Are you a Poloroid or Etch A Sketch Christian? / Mrs Kay Souther

  

 Mrs Kay Souther

Pastor's Wife

Gateway Baptist Church

Blacksburg, VA

       I'm probably really showing my age here, but does anyone remember the Polaroid One-Step cameras? If you don't, take a minute to Google it, we'll wait...okay, now you get the picture! Hahaha...No pun intended. Anyway, the "Polaroids" of the old days were big and bulky and seemed to be a short-lived fad. The "one-step" style cameras are making a comeback now with a more sleek shape and are also available in several fashionable colors!
     Now what about an Etch-a-Sketch?? A classic toy that's been around for years, and made wildly popular once again, because of the highly rated Disney/Pixar Toy Story movies.  There are two white knobs on the front of the toy that can be turned clockwise or counter-clockwise, separately or simultaneously, and with these movements, pictures are created.
     Well, back to the Polaroid, you snap an image and the camera "spits" out a picture, but it's dark, there's nothing on it! Then you begin to shake the picture and slowly but surely, the image is revealed.  The Etch-a-Sketch is a different story...a simple bump or shake can be the ruination of hours of tedious work.
     So let's think about this, ladies. Both objects can accomplish nothing on their own; Secondly, they have to be placed into the hands of someone who knows how to use them for the object to be successfully operated; and lastly, at some point in time, both will be shaken.
      But let's look at what happens after that happens. I stated earlier, when the picture is shaken, a transformation occurs and a clear image is revealed. When the Etch-a-Sketch is shaken, hours of work can be lost in an instant. Ladies, which one are you?
     Hard times, financial hardships, temptation and other various heartaches ARE going to come our way.  These heartaches can shake us at our very core. Trials can attempt to destroy who we are, what we've been taught, what we believe and what the Lord has accomplished in our lives. For our faith to become strong, it HAS to be shaken! Ladies, we "wear so many hats" every single day of our lives and maintaining peace and strength during a "shaky time" can be challenging. Take heart! Be encouraged! Ladies, read and claim these two verses.
      Isaiah 26:3,4 promises "Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee. Trust ye in the Lord for ever; for in the Lord JEHOVAH is everlasting strength:"
Lord, thank You for Your promise of peace and strength. No matter what comes into our lives, please help us to keep our focus on You, and thank You for the promise of everlasting strength for us to be able to accomplish this through You. Amen.

Teaching Your Children To Work / Mrs Charity Brown

Mrs Charity Brown

Pastor's Wife

Marion Avenue Baptist Church

Washington, IA

 

 

TEACHING YOUR CHILDREN TO WORK: 

I've often heard my father in law, Dr. Larry Brown, make the statement 'I would rather my daughter marry a cussing or smoking man than to have her marry a lazy man!' Please don't misunderstand this comment - we are certainly not advocates of profanity or tobacco, in ANY way, shape nor form! :-) if you know us, you know that to be true! Yet I couldn't agree more with this comment! 

My husband has now pastored for over 4 yrs - a relatively short amount of time. But we have seen the  INCREDIBLE Value of having a great work ethic in people's lives on a weekly basis!! It is so refreshing and motivating to see the character and fortitude instilled in them to work hard, to love their work and to keep on working even when you don't 'feel like it.' Because it's quite apparent that if they have this kind of work ethic, that same character and discipline spills over into every area of their life! 

I recently read an article on this topic that changed my life. It was written by a lady I'm honored to call one of 'my closest friends.' She and her family attend our church. She is a homeschooling mother of ten children - several of whom are late teens/early 20's. Her children embody EVERYTHING that I would want my children to become! Their Christ-like spirit, their genuine passion for The Lord, their unselfish service to God and for others, their incredible work ethic, their love and respect for their parents and siblings...all these attributes that I see portrayed in their lives attest to the fact that their mother is quite an amazing wife and mother. Her children are certainly 'rising up to call her blessed' just like we read of the virtuous lady in Prov. 31. When ladies like this speak up on key issues of child-rearing, I can assure you that my ears perk up and I take notes!! Here is what I read that is motivating and inspiring me to teach my four little children to work!

