Tag Archives: Hope

Happy Birthday – Kevin Spencer
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Dial up the "impossible."

Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”
Matthew 19:26

A few weeks ago my wife celebrated her birthday by losing her cell phone — 400 miles from home, in another state, in a Wal-Mart.

We were on the first day of a much needed vacation and stopped to see an old friend, Tammy Shook. Tammy knew both of us before Charlotte and I knew each other, and she’s been a great friend to us over the years. When Tammy asked to see some pictures of our grandson Caleb, Charlotte reached for her phone.

“It’s gone. I’ve lost it off my belt,” she said.

We had one of those tracking program apps for our phones and by using my phone to look it up, we were soon watching Charlotte’s phone moving away down Highway 70. It was gone . . . stolen.

Charlotte was crushed. Her pictures, videos, songs from her home in Bavaria, Germany . . . all gone. And on her birthday too. The look on her face tore at my heart.

I silently prayed, Please Father, fix this. Please.

There was nothing more we could do except continue on. The phone was insured. Verizon would ship a new one to her within twenty-four hours wherever we would be, but it couldn’t replace the memories the old phone held. We got in the car and navigated our way out of Hickory to I-40 east.

Charlotte used my phone to call Verizon and cancel the number, but she couldn’t seem to connect. I suspected it had more to do with the tears in her eyes than the inability of the phone connection, but I didn’t say anything. Instead I continued to pray, Please Father . . .

The last turn before we hit the Interstate, I saw a Verizon store. Knowing they could cancel the number faster than we could, I pulled in and stopped. The Verizon employees were very helpful with cancelling the number and taking care of the insurance. Still, the loss haunted Charlotte. I felt so bad for her and although I continued to pray, I’ll admit I didn’t think there was anything that could be done. The phone was gone. Even the tracker had lost it.

Charlotte’s number was cancelled and we got the insurance information we needed. As we turned to leave, the pain was still evident in Charlotte’s eyes. The kind lady who was so helpful to us when we first arrived was busy with another customer, so I just caught her eye and waved good-bye.

“Wait!” she said as she reached in her pocket and pulled out a phone. “Someone just turned this in.”

As soon as I saw it, I knew it was Charlotte’s.

The joy on Charlotte’s face was priceless. She began to praise and thank God right there in the store and everyone started to clap. Obviously bewildered, the store manager shrugged. “I don’t understand it. This has never happened before. It’s impossible.”

Charlotte smiled sweetly at him and said, “Not for Jesus.”

As for me, I turned away so no one would see the tears in my eyes. “Thank you, Father,” I prayed. “Thank you so much.”

Nothing is impossible for God. A lesson I seem to constantly be relearning.

Kevin Spencer lives in Tennessee with his beautiful wife Charlotte and grandson Caleb. He is a staff writer for ChristianDevotions.us. A former prodigal son, Kevin is now trying to use the gifts God gave him, and by the grace of God has a life far better than he ever deserved.

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May I? Can I? – He Said
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Can I? May I? – He Said

“…Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven…” – Matthew 6:10

In first grade we had a bathroom in our class. Why, I don’t know. I guess back then kids were navigationally challenged and teachers were afraid we couldn’t be trusted to walk down the hall without getting lost. In fact, David Ashworth once asked to be excused and never returned. I was glad. David was a mean boy.

Anyway, a few weeks into the school year I raised my hand and asked, “Can I go to the bathroom?”

As kids, especially kids in the first grade with fidgety bottoms, we asked to be excused a lot. But Mrs. Swartz said I could, so I got up and headed for the bathroom. I’d almost reached the lavatory sink when she said, “Eddie Jones where do you think you’re going? I didn’t give you permission to get up from your desk. Now sit back down.”

“But you said it was okay.”

“I said no such thing. You asked if you could go to the bathroom. I’m certain you can. I’ve watched you go before. But you may not at this time. Now sit!”

I learned that day there’s a big difference between what I can do and what I may do.

Each morning when I look up at the sky, I begin my devotional time by saying, “Lord, may your kingdom come, may your will be done on earth… and in my life… as it is done in heaven.” I want to remind myself that God is in heaven and I’m on earth―that He is king and I am not. I know there’s a lot of trouble I can get into each day so, before I rush off to work, I want to find out from Him what’s permissible and what’s not.

This prayer also places me in a position of submission before Him. It is here, in the center of God’s will, that I learn to listen, love and obey my Father. Had Adam paid more attention to God’s voice and the details of His instructions, we might not be in the mess we’re in now. But if not Adam, then someone else. Probably someone like David Ashworth.

Speaking of messes, I made one myself that day. By the time Mrs. Swartz finally gave me permission to use the restroom, my bladder was moving faster than my fingers and before I could get my zipper down it was too late.

