A Check, a Billboard, and the Sweet Assurances of God

It was late spring 2005. I had been struggling in my walk with the Lord. I had watched God do incredible things in the lives of those dear to me but felt that I myself was overlooked. I prayed for weeks for God to make Himself real to me; I wanted to see Him do something great and powerful on my behalf. He did not come through in the way I was praying, and I felt discouraged. Doubts crept in. Did God care about me, too? Was He involved in my life? A comment from a dear lady in a completely different context reminded me of truth, “Amy, it’s not about you.” No, it wasn’t about me. In my desire to see God do something great for me, I was more concerned about my own desires than God’s will being done. I repented. 

A few days later, at an elementary spring concert, the principal announced that a number of us teachers would be going on a missions trip (our first) to Togo, West Africa to train teachers. She gave the names of those going on the trip, mentioning that we would need to raise around $2500 each. A parent of one of my students came up to me immediately following the concert and handed me a check. I was grateful; I hadn’t even sent out the first support letter yet. I opened the folded check, expecting to see maybe $100, but instead saw the number 2,000 written on it. Yes, 2,000 dollars! I began to cry. I tried to refuse such a large sum; she, in tears as well, insisted. I knew immediately, that this check was not just the huge sacrifice of this sweet lady, but it was the Lord showing me His power, love and care for me in His way and in His time. This was my Ebenezer moment, when God worked in such a powerful way, that I needed to set up a “stone” (or in my case a journal entry) to remember this moment. It was God’s assurance to me in response to my doubts, “I love you. I care about you. I’m involved in your life, and I am still the God Who does exceedingly beyond what you could ask or think.”

Fast forward ten years to the fall of 2015. I was on interstate 75 South, heading to my grandmother’s house in Cedartown, Georgia. I had planned two days prior to drive down this day to visit my sweet grandmother who would likely not live much longer. Yet now this day had turned out different than expected.  My grandmother had passed away the morning before; I was driving down to see my uncle and aunt, to be with family in a time of mourning. As I drove alone in the car, questions assailed me. Can I really believe that my grandmother lives again? That I will see her one day? That eternity is real? That God is real? Again, doubts crept into my mind. I already tend towards doubt. I doubt whether or not I locked the door, turned off the stove, made the right choice, and so on. But this doubting was much more serious than that. Was my grandmother, whose body I would see a few days later at the viewing, really alive? Could I believe the teachings of Scripture? Was God in fact real? (Can we be this honest with each other, ladies? These were the thoughts going through my mind.) 

To counter these doubts, I went over the defense of God’s existence in my mind. I said to myself, “OK, Amy, list out the evidence of God’s existence.”  I went over the witness of creation itself, the sense of right and wrong that each of us are born with, and I had just gotten to thinking about the witness of the disciples as they gave their lives for what they had seen (the risen Christ), when I looked up at a billboard. The words on this billboard were the following: “There is evidence for God.” The word ‘is’ was underlined. Once again, God’s assurances met me in the midst of my doubt. This was another Ebenezer moment -- a moment in which I knew that, more than a billboard to a lost world, this was God speaking to me. He knew I would be driving down I-75 that day and He knew the thoughts that would be going through my mind on that specific stretch of the interstate. And He said, “Yes, Amy, I am real. I do exist; and I care enough about you to have someone post this billboard on the interstate for you.”

No, God does not always work in those kinds of miraculous ways in my life. In fact, it is very rare that such dramatic things happen. Many times my questions are unanswered or I don’t hear God’s voice. But, it is in those times, that I can go back to my Ebenezer moments, my “stones of remembrance”, and remember that God is real and that He cares.

What are YOUR Ebenezer moments? Do you keep track of them? Do you remind yourself of them in difficult times? The Old Testament is full of commands to remember what God has done in the past. May we remember; and may those memories give us assurance when times are hard.

--Amy O'Rear

Living my Life in One Hour

Living my Life in One Hour

I’ve been going through old piles and boxes of paper in recent days.  Retirement has freed me to get some things done that have been neglected for a long time.  Progress, however, has been slow, especially since I found many letters from and to my grandparents and my parents and other family members.  I also laughed and cried reading letters from my children through the years.  I wept through the letters of encouragement sent from a friend who has shared my difficult years.  Mihai Eimnescu wrote, “You take old letters from a crumpled heap and in one hour have lived your life again.”  So I have been living a part of my life again.

            In today’s world of texting and short emails--one of my brothers insists that emails should be one short paragraph on one subject only--I mourn the loss of letters, written by hand or typed, pretty stationary or scraps of paper.  My brother insists that he has saved all his emails, but will he ever go back and read them?  My son insist that he saves all of his texts, but the only illustration he could come up with of going back to them was replaying old videos of his daughter on his phone.  I replay some of those videos too, but those do not have the effect of a letter.

