Letting Go of the Wheel

By Candace McQuain –

Apprehension about the future, questioning the past and merely surviving the present, are all very exhausting and unproductive places to be. This is, unfortunately, the state of many of us right now. Our rush hour lives and society based, unrealistic goals and ambitions are a factor, but in truth we are our worst enemy.

We simply can’t let go of the wheel and let our Creator drive.

There is hope for us though. Whether we realize it or not, we are all driving one of those “student driver” cars and the Lord has got His foot hovering over the break and His hand firmly placed on the steering wheel.

“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 hope and a future” (Jeremiah 29:11 NIV).

Now you may be thinking, “It’s so great that the Lord has got all these plans for me and that they will give me hope and a future, but can I please get a hint as to what these plans are and when they will be presented to me? I’m ready Lord!”

It can be so frustrating when we want something to move in our lives. When we really feel in our heart that we are heading towards something wonderful, something that we feel is so obviously blessed by the Lord, but in the end it all fizzles away. We then feel stuck again and ask, “Why?”

It’s because we are trying to make our plans, His plans and although our intentions are sincere, when we do this we are pushing an imaginary override button and delaying the Lord’s blessings and the correct path He wants us on.

It all comes down to trust. Our Father longs for us to feel secure in our faith and in the fact that He’s got everything under control. He wants us to let Him take the wheel, and allow Him put His “super” in our “natural.”

It’s a team effort though. A great example would be, asking the Lord to keep you healthy. Definitely a fair request, but you can’t sit around eating Ho-Ho’s and Twinkies while never taking any effort on your part to keep yourself healthy. Not only do we need Him to look after our health supernaturally, like only He can, He needs us to take care of our health in an earthly manner, like only we can.

The same can be applied to our jobs, our home and just about every other aspect of our life. Our Father needs us to be willing to do our part while He’s doing His. He’s not keeping secrets from us or playing Simon Says. He’s teaching us, preparing us and most importantly, He’s showing His love for us.

With a faithful and obedient heart, listen closely to the Lord, He’ll tell you what His plans are for you. Piece by piece, day by day you will get a better understanding of what He has in store for you and how He wants you to proceed. Just be sure you are an active listener and then get ready to move!

Children’s Book Leads Ladies to Jesus

By Pam Kumpe   –

Do you wonder if you are making a difference? Or have you asked how certain events will impact the future for others?

Ten year ago, I wrote a story about a dog named Schade who tasted the foot of Jesus after he followed the shepherds to the manger. The premise for the book was based on Psalm 34:8 taste and see that the Lord is good.

In my original manuscript this stray dog becomes Jesus’ first pet—only much like the story which got tucked away inside of a box, we often feel like strays in life, wondering if we matter.

Encouraged by a series of events last year, I wanted to bring my story out of the archives, and I wanted to look at reworking the tale, to see what I might do with the poor lost dog that never made it into a storybook.

As I dusted off the pages, an amazing journey took place and Schade who seemed lonely was given a new friend, Priscilla, a sheep with an annoying personality trait of talking too much. She also thought she was called to do a makeover on Schade. He was her new project.

It’s like I heard Schade and Priscilla talking in my head, the playful way Priscilla would speak to Schade, and then in return I’d hear this gruff sounding dog sneeze at being allergic to Priscilla as he tried to run her off, to get her out and away from brushing his tail.

This children’s book took on new life; the banter between best friends jumped from the pages.

Then, I needed an illustrator and through another series of events I hired Ron Wheeler to draw my characters. He captured them exactly as I’d pictured and the book became a 32-page tale of tasting the goodness of God and discovering the makeover of the heart—comes from Jesus.

On May 11, 2011 the books arrived, and I took a copy to the Recovery Center where I hold Sunday morning church service. I shared the tale with my ladies, to take them to Ezekiel 34 in the Bible and how God is like our shepherd and how he is looking for the stray sheep.

By sharing this story from my book and then by using God’s Word to match our hearts with the love Jesus has for the stray, well—the altar call at the end of the service changed my own heart.

C-girl, one of the ladies in recovery came up to me, and she wanted to give her heart to the Lord. I prayed with her, our tears mixed with joy and she was spiritually renewed. Then, in a move that I credit to the working of the Holy Spirit, some 20 ladies also gave their hearts to Jesus as they wanted to make sure they were God’s kid, his child, that they were a part of the family.

I have only one thing to say about this entire story about Schade and his best friend Priscilla—the Lord is after the stray in all of us.

Never underestimate how God can use a story, how God can touch a life, how Jesus loves us—too much—to forget about us. He’ll never toss our life story away, or tuck it away in a box. He’s ready to bind our hearts with hope and give us a tasty life with Him, and it’s all about God’s timing!

Why Bother?

By Lori Freeland –

Some days I wonder why I bother to do anything for myself. Whether it’s reading a good book, which I’ve relegated to the quiet hours of late night. Taking a nap, which happened once last year. Or making good on my promise to write a little bit every day, which I’m attempting to do now.

I began the edit of this article at 9:30 a.m. and it’s now 11:17 a.m.

600 words. One page. Plus a barrage of questions from the three children who occupy my house. One by one, they rotate in to stand at the foot of my bed. I tiptoed into the bedroom earlier, when I thought they were not looking.

My fingers pause, suspended over the keyboard, as I grasp to freeze my train of thought for later.