Don’t you be like me. Don’t wait until it’s too late. Invite Christ into your heart today. Ask God to allow His will to be done in your life. Pray for His kingdom’s provision.

And, if you see David Ashworth wandering the streets of your city, please send him back to Mrs. Swartz’s class. We miss him.

For the Love of God – The Best of She Said
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This, then, is how you should pray: ” ‘Our Father in heaven…

Right there. The place where there’s nowhere else to look, but up. That’s the entrance to heaven, I’m sure of it.

When you scan across the ridge, your eyes catch a glimpse of the outstretched arms of the pine trees and the breeze carries the sweet fragrance of the Father. This is the opening of heaven. Here I wave, and here I wonder if He sees me.

Most little girls adore their dad. I’m no exception. As a child, I loved my father, but we weren’t close. His time was spent working at the local paper mill which left him tired and grumpy most of the time. In fact, Dad was a gentle man, but rarely friendly. So I stood at a distance and longed to know his heart.

Things changed when I became an adult. Dad met the Father and his demeanor changed from the inside out. We drew close—inseparable. Then Dad died. He left me.

When I sit on the mountaintop and gaze across the valley, there is no doubt in my heart Dad is there. As the clouds sift their way through the cliffs and down into the pass, I see them form the illusion of stairs climbing their way upward and vanishing into the depths of the blue ocean. That’s when I lean back and pray.

Our Father in heaven…my father is in heaven. Thirteen years after his death, I miss him the same as I did the day he left me.

I find my heavenly Father in the breath of the mountains. Maybe that’s why I love coming to the summit. It’s here I search. And like a little child, I find myself peering under bushes and pulling back limbs to see if He is, by some slim chance, hiding there. I can’t see Him physically either and that makes me lonely and hungry for His presence. Sometimes fear tells me my heavenly Father will leave me too. Even when I know He won’t.

So on the rare opportunities when I get to climb the face of the mountain, I sit there and pray. I rest assured that God is close. And though at times I feel lost and alone, sometimes abandoned…I know I’ve never really been left. He’s never very far away.

To pray the prayer of Jesus and know that it’s for His love, ever present in me, filling me—keeping me, tells me both of the Fathers I love completely are in heaven.

Read Cindy’s devotions.
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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
Kindle eBook $4.95
NOOK eBook $4.95

 

Point or Pointless – Aimee Lynch
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Same ol' same ol'

But my life is worth nothing unless I use it for doing the work assigned me by the Lord Jesus – the work of telling others the Good News about God’s wonderful kindness and love. Acts 20:24

My ears rang with the harsh sound of my dog barking early in the morning. All I wanted was to roll back over and sleep. What was the point of waking up when I only repeated the same routine every day? Eat, work, sleep—a never-ending cycle. Nothing seemed worth the monotony.

I’ve found much of the world unconsciously thinks the same way. People buy into a lifestyle of living only for the sake of living—never truly knowing if there’s a point to all of it. Sometimes they stop to consider the question, but then only go on about their business with a heavier heart after coming to no conclusions. Why should I be any different?

A couple of days later I was reading a book about martyrs and their sacrifices for Christ, when I read this verse in Acts: But my life is worth nothing unless I use it for doing the work assigned me by the Lord Jesus – the work of telling others the Good News about God’s wonderful kindness and love.  I lingered on it because it answered the questions I’d been asking days earlier. Paul clearly said my purpose should be to tell other people about God’s wonderful kindness and love. I am on a divine assignment.

The next time I went to work, I had a chance to share my faith with a co-worker and I saw just how fulfilling it was to do what God had set up for me to do. I left that conversation more encouraged and excited than the man I’d been talking with. I now knew this was what I was made to do.

That one little verse in the middle of Acts changed the way I live. It can change the way you live too. No longer are you confined to a colorless world, but you are given purpose because of the command of God to share the gospel with the world. The next morning it was a little easier to wake up.

When you feel the nudge to share God’s word, heed the call. You’ll find satisfaction in the task

Aimee Lynch is a homeschooled high-school student in Gaithersburg, MD. She has a heart for children whose parents are divorced because she grew up in a single-parent home after her own parents divorced when she was five. Her blog, allfilledup.wordpress.com, is a place where she seeks to encourage other kids in difficult situations. In what little free time she has, she enjoys gardening, reading, getting involved in various youth projects, taking walks on the beach, and writing articles.
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*Photo by David Castillo Dominici – used by permission FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Night Bloomers – April Parman
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Night bloomers in their beauty

It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way perfect. Psalm 18:32 NIV

The sun had set and we waited in anticipation. We sat in our lawn chairs and watched for the slightest movement. Minutes later, the event began. The plant started to shake and one by one each bud popped open, revealing beautiful yellow petals. My five-year-old son jumped and clapped. I mirrored his excitement. We’d just witnessed an act of God illustrated in the evening primrose. Blooming after the sun sets is contrary to my understanding of plant growth. Isn’t the sun essential to the growth of plants? This act of nature ought to apply to flowers blooming.

