Look out “I” am on a mission….
Luke 12:35 (NIV)
“Be dressed ready for service….”

The other day I was walking into an area where I work and “I” was on a mission. Yes “I” had someone to see and something to do. In the mist of my mission, someone said hello to me and I responded back to them with a half-hearted hello.

When my mission was over, I was left with the feeling like they did not need me at all and I felt a little left out. As I walked back to my desk the light went off, “how did it feel when you were not included in something or someone rushed past me?” It made me stop and take a look how I rushed past a very pleasant hello from someone who was being so kind to me when I had my mission at hand to take care of.

What is so important that we can not stop and greet another person. You know if the Lord walked in a room we would all stop what we were doing and greet Him. If a person we admired really liked and or a person we would consider to be important – walked by I am sure we would stop.

If I am to commit each day to the Lord, and each and every minute I need to realize that He has planned my day including the things I might choose to rush past. These very things might be the things He wants me to do today. I need to be ready to serve or minister to whomever he sends my way.

A prayer for today could be… “Oh Lord help me to slow down and say hello to the special person you send my way today. Lord help me to serve you and remember that each day is yours and not mine.” Lynn W
Proverbs 16:9 (NIV)”In his heart a man plans his course,
but the LORD determines his steps.”
2 Corinthians 9:12 (NIV)”This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of God’s people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God.”

Crippled Children

This Victory Call is born out of much recent sorrow in my life. I have two children -one daughter and one son. I love them both deep and strong. If I give in to the bigness of this love, I could easily be overwhelmed by it. There is nothing I am not willing to consider doing to protect my children from hurt, harm or anything I perceive to be bad. I would bleed and die for them if it meant they would be spared any form of yuckiness. I know I am not alone in this. Virtually every parent I know would bleed and die for every child she has given birth to.

What I am learning -in such a harsh way- is, to love a person to the extent that they don’t ever feel pain; to guard and protect them from life to that degree is in essence, a sure way to cripple them.
I know what I am saying because I have done it. Being a wife and a mom was the best thing apart from my conversion experience that ever happened to me. All I wanted for all of us was happy, happy and happier. When sad or angry or any of the ‘yucky feelings’ family showed up, I went into shield mode and did everything I could to disallow them entrance.
If I saw sadness trying to get in and ruin the “happiness” I’d shoo sadness away with distraction; any silliness I could think of to get a giggle or a laugh. If anger raised its ugly head I’d fight it with words of reason so that it never found a comfortable place to reside. The result is an adult child so unacquainted with dealing with her own feelings that as an adult, when the feelings come, she has no clue what to do with them. Rather than feel she runs to escape. Not realizing that the best thing to do (which I have learned) is to allow them; to face them, to take them to the healing place found at the foot of the Cross.
Dear one, am I speaking to you?
No matter what we do, life happens and it sometimes, often happens hard…very hard. And with no warning at all the flood gates of feeling come rushing in to literally overwhelm and crush.

What are we to do? How do we redeem the true, the right, the honorable and good, from what remains after the flood?
There is only one answer: Jesus. We must run first to the safety found only in the Father’s arms and cry out for mercy and help. Admit that we have no control; we can’t prevent another human being from feeling what they must feel. To do so is to hinder them from living fully and experiencing all of life -the good and the bad.

The next thing we must never, ever tire of doing is praying for and waiting for wisdom and discernment. It is literally a moment-by-moment process…process…process.

My heart aches today as I watch this one running full speed toward potential harm. Everything in me wants to tie an anchor around her and keep her out of harms way. And yet, I am convicted to see all my doing, doing, doing as a hindrance and not a help. What is mine to do is pray, pray and pray some more. How long? Until something happens.
Stephanie

Passion Fruit…..

Isaiah 61:10 (NLT)
“I am overwhelmed with joy in the LORD my God!”
I have been in a sales position for many years now. It all started with me working for a tour company selling packages to Europe, and than working as a Travel Agent and now working in sales at Keswick.

Many times my parents tell me I can sell anything. What happens is, I feel strongly about something and then it turns into a passion of mine and it just pours out. I really do get excited about what I am doing and I guess it rubs off on people.

When I was teaching for a while, I would come into class sooo excited about the new lesson or project I had for my students and they would ask me if I stayed up all night planning this event. They thought I was crazy for being so excited about school work. But I loved what I was doing!

What are you passionate about? Now I know not everyone is a sales person and we all do not have the passionate drive about the same things. Ask me about my kids, my husband or my home and I could go on for hours. I would end up getting so excited that you would probably walk away and tell me that I am a little nuts!

If someone were to ask me about the Lord would I be so excited? When people see me walking, talking and interacting with others can they see the passion for my Lord? I need to ask all of us this question. What are we passionate about? Can people see the passion fruit growing on our lives?

