Footprints In My Dust

The other night I was sitting in the recliner talking with my husband about the day’s events.  As I glanced over at the end table between us I noticed a layer of dust in the lamp light.  My initial thought was “yet, another task to add to tomorrow’s list”.  However, as I listened to Jeff, I noticed an impression in the dust.  It was a foot print…a rather small foot print…and the toes were pointed toward the window.  It dawned on me that it was our three-year-old, Leif’s foot print.  Suddenly the irksome dust turned into a memory recording medium. 

As I postulated how such a foot print could have been made I remembered the previous day’s excitement at daddy’s arrival home from work.  Leif was in the kitchen playing as I prepared supper.   Upon hearing our truck pull into the drive he ran into the living room and leapt up into the window to see his daddy’s approach.  Jeff opened the front door to Leif’s squeals of delight and a hearty, “Welcome home, Daddy!” 

It is an awesome blessing to have a three year old to show me life through his perspective.  At his eye level, the world looks different.  A daddy coming home is the equivalent of winning the Publisher’s Clearing House.  The arrival of winter’s first snow, gives you a reason to dance.  Time spent wrestling with your parents after dinner is better than a day at an amusement park.  A bed-time story is more exciting than a trip to the movie theatre.  A bowl of ice cream is a complete escape, a new toy a marvelous delight.  A kind word of encouragement is not only heard but it is taken to heart and recorded in the annals of his mind and displayed in the ear to ear expression of emotion on his face. 

We come from our mothers’ wombs meeting life with awe and wonder.  Somewhere along the way we become jaded and affected.  We are hurt and wounded by other’s words.  We are tempted, enticed, and lured away by our own desires.  Where do those desires come from?  We are not born with a sinful nature, yet as our exposure to this fallen world lengthens day by day, so does our aptitude for sin.  Somewhat like how the chances of skin cancer increase with every bad sunburn.  Like the Roman writer so aptly says,

“So I find it be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand.  For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members.  Wretched man that I am!  Who will deliver me  from this body of death?  Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!” (Romans 7:23-25)

Thanks be to Jesus.  He had that three-year-old perspective of life and urged others to have it as well.  He said that, “whoever humbles himself like a child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.”  It is by him and through him that we can regain this child like perspective.  We can once again meet this life with awe and wonder and, like my three year old longs to see his daddy coming home, we too can eagerly await Jesus’ return. 

My husband reminds me often that God gave us parents to rear us and children to finish the job.  I know he is right when I am taught such a beautiful lesson as this.

Thank you, God for opportunities for contact with some of your most precious creations: children.  Thank you for the reminder to be more like them.  Help us to meet life with innocent expectancy, enjoying all that you have blessed us with, and looking forward to your redemptive return.

Dana Jaworski

Anchor Point, AK

When Encountering Fog...

Can you remember the last time you were traveling somewhere and came up on a heavy fog?

A weather man can give a "meterological explanation" for how fog develops.  My knowledge of fog is less sophisticated. But, what I do know is that you can't see through it.  And...it really slows down your travel time!

Not all fog is visible.  Can you remember the last time you found yourself in a spiritual fog?  Just like a visible fog, spiritual fog can settle over our lives slowly and quietly.  And, it affects how we travel through life.

The Book of James was written to Christians who were living in hard times.  Questions about God, the significance of faith, arguments within house churches, and painful trials and fatigue settled in over their lives.  Faith, peace, courage and wisdom had come to a crawl in their lives.

It is said that sunlight creates conditions whereby fog dissipates and eventually lifts.  The same is true spiritually.  Perhaps that's why James penned these words:
"Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God. Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word,which is able to save your souls.

But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves."

"Be slow to speak and slow to anger."  Good advice when entering fog.  Our nature is to go quickly...everywhere.  "Foggy" moments warrant slowing down, getting quiet in our spirits and allowing God to speak to us.  "Slow to..." is often a prelude to blessing.

Be quick to hear.  It's often the last thing we want to do.  Jesus said, "Take care how you listen."  So many blessings can be found and pains averted by simply listening to wisdom.

Put aside the junky stuff.  Our hearts can get gummed up with all kinds of things.  The kind of stuff that empowers spiritual fog and makes a bad situation worse.  Pride speaks to our hearts and we listen.  The word of God is usually close by but only humility can allow it admittance into our hearts.

Be a doer of the word.  Engaging the word provides insight and perspective that helps us see the road ahead.  It gives us the counsel and direction we need to move out of the fog into the spiritual express lane.  James says such a person will be blessed in what he does (v. 25)

Are you encountering a foggy patch of road?  Perhaps these words from James can be just the thing to help you move around it and into a place of strength and blessing.

Father, we need your word to help us through the foggy times in our lives.  May we always surrender ourselves to the wisdom of your word.  It is truly a lamp to our feet and a light to our path.  Amen.

Randy Daugherty
Stephenville, Texas

“Momma, WE NEEEED YOU!”

 Ephesians 3:16-18

I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ,

Dressed in her Sunday best, Esther sits stooped by her 91 years.  With her hands folded upon her lap, eyes closed forever by degenerative darkness, and mouth drawn, she still joyfully sings the words to every hymn. Homesteading the rugged last frontier without running water or electricity she overcame the many challenges that presented themselves in the raising of seven children. Like the far reaching roots of the trees that dot the Haakenson homestead, Esther sought to daily root her children in Christ’s love.  One of Esther’s greatest legacies lovingly sits beside her.  Faithful in service to her mother and even more to her Lord, Mary has taught countless boys and girls about Jesus.  Mary has also reached out to thousands whose lives have been touched by Down syndrome through her book about growing up with her remarkable brother*.  Those children and families have been forever changed by their contact with Mary and like a pebble dropped into a pond, we’ll never know the full effect of her influence until heaven.  