My heart stirred. The evening’s entertainment reminded me of God’s timing. Many times in my life I thought things should have happened sooner than they did. I should have married in my twenties instead of my thirties. I should have been a mother before the age of 33. I should have found my life’s purpose earlier in life. “You’re not blooming when you should.” These were the thoughts echoed in others’ words who felt I wasn’t reaching my potential.

Learning to wait on the Lord’s timing is one of the most difficult things I’ve done. People around me appear to succeed without difficulty while I struggle. I’ve prayed and trusted God throughout this experience, yet relief is nowhere in sight. How much longer will this last, Lord, I’ve wondered.

Sometimes all we hear are the whispers of doubts. “Things will never change.” These whispers are not real. Instead, our God will give us the strength to endure as long as we wait on Him. The choice to wait on the Lord allows Him to create a beauty we could have never imagined.

Are there any areas of your life where you are waiting and wondering why you have not bloomed yet? God has made the promise He will give us strength and a place of refuge during our times of trouble. Isn’t that the perfect place to find rest?

April Parman is married and has a son. She is currently working to complete her seminary degree in Women’s Leadership and Biblical Counseling. She is a writer living in Kentucky. Visit her blog at http://brokenseashells.wordpress.com.

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Accept Yourself – Andrea Merrell
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Beautiful to God

I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made . . . Psalm 139:14 NIV

I can’t seem to make anyone happy these days—the mirror, the scales, or the camera. Why is it I worry so much about what they think? They don’t determine who I am, but they sure do have a lot to say about how I see myself.

God says I am “fearfully and wonderfully made”—unique—special—one of a kind. Then why do I constantly compare myself with others and long to be someone or something I was never created to be?

I spent years trying to straighten my naturally curly hair and longing to be taller. I want to write like Max Lucado, sing like Karen Carpenter, and dance like Jennifer Lopez (would be happy to look like her too).

Why can’t I just accept who I am and be happy and content with the way God created me? Since He is a God of order and doesn’t do things haphazardly or without purpose, do you suppose He made all of us for a specific purpose, carefully crafting our characteristics, inside and out? If we were all exactly alike, what a boring world it would be. If variety is truly “the spice of life,” then we should learn to embrace the variety and respect the differences in everyone . . . including ourselves.

When the potter shapes and forms the clay, the clay has no input. The potter undoubtedly sees the finished product in his mind. The clay cannot say: “Make me 5’6” tall with long straight hair and a Colgate smile. Oh and by the way, give me a superior intellect and outstanding athletic ability.

The truth is, the Father knew what He was doing when He drew up the blueprints for our existence. We were His idea—His creation—and He has a plan, purpose, and destiny for us, just the way he created us.

It’s been said that “what we are is God’s gift to us; what we make of our ourselves is our gift to God.” Maybe the greatest gift we can give Him is to accept who we are and strive to be the best we can be—for Him.

I’m working on that. How about you?

Andrea Merrell lives in the upstate of South Carolina and is a freelance writer and editor with a passion to help others see God’s Word as practical and relevant for ordinary, everyday life. Andrea is a staff writer and Associate Editor for www.ChristianDevotions.us. She is a contributing writer and copy editor for www.DevoKids.com. Her work has been published in Spirit & Heart: A Devotional Journey, Faith & Finances: In God We Trust, Faith & Family, PEN Points, The Write Life, and Extraordinary Answers to Prayer. She also writes for www.cornerstonegreenville.com. Visit her website at www.andreamerrell.com.

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Yanking it Out – Connie Pilston Shoemaker
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Weeded Out

Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life. Proverbs 4:23

I spent today yanking it out. No, I’m not a dentist. I’m a gardener and a sinner. While weeding, I realized how much weeds are like sin. They’re thieves, taking up real estate that doesn’t belong to them; much like sin does. They both shadow objects from the light and, like sin, weeds suck out the nutrients and rob those entangled in them of their full potential and future growth.

Noble plants like Morning Glory and Mint can also wreak havoc in the garden left unchecked. There are like sins that are noble — sins we do that seem right — noble gestures — but if they aren’t done in accordance with God’s plan or are directly contrary to what He’s asked us to do, they are still sin.

Weeding takes time and diligence. It can’t be done quickly if it’s to be done thoroughly. It’s not just the big weeds or sin that need to be removed, it’s all of them. Weeding is hard work. My body and face contort as I yank, sweat, stretch, and groan.

Weeding the garden, and our hearts, is a battle. To guard our hearts requires vigilance because the status of our heart determines the course of our life. Keeping our heart free from sin will enable it to grow unhindered.

