Loose Connection

By Jodi Whisenhunt –

My daughter’s television pixilates. Turn it on to watch a show, and every few minutes the action stops. Like a game of Red Light-Green Light, actors freeze in odd poses. Their faces blur. Sometimes the audio continues, giving the frozen frames a storyboard effect. So, naturally, we worked that into a homeschool lesson on the art of animation.

Despite its educational value, interrupted programming is annoying and hard on the eyes. My husband tried troubleshooting. He replaced the cable. No difference. He traded boxes from another room. No difference. He reset the entire system multiple times. No difference. When all else failed, he called for help.

The cable guy was scheduled to arrive between 8:00 AM and noon. You know what that means—he arrived at 11:59 with a few seconds to spare. He proceeded to do all the things we had already done. No difference. He then checked the main connection upstairs. It was so loose the cable detached when he touched it! He tightened some wires, and voila! Big difference.

All that for a loose connection.

Sometimes life gets pixilated. I go along my merry way when suddenly my forward progress halts. Images become unrecognizable. The continuous audio is the chatter in my head, the noise of me making my own plans.

I troubleshoot. Did I skip something on my schedule? No difference. Did I neglect to pay a bill? No difference. Did I leave the iron on when I left the house? No difference. Time to reset the system and call for help.

In John chapter 15, Jesus gave an illustration regarding the importance of staying connected to Him. Jesus said, “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15: 5). When we disconnect from Christ, our lives pixilate and our signals scramble, much like a faulty TV. The scene gets fuzzy, and despite our own best efforts, nothing makes it any better. Clarity is not restored until we reconnect to the Source.

Don’t miss the educational value of the pixilation. Go to the Man Upstairs and tighten your loose connection.

Jodi Whisenhunt is an Amy Award winning freelance writer and Senior Content Editor of The Christian Pulse. Find her editing services at www.jodiwhisenhunt.com, and let her show you how Disney IS school at www.magicalmouseschoolhouse.com.

Five Ways to Find Security

By Janet Perez Eckles –

I frowned. “SCUBA diving?”

“C’mon, it’ll be lots of fun,” our friend said.

“Crazy idea,” I said, “especially for a blind person.”

But our friend, a certified diver, gave details of the depth of the ocean. The gear used, training involved and the levels of oxygen needed.

“Too much stuff!” I said. “I’d rather relax in the sun, listening to a book on CD.”

Later, I reflected on the incredible depth of the ocean. But even its deep waters have their limit.

What a contrast to the depth of God’s love that has no limit. And with no end, we can navigate with only the desire of our hearts.

But the problem is that as we swim in the hectic and hurried style of life, we forget. Dealing with my blindness, I myself sometimes forget the dimension of His love. The profound compassion and His unending faithfulness toward those of us who splash in the waters of adversity.

And while on that journey, here are some questions to check our level of security:

• If we truly understood how deep His love is for us, would we fear anything?
• If we knew the profound level of His faithfulness, would we fret over details?
• If we had a true understanding of His mercy, would we still feel condemned when we’ve sinned?
• If our minds could comprehend His power to sustain us, would we tremble at the unknown?
• And if we understood who we are In Christ, would we succumb to self-pity?

When we’re in the sea that roars with heartache, or face the waves of burdens that keep coming, let’s plunge into His Word and ponder on the beauty of the journey, breathing in the freshness of His grace.

“God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging” (Psalm 46:1-3).

Father, thank you for allowing me to navigate not in the darkness of pain, but in the light and freshness of your promises. Help me to remember to wear the equipment of trust for my soul, and the tank of faith for my heart as I set off in the journey. In Jesus name.

My Mom’s a Brunette, I Promise

By Hally Franz –

I can’t remember which image I caught first. After numerous psychology and education class discussions of the classic drawing, I’ve forgotten whether my eyes and brain first registered the lovely, young Victorian lady or the wrinkled, hooded, old lady. You know the one I’m talking about. The lesson pertains to perception. Some people see the young lady, others the old one.

