The Ministry of the Midwife

By Nina Medrano – 

Exodus 1:15-21 (NIV)
The king of Egypt said to the Hebrew midwives, whose names were Shiphrah and Puah, “When you are helping the Hebrew women during childbirth on the delivery stool, if you see that the baby is a boy, kill him; but if it is a girl, let her live.” The midwives, however, feared God and did not do what the king of Egypt had told them to do; they let the boys live.  Then the king of Egypt summoned the midwives and asked them, “Why have you done this? Why have you let the boys live?”   The midwives answered Pharaoh, “Hebrew women are not like Egyptian women; they are vigorous and give birth before the midwives arrive.”   So God was kind to the midwives and the people increased and became even more numerous. And because the midwives feared God, he gave them families of their own.

Chances are, if you are a faithful member of a church you have been a midwife in a ministry.

Whether you serve in the nursery, or on a worship team, or pastor the sheep– you assist in birthing God’s plan and purpose for His Bride.

The ministry of the midwife is a position that gets to observe some of the most hidden, private, intimate parts of human nature.  It’s a position that often rewards and encourages.  And, at other times, will raise the question of whether to remain or get out!  Because of the sensitive role of the midwife, Satan and his demons, will try to entrap and threaten the midwife into aborting the purpose and plan of God.

What is the enemy’s greatest scheme?   It is offenses.

If he can get us to be offended at the one giving birth then we have given him power to stop God’s plan for the Church as well as for our lives.

What is our greatest protection?  The fear of the Lord.

Psalm 34:7 (NLT) reads, “For the angel of the Lord is a guard; he surrounds and defends all who fear him.”

Psalm 61:5 (NLT) reads, “…You have given me an inheritance reserved for those who fear your name.”

The Hebrew midwives feared God more than the King and they did not succumb to the king’s threat.  God saw this and rewarded the midwives by giving them families of their own.

When we choose to stay in the fear of the Lord, God will defend us and will reward us with His intended purpose and ministry of our own.

The Apostle Paul exhorts us in his writings to the Galatian Church: “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up”  (Galatians 6:9).

Lord, protect me against the voices of offense that surround me and frequently point out the shortcomings of those in ministry.  Help me to stay in the presence of the fear of the Lord.  Season my heart with much grace and mercy towards myself and with others—as we continue to be transformed into the image of Christ.  In Jesus’ name, amen.

But it’s just a Small Stain!

By Kathi Woodall –

Looking so pretty in one of her favorite dresses, my five-year-old daughter was ready for church. I warned her to be careful not to drip any chocolate milk on her dress.

“I’ll be careful, mom.”

She put the cup to her mouth. The next thing we knew and before we could stop it, the damaging drip rolled down the side of her mouth and landed on the front of her dress.

Her daddy told her to go to her room and pick a different dress from her closet. With chocolate still on her mouth, her face wrinkled up into a cry. “But it’s just a small stain!” she cried as the tears started to flow. True to her perseverant nature, or should I say stubborn nature, she continued to cry. Between sobs she would remind us, “But it’s just a small stain!”

As I loaded the dishwasher and watched this play out, her repetition of the phrase, “But it’s just a small stain!” struck something within me. As my five-year-old cried because she wasn’t getting her way, I wondered how many adults cry out those same words to God as the Spirit works to reveal the sin in their life.

The Spirit prompts, “Did you lie to your boss?”

You answer, “But it’s just a small stain!”

“Were you mean to your husband? Were you impatient with your children?”

You cry, “But it’s just a small stain!”

“Did you gossip at church?”

You plead, “But it’s just a small stain!”

We may think we are a good person and those small stains won’t really matter but God does not see it that way. I thought of the verse, “For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it” (James 2:10 NIV). Whether the stain was small or ran all the way down my daughter’s front side didn’t matter. Either way, the dress was still stained and she could no longer wear it to church. Likewise, we all have stains on our souls. Because of those stains, we can no longer have a personal relationship with God. He looks at us and in His sovereignty says, “Although you wash yourself with soda and use an abundance of soap, the stain of your guilt is still before me” (Jeremiah 2:22 NIV). However, He also looks at us with love and compassion stirs within Him. That is why He provided a way for our stains to be removed. “Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless” (Ephesians 5:25-27 NIV).

Have you allowed Jesus to wash away your stains?  Don’t let stubbornness rule as you, like my daughter, keep crying, “But it’s just a small stain.”

The Mystical, Mythical Moon

By Janet Morris Grimes –

I have always been enchanted by the moon. Majestically traveling across the night sky, its light stops me in my tracks. Powerful enough to cause the tides in the ocean; gentle enough to appear to be winking at me, at times. Consistent enough to control all calendars, the moon is important to all cultures. And when I see it, I have no choice but to lift up a prayer of thanks. I find it comforting, a peephole into heaven.

It has a strange reputation, that moon. In a survey conducted in 1988, 13% of the respondents believed the moon was indeed made of cheese. There could never truly be a ‘man on the moon,’ as it has no water and cannot sustain life, but that hasn’t stopped us from spending billions to visit and investigate. Due to the lack of gravity, a person who weighs 180 pounds here on Earth, weighs only 30 pounds on the moon.

