Week 4: Delighting in the Advent of Christ

Go Tell

How beautiful upon the mountain are the feet of him who brings good news, who proclaims peace, who brings glad tiding of good things, who proclaims salvation, who says in Zion, ‘Your God reigns!

Isaiah 52:7a

She sat across from me on the couch, her hands clenched as if holding herself together while tears formed in her eyes. Each hard-fought word revealed the depth of her pain. I quietly prayed, asking God to speak through me. I desperately needed Him to meet us in this moment. He alone was her answer—but how would I share Jesus with her?

With each word she spoke, I sensed His life-giving voice speaking to my heart: Tell her I love her. Tell her I’m with her. Tell her I see her pain. I came to save her.

I am guilty of thinking evangelism happens on street corners, church pulpits, or through people far more gifted and spiritual than me. But God’s love is often spread in the most intimate settings—living room couches, kitchen tables, frantic phone calls, hospital rooms, and coffee shops—when one heart desperately cries out to a trusted soul and the good news of Jesus is shared in response. That’s evangelism. Going and telling about Jesus isn’t reserved for church sanctuaries or far-away mission fields. It is meant to happen in our everyday places with everyday people.

I wonder—do we…do I—miss everyday opportunities to go and tell of His great, saving love to those hurting all around me? Do I downplay the intimate moments while seeking the grand ones? Do I feel unqualified?

On that ordinary, everyday night, the shepherds were in their fields, watching their flocks when the angel of the Lord appeared. The shepherds were considered society’s overlooked people—socially invisible and uneducated—yet they were the first to hear the good news of Jesus’ birth. And when they did, a worship service broke out. The heavenly host began praising God.

The shepherds didn’t hesitate, analyze, or wait for more details. They ran to Jesus and then told everyone the good news of His saving love. The Savior of the world had been born, and people needed to know. It was life-changing, heart-shaping, comfort-giving truth. They couldn’t contain it.

Now when they had seen Him, they made widely known the saying which was told them
concerning this Child. Luke 2:17

We’ve all heard the familiar Christmas song Go Tell It on the Mountain, a favorite of mine since childhood. The song proclaims:

While shepherds kept their watching
O'er silent flocks by night,
Behold thru-out the heavens
There shone a holy light.

The shepherds feared and trembled
When lo! above the earth
Rang out the angel chorus
That hailed our Savior's birth.

Down in a lowly manger
The humble Christ was born,
And God sent us salvation
That blessed Christmas morn.

Go, tell it on the mountain,
Over the hills and everywhere.
Go, tell it on the mountain
That Jesus Christ is born.

As we celebrate Jesus’ birth, what might it look like for you to go and tell of His great, saving love? He doesn’t ask most of us to travel far to share it; He simply commands us to do so in our everyday places, with our everyday people—those who are hurting, searching, and in need. Who can you go and tell that Jesus Christ is born?

Prayer

Thank You, God, for sending us Your Son, Jesus Christ—the greatest news the world has ever known. This good news was never meant to be contained but shared. Forgive me for the times I have been afraid to speak up, or when I have walked alongside someone who was hurting and failed to reflect Your love. Give me courage. Give me holy boldness. Give me the words to speak in each encounter You place before me. Open my eyes to see every opportunity around me and every heart in need of Your saving grace. May my life, my words, and my actions point others to the hope found in Jesus. Amen.

Week 3: Delighting in the Advent of Christmas

Offering of Worship

Matthew 2:1-2, 10-11

Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, saying, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him.”

 When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy. And when they had come into the house,they saw the young Child with Mary His mother and fell down and worshiped Him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

When my children were elementary aged, my friend Jennifer and I decided to get our kids together and have a birthday party for Jesus. Because I am more the Biblical character “Martha” in our friendship and she is more the “Mary” (Luke 10:38-42) we each contributed different things to the celebration. I baked a cake, purchased birthday plates and matching candles. My girlfriend came with one thing, the most important thing; several small, red, paper hearts.

After singing and eating way too much cake before dinner, Jennifer gave each child a paper heart. She lovingly explained that the best gift anyone could give to Jesus for His birthday is our hearts. In response, each child wrote their name on their heart and placed it next to baby Jesus who was laying in the center of my nativity set. Nearly 20 years have passed since we held that birthday party, but I cherish those paper hearts each Christmas.

