My Weakness is His Strength

By Donna McCrary –

“Mom, why are you crying? What is wrong with your voice?” These are not the words I wanted to hear as I exited the church platform.

It was a simple invitation to an upcoming women’s event at my church – a basic two minute date-time-and-place announcement. As I sat down at my seat my daughter’s innocent questions only added more injury to my already crushed speaking ego. I was nervous and overwhelmed with panic during the two minute announcement. My face was flush with a red glow from the “flight or fight” adrenaline rush. I was positive my pounding heart echoed over my cracking voice. Yes, it was that bad! Once I regained my composure and my breath, I made a silent vow to never again hear my voice crackling across any sound system.

Normally, I choose not to re-visit this awkward moment in my speaking career but today as I read this verse I chuckled. “But he (Jesus) said to me, My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 2:9). I have a weakness. My flight response is much stronger than my fight when it comes to standing on a stage. Public speaking is one of the highest ranking fears and I second that motion!

I have kept my vow to never hear my quivering voice over any loud speaker again. It has taken many days on my knees claiming every “fear not” and “speak boldly” scripture I can find to overcome this fear. To be truly honest, when I take my place on stage before any speaking event I am still the red-faced-heart-pounding-quivering-voice person. The difference is I now accept my weakness and allow the Holy Spirit to speak through me. I am always amazed at how nervous I feel right up to the moment when I am handed a microphone. Then and only then do I feel the calming Spirit settle my nerves.

After speaking events and retreats when individuals from the audience share compliments like, “You are natural on stage,” “You have such a way with words,” “You are a great speaker,” I graciously and humbly say thank you. I know my biggest weakness has become one of my favorite strengths because Christ’s “power has been made perfect in me.”

PRAYER: “Father, I thank You for creating me with weakness so I can fully comprehend Your strength and power. May You always be visible in my words and actions, both on and off the stage.”

“But He said to me, My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9 NLT).

Waging War on Immorality

By Hally Franz –

“War Horse” is Steven Spielberg’s recent movie. It is based on Michael Morpurgo’s young adult novel by the same name. Set during World War I, the movie tells the story of a miraculous horse and the boy who raised him. My family saw the movie shortly after the new year began, and we ranked it among other really fine horse movies. Have you ever noticed that there are some awesome movies about horses and football? “Secretariat”, “Dreamer”, “Rudy”, “Remember the Titans” and “Facing the Giants” – good flicks!

This is not a movie review, but seeing “War Horse” did make me realize how very accustomed we are to seeing sights of war. Both of my children, ages 14 and 10, quickly recognize battles from The Civil War, The Revolutionary War or World War II. My son is able to determine from the garb and weapons whether he’s seeing a scene from Korea, Vietnam or Iraq. Most kids can. This is because the images are so prevalent in our movies and media today.

It may not be a bad thing that kids see these scenes from history. They represent the truth of our country and are more meaningful than the graphic violence that is depicted on television nightly. However, it would be nice if our youth were also able to see images of people doing battle with internal forces of evil.

Would they be able to identify a person in crisis? Would our kids know what it looks like when human beings face difficult choices between right and wrong, good and evil? There don’t seem to be many of those situations on TV. Sitcoms are filled with characters who exhibit very little moral character. Questions of right and wrong seem not to be on their radar at all. Characters portray lifestyles involving sex without love or marriage, as well as drug and alcohol use. Consequences or consciences rarely come into consideration. “Reality” shows are just as bad.

Nightly viewing once included dramas like “The Waltons” and “Highway to Heaven”. Comedies were clever and kind, rather than uncreative and crass. While today, people behaving badly can gain celebrity status through reality programming, variety shows once highlighted the real talents of big name celebrities.

There are some exceptions, and, at the risk of sounding terribly old, I am grateful for the stations now running television classics and the few networks geared toward family viewing.

PRAYER: Almighty God, illuminate for our children the struggles they may encounter as they live in this sinful world. While the world provides little instruction, enable them to face the battles between good and evil, right and wrong with wisdom and discernment.

“Everyone has heard about your obedience, so I rejoice because of you; but I want you to be wise about what is good, and innocent about what is evil.” (Romans 16:19).

Water, Water, Everywhere

By Karen O’Connor –

“I’m no plumber but I know a leak when I see one,” said Wanda. “Last week while putting away clean towels in the cabinet under the bathroom sink I noticed a puddle of water right in the middle of two stacks of towels. I turned on the faucet, then looked under the sink again, and sure enough, drip, drip, drip.”

Wanda flopped on the floor and sulked. This was one more problem in a day already filled to the brim. She imagined an exorbitant plumbing bill and days without access to the sink and, well what else could go wrong just before company arrived for a weeklong stay?

“Fred,” she called to her husband who was playing Chess with a friend in the family room. “Can you fix this?” she asked, pointing to the wet area, “or should I call a plumber?”

“I’ll take a look,” he said, then waved her off after examining the damage. “First I have to find my tools, then remove the pipe, do a little fiddling here and there, you know––so it might be some time before I get to it.”

Wanda let out a big sigh. She knew that could mean days or even weeks. Fred was not the handiest of men, though he liked to think he was. So she placed an empty pot on the cabinet floor to catch the water. “At least the towels will stay dry,” she murmured.