 

What the Bible has to say about work: 

“It is good for a man that he bear the yoke in his youth.” Lamentations 3:27

“For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat.”  II Thessalonians 3:10

“Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.” I Corinthians 10:31

1. Teach your children when they are young.  Any child capable of dumping a basket of toys is certainly able to pick them up again.  Now some cheerful words and a parent’s  helping hand will do much to make your training more effective.  Buy a little broom and dustpan so your child can work beside you as you sweep the floor.  Most children love water-let them slosh as they rinse the dishes.  Setting the table and clearing the dishwasher are  great chores to teach your 3 or 4 year old that they must work before they eat. 
2. Be consistent in what you expect your children to do.   At our house, most of the boys started feeding the calves when they were about 6 years old.  Within months, I could see that this responsibility had a very positive effect. Having a chore that needs to be done twice a day at a specific time, rain or shine, cold or hot, whether we had guests or not, regardless of their desire to feed the calves by the appointed time, had a way of maturing them in all of life. This responsibility taught them that they could do a job in spite of their feelings. So you don’t live on a farm?  Then get creative-assign a child to prepare breakfast or dinner everyday, have them do a quick bathroom cleanup every morning before breakfast, run a paper route, or buy chickens or calves to feed.  Before we milked cows, we bought some calves and chickens for the sole purpose to provide work for our young children (6-7 yrs old).  We never actually kept good records but I am quite sure we lost money on these “projects” but that didn’t matter.  If need be, I would volunteer my children to mow an elderly person’s yard or remove the snow from their sidewalk for free just so they would have some work to do.  You could also turn your garage into a small mechanic shop or woodworking shop.  By all means, plant a garden!  This is an excellent way to teach your children the rewards of hard work.  
3. Teach them to work without pay.  We have never given our children an allowance.(GASP!) BTW, one of our sons just added his definition of an allowance-”Allowing your child to be lazy”.  And I didn’t even ask for that!!  We will not judge you if you give your children an allowance; this is simply the way we raised our 10 children.   So everyday chores such as cooking, laundry, cleaning, garden work, feeding calves, etc. were always done without pay.  We did, however; offer them additional work for a small or sometimes larger monetary reward.  At our house this might be loading out hogs (not for the faint at heart!), doing the early morning  milking (4:00 a.m.), trapping mice (what a nice relief for a mother who doesn’t enjoy living with mice or removing their dead bodies), painting a fence, doing an extraordinarily nasty cleaning job, digging thistles or dandelions, and more. 
4. Reward work.  While this may seem like a contradiction to the previous point, it isn’t. Actually, my children told me this is something that helped them learn to enjoy work.  On a hot, summer day I might tell them that I will set up the sprinkler after they weed and mulch the potatoes.  Or I will give them a list of garden chores to do on a Monday and Tuesday then take them swimming on Wednesday. We have also watched a movie while folding laundry or listened to a story on cd while making salsa or canning pears. Let them learn that there are rewards for a job well done. 
5. If they complain about not liking a job, be sure they know that the job will be their responsibility until they can do it cheerfully on a daily/weekly basis.  An example of that is Allison who used to dislike dusting in particular and cleaning in general.  In spite of her aversion to this chore, she was assigned weekly cleaning jobs which stayed the same for many years.  She will tell you that now she finds fulfillment in completing even difficult and some rather disagreeable jobs that she has encountered as an adult. We have had different jobs given to our younger children like clearing the dishwasher, taking out a bucket of scraps to the compost pile, and setting the table.  I have assured them that the chore will not be given to a younger sibling until they can consistently do it cheerfully.  Many times I have seen a 6 year old begin to find joy in a simple job which was done day after day.
6. Promise them that there will be many times in life that they will have to do something they don’t like to do. Does anyone need further explanation on this?
7. Remind them, when necessary, of the verse “He who eats must work”.  Be creative in how you apply this verse to real life situations.  A son told me that he thinks this was the first verse he learned!  I thought it was Psalm 23.  At the very least, you can make a child go without desert.

My desire is that your heart has been challenged and motivated by these seven points, just as I have been! It's not always easy, by any means, to do these things! But hey, who said being a mom is easy?! :-)  I hope you'll take these to heart and put them somewhere, if you have children, where they'll serve as a daily reminder of How we, as mothers, can instill a work ethic into our children! 

How I Keep Smiling! / Mrs Shannon Stiff

 

Shannon Stiff

Pastor's Wife

Lighthouse Baptist Church

Flint, MI

 

 

How I keep smiling after the trials I’ve been through!