            Alice Steinbach said, “A letter is always better than a phone call.  People write things in letters they would never say in person.  They permit themselves to write down feelings and observations using emotional syntax far more intimate and powerful than speech will allow.  Other letters simply relate the small events that punctuate the passage of time:  roses picked at dusk, the laziness of a rainy Sunday, a child crying himself to sleep.  Capturing the moment, these small slices of life, these small gusts of happiness, move me more deeply than all the rest.  A couple of lines or eight pages, a Middle Eastern stamp or a suburban postmark. . . I hoard all these letters like treasure.” 

            I feel the same.  The letters from my mother entertained me with the stories of my little sister’s antics.  I never lived at home with her, so these were snippets of her personality I never would have known.  My grandmother in her letters loved me, bragged on me, encouraged me, stimulated me spiritually, showed concern for my health, expressed interest in my friends (especially if they were young men!), shared her activities, and even shared her dreams and frustrations.  All of these and more are the story of my life.

            Goethe, the German writer of many years ago said that “Letters are among the most significant memorial a person can leave behind them.”  I have been pondering the letters I have both sent and received in my lifetime.  I have realized that these have been fewer and fewer.  So, one of the things I want to do in this new stage of life is write letters—to my children, to my grandchildren, to family members, to friends, to acquaintances.  Perhaps God will even show me strangers I need to write to.

            What kind of written memorial will you be leaving to those who will still be here when your life is done?  Will there be evidence of your great love for them?  Will there be evidence of God’s greater love for them?  Where are your letters?

                                                                                    ~~Faith Himes Lamb

Imaginary Horribles

One of my school teachers was a bit quirky and just scary enough to keep even junior high boys on their toes. He was the only teacher who insisted on being called by his nickname, but we did show respect to him, always. He didn’t take any guff. Nor did he take excuses. If excuses were offered or worries expressed, he would mutter something about “imaginary horribles.” He never explained that; he just muttered about it, but the thought has stayed with me for the rest of my life, and I have since found many of them.

Imaginary horribles are always future, of course, because all past horribles are real. But the thing with imaginary horribles is that they almost never come to pass.

Imaginary horribles descend on us in flocks when we are trying to make a huge decision, that is, a decision with lifelong consequences. We worry that this may happen, or that may not happen, or vice versa. Some really important action won’t work out, or someone will be upset and destroy a relationship, or we may get hurt or lost or broke. Or…

Before we moved to a new place, we were afraid we wouldn’t be able to get a job and support ourselves.

Before we adopted bi-racial children, we wondered if our relatives would accept them/us.

Before we moved to a new neighborhood, we were concerned with whether it was safe.

And what happened? We got the needed jobs, the grandparents loved the babies, and the neighborhood was wonderful. Not a single one of our imaginary horribles actually happened.

Before we made decisions for our children, we thought about all the things that could possibly go wrong. Well, we didn’t actually think about all of them, because kids can make more stuff go wrong than parents can ever imagine. And that’s the point. The reality of things going wrong rarely has anything to do with our imaginary horribles. 

We waste so much emotional energy on things that may never come to pass and sometimes don’t deal effectively with the things that do happen.

Imaginary horribles cripple our ability to think clearly and plan effectively. They frighten us out of trusting the Lord.

One of the biggest problems with our imaginations is that they naturally tend toward evil. Almost from the beginning, in Genesis 6, God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that “every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.” God started over with Noah and his family, and, shortly, He had the same problem. Jeremiah’s writings contain repeated and repeated warnings to man regarding “the imagination of his evil heart.”

If you can imagine, God knew that would happen. If you can imagine, He addressed the problem ahead of time. And, would you believe, He showed us how to deal with it, before it ever happened.

God’s solution?

 “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.” Proverbs 3: 5, 6, ESV

II Cor 10:5 talks about, “casting down imaginations, and every high thing that is exalted against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.” GNV

Imagine that – controlling our own thoughts, bringing them to a place of obedience to our Savior, trusting God.

If anyone in history had the right to sink into the Slough of Imaginary Horribles, it was Mary the mother of Jesus, when the angel informed her that she would become pregnant with God’s child. Being stoned to death was a possibility under Jewish law; being divorced by her betrothed was a likelihood. Being shunned by society was almost a certainty. Yet she refused to allow these not-so-imaginary horrible possibilities to affect her choices. She said, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” Luke 1:38 ESV She must have known Proverbs 3:5 and 6. At least, she lived it.