Do you have a weed growing in your heart that needs to be yanked? Get on your knees and pull hard, then watch what God will do.

Connie Pilston Shoemaker resides in Pittsburgh and has been writing and speaking for more than twenty years. Using God’s canvas of creation, Connie weaves together the story of our most important relationship on her blog “Kissed by the Creator” (www.kissedbythecreator.com) . She has been published in Parent Talk, Vibrant Life, Cross Country Skier and Backpacker magazines. She is putting the finishing touches on her first book.
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Of Ants and Sin – Faith Zao
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Ants, Ants, Ants

Go to the ant, you sluggard; consider its ways and be wise! Proverbs 6:6 (NIV)

Living in the South, I value a reliable ant killer. We don’t have those cute little black ants that attend picnics. No. We have the monstrous colonies of red ants invading us every summer. Without a plan of attack, they’ll build a subdivision on our property.

Amdro to the rescue. I know there are equally effective products out there, but I’ve seen this baby in action. A few years ago, God used Amdro and an ant condominium to get my attention. Don’t tell me He doesn’t speak in mysterious ways. I know better.

That particular day, I spotted a colossal mound of red dirt in my backyard. I sprinkled the bait around the outer rim of the bed and returned a short time later to find the mound covered with busy ants. Each ant lifted the deadly poison and carried a chunk into the center of the mound. The faithful soldiers delivered the juicy food, not realizing it would be the ultimate destruction of their kingdom. That queen never knew what hit her.

That’s when God said, “You are just like those ants.”

And He was right.

I spy something enticing and grab it, never considering the harm it can do to me. It’s often chocolate, and not that healthy dark stuff. I prefer the creamy, milky chocolate that melts in your mouth. Hey, I’m a woman!

Temptation comes in many forms—food, drink, TV, movies, alcohol, immorality. You name it. The enemy dangles the bait in front of us. Like those faithful ants, we can find ourselves taking in the venom of this world and exterminating our spiritual lives.

I’m guilty. I consume the poisons of this world without any regard for the impact on my spiritual condition. What about you? There are times we’re all enticed from our faith by the pleasures of the flesh.

You have a choice. You can follow the ants’ example, or you can follow Almighty God’s precepts. One offers death, the other life. Which will you choose?

Faith Zao is a freelance writer who shares a home in Alabama with her husband and a temperamental feline. Having faced many hardships in life, she views her struggles as opportunities to minister, especially in the areas of infertility, death, divorce, and remarriage. As a Christian writer and speaker, she uses her experiences to offer hope and effect change in the lives of her audience. Faith has received non-fiction awards from the Southern Christian Writer’s Conference, and she is a member of the American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW) and the Sonshine Writers based in Hueytown, Alabama.
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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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Fleshing Them Out – She Said
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Fleshing Love Out

Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and cleave to his wife; and they shall become one flesh. Genesis 2:24

“Eweee.” My son’s attempt at whispering his displeasure at the minister’s statement was less than quiet. “Mom, why would they want to cut off a wife with a cleaver and be one flesh?”

I pressed my finger against his lips. “Sssh. It’s not a cleaver. It’s cleave. And it’s a symbol.”

“Cymbal? I thought that was something on a drum.”

I squinted my eyes into the mom stare. “Now would be the appropriate time for you to be quiet. Watch the wedding.”

My then, six-year-old son’s sense of humor was cute but not in the middle of a wedding. His vocabulary had always been advanced so I knew that he knew what cleave and flesh meant however, I wasn’t sure he got the symbolism involved.

It’s not always easy to wrap our minds around the idea of marriage and how God wishes for us to launch out on our on into deep, committed, and meaningful relationships. As a mom, my love for my sons runs way beyond deep. It’s insatiable. I want them happy and well cared for but I also understand the line God drew in the sand. It was the same line my parents parked their toes on and didn’t step on or over.

When our oldest son married, we welcomed his new wife into our family but we also knew this was his time to step forward, take his bride, and solidify a tight and lasting relationship with her. His love and devotion for his wife didn’t mean he no longer loved us, it just meant a new level of maturity for him.

It was his time to leave us and begin to flesh out his love and new life with his wife. Together, they would grow in the hope of what tomorrow would bring. His decisions would become their decisions. Her desires would become their desires. Together they would be one.

I wish everyone entered into marriage with the level of commitment God placed on it…for when they do…when they make every effort to cling to one another… the joy and happiness found in being “one flesh” is beyond insatiable. It’s the closest thing to the heart of God they’ll ever experience.

Whether you’re getting married in the near future or whether you’ve shared a sixty-year relationship with your honey—trusting that relationship only to Christ is the glue that holds things together. Snuggle up to your “sweetie” and let God lead your love.

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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

Receive He Said, She Said on your Kindle!