 

My name is Shannon and I was raised in a Christian home.  My dad was a Pastor for over 30 years.  I have had a wonderful life, but there have been many trials that have come my way.  For example when I was newly married I got a call one evening that my brother and sister and sister in law had been in a major car accident.  We rushed over to my parents house and my sister said my mom and dad had rushed out to the scene when they heard the sirens so close to their house and upon arrival realized it was their son and daughter in the accident.  We waited for what seemed an eternity and then my mom and dad came home.  They said Stacey didn’t survive.  They watched as they pulled Stacey out of the car.  My dad had seen enough deer killed with their limp bodies that he knew Stacey was dead immediately when seeing her.  Stacey had just turned 14 years old.  My brother made it and he was very badly beat up and my sister in law had to be air lifted to a major hospital in another city.  She had many complications for years after.  She barely survived herself.  That accident was so tragic for our family.  It took my mom and dad many years to feel like they could smile again after that.  I remember crying everyday for six months after that accident. 

 

Then just a few years later  I was driving down Highway 5 and a lady who was high on Meth swerved over into my lane and hit me head on at 70 miles per hour.  My one and two year olds were in the car with me.   They were both in car seats, but my two year old broke her ankle and had a scratch on her liver.  My tough one year old was fine.   I on the other hand had a broken femur, fractured ribs and a collapsed lung.  They took me to a different hospital than my kids.  I was immediately knocked out when we crashed and I awoke to a nice neighbor calming my kids until the ambulances arrived.   On the way to the hospital I overheard EMT’s saying how they didn’t think I was going to make it.  I remembered having a peace in my heart that I was going to go to heaven.   Well, my dad gets the call that we have been in this accident and runs down to tell my husband about the accident.  They were both at the church working at the time.  They all rush to the car and go to both of the hospitals to see how we were doing.  I can’t even imagine what my mom and dad were thinking after already losing a child.  I was in intensive care for a week and in the hospital total for two weeks.  I had to learn to walk again.  I limped for six months after that and had to use a walker.  I was in my twenties.  How embarrassing!   We all recovered, but what an ordeal.

 

Then just about three years ago.  We heard the news that rocked me and my family’s world.  My dad had committed some sins throughout his ministry that caught up with him and he forfeited the ministry.  What a shock!  That  was the hardest thing me and my family has ever gone through.  So, I guess you could say that I have been through a lot. 

My goal has always been to keep a good attitude in everything!  I learned through all of this to lift my God up and Praise Him continuously!   Here are some things that have helped me get through  these tough times.

 

1.  I read my Bible and pray mostly everyday!  I say mostly everyday, because I am human and honest.  Hebrews 4:12  For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

2.  I laugh as much as I possibly can! Proverbs 17:22  A merry heart doth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones.

3.  I realize God works everything out for our own good! Romans 8:28  And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are called according to his purpose.                                                       

4.  I praise God all throughout my day everyday!  Psalm 86:12 I will praise thee, O Lord my God, with all my heart: and I will glorify the name for evermore.

5. I choose to dwell on good things only and work on solutions to problems.  Phil. 4:8   Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.

6.  I will not worry about problems and I will only pray about them.    Phil. 4:6  Be careful for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made know unto God.   

         

I hope this helps someone who may be going through something tough right now.  The Lord will get you through it.  Remember God is our strength and refuge.  God loves you and I very much and wants to help us in our time of need!   Have a great day ladies!

Lady Bugs / Mrs Charissa Andrews

Mrs Charissa Andrews

Pastor's Wife

Amazing Grace Baptist Church

O'Fallon, MO

 

 

Lady Bugs

My family and I lived in West Virginia for several years and each fall we would be visited with swarms of lady bugs. One year in particular I remember the lady bugs came in droves. I would attempt to vacuum them up but they would let off this unpleasant odor when they were met with their fate. That was several years ago when I was a mommy to a 2 year old and two 1 year olds, we were in the process of moving across the country and my days were given to try to pack our home in boxes while my husband was at work. One morning I placed the 1 year olds in their little exersaucers and gave the 2 year old a box of his own so that he could “help me” in this endeavor. I went into the kitchen to begin my task. I wasn't working long before I heard, “eat the buggy, Daniel. They taste good!” I came to find that my oldest son was feeding the lady bugs to his brother. It wasn't so funny then, but it is a story we laugh about now.

