but I stand in faith on the promise. Looking back is no longer an option. I don’t want to return; instead, I want what God has strategically placed ahead.

It’s easy to look back and be happy with the status quo, but stepping into your faith to allow God to use you is an amazing opportunity. If I can learn, so can you. Step out with faith and let God show you the sometime and somewhere.

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Eddie Jones and Cindy Sproles are friends and cofounders of ChristianDevotions.us. They cowrite the popular He Said, She Said devotions and host Blog Talk Radio’s Christian Devotions SPEAK UP! along with Scott McCausey. Eddie and Cindy travel and speak at conferences across the country and they are available to speak at your church or conference. Contact them at cindy@christiandevotions.us.

 

 

Do you sense something vital missing from you relationship with your spouse, children, and God? Try He Said, She Said: A Devotional Guide to Cultivating a Life of Passion. This compilation of 54 devotions includes scripture verses, space for journaling, individual prayers and words of wisdom from two of today’s funniest and insightful Christian authors. This heart-warming collection of stories will inspire you to reach for the true source of joy: a life lived for and through God. These deeply personal devotions offer biblical insights and spiritual truths from the perspective of one man and one woman.

Print version $9.95
NOOK eBook $2.99

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Steadfast and Immovable – She Said
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Steadfast and Immovable

Steadfast and Immovable

Therefore​, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.  I Corinthian​s 15:58

Listen to Steadfast and Immovable – She Said

“What’s the point?” Ian said. “We’re fooled into thinking all this work we do as preachers is useful.”

“You’re saying my work for Jesus is useless?” Dale pulled his Bible under his arm.  “It is not. The call we follow is not to please men, it’s to please God. It’s not useless.”

Dale was heartbroken. Hurt. Disappointed his trusted preacher friend had brushed off the conviction he’d made four years earlier.

Ian was a preacher’s kid and from the first time the Bible college choir came to present a program at their church, Ian decided that’s what he wanted to do – go to Bible college and become a worship leader. Now, four years after his graduation, he’d brushed off his position on the church staff and walked away.

Too many young men and women go to Bible college with good intentions and walk away a few years later disappointed and broken. Whether they face congregations who refuse to move the church ahead or an inner challenge to their own belief, more and more ministerial recipients change their profession. According to The Fuller Institute, George Barna, and Pastoral Care Inc., 1700 ministers left the ministry every month last year. 80% of pastors and 84% of their spouses felt unqualified and discouraged in the role of a minister. Discouraged . . . it makes one wonder if Ian had a point.

If anyone understood discouragement it was Paul. The guy found himself in the pit of a prison as much as he found himself in the sunshine. Still, never once did Paul feel his work was in vain. He knew what he did was not the work of man, but of God. Armed with that understanding, Paul was “immoveable and always abounding in the work of the Lord.” Over and over he reminded others to rejoice in the situation they were in. Be steadfast and courageous.

I’m sure he probably felt a little frustrated at times when folks refused to make changes (he was human), but Paul forged ahead knowing he was doing exactly what God wanted and expected of him . . . knowing his efforts would be used to further the kingdom.

Accepting the call to serve does not promise a pat on the back or an award for stick-to-it-tiveness but is never in vain. God uses every seed we plant on His behalf. This weekend we’re teaching writers to advance in the charge God has given them. Will their path be easy? Nope. But it is always well worth the effort.

When you feel your efforts in Christ are worthless think of Paul and his persistence to spread the word. Be steadfast and immoveable. God will nurture the seeds you plant.

Read Cindy’s devotions

Eddie Jones and Cindy Sproles are friends and cofounders of ChristianDevotions.us. They cowrite the popular He Said, She Said devotions and host Blog Talk Radio’s Christian Devotions SPEAK UP! along with Scott McCausey. Eddie and Cindy travel and speak at conferences across the country and they are available to speak at your church or conference. Contact them at cindy@christiandevotions.us.

 

 

Do you sense something vital missing from you relationship with your spouse, children, and God? Try He Said, She Said: A Devotional Guide to Cultivating a Life of Passion. This compilation of 54 devotions includes scripture verses, space for journaling, individual prayers and words of wisdom from two of today’s funniest and insightful Christian authors. This heart-warming collection of stories will inspire you to reach for the true source of joy: a life lived for and through God. These deeply personal devotions offer biblical insights and spiritual truths from the perspective of one man and one woman.

Print version $9.95
NOOK eBook $2.99

Receive He Said, She Said on your Kindle!

The Power of Vision – Dwayne Harris
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But blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear. Matthew 13:16

I went into an eye-glass store a while back and stopped at a display that read, “Try me,” to try on a pair of polarized sun glasses. Putting on the glasses, I looked at the display, amazed as images I hadn’t seen just moments before materialized. These simple images were there the whole time, yet without the effect of the lenses I had missed them. “Wow! Can you see that?” I asked my son. He told me he couldn’t and I continued to lift the glasses up and down on my face. I was amazed at how quickly the pictures would disappear without the power of the polarized vision.

Walking away from the store display, the Holy Spirit showed me the same comparison between our physical and spiritual vision. He softly reminded me that if we are not careful, we will simply look at life’s situations through the eyes of the flesh and miss all that is truly present and at work in the Spirit. Much like responding to the display, God desires that we heed his invitation to “Try me.” Only when we spend time in his presence will our eyes begin to focus on those things that only moments before were unseen and overlooked.

Many people think vision is simply allowing your eyes to focus on what is before you. However, vision for the believer is much greater than this. It is the ability to see beyond the present and into the potential of tomorrow.

Is life wearing you down? Has its trials and troubles stolen your joy and sense of purpose? If so, maybe the greatest need is not an immediate solution to your present situation, but the ability to see beyond it. If standing one minute in front of a store display can improve physical vision, what could a minute standing in God’s presence do? Why not spend the next moment reflecting on who God is and watch how quickly your vision for life comes back.

Dwayne Harris is the founder of Fresh Outpouring Ministries, Inc. and is an International Evangelist and Law Enforcement Officer. He is also the speaker of the “Message in a Minute” wed-based devotional video series. Visit www.freshoutpouring.com for more information.
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