Our Gifts To Each Other This Year

 

 

 

God's Gift To Everyone For All Time

 

 

Merry Christmas Everyone!

The Christmas Bell

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Christ’s Bell

THE BELL

I KNOW WHO I AM

I am God’s child (John 1:12)

I am Christ’s friend (John 15:15)

I am united with the Lord (I Cor. 6:17)

 I am bought with a price (I Cor. 6:19-20)

I  am  a  saint (set apart for God). (Eph. 1:1)

  I  am  a   personal  witness of Christ.   (Acts 1:8)

    I  am  a  member of  the body of Christ (1 Cor. 12:27)

     I am  free  forever from condemnation of  sin (Rom 8:1-2)

            I   am   a   citizen  of  Heaven. I  am  significant.(Phil. 3: 20) 

           I  am  free  from  any  charge  against   me. (Rom. 8: 31 - 34)

           I  am  a   minister  of  reconciliation  for  God  (II  Cor. 5:17 - 21)

           I  have  access  to  God  through the Holy Spirit (II  Cor. 1:21– 22)

          I  am   seated   with   Christ   in    the   heavenly  realms   Eph. 2: 6)

             I  cannot   be    separated   from   the   love   of    God .   (Rom. 8:35-39)

           I  am  established,   anointed,   and   sealed     by   God.  (II Cor. 1: 21-22)

             I  am   assured    that   all   things   work    together   for   good   (Rom. 8:28)

            I   have    been     chosen    and    appointed     to       bear    fruit. (John 15: 16)

           I   can     approach      God      with      confidence    and      freedom. (Eph. 3:12)         
    I can   do    all    things    through     Christ     who     strengthens    me.  (Phil. 4:13)
      I  am   a   branch   of     the    true    vine.   A    channel   of    His     life.  (John 15:1-5)
       I am   God’s     temple   (I Cor. 3: 16). I    am    complete   in   Christ.   (Colossians 2: 10)
      I  am   hidden    with   Christ    in    God  (Col. 3:3). I   have   been    justified  (Romans 5: 1)
     I  am  God’s co-worker (I Cor. 3:9;  II Cor. 6:1)  I  am   God’s   workmanship  (Ephesians 2:10)
       I am  confident  that   the good  works  that  God  has  begun in  me  will   be  perfected. (Phil. 1:5)
     I have been redeemed and forgiven (Colossians f1:14) I have been adopted as God’s child. (Eph. 1:5)
I belong to God
Do you know

Who you are?

 

Leaving a Legacy

 

Uncle Darrell

My uncle died shortly after Thanksgiving. He was a Vietnam vet, and had a very nice military funeral.

military honors

 

Darrell became a Christian within the last ten years or so, and it changed his life. He married a lady who was also a devoted Christ follower, and became active his church, impacting many people in the community. At the funeral, people shared how he had touched their lives in many ways.

His greatest desire was that his family and friends would see how his faith in Christ had changed his life and that He would do so for them if they would invite Him into their lives. He left a lasting legacy. I can only hope to do the same.

How will people remember you?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



The Story of The Teacup

I went to a High Tea one afternoon at Community Chapel in Mauldin, SC. It was fun to meet new people and sing praise songs while enjoying a variety of teas. There were scones, sandwiches, fruit, and other treats as well. The best part, though, wa s the testimony of one of the ladies there.

She’s undergoing treatment for cancer and talked about her spiritual life during this time. She shared a story by Georgy that lifts her spirits and sustains her.

The Teacup

 

A couple went to England for their anniversary. They liked antiques and pottery, especially teacups. One day, in a beautiful shop, they spotted an exceptional cup and asked to see it. ”We’ve never seen a cup quite so beautiful.” As the lady handed it to them, the teacup shocked them by speaking and telling this story…

I have not always been a teacup.  Once I was just a lump of red clay. My master rolled, pounded and patted me over and over. I yelled, “Don’t do that. I don’t like it! Let me alone.”

But he only smiled and gently said, “Not yet.”

Then WHAM! He placed me on a spinning wheel and spun me round and round. “Stop it! I’m getting so dizzy! I’m going to be sick,” I screamed.

But the master only nodded and said quietly, “Not yet.”

He spun, poked, prodded, and bent me out of shape, then put me in the oven! I’d never felt such heat. I yelled and knocked and pounded at the door. “Help! Get me out of here!”

I could see him through the opening and could read his lips as he shook his head, “Not yet.”

When I thought I couldn’t bear it another minute, the door opened. He carefully put me on the shelf. I began to cool. Oh it felt so good! This is much better, I thought. Then he brushed and painted me all over. The fumes were horrible. “Oh, please stop!” I gagged.

My master only shook his head and said, “Not yet!”

