The Trumpet of the Lord is at Pizza Hut?

By Aubrey Spencer –

My family eats at the Pizza Hut in our small town at least once a week. We always sit in a booth. We know all the wait-staff. We even have the menu memorized. We’re regulars. Recently our local restaurant decided to add a paper towel roll to each table in order to cut down on the excessive use of napkins. Not a bad idea. Except these “napkin savers” sit on scrolly, black metal holders. Holders that completely fascinate my three-year-old son and his vivid imagination. He can’t keep his hands off of them. Before we have been there even five minutes, he has removed the paper towel roll and has transformed the holder into anything from a microphone to a gun to his favorite thing—a trumpet.

Not long ago, we were eating pizza and visiting with a friend who’d stopped by our booth when Oliver grabbed his “trumpet,” stood up in the booth and loudly started to sing “when the trumpet of the Lord shall sound and time shall be no more, when the roll is called up yonder I’ll be there.” I’ve got to be honest, I was half impressed and half worried that he was making a scene. It was funny. It was cute. It was loud. It got me thinking. Am I that bold? I mean, do I stand up—in front of others no less—and profess my faith? Or do I, at times, worry too much what others think of me and miss opportunities to be an instrument for Him? Honestly, I wish I was a little more like my three-year-old. He wasn’t concerned with what anyone thought. He was just excited to blow his trumpet for God. He taught me a lesson that day. And now every time we eat at our local Pizza Hut and I see one of those paper towel holders, I am reminded of my sweet little boy’s boldness and I’m inspired to grab my trumpet as well.

PRAYER: Father, please help me to be bolder in my faith. I oftentimes find myself timid and worried about what others think, and I know I miss opportunities to be used by You. Help me to stand strong and to be effective in Your kingdom.

“So don’t throw away your bold faith. It will bring you rich rewards. You need to be faithful. Then you will do what God wants. You will receive what he has promised” (Hebrews 10:35,36 NIRV).

Today’s devotional is by Aubrey Spencer. Aubrey is a minister’s wife and a stay-at-home mom to two little miracles, Oliver and Ava. She has a passion for writing and entertaining but realizes her greatest ministry at the moment is to raise her children to be people after God’s own heart. She loves to see how God shows up in everyday situations. Read more of her writings at http://ministrymama.blogspot.com.

Do I Have To?

By Cheri Cowell –

I don’t know what it is about children, but they all seem to be wired from birth with that same phrase. I’m sure you can hear the whine in that question, and if you are like me, you can picture yourself standing before your parents as you pleaded your case. If our parents let us get away with that too many times, we probably learned the pattern well and carry it with us today. Maybe not in the same tone or with the same childlike flair, but it is still there. Perhaps it looks more like a roll of the eyes, a big sigh, or maybe a digging in of your heels when someone asks you to do something you don’t want to do. Maybe you label such a person as a nagger, without regard to your own shortcomings. I have to admit I am guilty of all these things. Why do we do this and what is our solution? The Bible offers the answer in today’s passage.

Don’t get caught up in the customs of endowments and polygamy presented in this story. Instead, focus on the heart of Jacob. When he was asked what his wages for working on Laban’s land should be, Jacob requested Rachel’s hand in marriage in return for seven years of labor. Do you focus more easily on the work to be done or the reward to be given for work well done? When Jacob discovered he had been tricked, he was angry, and rightfully so. Yet, instead of taking revenge, he agreed to work another seven years to rightfully earn Rachel as his wife. When we are wronged, it is okay to get angry, but then we must decide to make the situation right. If you tend to blame others instead of looking at your own responsibility in the situation, take a lesson from Jacob and fix your eyes on the bigger prize. It will help the decisions you must make a little easier to handle.

PRAYER: Thank You, Lord, for the prize You offer that is bigger than any obstacle I may face here on earth. Help me focus on that heavenly reward and not on the work to be done. Help me acknowledge Jacob’s lesson by allowing myself to get angry when someone has wronged me, but to then quickly turn my eyes toward the reward.