The Bible tells us to be overwhelmed with joy in the LORD my God, excited, passionate are part of this too.

If someone met you today, would they see passion, deep rooted love, excitement in your life and would your life show the passion fruit that we are to bear? No time for gloomy faces and gloomy lives….we need to be exited about our Lord for the days are numbered.

Lynn W

Creaking and Groaning

“In order for God to take you to another place, He must first move you from where you are. The move often seems like a disaster, but it is only the creaking and groaning of a reluctant door.” (Author Unknown)

Yesterday I was talking to my beautiful mother (the queen) and she referenced the above quote. She and I were talking about my apparent emotional struggle over my son leaving and going to Marine Corp Boot Camp. This is a huge thing for me and I aint doing well at all. Am I resting in the goodness and kindness of God? Absolutely! Does my heart still ache? You betcha!!

So as I ponder the above quote I can’t help but wonder about the place God is going to take me. What will it be like in my son’s absence for this mamma? Will I go from where I am willingly or will I go kicking and screaming? For me, I think it’s like the creaking and groaning of a reluctant door as it is ever so slowly opened. It makes a lot of noise in the process but it nevertheless reveals what lies beyond and…perhaps there is an invitation to come in and set a spell.

Isn’t that what the Father would want; that in the midst of all the creaking and groaning within our hearts and souls, we would dare to come in and rest in His Presence, allowing Him to be the salve that we apply to our wounds.

Oh dear one, agree with me that we will be ceaseless in our pursuit of Father. May we not be content with any earthly thing and endure the nights weeping…hoping and believe that joy -His Joy- does indeed come in the morning.

Stephanie

Letting Go
Sometimes we think that letting go means that we have to cease to love or care about the ones we have been holding on to or trying to “help.” Back in the mid 1990’s I had to let go and let God take care of my drug addicted sons. Letting go was a long process and one of the hardest things I had ever done. But I never stopped caring or loving them. I had discovered through the Word that my sons had only been on loan to me and I needed to let them go back into the arms of their heavenly Father. Ps. 24:1 says “The earth is the Lords and everything in it, the world and all who live in it.” Mommy’s always think they can kiss the boo-boo and make it go away…fix anything. I came to understand only God can do that. I may not be able to “fix” those I love, but I still have something important to do.
In Genesis is the story of Abraham and Sarah. I’m sure that you are familiar with their story. Abraham and Sarah were an elderly childless couple…he was 86 and she 77. God spoke to Abram, as he was known then, in chapter 15:4 and promised him more descendants than there were stars. That’s some promise to an old man and woman well past childbearing years! Abram believed and let go. Sarah, who was known as Sarai at the time, couldn’t let go. She had a little trouble believing God and thought she could help God along in this impossible task.
Sarai had Abram sleep with her maidservant so he could have the family that God promised. Well of course that didn’t turn out very well. The Egyptian maidservant Hagar became pregnant and started to despise Sarai. Sarai began to mistreat Hagar, and so she ran away.
Hagar didn’t get very far when the Lord intervened. (Gen. 16:7-16) Hagar was pregnant, scared and running away and the voice of the Lord spoke to her. He told her to go back…..He promised her that her descendants would be too numerous to count. God had heard her cry. She was to have a son and name him Ishmael. This would sooth her heart a bit, but then God gave her some bad news. Ishmael was going to be a wild guy, a bully with a chip on his shoulder, ready to fight everyone. He wasn’t even going to live in harmony with his family. I think Hagar stopped listening after “the Lord has heard your misery”. So Hagar went back.
Abram heard God’s promise for Ishmael. He let go, but continued to pray for his son. (Gen: 17:15-21) Then 13 years later, God said to Abraham “And as for Ishmael, I HAVE HEARD YOU. I will surely bless him.” Thirteen years after his birth and Abram had been praying all this time! God heard and He answered!
We’re not to “let go and forget” but, let go and let God. We still have something to do and that is pray without ceasing and surrender our will and loved ones to the Lord. God alone has the power to change. There is such freedom in that! We lay our loved ones at the cross, love them and never stop praying for them.
There is a song by Carrie Underwood titled “Jesus Take the Wheel” that I just love. It’s a good reminder for me that I must give the wheel to Jesus because it’s the only hope for change.
Jesus take the wheel
Take it from my hands
Cause I can’t do this on my own
I’m letting go…
Jesus take the wheel.
Never stop doing your part, keep praying but make sure Jesus is the one at the wheel!

Mary Ann

They heard…they saw and I was remembered for __________?

I am learning more and more that people are watching everything I do. Why
should I be surprised, I do the same thing to them? My husband and I love
to sit in the mall with a cup of coffee and enjoy the sights or I mean the
people.