Although those lady bugs were a nuisance, I believe there is a wonderful kind of lady bug. A lady B(eing) U(sed by) G(od). The longer I serve the Lord, the more I desire my life to be used by God. I want to use the letters in LADY BUG to look at 7 areas that will keep us usable.

I. L – Looks to the Lord for strength and emotional dependency.

Picture in your mind a storm that is raging on the open sea. It is dark as the storm rages on. The waves are crashing noisily. There on the rocks stands a light house. Even though the wind is howling and the water is violently slamming into the rocks, the light house is not wavering, it is not wilting. The light is still being sent out. No one is there cheering on the light house, no one is admiring it or praising it. The circumstances around the light house are dire – yet it stays strong. That doesn't happen by accident. The reason that the light house can stand strong during the worst storms is because it is grounded firmly on solid rocks. Sometimes we fall into the trap of trying to gain our strength from places other than the Lord. Perhaps our spouse, our children, a job, our girlfriends. God can certainly use our human relationships to bring us comfort and encouragement. However, if we are not careful we can place our roots, so to speak, in those earthly relationships. A L.A.D.Y. B.U.G understands that she must look to the Lord for her strength.

2. A – Adorned with an inner beauty.

I Peter 2:3-4 Whose adorning let it not be that outward adorning of plaiting the hair, and of wearing of gold, or of putting on of apparel; But let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price. This verse does not mean that God is against a lady looking nice. It does not mean that God is against a lady wearing jewelry or of keeping her hair clean and neat. But what this verse is telling us is that our outward appearance should not be the MOST beautiful thing about us. There should be something (Someone) that adorns us that causes the jewelry and lip gloss and cute little shoes to pale in comparison. Our culture places an extreme emphasis on the exterior of a person. Just take a look at the magazines in the check out aisle of your local store. It is in our faces. All. The. Time. I wonder what would change in our homes and in our churches if we spent the same amount of investment (financially and time wise) on our inner (wo)man as we do the outer. An inner beauty is powerful and can't be bought in a tube, a cream, or a size 6 shoe. A L.A.D.Y.B.U.G is adorned, she is decorated with an inner beauty that is a by product found only by being filled with God's Spirit.

3. D – Desires to make her home a special place.

Proverbs 31:27a She looketh well to the ways of her household...

A L.A.D.Y.B.U.G views the care of her home as a high calling. As a wife and mom, I desire for my home to be a safe place, a haven, an oases for my family. We can use our 5 senses to establish a home that will be welcoming. The following are some things that we do in our home.

Eyes (sight): Try to keep your home neat and clean. My boys hear me say often, “a place for everything and everything in it's place”. In our home it helps me to have a daily schedule. Everyone has an area they are responsible for. Make the upkeep of your home fun, offer rewards and incentives. Take time to decorate for the different holidays and seasons.

Ears (sound): Play Christ honoring music. We listen to several Christian radio stations easily with our phones. Sometimes just having the Bible playing creates a calmer atmosphere. Let your children HEAR you praise and brag on them to other people. Same thing with your spouse. Laugh. A lot. Let the sounds of your home be pleasant.

Nose (smell): Now I have to be candid. This is not always an easy one for me. I do live in a house with 5 guys. Last night, I set my oven on fire. Not. Even. Kidding. Some days I have to work extra hard to keep our home smelling inviting. I remember when we were house hunting. We had been looking for a few weeks and nothing just grabbed at us and said, “this is it...this is home”. Until we walked into our current house. There was much I loved about the house but looking back I think there was one thing that really made a difference. In the kitchen on the counter was a crock pot. Inside the crock pot a roast was cooking and it smelled. So. Good! It made us feel like we were home. Use candles, fresh flowers, the yummy smelling fabric softener when you can.

Tongue (taste): Learn your family's favorite tastes. Ask them. Try new things. Take the time to learn how to make new things. Make special treats to show those in your home that you love and care for them. I have one friend that allows each family member to pick a meal for that week. Every week when I go grocery shopping, one of my guys gets to pick our family treat for the week. It might be ice cream, soft pretzels, brownies, etc. A L.A.D.Y.B.U.G. Realizes that when she is cooking for her family, she is ministering. She is meeting a need. Don't do it grudgingly, take joy in it.

