I shared my love for the devotional, Streams in the Desert
yesterday and would like to share a few servings of its wisdom. Every entry is filled with Scriptural insight that prods my heart to seek more of Him.
From July 27 Entry:
“Prove Me now” Malachi 3:10
“What is God is saying here but this, “My child, I still
have windows in heaven…the bolts slide as easily as of old. The hinges have not
grown rusty…..I opened them for Moses, and the sea parted. I opened then for
Joshua and Jordan rolled back….I will open them for you—if you will only let
me. On this side of the windows, heaven is the same rich storehouse as of old.
The fountains and streams still overflow. The treasure rooms are still bursting
with gifts. The lack is not on MY side. It is on yours. I’m waiting. Prove me
now…..bring in the tithes. Give Me a chance.”Selected
From July 28 Entry:
“Have you asked to be made like your Lord? Have you longed
for the fruit of the Spirit, and have you prayed for sweetness and gentleness
and love? Then fear not the stormy tempest this is at the moment sweeping
through your life. A blessing is in the storm, and there will be a rich
fruitage in the “afterward.”Henry
Ward Beecher
From July 29 Entry:
“Our trials are great opportunities. Too often we look on them
as great obstacles…If we look back upon the past, many of us will find that the
very time hour heavenly Father has chosen to do the kindest things for us, and
given us the richest blessing, has been the time we were strained and shut in
on every side. God’s jewels are often sent us in rough packages….”
This rich work is filled with blessings and touches the hard
places right where we live. Along with a
copy of the Scriptures I am nudged closer to the Lord, being transformed to be
more and more like Jesus.
He is the same yesterday, today and forever. I am learning
to look for His work around me every day. He is there. His fingerprints are the
signature of His working in us and through us. He is longing to work miracles
in your life just as He did in the lives of those we read about.
I enjoy
using a daily devotional as part of my personal time with God each day. The
best one I’ve found, and have been using since 1997 is, Streams in the Desert, by Mrs. Charles Cowman. This devotional
classic was first published in 1925.
Letty Cowman
and her husband were missionaries to China. Her husband was diagnosed with
cancer and they returned to the United States where she cared for him six years
until his death.
Streams in the Desert is the result of that difficult period.
Letty’s rich wisdom and a compilation of the many encouragements received during
that time, speaks to the depths of what every person struggles with when
walking through the hard places.
My copy of
The Stream’s Edge is underlined, highlighted, dated in the margins and falling apart
in the binding—A true testimony of its value in my walk with the Lord.
I highly
recommend this timeless resource. It will add a rich dimension to your
discovery of God’s presence and work in your own life’s journey.
Do you have
a source for daily devotional reading each day? How has it encouraged you during a
difficult time?
Have you ever read the Bible all the way through from
Genesis to Revelation? Not in one sitting of course, but say over a year or
two? Ever thought about it?
There are different ways to rise to the challenge but the
simplest is by using the One Year Bible. Daily readings are laid out for you
with portions from the Old Testament, New Testament, Psalms and Proverbs. They are
dated so you can begin anytime during the year and read your way through the
whole of Scripture.
The daily readings take about 15 minutes a day.
The benefit
lasts a lifetime.
The Bible consists of 66 books inspired by the Holy Spirit and they are meant to impact our lives with radical living and produce even more radical faith. And, the Bible is full of crazy characters to discover.
In my own reading journey, I’ve discovered the rich
connections in the Old and New Testaments. I have grown both in my knowledge of
Scripture and my relationship with my Heavenly Father; the Bible is His word—His
message of love to me.
The One Year Bible is inexpensive. It’s a great investment
in your personal growth as a seeker of Him.
You can find The One Year Bible in different formats, even large print and Kindle editions.
Will you take the challenge to discover the whole of God's Word this year?
There are millions
of blogs buzzing though cyberspace shouting every topic, with every slant, in every
language—there is a message for everyone available at the click of a button.
