From Tools to Mascara

By Jarrod Spencer –

Being a father for the first time has had its interesting moments. My son has been such a blessing that words cannot begin to explain it fully. I am sure most parents experience this. There’s so much that goes on in family life that you want to “bottle it up” and keep the memories for later.

A couple of years ago we moved into our current home. The house came without any appliances. I had the “pleasure” of installing a dishwasher and a microwave. My son, fifteen months old at the time, was beginning his stint of being “daddy’s little helper.” He took the screwdriver and tried to help. He’d grab a flashlight and sit near me to be involved in the installation process as much as possible. I like to have him help me, even if it takes me two or three times longer to finish.

It wasn’t too long after this that our son took a new turn in life. My wife and I were in the kitchen and wondered where he’d had gone. He had been very quiet and that tends to raise awareness in us. We called for him and he came out from the bathroom with some mascara around his eyes and eyebrows. He had found his way into my wife’s makeup case, unscrewed the mascara, and did his best applying it to his face. When we saw him we couldn’t help but laugh.

My son seems to want to be involved in tasks that are associated with a particular parent at a particular time. He continues to make me smile by doing things that are reflective of me and his mother. I don’t know if our daughter will go through a similar stage or not. I’m guessing she will—it’s human nature.

As applying mascara is not a stop in life’s journey a son should take, it made us laugh. I cannot help but think of how many times we come before God with something “on us” that shouldn’t be there and He just has to laugh. I am probably one of the many who are making God have a good chuckle from time to time.

PRAYER: Dear God, may the times of foolishness that I exhibit make You laugh. May they not lead me down a path of danger. Thank You for making us all unique. Thank You for giving me a son and a daughter to love, teach, mentor—and for the occasional laugh break.

“A time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance,” (Ecclesiastes 3:4 NIV).

Today’s devotional is by Jarrod Spencer. He is a seeker of God’s surprises in everyday life, looking for ways to be used by God to minister to others. He has a passion for encouraging people through the written word and exercises that passion with blogging and sending out a weekly text of encouragement. You can read more of his writings at http://jarrodspencer.blogspot.com and his church’s website is http://www.colbychurch.com.

Wars and Rumors of War

By Marty Norman –

As I watch television these last few weeks and as I sit with a newspaper and a cup of coffee before me, I hardly can believe what my eyes and ears are seeing and hearing.  It is as if the entire world is on fire. And the hardest part is that I do not know whether this is good or bad. To my eyes, there is only chaos. I see no evidence of the gospel, though that doesn’t mean it isn’t there. I hear no verbal thanks to God for this struggle for freedom in which so many are engaged. I am told by the nightly news that I am witnessing a fight for democracy, followed by a desire and stand by the brave to overthrow tyranny. I pray that this is so.

But as I ponder and pray, I can’t help but wonder if this freedom is not a false freedom. How can one truly be free if one doesn’t understand that it is only through Jesus that we are truly free. How can democracy be implemented if there is no understanding that the Creator endowed mankind with the gift of freedom, that it is the word of God and the truth of his testimony that bestow the gifts of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness upon all men. How can freedom be established if one does not acknowledge the giver of these gifts?

I wonder if the protestors know all of this.  I wonder if they know what freedom is.

I ask myself, have they not heard, have they not experienced the freedom that a life in Christ brings to those who hear the good news and accept it with joy? Do they not rejoice in the strength of Christ’s victory over sin and death rather than the death of a tyrannical state or dictator?  There is no crown of glory without the cross of suffering. Yet I’ve heard no word of thanksgiving to a loving father for the gift of freedom and salvation. Instead, it appears that God has been removed or at least set apart from the conversation as if this freedom fight were totally apart from the will of his hand.

That brings us to the season of Lent. As we meditate on the cross and its meaning these forty days, it is so important that we reflect on Jesus and his words to us in his last days on earth.

Watch out he tells us. “Watch out that no one deceives you. For many will come in my name, claiming ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many. You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of birth pains” (Matthew 24:4 NIV).

I do not know if we are at that place in time. The scripture is clear that we are not to try to figure out the day or the hour, for only the Father knows. But what I do know is that the world is a dark place. There are many hurting people in many countries. Nations, as well as individuals, feel hopeless, believing that there is no life, no hope for a future for them in their circumstance.

My heart goes out to these ones. Obviously many do not know Jesus and his promise of freedom.