Touch: Hug often! Hold hands with your children and husband. Offer foot and back rubs. Set out soft blankets and fluffy pillows. At this time of year my husband does something that makes me feel very loved. When I go into my bathroom to get ready for bed, he will go into our room and turn on my heating pad. He will turn down the covers and stick the heating pad right where I sleep and cover it up again. Then when I go to climb into bed, I remove the heating pad and curl up feeling nice and toasty warm. As it gets colder, when my boys are showering I'll sneak in and grab their towels. I'll throw them in the dryer for about 10 or 15 minutes and when I think they're just about to hop out I'll replace the towel. It's something small but I want them to FEEL that they are loved. A L.A.D.Y.B.U.G knows that her first priority next to God is her home. Make it a special place, an inviting place.

4. Y – Yields her tongue to Christ.

I Timothy 5:13 And withal they learn to be idle, wandering about from house to house; and not only idle, but tattlers also and busybodies, speaking things which they ought not.

Colossians 4:6 Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man.

A group of pastor's wives was asked this question: “What is one thing your ladies do that encourage you?” There were various answers but the one that I loved best was, “The one thing my ladies do that encourages me is that they are kind to each other”. YES! Somewhere along the line we bought into a lie that we have the right to say whatever we want, whenever we want, however we want and to whomever we want. I once heard a wise lady say, “Not everything you think, needs to be said, and if it DOES need to be said, it doesn't necessarily need to be said by you. A L.A.D.Y.B.U.G keeps her body under subjection and that includes her tongue.

5. B – Brings support and encouragement.

A L.A.D.Y.B.U.G looks for others to invest in. We will never encourage on accident. From the beginning of time God created women to be encouragers and supporters. I like to call them cheerladies. God has given me a few cheerladies in my life. And I try to find ladies that I can cheer along their paths as well. God has given us the ability to build up, to strengthen, support and encourage. God has put in ladies a natural desire to nurture and empathize. For several years we lived right in front of a large corn field. Without doubt, every harvest time we would get mice in our garage and sometimes they'd end up in the house. I hated them! I wanted them gone! So my husband bought these sticky traps. And sure enough the mice would get stuck right on them. When my husband pulled out the first of our captured creatures, I saw the little mouse and asked what he was going to do with it. He explained to me how he would end it's life. I suddenly became sad and felt empathy for the mouse. My husband laughed pretty hard. “Only a woman could be disgusted by a creature one day and then try to save it's life the next”. That came from a natural desire to empathize. Ladies, we deserve to treat and be treated with kindness from each other. A L.A.D.Y.B.U.G knows God has called her to a wonderful, rewarding role of support, encouragement and love. She knows it is a high calling and design of God.

6. U – Understands the joy of serving.

A L.A.D.Y.B.U.G realizes serving others is really leading others. She knows that she isn't “just raising kids”, she is rearing kings and queens that are fit for the Master's use. She wants to mirror Christ. Christ was a servant, He washed the feet of His followers. When you know God has put someone in your path that you could serve, instead of saying, “Well let me know if you need anything” try something like, “What can I do for you” or “How could I best be a blessing to you?”. A L.A.D.Y.B.U.G knows biblical leadership is servant leadership

7. G – Gains honor and favor.

Proverbs 31:28 and 31 Her children arise up, and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praiseth her. Many daughters have done virtuously, but thou excellest them all. Favor is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a woman that feareth the Lord, she shall be praised.

Ladies, may we always strive to be A LADY Being Used by God.

Oh! Be Careful Little Mouth What You Say! / Mrs Leeanne Graf

Mrs Leeanne Graf

Pastor's Wife

Victory Baptist Church

Sanger, TX

 

 

OH! Be Careful Little Mouth What You Say!

 

If you have children, you know what it’s like to hear fussing, arguing, name calling, complaining, etc. We have six amazing kids, ages 17-7. As great as they are, sometimes I want to pull my hair out because it seems all I say some days is “quit fussing”, “quit aggravating each other” “quit arguing”….you get the picture. J

What can be even more upsetting is when I see grown women acting just as badly. They seem to be children in adult bodies, always finding fault, complaining, and arguing. When did it become ok to tear each other down with our words? Have you ever asked yourself how YOUR words affect somebody? 