Reasons for writing a blog vary. Some want to share an opinion. Others want to
join a crowd and connect with like interests. And still others want to make a
difference. Whatever the reason, blogging is a way to communicate your message and
connect with the world. What types
of blogs do you follow?
What do you
like about them?
Have you
ever thought of joining in and launching your own blog?
What topic would your choose?
Blogging is
easy. Being read is a bit more difficult. Being shared is the goal.
Your message
can have an impact. A phrase rings in my ear from my friend, Marlene Bagnull
who is the director of two wonderful writing conferences. She calls writers, “literature
missionaries” because we may not travel all over the world, but our writing
certainly can, especially now in the age of computer communication.
So, if you
have a desire to get started, here are a few ideas and guidelines:
Keep your blog to 300-500 words.
Online followers want something quick to read. Know your audience and keep your
posts narrowed to your message and platform Keep your posts focused – write tight
Be consistent with your postings
End with a challenge or a question to
encourage comments Be sure to reply to your reader's comments
In my
hands-on blogging workshop, I teach you how to design and maintain your own
blog using Blogger.com. Demystifying Blogger will give you the courage to jump
into the world of blogging so you can get your message to a reading world.
I am
available to teach my hands-on blogging workshop to your writer’s group, civic
group, or to individuals.For more
information, you can contact me.
How can I
help you get started with your own blog?
Come away by
yourselves and rest awhile… Mark 6:30-32
Have you
ever felt worn out?
We run the
race in a fast paced world and often are forced to wear many hats. The demands we
face can deplete us unless we have a plan to rejuvenate from time to time. The
trick is to plan time to refresh ourselves before we begin to experience the
burn-out so prevalent in our culture.
I’ve been on
the brink one too many times. I don’t mean to let it get that far, but in my
own strength I think, ‘just one more day’. But, one more day can mean the
difference between strength and weakness. I’ve found it to be a false economy
because once I burnout, it can take weeks or even longer to regain my strength.
Jesus tells
the disciples in this passage, they need to rest. If you notice the events
leading up to this statement, they had been ministering non-stop to the crowds—feeding,
healing, delivering. And, it’s notable that though Jesus was God in the flesh,
He still took time to get away alone with the Father to pray. He spent time
alone before making big decisions. And, He was alone before beginning His
ministry.
It’s easy to
fool ourselves that we can do it alone. We can’t. John 15 tells us that we can
do nothing apart from Him. Because of this, He sent His Spirit to give us power
to be the witnesses He calls us to be (Acts 1:8). We need time in His presence
to fill our cup with the power He provides. We can’t give from an empty vessel.
It’s like letting our well run dry. It takes time to prime it again so it can
work to capacity. Jesus says He is the Source of Living Water that will
overflow our lives as we stay close to Him.
Jesus said, Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy
laden, and I will give you rest. Matthew 11:28
I suggest a Getaway
with God from time to time. A getaway is easy
to plan and it will restore your soul and your strength.
Have you
struggled with burnout? How have you regained your strength?
Jeanne
For more information about burnout: signs, combating, take a look at his informative article.
Your life
needn’t feel hopeless. Despite what you are feeling or going through, there is
always a glimmer of hope if you know where to look.
Are You Facing Rejection?
Courtesy of Morguefile.com
Jesus was
rejected by the same people who crowded around Him. He was rejected by the ones
who cried Hosanna waving palm
branches and laid their cloaks down for Him to walk on. He knows how you feel:
The emptiness, betrayal, loneliness, the feeling of being unloved and uncared
for, He gets it. Because of this, He has promised to never leave you or turn
His back on you.
Are You Facing a Diagnosis?
Jesus
encountered a woman who had been bleeding for twelve years. She spent
everything she had on doctors. She was isolated from her community because of
being ‘unclean’ due to the bleeding. She felt hopeless until she heard Jesus
was coming by her village. A spark of hope burned as she did the
unthinkable—she joined the crowd so she could touch the edge of His cloak. That
simple act brought healing to her—body, mind and spirit. She was able to join
her family again. Her hopelessness was transformed into hope because of Jesus.