The arrival of spring brings a treasure trove of “presents” from my boys.  Evidence of their love and admiration proudly line my kitchen window sill.  This winter brought a record breaking 16 feet of snow to Anchor Point, and thus our pre-spring season of “Break-up” has been a little slower than normal.  Running out of easily retrieved pine cones, the boys turned to rescuing sticks from their climbing tree.  As I was presented with a bouquet of sticks I noticed they were covered in buds.  I placed them in a jar, put it on the sill and was rewarded with lovely smelling, bright green leaves.  The entire family has enjoyed watching and discussing the sprouting twigs.  After a few days I noticed the sticks were putting out roots.  I have been amazed at how quickly these young sprouts send out hungry shoots looking to root.  

Parenting, like tending a garden, takes time, patience and constant attention.  More importantly, it takes a focus on the end result: the fruit of the harvest.  It is our desire for the fruit of harvest that motivates us to weed, water, tend, prune, and fertilize.  It is a desire for healthy fruit that helps us do the work that is sometimes unpleasant.  There are times when I want a vacation. Instead of finding joy in hearing, “Mommaaaa, we nnneeed you!!!!!”  I can become resentful and tired.  The Deceiver whispers lies of discontentment regarding my most important role, and before long I can get busy and easily frustrated with the needs of my “trees”.  I may even temporarily neglect them, forgetting to water at the right time, or letting them get root bound in their pots…all leading to potential disease and stunted growth.  

Thank goodness, I work for the Master Gardner.  He is always just a prayer away, there to help. He knows our every need and our every weakness.   I go to him when I don’t know what to do or feel I have reached the end of my rope.  He helps me weed out bad behavior, feed good character, and tend to the needs of everyday life. 

It also doesn’t hurt to fertilize often with the nutrients found in his word.

Isaiah 61:11

For as the soil makes the sprout come up and a garden causes seeds to grow, so the Sovereign LORD will make righteousness and praise spring up before all nations.

Jeremiah 17:8

They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.”

Prayer:  Dear Lord, help me to root my children in the soil of your love.  May they ever know and live in the width, depth, and the height of your amazing love.  Amen.

Dana Jaworski
Anchor Point, AK

*I highly recommend Mary Haakenson Perry’s book, entitled Onward Crispy Shoulders to anyone that has been touched by Down syndrome.  You may order her book at http://www.fireweedtales.com/

Dying Well

In the epic series the Lord of the Rings as their fortress is under siege about to be over-run by the forces of evil, Gandalf  the wizard and Pippin the hobbit are waiting for battle as the gates are being rammed and facing what appears will be certain death. 

Pippin:  I didn’t think it would end this way.

Gandalf:  End?  No, the journey doesn’t end here.  Death is just another path.  One that we all must take.  The grey rain-curtain of this world rolls back, and all turns to silver glass… And then you see it.

Pippin:  What Gandalf?... See what?

Gandalf: White shores… and beyond, a far green country under a swift sunrise.

Pippin:(smiling) Well, that isn’t so bad.

Gandalf: No…No it isn’t.

Our existence goes beyond what is here.  We were created with more in store for us than just this life.  Understanding this life isn’t what we were created for, understanding that our lives here are preparing us for something much better ahead provides the basis for living well and looking towards dying well.  Living well means not getting trapped in the shallowness of this world that calls us to be something we were never meant to be.  Measuring ourselves against others to look better, be better, do better, know more, do more, and have more.  Living well means not being deceived to pursue the anxious, futile existence of pleasing ourselves, pleasing others, showing others I’m good, and trying to show God I’m good.   Living well is understanding the extremely simple, yet incredibly difficult to accept mystery, that Christ has rescued us.  He is the only door to the greatest treasures and unbelievable riches of wisdom and knowledge.  Dying well is the understanding that we have already died with Christ to this life and its shallowness and deceptions.  Dying well is our daily “putting to death” of our human cravings and desires replacing them with a true a hunger and thirst for righteousness.  Dying well is recognizing when it is our time it can welcomed rather than feared knowing the death of our physical body is not the end of our journey but just another path.  A path to a life we cannot fathom or imagine.

My goal is that they (you) may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they(you) may have  the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they(you) may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.  I tell you this so that no one may deceive you by fine-sounding arguments.

So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in Him, rooted and built up in Him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.

For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, and in Christ you have been brought to fullness. He is the head over every power and authority. In him you were also circumcised with a circumcision not performed by human hands. Your whole self ruled by the flesh] was put off when you were circumcised by Christ, having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through your faith in the working of God, who raised him from the dead. (Colossians  2:2-4, 6-7, 9-13)

Father, help me know You to such depths that I will not be afraid.  Amen

Scotty Elston
Shallowater, Texas

When you Drop the "Dis"

I’m a word nerd. Claimin’ it.

I love new words, old words, fun words, big words. I love to make up words, too.

At my house, it seems that if you add the -age ending to a word, it makes it a little more genteel in nature, perhaps more polite in conversation.  “My chestage is so sore from that workout yesterday!” See? You can totally bring that up at your husband’s fancy office dinner. Or not.

The point remains: I love words.

So it was that my thoughts drifted while taking notes in Bible study. I was initially trying to decipher how to spell the word “disappointment” while the instructor was illustrating that disappointment may lead us to God’s biggest work in our lives yet.

Dis – of course that prefix means not, opposite of, away from.  Appointment — hmmm.. a role, task, assignment.  Whether or not we can spell it, the weight of the word itself brings about heaviness of heart and soul, filling the eyes with tears. We all know that disappointment feels far more heavy than a clinical discussion of the word.

You know disappointment first-hand, no doubt. The job, the child, the home, the spouse, the life you were counting on in some regard didn’t happen. And your heart was broken.

The last year has been a series of disappointments for our family. A job loss for my husband was unexpected. A new job then required a move for our family, which our teens let us know wasn’t in their life plan. Now the new location and cost of living has me sending out resume’s and applying for jobs only to hear again and again, “No thank you, you aren’t quite right..” or to be told nothing at all.

Faith is leaning into the word itself and hearing Him whisper: “See? Child, I’m telling you. This isn’t your appointment. This isn’t what I have for you. I have so much more for you. Dry your eyes. Dust yourself off. Move on.”

