I have a confession to share with you all–I struggle with pride.

As I have been working through “Breaking Free” again, taking it just because the past ten years have been full up with new strongholds, I came upon some areas, where Beth said people might begin to have a stronghold in their lives. Beth began with unbelief. I believe I can humbly and honestly tell you that I do not struggle with unbelief (at this time).

But when I came across pride–be it pride about how good we are or pride about how lousy we are–I felt the Holy Spirit say, “Yep.” So I began to pray every day that the Lord would show me (call my hand, if you will) over areas of pride.

And y’all? He has.

Times when I wanted to call attention to how “special” I am…

Times when I wanted to defend myself or my position in an argument…

Times when my stubbornness wants to WIN…

Times when I would say, I would never or I have always and in the process hurt someone else with my judgement…

Just this week, I wanted to reply in a certain way to someone…and I stopped, because the Holy Spirit said, “Be humble.” And you know what? I hadn’t even had my quiet time or read my Bible, and yet I heard His voice say no, not that way. Speak back THIS way. So I obeyed. Even though I wanted to “set the record straight.” Aaah. More pride.

“Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.” Ephesians 4:2

I don’t know any point that covers more than the word completely. There are 12 instances in the New Testament alone of that word. Here are some examples: completely calm (the water), completely restored (a withered hand), completely astonished (the people after Jesus raised the twelve year old girl, who the people thought was dead), completely amazed (the disciples after the wind calmed on the sea at the word of Jesus), completely lighted (a body that is full of the light of Jesus) and completely saved (what Jesus is able to do for ANYONE).

Reading those alone is completely humbling. Why does it matter? Well, it matters in how much effectiveness we’re going to have in this life. Will we be full of light or full of self?

So every day, I am challenged to clothe myself with humbleness and not pride…not exaltation…not me. When I clothe myself this way, I have chosen to stay close to the Lord, where I can hear Him say, “This is the way, walk in it.” Then I can obey. Then I can know His friendship in my life–He sticks closer to me than a brother. And y’all? I need that. I need Him. He makes all the difference in a day or night.

This month’s newsletter is full of women of faith, who are walking in humility, who are seeing the needs of others and who simply are stepping out in faith.  We are in good company!  There’s nothing like women, who walk together and walk with one another.  It’s a beautiful picture of faith to me.

Speaking of FAITH and SEEING and HELPING, we have a sister in need.  She needs your prayers, and she needs help for her family.  This sister is in need of a VEHICLE that will carry six people.  It doesn’t have to be new.  But it is a pressing need.  So if you will pray and if you would like to help financially or you have a six person car that you could give, please contact me at chrishollysmith@msn.com and I will put you in touch.  Thanks, sisters!

Joyfully,

Holly

”Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.”
-Joshua 1:9

God does not always give us the answer to our “Why?” questions. In fact, I am guessing this is a very human trait, the need to know why. It doesn’t take much searching through the scriptures to see that all throughout the Bible, people are constantly asking God, “Why?” Now, when my children ask me, “Why?” as a parent, the answer is easy. “It doesn’t really matter why right now. I just told you to do it, so you need to obey.” Sound familiar? On January 12, 2010, I found myself in the middle of one of the biggest “Why?” moments I had ever experienced. This is my story.

It was Saturday, January 9, when I received a call from Britney Winn, a friend and missionary to Haiti hired by First United Methodist Church in Shreveport where my husband serves as one of the teaching pastors of the contemporary service. Britney called to say that she was taking a quick “drop in” trip to visit one of the orphanages that our church sponsors which houses close to 80 children, ages five to twelve years old. The purpose of the trip was make sure monies were being spent appropriately and that the children were being cared for. She mentioned that it would only be 3 days in Haiti, and they had an extra spot open joining her and one other from our church. There was a catch, however. The only problem was that the third ticket was in someone else’s name and to make the trip, the airline company would have to change my name on a last minute call. Odds were certainly stacked against me going.

The thought of taking this trip both scared and excited me. Looking back now, I am not quite sure why I felt so strongly that this was a trip I had to take, but after talking with my husband, we prayed about it and made a trip to the airport to see if changing the ticket would even be a possibility. We prayed, “not our will, but Your will, Lord.” Within five minutes of arriving at the ticket counter, I was holding a plane ticket with my name on it to leave the following day. We both had deduced that, clearly, I was meant to be on this trip.

On Monday, we arrived into Port au Prince and began our five-hour trip to Les Cayes. The following Tuesday morning, January 12, we made our visit to the orphanage and loved on the kids and checked on our projects.

That evening we returned to the guesthouse and began brainstorming plans for the summer projects. We were so excited. I was thinking, “This is it, God. This is why I am here. Brainstorming. This is good.” It was somewhere around this moment that our lives and the lives of the Haitian people changed forever.

We were on the second story of the guesthouse when our room suddenly began to shake and move. Clearly, having spent most of my life in Texas and Louisiana, I had never experienced an earthquake. We weren’t quite sure what was happening, I just remembered looking at the walls and thinking that they looked just like jello. We immediately left the guesthouse and stood out in the yard. Our immediate thought was, “we had better let our families know we are ok in case this is worse than any of us thought.” The one text we were able to send out simply read, “Building shook, power out but we are ok.” After that text was sent, communication completely shut down. None of our phones worked and would not for the next three days. It wasn’t until we switched to reserve power and found a television and were able to tune in a French television station, that we were actually able to get the first pictures of the incredible devastation that had occurred in Port au Prince. It was as if time just froze. People we were with in Les Cayes were searching for their family members back in Port au Prince through phone calls that would not connect. Some were able to get messages. The people hosting us at the guesthouse learned their dear friends staying in the hotel Montana had died in the collapse of the building during the earthquake. There were tears, lots of hugs and questions. “Why?”

