Hustle and Bustle

THerefore being jUStified by faiTh,

we have peace with God through our Lord JEsus Christ:

Romans 5:1 

Do you ever create your own hustle and bustle? Maybe you've added busyness to your Christmas season. Perhaps your desire to get one more gift for everyone has hurled you into a whirlwind of frenzy and you're not sure how to break free. Maybe now it will feel more like Christmas?

It's funny...well, not really...that we do this in our relationship with Christ too. We add activities, checklists, and requirements that keep our heads spinning. While designed to draw us to Him, they've only driven us into a furor of religious activity that has yet to calm our anxious hearts. 

Paul tells us in Romans that our peace with God is possible not through a strategic plan of action, but rather through our faith in His Son. Our peace doesn't come through a list of accomplishments, but instead through something that was accomplished by our Savior. 

So while you're tying that final ribbon in place, rest in the peace that passes all understanding, the peace that comes from knowing Christ, the peace that eliminates all hustle and bustle.

~Rebecca Phillips

Stand and See

Stuck between a rock and hard place. 

Caught between the devil and the deep, blue sea.

Sound familiar? Some situations in life just seem made for Hollywood: full of drama and danger.

In our Sunday School class, we've been studying about the crossing of the Red Sea. Those folks camped by the sea were just in a panic. It seems remarkable how quickly they forgot about all the wonders they had seen in Egypt. They were sure that God had forsaken them, and here's the amazing thing: They were ready to return to Egypt.  They were so hungry for security and escape from danger that they were willing to return to slavery, to back-breaking labor and oppression.

Then Moses stood before them and said, "Do not be afraid. Stand still and see the salvation of the LORD, which He will accomplish for you today" (Exodus 14:13).  We all know what happened next. God caused a strong east wind to blow all night long. In the morning, thousands of people, along with their flocks and herds, walked across the Red Sea bed into the promises that God had for them.

What a miracle they would have missed if they had fled back to imagined comfort and safety!  It is so tempting to want everything to just be calm and normal, to enjoy a dependable routine.  I'm as much a creature of habit as anyone, I guess.  I love a schedule and knowing what's coming next. But if we never get into those hard places, we will never see God's amazing deliverance.

I hope the coming weeks are full of joy and peace for you. But if they aren't, try the advice of Moses: Stand still and see the salvation of the LORD. Then be sure to share with the rest of us so we can rejoice with you in God's deliverance.

--Sherry Poff

Contagious Thanks

"Dear Jesus,

Thank you for my mommy and daddy. Thank you for my baby. Thank you for my toys. Thank you for my food. Thank you for my Bible. Thank you for firetrucks.

Amen."

A sweet three-year-old in my Sunday school class was full of thanks yesterday when it was his turn to pray. I couldn't help but think that he had learned how to talk to Jesus and to be thankful from his parents. 

Our attitude of thanks is contagious, but even more so our verbalization of it. I often feel grateful for gifts, acts of kindness, encouraging words, and "stuff." My intentions to thank people are huge...but my follow-through is lacking. If a child is going to mimic me, I want it to be my thankfulness that is emulated.

So, here are just a few things that I am thankful for this morning:

• friends who pray for me
• parents who love me
• grandparents who are still working hard at age 90
• sisters who include me in their lives from great distances
• brothers-in-law who love God and love my sisters and nieces and nephews immensely
• a church family who consistently affirms and encourages me
• "Lighthouse kids" who keep me laughing...and dancing...or both at the same time
• My Bible and the many resources available to help me learn and understand more
• And, of course, firetrucks...what an important role they play in our community

Finally, I'm thankful for the opportunity to learn and grow from my sweet, young Sunday school class. While it's a role I didn't expect to be filling, it's been a pure joy to be around these precious children every Sunday morning! Their thankfulness is contagious!

Happy Thanksgiving!

~Rebecca Phillips

Pull the Trigger!

Have you heard the news? Scientists have determined that "Wannabe" by the Spice Girls is the number one catchiest song. Don't fret if you don't know it. They aren't saying it's especially wonderful--just hard to get out of your head. We've all had days when a song or line of poetry--well, maybe not all of us on the poetry, but a song for sure!--just keeps looping in the brain.  What possible good can come of that?  How about using it as a trigger to pray?

There are songs that I associate with certain people or places: "Above All" reminds me of Togo.  "Blessed be the Name" makes me think of Rebecca Phillips. On Sunday morning when we sang "Grace Alone," I'll bet I wasn't the only one to think of Carol Kilpatrick. I've tried to train myself to pray for these people--or for those who miss them--when I get that musical reminder.  

This strategy can work with more than songs.  A few years ago, we had a mini women's conference, and I got this tip from our own Laura Welsh.  She said that whenever she sees a squirrel, she prays for Vesma Sandberg. She gave us other examples of prayer triggers: using a crock pot we got for a gift can remind us to pray for the giver; hanging up towels in the bathroom can nudge me to pray for the one who used the towel.  It was a practical suggestion that I have learned to use myself. Whenever I pass a stand of pampas grass on my way to school, I often pray for Andy Pappas because I remember Carol writing about the beautiful tassels on the grass in her yard. No doubt, there are similar sights and sounds in your day that bring to mind those in our midst who need prayer.