Is it possible that God can use my disappointment to move me to a Divine Appointment in my life?

Consider some heroes in the faith from scripture:
– Hannah, disappointed every month when she still was unable to have a child. Finally, finally… God blessed her with Samuel. Samuel that she gave back to God and who spoke for him.

– Ruth, widowed and alone, found her kinsmen-redeemer, and ended up giving birth to Obed. She has a spot in the lineage of Christ now.

– Sarah, my own namesake. Her disappointment at watching the calendar flip year after year with no children led her to desperation. She eventually would be redeemed, known as “Mother of many.”

The sting of my job rejection disappointments may subside as I journey deeper in with the Lord seeking my divine appointment. I’m trusting I’ll know it when I see it.

The boxes are mostly unpacked in our new home as the kids are making friends at school, and we are blessed to be employed again. (What is the grace period for living with boxes in your house after you’ve moved? I’m pretty sure I’m pushing it…)

The hurt of the disappointments is healing while I seek time with the Lord. My faith can be a shaky seedling some days, but I am hopeful that I will grow into His divine appointment for me.

Sarah Stirman

Dancing with Fear

People have an affinity with fear. It’s a tricky dance we do, fear and us. Fear almost always gets to lead because we don’t like to fight her for the lead on something so complicated. She guides our steps, directs us into intricate spins, presses us close to her so that she can whisper sweet nothings in our ears.   Her whisperings are much more than “nothings,” however. They’re more than we want to hear, more than we want to ponder, and they add an unnecessary tension to decision-making. Her voice decides where we will go, what we will do, and how we will do it. Her voice is so forceful. We let it force us right into emptiness.

And maybe we don’t even realize that we’re acting out of fear. It can be deeply entrenched in other things, so deeply entrenched that we can’t even pick it out of a crowd of emotions and thoughts . . .
I’m afraid to pursue a career that evokes all my passion because I might not make that much money.
I’m afraid to give up [insert addiction here] because living without it might be hard.
I’m afraid to apologize because it might be rejected.
I’m afraid to share the gospel because it might not be accepted.
I’m afraid to love people unconditionally because they might not love me back.
I’m afraid to ask questions in my faith because I might not find answers that I like.
I’m afraid to delve deeper into the Word because it might call me to a higher standard than I’ve previously pursued.
I’m afraid to give away the things that I have to people who need them more than I do because I might live a little less comfortably as a result.

. . . But I’d rather not settle for dwelling in the conditional nature of that which comes after the “mights.” Living life running from the “mights” isn’t living life at all. It’s hiding from life. If you really hate this life and if you’re really discontented, maybe you need to check out your motives for doing the things that you do. If the reasoning behind them is because the alternative has more risk involved, then no wonder you’re unhappy. The joy of investing in an experience that is inherently good should outweigh your fear of possible consequences.

Fear is the absence of faith. Last time I checked, we’re called to faith, not fear. Acting out of fear is about the same as assuming that God’s power cannot transcend human weakness. God has worked (and continues to work) through some seriously weak people.

Own up to your fears and weaknesses and let the Lord work through them. We have nothing to boast in apart from God’s grace. That’s freeing. I’m not obligated to create situations that allow me to boast in myself. Anything I could create will eventually turn to dust anyway. I’m letting God create the situations and I’ll bring my weak self to them. Anything glorious that comes from my involvement in said situations is by the grace of God. That’s something to boast about.

“God has chosen the world’s insignificant and despised things--the things viewed as nothing-- so He might bring to nothing the things that are viewed as something, so that no one can boast in His presence. But from Him you are in Christ Jesus, who for us became wisdom from God, as well as righteousness, sanctification, and redemption, in order that, as it is written: The one who boasts, must boast in the Lord.”
I Corinthians 1:28-31

Amen.

Erin E. Daugherty, Abilene Christian University

Lord, Open Our Eyes!

Ginny Owens is a nationally-known contemporary Christian artist. A three-time Dove award winner, her music has inspired thousands of people to a deeper faith in God. She plays the piano and sings of love she’s written for God with a sweet clear, voice.

 But the most staggering thing about Ginny Owens is the fact that she is completely blind. She was born seeing, but a degenerative eye condition gradually took her sight until, at age three, she became completely blind.

 Listening to her music, knowing this fact, brings rich new colors to the tapestries of words she weaves. I invite you to enjoy her song “Wonderful Wonder” by clicking on the link below.

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L14JsjqJ7Uc

 “Wonderful Wonder” by Ginny Owens I don’t know the ocean’s crystal blue / And I don’t climb the mountains for the view / Or wish upon the stars above my head / Or bear witness to a marvelous sunset / But the very thought of things I’ve never seen / Is all it takes to bring me to my knees Oh, what a wonderful wonder / A display of great beauty and power / Oh what a wonderful wonder You are to me I wish that I could see life through Your eyes / To gaze upon the canvas from Your side / To understand all that You’ve done before / And to realize the plans You have in store / But when I long to know what I don’t see / You give me the courage to believe Oh, what a wonderful wonder / A display of great beauty and power / Oh what a wonderful wonder You are to me I can hardly wait until the time / When You will turn my darkness into light / And I finally find my way to Heaven’s door / Where I won’t need my faith anymore / And when my eyes behold Your majesty / I’ll join with the angels and we’ll sing Oh, what a wonderful wonder / A display of great beauty and power / Oh what a wonderful wonder You are to me 

The first time I heard that song, I was deeply moved. First, I felt so sad for Ginny that she has no memories of the great beauties of this earth: oceans, mountains, stars, sunsets. I can imagine she hears her family and friends talk about these places with amazement in their voices, and I wished for a moment that she could know that beauty, too.

 As I listened the third verse, I realized with a jolt that when she sees Heaven, it will be the first thing she ever sees! What an incredible thought! Ginny lives in a world of darkness and visual sameness. Can you imagine what it will be like for her on that Great Day when she is given a new body, with new eyes, seeing colors that humans have only dreamed of?