Somewhere in the midst of all of this, God began to speak to my heart. “You have to move. You only have a small window of opportunity to get out.” We knew as a team, that the only way out of the country was through Port au Prince. So, we began making the plans. I cannot begin to express how difficult it was making arrangements in a country where communication was non-existent and transportation was shoddy to say the least. Thankfully, we were invited into the home of gracious stranger to use a satellite phone and Internet that, miraculously, was still functional. We spoke to family and let them know our plans. The initial thought was to drive into the Dominican Republic and fly out on a reserved American Airlines jet. That night, we went to bed with prayers for our journey the following day. But our plans are not always God’s plans. At dinner, we were told that it wasn’t a good idea to move without communication. It was dangerous and we were driving through places that, at that point, we were not sure were passable. After many tears and searching God’s direction and guidance, on Friday morning we began our journey fully trusting God’s provision as we headed towards Port au Prince in search of some way back to the states.

Before the earthquake, the roads between Les Cayes and Port au Prince were bad. Here was a country that in 2008 had suffered three major hurricanes. The roads were already difficult to drive on. Now? The mountains had tumbled. There were boulders bigger than the truck we had rented to drive us to Port au Prince lying in the middle of the road. There were people living in the streets. There were people wandering not knowing where they were headed, but leaving Port au Prince to go somewhere. Not ten people, not twenty people, but literally thousands. On foot, in the back of trucks, all leaving a place that we were headed into. We saw such devastation and heartache. There were people weeping in almost every direction that you looked. We encountered roadblocks with piles of bodies of those that died in the quake. We detoured several times into some of the worst parts of Port au Prince. But, after about 6 hours, our driver was able to drop us off at the American Embassy in Port au Prince. After about ten hours, we were able to get to the airport where a military cargo plane flew us into New Jersey and eventually making it back home to my husband and family in Shreveport on Saturday night.

Since I have been home, I have tried to process everything that I have seen and experienced, the people I met. I think about the Haitian-American father who stood in line behind me at the American Embassy with his 3-year-old little girl. He lost his wife and family in their house in Port au Prince. All he had was his little girl and a bag with two dresses. She had diarrhea and needed hydration. We helped as we could. I think about the people that we served meals too when at the American Embassy; their gentleness and smiles that they offered in spite of horrific situations. However, the most memorable moments from this trip that I will take with me come in the help of strangers. As we detoured into some of the worst parts of Port au Prince, it was the generosity of the Haitian people that would stand in front of our vehicle and point the direction for our vehicle to get back to the main road. And this happened more than once.

I came back to hear a story my husband shared, in the midst of his prayer for me and our team, God had directed him to these words in Isaiah that read: “I will lead the blind by a road they do not know, by paths they have now known I will guide them. I will turn the darkness before them into light, the rough places into level ground. These are the things I will do, and I will not forsake them.” (Isaiah 42:14) This scripture went from words on a page to truth for our team as we journeyed home.

Back to my question of, “Why?” I am not sure we will ever fully understand the reasoning behind why God takes us where we are led to go, but this I do know. Maybe it is not our place to always understand the “Why’s”; maybe the blessing comes through the obedience to the calling. I can say with much certainty that my life will never be the same again. I believe that when God says, “For I know the plans that I have for you” He does indeed hold our days and they are precious and to be lived for His glory.

I have been asked often, “Will you go back?” and the answer is a definite “Yes” (though not without my family, next time;-) I plead with all reading this to please lift up our Haitian brothers and sisters in your prayers. Support them with your contributions and pray for the thousands upon thousands of new children that now find themselves as orphans amidst this devastation.

God has not deserted the people of Haiti but hears the cries of His children and draws close to those whom he loves.

God bless you.

The city of Les Cayes will have doubled in size by the time you read this. The orphanage, “Big House” sponsored by First United Methodist Church was unharmed through the earthquake of January 12th but has received an additional 40 orphans because of the quake. To help in sponsoring the children of Bighouse, contact Britney Winn at First United Methodist Church by calling 318-424-7771

Nycki Sorensen is a wife, mother and child of God. She makes her home in Shreveport, LA.

“The LORD your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing.” (Zephaniah 3:17)

It had been a very difficult season of life. Some days were hard. Others simply unbearable. The firm foundation I had stood on since childhood, for some reason, was beginning to feel like very shaky and unstable ground. I was feeling so defeated by certain strongholds in my life. I was also going through a time when I didn’t feel particularly useful to God or even close to Him at all. When I have these times, I just have to eat, live and breathe Jesus until I feel His presence again and the closeness that He desires for us to have with Him comes flooding back. Sometimes that means reading His Word. Other times it means cranking up the praise music and just kneeling or laying before Him until I feel His arms around me.

This particular day I was home alone and desperately needed to feel God again. I chose to crank up the praise music. Song after song played and I felt nothing! I was really grieving in my spirit and felt as alone as I had ever felt. Just then the following words written by a friend of mine came pouring out of my stereo:

You alone are my passion forever
Song of my soul, desire of my heart
You alone are my passion, my treasure
I love You for all that You are
To the ends of the earth I will follow
There’s nothing that I will not do
You alone are my reason for living
Jesus, my passion is You

My life, my love, my God
You are my life, my love, my God*

I tried singing that to God and simply couldn’t get the words out. I just fell to the floor in my living room and sobbed. I just kept telling Him, “God, I wish I felt that way today, but I just don’t! What is wrong with me??” Then suddenly, He began to practice Zephaniah 3:17 and began to sing over me:

Dori, You alone are my passion forever
Song of my soul, desire of my heart
You alone are my passion, my treasure
I love you for all that you are
To the ends of the earth I will follow
There’s nothing that I will not do
You alone are my reason for living
Dori, my passion is you.