If asked what color my mom’s hair is, I might say she’s brunette. In fact, I have. In my mind, that’s the truth and, without thinking, that’s how I have described her. I was raised by a dark-haired mother; she’s the one that sent me off to college. Over the years, though, she has become increasingly blond. She’s practically platinum, but my mind has been slow to recognize the change.

We all know how critical first impressions are. We are particularly aware of them when we meet a potential employer. Those first impressions are often the moments and pictures remembered by those we encounter. They are brief spans of time that become perceptions, opinions and beliefs.

At first glance the lesson seems obvious. Let’s make sure we show everyone we meet the Christ-like person we hope they see in us. When we’re granted only seconds or minutes, let’s put our best face forward, lest we never get another chance.

That’s the lesson I see first here. It’s the one that registered with me initially. After another longer look I see an extra bit of insight. It occurs to me that I have some impressions-turned-beliefs fixed in my head that may require second looks and updates. A few go back 40 years to elementary school! I don’t know about you, but I hope others see me differently than they may have 40, 30 and even 20 years ago. I hope they’ve given me a longer look over the years.

After repeated college lectures and visual examinations of this exercise, I can see both the old and young lady. Which one I saw first is of no importance now. I think I’ll thumb through my brain’s personnel files, do some reviews and update some old perceptions I have about people. That’s a goal with merit, I think.

While, most of us have learned to interact in a Christian way, we may still have head and heart issues to focus on. You see, I am a brunette—even when my hair leaves my colorist seeing red.

PRAYER: Gracious Father, open my eyes to see people as they truly are without making judgments based on glances and fleeting moments, just as You look deeper at all Your children.

“But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles. He told them how Saul on his journey had seen the Lord and that the Lord had spoken to him, and how in Damascus he had preached fearlessly in the name of Jesus” (Acts 9:27 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.

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.

New Wine

By Nina Medrano –

Life has a way of leading us to certain crossroads that turn out to be a significant turning point.

Our lives become transformed by that decision. And in our heart of hearts we lay a milestone to commemorate the day we resolve to follow a certain path.

For me, that milestone is tithing.

Like many, when I began my life with the Lord, I did not tithe. As I grew in the knowledge of God’s Word, I learned that the tithe belongs to God. I also learned that when I did not tithe I was robbing God. In the early years, I struggled to maintain a lifestyle of tithing.

However, my desire to please the Lord began to outweigh my fear of not having enough.

I can testify of the Lord’s faithfulness to supply all of my financial needs. I cannot tell you how He does it; but only that He does. Many times I have compared my expenses with my income and found myself short. Yet, by God’s faithfulness, all of my needs are met. Praise is to God.

Proverbs 3:9-10 reads, “Honor the Lord with your wealth and with the best part of everything you produce. Then he will fill your barns with grain, and your vats will overflow with good wine.”

As I meditate upon these verses I realize that this is true for me and my house. Our “barn” which represents our storage of goods is full! Our fuel tanks are full, our refrigerator is full, our freezers are full, and our wallets have extra.

Then, a new revelation dawned in my spirit when I read verse 10, “And your vats will overflow with new wine.”

Wine refers to the Holy Spirit and of anointing.  New wine speaks of new experiences and encounters with the Holy Spirit. Vats are containers of wine. We are the vessels that contain the Holy Spirit of God. We are “the temple of the Holy Spirit” (I Cor. 6:19 NIV). We are carriers of spiritual treasures (II Cor. 4:6 NIV).

So, if I honor the Lord with my wealth AND with the best part of everything I produce (including my writing), then God will fill my storage places AND I will overflow with new experiences and encounters with the Holy Spirit of God!

Don’t you just want to increase your tithe just to get more new wine? God knows that I need more of his anointing to flow through my life. As a mentor, I depend on the Holy Spirit to reveal the places that need healing. As a writer, I depend on the Holy Spirit to unfold the mysteries of God’s Word to share with the body of Christ.

Could you use more anointing?

As you read this spirit-inspired article I pray that the “eyes of your understanding be enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints” (Eph. 1:18 NIV).

Nina Medrano writes for her church blog at http://www.cotrwomensministry.blogspot.com/

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