In Matthew, the gospel writer describes some wise men coming in search of Jesus. They saw a star and followed it, likely hundreds of miles, to Jerusalem looking for the baby born “King of the Jews.” They did this because they wanted to worship Him. When they finally found Him, they fell down and worshiped the baby King. The word worship in these verses means delighting in something or someone of great value. 

Notice the wise men didn’t just behold Jesus at a distance. Instead, they followed His star, came into His house and then delighted in Him because they believed He was worthy of their worship. This challenges me. How many times do I simply behold Jesus from a far, but do not follow, draw close and delight in Him with worship and adoration? The things that keep me at a distance are usually unimportant distractions that typically pale in comparison to Christ and His glory.

The wise men let nothing stop them from worshiping Jesus and when they finished, they presented Him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. We don’t know exactly the reason for their choices, but each gift was a precious, sacrificial treasure given as an act of worship. This too challenges me. What am I offering Christ that is precious and sacrificial? Am I extending to Jesus the best of what I have to offer Him, even if it is meager?

Each December, when I find the hearts from that birthday party long ago, I am reminded that the best gift I can give Jesus is my heart fully surrendered to Him. My heart is all He really wants for Christmas and throughout the year. When it is offered to Him, He is able to transform me, and then I reflect more of Him to the world around me. My offering is meager, but it is sincere.

There is a Christmas song written by Paul Baloche entitled “A Christmas Offering.” The first few lines of the song say this,

 Over the skies of Bethlehem appeared a star 
While angels sang to lowly shepherds
Three wise men seeking truth, they traveled from afar
Hoping to find the child from heaven
And falling on their knees they bow before the humble Prince of Peace 

We bring an offering of worship to our King
No one on earth deserves the praises that we sing
Jesus, may you receive the honor that you're due (the honor that you're due)
O Lord, I bring an offering to you

There is truly no one on earth who deserves our praises other than Christ and Him alone. He is holy, all powerful, loving, just, merciful and good. One day, every knee will bow before Him and confess that He is Lord (Philippians 2:10-11). As we continue to yield our hearts to Him what might your offering of worship look like this Christmas and the coming year? Let’s not worship from afar but rather let’s draw near and bow before the humble Prince of Peace.

Prayer

Lord Jesus,

Thank you for the wise men that provide an example for us. They traveled a long way diligently looking for You so they could simply worship You with their hearts and offerings. Each day may we model their behavior of drawing close, worshiping and offering You the best gifts we have to offer. May our hearts be surrendered and tender toward Your leading especially when it requires sacrifice on our part. As Christmas approaches, may we be particularly aware of the meditations of our hearts and minds.  May they be focused on You and the celebration of Your birth.

In Jesus name, Amen.

Week 2: Delighting in the Advent of Christ

Love’s Pure Light

The night’s silence broke open as a familiar cry echoed through the darkness. Startled awake and eyes barely open, I made my way toward the sound. Hunger had pulled her from sleep, and each cry expressed a deeper ache. Only I could answer it. I gathered my little one in my arms and offered the love and comfort she craved as I gently rocked and nursed her back to sleep. The stillness returned. All was well in her world and mine once again.

Those nights of mothering are far behind me now. My children have all grown and some are married, yet I still remember that long season of sleeplessness. I often went to bed praying that this would be the night each little one slept soundly until morning. I longed for a silent night, and I prayed that the dawning light of day—not a midnight cry—would be my wake-up call.

Whether we are mothers or not, we all know what long nights feel like. Nights marked by sleeplessness, deep longings, and unanswered questions. Nights when God’s voice seems distant, His comfort is desperately desired, and our hearts ache simply to feel safe and secure. We wait for daybreak—for light to pierce the darkness—yearning for God to make Himself known in the places where we feel empty or undone.

As the lyrics of Silent Night remind us, God did exactly that on a silent night long ago in Bethlehem:

Silent night, holy night,
Son of God, love’s pure light
Radiant beams from Thy holy face,
With the dawn of redeeming grace,
Jesus, Lord, at Thy birth,
Jesus, Lord, at Thy birth.