Suddenly he put me into a much hotter oven where I knew I would suffocate. I begged, pleaded, and cried, convinced that I would never make it. I was ready to give up when the door opened. He took me out and placed me on the shelf. I cooled, wondering, “What’s next?”

An hour later, my master gave me a mirror. “Look at yourself.”

“That’s not me” I said. “It’s beautiful..,I’m beautiful.”

Quietly he spoke, “I know it hurt to be rolled, and pounded and patted, but if left alone, you would have dried up. I know it made you dizzy to spin around on the wheel, but if I had stopped, you would have crumbled. I know it was painful in the oven, but without the heat, you would have cracked. I know the paint fumes were awful, but without paint, there would be no color in your life. Without that second firing, you would not have the strength to survive. Now you are a finished product. Now you are just what I had in mind.”

God knows what He’s doing. He is the Potter and we are His clay. He will mold us and make us, exposing us to just enough of the right pressures that we might become a flawless piece of work to fulfill His good, pleasing, and perfect will.

So when life seems hard, and you feel pounded and pushed almost beyond endurance; when your world seems to be spinning out of control; when you’re in a fiery furnace of trials and life stinks, try this…Brew your favorite tea in your prettiest teacup. Sit down, and remember this story and have a little talk with the Potter. (Isaiah 64:8)

What are you facing that seems overwhelming? A load that's too heavy to carry? God is there in the midst of it. As hard as it is to do, we can trust Him to know what He's doing, even if we can't see it in the process.

 

 

 

 



Get Moving!

The cold weather had arrived early. It was only October and we’d already had our first frost. I wore three layers, but still shivered as I sat at my desk. It was approaching noon, so I got up to fix lunch. I transferred the first load of laundry from the washer to the dryer and started the second load. As I did, I realized  I wasn’t cold anymore. Maybe because I’d been moving. 

 

“See any parallel here Ellen?” God asked. I smiled, recognizing how it mirrored my spiritual life, and doing what God had told me to. He’d told me to sit down and write. Write a devotion, work on my nonfiction work, or at least work on some writing exercises.  I’d been procrastinating by doing anything but that. I’d wash the dishes, vacuum the house, play a computer game. You get the idea. I’d done the same thing when it came to spending time with God in prayer or reading His Word. I’d suddenly have other things I suddenly “had to do.”

I’d fallen into Satan’s trap of distraction. Satan’s tricky that way. We tend to fall for Satan’s deception because he’s so crafty. None of the things I did was sinful, or bad in itself, but it was a waste of time and kept me from doing what God wanted.

We often do things that fill our time and they’re good, productive things. It makes us feel good about having accomplished them. But we need to focus on what God wants us to do. Each day we need to ask Him to help us hear His voice and to follow through with doing as He leads. When we do, we’re more productive and we feel better for not having wasted our time. More importantly, we’re obedient to God’s direction. All because we got moving.

The Kindness of Strangers

I’d gone to the reading of The Same Life Over at Centre Stage Greenville, SC. The actors read the lines, with one person describing each scene change so the audience could picture it in their minds. Because  there was no scenery on stage, I could visualize how it looked and enjoy the scenes and acts I imagined them.

Centre Stage has stadium seating and the stairs are steep. Since I sat one row from the back, I waited for most people to go ahead of me before stepping into the aisle.

Holding onto the handrail, I carefully stepped down the first stair. I did same with the second but my foot slipped. The next thing I knew I was tumbling into people ahead of me. “Aaaah” I cried. When I landed at the bottom, my first words were “Did I hurt anybody?”

“No, everyone’s ok. Are you ok?”

“No, I hurt.”

“Can you move your ankle?” someone asked. I nodded, and I did so, despite the pain.  

I looked around to see that five or six people had stayed with me to see whether I would be ok. I started to get up, but couldn’t yet.

“Stay there. There’s no hurry. Wait till you’re ready.”

“We’ll drive you home,” one man said.

“No, I’m ok” I answered.

“Are you sure?” he asked, unconvinced.

“Yeah, I think so”, I said, hesitatingly. About ten minutes later I got up and realized how dizzy I was. And weak.

“I think we should drive you home,” he said again, recognizing that I wasn’t truly ok.

“Yes, I think so” I said, realizing I was in no shape to drive.  

 After walking through the lobby at a snail’s pace, I walked out with them to their car. Hugh drove my car and Kathy took me in hers as I told her where to go.

They lived in the opposite direction, but volunteered to take me anyway and I was so glad. God used them to meet my need, even though I didn’t like needing anyone. It gave them the opportunity to bless me and taught me that sometimes we need to trust others to help us out.

Thank you, Hugh and Kathy, for driving me home that night. You’re a real blessing.

Life Lessons from a Dog in a Kayak

 

Sometimes God uses a dog to teach us basic life lessons.

We went kayaking last weekend at Table Rock and took our dog, Tommy. We’d been many times, but this was new for Tommy.  We got to the lake and Tommy splashed in the water along the shore, getting used to the water.  He smiled as he splashed, having a wonderful time. 