That was it! I wasn’t supposed to sing this song to Him this particular afternoon! He was supposed to sing it over me. When I was confronted with the reality of how much God loves me, all walls broke down once again and I felt the passion that I had for Him come flooding back into my heart and soul.

I spent quite awhile on my face before Him that afternoon. I cried it out with Him and poured out my deepest need to Him, declared my love for Him and thanked Him for His faithfulness, his mercy and for His unfailing love. I told Him that no matter what life threw at me, no matter how He chose to answer my heart’s cry, I would trust Him.

The next morning, a Sunday, I had not planned to sing in the worship choir, but something compelled me and I walked up and took my place in the middle of the first worship song. Then came the next song and the familiar introduction of the song God had so sweetly soothed me with the day before began to play. I literally could not sing. I sobbed through the entire thing. I was still overwhelmed by how God had so wonderfully showed Himself to me in my living room the previous afternoon. After the song ended, my pastor said these words that I will never forget:

“You may be feeling as though you can’t sing these words today. Maybe He isn’t your passion. Maybe you are in a difficult place and it doesn’t seem as though He is very near to you at all. If that is where you find yourself today, listen to me. He is singing these words over you, today. Let Him quieten you with His love! Hear Him singing over you:

‘You alone are my passion forever
Song of my soul, desire of my heart
You alone are my passion, my treasure
I love you for all that you are
To the ends of the earth I will follow
There’s nothing that I will not do
You alone are my reason for living
Child, my passion is you.’”

Thank you, God, for not only ministering to me in the aloneness of my home on that Saturday afternoon, but thank You for confirming Your very specific Word to me through my pastor the next morning. You are my Passion, Sweetest Song of my soul, Deepest Desire of my heart and my Treasure! I fail You daily, sometimes hourly. Thank You for not failing me and for sweetly singing over me when my soul is not quiet and needs comforting. You are my life, my love, my God and I will forever worship you. You have been faithful. You have been very good. You are the very essence of Mercy and Grace. I will trust You!
Blessings,
Dori

*The song, My Passion (written by David Moffitt, Sue Smith and Travis Cottrell) is available on CD on the projects “Alive Forever” and “Voices of the Faithful.” You can find them on Travis’ website – http://traviscottrell.com.

Dori Cook is wife to her very best friend, the mother to two amazing kids, a daughter, a friend — but more importantly, a forgiven Child of God. She would say that His Word really is life to her and without Him she is nothing. Her greatest joy — outside of Christ and family — is studying God’s Word and hearing Him speak directly to her and her circumstances. She is a freelance writer and a database manager for a non-profit organization. You can read her blog at http://yourwordislife.blogspot.com/.

I have lived a life full of unknowns, yet the life I have been blessed with is amazing in my opinion. I became a Christian when I was 10- my father baptized me the next Sunday. Yet my faith wasn’t really shaken until much later in life. I loved the Lord with all of my heart, but my trust in him would be tested in ways I never thought possible.

Emma Grace is our miracle child. She was born in congestive heart failure and received a heart transplant at the age of 5 months old. The first 5 months of her life were spent in ICU on life support. I have never been closer to God as I was during those 5 months- and still today knowing the odds of her future, I can honestly say that she has been firmly placed in the center of the palm of the Lord.

I remember walking down the halls of All Children’s Hospital; that smell will never leave me. It is the smell of soap and metal, but it is also the smell of hope. The Lord placed upon my heart early in those 5 months that she would be fine, that she would either be carried out the front doors of this place in my arms or that he would open the roof and carry her home in His. Either way, she would be safe.

I would love to tell you that she is a normal active 8 year old, but she isn’t, and that is perfectly fine by us. She is here, she is alive, and that is more than we were told that would become of her future. I hate to say that we are blessed, because I do not believe that we are anymore blessed than any other person, but I absolutely feel that God’s hands are all over her precious little body. You can read her full story here. Her originally chosen name was Emma Madeline but once we found out about her heart condition while she was still in side my womb, we named her Emma Grace, because we believed Gods grace would be sufficient- no matter what we faced with her future. Today she is an 8 year old ball of energy who also happens to be Autistic, she loves her autism school almost as much as she loves to swing. She has taught our family more in her short life than most will ever learn.

After Emma Grace and all of her trials, we truly believed that the Lord was done with “teaching us”. We soon learned that He is never done teaching, and that we were to step through another huge obstacle and come out the other end closer to Him.

I was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor in April of 2007, and underwent surgery to remove the tumor in May 2007 at Mayo Clinic in Rochester MN. The surgeon removed 99.9% of the tumor, which was later found to be an Anaplastic (Grade III) Astrocytoma. I received 6 weeks of brain radiation and chemo simultaneously and then a full 12 months of chemo. You can read the full story of my cancer here.

It has been a long and often times dark road, and honestly there were more moments than not that I cried – screamed “Why me, why us, Lord?” I questioned my faith more during that time than I had ever before. I begged to see my 3 children grow up. I longed to hold my grandchildren in my arms. You never know how fleeting life truly is until you are in the midst of fighting for it. I wondered how a loving compassionate Father could put his children through such heartache and suffering; then I realized that it wasn’t about me or Emma, It was all about Him.

It always has been.

Once I realized that(and let me tell you, I have taken back control so many times and tried to “fix things” in my life… and honestly I always end up giving it back up to Him) my battle through cancer became a blessing and not a curse. I looked at life with a brand new appreciation and I found hope at the end of cancer’s curse.