As it turns out, much of what we believe about the moon is actually a myth. Considered the second brightest object in the sky, other than the sun, the surface is actually quite dark. It’s basically a ball of dry rock, with a few craters along the surface. The temperature, when it faces the sun, is over 300 degrees. For the side that is away from the sun, the temperature is -300 degrees.

Still, I find it mesmerizing. I love that Earth only has one moon, as opposed to the 63 moons of Jupiter. A soldier can be in Afghanistan, looking at the moon, and know that his family back home sees the same one.

Perhaps what amazes me most is that the moon itself has no light to offer. It’s value comes from reflecting the sun. And, the more it faces the sun, the more light it has to offer.

The same is true for myself. My value comes from reflecting the Son. Alone, there is little that is good about me. But the more I face the Son, the more light I can reflect.

The mystical, mythical moon. I want to be just like it, when I grow up.

BIBLE VERSE: “…it will be established forever like the moon, the faithful witness in the sky” (Psalm 89:37 NIV).

Setting and Revising Your Goals

By Don Otis –

Warren and Julie are in their 60s, runners and professionals. It was not until after they climbed a peak with me in Colorado that I learned more about them. Both are attorneys. Julie is a judge. She would blast any stereotype you have of what a judge ought to be like. They are unassuming, dedicated, and focused on an interesting goal.

It was on a preliminary hike that Warren told me they plan to run a marathon in all 50 States. They will knock off two more this year in Kentucky and Maine. They have already done 35 states. While running in every state may not sound affordable or logical to you, I want to encourage you to think about what you can do. What kind of goals can you set for yourself? For Warren and Julie, their goal is big. It encompasses years of training and health. They aren’t racing to win, they are running to see new places, keep in shape, and eventually finish their goal.

In Colorado, one of the healthiest states in the nation, one out of every two people is overweight or obese. This should be a national emergency. The costs for medical care are exponentially higher for those who are sedentary. With so many distractions to keep us from healthy activity, it’s no wonder many of us gravitate to the couch after work. We compound our inactivity with poor eating or sleeping habits. When you choose a goal for yourself, there is a built-in self-accountability that helps keep you on track. As one of my clients said, “When I see how hard it has been to lose weight, I don’t want to eat anything that will counteract the work I’ve done.”

The biggest battle is in the mind. This is true for fitness as much as it is for spiritual and moral issues. Your mind is the battleground that leads to success or failure. And in any battle, there is an ebb and flow of winning and losing. We have setbacks. We make unwise decisions. Still, staying focused through establishing goals is one of the keys to success. A goal is established by making a decision. This is true for our spiritual life as well. We know, however, that simply making a decision to follow Christ is no more binding than making a decision to go on a diet or get in shape. It takes commitment, perseverance, and certainly a willingness to sacrifice short-term pleasure for long-term gains.

It is no secret that many of us put on pounds during the winter months where cold and inactivity dominate. Where do you want to be in three months or next year? Any goal, large or small, takes dedication, a plan and some form of accountability. For Warren and Julie, they do their long runs together on the weekends and share the same goal. They have a built-in commitment to the goal, an accountability partner and the means to accomplish their goals.

There are setbacks in life–an injury, the loss or a job, or any number of other interruptions to reaching your goals. Rather than letting failure or inactivity define your life, find ways to creatively overcome these. This means maintaining your workouts in spite of losing your job or cross training (i.e., swimming instead of running) in the face of injury. We naturally find excuses when things don’t go exactly as planned in life. Yet when you come to expect the unexpected, it is easier to navigate toward your goals rather than to let circumstances prevail.

Mental Preparation

By Elaine James –

Mental preparation, as presented by my tennis coach:
“When the stakes are high, I prepare mentally and get in the “zone.” On my way to a tennis match, I believe I will play well. I focus solely on the game, not on other people or the concern that I may play poorly. My attention is only on my racket, the ball, and the court. I typically do not know how the other games are going because I am so focused on my match.

Taking my time and trying to stay composed allows me to think about my strategy. If I allow myself to consider the possibility of a double fault or service error, it usually means it will happen. Before starting my serve, I visualize where it is going, as well as my service motion. I don’t think negatively, as this causes me to focus on all the wrong things. I clear my mind of all clutter, and seek peace, locking in on the ball with intensity. Losing is not an option. It creates disappointment in myself, because I have let my emotions ruin my ability to play well. At times, it even leads to my abusing my racket and/or body. I am very competitive. I lose self-control.”

Here, I present mental preparation for a day:
When the stakes are high, I prepare mentally, as I get in the “zone”. I believe I will do well. My focus is solely on what I have learned, not on other people or the possibility of failing. I don’t think negatively, My purpose and my focus remain on the Lord. I usually don’t know how others are doing because I am focused on my calling. I don’t rush. I try to stay composed. If I even think of a possible screw up, it usually happens. I visualize where I’m being led and His promises. I clear my mind of clutter, seek peace, and stay composed. If I don’t, I will lose confidence, as I allow my emotions to ruin my ability to do well, or abuse my body. I won’t have the self-control needed to refocus.

PRAYER: Father in heaven help me to mentally prepare for each day.

BIBLE VERSE: “Be prepared. You’re up against far more than you can handle on your own. Take all the help you can get, every weapon God has issued, so that when it’s all over but the shouting you’ll still be on your feet” (Ephesians 6:13a, MSG).

 

 

 

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