In a quiet town, in a lowly stable, the silence was shattered as Love’s Pure Light pierced the darkness. Hope was born. Jesus entered the world as a baby born of a virgin, conceived by the Holy Spirit. God sent His Son to remedy the sin of mankind, to offer a way back to Him, to be our salvation. Love broke through the cold, the dark, and the ache. God’s love came for us. Light entered the world, and the dawning of a new day had begun.

Luke 2:8–11

8 Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid. 10 Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. 11 For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.”

This silent night was interrupted by heavenly glory. God’s love broke into the darkness of spiritual winter and the weight of sin, ending four hundred years of silence. Love’s Pure Light had entered the world!

A baby’s cry became heaven’s declaration:
I’m here. I love you. I’ve come for you.
And nothing would ever be the same.

Just as I went to my little ones long ago when I heard their cries, God hears ours. He had a plan from the very beginning. He knew He would send His Son to be our Savior. Jesus came. He didn’t shuffle down a hallway; He descended from heaven’s throne wrapped in human flesh, fully Man and fully God, born of a virgin. His throne was first a manger and then the cross. On that silent night in Bethlehem 2000 years ago, He came to meet the deep spiritual needs only He could satisfy.

When we reach out to Him in faith, He gathers us in His arms, holds us close, and meets every ache of our longing hearts—today and for all eternity.

Prayer

Lord, You hear my cries. You are not a far-off God; You came close. Thank You for sending your Son, Jesus, into the darkness of humanity. Thank You for always having a plan for my redemption. Some nights still feel silent and heavy, yet I know You are with me. Love’s Pure Light always shines in the darkness. Shine the light of truth, love, and hope into my weary and broken places. You alone are the dawn of redeeming grace. That silent night two thousand years ago reminds me today that You see, You hear, and You come to your people.
In Jesus’ name, amen.

For Unto Us

This is the first devotional of a four-part Advent series posted each Friday over the month of December. Each post will follow a progression of the Christmas story and incorporate a Christmas carol. May each devotional be a time for you to reflect upon the wonder and joy that surround the birth of Jesus.

For Unto Us

It was December 27, 2000, and the day was nearing to a close.  Unable to see my toes over my pregnant belly, I hauled myself off the couch and headed for the steps to go upstairs. As I began to climb the staircase, which felt like a trek to base camp of Mount Everest, I said to myself, “Will this child ever arrive?” Funny thing, I didn’t have to wait much longer because just as I climbed into bed, my water broke. Finally, after many years of infertility my waiting was coming to an end and by the next afternoon, I held my first-born child in my arms.

Whether it’s years, months or minutes, we are all familiar with the struggle that accompanies waiting. Our patience can grow short while our hope grows thin. We think to ourselves, “When will the waiting come to an end?”

Toward the latter part of the Old Testament, the nation of Israel was living in dark and difficult times. Fear struck their hearts as their enemies were about to take them into Babylonian captivity. God saw their struggles and longed to draw His people to Himself. So, from the heart of God, through the lips of Isaiah, the prophet spoke these words,

“Therefore, the Lord Himself will give you a sign. Behold the virgin shall conceive and bear a son and shall call His name Immanuel.” (Isaiah 7:14)

“For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government shall be upon His shoulder. And His name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” (Isaiah 9:6)

These were hope filled words pregnant with expectation. When would this child arrive?  How long would they need to wait to be rescued from their oppressors and finally be ruled by the One called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace?  Truth be told, about 700 years (now, that is a long wait!). Then one night, in a little town called Bethlehem, the waiting finally came to an end.

As Christmas approaches, a familiar carol has found its way onto my playlist and the lyrics stay in my head for days.

…For unto us a child is born
Unto us (unto us) a Son is given (a Son is given)

And the government shall be on His shoulders
And His name shall be called
Wonderful Counselor
The Mighty God, The Everlasting Father
The Prince of Peace…

These well-known lyrics, written by Handel, describe the Messiah to come. Jesus Christ would embody each of these titles.  As our Wonderful Counselor, He would be a source of extraordinary wisdom, for those who need direction. As our Mighty God, He would be a source of divine strength. As our Everlasting Father, He would be near to those who felt unloved and forsaken. As the Prince of Peace, He would bring a deep sense of peace to our hearts and minds. This Messiah was worth the wait.

