Is There a Ravenous Monster Living Inside of You?

By Julie Morris –

Some of us feel like we have a Ravenous Monster living inside of our stomachs. He growls angrily when he is hungry, and when we feed him the comfort foods he demands, he is stilled momentarily—but all too soon he growls for more and more. Nothing seems to satisfy him.

If you can identify with the Ravenous Monster I’m describing, I want to give you some food for thought: The more we feed him, the hungrier he gets!

But there is a way to defeat the Ravenous Monster and calm our cravings. Try this experiment for one week and see if you can make your Monster meeker:
1. List foods that make you hungrier (for example, candy, desserts, fast foods, comfort foods). Everyone is different so listen to your body and recognize the foods that awaken your Monster within.
2. List ways of eating that make you hungrier (for example, eating too much, standing, second helpings, gulping, grazing, in front of the TV, in the car, in certain restaurants, with certain “binge buddies”).
3. Stay away from these things for one week.

At the end of that time, see if you have made your Monster meeker. If your cravings have diminished, extend your experiment another week—then another. While you’re at it, start other habits that will do away with his ravenous roaring:
1. Pray before eating anything–that the Lord will satisfy your desires with good things (Psalm 103:5).
2. Every morning, ask God to be Lord over your eating that day. Don’t allow yourself to have “two masters” (Matthew 6:24).
3. Don’t make excuses. Recognize how destructive overeating is to you (Philippians 3:19).
4. When you are tempted, praise God that you are more than a conqueror through Christ (Romans 8:37).
5. Picture yourself receiving God’s power to make healthy choices in your eating—one day a time (2 Corinthians 9:8).

If you do these things, you might discover, like many of us across the country, that you can be free of cravings.

Eating certain foods and eating in certain ways awakens the Ravenous Monster within–and you can choose not to do that. Instead, you can join us in saying, “A few minutes of chewing is just not worth it! I will not be controlled by my cravings. Instead, I will do what it takes to make my Monster meeker!”

Here Come the Brides

By Hally Franz –

My personal artist glopped on wide brushstrokes of the red, orange and brown color concoction. We chatted about her upcoming busy season while she painted my hair. There’s the holiday season, and then the spring season. Soon, Nichole will be creating make-up, hair and nail masterpieces as young girls prepare for proms and graduations, and older girls primp for weddings.

June, I understand, is traditionally the biggest wedding month; however, my husband and I were married over Memorial Day weekend in May. We will celebrate eighteen years of marriage this year. We’ve had bliss and battles, trials and triumphs, but much of the hard work is behind us.

Weddings fascinate me. Exhibitions of creativity—theme weddings and ceremonies in all sorts of settings. Among the many wedding trends, one of my favorites is the candy bar; I wish I had thought of that! Another sweet theme is a spot for families to reminisce. Brides set up a table with vintage photos of their parents’ and grandparents’ weddings.

Couples used to put disposable cameras at tables for the guests to snap away. Now, a young friend told me, brides are having actual photo booths. Guests can get souvenir shots to take home, and leave one with a message behind for the album. I attended a wedding a few years ago where the bride asked specified guests to prepare table centerpieces, according to some color and style guidelines. Each one was to feature a photo of the couple with that particular group of friends or family. That bride trusted her guests much more than this control freak would have, but the results were very impressive and fun to look at during the evening.

My hope is that this year’s couples will enjoy their special days with friends and family, but, more importantly, invite God to the festivities. I’d encourage them to recognize that while the effort and time put toward that once-in-a-lifetime event is worthwhile, the energy, patience and prayer expended once married is much more meaningful. And, veteran married couples, let’s remind young lovers that their wedding photos will last a lifetime in frames, scrapbooks and multiple digital forms, but the pictures they create through their marriages are the real works of art.

PRAYER:  Heavenly Father, bless those who marry, to produce good fruit together. May they encourage and love one another, and live as shining examples of Your love and faithfulness.

“I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” (Ephesians 4:1-3 NKJV).

The Untrodden Path

By Jodi Whisenhunt –

A little cat and his friend Dog set out on an adventure. To and fro and here and there they went about exploring. They marveled at the nooks and crooks and creeks and streams of the forest and the wood. Then roundabout a tree they paused as Dog exclaimed, “Footprints!” On close exam the two agreed the steps would lead them north.

So north the two friends trekked following the tracks. A curve ahead and to the right. Again a curve and right. “Egads!” shrieked Dog. Now on the path where had been one were marked two paw prints more.

North again walked the two friends. Again a curve and right. Once more a curve and right. “Gasp! My-my!” said the little cat, for instead of three trails, they found five.