If they did, they would understand the fullness of the gospel. They would look toward the Father as their deliverer and Jesus as their savior. That’s what this Easter is all about, a celebration of the cross and resurrection as the very things that bring hope and freedom. No longer would there be a need for demonstrations and riots. Instead a sense of thanksgiving would be instilled in each heart, coupled with the joy and knowledge of eternal life with the Creator. The truth of God’s word would be sought, and they would believe.

So as I approach Easter, I look at it with different eyes. Time is short. The hope and promise of the cross screams at me to listen to our Lord’s words for he tells us there is no hope for the world apart from him. And then he calls us to join him. “Go ye, therefore”, he says, “and make disciples of all nations.” In other words we are to do what he did, go to the ends of the earth and tell the good news that the kingdom of heaven is at hand. I ponder my role in the Great Commission. I wonder how I, in my small sphere of influence, can make a difference this Easter. I struggle with my desire to share the story of the empty tomb in light of current events, and I ponder how to share the good news of the resurrection to a hurting world.

I was reminded recently in a book by David Jeremiah What In The World Is Going On? that the tomb was not really empty. It was almost empty. This was something new for me and I have been pondering it ever since. Dr. Jeremiah reminds us that although Jesus’ body was not present, the grave clothes were, and they bore an imprint of his body. The shroud wrapped around his head, which he calls a napkin, was folded and placed apart from the grave clothes. I had not known the significance of this placement until then. Apparently in some mid eastern cultures, the custom regarding napkins is that if someone leaves the table the condition of their napkin is an indicator of their position in the meal. If it is crumbled and left on the table the indication is that he is finished and will not return. But if it is folded and neatly laid beside the plate it is indicative of his return.  This puts a whole new light on the empty tomb. For not only did Jesus say he would return but the symbolic gesture of the folded napkin, confirms that he definitely plans to return.

So how does that affect me?

A good place to start is to put aside the fear of wars and rumors of wars and concentrate on the person of Jesus. His presence and authority alone overpower any doubts or fear that I might I have. Instead I can concentrate on his resurrection and how I can partner with him in building his kingdom. I can pray for believers in that part of the world who have been placed there for such a time as this, that they might be bold, that they will stand firm in their faith. But most of all I can pray that they will share the good news with the hurting world in their sphere of influence.

So this Easter I am approaching the season with a two fold approach, a double edged sword you might say.  First I give thanks for Jesus and his sacrifice for me on the cross, his resurrection and the empty tomb which allows me to have eternal life because he lives. But secondly, I give thanks for the “almost” empty tomb, for his promise that he will come again. I look forward, not in fear, but in anticipation to that time, whether I be here in body or on the other side of the veil in spirit. I give thanks for the scriptures which act as my guide and teacher, and I look forward to his second coming as king and conqueror whenever that might be.

Hallelujah he has risen. He has risen indeed!

The Evolution of the Hunt

By Hally Franz –

Soon it will be time for that perennial tradition known as the Easter egg hunt. There will be hunts in our communities and churches and at family gatherings. The White House will host one too. There will be children clad in their spring finery clutching straw or plastic baskets in a frantic mission to find eggs. Except, there really isn’t much finding involved in it.

If your experience is like mine, you have noticed that the word “hunt” doesn’t seem quite right these days; the event is more like an “Easter egg scatter.” Where it once required keen observation and time to fill one’s basket, today’s hunts are more like speed events. The ratio of eggs to child is about 24 to 1, and eggs are often tossed on the lawn in clumps as opposed to strategically disguised within the landscape. In our family, we give the littlest participants a head start. I plan to challenge that this year. Instead, we should gather the slow kids together and send them out first. However, that may not be the most sensitive approach to the festivities.

Like the fast-paced egg games themselves, the enjoyment of the haul is immediate as well. Historically, the eggs were refrigerated and later cracked, peeled and salt and peppered for enjoyment one at a time. Now, children can dump the plastic, pastel eggs onto the floor, sever the tape with a fingernail, split the egg at the seam, and retrieve the candy in a sugar-filled frenzy. This updated version comes with a mandate that kids must share 10% of the harvest with parents. Some changes are good.

Whether we hide, scatter or toss candy-coated super balls at our children is really not an issue. We know that customs will morph over the years, but they will continue to provide family fun and memories for a lifetime. What is important is that we recognize the one constant behind our Easter celebration, its unchanging nature and eternal truth.