(Matthew 9:20-22, Luke 8:43-48, Mark 5:25-34)
There was a
widow who gathered sticks to make a fire to prepare a last meal for herself and
her son. Elijah told her to make a small cake for him first so that her oil and
flour supply would never run out. Out of her desperation, hope clung to the
possibility that the prophet’s words were true. So, she took her last bit of
ingredients and in obedience prepared the meal. His words held true and her
food supply lasted through the time of drought in the land. God cared for her
needs even when it didn’t make sense. (1 Kings 17:9-16)
God is able
to accomplish everything that concerns you…Psalm 57:1-2, Psalm 138:8. And He
will do more than we can think or imagine possible.
Reading the
encounters of those who met Jesus, gives insight into His hope, given to
everyone He met.
Have you met
Jesus? He has hope for you too!
Do you have
a favorite story from the Bible? How did it speak to you in the midst of your
own situation?
You may be going along your daily routine then something knocks you for a
loop? What do you do when the rug gets pulled out from beneath you?
It may be:
A Diagnosis
A Pink Slip
A Divorce
A Sudden Death
Whatever the sucker punch is, it
comes out of nowhere and slugs you right in the gut; you feel like you are
going to be sick. You don’t know what to do. You’re fearful, overwhelmed,
panicked, angry, scared, and alone.
When you finally can breathe, what do you do? Where do you
turn?
Here are a some places to start:
Begin with a Support System:
Your family, friends, coworkers, counselor, pastor—anyone who can come
alongside and help when you need an objective spin and encouragement.
Prayer – I have
found during times of crisis, I have trouble praying. I am caught up in the
middle of the turmoil and it’s difficult to pray. So having people who will
pray for you is essential.
Cling to Hope –
God promises to never leave us and He will travel this rough road with you.
Allow yourself to
grieve – Grieving is a natural process that takes us through to healing.
It’s painful yet productive. There are five stages of grief* so it takes time.
Be Thankful for something each day—this helps to keep our focus
positive. There is always something good, no matter how small, even in the
midst of the bad. Keep a list of these blessings handy to refer to for
encouragement.
Look Up – The
Lord promises to bring something good out of our pain. His plans are for our
good not for our harm. **
How about you? How have you coped through a difficult
situation?
Next time, I will share a story of a New Beginning!
Stay
tuned….
Jeanne
* Five stages of grief are: Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression and Acceptance
I’m completely enthralled with Corrie ten Boom this summer.
I have been reading her book, Tramp for
the Lord and enjoying her wisdom. She tells of her adventures of feeling
led by the Lord to go from country to country to tell her story after her
release from the Ravensbruck Death Camp. She boarded a plane without hotel
reservations, scheduled speaking engagements, or details, trusting the Lord to
lead her when she arrived. And, the amazing thing, He did.
Corrie’s adventures make me realize how much
I play it safe. I look at my world with two-dimensional reason rather than
three-dimensional faith. There is a part of me that wants to be like
Corrie—totally trusting—completely surrendered—and in tune with the voice of my
Father. There is a desire to understand Whittier’s words that say, the steps of faith fall on the seeming
void and find the rock beneath.
So, what hinders me?
The strongest hindrance I have is, myself. I second guess my impressions and come up with
reasons why I shouldn’t take them seriously. Corrie tells a story when she felt
impressed by the Lord to go to Argentina. She replied, “Yes, but…” and then
remembered that serving the Lord should always be answered with, “Yes, Lord.”
I think I use a lot of ‘buts’ in my thinking. But, what if I take on too much? But, what
if I’m not hearing correctly?
The other reason I struggle is because I have burned out too
many times. When burnout happens, it’s usually because I have been depending on
my own ability, thinking I have got it covered. It sneaks up like a stealth
fighter and in an instant, I find myself on my face crying out for help—His
help. He’s been there all along but will allow me to take the reins in order to
show me how much I need Him.
