Rest in Peace

By Kathy Carlton Willis –

Shh—don’t tell anyone I said this, but—I slept really well last night because Russ happened to be out of town. Yep, I said it! I sleep better when I’m “sleepin’ single in a double bed” (well actually a queen size)! I do less tossing and turning, and do more of the deep slumber needed for restorative sleep.

You may ask, “Kathy, that’s all fine and good, but I thought I was going to read an inspirational message today. What does your sleep pattern have to do with my spiritual life?”

I think there are several thoughts for us to consider today. As seen in today’s verse, Jesus promises rest from our labor and our burdens when we come to Him.

Unfortunately, sometimes we bring things to bed with us that hinder our sleep—like our worries and concerns. Our minds are consumed with thoughts not conducive to rest. We bring our anger or our hurt feelings, and lick our wounds rather than seeking rest for our souls. When we bring something with us, to try to come to Jesus, we won’t find rest. It’s a form of rest, but not the good restorative sleep like when we leave it all behind.

Rest is defined as: freedom from activity or labor; peace of mind or spirit; a rhythmic silence in music; something used for support; free of anxieties. When I look over that definition, and realize Jesus promises rest, I yearn for it. I long for Him to give me even more peace of mind, and freedom from activity.

Curious that the definition also includes the musical term “rest.” It means a silence or pause. I like that. Jesus can silence the thoughts and feelings whirling around in my head. I realize I have to do my part in creating the environment for that to take place. I wonder what my wandering thoughts would do if I barked out the order, “Silence!”

Would my thoughts shake in their little boots or would they laugh at me and say, “You don’t really mean it!”

AUTHOR QUOTE: Let your thoughts and attitudes know you mean business. Drop all your bags at the door, as you run into the arms of your loving Savior.

“Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28, KJV).

Today’s devotional is by Kathy Carlton Willis, with a communications firm by the same name. She spins many plates as a publicist and writer. She belongs to Christian Humor Writers, CLASSeminars and the local plate-spinners union. Learn more about how she shines the spotlight on others at: http://kcwcomm.blogspot.com/ or http://www.kathycarltonwillis.com/.

Bravery and Fear

By Donna McCrary and Sherri Holbert

“Bravery and fear are the same emotion.” I heard that statement on the radio. Immediately I chuckled. I was thinking of my children’s faces as they walked down the long corridor, snaking through the iron barriers to the entrance of Space Mountain. This was their first trip to the Magic Kingdom! They had a swell of adrenaline and emotions inside them: excited, scared, confused.

My daughter, nine, is the inquisitor. How fast will it go? Will it be fun or scary?  What happens if it breaks?  Mommy, do you like roller coasters?  Daddy, have you even been on Space Mountain before? She was preparing for the unknown. We continued to tell them few details of the ride. We would repeat over and over to her relentless questions, “Trust us! It’s fun. You’ll like it.”

My son, seven, who lives at a speed of mach 3 on normal days, was running around at mach 10! He was bouncing, swinging on the poles, tugging at our arms. He was bopping around so fast he was only hearing half of the answers to his sister’s questions. He would swing into the conversation and hear the question, “Is it safe?” Then he would swing the other direction as we answered. You can imagine our difficulty in reassuring him when the answers he was hearing sounded like: “Will…break…will…hurt…roller coaster… Space Mountain.”

As our space shuttle ride vehicle arrived, it hit them; frozen and silent they stood. This was the moment where bravery and fear were the same emotion; the moment they had to take the step of bravery and experience the thrilling, pitch black ride into the unknown. With panic in my son’s eyes, in all his innocence he whispered, “I’m scared!”

His honest confession was followed by his sister’s, “Me too.”

We reassured them again, “You are supposed to be a little scared—that is part of the thrill.”

Are you frozen by your fear? Are you asking God question after question to prepare for the unknown? Are you bee-bopping through life so fast that you can’t hear God?

Your walk of purpose will be full of fearful moments. God is telling you, “Trust Me. It will be worth the ride.”

AUTHOR QUOTE: Turn your fear into bravery… it is the same emotion. Will you stand frozen or step out in faith?

“In God I will praise His Word, in God I have put my trust; I will not fear what flesh can do unto me” (Psalm 56:4, KJV).

Today’s devotion is by Donna McCrary and Sherri Holbert. As Life Coaches, they equip women to discover their life purpose. Learn more about their study DIVAS of the Divine: How to live as a Designer Original in a Knock Off World at www.walkofpurpose.com.

College Coping

By Robin Steinweg –

Remember what Mark Twain said about raising teens? He suggested they be put in a barrel and fed through the bung hole. At sixteen you close up the hole.

We never went through that. In fact, we can’t get enough of our sons. Nope, the trouble we had was Texas. The three-year Bible college that was a perfect fit for our oldest boy was in Dallas, Texas, a thousand miles away. I don’t hold Texans personally responsible for this.

I think there ought to be support groups for families with youngsters going off into the world. It should begin with Lamaze—special breathing exercises to get you through a prolonged transition. Maybe ice chips. Or visualizing your young adult in your Happy Place or right at the dinner table.

Parenting classes should include at least one week of preparing to say goodbye. Pain management clinics might at least offer brochures on how to cope.

I turned to others who had (apparently) lived through it. This was not helpful. Some teared up, put a comforting (?) hand on my arm and could say nothing. Others were obviously in denial or maybe had had shock therapy. They said they could hardly wait for the Blessed Event.

