In Over My Head

By Charlotte Riegel –

The deadline for my application was fast approaching and I was beginning to feel as if I was ‘in over my head’. We had moved to a new community during the previous year and my love of flowers and gardening pushed me into determining to beautify this new community with more flowers. The county was offering grant money for Community Enhancement and I thought my idea fit the qualifications.

I had never applied for a grant before but a kind neighbor offered to guide me through the process. As various people in the community heard about my project proposal they gave me encouragement because they too wanted to see lots more flowers next summer. Several offered suggestions for where to put new planter boxes and one lady even agreed to assist with planting and caring for the flowers.

I walked around town several times taking pictures. Another friend from a neighboring community sent information about self watering containers and I spent many hours looking through their web site to determine which size of containers to put where. It was coming together nicely but the deadline meant I had to put a dollar figure on the grant application and figuring out all the details was overwhelming me.

Apparently my husband sensed I was getting a bit ‘riled up’ so he graciously accompanied me, camera in hand, to take more pictures, and even offered to do the number crunching. In the evening, another neighbor came to the house and gathered up all the details I had put together then determined he would actually fill out the grant application form together with his project, thereby removing another huge stressor for me.

As I tucked into bed that evening I remembered the scripture verse I read and prayed that morning: “If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you” (James 1:5 NIV).

I took that instruction to heart, prayed that verse asking God for wisdom with this project and by the end of the day it became very obvious He had answered it quite wonderfully.

Prayer: “Thank you, Lord, for being so gracious and helping us when we but come to you with our need for wisdom. Amen.”

The Welcome Mat

By Cheri Cowell –

Hospitality is big business today. Businesses even hire outside firms to help them offer better hospitality. These experts look at everything from the colors of the walls to the scents in the air. They train people on the best practices and explain that it is often the little things that say, “You are important here.” The Temple was to be God’s welcome mat to the whole world. Through it, and the people He chose to oversee it, all the nations of the earth were to be welcomed into God’s presence. Isaiah recorded God’s hospitality training manual for the temple leaders in chapter 56 verses 4-8, but over the years that system had been corrupted. Instead of welcoming people, the temple system had become a way to exclude people, and Jesus was angry about it. Passover was the time when all the nations would be gathered in the city, and the temple should have had the welcome mat out. Instead, it put up barriers and Jesus could no longer take it.

Jesus quotes Isaiah and Jeremiah in this passage in Mark, passages that the temple leaders would have known well. They knew what they were doing was wrong, but when confronted they chose to blame the messenger rather than look at their own sin. When reading this passage it is easy for us to point fingers at the temple leaders, but the question remains for us: How welcoming are our houses of prayer? Are peoples of all nations, social and economic statuses, educational levels, physical abilities, and religious affiliations welcomed by us? Do we make it easy for those who are different to join in and feel a part of our family?

“On reaching Jerusalem, Jesus entered the temple courts and began driving out those who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the moneychangers and the benches of those selling doves, and would not allow anyone to carry merchandise through the temple courts. And as he taught them, he said, “Is it not written: ‘My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations’? But you have made it ‘a den of robbers.’” The chief priests and the teachers of the law heard this and began looking for a way to kill him, for they feared him, because the whole crowd was amazed at his teaching. When evening came, Jesus and his disciples went out of the city” (Mark 11:15-19 NIV).

See also Isaiah 56:4-8. Ask Him to help you become aware this Easter season of those who may need the hand of hospitality extended to them in the name of Jesus, the Messiah.

PRAYER: Dear God, forgive us for turning Your house into a den of thieves, stealing away Your intended purpose for Your people to be the welcome mat for all to come to You.

I Want to be Eddy!

By Liz Cowen Furman –

Since March is big basketball time, I was recalling basketball events in my past. My husband is a coach (a good one) and all three of our boys played. I even coached Micah’s team when he was in 5th grade.

When our oldest was in 9th grade at Conifer High School, he was on the freshman basketball team. Coach Wilson was a wonderful coach, he made the boys believe they could do anything. He also knew the game of basketball, not just how to play, but how to teach others to play the game, which I have discovered is a wonderful combination not often found in coaches.

Our archrival was Evergreen High School and the day before the big varsity game, the freshman team played. My two younger boys and I arrived at Evergreen’s gym over an hour before the freshman game was scheduled to start as I had the wrong time. Typical. The Evergreen varsity team was still practicing.

We quietly sat down in the stands to watch. As I listened to the coach, I heard him shout at one young man, “You be Eddy” and then to my surprise, the entire team tried to figure out what to do to stop Eddy. Aaron Eddy was one of our star varsity players.

I sat there musing about how wonderful it would be to be the big menace. Such a threat that the whole opposing team would be trying to figure out how to stop you. I had to tell his Mom when I saw her the next day. We laughed aloud. I’m sure when she shared that news with her son, he was thrilled.