The exchange goes something like this—
“Can I call Dad? I lost my tiny fairy book. The dog threw up on the stairs. Can I watch Martha Speaks? Do we have legal-size paper for my project—it’s due in an hour? Can I take a bath? Who ate all the Cookie Crisp?”

To which I reply, in order—
“Is your room clean? Did you look in your backpack? Go clean it up, it’s your dog. Is your room clean? Why didn’t you ask me this sooner? Is your room clean? Dad ate the cereal.”

Maybe a recording of my top ten answers would buy me some personal time? Or maybe I should surrender and realize I do not own my time. I may never own my time—as long as small people live in my house.

Lord, I need a revelation. A communiqué. An email. A text message. A tweet. Can nothing ever be about me?

You’re asking the wrong question.

Well, Lord, I often ask the wrong question.

Are you looking through My eyes? Do you want what I want?

Lord, I need more than Your eyes. I’m desperate for Your heart. Help me want to want Your desires. Make them mine. I whisper the verse I’ve hidden in my heart:

“Trust in the LORD…Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart…” (Psalm 37:3-5 NIV).

Catch Up

By Heather Arbuckle  –

One of my favorite movies is Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. If you grew up in the 80’s like me, you probably recall the wisdom of our young hero Ferris as he addressed his audience, “Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it!”

Indeed, life seems to be spinning faster these days. A sense of urgency has gripped our world as never before.  In its wake we sometimes feel the necessity to be innovative in our communication methods. It’s tough to catch up with friends in our overscheduled days.

Twitter. Facebook. Texting. No doubt, our modes of communication are changing radically. I confess, up until recently, I was a self-proclaimed Facebook junkie. It was exciting to reconnect with long lost “friends”, convenient to keep up with current acquaintances, and fun to entertain my “peeps” online. However, life isn’t just about entertainment and convenience. Our relationships with fellow believers must be deeper than a Facebook  status update or a “tweet” on Twitter.

Communication is a priority in God’s Kingdom. God has used angels, prophets, the Bible,and His one and only Son to communicate His desires for His children. Likewise, it must be a priority for God’s people to “communicate the hope that is in us” (1 Peter 3:15 NIV) Effective communication begins with time alone with God. It is imperative as God’s children that we learn to sit at His feet and quietly listen each day. As we read His word and meditate on His truth, our minds are renewed and our hearts transformed to be more like Christ. It is only then that we are truly ready to engage a lost and confused world. For it is in communion with our Heavenly Father that we train our heart to encourage and endure.

Likewise, we are challenged to make time to meet with our sisters in Christ face to face. After all, communication is more than words and emoticons. Expressions and tones can be lost in the translation of a text message, leaving us confused about the motives and actions of our loved ones. Without the clarity of open communication, we are likely to be deceived into making assumptions that damage a relationship unnecessarily. In short, we must allow ourselves to be available to those whom God has placed in our circle of influence. God has placed a number of folks in our midst today. Some are there so that they might be influenced. And some are placed there to be an influence. Either way, influence is greatly marginalized when we limit our interactions to social networking.

Today,  make some time to talk…really talk. Accountability and honesty must remain in a free transaction between active participants if we are to truly continue to grow in Christ. We must commit to make ourselves vulnerable with trusted sisters in Christ, who can speak truth with love into our lives when the time is deemed necessary. Otherwise, we are likely to be deceived by our enemy who “prowls around like a lion looking for someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8 NIV).

Let us never become so busy that we forget to check on a friend. May we never become so distracted that we fail to nurture loving friendships. As our methods of communication evolve, we are challenged in this fast-paced world to speak wisely, not in haste but in love. Don’t miss the chance to catch up.

Dominated

By Jennifer Slattery –

Some days I feel like I’m tottering on a fraying rope being pulled in two directions. It’s an emotional tug-of-war and only I can determine the winner. Will I give in to my sinful nature that seeks comfort, pleasure, self-gratification, and the path of least resistance or will I lay it all on the alter in continual surrender.

According to Romans 8:5-8 (NIV), there’s no middle ground. Either I’m sold out 100% for Christ, offering my body as a living sacrifice, or I’m living to please myself.

Those who are dominated by the sinful nature think about sinful things, but those who are controlled by the Holy Spirit think about things that please the Spirit.  So letting your sinful nature control your mind leads to death. But letting the Spirit control your mind leads to life and peace.  For the sinful nature is always hostile to God. It never did obey God’s laws, and it never will. That’s why those who are still under the control of their sinful nature can never please God. 

If I’m not controlled by the Spirit, I’m dominated by my sinful nature and although this sinful nature may appear pleasurable at first, it leads to death—death of relationships, death of ministries, death of marriages. The moment I give into my sinful nature, I wage war on the things of God.

My sinful nature leads to spiritual slavery, deception, and self-destruction, whereas surrender leads to freedom. So why would I ever choose my will over God’s? Perhaps because I deceive myself into believing I can’t do better. Do I not understand the power of Him who lives within me? When Christ died on the cross, He broke the power of sin. When I accepted Him into my life, He came to live inside me. This means I have the strength and power of the victorious, risen Savior living within. Sin—selfishness, greed, irritability, judgmental attitudes, fear, anxiety—has no power over me, unless I allow it to.

Each day I have a choice. Will I allow sin to dominate my thinking or will I surrender to the power of the Holy Spirit. And each day, I will reap the consequences of my choice.

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