Devotion

 

It's fall so I'm sharing a back-to-school devotion. A longer version of this devotion is included in one of my devotional books, "Glimpses of Prayer". Shirley and I decided to list this book as a perma-free on kindle (meaning it is always free.) It's something authors do for promotional purposes if they have several books. It seems to be working for us as this book has been sitting at #1 in two categories for several days now. 

                                                       A Simple Prayer

                                                     Read: Ezra 8: 21-23

     “… to seek from Him a safe journey for us, our little ones, and our possessions.” Ezra 8: 21b

            A new school year was about to begin. In fact, it was to start the next day. I had been asked to lead in prayer on behalf of the parents of this Christian school at its “before the school year prayer meeting”. As I began to pray, Ezra’s prayer came into my mind.

            Ezra’s prayer is a very simple one, but it is perhaps my favorite in the entire Bible. Ezra confessed that he was afraid to ask the king for soldiers to protect his group on their journey because he had told the king that God’s hand was favorably disposed towards those who fear Him. So, instead, Ezra called upon the people to fast and pray. They prayed for God’s protection over them, their little ones, and their possessions. This prayer is so precious to me. It shows me that we can talk to God about everything in our lives – even our most basic needs.

            As I led in prayer that day, I recited this scripture. I reminded God that we, the parents who had gathered to pray were people who feared Him. And like Ezra, we were asking for safe journey through the upcoming school year for our “little ones” – however big they may have become!

Prayer: Heavenly Father, how thankful we are that your hand is favorably disposed towards those who fear you! Lord, thank you also for the privilege of bringing any and all of our concerns to you in prayer!

Thought for the Day: We can talk to God about anything!

 

 

 

 

Another Cover Reveal!

I have two books releasing soon—“A Stand for Truth” & the first in a four-part devotional series Shirley Crowder and I co-wrote. Today I’m excited to show you that cover!

Devotions

A Mountain too Big to Climb

Read: Ezra 5: 2, Zechariah 4:5-9



“What are you, O great mountain? Before Zerubbabel you will become a plain…”Zechariah 4:7

“Impossible! This will never get done! It’s too hard and there are too many obstacles in the way of success!”

Have you ever felt like that? Have you ever had a task before you that was so overwhelming it felt like a mountain too big to climb? In Zechariah 4:7 God tells Zerubbabel that He will make the mountain in front of him become a plain. In other words, God would change the mountain that was too big to climb into a flat plain which could easily be crossed.

And just what was this mountain that was before Zerubbabel? The mountain in this passage is most likely a symbolic mountain rather than a real one. If this passage is cross referenced with Ezra 5: 2, we find that the task before Zerubbabel was that of rebuilding the temple. This task (rebuilding the temple) was such an overwhelming one that it seemed like a mountain of work ahead of him! But what did God say He would do? God said He would turn the mountain into a plain. How was He going to do this? Not by might, nor by power, but by His Spirit.

Do you have a mountain of some kind in front of you? God, through His Spirit, can turn it into a plain which you can easily cross. You can trust Him with your mountains.

Prayer: Lord, You are a God who can make mountains into plains; the impossible possible. Teach us to trust you with our problems. In your Son’s name, Amen.



Thought for the Day: With God all things are possible!

Devotions

There’s no Place like Home
Read: Hebrews 11:9-10, 13-16

“… they desired a better country, that is a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God.” Hebrews 11:16 (NASB)

The forecast called for snow, snow, and more snow! Sure enough, the snow didn’t stop falling for two days after 13 inches had accumulated. Schools canceled classes; businesses closed, and only emergency services stayed open. My family was snowed in for days! Fortunately, I had paid attention to the forecast and purchased enough food and milk for a week. We were also fortunate that our electricity stayed on.

So that week was spent at home. Each day we slept late, the children played in the snow and I was still able to wash their wet clothes and give them warm dinners each evening. The big snow that shut down my southern city was many years ago now but I still recall it as one of the most pleasant weeks of my life because I and mine were safe at home.

We all have the instinctive desire to long for home. Hebrew 11 talks of men and women of faith who longed for a better home – one that is built by God Himself. Verse 16 amazes me. It says of these people that God was not ashamed to be called their God. What does it take for God to be pleased to be called your God? Do you have to do some mighty deed or achieve a high level of spirituality? No, you simply have to have a longing for a better place – a heavenly place, a city whose architect and builder is God!

Prayer: Heavenly Father, You have placed deep in our hearts a longing for home. Help us to realize this is because you are preparing a home for us. Help us to understand that we are truly strangers on this earth making our way to the city whose builder is you. In your Son’s name, Amen.

Thought for the day: There’s no place like home!