He is my strength when I am weak. The truth is, He is my
strength all the time.Unless I am
depending on His Holy Spirit power, I am kidding myself. There is nothing of
Kingdom value I can accomplish on my own. But, I find when I am plugged into
His power source I accomplish more with less effort. It isn’t me. It can never
be me unless I am surrendered to Him each day.
Corrie went through the fire during her time in the
concentration camp. I think there is a dependence that develops when we have
nothing left but Him. I don’t want to face hardships like that, but I do want
to learn more about the deep trust she found.
How about you? Is ‘but’ in your vocabulary too? What might
the Lord be asking you to do?
Ecclesiastes 3:11 says, GOD has set eternity in the hearts of men (mankind), meaning by design, He woos men and women to Himself with a spiritual hunger that only He can fill.
There is a spiritual longing in all of us. We run after the questions of life -- Why are we here? What is our purpose? What is the meaning of life?
I believe this is a created hunger for God and we will search everywhere till we find Him.
There are many places we search for answers. We discover what religion says. We look to government and education. We seek power and peace through meditation. We try astrology, mediums and psychics. We seek out raw foods and essential oils. We want our dreams interpreted. We try meditation, yoga, Reiki and other means of centering our souls. Yet, our hunger isn't satisfied. We continue to search out new ways to fill the emptiness and squelch the questions.
A universal hunger? Universal stories? Interesting to think about.
Jesus tells us if we seek, we will find. If we ask it will be given to us. And, if we knock, the door will be opened to every spiritual truth you hunger for. *
And, Jesus also tells us that He is the bread of life; anyone who comes to Him shall not hunger, and anyone who believes in Him shall never thirst. **
What are you seeking? Do you experience a longing for more? What do you think of the idea that there is a vacuum within each us that longs to be filled? Could it be that eternity is woven into the very fabric of who we are?
I hope you will investigate Jesus. He came because of love for you and for me. Ask. Seek. Knock. I know you will find His peace, forgiveness, grace and Truth. He alone will satisfy your spiritual hunger and thirst.
Eternity is for everyone, but you do need to choose your destination.
I think this has been 'creativity week' for me. Another creative way to share your message is by designing a word cloud. One source for this is at www.wordle.net
Here are a couple of word clouds I created:
Here's another word cloud with different colors:
To save your word clouds or use on your website you must save to the gallery. It will provide a link to embed in your HTML text. You can also press your PRTSCR button which will take a screen shot and then you can paste it (Control-V) into a Word document.
Another way I love to express creativity is through photography. I don't have a beefed up camera, but I enjoy using the capability I have, capturing nature and landscapes--more than portraits. If indeed a picture is worth a 1000 words....I wonder what these would say?
Feel free to caption one or write a paragraph about it.
Words are powerful, poetic, persuasive, prodding, and
hopefully prolific for a writer. But, sometimes I just need to get away from
my keyboard; I still want to be
creative so I enjoy using magnetic words to create
poems, sentences, limericks.
It’s nice because the tiles can be moved around. No
erasing. No backspacing. It’s more like free play. Creativity without pressure!
Here are a few examples:
Soft rain gently falls
Warm earth beneath the moon
Fertile seeds sprout
Spring’s sanctuary to my world
Peace to my soul
Or this one:
Beautiful mountain path
Listen for a sweet song of peace
Eden breathes sacred air
Walking in harmony
I will follow the ancient path
Home
And lastly:
Dark night
Blanketed moon
Tendrils of mist
Stretching fingers
To the unreachable dawn
How about you? Is there a creative outlet you enjoy? Do you find you are revived, more relaxed if you take a break and do something out of the ordinary?
We have been created to be creative. And for me, it fills my cup so I can pour out again.
I began reading Corrie ten Boom’s, Tramp for the Lord this
week. The library card has my last read-date: 1996. I love it as much now as I
did then. Her story is inspiring and timeless.
As I read I am taking note of
the marvelous quotes that speak to me. Her legacy lives on through her penned
words. Lives are being touched though she has been gone since 1983.