Most marriages that go through what we went through just with Emma alone, end in divorce; Tack on my cancer- Mark and I should be divorced twice… But we aren’t and that is all God. Every day we spend together is only by the grace of God. We have come to depend on our Savior more in the last 3 years than ever before. He never left His throne through all of this…He simply brought us closer to it.

“Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” 2 Corinthians 12:8-10

Heather is a brain cancer survivor who lives life on the edge. She loves her family, her bald head but most of all her Savior’s grace. She lives in the sunny yet very humid state of Florida with her husband, three children and a miniature schnauzer named Bailey. She homeschools her two oldest children while her youngest daughter, Emma Grace attends a special class for autistic children. Heather blogs about her trials in raising Emma Grace (who happens to be heart transplant patient) as well as her own personal journey with cancer and faith. Her motto is “It is not about the hair, Its about the heart..”

To learn more about Heather visit her blog at www.especiallyheather.com or follow her on twitter @EspHeather

As the leader of a military wives faith-based support organization and a military wife myself, I’m often asked by women’s ministry leaders and churches what they can do to support military wives and their families. You might be unsure of how to minister to an older woman with cancer or a young mom with twins if you have never experienced those things yourself, and in the same way it can be hard to know what to do for a military wife if you’ve never walked in her shoes.

It’s easy to assume that if you don’t live near a major military installation that military wives don’t exist in your community. But there are more than a million military spouses in our Armed Forces today and military wives are everywhere – National Guard and Reserve families often live far away from where their respective bases are, and active wives make the choice to move home and live with family when their husbands are overseas. This gives you and your church some wonderful opportunities to make a difference for our military by supporting their families while they’re away.

Connect with a military wife

If you meet a military wife whose husband is away for deployment, make a point to check on her regularly and let her know you’re praying for her. Deployment is not an experience you “get used to.” It’s an emotional roller coaster from beginning to end and there are good days but there are hard days too.

With all the technology available today to connect with our loved ones, we can still go days and weeks and sometimes months without a phone call, an email or a letter. We can get lost in all that we’re responsible for and forget to make time for ourselves. Sleep can become an issue for a lot of women when they’re not used to sleeping alone and the quiet of the house at night gives them the first chance they’ve had all day to really think about their husbands being away. Exhaustion can make a hard situation even worse and fray our emotions completely.

One of the absolute best gifts I received during my husband’s first deployment was when my friend Allison, another military wife, sent me an email on behalf of her small group from church and asked me to make a list of things I needed help with around the house. She had asked me this a couple of times before and I’d always dodged the request, but when she sent an email in black and white, I relented and put together a list of little to big things I needed to get done, thinking I’d give enough options that the group would find a couple of things they would be willing to do. On a warm spring Saturday, eight to ten friends I’d never met came over to my house and took care of absolutely everything on my list. And at the end of the day, what touched me most wasn’t the honey-do chores they’d completed for me, though I was very grateful for their help; it was the fact that they’d reached out in a physical way and let me know I wasn’t alone.

Do something

One of the hardest things for a military wife to hear is “Let me know if I can do anything to help.” It’s very difficult to ask someone else for help, especially if you’re unsure of what that person is willing to do.

The best thing you can do to help a military wife is to put yourself in her shoes and like the Nike commercial said, just do it! Would you get tired of planning dinner and cooking for a year without a break? Give her a gift card to eat out or call her up and let her know you’re bringing dinner tonight. Would you have trouble knowing what to do with the car or the yard during the peak of summer? Rally the men in your small group to help change the oil or share yard duties. Would you be worn out if you were responsible for your kids 24/7 without another adult to give you a break occasionally? Offer to take the kids for an afternoon so she can do whatever she wants. Would it be hard for you to put Christmas lights up or other holiday decorations by yourself? Offer to do it for her.

If you offer to put a care package together for her husband, don’t forget to put a little package together for her – bubble bath, Starbucks cards, or a little book of Bible Promises are all little things that can make a world of difference for a military wife and give her encouragement and hope to keep going. And chocolate! Don’t forget the chocolate!

Be sensitive

As much as you want to be able to help and appear understanding to her needs, resist the temptation to compare your husband’s two-week business trip to her husband’s year-long deployment. Unless your husband is also trying to avoid mortars and IEDs (improvised explosive devices), it’s really not the same.

Avoid saying things like “I don’t know how you do it,” or “I can’t imagine being in your shoes.” Most of the time she doesn’t know how she does it either, but it’s the only choice she has – to do it or give up.

Encourage her. Tell her what a great job she’s doing and how her husband will be so proud to hear how well she’s doing holding down the fort at home. And then make sure he does hear how well she’s doing.

If a military wife is in your small group at church, make sure there are enough activities happening she can attend that aren’t strictly couples-oriented. Consider holding off on that Love and Respect marriage study and do another study that she’ll be able to feel included in. When you do have events such as Christmas parties or Super Bowl parties, make a point to call her and make sure she’s coming; there’s a greater chance she will if she knows someone will miss her if she doesn’t.

Support those who support our heroes
Military wives don’t want pity or to be felt sorry for, but they can use prayer, encouragement and all the emotional support they can get. Ask most service members what their greatest worry is when they’re deployed and they may surprise you when they say it’s not getting wounded or killed – it’s making sure their families are okay back home.

I believe God can use the hardest of times, like deployments, to grow us and stretch us and make us into the daughters He wants us to be. But we need others to come along side us in the journey.