--Lynda Shenefield

Quiet and Confident

One of my former students is facing some unexpected changes. I've been praying for this young person and thinking about what words might be helpful. As it turns out, the words God led me to are also encouraging to me. I'm betting you'll be blessed as well.

As I worked around in my kitchen Saturday morning, the scripture that came to mind was this:

"In quietness and confidence shall be your strength." I had to use google, but found the verse. It's Isaiah 30:15. In the context, the prophet is reminding God's people of important principles--specifically that "In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and confidence shall be your strength."

This verse has resonated with me over and over. For those of us returning to the classroom after a break, quietness and confidence are what we need. For those looking for a job in an uncertain time, quietness and confidence; for the friend with unexpected health needs, quietness and confidence.

Quietness means we don't fuss and fret, telling God what's what and how to fix it. We don't rant and rave to the world around us. We keep quiet. We trust that God is in control. We have confidence not in ourselves but in our great God. It's not a call to complacency or laziness but to faith.

In Psalm 46, God declares, "Be still and know that I am God." He reminds us that "his mercy is everlasting" (Psalm 100:3). The prophet Jeremiah observed that  "[t]he LORD is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him. It is good that one should hope and wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD" (Lamentations 3:25-26).

The Apostle Paul reminded Timothy that "God has not given us a spirit of fear" (II Timothy 1:7), and Jesus himself told the disciples, "Peace I leave with you" (John 14:27). That sounds like quietness and confidence to me!

Whatever you are facing--even if it's just another Monday--put your trust in the LORD. That is where your strength comes from.

--Sherry Poff

Not Worth It?

There’s an old saying,”Hard work pays off in the long run.” But some jokester added, “but procrastination pays off right now.” Ha-ha, ain’t that the truth?

Sometimes I set unattainable goals. Often these lofty ideas disappear when I discover the money, time, or energy isn’t worth the payoff. 

Next spring, I hope to run a half-marathon, but I wonder if in the dead of winter, I will think it worth it? Will the dream of that achievement be enough to carry me into the cold and gloom day after day? If I can hang tough, the hard work and “trials” will make the success all the sweeter. Right?

But then, there’s the value factor. If I placed “half-marathon” on one side of a scale and “effort” on the other, would they balance? If not, likely I will fail.

And let’s not forget the delayed-gratification factor. The half-marathon is seven months away. Can I maintain my enthusiasm that long? I will have to keep the vision of that day in front of me continuously in one form or another. I will have to pace myself and train in stages. If I don’t, I will fail.

Eternal rewards also require focus, endurance, and pacing. If we soak ourselves in God’s Words, we begin to value what He values. One day at a time, God fills us with His Spirit and helps us endure. He instructs us on which path to take to accomplish His will. And one day, it will be worth it all.

Paul encouraged Timothy to “be prepared in season and out of season,” and he led by example:

II Timothy 4:7-8, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.”

joyce hague

An Attitude of Gratitude

"Next time, we should get a cooler movie and better snacks," said my 4 1/2 year old son.  He said this immediately following a family movie night where we watched, Zootopia (his pick) and had popcorn and ice cream for a treat. His father and I stood there with our mouthes gaping open, thinking, "What the heck!?" as we then proceeded to launch into a tag team lecture on gratitude which included references to starving children in Africa, children whose parents don't plan fun movies nights, and the trump card of "Jesus said we should be grateful!" The waterworks started and he immediately began to profusely apologize, but I had took a pause and thought, "Is this a true repentance  and understanding of what it means to be grateful or did we just lecture our child into apologizing?"  

An attitude of gratitude has been a recurring theme in our house as we entered the fourth year of our child's existence on this earth. At some point during the past six months as I was getting onto him for not being grateful for something, I realized "We have to TEACH him gratitude."  Duh! I don't know why I didn't think about gratefulness as being on the list of things we needed to teach him alongside of pointing him to Jesus, how to love reading, and all the other things we teach him.  It's probably because I don't remember someone sitting me down and saying "Let me teach you about gratefulness..." I just knew that "an attitude of gratitude" was something you were supposed to have. Around the same time, one of the "mom blogs"(as my husband so lovingly refers to them) I read recommended the book,Raising Grateful Kids in an Entitled World by Kristen Welch, which I immediately ordered because I thought "How providential that I read about this topic right when we are dealing with it"...plus, I'm a book nerd. :-) 

