God Can Do It!

By Kathy Carlton Willis

I was reminded this week just how big our God is. I knew, I just KNEW that God had something around the corner for us. I had guesses as to how He might take care of us and show us a glimpse of His love. But I didn’t REALLY know. In fact, I had no clue just how powerful God is to change our outcome.

I think what I’ve experienced can be called “mustard seed faith.” I had a little bit of faith. I had faith enough to think mustard seed-sized things might happen. But God took my little bit of faith and honored it by showing me just how BIG He is. WOW!

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WORSHIP: All That Jazzy

My Boston Terrier, Jazzy, worships me.  Maybe worship is too strong of a word, but I don’t think so.  She follows me from room to room just to be by my side.  She’ll rest at my feet or beg to lie in my lap.  When I take a nap, she jumps up in bed and pressed the small of her back against the small of my back.  She covers me with her kisses and looks up at me with an expression of adoration on her face.  She trusts me to provide for all of her needs and many of her wishes.  When I come in the door, she can’t wait to greet me.  Jazzy is content just being with me.

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Time Out!

“Mister, I need to GO,” whined Jimmy as he tugged on the ref’s pant-leg.  “Okay, go tell your coach to call a time out for your team,” said the referee. “No, Mister, I need to go NOW!” pleaded Jimmy.  What could the ref do, but send Jimmy to the restroom, while calling a time out.  They were only second grade, don’t you know!

There are times when we all need to take a time out.  Sometimes, it is a gradual building up of pressure that screams we need a break.  Other times, it’s an urgent warning that we need to stop everything right NOW and take a time out!

A story is told of a man and woman who challenged each other to split wood for eight hours, and at the end of the time, see who had the largest woodpile.  Every hour the woman took a break.  The man went nonstop, thinking the extra time would amount to a larger woodpile.  To him, it meant easy victory.  At eight hours, there was only one obvious winner.  The woman’s woodpile was much larger.  The man asked, “How can this be?  I worked the entire time, while you took a break every hour.”  The woman responded, “I used that time to sharpen the ax!”

We each need to take time to sharpen our proverbial axes.  What should we do, when we take a break from our everyday busyness?  First, think of the word break spelled as BRAKE.  Stop what you are doing; put the brakes on.  When we slow down the inner quietness allows us to hear God’s still small voice more clearly.  Through Him we find the peace that we can’t seem to find anywhere else.  We relax, allowing our physical and emotional wellbeing to rejuvenate and reenergize.  As one commercial so aptly put it, “Calgon take me away!”

The Bible sets up a time for spiritual renewal.  In the Old Testament that time was called the Sabbath.  Many New Testament Christians set aside time for the Lord the first day of the week.  Unfortunately, because of our busy workweeks, Sunday becomes the only day to complete chores and errands, and it is no longer a day of rest.

AUTHOR QUOTE: Are you feeling an urgent need to leave the playing field of Life for a break?  Just ask for a time out.  It’s not just for ballgames or errant children.  It can be ours today!

“And he said, My presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest,” Exodus 33:14.

Today’s devotion is by Kathy Carlton Willis, wife to Russ, pastor’s wife to many, author, editor, publicist, and speaker.  Kathy Carlton Willis Communications encompasses her many passions.  Learn more at: http://kcwcomm.blogspot.com/ or http://www.kathycarltonwillis.com/.

Transplant Trauma

By Kathy Carlton Willis –

We had just moved into our new home and the new sod, trees and landscaping floundered. Of course, it didn’t help that we were melting in a 100-degree heat wave. But the crux of the problem was transplant shock. Uprooting those green leafies from their old, comfortable setting and placing them into strange new surroundings traumatized them.

We did all we could to “love on” our greenies. They received refreshing drinks of water once or twice a day, requiring my husband to spend a good amount of time rotating the sprinklers to saturate the entire property. Even with the proper care, the bright green leaves of grass, trees and plants faded to a straw-like gold. Transplant Trauma.

We noticed it took time and proper care for the transplants to adjust to their new surroundings, and then they snapped out of the shock and turn green again.