Help to make sure that the spouse and family are well taken care of and you also help take care of the soldier. So feel free to pass those hugs out to military spouses today – they will thank you for it!

Sara Horn is the founder of Wives of Faith (www.wivesoffaith.org) and the author of GOD Strong: A Military Wife’s Spiritual Survival Guide. She enjoys speaking to both women’s and military wives groups about God’s incredible strength. Email her at sara@sarahorn.com.

There is a scene described in The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien that has always been one of the most captivating to me. For those familiar with The Lord of the Rings trilogy, you understand the power of this dramatic portion of the story. If you have never read the books or seen the movie, I encourage you to do so. Tolkien’s story telling ability is amazing and he was also a devoted Christian.

Let me set the stage. Twelve companions are on a mission to destroy an evil ring. On their journey, they have to travel through the dark mines of Moria. As they are about to reach the end, they are attacked by menacing Orcs (these are really bad fellows- not human). While they are battling the Orcs, an even worse creature arrives at the mine, a Balrog! The Orcs flee in terror, and the 12 friends are left to fend for their lives. The great wizard, Gandalf, (don’t you just love these names??) says to the company, “A Balrog, what an evil fortune….Over the bridge. Fly! This is a foe beyond any of you!”

So Gandalf sends the eleven over to the other side of the bridge. He stands in the middle, plants his staff firmly next to him and tells the sinister Balrog, “You cannot pass. Go back to the shadow! You cannot pass.” The Balrog jumps to the center of the bridge, Gandalf raises his staff over his head and smashes it down on the rock precipice. The bridge is shattered and the Balrog tumbles down into the pit of the mine- but not before lassoing Gandalf with his whip and pulling the wizard into the mine as well. The remaining eleven friends are heart sick about the loss of their dear companion- but they all were saved from the vile Balrog. Later on in the story, Gandalf is returned to the fellowship, whiter than snow and more powerful than before. I will let you draw your own conclusion as to the spiritual similarities!

As I have been reading in the paper and listening to the news, I feel at times, as if I am also in the Mines of Moria facing a Balrog. Swine flu, a crashing economy, war, limited human rights, depression, cancer, are all evidence of the evil in this world. As children of God- we have a power that we can tap into that will defeat evil and calm our fears.

Many of the Psalms can be a daily source of peace and are filled with passages that comfort us in times of fear. We are encouraged throughout the bible that we do not need to fear anything that is from this world. Jesus gives us this very clear directive:

“Peace I leave with you; My peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” John 14:27 NIV

Jesus knew that we would face a multitude of situations that could potentially paralyze us with fear. He also knew that if we are depending on our own ability to muster peace, we will fall very short. The passage in John tells us that Jesus gives us His peace- the peace that allows us to join Him in quietness, confidence and trust. The peace of the world is the absence of difficulty- the peace of God is a quiet heart in the midst of a storm.

As a mother- I have my “fear feelers” out all the time. We were struck this year with the potential of swine flu at our daughter’s high school. For precautionary measures, the school was closed for two days- to disinfect, and await DEHC results of the tests on the students that had initially reported flu-like symptoms. All is now fine, school reopened, but just a bit of fear swept through the community. Some kept children home from elementary schools- high schoolers who were to perform community service were banned from other schools. When fear takes over the mind, it is difficult to differentiate between the real and the imaginary.

I will have to take my cue from Tolkien to wrap up this idea of fear and peace.

1. Evil is real. The twelve friends knew that the Balrog could end the mission as well as their lives. The threat was real. In our day-to-day lives, darkness abounds. Christians are not immune from the difficulties of this present age. We cannot live with our heads in the clouds, but we must remember that God is with us. He has not left us without protection.

“I will fear no evil; for your rod and your staff comfort me.” Psalm 23:4b

2. Do not fight fear independently. Gandalf sent all eleven over to safety. He knew that this entity was too villainous for the others to deal with. He knew that the team would need the support of each other to handle the enormity of the crisis. Fear is almost tangible when we are alone. Our enemy wants us to feel isolated, like we are the only one dealing with fear. There is strength in numbers, often our brothers and sisters in Christ are the fellow soldiers that God sends to keep our minds focused on His power. 

“For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and love and of a sound mind.” II Timothy 2:7 NIV

3. In our weakness, God’s strength is most evidenced. Certainly, the mighty warriors in the fellowship could have assisted Gandalf in the fight with the Balrog, but at what cost? Gandalf knew he was the only one up to the challenge and he could prevail without the destruction of anyone on the team. We are asked to be in the world, but not of the world. We must tap into the power of God each time fear raises its ugly face. Our weapon is not a staff, but a word- JESUS! Jesus does not promise that we will never face hard circumstances, that as Christians we are excused from heartache, or that with God on our side, we will always be delivered from pain. What He does say is that we do not need to live as prisoners to fear.

“My grace is sufficient for you, for my strength is made perfect in weakness.” II Corinthians 12:9 NIV
The beautiful aspect that Tolkien captured in his story was that as Gandalf stood in the gap for his friends, evil was defeated and they could continue the assignment. We also must lay claim to the power that Jesus supplies. He stood on a bridge, a cross, and told Satan “You cannot pass! You have no more authority over my people!” Let’s choose to live in victory today, not captives of fear, but children of freedom! Grace and Peace to you this day!

Amy Terlitsky was raised in a home with Christian parents who encouraged church attendance and involvement. At twelve years of age, her life was directed onto a different path. The journey in her a relationship with God occurred in stages. As a child, her faith was innocent and open, then- a tragedy rocked her life. When she was 8, Amy’s mom died of cancer. This event caused Amy to walk through a valley to learn trust for most of her adult life. Through precious grandparents, biblical counseling, loving family, friends and her own search through scripture- she has come to trust God her Father in a way that only could have transpired through a true healing of her heart.