“When morning came, there was Leah! So Jacob said to Laban, ‘What is this you have done to me? I served you for Rachel, didn’t I? Why have you deceived me?’ Laban replied, ‘It is not our custom here to give the younger daughter in marriage before the older one. Finish this daughter’s bridal week; then we will give you the younger one also, in return for another seven years of work.’ And Jacob did so. He finished the week with Leah, and then Laban gave him his daughter Rachel to be his wife. Laban gave his servant Bilhah to his daughter Rachel as her attendant. Jacob made love to Rachel also, and his love for Rachel was greater than his love for Leah. And he worked for Laban another seven years” (Genesis 29:25-30 NIV).

Today’s devotion is by Cheri Cowell, who writes and speaks on topics of Christian discipleship. Her first book, Direction: Discernment for the Decisions of Your Life, is called a biblically grounded no-nonsense approach to decision-making. To order your copy or to learn more about Cheri, visit her website www.CheriCowell.com

DNA and Other Bonds

By Hally Franz –

It’s the reason we share the two greatest sorrows of our lives. I know without asking her that, aside from our individual challenges and heartbreaks, my sister and I would both identify our parents’ divorce and our father’s sudden passing at 61 as the saddest times we’ve known. It explains why our husbands still can’t tell us apart on the telephone and why we look more alike all the time. When we come up with the same word or thought in a situation, we know it is all about nurture and nature, our shared histories and DNA.

Sisterhood is a special relationship. While I am fortunate to have a biological sister, I also find great joy in my pseudo-sister connections. Isn’t it interesting how many ways there are for women to relate to one another?

Sometimes we feel close to others simply because we’ve known them so long. I live in a small town and attended the same public school system for 13 years. Those of us who entered kindergarten together have a common bond, and, even if we’re not in one another’s lives, there is something meaningful about our shared experiences.

Kids have a way of bringing together like-minded moms. I appreciate the fellowship that I have with other mothers whom I sit with on the bench, work with on school parties, and telephone when there is a sleepover in the works. We’re all in the parenting trenches together, and their company encourages me.

Our interests help us cultivate friendships as well. Some connect over dice at bunko parties, some while on the gym’s treadmills, and others with pictures, stickers and scrapbooks. I have been blessed to meet a group of ladies in my book club. We have a great time reading and ranting each month. We share opinions and confidences, and sometimes, a lively 80s karaoke session.

The women in my church have what we call “The Three D’s Gathering” each month: dinner, devotion and dessert. I love these evenings. They are a chance to become closer to my sisters in Christ. We learn and laugh and grow in faith. We plan to be sisters now and in heaven.

Whether they’ve come through science or circumstance, I love my sisters! And I love the Lord for bringing them into my life.

PRAYER: Father, thank You for the wonderful sister relationships You have brought into my life. May we encourage and uplift one another in Christian love.

“At this they wept again. Then Orpah kissed her mother-in-law good-by, but Ruth clung to her” (Ruth 1:14 NIV).

Today’s devotion is by Hally Franz. Hally is a former high school guidance counselor, turned homemaker. Hally sees each day as a new exercise, where routines change and weights vary. Her goal is to maintain all-around fitness for service, while training her children to be competitive, compassionate and Christ-like in the world in which we live.

Through a Father’s Lens

By Jarrod Spencer –

My parents would probably tell you that I was a handful to raise. I did not do things that would have landed me in handcuffs or send me to the principal’s office. No, I was a smart aleck. My mouth caused me to be a “handful.” I remember being upset with my father and hollering down the hall, “You’re the worst father in the world!” Needless to say, my father came back and let me know he didn’t approve. My parents were smokers and when we didn’t go on a vacation one summer I told them, “If you guys wouldn’t smoke, we’d have at least $520 extra dollars a year to go on a vacation.” That didn’t go over too well, either. Still another time, when I was twenty-two years old, traveling to see my fiancé, I stayed at friends of the family overnight. Mom called to make sure I had arrived safely and I communicated to her that I didn’t need to check in with her. I was older now. This caused her to be very upset with me.

