The Power to Heal

By Carin LeRoy –

She went to Jesus out of desperation. Her last bit of energy was spent as she walked through the village and pushed her way through the crowds. This was the last ounce of hope she had left for healing her sick body. She knew Jesus could help. She pressed on through the throngs of people getting a glimpse of Jesus. Reaching forward, she touched the hem of His garment. Immediately, she was healed.

“Who touched me?” Jesus asked.

Knowing she would not go unnoticed, she fell trembling at Jesus’ feet. In Luke 8, we read this story of the woman who had an issue of blood for twelve years. I’m sure she was physically exhausted, discouraged and financially strained from visits to doctors who could not heal her. Yet with one touch, Jesus could.

I know she must have questioned the reason for her suffering for twelve long years. Yet it was her faith in Jesus and His power that ended her suffering. Instantly, God had the power to change her life.

Let’s worship Him today as we remember these words, “How awesome are Your deeds! So great is Your power” (Psalm 66: 3 NIV). We believe in a great God whose power can change our lives, just as He did those many years ago.

PRAYER: Lord, help me to remember that You are a God with the power to heal and change lives. Thank You for Your wonderful and awesome deeds.

“Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise; His greatness no one can fathom. One generation will commend Your works to another; they will tell of Your mighty acts. They will speak of the glorious splendor of Your majesty, and I will meditate on Your wonderful works. They will tell of the power of Your awesome works, and I will proclaim Your great deeds” (Psalm 145: 3-6 NIV).

Today’s devotional is by Carin LeRoy, wife to Dale, mother of three grown children and one high school teenager. She has served as a missionary with PIONEERS since 1982. Her passions are family, playing and teaching piano, missions, and writing stories that show glimpses of God.

Meaningful Work

By Cynthia Ruchti –

“Meaningful work.”

That’s what I said over the phone when in conversation with someone who shared my rant over the four-volume to-do lists sneering at us both. Looking for a spark of hope in the murky fog of responsibilities, I cheered the caller with the line, “Our lists remind us we have meaningful work to do.” Nervous little laugh. Then came the soul-heavy recognition that the Lord had just spoken, not me. And not through me but TO me.

My mom’s final days on this earth, almost a year ago now, were marked by struggle and a pathological inactivity that often rose with a greater ferocity than her pain. She mourned her loss of strength and the steady decline of her ability to breathe, but of greatest concern was the loss of something meaningful to do.

She’d battled congestive heart failure and all…yes, all…of its complications for many years. She understood that physical activities would be sloughed off like dead skin cells. One by one, she gave them up—traveling, gardening, cooking, pulling her great-grandchildren into her lap. Eventually even reading—a great holdout of joy in her declining years—was taken in brief one or two minutes snatches before she tired.

Diligent to the end to pray for those she loved, for her church family, and even for her hospice caregivers, all other avenues of meaningful work disappeared. No to-do lists. No responsibilities except for the labor of breathing.

Not having more than that on her list broke her heart.

Reflecting on the depth of her disappointment, I’m thanking God today that there’s more than one thing waiting for my attention. A robust list. And whether today or tomorrow or next week, they’ll all get done, by God’s grace.

PRAYER: Lord, thank You for cheering my heart with this wave of gratitude. Even when the list threatens to choke me, it won’t. And it is evidence that You have given me an abundance of meaningful work.

“And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him” (Colossians 3:17 NIV).

Today’s devotional is by Cynthia Ruchti, writer/producer of THE HEARTBEAT OF THE HOME radio ministry and past president of American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW). Cynthia’s debut novel—They Almost Always Come Home—and “The Heart’s Harbor” in A Door County Christmas novella collection released in 2010. Cynthia writes stories of hope-that-glows-in-the-dark (www.cynthiaruchti.com).

Trash to Treasure

By Hally Franz –

Garbage collectors need a holiday. Administrative assistants, nurses and teachers have special days. Early-rising men and women who take away the ridiculous amount of waste we Americans make should be celebrated as well. This recognition would be especially nice in January after what must be one of the worst week’s of the trash man’s year, the week after Christmas.

My husband and I have survived the early childhood years; our children are now at tween and teenage stages. One difference in these development stages is the size and price of Christmas gifts. Young children equal large packages without much cost, while older ones get smaller boxes that require more money. Play sets and building blocks take up lots of space and come with layers of packaging. How many Christmas mornings have found you filling black bags with mangled bubble wrap, cardboard and plastic, wrapping paper and bows?

I know moms who are willing to let big boxes remain around for weeks, so their kids can have some old-fashioned fun, but I have to admit, I experience anxiety when the clutter and debris begin closing in on me. I’ll sacrifice my children’s creative opportunities if my sanity is at stake.

My son has frequently retrieved discarded items from our trash for some project he has in mind. He gets big ideas about what can be done with a rusted bird bath or old deep sink. I indulge these endeavors as long as he keeps them in his space and in an orderly fashion. Ivan is the one that started us on the path of recycling several months ago.

There’s a favorite school field trip destination in our area that’s called “Leftovers.” It’s dedicated to making art from all sorts of trash, and what they do with old, seemingly useless stuff is truly amazing. What can be better than inspiring creativity (while eliminating mess), and being environmentally conscious at the same time?