Devotions

                                                                

This devotion was published in the Spring 2011 issue of The Secret Place

Changed in a Moment

Read: 1^st Corinthians 15:50-58

Behold I tell you a mystery, we shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed.” 1^st Corinthians 15:51 (NAS)

“Mom! I caught some tadpoles today! Can I keep them? Please, mom, please!!” My 12 year old son exclaimed these words as he ran through the front door of my house with a jar of murky creek water in his hands. My son had been playing in a nearby creek on this hot summer day and he had managed to catch five small grayish colored tadpoles. After researching the topic, I reluctantly agreed to let him keep his new found pets.

What fun we had that summer! We changed the tadpole water regularly, taking care to declorinate the new water and we fed them lettuce that had been boiled and then frozen. Over the course of a few weeks, our tadpoles grew first back legs and then front ones.  At long last, they lost their tails. Their color altered too as the tadpoles changed into small, bright green tree toads!

The scriptures tell us that if we are believers, we too will someday be changed. However, our change will not be slow like my son’s tadpoles were. No, our change will be quick, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye. We will change from perishable to imperishable; from mortal to immortal. What exciting news! I wonder if God will have as much fun watching us change as my son and I had watching his tadpoles change?

Prayer: Heavenly Father, we are excited about spending eternity with You. Thank you for that glorious day when we change from perishable to imperishable, from mortal to immortal! Make us to live in a way that reflects our readiness for that day to come. In Jesus name, Amen.

Thought for the Day We have an eternal destination where we will be changed into the likeness of Jesus.

           

Devotions

This devotion was 1st published in The Secret Place in the summer of 2011 and later published as a reprint in The Vision in Feb 2013. 

How Do You Feel?

“But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for His own possession, that you may proclaim the excellence of Him who called you out of darkness into the light of His marvelous light.” 1^st Peter 2:9 NIV

How do you feel today? Are you tired and lonely? Are you weighed down by the demands and troubles of this world? Do you feel so burdened that it almost seems like a dark cloud surrounds you and accompanies you wherever you go? 

Or did you wake up this morning feeling great? Did you think to yourself, “I feel like a king!” I feel like a priest!” That’s what the scriptures say you and I are if we are believers in Jesus Christ. We are a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a chosen people. We are God’s own possession. Isn’t that marvelous?! Do we ever pause to remember this? The truth of who we are in Christ transcends our earthly problems.

But did you notice the purpose clause in the verse? Why are we a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation? It is so that we can proclaim the excellence of Him who called us out of darkness. So… kiss that dark cloud goodbye! You and I have been called out of darkness and into God’s marvelous light! Walk in that light and enjoy the warmth of His love. It is better than the sunniest summer day!

How do you feel now? No matter how you answer that question, the truth of who you are in Christ remains. And that’s enough to bring you joy regardless of your circumstances.

Devotions

*This devotion was published in the Upper Room in October 2012

We’re Special to God
Read: Zechariah 14: 20-21

“He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end.” Ecclesiastes 3:11

            “Special” read the large sign taped to the side of a bus which sat in a used vehicle lot in Tegucigalpa, Honduras. The students on the mission trip chose to name the bus “Special” after the mission team purchased it for the church in La Paz with whom they had worked many summers.

            Last summer, I had the privilege of participating in this annual student trip as a chaperone. Having now spent time in “Special” I can assure you – she is well named! She has a cracked windshield that cannot be replaced because a piece of glass with the correct dimensions is difficult, if not impossible to find in Honduras. Sometimes “Special” develops other problems which have to be attended to. Nevertheless, she faithfully goes up and down winding, dirt, and mountainous roads every week to bring people to church that would otherwise not be able worship.

            Zechariah 14:20-21 speaks of the holiness of even the cups and cooking pots in the Temple. Indeed, God’s purpose for all things is their holiness. I suppose if cups and cooking pots can be special to the Lord – then so can an old bus with a cracked windshield.

God’s people are a bit like that, too. God’s purpose for us is our holiness and we are all special in our own ways. God created us differently for His unique purposes and he loves our specialness.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, Thank you for the uniqueness of your plan for each of our lives.  Help us to appreciate our own specialness and that of others.  In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Thought for the day:  God makes everything beautiful in its time.

Devotions

This devotion was published in the Upper Room in its March/April 2012 issue, and a reprint was published in Word Aflame on 9/13

“I Can’t Do It!”

 Read: Amos 7: 12- 15

“Then Amos answered and said to Amaziah, ‘I am not a prophet, not the son of a prophet, for I am a herdsman and a grower of sycamore trees.” Amos 7:14 (NASB)

            “Lord, I can’t do it!” Have you ever said this to God? What has He asked you to do that you think you cannot do? In this passage, God asked Amos to do something new; something Amos had never done before.