It is words
like these that fill my sails with hope to continue on life’s journey:
I soon discovered that
man’s importunity is God’s opportunity. He uses our problems as building
materials for His miracles.p. 35
God has plans—not
problems—for our lives.p. 10
Before she died in the
concentration camp in Ravensbruck, my sister Betsie said to me, “Corrie, your
whole life has been a training for the work you are doing here in prison—and
for the work you will do afterward.”p. 11
…whether I am walking
in the bright light of His presence , or abiding under the shadow of the
Almighty, I know that He is not only with me, He is in me.p. 63
I’ve only begun reading, yet what a treasure trove of encouragement!
Every believer, like Corrie, is leaving behind hope for the next generation. What will your message
be?
The
disciples had seen a lot surrounding the life and ministry of Jesus. Miracles.
Lives changed. Dead raised to life. Thousands fed with a few loaves and fish.
Hosannas proclaimed over the Messiah entering the city of Jerusalem. There was
plenty of evidence of the miraculous, proof of His identity.
Hope was
rising until they arrested and convicted Jesus of crimes He didn’t commit,
sentencing Him to a criminal’s death on a cross. His followers were devastated.
They began to wonder. What would they do now?
What about the
hope Jesus promised? What about the new kingdom? What about deliverance from
their Roman oppressors? Hope died with Him on the cross and was buried in a
stone-cold tomb. Every nail stripped away the wonders they’d experienced during
the past three years of knowing Him. Any bravery or boldness they felt was gone
as they huddled together behind locked doors. They feared for their lives
because of their association with the one called, The King of the Jews.
When Mary
went to the tomb to finish preparations for burial, her heavy heart collided
with hope when the angel said, Jesus had risen and to go and tell the others to
meet Him in Galilee.
Mary ran to
where the disciples were hiding. Her frantic knocking spread fear over those
inside. And, when she told them what she had seen and heard, they didn’t
believe her. Even when they went to Galilee and saw Jesus standing before them,
some still doubted. He was dead. Wasn't He? They had seen His body with their own eyes.
Even when we
see with our own eyes, we can be skeptical. Our emotions can shut down anything
that doesn’t match what we tell ourselves is true. The negative overrules the positive every time.
Yet, there
He was, Jesus of Nazareth. Alive, standing before them, giving them instructions,
renewing their hope. He said, all authority has been given to Me in
Heaven and on earth. So, along your way, tell all about the message of the Gospel and
make disciples in all nations.
Jesus was
saying, I am not finished with you yet. There is work to be done; you need to
tell everything you have seen and heard.
And, in case
you are afraid, He said, don’t worry,I am going to be with you every step of
the way.
Their hope
was blocked when the worldly powers interrupted their plan. They needed to see
beyond what their minds were telling them—a dose of Kingdom reality: The
collision of seen and unseen, dependant on who Jesus is, what He had done, and
what He promised.
Have you
lost hope?
Are circumstances overshadowing what you know to be true?
Jesus
says, meet me in Galilee because ALL authority is mine; I still have work for
you to do, kingdom work. And don’t be afraid because I am going with you.
Jeanne
Read more in Matthew 28
Day 9 - 31 Day Blog Challenge Images courtesy of Morguefile.com
To be
courageous doesn’t mean we aren't afraid. Everyone is fearful.
We may look at someone who overcomes fear and think they are some sort of
bionic human who is fearless. This isn’t the case at all. Courage is feeling the
fear and doing it anyway—then seeing the fear dissolve.
I have
experienced this with public speaking.
It is said
that speaking in front of others is the #1 fear for people.
Ten or fifteen
years ago I would have agreed with that in my life. Whenever I had to as much introduce myself to a group, I would be sick to my
stomach, dizzy and visiting the bathroom. But, then something changed. Through
some circumstances, my fear to speak in front of a group is gone for the most
part. I still get butterflies. I still feel a little nervous beforehand. But,
when I stand up the fear isn’t there and I am able to speak the message I’m
there to deliver.
So this
quote from Mark Twain has shown true in my life. As someone once said, it is
learning to get your butterflies to fly in formation. I like that.
How about
you? What do Mark Twain’s words mean to you?
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