Eph. 4:29 says, “Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.” 

Do you edify (lift up) with your words? Do you administer grace to those that hear you? As sinners, and especially as ladies, it’s so easy to jump to judgement of someone instead of encouragement.  I am just as guilty, if not more, as anyone else. 

Here’s a thought: We all think about what we’re going to wear depending on where we’re going and what we’ll be doing. Do we not? We wouldn’t just reach around in the dark to find our clothes to put on but yet that is how we dress our mouths sometimes. We carelessly grab anything to say and think it will do. How is that ok?

Prov. 29:20 says, “Seeth thou a man that is hasty in his words? there is more hope of a fool than of him.” Wow! That’s harsh! God says a FOOL has more hope than someone who chooses their words hastily!

Prov. 25:11 says that “…fitly chosen words are like apples of gold in pictures of silver.” On the contrary, the Bible equates fit words with something that is BEAUTIFUL and LOVELY. So why do we treat it so lightly? 

Here are a few things we can ask ourselves before we speak:

1. Are my words ENCOURAGING?

Prov 12:25: “Heaviness in the heart of man maketh it stop: but a good word maketh it glad.”

You never know what someone is going through. What you say to them could either push them over the edge into destruction or pull them out of despair and into happiness and joy.

2. Are my words SOFT?

Prov. 15:1 –“A soft answer turneth away wrath; but grievous words stir up anger.”

Are you making people angry with the words you say? You have the power to completely diffuse a horrible situation simply by speaking soft and graceful words. 

3. Are my words APPROPRIATE?

Prov. 15:23 – “A man hath joy by the answer of his mouth: and a word spoken in due season, how good it is!”

Have you ever said the wrong thing at the wrong time? How embarrassing it is! We need to learn to bite our tongues! It’s always better to not say something than to say the wrong thing! If you’re not sure what to say, pray about it and WAIT for guidance from the Lord. Shoe leather isn’t very tasty. Trust me, I know! 

It sounds so cliché, but it always come back to this, ask yourself how you’d feel in their shoes hearing what you’re saying to them. Look diligently for ways to encourage someone with a kind word. Wouldn’t it be better to be known as an encourager than a gossip, backbiter, or just plain mean?!

***“It’s better to be thought a fool than to open your mouth and remove all doubt” ***

Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus / Mrs Robin Ogle

 

Mrs Robin Ogle

Pastor's Wife

Calvary Baptist Church

Canton, IL

 

 

 

John 12:32 And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me.

As I pondered what to share, I realized all my lessons focused on how ‘I’ could make it through today. How ‘I’ could find encouragement this week. How ‘I’, could handle the struggles, baggage, issues, upsets, and debacles that overwhelm my heart.  ‘I’ was the focus; not “Him”.

Turn your eyes upon Jesus,

Look full in His wonderful face,

And the things of earth will grow strangely dim,

In the light of His glory and grace.

Hebrews 12:2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. 

I may not be able to alter the PREDICAMENTS in my life, but I can change my PERSPECTIVE. LOOK UNTO JESUS

John 14:1  Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.

John 14:27 Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

God did not design my heart to remain troubled, but to be peaceful. How freeing to realized that by focusing on my relationship with the Lord, thanking Him, offering Him praise, and lifting Him up before others can calm my anxious soul.

PRACTICLE SUGGESTIONS:

~ Prayerfully write out the LORD’S to-do list for the day (it is always much shorter and more focused than mine!)

~ Daily praise Him for who He is. Try using the ABC method: All-Knowing (for the letter A), Beautiful (B), Counselor (C), you get the drift. Challenge yourself to find verses to go along with your praise.

~Constantly be in a state of thankfulness.

~Accept the fact that conflicts will become more wide-spread the longer we live, thus we must constantly increase our mindset upward.

~1 Peter 5:7 Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you. 

Cast often. You can’t ‘cast’ if you aren't looking in the correct direction!

~Leave everyone you meet with an impression of Christ. 

~ALWAYS be in the process of Bible memory!!!!!!!!!!!!

~Consider framing Bible verses for each room of your home and at church. Stick a verse on the dash of your car too. Scripture turns our hearts upward.

~ Develop a ‘sign’ that show the Lord how much you love HIM. When I start my vehicle or see a key, I tell Jesus He is “key” in my life and I love Him.