James tells us that "the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man" is effective and powerful (5:16). That goes for us women as well. The reminder on Sunday to pray for the persecuted church was sobering, but it's encouraging to know that prayer is something that can never be taken away from us.

On more than one occasion, I've asked Pastor Euler to pray for something and seen him bow his head right there and talk to God about my request. We all need prayer, and we need each other. Let's be sure we don't just say, "I'll pray for you," but actually do it!

What prayer triggers work for you? Share in the comments.

--Sherry Poff

Summertime in My Heart

“To everything there is a season…”

…except, of course, for flip-flops. I’m pretty sure even Solomon would have agreed. I mean, didn’t he wear sandals year-round?

It’s so hard to say goodbye to summer…some years harder than others. It’s not that I don’t love other seasons. I love the Fall colors, crisp air, pumpkins, and crunchy leaves. I even love a good Winter snow…if I don’t have to drive in it or shovel it.

But, I miss the sun shining in the mornings urging me to start the day with a smile.

So how do I get through the darker days? I remind myself that I have been given the Son…eternal, bright, and glorious.

Every day the enemy tempts me to forget that I am a completely new creation. He lies about my identity, my worth, and my purpose. He wants to keep me in the dark about the power that I now possess in Christ.

My flesh is used to old habits and sin patterns that confuse and conflict with my spirit. I often place myself back in the chains that have already been broken, and I behave as though I believe the lies of the enemy.

So, I must surround myself with truth. Every day, I review what Christ did for me and in me. I read parts of Hebrews and Romans to refresh my memory about my new life, status, and position. I rehearse 2 Corinthians 5:16-21 to dispel any notion that I’m still part sinner rather than fully saint.

Truth melts the cold that threatens to defeat and discourage, and just like the unknown hymn writer says:

               It is summertime in my heart.

               It is summertime in my heart.

               Since Jesus saved me, new life He gave me.

               Even in wintertime it’s summer in my heart.

So, I may be packing up most of the flip-flops (keepin’ a few out just in case), and replacing them with boots, but nothing can replace the summertime that Christ has brought to my heart!

~Rebecca Phillips

Landing Gear Loaded

Have you ever seen a brightly, multi-colored, aero-dynamic goose land in a pond? As it gets closer to the water, it briskly flaps its wings to break the fall. Then the back of its heels touch the water and, forever so brief of a moment, it looks like it is “skiing.” Very smooth, very graceful landing.

Then there is the dirty-gray, clumsy looking pelican! Having walked a few beaches, I have watched more than one pelican make its landing on the vast ocean. Most often it has been a single bird so the lone pelican had my full attention. A fantastic fisher with that huge scoop of a pouch-like beak. But when a pelican decides to ride the waves for a while and comes in for a landing, what I have seen and almost heard was – wait for it— PLOP! Graceful? Not even close! It would be like taking a big bowl of wet, sticky bread dough, lifting it high, and dumping it on the counter – PLOP!

G – I am a goose and I do not Plop!

P – I am a pelican and I do not “ski.”

G – You are you, and I am me.

P – Your head on me, and my head on you, We’d both look like a “silly goose!”

G – So, you stay you, and I’ll stay me.

Two amazingly sculptured water fowl with two distinct approaches but they both hit their landing with bodies afloat. Live in the “skin” God designed for you. Or perhaps I should say, fly in the weather with your own “feathers.”

“I praise You because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Your works are wonderful, I know that well.” – Psalm 139:14, NIV

Blessings, Gloria Sines

Memory and Meditation

Here is a true story about the value of memorizing and meditating on scripture--and of the power of music to aid in learning. My memory work for this month is I Corinthians 13. Going over the verses again, I remembered this story that I wrote for a devotional book a few years ago.*

I lived on a quiet street and enjoyed a good relationship with my neighbor. We shared produce from our gardens and tips about growing peonies. When I learned that she had lied to me about a community issue, however, interactions became strained. Working in my yard one day, I seemed to feel her eyes watching me.

I wanted to shoot angry looks her way, make her sorry for her deceitfulness. But I had been sharing Christ with my neighbor; I needed to demonstrate his love. Struggling with my emotions, I remembered a song my children had learned in Vacation Bible School. It was an adaptation of I Corinthians 13: “Love is patient; love is kind; . . . Love is not easily angered; it keeps no record of wrong.” Singing the song to myself, I waved and smiled and kept pruning the shrubs.

Months later, my neighbor approached my car as I pulled to a stop in the driveway. “I got baptized this weekend,” she said. “I thought you’d like to know.”

Thank God for His word, for those who encourage us to learn it, and for Vacation Bible School songs!

--Sherry Poff

*Love is a Verb Devotional, Gary Chapman with James Stuart Bell. Bethany House, 2011.