Amy’s next stage of her faith walk took her to a deeper level of trust as she got married and opened her heart to another human. Amy and her husband Walter have been married for 22 years. It is a marriage of two imperfect people striving to learn how God has uniquely gifted them and prepared them for each other. Amy has learned many things through her marriage, the most important is- if you keep your heart closed to love, you will never truly receive it. Amy and Walter have 3 beautiful daughters and have been involved with churches and lay ministries throughout their marriage.

The present stage for Amy has been one of the most difficult in her life. The last two years have caused her to search deep and to cling tightly to the truths she has learned over the years. She understands that life is filled with mountain tops and valleys. As her pastor said- “you are either- going into a storm, moving out of a storm, or just entering a storm of life.” Each day brings a different challenge- new revelations, opportunities and grace. As a result of much prayer and a desire to follow the leading of God in her life, Amy has moved into a partnership with Judy to create Kardia Ministries.

I forgot how stressful relocation could be – even just a few miles across town. I forgot what strains were involved in the search for a new hairdresser that knew your preferences, or for repairmen that you trusted to be thorough and fair, or for retail stores where sales ladies greeted you with smiles of recognition. Most importantly, though, I forgot how much our social life and friendships were grounded in our church. Consequently, I grossly underestimated just how hard the quest would be for those relationships that offered a haven of support and connectedness in our new community.

With a little time to spare before departing for church, I curled up, as I often did over the past month, in my favorite chair by the living room window. The corners of my mouth lifted into a smile as I soaked in again the warmth of my new home. I pinched myself daily to see if I was dreaming the life. Nope, I was living the dream.

Although the desire to move to this area burned in my heart for several years, timing or circumstances inevitably stood in the way. I gave up hope, when, unexpectedly, God cleared every obstacle – my husband’s resistance suddenly melted, our home quickly sold to the only buyer who made an offer, my employer announced relocating across town, and we found this one and only home that met our specifications at an affordable price. Waves of God’s grace carried us to an unexplored shore, and I fantasized about the friends and opportunities that awaited us.

Yet, this morning, just as quickly as the joy came, sadness and loneliness washed over me. We moved into our new home four months ago, and my expectations of forming fast bonds with neighbors gave way to the reality of how hard and how long it took a shy girl like me to meet people and feel connected. I missed the familiar faces and routines. For the thousandth time, I wondered if we made a mistake. Did we misread the signals along the way? Was this move blessed as first thought when all the barriers disappeared from our path?

Through no one’s fault, even the church we recently joined offered little solace to my yearning. We carefully chose this church after going to great lengths to visit every possibility within a ten mile radius. Yet, in spite of a minister who fed my yearning soul, a congregation inspired with the Spirit, or an Adult Sunday School class filled with welcoming people who seriously studied the Scriptures, the personal connection – the feeling that I belonged – eluded me. Instead, feelings of isolation crept into my heart.

My husband’s voice jolted me out of my musings. Time to head for church. But, my “pity party” continued. “I wish we could find Kathy and Jeff. At least then we would know someone,” I whined. They were a couple from our old neighborhood. Kathy was a special person to me, having been my sponsor on the Emmaus Walk retreat. Supposedly she and her husband moved to the area and joined this same congregation a year before. However, out of the vastness of 8,000 members, we never spotted them Sunday after Sunday.

Arriving near the church campus, we parked at the high school to hop a bus that transported us the rest of the way. Our church’s building expansion to accommodate a growing membership replaced any nearby parking spaces. After services and Sunday school ended, we walked outside to await the bus and return to our car. My lonesomeness faded slightly. I wondered whether it would ever permanently subside. Taunting me, the feelings bubbled up again with the gathering sea of strangers who joined us to wait for the shuttle.

Finally the bus approached with a new group of church-goers for the late service. My husband and I stepped aside to let those people off before we boarded. Then, I looked down to mount the steps and was shocked to hear my name called out from above, “Gloria?” Out of the sun’s glare in the doorway stepped the very friend who niggled at my heart all morning…Kathy! My emptiness immediately filled with the hope that poured out of her warm embrace. We chatted briefly and quickly exchanged phone numbers with a promise to get together.

In that moment God threw me the life line I sought to pull myself from the abyss of loneliness that threatened to swallow me. My feelings weren’t logical, but they were real. God orchestrated the exact place where we should live and also knew exactly how to encourage me to stay, shake off my fears and trust His goodness. Even though Kathy and her husband moved away a year later, her friendship and the occasional conversations that followed our renewed ties restored my courage. I pushed forward to complete the transition in this unknown place to which God led us. And it is a good place. Ultimately, God determined new friendships we value, new Bible studies that challenged us to grow in faith, and new opportunities to serve his perfect purpose for us – all possibilities that would not happen without God’s leading and support. He was the source of my strength to make the changes he inspired.

Running into Kathy that Sunday morning was a glimpse of God’s perfect timing and promised provision when we go where He sends us. Has God sent you to a new and foreign place? Or perhaps it is a strange situation or an unfamiliar circumstance in which you feel inexperienced and lost. You need only reach out for him, and you, too, will find him still right by your side, ready to give you all you need to just be in that place, to stay in that time.

…and He determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live. God did this so that men would seek Him and perhaps reach out for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us. For in Him we live and have our being. (Acts 17:26-28, NIV)

Gloria Ashby is a freelance writer, speaker, and regular Bible Study teacher, who lives in Texas with her husband. She is currently working on a collection of inspirational stories that give readers a glimpse of God’s never-ending presence in daily circumstances and events.