 All of a sudden, I thought, “That’s us. All of us.” We are used to the spiritual darkness we must live in at all times. We have never known any different. Can you imagine God, Jesus, and a host of angels looking at us, saying, “There is so much more you don’t see!! You have no idea what is all around you all the time.”
 Remember the story of Elisha and his servant in 2 Kings 6? They were surrounded by a strong army with horses and chariots from the King of Aram. Elisha’s servant was terrified when he saw the soldiers, and he hurried back to Elisha, asking “What should we do?”

 “Don’t be afraid,” the prophet answered. “Those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” And Elisha prayed that God would open his servant’s eyes. God did – and the servant “looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha” (2 Kings 6:17).

 There is a greater reality than ours, co-existing in the same space as ours. We don’t know all the science behind how it works, and sometimes the pains of this life cause us to ask hard questions. But God wants us to know with certainty that human experience is not all there is. He wants us to choose to be aware of it, to seek it out, to live life placing our trust in a greater world that can never pass away.

 It is incredible to think that all of this is going on right now! The spiritual world doesn’t awaken someday in the future. In Luke 20, the Sadducees, who didn’t believe in an afterlife, questioned Jesus about the Resurrection Day. Jesus tells the Sadducees that though God is called “the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob,” he is not the God of the dead. Abraham, Isaac and Jacob didn’t cease to exist when they died – God is “Not the God of the dead, but of the living, for to Him, all are alive” (Luke 20:38). Wow!! Unlike us, God can still see all those who are physically dead. Amazing!

 The greater reality is full of things humans don’t experience with their five senses. All creation has a limited existence, and it is tied to a system of time. There are unseen beings, boundless and non-corporeal, interacting with creation; those who have died continue to exist; and Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, and Self-Control are the supernatural works of God in the lives of people who trust Him. “Heaven and earth will pass away,” Jesus says, “But My words will never pass away” (Matthew 24:35).

 And when we get to Heaven someday, we will be just like Ginny Owens – it will be our first time to really See, too. We’ll get the full view of the meaning of this world, and we’ll see the Truth and the Life for who He really is. Our human minds cannot fathom the “wonderful wonders” He has prepared for us! (1 Corinthians 2:9).

 I am so thankful that we don’t have to lodge our hope in this broken life. God uses the pains of our lives to help us wake up to that fact. If we love this world, we will be broken, too. Instead, we can, with joy, “Fix our eyes on what is unseen, because what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal” (2 Corinthians 4:16-18).

Bicky Tolar
Abilene, Texas

Count Your Blessings!

Until seeing the recent movie, “Warhorse”, I had not given any thought to the role horses played in war.  Psalms 33:13-17(NLT) says, “The Lord looks down from heaven and sees the whole human race.  From his throne he observes all who live on the earth.  He made their hearts, so he understands everything they do.  The best equipped army cannot save a king, nor is great strength enough to save a warrior.  Don’t count on your warhorse to give you victory—for all its strength, it cannot save you.”  And, following in verses 20-22, “We depend on the Lord alone to save us.  Only he can help us, protecting us like a shield.  In him our hearts rejoice, for we are trusting in his holy name.  Let your unfailing love surround us, Lord, for our hope is in you alone.”  

It is interesting to see how God makes us aware of His presence and our hope that is in Him alone.  I continue to be amazed at the way God has inspired me through the short life of my twelve year old great-nephew, Kory.  A few weeks before his death, Kory and his mom were having their evening prayer together.  She was unable to control her tears and Kory asked, “Mom, why are your crying?”  She answered, “Kory, I am so sad that we cannot make you well.”  Kory then said to her, “Mom, please don’t cry, God is doing this for my benefit.” These words, “God is doing this for my benefit”, remind me that everything God does in our lives is for our benefit.

 I love the story Luke tells of Jesus when he was twelve being found in the Temple discussing deep questions with the religious leaders.  For three days his parents had been looking for him.  “Son, his mother said to him.  “Why have you done this to us?  Your father and I have been frantic, searching for you everywhere.”  Jesus reply was, “You should have known that I would be in my Father’s house.”  They didn’t understand what he meant but returned home and Mary “stored all these things in her heart”.  (Luke 2:46-51)  Perhaps she recalled the day they had taken their baby to the temple to present him to the Lord as the law required.  Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying, “Lord, now I can die in peace!  As you promised me, I have seen the Savior you have given to all people.  He is a light to reveal God to the nations, and he is the glory of your people Israel!”  Luke 2:28-32

You will recognize this familiar song written by Johnson Oatman, Jr.
“When upon life’s billows you are tempest-tossed, when you are discouraged, thinking all is lost, count your many blessings, name them one by one, and it will surprise you what the Lord has done.

Are you ever burdened with a load of care?  Does the cross seem heavy you are called to bear?  Count your many blessings, every doubt will fly, and you will be singing as the days go by.
When you look at others with their lands and gold, think that Christ has promised you his wealth untold; count your many blessings, money cannot buy, your reward in heaven nor your home on high.

So, amid the conflict, whether great or small, do not be discouraged, God is over all; count your many blessings, angels will attend, help and comfort give you to your journeys end.”   

“Heavenly Father, I continue to be in awe of Your love, grace and mercy shown through the gift of Your Son, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ!  Thank you for reminding me through the faith of a child that you are in control and that all You have done is for my benefit.  In Jesus name I pray, Amen.”

Jan Alderfer, Stephenville, TX

Calming the Storm

The Sea of Galilee Boat is an ancient fishing boat,  an archaeological find that was discovered at the edge of the Sea of Galilee in 1986, after a dry season when the lake was very low.  It had been buried in the mud along the shore south of Capernaum for around 2000 years! After a lengthy excavation and a 7 year chemical preservation process it was transferred, and is now exhibited in a special museum in Kibbutz Ginosar, or Gennesaret. The boat has been dated to between 40 BC and 50 AD.  The remains of the boat are 27 feet long and 7.5 feet wide, with a preserved height of 4.3 feet. It is constructed primarily of cedar planks, but is also made up of 10 different wood types, indicating it may have undergone repeated repairs. The boat was rowable, with 4 staggered rowers, and also had a mast allowing the fishermen to sail it.