Many Americans move to new locations as transplants. The month of May spotlights National Moving Month and Creative Beginnings Month. It’s no surprise that many of us look for fresh ways to start anew and learn to bloom where we’re planted.

I’m a transplant too. I’m not from around here. Perhaps you moved to a new area because of a new job or you moved your membership to a new church. God rarely has us planted in the same soil for life. God uproots us, taking us from the comfort of what we know and love, and moves us to a new area where we can flourish. Maybe God moves us to revive something that is parched and dry, to rejuvenate with our refreshing green ministry efforts. Hurting people and hurting programs look for a fresh new covering of green. Because of our faith in the Lord, we are part of the landscaping team to provide a spiritual covering, a layer of prayer support and green renewal of life.

But when we move to our new surroundings, sometimes it takes a while to get acclimated. We can’t minister or encourage others, because we no longer feel rooted as deeply into our spiritual nourishment. We fade as we go through a period of transplant trauma. Shock. The refreshingness of our green—the good intentions we bring with us—are temporarily turned to dry hay. With the right amount of time to adjust, and with the loving care of our new surroundings, we green up again. It’s good to know it’s just a temporary condition.

Sometimes we come to a new place still grieving the loss of our previous setting. We bring that trauma with us until we come to accept it. Other times, eager to get started in our new surroundings, culture shock stands in our way. We adapt. We add the water of the Word, confirming our calling to our new spot. We soak in the SONlight. We allow our Heavenly Master Gardener to tend to our needs while we tend to the needs of others.

And when in doubt, repeat this phrase, “Transplant trauma is temporary. God’s tender loving care is permanent.”

“They are like trees planted along the riverbank, bearing fruit each season. Their leaves never wither, and they prosper in all they do” (Psalm 1:3 NLT).

Expiration Date

By Kathy Carlton Willis –

“Is it okay to use cheese that has mold on it? Can’t I just cut off the mold and use the good part?”

This was a recent question on the Rachel Ray television show. It got my attention because I’m guilty of letting food park in my refrigerated “garage” too long. I hate to let things go to waste, but I won’t use food that might make me sick. So how do you know?

Rachel Ray answered the cheese question by saying the moldy cheese will never taste as good again, even if the mold is removed, unless it was a moldy cheese to begin with, such as Gorgonzola. She went on to mention another offensive item in the refrigerator, anything past its expiration date. I’ve heard it time and time again that the expiration date is there for a reason—I get that. But what if the date is a “sell by” date instead? Then how do you know if the item is still okay? Usually it is the milk that has a sell by date, and there is an easy way to tell if it has gone bad—if you are willing to recruit your nose for the job!

One tip I learned early in my marriage was how to know if eggs are still fresh—and these can be used past the expiration date. Put the suspicious egg in a bowl of salted cold water. If it floats, throw it out. If it sinks, it is fresh. If it swims somewhere in the middle of the water—neither floating nor sinking—it is safe to use for baking or for deviled eggs, but not fresh enough for an eggs and bacon breakfast.

All this talk about expiration dates got me to thinking about our time to leave this earth. Some believe when it is your time to go, it will happen no matter what you do to alter the date and time. I know a few cases documented in the Bible of people who actually were able to bargain with God for a later expiration date.

One thing we should focus on more than the expiration date is the “use by” date. Yep—I fooled you. That is the same as the expiration date. You know what that tells me? All creation is meant to be useful to the very end. Usefulness to God might look a lot different from the “usefulness” we struggle to achieve. While doing good works is good, what God really finds useful is when we are in fellowship with Him. He created us to walk and talk with Him. And really—can’t we continue that to the very end?

In the great egg test of life, I hope God finds that I sink rather than float. And if you knew my swimming ability, you would realize just how possible that might be.

Feeling expired? Trade it in for feeling INSPIRED.

“And there are distinctive varieties of operation [of working to accomplish things], but it is the same God Who inspires and energizes them all in all” (1 Corinthians 12:6 AMP).

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