A Marriage Saved Through Forgiveness

By Bruce Hebel –

Through an “out of the blue” circumstance, I was informed, just a few hours before I was scheduled to speak at a ministry center in North Atlanta, that the ministry leader and her husband were scheduled to finalize their divorce the very next day.  I did not view it as coincidental that I had received that information prior to speaking. After I finished my talk, I asked the receptionist if I could speak with her. She happened to be in the office and came out to meet with me. (It was interesting to hear later that this was her day off and she is rarely in the office on her day off.) It was a nice day, so we took a walk outside and sat on a short wall under the trees in the parking lot. I told her what I had heard and asked the question, “How can I help?”

We chatted for quite some time as she poured out her heart about the pain she was experiencing. As we talked, her husband happened to call. I heard her tell him, “I’m sitting here in the parking lot talking to Pastor Bruce trying to decide whether or not I’m going to divorce you tomorrow. Do you want to talk to him?” I’m thinking quietly, “God you are really good at this. Only you could set this up!”

As I began walking my friend through the protocols of forgiveness, her husband drove up with their son. She left with the boy while her husband and I began to talk. In the course of the conversation he was able to forgive several deep wounds from his past. The transformation in his eyes and in his countenance was remarkable. I was then able to help him see himself the way God sees him and to coach him on how to love his wife even if she chose to go through with the divorce. By this time the wife returned and the husband left for church. To make a long story short, when we finished our conversation, she forgave him, he forgave himself and she made a commitment not to divorce. She was free. They were reconciled. A marriage was saved.

There are situations like my friends’ around us every day. A large majority of these hurting people need help learning how to forgive. We can help them. Will you?

AUTHOR QUOTE: “God has given us the privilege of setting people free by helping them forgive!”

“Brethren, even if anyone is caught in any trespass, you who are spiritual, restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness; each one looking to yourself, so that you too will not be tempted” (Galatians 6:1 NASB).

Today’s devotional is by Bruce Hebel, President of Regenerating Life Ministries (forgiving forward.com) and Adjunct Professor at Carver Bible College. Bruce is the author of the seminar and soon to be published book Forgiving Forward: Unleashing the Forgiveness Revolution. He is a graduate of Dallas Theological Seminary and, along with his wife Toni, has served in church ministry for over 35 years.

Just Me

By Heather Allen –

During an hour layover in the Dallas airport, I entertained myself by watching fellow passengers.  This particular morning, I started comparing myself to what I saw. I dragged my luggage to the closest restroom. It might have been a two-mile walk and my bags felt like they contained my entire wardrobe. My already limp hair was now sleek from perspiration. Leaning toward the mirror, I frowned at the bags under my eyes and my uneven complexion. I backed up and took in the whole view. I pulled cosmetics out of my bag and went to work. And then despite my self-recrimination, one voice and thought stilled the rest. “Remember whose you are.”  I dropped my brush, everything stopped. Squinting, I looked back at the mirror. My throat felt tight, the perfumed smell of makeup irritated my nose. My gaze held, my mind grappling with the freedom of being accepted.

There are days when I am pretty sure I have no friends. But this is, of course, a lie. I am blessed to have women who love me enough to walk these dusty earth roads as my companions. Lonely days are beautiful in their own melancholy way. Drizzly heart rain often drives me to the shelter of His strong arms. And I stay there as His words pour like aloe on my sores. His kind of love soothes me. I wish I could see through His eyes every morning instead of my own. If I could whistle, my heart would script a new tune each morning as I delight in delighting Him.

When I was small I found it easy to believe I was a King’s daughter. I am not sure what changed. Maybe I listened to other voices and over time the King’s voice grew faint. But there in the Dallas Fort Worth Airport, I heard Him loudly enough to know I am His. I believe He wants me to remember because He loves me and would never have me believe I am less. But His purpose is probably much larger than I can yet see. I suppose a privilege of being daughter to the Creator is seeing Him recreate my mind. In this redemption, I find joyous surprise, learning He is the one who best defines beauty. If I grow more beautiful in time it will not be due to some cosmetic enhancer, it will be because my heart is more like His.

Heather Allen spends most of her time caring for her hubby and three kids.  Check out her blog: http://www.thebloodknot.blogspot.com/

God on the Spot – Part 11: The Remaining Prophecies

By Dianne E. Butts –

Even though in the last two articles in this series we saw numerous prophecies fulfilled, God is not off the hook yet. God is still on the spot to bring about all His remaining promises, which are prophecies of our future.