His senior year included the last Christmas concert, last fundraiser, last choir tour and last prom. Summer brought his last week working at the local grocer’s, last family fun day at the Dells, last worship service together. I remembered all the firsts we’d had with him: the first goodbye as he left the womb, first smile, first tooth, first time he sat up, first word, first steps, first haircut.

We squeezed his belongings into the car. It felt like helping to build my own gallows. I can’t believe we took him down there—and left him! But we did it. We drew closer to the Lord, He helped us survive, and now it’s three years later. I am compelled to write encouragement to parents who are facing this. There is hope. They graduate, and then…

They come back!

Our younger son is a senior. Here we go again.

AUTHOR QUOTE: Find reasons to rejoice in all the firsts, lasts and in-betweens. Trust in the First and Last, who gives more grace than sufficient to meet every need.

“To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven” (Ecclesiastes 3:1, KJV).

Today’s devotion is by Robin J. Steinweg. Robin’s life might be described using the game Twister: the colored dots are all occupied, limbs intertwine (hopefully not to the point of tangling), and you never know which dot the arrow will point to next, but it sure is fun getting there!

Sailing on the Ships of Life

By Kathy Carlton Willis –

We are all sailing on the ships of life as we journey to our Heavenly destination. The key to success is realizing that it takes more than a good wind to get us there! There is a song sung by children, about these ships. It gave me a seed thought for this article.

RelationSHIPS: All of us have relationships. The first group of people we have relationships with are our relatives. How we get along with our parents, our spouses, our children and our extended families is a key ingredient to happiness. The book Five Love Languages gives good insight regarding communicating with people by speaking in their love languages. We also have relationships with those we aren’t related to. How do you get along with your in-laws? Your co-workers? Your fellow church-members? Your neighbors?

FriendSHIPS: Once I led a friendship study with other women. We met during our lunch hour every other week to discuss thought-provoking questions from Dee Brestin’s study, The Friendships of Women. We realized that most people have been burned by at least one friendship in the past, and often hide in their comfort zones because of this. But if we want a fulfilled life, it is essential to step out of our comfort zones and develop friendships at deeper levels than we presently have. This might mean reaching out to new friends or strengthening existing friendships.

HardSHIPS: No life is exempt from hardships. I believe trials make a person who he or she is. A person with an easy life might not have an opportunity to develop rich character traits and virtues. It’s not wise to try to avoid struggles and strife. The Bible even says we should count it all joy when we are going through hard times. There are many kinds of hardships, including finances, health, relationships and more. What will you allow your trials to make of you?

LordSHIP: The key to sailing through life in these ships is to realize one thing, and that is the principle of making Jesus Christ LORD of our lives. I’m not just talking about living your own life and adding God to it. I mean allowing God to be your Master. We must ask Him to mold our lives and lead us as we sail through life. By letting God guide your ship, when you hit the storms in life, you will discover the calm assurance of the Peace Speaker.

AUTHOR QUOTE: Where will you go as you sail on the ships of life? No matter where it takes you, may God be your Captain.

“My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into diverse temptations; Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience” (James 1:2-3, KJV).

Today’s devotion is by Kathy Carlton Willis, wife to Russ, member of Christian Humor Writers, editor, publicist and a certified CLASSeminars speaker. Kathy Carlton Willis Communications encompasses her many passions.  Learn more about how she reflects Christ as she shines the spotlight on others at: http://kcwcomm.blogspot.com/ or http://www.kathycarltonwillis.com/.

Dead Jesuses

By Peter Lundell –

I visited two churches in downtown Los Angeles. And they both had dead Jesuses.

One was the first church ever erected here, when L.A. was just a pueblo built by settlers from Mexico. At the back of the sanctuary lay a statue of Jesus dead in the tomb. He was white as a ghost, with plastic rays spiking out from his head, safe under a Plexiglas cover. People stood and worshipped him. I was not inspired.

The other church was a beautiful Italian Renaissance structure with an imposing Greek colonnade smacked on the front. Trees obscured the statues above the columns. Everything on the edifice was written in Latin, and the only English was a small historical plaque the city had stuck on it. People passed by without a glance. The building and grounds were well maintained, but the doors were locked and lacked any kind of handle. I peeked through the crack between the doors to see white marble floors, walls and altar—empty. Cold and bare, uninviting and irrelevant.

One church has an actual dead Jesus with worshippers who pay their respects as they would at a funeral. The other has no Jesus or anyone at all—a dead and gone congregation along with whatever Jesus they once worshipped. By the looks of the church edifice, they considered Jesus rich and respectable—like themselves.

If you worship Jesus, what kind of Jesus do you worship?

Is He respectable? He who was a rabble-rousing misfit.

Is He meek and mild? He who took on demons and a temple full of merchants.

Is He sophisticated? He who was homeless.

Is He absent most of the time? He who left the throne of heaven to walk in our midst.

Or is He beyond categorization?

And alive. Alive like a fire burning.

PRAYER: Jesus, take me, my whole life. I am Yours and You are mine. Keep me from deadness in how I see You and worship You. Burn Your Holy Spirit’s fire in me. I will in turn share it with others who need a living Jesus.

“If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me, and let the one who believes in me drink. Just as the scripture says, ‘From within him will flow rivers of living water.’ (Now he said this about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were going to receive, for the Spirit had not yet been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified)” (John 7:38–39, NET).

Today’s devotion is by Peter Lundell, author of Prayer Power. A rising new voice on connecting with God, he is a pastor, Bible college teacher and conference speaker. Visit him at www.PeterLundell.com for his inspirational “Connections” and free downloads of articles, parables, short stories and book chapters.

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