Prince Charming

By Carin LeRoy –

He caught my eye right away–the tall, lean guy with sun-bleached hair. It was love-at-first-sight for me. A mutual friend introduced us in the hallway during my first week of college.

Wow, I thought, I’d love to go out with him.

As a young girl, I had dreamy thoughts of who my Prince Charming might be and what he’d look like. Would he be tall or average height? Would he be blue or brown-eyed? What color would his hair be? Would he be handsome and funny? I had this weird idea that God would probably give me a husband, but that I’d probably not like him too much. Or that he’d be a great Christian, but he’d be ugly. God would give everyone else a great guy, but he’d give me the leftovers.

I remember the day the tall, lean guy with the sun-bleached hair sat by me in class. It was the end of my junior year in college, three years after I’d met him. (I guess it took him a while to notice me!) My heart must have skipped several beats.

“Hi,” he said calmly, “mind if I sit here?”

Are you kidding? I don’t think I absorbed too much of the lecture that day.

Yes, I married the tall, lean guy with the sun-bleached hair. He was everything I’d hoped for and far more. His devotion for God, his love and faithfulness to family, and his commitment to serve others made him my ideal choice. Marriage isn’t always perfect as you work through some of the bumps, but he’s definitely perfect for me.

What made me think that God would give me the ugly leftovers in a guy? Sometimes we have a distorted view of who God is. God loves to surprise us with the great plans He has for us–if only we’d just be patient and wait. Too many times we jump ahead of God’s plan, and then we live with that regret. So whatever place you find yourself today, remember that God does have a great plan for you, too. Be willing to wait on His timing.

PRAYER: Lord, thank You that You have great plans for me. Give me understanding and a proper view of who You are. Help me not to be impulsive and jump ahead of Your plan, but give me patience to wait for Your timing in my life.

“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you, declares the Lord” (Jeremiah 29: 11-14 NIV).

Conversing with Horses

By Hally Franz –

There’s a youth horse competition next week, and my daughter has been preparing under the watchful tutelage of her grandfather. I don’t ride, but have observed enough lessons and practice sessions to know that riding success and safety is largely dependent on proper communication with the animal.

The rider uses her body to let the horse know what is expected. A gentle squeeze of the legs sends a message to the horse, as does an affirming pat on the horse’s neck. Riders are trained to look beyond where they are going rather than where they are. The horse senses this slight movement of the rider, and it conveys direction. Likewise, a horse may lean into his owner when the grooming feels especially good, or resist face grooming if struck there by a previous owner. When verbal commands are used, they are simple one-word communications. Good horsemen have mastered these communication cues and signals in order to get the best from their horses.

Communicating with husbands can present different challenges. I am a counselor by profession and by nature; my husband is a military-minded mechanic. I enjoy talking and listening; Tim—not so much. In our nineteen-year marriage, I have tried to educate him on the complexities of verbal and non-verbal communications. For example, it is rude to frantically thump your fingers on the table while someone is talking to you. That tends not to build rapport. He has tried to convince me of the merits of the K.I.S.S. Method (Keep It Simple, Stupid). Typically, by the time I have finished my introductory lines in a conversation, he has cautioned me not to “beat a dead horse.”

Talking to horses mandates knowledge of a certain equine language. Communicating with husbands often requires patience and acceptance.

Talking with our Heavenly Father is much easier. He understands any language we wish to use, but enjoys a respectful approach when we come for a visit. He has offered suggestions on what to say, but will listen to anything that burdens us. We can tap our fingers and use lots of words, and it is fine with Him. We need not look for just the right moment or make an appointment. He is there, ready and willing to listen.

That’s something worth talking about!

PRAYER: Gracious Father, thank You for being available whenever I need You, for understanding my needs when they aren’t communicated just right, and for accepting my muddled prayers exactly as they are delivered.

“The LORD is far from the wicked, But He hears the prayer of the righteous.” (Proverbs 15:29 NKJV).

Gone Fishing!

By Donna McCrary –

“It is time to go.” My Dad would whisper. I rubbed my eyes under the dim light of the stars still shining through the window. A surge of excitement catapulted me out of bed. I knew time was ticking, and if I waited too long, he would leave without me. I would quietly race down the hill to catch up with him as he completed his final trip to the dock, loaded down with the necessary tackle for a great day of fishing. I proudly claimed my seat in the back of the boat as we set out on our adventure.

I loved fishing! But I never caught a fish that opened its mouth and spit out a coin. No, never did.

But Simon Peter did.

Jesus told Peter, “Go to the sea, cast in a fishhook, and catch the first fish that comes up. When you open its mouth you’ll find a coin” (Matthew 17:27).