One day the disciples asked Jesus, “What will be the sign of your coming and the end of the age?” (Matthew 24:3; see also Mark 13, Luke 21). Jesus, speaking around 30 AD, gave a list of future events. Nearly 2000 years have elapsed. So are we any closer to these things happening?

Here are twelve prophecies God is on the spot to fulfill before Jesus comes again:

Israel back in the land: Predicted: Ezekiel 20:34 (also Isaiah 11:10-12, Jeremiah 31:10, Luke 21:24). Fulfilled: Israel had not been a nation since the Romans destroyed Jerusalem and the Temple in 70 AD forty years after Christ. But after World War II and Hitler’s attempt to annihilate the Jews ended in 1945, the Jews returned to the land. Israel officially became a nation again on May 14, 1948.

Nations against Israel: Predicted: Matthew 24:15. In order for the antichrist to set himself up in “the holy place” (the Temple in Jerusalem) and proclaim himself God (“the abomination that causes desolation”) and demand the whole world worship him, there must be 1.) a one-world government system controlling all the citizens of the world, and 2.) a Temple on Mount Moriah in Jerusalem.

Being fulfilled?: I first heard the term “The Quartet” around the August 1, 2010, when I picked up a new book on prophecy titled, The Israel Omen by David Brennan. According to that book, The Quartet is the United Nations, the European Union, the United States, and Russia. Imagine my surprise when I next heard that term in a secular radio news report on FOX radio news on or around August 18, 2010. This report announced “The Quartet” had arranged for peace talks between Israel and Palestine to resume in Washington D.C. the week of September 2.

Rebuilding of the Temple in Jerusalem: Prediction: Matthew 24:15. Being fulfilled?: The Temple Institute (http://www.templeinstitute.org/) in Jerusalem is currently building all, and has already completed many, of the items needed for the Temple to resume its ministry when it is erected in our future.

Wars and rumors of wars, nation will rise against nation: Predicted: Matthew 24:6-7.

Famines, earthquakes: Predicted: Matthew 24:7.

Persecution of God’s people: Predicted: Matthew 24:9.

Many will turn from the faith: Predicted: Matthew 24:10. Called the great apostasy or the apostate church.

Many come claiming to be Christ, deceiving many: Predicted: Matthew 24:5, 24.

False prophets deceive many: Predicted: Matthew 24:11, 24.

The love of many will grow cold: Predicted: Matthew 24:12.

The gospel of the Kingdom of God will be preached in the whole world: Predicted: Matthew 24:14.

“This generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened”: Predicted: Matthew 24:34. The generation that witnessed Jesus did not all pass away before the destruction of the Temple by the Romans in 70 AD. The generation that witnessed the attempted annihilation of the Jews by Hitler and the rebirth of the nation of Israel could be the generation that will see all these things occur.

December: “God on the Spot – Part 12: Taking Us into His Presence” Besides Christ coming again, God is also still on the hook to take those who accept Him as their God into heaven for all eternity. But until then, we can put God on the spot today. In the final part of this series in December, we’ll see how.

© 2010 Dianne E. Butts

Dianne has written for more than 50 Christian print magazines and seventeen books. Her work has been published in Great Britain, Bulgaria, Poland, Canada, and Korea. Follow the progress of her current book of true stories she compiled to bring help and hope to those who have experienced an unplanned pregnancy at www.DeliverMeBook.blogspot.com. When she’s not writing, she enjoys riding her motorcycle with her husband, Hal, and gardening with her cat, P.C. in Colorado. www.DianneEButts.com

Dress Rehearsal for Fall

By Don Otis –

The summer is over and that’s good news for some of us and bad news for others. It’s time for gathering wood in the northern climes, battening down the hatches, and checking for air leaks around doors and windows. The cooler months of fall can be the best time for fitness. You aren’t battling exhaust fumes, heat, or bicyclists. As the leaves fall with the temperatures, it’s time to get outside. The autumn months are also a season to plan races—5 or 10 kilometers or further.

The cool air is invigorating and I always feel better after coming back from a run when it is cool. It is tempting to stay indoors but if the elements permit, get outside.  Through the years I have run in just about every type of weather- –wind, rain, snow, hail. The key to enjoying your outdoor experience is dressing properly. The cooler it is, the more important it is to wear a hat and gloves, and an outer shell you can zip down if you get too hot. As a lifelong runner, I like the light polypropylene mittens which cost next to nothing. Most fitness stores will sell nicer gloves but you don’t need them. I learned the hard way during the Boise Marathon a few years back that cotton gloves don’t do well in the rain! If you know it is a dry day, but a bit cool, cotton gloves from your local hardware store work fine.