            Every now and then a verse of scripture strikes me as a little bit humorous. This verse did that the first time I read it. In this verse, the prophet Amos tells Amaziah that he is not a prophet, nor the son of a prophet. Amos claims to be nothing more than a herdsman and a grower of sycamore trees. I think Amos’ comment is funny, perhaps because I can relate to it so well. How many times have I perceived God asking me to do something for Him, whether it was go on a mission trip, write a devotional, or teach a Sunday school class, when I have told God, “But God, I am not a teacher or the daughter of a teacher…I am just a housewife and a grower of tomato bushes!”

            May we learn to offer God a willingness to do what He has called us to do. May we trust that just like God made Amos into a great prophet, He will also equip us to do whatever He has asked of us. Let us be willing to do more than just taking care of our herds and tomato bushes.

 

Prayer: Gracious Heavenly Father, we know you are able to accomplish all that you desire, even through inexperienced and insecure people like us. Grant us willing hearts and capable hands to do your work. In Jesus Name, Amen.

 

Thought for the Day: Offer God a willing heart and you may be surprised at how He uses you!

Devotions

As a follow up to my previous posts on writing devotions, today I am posting a sample devotion I wrote. This was published in the Spring 2014 issue of The Secret Place (Judson Press.) I sold them 1st rights so now, a year later, the rights are mine again, Hope you enjoy it.                                                              

                                            Hi God!

                                Read: Romans 1:16-20

“For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power, and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood by what He has made, so that they are without excuse.” Romans 1:20 (NASB)

On the drive to school this morning, my son suddenly said to me, “Hey Mom! Look! Those clouds look like the word “Hi.”
Truth be told, I was unable to see what my son was referring to because of my vantage point and the need to keep my eyes focused on the road ahead of me, so I asked him to explain. He pointed out the window next to his seat and said, “Well there are a lot of straight lines in the clouds. Two are tall with a connecting puff between them and there was a smaller cloud beside them.” I knew the sky had some streaks of cirrus clouds in it, so my son’s explanation was believable. Then just as spontaneously, my son waved to the sky and offered a cheery and sincere, “Hi God!”

How often do we take time to see God in His creation? I did not see him this morning, I had my eyes focused on the task I was engaged in. (And rightly so, but just the same, the lesson seemed real.) I found myself warmed by my son’s innocent faith and longing to regain the faith of a child.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, from the beginning of time you have shown yourself to man in your creation. Give us eyes to see you more clearly! In your Son’s name, Amen.

Thought for the Day: Do you have the faith of a child?

Devotions

This devotion first appeared in The Secret Place by Judson Press in their winter 2011-2012 issue.

New Year…Same God

Read: Hebrews 13: 5-8

 

“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today, yes and forever.” Hebrews 13:8 (NASB)

 

As I drove past a neighborhood church sometime last January, I couldn’t help but notice the sign in the front of the church. “New Year…same gracious God” were the words written for all passersby to see. What a comforting thought!

 

We live in a fast paced world. Change happens everyday in every area of our lives.  We face new breakthroughs in science, new gadgets to posses, new occurrences around the world, and technologies to learn. Why, just as we think we have mastered the computer, there are iphones, ipads, blackberries, kindles, and all sorts of other things to figure out. 

 

My children have words in their vocabulary that I never heard of when I was their ages. When I was a child, a mouse was a small rodent that one tried to avoid. And a pad – now that is an evolving word if ever there was one! To my parents a pad was either a cushion or a small tablet of paper. To my generation it was also a person’s apartment, as in “Hey baby, do you want to come over to my pad?” But today, a pad is a place on which your mouse rests (your computer mouse; that is.)

 

Amid all of the rapid change, our existence has become, isn’t nice to know the Lord never changes?  Hebrews 13:8 tells us that He is the same yesterday, today, tomorrow, and forever! Thank you Lord for this truth!

 

Prayer: Father in Heaven, we are so grateful that you are who you are. You have been the same since the beginning of time and we know you can be trusted with our changing tomorrows. In Your Son’s name, Amen

 

Thought for the Day: We may be facing a new year, but we are facing it with the same God who saw us through the previous one!

 

 

Devotions

This devotion was published in The Secret Place (Judson Press) in their Fall 2011 issue and a reprint will be published in The Vision (Pentecostal Publishing House) next month.

A Simple Prayer

 Read: Ezra 8: 21-23

     “…to seek from Him a safe journey for us, our little ones, and our possessions.” Ezra 8: 21b

            A new school year was about to begin. In fact, it was to start the next day. I had been asked to lead in prayer on behalf of the parents of this Christian school at its before the school year prayer meeting. As I began to pray, Ezra’s prayer came into my mind.