I love knowing this; I can “see” Peter, Andrew, James, and John on boats like this one when Jesus called to them from the shore to come follow Him.  And I love being able to picture a similar boat when I re-read the story told by Matthew of being in a boat crossing the sea of Galilee with other disciples and Jesus one evening when a great storm arose.

Here’s how the apostle Matthew remembers it in Matthew, Chapter 8:
This particular day had already included quite a bit of activity he wasn’t used to seeing. Earlier in the chapter he tells us of a leper whose skin is eaten up with sores. The man shows amazing faith by saying to Jesus, “If you are willing, you can make me clean.” Jesus just reached out his hand and said “I am willing. Be clean,” and immediately the leper  was cured.  

Then Matthew tells about a Centurion (a Roman military officer in charge of 100 soldiers) who has a servant near death at home, “paralyzed and in terrible suffering.”  The Roman soldier believes so strongly in Jesus’ power that he says “Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed.” So Jesus said, “Go! It will be done just as you believed it would.” And it was!

The next thing Matthew witnesses is the miraculous healing of his friend, Peter’s, wife’s mother. When they got to Peter’s house that day, his mother-in-law was in bed with a fever. Jesus touched her hand and the fever immediately left her. She got up and began to wait on Him.  Then others were brought to Him; he drove out evil spirits with a word and healed ALL the sick! 

Next Matthew tells us that people were still crowding around Jesus, until He got into a boat to cross to the other side of the lake (Sea of Galilee.)  The disciples followed him onto the boat. As they crossed the lake, without warning, a furious storm came up, with the high waves crashing over the sides of the boat and filling it with water. Now Matthew himself wasn’t a fisherman by trade; he may not have ever been in such a situation before, but at least 4 of the others present were experienced in navigating these waters, which have always been subject to sudden squalls. However, there was nothing they could do. The storm was too great. And so was their fear. Matthew remembers the terror of those moments. But Jesus was asleep. They were afraid for their lives, so they woke him saying, “Lord, save us! We are going to drown!”  Jesus replied, “You of little faith, why are you so afraid?” Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and the storm immediately quit raging. Matthew and the others were amazed, wondering what kind of man this was, that even the winds and the waves obeyed him. 

Really??  Why would they wonder? These men have spent the day, and many days previous, watching Jesus heal lepers with rotting, missing fingers and feet. They had watched as he healed friends and strangers with a touch or a word.  They had heard him commend some of these people for their great faith.  Didn’t Matthew and the others on the boat have faith?  Sure they did, but I think I know how they felt.  In the middle of that life-threatening storm, and in their extreme fear they probably couldn’t recall any of the miracles they had seen that day. How often do we feel that way? That Jesus is asleep in the midst of our storm? Does he even know we are in a terrible storm? 

I can imagine Jesus waking up, slowly like you do when you’re sound asleep, and saying with a sigh and a shake of his head, “You of little faith, why are you so afraid?”  But as I studied this story this time, and as I tried to put myself in Matthew’s place on that boat, I noticed that the scripture doesn’t say Jesus rebuked the disciples for their lack of faith. He rebuked the winds and the waves, bringing an immediate calm to the frightening situation.  The storms in my life come in all sizes and intensities.  Sometimes they are expected; sometimes they seem to come out of nowhere.  But I know this: When I feel like my life is capsized, turned upside down, and I’m drowning, Jesus is with me in the storm. He answers my cries for help. 

Jesus, sometimes I get so scared when the storms of life rock my boat. Thank you that you are in the boat with me, and that you answer my cries for help. Forgive me for sometimes thinking I have to get myself out of the storm; for calling on you only after I have worn myself out with worry and fear. Thank you for your love and comfort and intercession. Amen 

Lynn Ann Hughes

Stephenville, Texas 

Life in Death

On January 6, 2012, my great-grandmother died. I’ve written about her once before specifically for Word for Today, but her life merits more than one day’s worth of contemplation. She went quietly with people who love her surrounding her little bed in the nursing home that she moved to a couple of months ago.

My dad told us around midnight that night when he got home from Abilene. The next morning I was putting laundry away in my 13-year-old sister’s room. I couldn’t help but notice this handwritten letter sitting on her bedside table:

Dear Scrapbook,

    Today was a special and memorable day. Today was the day my great-grandmother died. While I was at school doing things that didn’t hardly amount to anything, Daddy was in the presence of a courageous, strong, elderly lady...Granny. I will never forget this day--the day a sweet soul moved to her true “home, sweet, home.” I love Granny with all of my heart, soul, mind, and strength. Granny is not just a regular person, but is now an angel in God’s kingdom.

Blessings Granny,

Kate

Pondering death is disconcerting. When I was very young, I went through a phase when the idea of death was terrifying. I wasn’t afraid of the process of dying. I was afraid of heaven. I was afraid of eternity. I was so afraid of these things that my young self was prepared to do whatever it took to stay alive. Because life was perfect then. This world was an adequate home. I didn’t need heaven. I didn’t need something better because this world was good enough.

Then I grew older. I experienced things that hurt my heart and my spirit. These wounds hurt a little more than the skinned knees that I cried over when I was much younger. This home started to feel uncomfortable.

I grew older still. The more I pursued the Lord, the more this world spit me out. I felt a hunger in myself and could find no satisfactory nourishment. The churning within me continued for years. I turned many places and none of them provided a proper dwelling for my spirit. My spirit always returned to the Lord, sometimes out of desire, sometimes out of necessity. The only thing that could provide snippets of satisfaction, inexpressible joy, and consistent hope was not of this world.

C.S. Lewis says it best in his book, Mere Christianity: “If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world.”