There is no evolution when it comes to the story of Jesus’ birth, life, death and resurrection. God created His Son without sin to live as a man among His children. Jesus came to teach the Word of God, and He was crucified to save us from sin, allowing us to have eternal life. That’s the simplicity and the consistency of the story, no adjustments needed.

PRAYER: Almighty God, thank You for the enduring truth of Christ Jesus. We are saved from sin through His death and resurrection, given eternal life through Him.

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you” (1 Peter 1:3-4 NIV).

Today’s devotion is by Hally Franz. Hally is a former high school guidance counselor, turned homemaker. Hally sees each day as a new exercise, where routines change and weights vary. Her goal is to maintain all-around fitness for service, while training her children to be competitive, compassionate and Christ-like in the world in which we live.

Crazy Wasp Syndrome

By Aubrey Spencer –

I spent most of the day today being held captive in my own home. Afraid to enter various rooms. Worried about my children being attacked. Anxious. Nervous. Looking over my shoulder. Basically, just “bugged” out. I’m sure you are wondering what has ruthlessly held me prisoner. It was a WASP! A mean, angry, flying like a maniac, never landing, wasp! I spent hours creeping around, armed with my sturdy flyswatter, just waiting for him to land.

Like so many things, it got me thinking. Does God sometimes have a hard time getting me to “land”? Do I fly about my day in a frenzy forgetting to be still before Him? I have a feeling I’m a lot more like that crazy wasp than I’d like to admit. Chasing him around today made me realize an important fact. I need to spend less time bouncing off the walls of busyness and more time landing in the presence of my Savior. How about you? Anyone else struggle with “crazy wasp syndrome” from time to time?

Oh, and in case you’re wondering, I haven’t caught the wasp yet. He is, however, skillfully trapped behind the blinds in my living room window just waiting for my husband to come home!

PRAYER: Father, I confess that I so often let busyness get in the way of my relationship with You. Please help me to be still before You. Show me how to set aside the busyness of life in order to find rest in You.

“Be still, and know that I am God…” (Psalm 46:10 ESV).

Today’s devotional is by Aubrey Spencer. Aubrey is a minister’s wife and a stay-at-home mom to two little miracles, Oliver and Ava. She has a passion for writing and entertaining but realizes her greatest ministry at the moment is to raise her children to be people after God’s own heart. She loves to see how God shows up in everyday situations. Read more of her writings at http://ministrymama.blogspot.com.

Rock Eternal

By Heather Arbuckle-

The past two days we have been homebound due to an ice storm that hit the area on Monday night. While the first day at home was a welcome break from the hectic demands of suburban life in North Texas, the past day has seemed to drag on considerably. Cold, bored, and at times without power, I began looking through old photos.

Not long into my walk down memory lane, I stumbled upon summer vacation pics from Okaloosa Island, Florida. Our family loves everything about the beach and this former Iowa girl never tires of the wonders of the sea. The dolphins. The sunsets. The surf. We love it all. Perhaps our favorite thing to do as a family is play in the sand. For several hours each day, my three children took delight in creating their very own architectural masterpieces in the soft, white sand. And every morning, as we strolled the beach, my kids found the tide had washed their sand castles away.

Some of us never outgrow our desire to build castles in the sand. As we strive to meet life’s demands, we erect our very own creations based on worldly desires and human principles. And it seems like the right thing to do. Still, over time we watch helplessly as it all falls away. For, “unless the LORD builds the house, the builders labor in vain” (Psalm 127:1).

Truly, the LORD will not allow anything to stand that takes His place in our hearts. We are told “everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash” (Matthew 7:26-27).

We are not to place our hope in wealth, humanity, or infrastructure. All of these things, though reassuring, are temporary. To the contrary, we are told to place our hope in eternal things. Our efforts and investments must be in those things close to the heart of God. Reading God’s prayer and regular prayer give us a strong foundation of faith. It is the state of our union with the LORD that most concerns Him, and God does not take kindly to second place. Once we truly understand the heart of God, we are free to build for Him. Only then will our efforts stand up over time and bring Him glory.

The Bible teaches us that “everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock” (Matthew 7:24-25). Truly, as God’s children, we have a moral line in the sand. It’s called the Bible and it’s truths endure time and culture.

We are His people. God’s ambassadors to a broken world. And as such, we must be mindful that “there is no Rock like our God” (1 Samuel 2:2). It is time for us to build on His promises and invest in those things our Heavenly Father holds dear. For the LORD is building His church on Christ, the Rock Eternal.

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