A few days later Wanda ran another load of wash. Later while stacking the fresh towels under the sink, she noticed the pot was about to overflow with the collected water. Thank heaven she looked!

Feeling annoyed that her husband had not repaired the damage, and frustrated that he had not at least emptied the pot every few hours she let out a few choice words. “You would think. . . he would at least. . . check it.”

Oh well . . . what else is new? She bent over and carefully removed the pot. One false move and the water would have soaked the entire room. She was grateful for steady hands.

“I’ll empty this thing right now,” she said to herself. “No sense in taking it all the way to the kitchen. I’ll dump it into the sink . . . no, not the sink,” she yelled, catching herself too late, as the water poured right back into the cabinet and spilled onto the floor!

“From six calamities he will rescue you; in seven no harm will befall you” (Job 5:19).

In Sickness and in Health

By Don Otis –

I was minding my own business while running on a treadmill at the gym. The guy on the machine next to me began hacking. He coughed and sneezed through several miles. This raises a question regarding health, safety, and consideration for your fellow gym members.

Being the obsessive-compulsive person that I am, I already wash my hands more than most, open bathroom doors with a paper towel, and try to avoid sneezers and coughers. Perhaps knowledge is power or maybe it’s just something that assaults us with unwanted thoughts regarding our vulnerability. For example, did you know that when you sneeze, the air moves at 100 miles per hour and unleashes 10,000 bacteria and 5,000 droplets (I have no idea who counts these)?

If you are sick and still want to do a workout, go outdoors or someplace where others won’t be placed at risk of your cold or flu. While this seems fairly evident, for many people in our narcissistic culture, thinking about the welfare of others is the last thing on their minds.

In a gym setting, be aware that equipment, handles, buttons, knobs, and doors carry bacteria to avoid. Wipe down equipment if you sweat on it like I do. If you remind yourself that a third of all men refuse to wash their hands after using the bathroom, it may help change your habits in public places like gyms.

Aside from the obvious, germs and bacteria, other risks abound. For example, while riding my mountain bike this past weekend I discovered that a man had died on one of the downhill sections of the trail. He was riding without a helmet. He had a seizure; fell off his bike and struck his head on a rock. He died, not from the seizure, but from the head injury he sustained. If you ride a bike, even if you just plan to do it for leisure, wear a helmet. If you see kids without helmets, encourage them to put one on. And speaking of helmets…

I was climbing Longs Peak outside Denver this summer, near the summit is a section called the Trough. There can be dozens of people in this steep section at any one time, dislodging rocks that gain momentum as they hurl down. Rather than wearing helmets, I saw many climbers taking their chances, and I wondered whether this form of Russian roulette was worth the risk. One bloodied and mangled face is all it takes change our perception of safety.

For those of us who love the outdoors, it’s never possible to eliminate all risks. If you run, be aware of your environment. I have run in areas where there are grizzly bears, mountain lions, and moose. If you run or ride in an urban area, I encourage you not to wear ear buds, but be aware of what’s happening around you–people, cars, sirens, dogs.

Finally, be prepared in case of emergencies. A fall on a high peak in the Rockies last year reminded me that accidents happen without warning. You have to anticipate the possibilities without being deterred from the activity. We can become complacent and forget that bad things can happen, even if we have hiked this trail, run this course, or ridden this route.

Stay safe and enjoy the journey!

Preparing a Place

By Janet Morris Grimes –

I love parties, but I knew this party was a bad idea from the start. Still, that fact did not keep the idea from snowballing into an even bigger bad idea.

Most people cautioned that there were too many variables to hold an outdoor party at the end of December. No matter what, the weather would be a factor even if it chose to cooperate. The amount of work this event would require was daunting. Many friends offered their homes.

But I had a vision of how I wanted this 18th Surprise Birthday Party for my daughter to be. The vision included a covered picnic pavilion, the wind somehow blocked off with plastic walls, a fire roaring in the fireplace, friends and family sipping on hot chocolate while huddled around a heater if necessary and white Christmas lights stretched across the ceiling, creating an unforgettable Winter Wonderland. A unique night that would be a complete surprise.

Some of my friends warned, “This has never been done before.” But that only fed my desire to see my plan to fruition.

It truly took a village to pull the party off, with setup beginning several days in advance. Our entire family, and some very special friends, worked in shifts wrapping the pavilion from pole to pole in thick plastic sheets. By the time the party started, there was a black light room curtained off with balloons, glow in the dark notes, and decorations. We found creative ways to keep the food warm, including the stubborn liquid chocolate of the chocolate fountain that preferred to clump together at the first sight of nightfall. With a photo booth in place for funny photos, the party blowers and confetti ready to celebrate, and fun music forming the soundtrack, we awaited my daughter’s arrival.

I snapped a few pictures between the “set-up” and “party” and could not help but think that preparing a special place for someone required a great deal of love. If we put so much effort into creating a place to be used for a few hours, what must Heaven be like after God has been working on the preparations for so long?

Eternity will be perfect for me—I have no doubt. The work required comes from a direct outpouring of God’s love for me and I can almost see the twinkle in His eye as He anxiously prepares for my arrival. I think our mansions will be unique to each one of us, because He created us so uniquely.

And the best part is that in Heaven, the party continues on forever!

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