I can’t even begin to convey the atrocities that my great-grandmother experienced in her life. My feeble woes are small potatoes compared to hers. She was faithful to the Lord to the last day of her life. Her spirit transcended the devil’s throes because she remembered that she was made for another world. She knew pieces of that world through God’s blessings in this one. That, coupled with the knowledge of her salvation, kept her going to the very end. I look to her example to live my life in the same way--in pursuit of experiences in this world that draw my spirit closer to the next one. Because Jesus is Lord over both realms.

“Be still, my soul;

the Lord is on thy side.

Bear patiently the cross of grief or pain;

Leave to thy God, to order and provide;

In every change He faithful will remain.

Be still, my soul;

thy best, thy heavenly Friend

through thorny ways

leads to a joyful end.”

Amen.

Erin Daugherty, Abilene Christian University

Kate Daugherty, Stephenville, TX

What if God isn't Real?

"What if God isn't real?" Throughout my life I have struggled with this question.  Even at the age of 8, I remember waking up in the night crying, fearing that we might be mistaken.

In college, I went through an extensive period of research: I studied other religions, interviewed people of different faiths, and read many books, attempting to view the world objectively. I ended my time of exploration armed with many reasons to believe.

Even so, I still go back to my doubts at times. It is a battle I can never win  – I know I can never have complete proof. I must still choose God with my heart. That’s why we are called to faith – being certain of what we do not see (Hebrews 6:1)!

But I am constantly looking for things to teach me. This year, I read about emperor penguins. They are incredible animals, living every day in temperatures of about 60 degrees below zero. The mothers lay their eggs, then transfer them to the fathers, where they are kept warm sitting on the father’s feet.

The mothers travel up to 50 miles across frozen land to fish, having been totally without food for weeks. The fathers huddle together in masses for about 65 days, eating nothing the entire time. They shift positions by making the tiniest possible movements, taking care not to drop their eggs, rotating around the group so they each get a turn in the middle where it’s warmest.

The mothers return after the eggs have hatched, carrying a fish for their babies’ first meal. The chicks stay with their parents until their down sheds into a sleek coat, perfect for diving and protecting their fat stores. The penguins have timed the hatching perfectly with the season. The ice begins to break up, bringing open waters closer to the nesting site, so the babies don’t have far to travel for their first swim.

Isn’t it amazing what they go through, just by instinct?  I wondered, “Why did God make penguins? No one lives at the South Pole to see them.”  I thought about all the unknown sea creatures we have never explored, the innumerable stars in the sky we will never reach. Why are they there? I went to the Word to look.

"God saw all that he had made, and it was very good."
–Genesis 1:31

"The heavens declare the glory of God… Day after day they pour forth speech; …Their voice goes out into all the earth, … to the ends of the world."
-Psalm 19:1-4

God created these things because He is good, just like the creation He made. And they proclaim Him. He made them so we would know He is real! A friend asked me once, “Why doesn’t God make Himself more obvious?” I answered her, “He has! He probably wonders how we can not see Him all around us.”

"For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities… have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse."
--Romans 1:20

There are so many wonders in the universe: the size of the planets, the way wasps make their nests, how small an embryo is when its heart begins to beat. And to think that this world is the imperfect version of creation!

I have always identified with the man who said, “I do believe, help me overcome my unbelief!” (Mark 9:24). It is a prayer I know I will always pray, but I continue to choose Christ. I hope that you look at the world around you with a fresh set of eyes today, knowing all of it was made so you would know that God is.

Bicky Tolar
Abilene, Texas

God's GPS for the Abundant Life

The GPS on our dash directs where and when to turn, I giggle as my husband, the “driver” doesn’t heed these directions.  Why do we have this “device” in our vehicle if we aren’t going to
follow its voice?  My husband assures me, it’s okay, he knows a better way to get to our destination.
I giggle again, as the GPS, “recalibrates” throughout our trip.

The magnitude of our decision to follow God’s GPS is NO laughing matter.  Eternity hangs in the balance. We have God’s remarkable provision for our eternal sanctuary. How can we think we know a better way.  There is no way but His way-Jesus, His Son, the Way, the Truth and the Life (John 14:6).  Thankfully, He is patient with us as “drivers” trying to pilgrimage toward our heavenly home (2 Peter 2:9).

His Word:

• teaches
• warns
• inspires
• cautions
• counsels
• and encourages

us through the terrain of this life.  Trust in Him and His wisdom brings hope and peace, for we cannot see around the corners and over the hills.  We believe His promises are true and He is faithful, so we choose to follow His truth.

    David-“You shall not commit adultery.” “You shall not murder.”
    Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego-“You shall make no idols, do not bow down before them.”
    Peter-“Do not bear false witness.” “Feed My sheep.”

    Paul-“Love the Lord with all your heart, strength, mind and soul.  Love your neighbor as yourself.”

   
    Simple instructions to understand but often times difficult to obey.

    Blessings follow obedience, consequences follow disobedience. 

    Our lives are directed by the “GPS” we trust.

    Will it be His way or my way?

Why do I sometimes choose “my way” over His divine instructions and wisdom for abundant living?  He is faithful to forgive my sinful choices and stubborn ways-when I repent.  His Word lights the path for my feet. He is my strong tower and refuge.  May I heed the quiet, gentle voice of His Spirit directing my steps, my words, and my thoughts by way of His Living Word and Holy Spirit.

I’m reminded this week in His Word (1 Chronicles 13:1-14), David became angry with God when Uzzah instantly died for touching the Ark of the Covenant, as he reached out to stabilize it when the ox stumbled. David and the Israelites were not following God’s command regarding the ark.  Although it was a new cart, their wisdom was not God’s wisdom.  It was to be carried with poles on the shoulders of the Levites only.  If they had been obedient to God’s way, Uzzah would have not have died from his disobedient act.  How can we be angry at God for the consequences of our own disobedience?