Can you see how I was a handful?

God must have been laughing at me as He knew that when I became a father I would be dealt some humbling blows. I have only been a father for three years, but have already had my fair share of humble pie pieces to eat.

The initial piece was when I saw my firstborn in the flesh and thought, “He’s mine and I’m responsible for him.” I started to feel a love that was unlike anything I’d ever felt. A love that feels pain and “hurts me more than it hurts him.” A love that loves always even when I do not like all the things he does. A love that is proud over the smallest of things.

The other pieces came in times when same said firstborn showed signs of stubbornness or a keen ability to ask for a snack or something to drink at bedtime to be allowed to stay up a few minutes more.

Looking at my son through a father’s lens has caused me to be more appreciative of my parents and what I made them endure. It has also caused me to look at myself differently by viewing what I do through God’s perspective.

PRAYER: Father, thank You for allowing me to become a parent. I’m grateful for the two kids You have blessed me with. I appreciate how my view of my parents has changed after having children. Guide me in raising my children to fear You as I fear You.

“He who fears the LORD has a secure fortress, and for his children it will be a refuge” (Proverbs 14:26 NIV).

Today’s devotional is by Jarrod Spencer. He is a seeker of God’s surprises in everyday life, looking for ways to be used by God with anyone he comes in contact with. He has a passion for encouraging people through the written word and exercises that passion with blogging and sending out a weekly text of encouragement. You can read more of his writings at http://jarrodspencer.blogspot.com and his church’s website is http://www.colbychurch.com.

Unfired Arrows

By Art Fulks –

This year we experienced our oldest flying from the nest. After graduating he left for a one-year missionary tour. He graduated on Thursday, then left to meet his new team on Friday. His three siblings turned his bedroom into a TV room almost before he was out of the driveway. But with the deluge of activities, I’m not sure that my wife and I really felt the impact until sometime later.

Friends of ours watched both their twins graduate high school this year as well. This fall, they left for college in separate directions, one to the north and the other south. Although we still have three kids at home, their sudden “empty nest” status helped me realize that our time will not be that far away.

We have certainly been blessed with four great kids. The Bible is true when it says, “Children are a gift of the Lord” (Psalm 127:3a, NASB). But with our first leaving, I was reminded that our job and calling is not to raise children, but rather to raise adults who know God personally and passionately pursue His purpose for their lives.

Psalm 127 continues by saying, “Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, so are the children of one’s youth. How blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them” (v. 4-5a, NASB). But the purpose of an arrow is not to hold it. Some need to be shot a far distance, while others close by. But the purpose of an arrow is never to stay in the quiver—unfired.

In thinking about unfired arrows, I realized that they have a few potential outcomes:
1) they rust and become useless; 2) the person holding them too tightly is injured by his own arrow; or 3) the person holding them becomes useless or gets shot by the enemy because of their unwillingness to engage in the battle. In contrast, a well-prepared and strategically shot arrow is a blessing as the invisible (but so very real) hand of the Almighty guides what our imperfect efforts have launched. And this wonderful child we have been allowed to mold and carry in our quiver becomes a beautiful and effective tool in the hands of our God.

PRAYER: Dear Father, Who molds my life, would You help me to effectively and lovingly shape the life of my children as long as they are entrusted to my stewardship? Give me the faith and courage to launch them into Your worthy service for the glory of the One whom You sent to die for us, Your Son, Jesus Christ.

Today’s devotional is by Art Fulks, a church planter / pastor at Connection Fellowship in Greenville, South Carolina. Married for 22 years and father of four, Art is a graduate of The Ohio State Univeristy and Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. He is a passionate Bible teacher, speaker, musician, worship leader, and life coach. Read more at http://www.connectionfellowship.org or http://artfulks.blogspot.com

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