STEPPING STONES

Dear Friend:

“I don’t know why I am telling you this,” whispered the college professor.
I know exactly why he said what he said.
My son and I prepared to visit a prospective college that day. Before we left we prayed, “Lord, please, with absolutely clarity let us know if he should attend this college.”
As a group session ended and the room emptied my son and I sat talking. The professor came to us and asked if we had any questions. I told him about my son’s situation. That is when the professor came out with the unusual response. He was referring us back to a local community college to pick up some core classes. He even said, “I probably shouldn’t be telling you to go to another school.”
I jumped for joy because I had just witnessed the clear message the Lord sent my son, and he could not deny it. You know how teenagers don’t want to hear things from their mothers. I look back at that moment and smile. It is a story that is embossed on my “shield of faith.” I have a picture in my mind of my shield; it has marks that represent the captured moments of God’s faithfulness that He has used to build my own faith. Like the Israelites having their stones piled to remember what provision and clear direction they got from the Lord.
“So Joshua called together the twelve men he had appointed from the Israelites, one from each tribe, and said to them, “Go over before the ark of the LORD your God into the middle of the Jordan. Each of you is to take up a stone on his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the Israelites, to serve as a sign among you.” (Joshua 4:4-6 NIV).
God used stones to mark significant statements to Israel, like the Ten Commandments. He ordered special stones to make the temple. He commanded that stones be used to serve as a sign of His provision at important locations. Jesus was referred to as the cornerstone (the living stone), and we who are believers also are referred to as living stones chosen by God. They reveal God’s redemption and restoration for us all.
One time my family prayed for guidance about whether to purchase a home. The Holy Spirit led us to go through with the purchase. As our thanksgiving offering to God, we set up a pile of bricks in the yard, read the Scripture passage from Joshua 4 and dedicated our new home to Him.
PRAYER: Father in heaven, thank You for the times that You have made things clear to me. Help me to learn and remember what they mean. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.

Declaration of Dependence

I was dusting my shelves where the knick-knacks are displayed and the framed document entitled “Our Declaration of Dependence” caught my eye. I got choked up with tears thinking, Where has the time gone? Oh! Look at the precious signatures of my then eight and ten year-old sons.
Sixteen years ago when my husband lost his job, I was nursing a baby, homeschooling for the first time, my mom had left me, my relationship with my dad had become estranged and my best friend moved to Tennessee. Life was spinning out of control. A psychologist told me “Just losing your mom in the destructive way she left could put someone over the top.” How did I survive these six life changing events at once?
Prior to the year these things happened my family had come to know Jesus, but not to the full extent that we know Him now. We could not stay the way we were and go with God. The unanimous decision to declare our dependence on God for everything required us to look to scripture and be led by the Holy Spirit. That would necessitate us asking God to increase our faith and help us to live out WWJD. WWJD became our personal motto that stood as a reminder of our belief in a moral necessity to act in a manner that would demonstrate the love of Jesus through the actions of our lives. We gave God permission to do anything He pleases with our ordinary selves fully dedicated to Him. We would commit regularly to worship, thanksgiving and giving back to the Lord what He so graciously blessed us with. Looking back I would not change a thing. I felt so close to God. This experience taught me the same thing Paul learned from his trials. He stated “I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want” (Philippians 4:12 NIV).
I made it through panic attacks and other health issues that arose from stress. Every step of my healing became a lesson to learn. I began to journal the healing process. Today I am known as “The Recycle Girl” meaning that the trials that I have experienced in my life and how God has taught me and helped me get through them has never been wasted. It has all been reused to help comfort others with the comfort I have received.
I want to ask you, have you made your “Declaration of Dependence”? Do you go through life barely getting by and learning nothing from your hard times or do you have a take–away that is recyclable for others?
PRAYER: Father in heaven I need an attitude adjustment. Help me to see trials from Your perspective. I realize I cannot stay the way I am and go with You. Thank You for showing me this. Forgive me for the times I do not ask you for help. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.

EVERYBODY LOVES...

June 7, 2013 by Elaine James  
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By Elaine James -
…. Raymond. Do you know the show Everybody Loves Raymond? If so, then you have seen Raymond blurt out something to Deborah and right away you think, “Oh no! He shouldn’t have said that!”
My husband had one of those moments. He said it, and he could not take it back. I immediately put up my defense. He’s not going to get away with that. I’m going to make him pay. At that moment, I was making his lunch. The thought came to me, I just won’t give him lunch.
Then a whispering, sweet voice said, “Elaine, have you ever said anything wrong?”
If I have to be honest, yes.
“Have I forgiven you and given you grace?”
Yes, Lord, you have.
“If My grace is sufficient for you, then my grace is sufficient for your husband. Can you make him the lunch for me?”
With you, Lord, I can do it. Without you, Lord, I want to ……
I made the sandwich. My mind and heart were battling the whole time. I will throw the sandwich at him. Honestly! I can make this sandwich and serve it with Christ. I made the lunch and gave it to my unsuspecting man. I got to thinking, I can really only do this because of God’s grace. I didn’t deserve what my husband said, but I chose to give him grace.
Have you ever felt that way toward anyone? When the whisper of God speaks, sometimes I ignore it and do not listen. It is hard at times.
“Those who are dominated by the sinful nature think about sinful things, but those who are controlled by the Holy Spirit think about things that please the Spirit” (Romans 8:5 NLT).
I did have revengeful thoughts. My insides hurt. I did not want to serve, but when I finally did, I felt really good inside. I was able to move on. Only God can do that for me, and for you. What do you do with your revengeful thoughts?
Let’s Pray: Father, sinful things sometimes dominate within me. Help me to stop and listen to You. Forgive me for the times I have not listened. I want to please You. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Spam Mail

May 3, 2013 by Elaine James  
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By Elaine James -
Taking a sip of my coffee I peacefully think “Peace and quiet, now I can get some work done.” I spoke to soon. A “bing” noise from my computer tells me “I’ve got mail”. It is a sting to my nervous system. I get like a million spam e-mails a day! Do you? Some days I just delete them and move on to the important messages. Other days it bothers me so much I feel like I want to explode! I am spending more time dumping into that little garbage can than I care to. Can’t someone invent an anti-anger button on my computer?
I liken this frustration to people or things that I come across every day. That person or thing is right in my face screaming for attention. It wears me down. Are you worn down, feeling like you just can’t take it anymore? Some days I am living fully frustrated and not fully alive.
I diagnose myself with the Paul syndrome defined by Paul himself “For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out” (Romans 7:18 NIV).
Thank goodness there is a prescription for this syndrome which the Holy Spirit reminds me “But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness” (Galatians 5:22 NLT). Instead of exploding I pray “God give me some of that self-control.”
This prescription has brought me to a place of true peace and the result is:
Episodes< fruit of the spirit How exciting! I pray you are inspired to want: fruit of the spirit>frustration.
I add to my daily regimen a second prescription called thanksgiving. Being grateful takes my one-track mind away from frustration. I am thanking God for: the sun shining; my daughter’s smile; my husband’s kind words; my ministry; a double chocolate donut; food to eat; a friend who checked in on me today; a lady who said “HI” at the grocery store….on and on.
Join me, won’t you? The journey of life will become brighter. Make your thankful list right in the middle of chaos that is going on.
Let’s pray about it:
Father in heaven help me to want more of You and in turn You will fill me with the fruits of the Spirit. Help me to sense that You are developing more inside of me and it is showing on the outside. Thank You for Your medicine. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.