Holy Father, Wise Counselor,
Your way is always right-even when it is difficult, help us to walk the narrow road that leads to that heavenly home.  May we be faithful to encourage everyone You have placed beside us, to remain faithful to You and Your Word, when the world entices us to the broad path, the easy way-leading to destruction.  Thank You, Father, for the Scriptures-Your eternal Word that shines a light for us, directs us to You, Your Son, Your forgiveness and blessed hope.  Thank You, LORD, for those You have put in place to proclaim and teach Your Word.

May we have ears to hear, and hearts to follow.
Jesus is the way, the truth and the life.
In His holy name we seek and ask these things, amen.

Mischelle Oliver

Stephenville, Texas

Thank You, Shirley

“Remember your leaders, who spoke the word of God to you. Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” – Hebrews 13:7-8

Some people we meet while on our journey through this life stand out like a neon sign on a dark night. The light that shines from within them beams across our path and shows us where the next steps need to fall.  Her name is Shirley Eubank and the light glowing from within her made a lasting impression on me and served as a welcome guide for a portion of my journey.

When I was still fairly young in my faith, with few scrapes or bruises, I came to know Shirley. She was the wife of an elder, the mother of three, and a rock in the faith. Shirley had leukemia. Many times she would come to worship feeling nauseous or so exhausted from treatments that she could barely stand. Yet she always brought a smile with her and an encouraging word. Though she was nearly twenty-five years my senior she treated me as a close friend. She loved and encouraged me and my husband, Randy, frequently commenting on what a good lesson he preached or how blessed she was to know us. I felt warmth and love every time I was in her presence. Though it would be a few years before I experienced difficult struggles – the kind that rock your faith – I learned something from Shirley about trials that I never forgot. We were talking one day about the story of Job. Shirely had been reading the book of Job for her daily study. I knew the story of Job but Shirley had traveled inside the story of Job. One day she was talking about her illness and I was startled by something she said. She said, “Why NOT me?”

At the time, I was so impressed by her faith. It wasn’t until years later and miles traveled through life that I truly understood what she was saying.

Struggles and trials of one kind or another will fall upon all of us. Our journey is not without its share of potholes and roadblocks. The ways we see our struggle, or maybe the way we see God, can serve to strengthen or destroy our faith in God and His purposes.

During those stretches of road when I couldn’t see around the next bend and wasn’t sure I would survive the trip I had to stop and think why? Then I remembered Shirley. And so many others. I thought of Joseph and David whose lives were turned upside down by people with questionable motives. I thought about the woman at the well and the woman with the issue of blood. So many people mentioned in scripture who survived the struggle, grew in their faith, and serve as a reminder to me that my struggle may serve a greater purpose of which I’m totally unaware. For David it was to prepare him to lead a nation and leave us the beautiful prayers and songs of the Psalms. For Joseph it was to save a nation and his family. Our trials may not have such grand purposes. Or maybe they do. Perhaps the experience is to strengthen our own faith that we might endure to the end and receive the crown. Maybe it is so a loved one, friend, or even an enemy might see God.

Shirley was a simple and beautiful Christian woman living in a small west Texas town. Her strength and grace in trial helped light the path on my journey so that I might see God and His purposes.

Father, make our hearts open and willing to receive whatever comes our way knowing that you care for us and that you can see around the bend in the road. Help our hearts and minds to trust and believe you. Give us the desire to be part of your purposes here on the earth. Keep our eyes fixed on you. Amen

Heidi Daugherty
Stephenville, Texas

What is Your Suffering?

In my life I know a father abandoned by his wife and who lost his 2 young sons to illness, a wife married to and staying with an abusive husband for 40 years, and a woman devastated by physical ailments with a lifetime of surgeries and pain.  In moments of reflection on their lives I heard them say: “I wouldn’t change a thing”, “I wish everyone could have what I have”, and “My life is so good”.  Each endured suffering with unfathomable grief, inescapable despair, and unimaginable pain and yet they made these incredible statements.

From the perspective of the tragedies in the lives of these people their words did not reconcile with the reality of their sufferings.  I knew these were not flippant remarks to impress but were sincere expressions from the souls of believers.

I came across two scriptures that I read within the context of the lives of my friends who have suffered so much.

"But we must suffer as Christ suffered so that we will have glory as Christ has glory." Romans 8:17

So hold on through your sufferings, because they are like a father’s discipline.  We do not enjoy being disciplined.  It is painful, but later, after we have learned from it, we have peace, because we start living in the right way. Hebrews 12:7, 11.

I have gone through my own suffering since those of my friends.  I would not try to compare mine with theirs but I know mine was very painful.  Much comes to light in suffering.  Priorities are clearer and focus is keener.  The truths spoken by my friends became clear and I can now reconcile their words.  Only in suffering do I come to realize and understand the true brokenness of my life and how much I need my Father. Only suffering brings me to the feet of Jesus begging for His help, crying out to Him to save me from my pain and hopelessness. Only suffering allows me to be bare before Him with nothing offered, no ego, no solutions, no justifications, no rationalizations, only my cry for help to allow Him to save me. Until then I won't let Him in. I am too proud, too self reliant, too independent.  My Lord doesn't choose to make me suffer. That is not what He wants. But He knows it is the only way I will ever understand.  He knows it is the only way I will ever let Him save me and recognize it is His power, and see it for what it is.  When I have fallen at His feet and am laying before Him with no expectation the Spirit cries out to my Father for me knowing exactly what I need and He answers with a loving embrace of His presence. When you experience firsthand this relationship it is pure joy and you would never change it.  

That is what the father would not change. 
That is what the wife wished that all could have. 
That is what the woman proclaimed as so good.    

That is why they said what they said.

Thank you Father for always pursuing me. I want to taste true communion with You where there is true life and peace.  Lead me to that life however You need to.

Scotty Elston
Shallowater, Texas

"I'm Fed Up...I Think."

It was Rudyard Kipling who penned the now famous line “If you can keep your head when all about you are losing theirs and blaming it on you.”  

