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).

Sunday Inspiration

By Hally Franz –

A vibrant and beautiful spring season, middle-school kids and pop culture, good song lyrics and travel—these are a few of my inspirational things. Here’s your challenge for the day. Try singing that like Julie Andrews would have as she romped around a bedroom wrapped in drapes or flitted around Austria. I couldn’t get it quite right.

Who doesn’t savor blooms bursting forth with color and smell, like those we enjoyed during this year’s exceptional spring? How refreshing is a change of scenery? Are we not thankful for ballads that bring tears to our eyes? Young teens are full of entertaining comments, and the entertainment industry never fails to shock. These often provide things to write about. However, when these usually reliable arenas of material fail me, I can count on Sunday service for some good food for thought or a message to chew on.

This past Sunday our minister, LaMar, introduced his lesson on Acts 14 with some comments about the wonder of a child. He reminded us how toddlers find cardboard boxes and cords just as interesting as high-dollar toys and giant stuffed animals. And, he shared an experience he had in India as a young adult. He observed a young person hold a Bible with pure unadulterated excitement and joy that may never be seen in our country, where we take our Bibles for granted.

As we grow older, things that once seemed exciting become ordinary, places once grand become small. When we talk about the “eyes of a child,” we feel melancholy, because we know our adult eyes often fail to appreciate what we see or even recognize what is in our presence. Once those childhood days of discovery are behind us, we can’t get them back, but we can pray that God will help us see each day anew with a grateful and inspired heart.

Honestly, there are those dreary days when my own kids annoy me, and the outside world is just discouraging. I can’t travel more than a few times each year, and some days there isn’t anything I enjoy on the airwaves. On Sunday mornings, though, it is hard to leave worship without a feeling of hope. His word, well-written and artfully-delivered truths, and the fellowship of brothers and sisters in Christ; these are a few of my most wonderful blessings.

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, help me always appreciate the wonder in Your creation, and remind me daily that the greatest inspirations come in Your Word, readily and freely available to me whenever I may need it.

“Seek the LORD, and his strength: seek his face evermore. Remember his marvellous works that he hath done; his wonders, and the judgments of his mouth; O ye seed of Abraham his servant, ye children of Jacob his chosen” (Psalm 105:4-6 KJV).

Crappy Situation

By Elaine James –

My Auntie looked down at her folded hands in her lap and got very quiet. I was at the nursing home. It was a recurring moment of disappointment. None of her three daughters had shown up for a visit.

She broke the silence with tears streaming down her cheeks. “They should be here. I’m lucky if one of them comes once a month. Am I being punished? Maybe I did something wrong. What if they never come again?”

The nurse came in to administer her depression medication. In the last year, she had been hospitalized several times and was put in a closed psychiatric ward for severe depression.

On this day, I had come prepared to give my Auntie a loving message. She said “Life is meaningless. I feel empty inside.”

I explained what it meant to have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. “Auntie, people will let you down but Christ never will. Your constant battle with sadness is not helping you get better. Are you willing to give this crappy situation to God?” I paused. She seemed to be listening, so I continued. “I know it stinks, but you can commit your life to Christ and allow Him to help you. His loving arms extended wide open on the cross. Jesus’ death was a free gift that paid the penalty for your sins. It opened the door to eternal life.”

She admitted “It never was explained that simple before.” She prayed and asked God to forgive her sins and admitted she needed a Savior. We prayed for her daughters and asked God to help her with her depression.

I dedicated some time daily for a 2-3 minute phone call where we did devotions together. Then I tapered down to every other day and eventually, once per week. Within a month of praying that prayer, two Christian women from the neighborhood started visiting my Auntie on a regular basis. They had much in common and enjoyed each other’s company. Together they read the word and prayed.

When we face such situations, clenching our fists and demanding life be fair is not the solution. It is a continuing punishment that leads to depression. But when we open our hands up to God, inviting Him into our situation, it leads to unimaginable resolutions.

“God looked and saw evil looming on the horizon— so much evil and no sign of Justice. He couldn’t believe what he saw: not a soul around to correct this awful situation. So he did it himself, took on the work of Salvation, fueled by his own Righteousness” (Isaiah 59:15 MSG).

Vacation

By Janet Morris Grimes –

In a couple of weeks, our family will be on vacation. This particular year will not bring us to the peaceful beaches or massive theme parks we see in the photos of our friends. Instead, the Grimes Family will be headed to Branson, Missouri.

Jealous?

Branson has become America’s variety show theme park; the vacation capital of the world, for those over 80 years of age. But it is here that we find our oldest daughter performing in the live show of Veggie Tales, and nothing is more rewarding than watching your child do something they excel in, no matter where that happens to take you.

Branson also offers a great water park, some beautiful lakes, and what we crave most in this particular year. Togetherness.

It is our much-needed vacation. Swimming pool, nothing on the agenda, quiet walkways beside lakes we didn’t know existed until we arrived, and conversations that don’t take place over Skype or with a text. We get the chance to be together, under one roof at the same time, something that has become a rare occurrence for our family of five.

This is the place where we will reunite, rest, and probably order a pizza or two. We might grill out, rent a jet ski, catch a movie, or choose to do nothing. But we will do it together.

And we will sing a few songs with the most adorable dancing vegetables you have ever seen.

The memories we create will be as unique as the quirky family God created us to be.

And personally, I am counting down the days.

PRAYER: Dear God, thank You for the sights, smells, scents and touch of summer. Thank You for this time to be together. Bless it and be glorified, and continue to direct our paths.

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