 We each got in a kayak and Tommy rode with Dad, sitting behind him. They paddled along enjoying the cool weather, the sky decorated with billowy clouds overhead. Lush green trees lined the shore.



Tommy decided he was bored so he got up to walk away. SPLASH!  He sank, having no idea what had happened. 

 

When he resurfaced, he panicked, until he figured out how to dog paddle.  He hurried over to Mom’s kayak and she held him next to the boat so he would calm down, realizing he was safe.

 

When Mom couldn’t pull him into her kayak, he paddled to Dad, who’d moved alongside.  Dad scooped him into his arms and put him safely in his kayak.

How often do we relax and decide to venture out a bit to try something new?  And end up in over our heads, not knowing how to get back? It can be scary.

When we turn back to our Father, desperate for help, He rescues us and scoops us into His arms to safety, glad we’re with Him again. And we can relax.  If we stay near Him, we can know He’ll keep us safe because he loves us.

Power Outage

Sometimes God just makes me laugh.

I went to a Bible study this week where we’re going through a book called Abide in Christ, by Andrew Murray and Bo Stevens. First they define what it means to abide, and then go into how to do that in our relationship with God. One of the first steps is to spend time with Him. Only then can we grow closer to Him and learn to be more like Him.

Confession time: I hadn’t done most of the study last week, I’d only glanced over a few pages. I can easily put off reading the Bible and do other things to fill my time. But last night as I drove home, I realized that I often watch TV or play computer games when there’s nothing I have to do. And spending that time talking to Him would be a better use of that time. I decided to do just that.

When I got home, the first thing I noticed was that the porch light was off. I know I turned it on when I left, didn’t I? I asked myself. I went inside and saw the light switch turned to the “on”position. Nothing worked. We’d lost power.

So now I couldn’t watch TV or get on my computer (since it’s a desktop). But I could use my flashlight to read and study the Bible. I spent the time reading the Bible and meditating on what God was telling me. Spending that time with Him was what I needed to do, and need to do each day.

God definitely has a sense of humor. And His ways are not my ways.

God: The Author Of Us All

Writers have a unique way of communicating.

I started attending a couple writers’ groups about two years ago. I figured I’d get to meet other writers and learn what they were writing, and hopefully get some feedback to help me improve. I had no idea I’d have to learn a new language!

Things like POV, WIP, and voice were just some of the terms among them. You mean voice doesn’t mean how loud I speak, or the pitch of my voice? And pitch is something else altogether?

WIP, I learned, means work-in-progress and refers to whatever an author is currently writing.  I think it also applies to all of us as we go about our lives.

As writers, we develop our WIPs, edit, tweak the storyline, and rewrite severak more times until we (and the editors) are satisfied. We develop our characters more fully, and fill in the details until the whole picture becomes clear and communicates what we want to tell our readers. God does the same with us as He writes the story of our lives.

God develops and transforms us to be more of what He has in mind as our story unfolds. He writes suspense. But with God, His characters (that’s you and me) are the ones who wonder what the next scene will be.  As do those who watch His story unfold in our lives. He’s written many stories over the millennia with plots that have many twists and turns, leaving us wondering what will happen next.

Only God knows what will happen in the future. I’m glad that’s the case. It piques my interest, even though I sometimes wish I knew some of the details ahead of time. But the Author knows how much His characters should know and reveals the details as He sees fit. He’s never written the same story twice.

If only I could do the same .

When Faith and Life Collide

Jeremiah 29:11 “I know the plans I have for you.  Plans to prosper you, and not to harm you; plans to give you a hope and a future.

This is a promise many of us have heard.  We want to believe it’s true, so how do we handle it when our circumstances seem to prove otherwise? Is this evidence that the Bible isn’t true? I contend that’s not the case.  Perhaps we’ve overlooked a piece of the puzzle. Maybe there’s something we haven’t considered.

Nowhere does it tell us how God plans to do to prosper us, or what that looks like. Nor does it tell us when.  It does say He’ll give us hope for the future.   That’s where faith comes in. Faith that God will fulfill his promise to us. And perseverance until we see how God works it through.

When it comes to many things in my life, I recognize that it takes time to see the fruit(s) of my labor. Building up a retirement account, deepening relationships with friends and family, or growing a garden, doesn't happen overnight.  It takes time, perseverance and commitment on my part to see it through to the end. 

So, why do we expect God to answer our prayers right away?  Because He can?  Fair enough, but what if He takes His time so that we grow in the process?  That’s been a tough lesson for me to learn, and I find I have to re-learn it many times over.  But God has proven that He’s faithful and has my best interest in mind, even when I can’t see it. 

How about you? What have you seen God do in times of hardship that you could only recognize after time had passed? How do you handle it in the meantime?