Yes, north again, a curve and to the right. Round and round and round they went til more tracks were found than they could count. No ground was gained as on they walked and tired they became.

Upon the ground the two friends sat to rest and ponder plans. “Say,” said the cat to his friend Dog, “those tracks look much like mine.”

“And mine beside,” replied the dog, much to her surprise.

The tale turns, when following one’s own footsteps one neither leads nor follows, as the little cat and his friend Dog discovered on their quest.

So the little cat and his friend Dog left the beaten path. South this time and to the left where few before had trod. A happy end to this close draws: They walked the straight and narrow and were lost no more, but found.

“Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice saying, ‘This is the way; walk in it’” (Isaiah 30:21).

Appropriate Vacation Worship

By Art Fulks –

It is almost summer time and for many this means vacations. Recently, I heard a radio commercial that declared what most of us know to be true. Visiting family is wonderful and you can call it anything you want. But we all know that it is rarely a vacation.

With multiple children, especially in diverse age brackets, parents can often need to go back to work in order to get any rest. Resort activities, amusement parks, beaches, and swimming pools can drive you to the brink of exhaustion. As a father of four, let me encourage you that most kids eventually begin to appreciate their sleep.

Eventually, you may find yourself alone, sitting in front of a large window overlooking an incredible mountain view like I am right now. It is mid-morning and my first cup of coffee is still too hot to drink. Everything is quiet as I pier over what seems a limitless supply of peaks and valleys. As I asked myself what would be an acceptable act of worship, the words of Psalm 8 came to mind. In the quiet of the moment, it seemed God spoke to me and said, “Thanks for taking time to notice and admire My handiwork.”

God seemed to know that I needed a couple of days away from the fast paced race I have been running to sit in quiet mountain cabin and acknowlege His Sovereignty. Through an unexpected invitation, here I sit. And God seems to be reminding me that the beauty of His creation is all around me every day. It is in the starlit sky at night and morning sunrise. It is in the eyes of the people I love so much, as well as the eyes of those that I should love more.

Whether your vacation pace is relaxed or faster than normal life, God can use the change of scenery to speak. He can show you something new, or just to help you refocus. Either way, I am learning that the proper response in worship is to pay attention! That is something the Psalmist seemed to get.

AUTHOR QUOTE: Whether you go to the mountains, the ocean, or to some brightly lit kingdom dedicated to a popular rodent, God desires to speak to you.

“O Lord, our Lord, How majestic is Thy name in all the earth, Who has displayed Thy spendor above the heavens!” (Psalm 8:1 NASB).

Consumed!

By Donna McCrary –

Pitch darkness. Pounding waves. Whipping winds. Mayday! Mayday! Suddenly across the water appears a ghost-like image. Panic and fear race through their veins. The adrenaline surges through their shivering bodies as the flight or fight reflex consumes them. They see Him walking on the sea. Terrified, they cry out in fear, “It is a ghost!” Immediately Jesus speaks to them, saying, “Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid.”

After discussing this passage with a friend, I realized all too often I am like the rest of the disciples in the boat and not like Peter. I praise God for coming to my rescue. I thank Him for calming the storms in my life. What made Peter willing to walk on water, to step out of a perfectly good boat into the storm?

Could it be that he wasn’t satisfied with staying in the boat? He wanted more than a calming of the sea in his life. He answered Jesus’ command, “Do not be afraid” with a command of his own, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” Crazy! In essence, Peter acknowledged Jesus as Lord and then asked Jesus to help him do the impossible—walk on water.

Jesus didn’t explain Walk on Water 101 to Peter. He didn’t give him any safety tips or swimming suggestions for that matter. Jesus simply replied, “Come.”

Peter made the decision to take action. He stepped out of the boat and onto the water. He eagerly participated in an illogical stunt. He was a fisherman so we can assume he had full understanding of the physics behind “sink or swim” logic. He had an all consuming desire to be in the presence of Jesus. This desire consumed him so deeply he dismissed every logical thought as he stepped out of the boat.

I bet if a modern-day news anchor asked Peter why he committed such an insane act he would simply state with calm satisfaction, “Just to be close to my Jesus!” When the reporter asked how the rest of us could experience this miracle, Peter would answer, “Validate your visions and dreams and live daily to be consumed by the presence of Jesus.”

Jesus said, “Come.”

PRAYER: Father, today, show me how to be like Peter. Show me how to step out in faith and draw nearer to You so I can do the impossible in my life and bring Your name glory.

“But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, and said, ‘It is a ghost!’ and they cried out in fear. But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, ‘Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid.’ And Peter answered him, ‘Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water’” (Matthew 14:26-28 ESV).

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