            Ezra’s prayer is a very simple one, but it is perhaps my favorite in the entire Bible. Ezra confessed that he was afraid to ask the king for soldiers to protect his group on their journey because he had told the king that God’s hand was favorably disposed towards those who fear Him. So, instead, Ezra called upon the people to fast and pray.  Their prayer was for God’s protection over them, their little ones, and their possessions.  This prayer is so precious to me. It shows me that we can talk to God about everything in our lives–even our most basic needs.

            As I led in prayer that day, I recited this scripture. I reminded God that we, the parents who had gathered to pray were people who feared Him. And like Ezra, we were asking for safe journey through the upcoming school year for our “little ones”–however big they may have become!

Prayer: Heavenly Father, how thankful we are that your hand is favorably disposed towards those who fear you! Lord, thank you also for the privilege of bringing any and all of our concerns to you in prayer!

Thought for the Day: We can talk to God about anything!

 

 

 

Devotions

I have done a lot of devotional writing since I submitted my first freelance piece in August of 2009. Today, close to 75 devotions of mine have been published. I have decided to post some of them in my blog. This is the 1^st devotion I ever sold. It appeared in “The Upper Room” in Feb 2011 and a reprint was later published in “Word Aflame."

The Day of Small Things

Read Zechariah 4:6-10

 The prophet Zechariah asks the question, “For who has despised the day of small things?”

 -Zechariah 4:10 (NAS)

 “Mom! I’m bored!” This exclamation came from my twelve year old son just two weeks after school ended for summer break. My, how quickly a child can become bored.  Frankly, becoming bored with the mundane is something adults do too.

The prophet Zechariah poses the question, “Who has despised the day of small things?” One answer to this question would be my twelve year old son. But the question is a good one to be pondered by all. What are the days of small things? These are days when nothing out of the ordinary happens in our lives. We are a people who yearn for excitement, especially in today’s fast paced world. We would do well to learn to appreciate days when nothing of significance occurs–days of small things.

In my life, I have seen some difficult days when people I loved were hurt or died. When I compare these days with ordinary ones, I’ll take the ordinary every time.

May we learn to appreciate mornings when we wake up to nothing unusual. We face the ordinary challenges of home, work, and church life. We go to work, come home, eat dinner with our families, help the children with homework, attend Bible study or choir practice – the usual weekly church activities. Then, we crawl into our warm, safe bed for a good night’s sleep in the home God has provided for us. On those nights, may we be mindful of the extraordinary God who has allowed us to live another ordinary day.

Prayer:  Father, we thank you for all of the normal and ordinary days n our lives. Teach us to live each of them for you. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Thought of the Day

God gives us ordinary days and not so ordinary ones. May we learn to appreciate them all.

 

Through my Kitchen Window

“There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and open a vein.”
- Walter Wellesley “Red” Smith

Who Knew? I turned out to be a Writer, after all!”

(This article, written by me, 1st appeared in “Writer’s Weekly” May 11, 2011)

1976 – Our nation celebrated its bi-centennial anniversary. My town held a writing competition. Students from several area high schools wrote short essays called “Bi-centennial Minutes”. I participated because I had to…it was a required assignment in my English class. A few weeks later, a reporter and a photographer from the local newspaper walked into my school and interviewed me - because I had won the competition!

Another spring a year or two later, at my high school’s awards ceremony, my name was called as a “Laurel Leaf” winner. This was a writing award and no one was more surprised than me! You see, I could not spell or punctuate – at all! I punctuated written pieces like some people sprinkle salt and pepper on their food; I just sort of sprinkled some around in my written pieces…or so it appeared. I grew tired of all the red marks my papers collected so when college came - I majored in nursing!

Several years ago, someone I loved struggled severely and I struggled along side of her. I longed to be able to pray more effectively for this person. I began a personal study of prayer, journaling as I gained insights. After a few years, my friend was better and I had a manuscript written. I discovered I loved writing, now that computers are available…computers that can spell and punctuate for me.

Then one summer, I read a newspaper blurb about an upcoming writer’s conference in my area. I longed to attend but I was not a writer, at least not a published writer. I showed the article to my husband, sheepishly confessing my new silly dream of becoming a writer. He encouraged me to attend. I laughed as I made plans to attend. After all, I had written a manuscript. I decided to simply declare myself a writer.

The conference was wonderful! The speakers were great. I came back encouraged and hopeful. In one of the sessions, I learned how to submit articles to magazines. I learned about writing query letters and tips for finding magazines in need of material. Participants were strongly encouraged to try our hands at article writing.

In the few months after the conference, I began writing, and submitting articles and devotionals. That was less than two years ago. Today I have a growing list of credits which include over 20 published pieces. The money I spent on the conference was earned back and turned a small prophet in the first year. And guess what? I turned out to be a writer after all!