While reading the chapter, "Gratitude is a Choice," my pen was furiously underlining and taking notes as I began to understand why gratitude is a character trait which must be taught.  Gratitude isn't something that comes easy to a four year old....scratch that...Gratitude isn't something that comes easy to ANYONE. It is the opposite of the "I deserve" and "I have the right to" mentality that is, oh SO prevalent in our culture. Entitlement feeds our inner ego telling us we should get more, have more, be more. It's a poison which slowly seeps into our heart, steals the joy of contentment and the understanding of grace.  Grace is when we receive something we do NOT deserve...how can you understand grace when you think that you deserve everything you've ever been given? The only remedy for how this poison infects our hearts and minds is gratitude. Welch quotes from an article by Robert Emmons "What Gets in the Way of Gratitude?": 

In all its manifestations, a preoccupation with the self can cause us to forget our benefits and our benefactors or to feel we are owed things from other and therefore have not reason to feel thankful....Seeing with grateful eyes requires that we see the web of interconnection in which we alternate being givers and receivers.  The humble person says that life is a gift to be grateful for, not a right to be claimed. 

None of us are born feeling grateful.  Gratitude is something we have to choose every day, every minute, every second.  I am SO guilty of expressing gratitude and then five minutes later turning around and complaining about something else.  As Welch says, "Maintaining gratitude is challenging because our situations, circumstances and emotions change like the weather.  But, God is always the same." 

God is not human that he should lie, not a human being that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill?

-Numbers 23: 19

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.

-Hebrews 13:8

--Gabrielle Haston

Where is Your Hope?

Do you feel discouraged when you watch the news? Do you look around at the values and philosophies of our culture and wonder how we got here? Do you long for something better? So do I.

When God allows me to hear the same message from different sources, I want to be especially careful to listen and see what God has for me. I attended a three-day women’s conference last month in which the topic was “Resurrection Life in a World of Suffering," based on the book of I Peter. Imagine worshiping and studying this book with 7,200 women from across the United States and around the world. It was incredible! 

At the same time, my husband felt led by the Lord to go through the book of I Peter in our Sunday school class. We are currently still in chapter 1, but as we study it in church and I hear the same truths I heard at the conference, I pray this book finds deeper root in my heart.

Right at the start of the book, Peter names his audience. The Greek word can be translated into exiles (ESV), strangers (KJV), aliens (NASB), or foreigners (NLT). It is the idea of a sojourner, who is temporarily dwelling in a foreign country far from home. This word carries with it the connotation of not fitting in, of being different, and not belonging.  And though God’s people were often physical exiles, as in Egypt and Babylon in the Old Testament, in a greater sense, they were spiritual exiles.  Peter wanted to remind his readers that the world was not their true home, nor their place of belonging.  And this admonition of Peter’s is just as true for us today almost 2,000 years later.

Peter was not the only one who spoke this truth. In Hebrews 11:14-16, the unnamed author tells us that God’s people of the past acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth, and that their hope was not in the world they knew, but in a better country, a heavenly one that they looked toward in faith. For the believers of Hebrews 11, it was not an untested hope; they faced great persecution and still clung to this hope in an unseen future. Suffering is also a key theme of I Peter; this word shows up in various forms fifteen times! Living as exiles in a foreign world where we don’t fit in, especially in times of persecution, brings suffering.

Yet another key theme, and what Peter consistently calls us to throughout the letter is hope, the same hope we saw in the lives of the Hebrews 11 believers. Peter tell us that we have a living hope that because Christ was raised from the dead, we too will be raised, and we have an inheritance ready to be revealed in the last time (1:3-4). As we long for that day, we are to set our hope fully on what is to come when Christ is revealed (1:13, 21). That means we do not place any of our hope in this world, as we are often tempted to do, hoping, for example, partially in God and partially in our government. Hope in our future reality should pervade our lives, even in trials, so that the unbelieving world takes note and asks where our unshakable hope comes from (3:15).

Though the news is depressing, though our culture finds joy and entertainment in what the Bible calls sin, though the political situation in our country looks dismal, we, as sojourners in this world, have hope, because our hope is in none of these things. Our hope rests in something far greater than this temporary time and place. It rests in the promise of an unchanging, eternal God who is preparing for us our true home, where we will no longer be foreigners but know true belonging. Do others see that hope in us?

I want to leave you with a few quotes from the conference I attended, because others are far better with words than I am.

-- “God has known you deeply forever. We do not have to create our identity on our own. We are not lost orphans, but God’s children heading home.”   “We are named and we are placed by God Himself. Through Him, our exile is lit up with hope.” (Kathleen Nielson)

-- “As Christians, we must embrace our strangeness in this world.”  “We are far from home, but we are not far from Him.” “We’re people on mission to glorify God in a strange land.” (Mary Wilson)

-- “Peter calls us repeatedly to live in a way that does not make sense in this world. It only makes sense when there is an unshakable belief and hope in another world.” (John Piper)

--Amy O'Rear