During a mud-slog half marathon in southern California this spring, I had the right gloves for the rain and cold and it made the difference against the driving rain and wind. Aside from slushy, wet snow (I won’t run in it), my least favorite condition is wind. Since I grew up where the Santa Ana winds blow in California, I came to loathe the headwinds. During the Snake River Half Marathon several years ago, we went out with the wind at our backs on a turn-around course. Yes, our pace was fast but I knew in the back of my mind that as soon as we turned around, the headwinds would be brutal, and they were!

In most of North America, fall is the relative calm before the storm of winter. Embrace the former while preparing for the latter. If you don’t have adequate clothing, invest in some for the cooler days. A hat can serve several purposes, to keep the sun from blinding you and for keeping your head warm and dry. If you sweat a lot like I do, a hat will keep you from losing too much heat. Likewise, if you tend to wear shorts, purchase some sweats or long runner’s tights. If your shoes get wet during a run, make sure you pull out the inserts and let them dry before the next outing. Better yet, rotate shoes—which means you need two or more pair.

I realize that when Jesus and His disciples were walking between the Galilee and Jerusalem or down to Jericho, they didn’t have Nikes. They probably used leather sandals even in the winter months. And yes, it snows in Jerusalem. We live in an age where comfort is preeminent. The least little heat, and on goes our air conditioning. The least nip in the room, and on goes the heat. Our bodies can, and do, adapt to the temperature and environment if we allow it. The cooler the temperature, the harder your body works to keep itself warm—which means burning calories by not turning on as much heat.

Whatever the temperature where you live, have a “dress rehearsal” for fall and choose your clothes carefully so you can exercise in comfort.

Don S. Otis is a certified Fitness Trainer and author of Keeping Fit after Forty. He is the president of Veritas Communications -www.veritasincorporated.com.

Let ’em Fly

By Hally Franz –

For months I have admired the ornate and bold Zumba skirts worn by fellow Zumba classmates. The skirts, of shiny, gauzy fabrics come in orange, fuchsia and purple, are bedazzled with gold beads and spangles, and resemble the shape of a sarong. Zumba, in my mind, is jazzercise for the 2010s. The skirt, basically a scarf worn around the waist and over clothes, is a cutesy accessory that jingles and shimmers during the workout.

I’ve previously resisted the urge to skirt-up for class, recognizing this would draw attention to an already fairly noticeable part of my anatomy. However, today, it was too much. Our instructor arrived with a tote of zumba clothes, and I could restrain myself no longer. Plus, it’s Friday. So, I tied one on just in time for the music to start. Within seconds, worry replaced excitement. What if I got a defective skirt, scarf, whatever? What if the strain is too much? What if three songs in, the few hundred charms and jewels no longer hold and begin flying through the room at other class members? Two hundred renegade beads, twenty sweaty women…they wouldn’t stand a chance!

Imagine the wimpy waistband button turned lethal weapon after Thanksgiving dinner as it soars across the room and into your aunt’s eye. Consider a devilish cherry tomato escaping the point of the proverbial pitchfork and landing shamelessly on a plate across the table. Frightening scenarios, aren’t they!

None of us chooses to be noticed like this; no one wants to be so obvious. We prefer to be poised and dignified in social situations and, many times, in our expression of faith as well. Here’s a thought. Perhaps, we should choose to be bold when demonstrating our faith.

Rather than simply having an aura of Christianity surrounding us, maybe we should shoot for a neon sign effect. Instead of merely implying our belief, we should bold, highlight, and underline it for others. Shouldn’t we strive for more than just giving the impression that we are followers of Jesus? I think we should knock ‘em out with nuggets of faith. We should let our love for the Lord hit them between the eyes and land square in front of them. No doubt this is a challenge for all of us who wish to blend, but one that may be worth trying on, Friday and every other day of the week!

PRAYER: Father God, help me to boldly and courageously share my faith and Your Word with those that I encounter each day.

“And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spake the word of God with boldness” (Acts 4:31 KJV).

Today’s devotion is by Hally Franz. Hally is a former teacher and high school guidance counselor, turned homemaker. She enjoys volunteering at her childrens’ school, teaching Bible classes at her church, leading projects in 4-H, writing, reading, scrapbooking, and rousing (though, sometimes, not pretty) Zumba classes.

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