I’m rarely able to see potential in dented and damaged objects, bent and tangled cardboard. I am eager to get rid of anything not obviously worthy in function or aesthetics. Thankfully, God doesn’t look at people in the same way I look at things. He sees value in us all, even when we appear worn and weary, haggard and helpless. He recycles daily as He did in the Bible, making heroes of everyday people, heaven-bound treasures from human trash.

PRAYER: Almighty God, He who has endowed each of us with heavenly gifts and talents, help us to discover the overlooked potential in ourselves and others, so that we may more fully serve You.

“Then Ananias answered, Lord, I have heard by many of this man, how much evil he hath done to thy saints at Jerusalem: And here he hath authority from the chief priests to bind all that call on thy name. But the Lord said unto him, Go thy way: for he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel” (Acts 9:13-15 KJV).

Today’s devotion is by Hally Franz. Hally is a former teacher and high school guidance counselor, turned homemaker. She enjoys volunteering at her childrens’ school, teaching Bible classes at her church, leading projects in 4-H, writing, reading, scrapbooking, and rousing (though, sometimes, not pretty) Zumba classes.

Watch Out For Wild Turkeys

By Aubrey Spencer –

Jarrod and I were out for a drive the other day on one of our “coffee dates” when all of a sudden we had to come to a quick stop in order to let a group of wild turkeys cross the road in front of us. (Not something I’d experienced before.) After four or five had crossed the road, we started to take off but noticed one turkey running full speed toward the road in front of us in order to not be left behind by his “buddies.” We slammed on the brakes, avoiding what could have been a nasty feather-flying moment, and watched as that last turkey joined his crew on the other side of the road. I had to laugh at the whole scene. I mean, how many people can’t drive down the road because a herd of wild turkeys are running around them? But then it got me thinking about life in general. How many times do we think we’ve got things under control and start to “take off again” just to be bombarded by another “wild turkey”? We take our eyes off our goal for a second and then get blindsided by problems, temptations, bad attitudes, etc. running full speed right at us.

We need to be prepared at all times—for the “turkeys” we can easily see. And for the ones that come sneaking up beside us, running wildly, ready to cause a crash in our lives. Who knew so much could be learned from an encounter with wild turkeys? I guess God can use anything to remind me of keeping my eyes on Him!

PRAYER: Father, help me keep my eyes on You. So often I get distracted and forget my focus. Remind me that You are in control and that You alone are worthy of my attention.

“Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God” (Hebrews 12:2 NIV).

Today’s devotional is by Aubrey Spencer. Aubrey is a real housewife of northwest Kansas. She is a minister’s wife and a 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.

Statistics to Believe In

By Hally Franz –

There are twenty-five varieties of warblers…

As 2010 is ended and a new year begins, there’s a time for summing up the good, bad and ugly numbers connected with the closing year. Some statistics relate to the financial condition of our country. Retailers will calculate holiday sales for 2010, selling us theories about spending and consumer faith or fear. And, we’ll be worked over by the most recent government-provided data on our country’s ever-growing national debt and rates of unemployment.

There will be frightening facts about health in the United States, and year-end evaluations will no-doubt alert us to rising rates of diabetes, heart disease and obesity, figures we can live without.

Some of the hardest numbers to absorb are those having to do with our humanity and morals as a society. We get pummeled by crime rates of communities around the country, the growing problem of internet pornography, and stories of violence and abuse.

When we strive to start a new year with hopeful resolutions, we often are bombarded with news that’s far from encouraging. Those funneling the numerical news to the masses sometimes have ulterior motives and may be just as easily spouting fuzzy math and facts.

I had the opportunity to visit one of our state parks recently. In this state park in my back yard, there are 158 species of birds, and twenty-five of those are warblers. Tennessee, Magnolia, Worm-eating, Red-eyed, and Yellow-rumped are five of them. I know nothing about warblers, but they sound like some interesting creature-characters.

There are 3,675 state parks in the U.S.A. and approximately 195 countries in the world. If I do any kind of math, that adds up to lots of crazy and kooky birds, not to mention horses, dogs, snakes, tigers and apes, to name a few.

When I’m striving to move beyond the post-holiday blues to set goals for 2011, I need to hear state park numbers as much as state-of-the-union numbers. While we must face our country’s financial, health and societal challenges, we also need to be uplifted by the God numbers. We humans cause debt, sickness, and sin, but our Heavenly Father created our vast and beautiful world before all those things came about. He gave it to us, and He loves us even when we make messes of things. And, He’s on our side when we start each year trying to do a little better.

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, while the world presents discouraging news and numbers, enable us to see the magnitude and magnificence of your creation. Replace frustration with hope as we begin a new year in Your service.

“And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven. And God created great whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind: and God saw that it was good” (Genesis1:20-21 KJV).

Today’s devotion is by Hally Franz. Hally is a former teacher and high school guidance counselor, turned homemaker. She enjoys volunteering at her children’s school, teaching Bible classes at her church, leading projects in 4-H, writing, reading, scrapbooking, and rousing (though, sometimes, not pretty) zumba classes.

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