A year or so ago I was at a garage sale miles from my home town and church.
I was calling to my husband to come and look at some goodies when all of a
sudden a voice came from the other side of the table, and said “I know you”.
Of course that day I was dressed in my cleaning cloths and my hair and make
up was not the best. When I looked up I really had no idea who she really
was so I needed to ask. Her response to me was “I never would have
recognized you but your voice is what I remember.” Interesting I thought.
She had come several times to a “Ladies Nite Out” at my church and heard me
speak there. She remembered my voice.

Oh, if I had been talking fresh to my husband or yelling at my kids in a way
that would not have been a good testimony, would my voice have touched her
ears again? She is not a believer so I invited her to come out again to our
ministry. May my voice always bring pleasant sounds to someone’s ears.

Another time I was in the dining room where I work, and as usual lunch was
done and my coffee cup was crying out to be filled. Without thinking I
filled my husbands first and then mine, sat down, took creamers from the
bowl and sugar and past them to him first and then me. He is my first love
next to the Lord and I just look out for him and try to love him in even the
silly ways like this. One of our staff members came to me later and said
that she loves watching us in the dining room and elsewhere and she loves
the silly “Love Things” we do for each other.

Our life should be filled with Joy, Love, Friendship, and most of all the
Lord Jesus Christ.

Isaiah 2:3 (New International Version)

“…He will teach us his ways,

so that we may walk in his paths.”

Psalm 32:8 (New International Version)

“I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go…”

These are very two simple examples of how someone was watching me and
remembered me. My voice was remembered for the words I spoke and my actions
remembered for the love I shared.

What is someone seeing or hearing in you today?

Lynn W

Just Thinking…Life Changes

In the past few weeks and months life has changed drastically and dramatically for quite a number of people around me. Just yesterday, in the late evening, someone who was near to me…but not necessarily close, has gone home to be with the Lord.

For the ‘bride of His youth’, life has changed. There are things that -for her- will simply be no more. Things like the sound of her groom calling out her name; his footsteps, his greeting at the end of a day; the warm kisses of his mouth; the sound of his voice seeking the Lord of behalf of others, etc., etc. I could go on and an. The point is, in a moment it’s all changed; all different and it will never ever be the same.

This will be the second home going in recent months that has greatly impacted my heart. As a wife, I am more and more, mindful of so many little things that my husband and I take for granted in relation to each other. Good things that we share without much attention and notice of the details. I want to savor those moments so much more than I do. I want to be intentional about making time for those moments. It’s a needful thing and I pray for the strength to make it happen.

When those dear to you pass from life to death, it has a way of forcing you to pause in the midst of your doing and think…about so many things. For one thing I am thinking of the importance of speaking much more kindness to all whom I say I care for and love. I’m thinking I will intentionally fuss less and bless more. I’m thinking about following my heart more honestly, being less focused on pleasing people and more focused on pleasing God. I’m thinking of the cost paid for my freedom on earth and in heaven. As a result, there is more singing, praising and the offering of thanks….in the very middle of much sadness.

I’ve also been thinking about going deeper; drawing nearer to those who are dear to me…while I can. Time passes and life changes so quickly. In a brief moment those mentioned above, were here in the present and then poof…gone into eternity.

So dear ones, my prayer for each of you today, is that God would speak to each individual heart and show you the people you need to go to. The loved ones you’ve been meaning to talk to and see, but have just been too busy. Get to it! Go and tell them or better yet show them by being there that they really do matter. Wrap your arms about them and speak a good word in their ear. And if you need to say I’m sorry, do it.

Sisters, all too quickly time passes, life changes and without any notice we are staring at empty chairs and aware of empty spaces around us that someone we loved much, had once filled with their presence.

Let us today, choose to treasure the gifts we have been given by living The Gift today.

Stephanie

The Heart Matters
I am writing this as my father-in-law (Pep) recovers from heart by-pass surgery. There is no greater time than when our heart is failing that we come to understand the “heart matters”. Today we can live without many parts of our bodies, but we still cannot live for any length of time without a heart.
Pep was told that without surgery he would not live through the year ~ with surgery the doctor promised that if he did die this year it would not be of a heart attack – you need to understand that my father-in-law is ninety. None of us really have any promise about tomorrow.
No matter how old we are the “heart matters”. God calls us to care of our “hearts”. I want to name three types of hearts we have according to the Bible.
1. Physical: Jeremiah 33:6, 30:17, 3 John 1:2
2. Emotional: Psalms 42:5, John 14:1
3. Spiritual: Eph. 3:17
We also have choices about how we are to treat each of our hearts.
1. We need to eat healthy and exercise to keep our physical hearts healthy.
2. We need to turn our worries, concerns, hurts, pains, etc… over to God to heal our hearts emotionally.
3. We need to turn our hearts over to God for salvation and the hope for a future in heaven.
Bill and I were assured that Pep’s heart belonged to God spiritually before he went in to have it mended physically. Because of that we could wait through the surgery knowing we would see him in heaven if the surgery was unsuccessful. PTL with much prayer Pep Jahns will be here on earth with us for awhile more. His focus for some time to come will be on strengthening his physical and spiritual heart.
What areas of your heart do you need to deal with? Do you have a loved one that you don’t know the condition of their spiritual heart?
The heart matters… I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. (Ezekiel 36:26)
LDJ

Let’s take a walk…and not run.