It takes considerable effort these days to read a newspaper, surf the web or watch 24 hour streaming news coverage of events in our nation and around the world and keep your wits about you.  I suspect it has always been difficult to do, but living in a Christian perspective of things is especially challenging in today's world. 

For years, I read Psalm 139 as one of those “get close to the Lord” texts.  It’s a terrific meditation text.  It reads perfectly beside a Colorado stream or sitting on a mountain as dawn is breaking.  Works great in retreat and church camp settings, too!  The first 16 verses are spell-binding.  The writer isn’t cynical.  He’s definitely not a skeptic.  Verse after verse he says the most fantastic things about God.  His thoughts eventually crescendo into the following statement:
17How precious to me are your thoughts, O God!
   How vast is the sum of them!
18 If I would count them, they are more than the sand.
   I awake, and I am still with you.

That’s good stuff.  But he isn’t done.  He turns on a dime and lets his heart declare its pain.  He lives between the reality of God’s power and overwhelming presence and, his own pain in particular.
19Oh that you would slay the wicked, O God!

Oh men of bloodshed depart from me!

20They speak against you with malicious intent;

They take your name in vain.

21Do I not hate those who hate you, O Lord?

And, do I not loathe those who rise up against you?

22I hate them with complete hatred.

I count them my enemies.

“Are these verses a ‘typo’?  What happened to the guy in the first 18 verses?  Something is wrong here,” we say to ourselves.  Or is it?  Not at all!  He is a believer who lives between what he knows to be true about God and the realty of the brokenness that is the world in which he lives.  He loves the Lord.  He wants to see righteousness championed.  He wants to see evil purged from the earth.  But, he is angered by the arrogance of evil in its many forms.  He’s fed up!  Ever felt like that?  

Then he says:   
23 Search me, O God, and know my heart!

Try me and know my thoughts!

24 And see if there be any grievous way in me,

And lead me in the everlasting way.

Psalm 139 is much more than an inspiring devotional read.  It gives voice to our struggle to live as people of the gospel in a broken world.  Next to thoughts of God’s power, presence and care for us  is the call for us to bless and curse not; to turn the other cheek; to love those who despitefully use us; to love our enemies; to be ambassadors for Christ.  

Nobody lives on a mountain top or down by the river.  We live in life situations that challenge our ability to stay connected with God’s calling and to be the kind of presence God needs us to be.  The trick is not getting lost in the spirit of imprecation, drifting into cynicism, or perpetual anger, or a detached skepticism or, in the spirit of the sons of thunder - "Lord!  Send lightning on the hour every hour and, I’ll tell you where to send it!”  

We need the prayer in verses 23 and 24 to keep us engaged in a world that needs what we have to offer.  It’s why Jesus came.  And, we are his body in the earth.  

O Lord comfort our hearts.  We can get so anxious and disturbed by what goes on around us that we forget to hand things over to you.  We forget to trust you as The sovereign One.  Save us from bitterness, anger and cynicism by ministering to our hearts in ways that bring calmness and strength into our lives.  In so doing may be equipped to be in the world as people who truly speak and live the message that “greater is He who is in us than he who is in the world.”  Through Jesus who had made all things new...amen.  

Randy Daugherty

Stephenville, Texas

Red Sea Moment

It’s mid-July and it is hot.  Here in north central Texas, we are experiencing a drought and heat wave that will definitely be one for the record books.  We have suffered through over thirty consecutive days of extreme temperatures at or above 100 °F.  In an area that normally receives around 30 inches of rainfall annually, less than 5 inches has fallen year-to-date.  Parts of many southern states have been listed as “Exceptional” (the worst category on the scale) on the U.S. Drought Monitor.  Over 3/4 of Texas bears the same designation. 

A survey of the surrounding landscape enables one to see the effects of these extremely harsh weather conditions.  Pastures have turned brown in color and are brimming with grasshoppers that are consuming the remaining vegetation.  The grass has become so dry and brittle that it crumbles under foot leaving a well-defined print.  Leaves are curling up and falling prematurely from their branches before they have time to change color.  Cracks in the soil are forming and growing daily.  Ponds and streams are drying up, leaving livestock with few options for water.  Crops are dying.  Nocturnal wildlife can be seen midday, browsing for water and vegetation.  The air is hot and difficult to breathe.  But the worst effect of all is that there seems to be no end in sight as the experts forecast more of the same. 

I tend to see the cup half full, as is my nature, but in these extreme instances I struggle to even see the cup because conventional wisdom tells me to listen to the experts and their bleak outlook containing little, if any, hope of relief.  Then it happens.  Out of nowhere and defying all odds, a rain cloud pops ups, distorts the satellite signal causing the television to make a high pitched squeal which rouses me from my midday snooze.  The rain shower is brief, but it leaves 0.20 inches of rain while simultaneously dropping the thermometer to cool 91 °F (true story; happened last Saturday).  Oh, what joy!  More importantly, this was an awesome reminder that the seemingly insurmountable can be overcome.

This reminded me a story in the book of Exodus.  God promised to deliver his people out the bondage of slavery from Pharaoh and the Egyptians.  At one point in their journey, it seemed as though the Israelites would perish because Pharaoh’s army was at their backs and the Red Sea was in front of them.  No apparent escape route could be seen.  Fear, doubt, and hopelessness clouded their thinking into believing that death was imminent.  Then it happened.  Out of nowhere, God parted the Red Sea and led his people safely to the other side.

Why should I think that he doesn’t have the ability end a drought?  Why should I think that in dark times he has left me and is no longer at my side?  Why should I think that he is not in control?

I think we all have “Red Sea” moments; however, as disciples our challenge and calling is to look past the Sea and remember that, one way or the other, God will deliver.  He keeps his promises.  We are part of His plan. 

Jesus said, “My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I, to, am working.” John 5:17

Father, thank you for the “Red Sea” moments that challenge and stretch me.  Forgive me when I am near-sighted.  I praise your name for including me in your awesome plan.  My faith and hope are in you.  Through Christ, Amen.

Todd Adams – Dublin, Tx