As I read this story in Matthew, I just laughed. Can you imagine Jesus telling Peter, a skilled fisherman, to go fishing for money? Crazy! Even silly! Why would Jesus, the man who healed the sick, cast out demons, turned water to wine, made the blind see, tell Peter to go fishing for money

I would have laughed at my dad like he was crazy if he told me to drop my hook in the water because I was going to catch a fish with a coin in its mouth.

Any little girl can tell you money does not grow on trees. And fish don’t burp coins!

Peter was obedient and went faith fishing. He trusted Jesus would provide even in the craziest way. He also did his part to receive the coin.

Having faith and taking action are two simple steps for a great blessing.

If I was Peter, would I have gone fishing? Would I have trusted Jesus to provide through a fish, or would I ask for a simpler way? Would I be obedient and dig out my fishing tackle, go to the ocean, and cast my line? Or would I just go home? Would I be willing to stand on the shore and wait on the fish to bite or would I give up on God’s timing?

Sometimes God tells us to go fishing. It is up to us to take it from there.

PRAYER: “Lord, help me to know Your voice and grow my faith so I will take action, even when it sounds like the craziest thing to do!”

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not rely on your own understanding; think about Him in all your ways, and He will guide you on the right paths” (Proverbs 3:5-6 HCSB).

In Our Time of Need

By Cynthia Ruchti –

My sister Carol carried a double major in college—Vocal Music Education and Spanish. At the time, all music education majors were required to pass Piano Proficiency to demonstrate at least a moderate ability to play the piano. The challenge was equivalent to passing the state bar exam while undergoing a root canal.

For whatever reason, and despite her love of music and outstanding skill vocally and on the French horn, at that time Carol and a piano knew nothing but discord in their relationship.

But getting her degree depended on passing Piano Proficiency. So she studied and practiced and agonized and fought off an army of knife-wielding nerves while the family prayed.

Often the phone rang with, “Get on your knees! Carol’s taking Piano Proficiency again!”

We prayed and consoled when she was handed negative results and told to retry in a few weeks. We prayed and consoled ten times.

We knew she could do it. And we knew God answers prayer—not because we deserve it but because He is merciful and gracious. So Carol took the risk and we who love her took to our knees an eleventh time.

Did you hear the shouts of joy from all over Wisconsin when after those unsuccessful attempts she passed Piano Proficiency and was freed from ever going through it again? Yup, that was us.

Did the Lord make her great at the piano that day? Or did He make the instructor think she was great so she could pass the test? It doesn’t matter. Either way, it was God’s grace.

Today she’s an amazing Spanish teacher who uses her music skills for worship.

Has the Lord intervened in your life to get you through the impossible, feed your courage to try again, take another risk, or trust, despite the odds?

AUTHOR QUOTE: When your need is great, tap into His limitless need-meeting ability.

“Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need” (Hebrews 4:16 NIV).

Smarts and Hard Work

By Hally Franz –

There is a large Amish community about 45 minutes from my home, and my family and some friends spent a day there recently. It was fascinating to see examples of Amish craftsmanship and ingenuity within their nearly self-sustaining culture. While I am not a scholar of the Amish lifestyle and faith, it is evident that hard work is valued greatly among this group of people. We observed children helping at shops and in gardens, learning everyday skills important to both the family and community. Each family member, other than the very young, holds an important responsibility within the workings of the home. Each is relied upon to ensure success of the whole. I have to wonder if a culture that largely rejects modern ideas and conveniences of the outside world has much appreciation for the current expression “work smarter, not harder.”

On the other hand, we “English” seem always to be seeking new ways to make work and life easier. Whether it is finding the perfect tool for a tricky culinary job or subscribing to the fastest internet provider, we desire methods for increased ease and efficiency. However, our most basic appliances, machinery and comforts are far beyond what is found at an Amish home or farm.

I suppose this is not wrong, but I do question how it impacts our children. We want to raise hard-working young people, but is it possible we are making that job increasingly difficult to do?
While they might not see it as such, there is a considerable degree of hardship and suffering associate with the hard work that the Amish do in their daily lives. And, if those types of challenges build character, are we depriving our children of invaluable work experiences?

Perhaps our parenting challenge then is this: How can we prepare our children for a life that includes service and hard work, a life where things are not and should not always be easy? We can start by requiring kids to participate daily in family chores. They can be given household tasks that are dirty and gross; they still need to be done. We can make changes like having our children rake leaves rather than blow them. We can assign push-mowing instead of the more comfortable riding mower.

Where child-rearing is concerned, it is very likely smarter to make the work harder.

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, grant me the wisdom to raise my children well. Help me set high expectations for them, allowing them the opportunity to learn from challenges and hard work, and resisting the urge to always make life easier.

“In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, we command you, brothers, to keep away from every brother who is idle and does not live according to the teaching you received from us.” (2 Thessalonians 3:6 NIV).

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