Is your daily life full these days, days filled with run, run, run? Let us not forget all the advantages we now have to help us have more time (or so they say). A cell phone, house phone, car phone, laptop, desktop, hand held computers, Blackberry, a day timer and the list on and on. Stop…they said this would help me organize my life. They said it would help me have more time. Do you feel like you are always running these days (and not in terms of exercise)? Do you need to stop and slow down and walk? The Bible shares many verses with us about walking.

The bible tells us to walk!!
Deuteronomy 5:33 (NIV)
“Walk in all the way that the LORD your God has commanded you…”
Psalm 119:3 (NIV)
“…they walk in his ways”.
Psalm 128:1 (NIV)
“Blessed are all who fear the LORD,
who walk in his ways.”

In different devotions lately I keep reading about slowing down, life is sooo busy. My director just wrote a Freedom Fighter devotion. It was about his life being soooo crazy, that he was snapping at his loved ones and he needed to slow down.
Recently, I watched 2 programs that paired up to this. The first story was about a father named John going to his class reunion. He was feeling distressed about this since he felt that his life did not measure up to his classmates. He lived a simple life, he loved his wife and 7 kids, brought them up to go to church. They lived on a farm and did not have much money but were known as a family who was always there for anyone that needed help. At the end at the class reunion they lifted him up in a speech. His one classmate said that he was always running to catch up to him (referring to running to keep up with his achievements) and always still seemed to be behind him. Yet when he looked at John somehow he was always walking and not running to reach his goal. The comment was made “I guess he knew that walking was the secret”. He somehow knew early on that to achieve something he needed to keep walking and not running.

Another movie I recently watched was about a woman who was a “career women”. In the beginning of the movie she was walking as fast as everyone else in NYC, almost running down the streets. During the movie she learned to walk slower, her life changed because a child was placed in her life. In the end of the story…one day she was walking her daughter in the carriage on the streets of NYC she decided to catch up to everyone else – who seemed to be running. In the process of this she realized that when she walked she was much happier than when she was running with everyone else.

Our life was given to us by our Lord to be enjoyed. If we are always running around we miss out on a lot. Show down and take a walk today and enjoy all the wonderful things that God has placed in our lives.

Lynn W

Just Thinking…Life Changes

In the past few weeks and months life has changed drastically and dramatically for quite a number of people around me. Just yesterday, in the late evening, someone who was near to me…but not necessarily close, has gone home to be with the Lord.

For the bride of His youth life has changed. There are things that -for her- will simply be no more. Things like the sound of her groom calling out her name; his footsteps, his greeting at the end of a day; the warm kisses of his mouth; the sound of his voice seeking the Lord of behalf of others, etc., etc. I could go on and an. The point is, in a moment it’s all changed; all different and it will never ever be the same.

This will be the second home going in recent months that has greatly impacted my heart. As a wife, I am more and more, mindful of so many little things that my husband and I take for granted in relation to each other. Good things that we share without much attention and notice of the details. I want to savor those moments so much more than I do. I want to be intentional about making time for those moments. It’s a needful thing and I pray for the strength to make it happen.

When those dear to you pass from life to death, it has a way of forcing you to pause in the midst of your doing and think…about so many things. For one thing I am thinking of the importance of speaking much more kindness to all whom I say I care for and love. I’m thinking I will intentionally fuss less and bless more. I’m thinking about following my heart more honestly, being less focused on pleasing people and more focused on pleasing God. I’m thinking of the cost paid for my freedom on earth and in heaven. As a result, there is more singing, praising and the offering of thanks….in the very middle of much sadness.

I’ve also been thinking about going deeper; drawing nearer to those who are dear to me…while I can. Time passes and life changes so quickly. In a brief moment those mentioned above, were here in the present and then poof…gone into eternity.

So dear ones, my prayer for each of you today, is that God would speak to each individual heart and show you the people you need to go to. The loved ones you’ve been meaning to talk to and see, but have just been too busy. Get to it! Go and tell them or better yet show them by being there that they really do matter. Wrap your arms about them and speak a good word in their ear. And if you need to say I’m sorry, do it.

Sisters, all too quickly time passes, life changes and without any notice we are staring at empty chairs and aware of empty spaces around us that someone we loved much, had once filled with their presence.

Let us today, choose to treasure the gifts we have been given by living The Gift today.

Stephanie