Some days it’s harder than others to be a servant. I often feel overwhelmingly grateful to St. Paul for Romans 7, where he bemoans wanting to do good and sometimes fails miserably. I resemble that remark, and you probably do too. We’re all cut from the same pattern—sinners being pieced back together by the love of Jesus.

A friend recently saw a kitty, who was run over crossing a busy street. In horror, she watched the injured kitten crawl across the asphalt, dragging its two broken legs behind him. A motorist stopped to scoop up the cat and rush it to a vet a block away. The next day my friend stopped at the vet to see how the kitten was. It had been euthanized due to massive internal injuries, but before it was, in its pain and anguish it mauled its rescuers hands until she had to be hospitalized to tend her wounds. Then she was quarantined to check for rabies.

If we know more than one person, the chances are we’ve been mauled, lacerated, and ready for a hospital bed. Relationships create conflict, and too often it comes from someone we tried to help. That’s worse than if it came from a stranger.

When we cry on our friend’s shoulder because we’ve been abused, we often hear their lofty spiritual WWJD? That sounds fine when you’re at your home group, or in a Bible study fellowship, but it’s a whole different thing when you’re the one with the mauled hands, laying in a hospital bed wondering if you have to have painful rabies shots.

There’s always the nagging feeling that we’re supposed to be servants. We’re admonished to turn the other cheek. But when I look in the mirror at the swollen eye and the big purple bruise I just got, I’m not thinking about spiritual stuff. I’m thinking about a piece of steak to take out the swelling, and diminish the pain. It’s one thing to forgive Rosemary, but quite another to forget what she did. My soul is bleeding. I don’t want friends who hurt me. She bears watching closely, and I certainly don’t want her at my next Christmas party.

Next Sunday I go to church to be around my true Christian friends. That’s all those who haven’t taken advantage of my loving heart, and my sweet disposition. The inner-circle. Those who hang around with God. My gang.

I just can’t wait for Sunday to get here. I feel so good when I’m around the A-team. I dress in my Sunday best, sit in “my pew” and smile and nod at “my crowd.” I join in singing, and bask in God’s love. Before communion I repent of my sins, and take the elements to remind me of the great sacrifice Jesus made for me so that I can radiate his love to the world. I’m on a roll. I love everyone around me.

The pastor says the benediction. I’m on holy ground. “God’s in his heaven, and all’s right with the world.”

Then I look over and see Rosemary. She’s looking at me with that wide-eyed stare. I can’t believe it. How can she sit in church as mean and spiteful as she is and act like she’s one of “us?” The woman has some nerve.

I stomped out the door with the press of bodies all around me. They’ve turned into a hostile crowd, and I feel squeezed in on every side. Pastor Phillips shakes my hand and says he prays that all is well with me and my family. I jerk my head in a brief nod and move down the steps. Ed has already agreed that we’d have lunch with “our crowd.” So I ride stoically to the restaurant, knowing I have to be the bigger person. No doubt Rosemary and John will come too.

The restaurant was noisy. The waiters pushed three tables together in a corner where we had a little less noise. Elizabeth Adler sat next to me. Rosemary and John hadn’t gotten there yet, so I practiced my sunniest smile, and tried to turn on my Sunday sparkle.

Elizabeth leaned over and whispered into my ear. “I know you’re praying for Rosemary and John.”

I swiveled my head around at her. “Why should I pray for them?”

“They’re getting a divorce. John told her he’s fallen out of love with her and in love with his assistant at work. He’s moved out of the house, and the children and Rosemary are in terrible pain. Roger has been meeting with John for breakfast every morning trying to talk to him. They’re both going through a hard time.”

I was speechless. It couldn’t be true. They were active in church, had three beautiful children, and Roger had a good law practice.

“Rosemary needs us. I hope you’ll stop by and see her. I know the two of you live in the same neighborhood.”

My shoulders drooped. Being a Christian was a lot harder than going to church and joining a Bible study fellowship. I didn’t know Rosemary was going through such an ordeal. No wonder she lashed out at me. No doubt she felt embarrassed, full of pain, and boxed in. On the other hand, Ed and I had a rock-solid marriage. I looked at Ed, my rock, and counted my blessings.

That’s when I realized we don’t wear badges that tell others how we feel, when we hurt, and when we want to crawl into a ball and forget the world’s still spinning. I had so much love all around me and felt so blessed, I had plenty to spare. Jesus had seen to that.

If we’re to follow Christ, and do good to our fellowman, we can be sure there’ll be pain involved. If it didn’t exempt Jesus, it won’t exempt us.

“I have decided to follow Jesus,
no turning back, no turning back.”
That’s the choice we all have to make.

Jan Brand is the Assistant Director of North Texas Christian Writers, an organization of two hundred Christian members. Her goal is to see God honored in America again and to cause us to remember the past, so that we can build a better future. www.ntchristianwriters.com

As a young girl, I was incredibly shy. My mom told me there were times when I literally hid behind her skirt so I wouldn’t have to talk with others. It was tough to even say “Hi.” As I grew older, I was gradually able to hold conversations with others.

As I entered my middle school years, I was fine with conversing one on one but speaking in front of a group was terrifying. I did not overcome that fear in one dramatic moment. Or, as many say, you can’t expect it to happen overnight! It wasn’t as if I woke up one day and thought I’d love to stand in front of a group of people and give speeches. Little by little, by God’s grace, I was given “stretching” experiences.

I encountered a huge opportunity-and perhaps even a breakthrough in my fear of public speaking-this last fall when I joined a local speech and apologetics club. I went to the introduction day to check it out and learn about the different types of speeches as performed by the club leaders’ children. I was quite impressed by it and decided to give it a go. I ended up liking it. Who would have thought?