Later, it struck me. In the spiritual realm, I want to be Eddy!

I want to be so close to Jesus, so in tune with His plan that Satan and his minions will forever be trying to figure out how to get around me.

Don’t get me wrong, I am not taunting Satan. I know he is the ruler of this world, Jesus said so in the book of John. I understand the pain and suffering he can cause. However, I read to the end. We WIN. As long we are on Jesus’ team, no matter how difficult the journey to the finish line, we can know, we win. I take great comfort in that thought!

So don’t lose heart. Stay on the winning team; join with me in being a thorn in the side of the one who causes pain. Let’s be people of prayer, people of action, people of decision and cultivate a thankful heart. Then watch what happens!

Signs on Life’s Road

By Gil Killam –

My wife and I were travelling by car through the Rocky Mountains in BC listening to a radio talk show when we heard this story:

A woman phoned into a talk show and asked why the signs of warning for animal crossings were placed in that location. The talk show host answered, “I think they are there to tell motorists to be careful not to kill the wildlife.”

She said, “I mean, why do they put them in the places where there is heavy traffic?” She went on to say that they need to put them in places where there was less traffic so the animals could see that was a safe place to cross the road. Incredibly, she was serious! We laughed! This conversation went viral on YouTube.

As we continued on our journey, I began look at the many signs we were passing: moose crossing, slow, stop, rough road, bridge out, slippery surface, curve, steep hill, blind driveway, detour, dead end, hiking, skiing, road narrows, construction, two way signs, uneven road conditions, flag man, stop, road washout, exit, information, food, motel, merge, speed limit, icy road, no stopping, obey all signs, fallen rock on highway, blind hill, driveway, bed & breakfast, police, lookout site, etc. These signs are for us! Many of these could apply to life’s road.

These signs were not there to make our trip miserable but to protect us from danger and wrong decisions. To ignore them could be disastrous. If we think about it each one of these signs could apply to signs on our life journey. For example, when we feel tiredness it may be that God is telling us we need to “slow down” or “stop”. When we see a sign of “slippery surface”, we need to take heed. God by his Holy Spirit cautions us to watch for dangers in the road we are taking.

When the Pharisees & Sadducees were asking for a sign, Jesus replied, “When evening comes, you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red,’ and in the morning, ‘Today it will be stormy, for the sky is red and overcast.’ You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times” (Matthew 16:1-3 NIV). In the book of Matthew, Chapter 24, Jesus gave many signs to look for that indicate His second coming to earth so that we would be ready to meet Him.

God has given us all kinds of signs that point us in the right direction, stop us from going down the wrong road, or protect us from danger: we should therefore take heed. The handbook for a safe and successful journey in life is the Bible.

She Looks Like Me on the Inside

By Cindy Martin –

I stood in the hallway of my daughter’s school waiting to pick her up from volleyball practice as she and one of her coaches came out of the locker room. My daughter, Autumn, and I exchanged smiles as she walked toward me. Her coach looked at me and then looked back at Autumn and commented, “I would have never known you two were mother and daughter, your coloring is so different”.

Autumn matter-of-factly replied, “That’s because I’m adopted.” I could tell that her coach was feeling a little uncomfortable at her self-perceived faux pas but it was not an issue for Autumn and me.

We had talked often and openly about her becoming our ‘keeping kid’ so, as we turned to leave, I simply said, “No worries, she looks like me on the inside.” Autumn flashed a grin at me, locked her arm in mine and we headed for the car.

As we drove home that night, I mused on our interaction with Autumn’s coach. “She looks like me on the inside…” Her personality couldn’t be more opposite than mine, yet my daughter is very in tune with my thought processes and emotions. As she develops more independence as a teenager, I see and hear my influence on her in the way she thinks about things and the way she approaches life. Blips of panic began to surface on the radar screen of my mind. Memories of missed opportunities, selfish attitudes and lost tempers flooded my mind. Guilt started to suffocate my spirit. What if she does look like me on the inside? That may not necessarily be a good thing.

I wrestled with these thoughts for several days until God’s word came to slay the dragon of insecurity within me. “You didn’t choose me. I chose you” (John 15:16a NLT). Not only did God choose me to be His child but He also chose Autumn to be my child. I get to be her mom.

“The Lord says, ‘I will guide you along the best pathway for your life. I will advise you and watch over you'” (Psalm 32:8 NLT). God did such a good thing when He brought Autumn into our family. “And I am certain that God, who began the good work within [us], will continue His work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns” (Philippians 1:6 NLT).

Prayer: Thank You Lord that You equip me for whatever life assignments You choose for me. Grant me grace and a desire to lean into the power and wisdom You make available.

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