10/05/15 Devo - Mrs Bo Roloson

 

Mrs Bo Roloson

Pastor's Wife

Moorhead, MN

 

 

 

Thirteen and a half years ago, husband and I brought our five young children to Moorhead,

Minnesota to take a church. And it has been an amazing journey. Like any trip, there have

been many ups and downs. But nothing was to compare to the events that unfolded the morning of June 30, 2014.

The night before, we had a meeting after church, trying to resolve a problem with a church member. Unfortunately, it did not end on a good note. Sorry heart was heavy as I

went to bed that night. The next thing I

remember is daughter screaming, "Dad, the church is on fire." I cannot describe to you the horror that I felt as I jumped out of bed, completely tingling from head to toe, hardly

able to walk. It was 5:30 am. We quickly went

upstairs to see the building was indeed on fire.

It looked like it was in the attic on the other side of the building. The church was formerly a motel, built in the 1950's. Being "L" shaped,

the auditorium was at one end of the building and the parsonage was at the other. Initially, we thought this wouldn't be too severe of a fire, but we still acted quickly. Everyone was

evacuated from the house and hustled into the

van, along with our dog. We parked in the lot

just next door, so we could wait and watch to see what would happen. husband

instructed us to stay, as he intended to go back

and observe from the front yard of the church.

This was our view.

We all tried to keep our spirit on a good tone.

But our hearts sank as children and I watched the flames come closer and closer to our house. When the flames reached our home, I could not help but silently sob. I dare not even look back at my children, for they were crying, too. After what seemed like an

eternity, my husband came back. I fully expected him to be upset, but he came to reassure us that everything was going to fine. We decided to take our dog, Gospel, to the kennel, as we had no place to keep him. I left

with the children and decided to drive in front

of the church to gage the damage. To all of our amazement, what we thought we would

see and what we actually saw were not the same.

From our view, which was behind the building, our house had burned. We watched as the

flames moved and was directly in front of the

house. There was not doubt in our minds that our house was on fire. But what really happened was that the flames were shooting higher and wider, but only on the other side of

the building. We definitely had severe smoke

damage in our home but no fire damage. As I was driving, my children's spirits had changed. There was hope, now. But I was

very shakened. As I was trying to grasp what had transpired, I heard the Lord speak very clearly, 'Your view is not always what reality is. Sometimes, you have to trust me, despite what you see." I felt so comforted and knew that we would be fine. To say that the Lord has

provided for us would be an

UNDERSTATEMENT!! That afternoon, we were placed in a hotel for two nights. The lady who ran the kennel kept Gospel for two weeks

without charging us. The day of the fire, our

church members raised enough money to pay

for the rent in a fully furnished apartment, where the year's lease was deferred due to our circumstances. It was amazing.

First, I know that the Lord is still working on me,

in me, and through me. Philippians 1:6 -

"Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will

perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:" That is

an amazing word: confident. I am confident that God wants to use me. I have no reason to worry. I just have to be willing to be used.

Secondarily, I have to realize that I can't even begin to think that I know what God is doing. Isaiah 55:8 - "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord." The whole time that I thought that the house was burning, it was the church

burning. And when I realized how wrong I was,

this verse came to mind. God has a specific

plan and purpose. I'd be foolish to try to understand everything. I just have to trust that He knows what He is doing.

Thirdly, I had to realize that I had to step outside my comfort zone. Isaiah 40:29 - "He

giveth power to the faint; and to them that

have no might He increaseth strength." I went

from having everything in order to NO order. I

didn't have a church building, house was

black from top to bottom, schedule was all over the place... my normal ceased to exist. Nothing made sense. And yet, I knew everything made sense. I had to live IN the chaos, with me not having everything control.

That was rw new normal. Many times, I was just too tired to go on. I didn't want to know about another thing that was stolen or that was

ruined by smoke. I didn't want to hear about change. But I knew this was where God

wanted me to be, as this allows me the opportunity to trust in Him. It wasn't by our

strength but by His.

Although we are still in the building process, we are excited. The work is long and arduous, but we can see all the potential that the Lord is

affording us. As my husband stated, the Lord is working on this church - the people, who are

the church, as well as the physical building. I couldn't have imagined what God's plans were for us, but I am glad that He knows.