On the fifteenth of January, I was given the opportunity to give two speeches at the club’s speech presentation night. One was an apologetics speech on propitiation and the other was a ten minute illustrative oratory regarding why, where, and how Christians must be actively involved in reaching the unreached with the Gospel. It is something I deeply care about and that made me willing to try and forget about myself…my self-consciousness, my pride, and my fear. Instead, I need to remember that it helps to focus on an eternal perspective, on others, on what God would have me do.

It took, and continues to take, something I’m passionate about to get me to speak out. In other words, it takes something very important to push me out of my comfort zone. If it was just up to the self-serving side of me, I’d prefer staying safely within what I feel comfortable with. But then I wouldn’t grow. I wouldn’t be able to accomplish as much for God’s kingdom.

One of my other passions is helping save the unborn. I am 100% pro-life. My outlet for helping has come through Steps for Life, our local Pregnancy Resource Centers’ annual fund-raising event. I have participated for ten years now but, honestly, writing this article has convicted me! I realize I’ve been avoiding calling potential sponsors on the phone or talking in person in regards to asking for pledges; I have tried to do it all through email. There’s nothing wrong with emailing but I should be willing to go out and ask my neighbors, etc. I also need to overcome my phone phobia. Who could have guessed I’d be “forced” to do so last week? It turned out a short story of mine was accepted for publication by a magazine and, in this case, it meant calling and talking with the editor, not once, but twice! Normally, I am nervous calling even friends and here I had to call a total stranger. Thankfully, she was very nice and I can once again look back at what seemed like a scary task and say, “I survived!”

I know that you, whoever and wherever you may be, will be able to not only survive, but also thrive! Stepping out of your comfort zone and deciding to speak out can be challenging. Deciding to do so can push and stretch you more than you could have ever imagined. But it is so worth it!

Seasons of life come and go. The speech/apologetics club is moving to another town and I will no longer be attending. However, the lessons I learned will stay with me and I plan to continue studying apologetics at home. The knowledge and skills I have gained will be useful when the time comes for me to share my faith with people in a real world setting.

“But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect.” 1 Peter 3:15

I encourage you to find something you’re passionate about and seek God’s will in how you can help make an impact in that area for His glory. Your parents know you very well and can offer valuable advice. It’s important to make sure that what you choose to pursue is honoring to God and to your parents. Knowing that you are investing in a worthy cause can help you persevere through any difficulties that may arise. Finally, please remember that no one can do anything of eternal significance without the Lord. It is the strength and grace, resources and talents which God gives that enables us to succeed.

“Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administrating God’s grace in its various forms. If anyone speaks, he should do it as one speaking the very words of God. If anyone serves, he should do it with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.” 1 Peter 4:11

Alyssa Liljequist, a 16 year old homeschooler, enjoys writing and filmmaking for the glory of God and the furtherance of His Kingdom. She is passionate about reaching the unreached with the Gospel. She blogs at Life of Faith.

When I was in middle school and my sisters were finishing high school and venturing into their adult lives, my parents decided to take one final family trip. They planned a ten-day trip from Illinois through Missouri and Kansas to Colorado, where we stayed for a few days, then northwest Wyoming for a few days before returning through South Dakota and Iowa.

My dad loves to plan trips. He thrives on travelling adventures. And he and my mom had the foresight to know travelling in our family car with all three of us girls in the back seat together for many hours and miles would be less than ideal. (I’ve wondered if they were concerned more about our comfort or their peace of mind!) So they borrowed a conversion van.

I’d never travelled in something so spacious! In addition to the two front seats, there was a couch-like seat in the back with a table in front of it. The two middle seats swiveled around to face the table, so we could play games and eat. What a life. We were travelling in the lap of luxury. My dad didn’t hear “She’s touching me” or “She’s in my space” a single time. What joy!

After our stop in Wyoming, somewhere along the long trip home, we began to get edgy with each other. The tension built…until someone declared, “Mom…Dad…She’s looking at me!” You can probably imagine the expressions on my parents’ faces…

I love my family. I imagine most people have unrivalled human love for those closest to them. We would do just about anything for them. We’re most patient with them, most forgiving of them, and most compassionate to them. But they know how to push our buttons. And we know them well enough to know how to push theirs. We know their history, baggage, and soft spots. We’re most likely to show compassion to those closest to us and also more likely to get the most defensive and hurtful around them in highly emotional situations.

God’s compassion has no limits. He’s full of compassion. When we reflect on his compassion, we should strive to have no boundaries of compassion. We should strive to extend it to those close to us who know how to push our buttons as well as strangers and enemies.

The LORD is gracious and righteous; our God is full of compassion. – Psalm 116:5 (NIV)

Consider how you can show compassion to someone close to you. Let God guide you and ask him to stretch you. Avoid settling on something you’d regularly do. Look from the other person’s perspective and determine something that particularly speaks to him or her. Is it someone you keep at an arm’s length? There’s something tense, spoken or unspoken, between you? Is someone you love struggling? Is there physical or emotional distance between you and someone? How can you make the person’s life a little brighter or easier? Do it!

You must be compassionate, just as your Father is compassionate. – Luke 6:36 (NLT)

Susan H. Lawrence is passionate about connecting individuals and teams of people in purposeful and healthy ways. As a Ministry Consultant, I strive to equip women in leadership to meet the needs of other women while balancing their own needs. We all need support and encouragement! I live in central Illinois and love to encourage women through writing and workshops. You can read her blog at http://susanhlawrence.blogspot.com/.