These names of God, and the character traits they describe about Jesus, are available to us right now.  We do not need to wait. Which of them do you need to remember most today? Take a few minutes to listen to the Christmas carol, For Unto Us A Child Is Born, and reflect upon the long-awaited Messiah’s predicted birth. Pause and think about each name and ask God to be your focus this month (and every month) and allow all other things to fade into the distance. 

Prayer

Lord, the Nation of Israel waited for your birth with expectation and hope. Thank you for keeping your promise and coming to earth to be our Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father and Prince of Peace. Please be my focus this month amid all the distractions and busyness. May each of these names become a personal reality in my own life. I trust You to be my ________________ (fill in the name you need Him to be most to you right now). In Jesus name, amen.

Ministry Updates!

Hi Friends,

The past year has been a whirlwind in life and ministry! Brenda and I have just tried to keep in step with the Lord at each turn. To say it’s been a year of unknowns and waiting is an understatement. He has physically moved us both to new states (Florida and Massachusetts) while transitioning the Delighting in the Lord ministry from a local church ministry to now a national emphasis. There have been tears, reluctance to let go, anticipation, and a bit of overwhelm at times. And yet, as they say, the rearview is 20/20 vision. We can look back over the last three years and see God’s gentle movements and preparations. Of course, we didn’t see then what we see now. But in His faithfulness He works all angles of our lives. So take heart if you are in a season of transition and confusion - God is moving and preparing you in ways you may not visibly see for what is coming next. All we can say is, stay ever so close to Him in prayer and His Word. His comfort is unmatched and His peace unexplainable. He’s got you.

So what’s THE SAME WITH DITL ministry?

Let’s start with what is the same. We are still a Biblical equipping and teaching ministry for women. Brenda and I (Stacy) are as connected as ever, despite our new locations, in our calling and mission to share the Gospel through writing women’s Bible studies and sharing His Word. Thank God for technology as Google docs and FaceTime are our new modes of collaboration. We have a full fall teaching calendar and will share God’s Word wherever He opens the door.

here’s what is new!

Bible Studies:

We just finished writing a Bible study on the book of Romans. The study has made its way through editing and design and should be available on Amazon by the end of August. It is a 17-week Bible study written in a new format called Simply R.E.A.D. Our home church in PA will be using the study with their weekly women’s Bible study.  Additionally, our Bible study on the Gospel of Mark was published in March 2025.

If you’ve completed any of our 17 Bible studies, we would so appreciate a review on Amazon. It takes just a few minutes but helps people find the studies. Amazon uses reviews to make products more visible so your reviews help spread the Gospel! Thanks in advance.

Conference Teaching and Invites:

For 15 years, we taught weekly DITL Bible studies at our church, Calvary Chapel Chester Springs which is located outside Philadelphia. Now that we reside primarily in two new states, we won’t be teaching weekly. But God has been opening the doors for us to be conference speakers. It’s an exciting new chapter. We will travel wherever God sends us. We spoke in California, Arizona, Kansas and PA last year. Our Fall 2025 calendar is filled but we are taking speaking requests for 2026.

Equip and Encourage 2025:

About a year and half ago, our Pastor asked us to consider leading a women’s conference for servant-leaders. Our Pastor said, “You lead it and we’ll host it!” The Equip and Encourage Leadership Conference was put into motion. After much prayer and planning, we will be having our first conference on October 18, 2025 at Calvary Chapel Chester Springs. Women from Calvary Chapels throughout the U.S. as well as other local churches are invited to our one-day conference geared toward building up women who are serving in any area of women’s ministry. We are so excited for this conference. If you are serving or discipling women in a church or your community, we invite you to join us!

Social Media

With more of a national ministry focus, we are using Instagram and Facebook as a platform to share God’s Word. If you care to stay updated on our ministry resources, as well as receive weekly Biblical encouragement, you can follow us on IG at ditl_ministry and on FB at Delighting in the Lord Ministry.

As you may know, the Delighting in the Lord ministry has always been a non-profit. No one who serves in the ministry receives a paycheck nor do we make any money on the sale of our Bible studies. Every ministry need, God has filled through people with the necessary skills and spiritual gifting to serve alongside us as volunteers. It’s been a joy to see His provision again and again. We don’t doubt He’ll continue to provide long into the future.

We would so appreciate your prayers as we enter this new season. How can we be praying for you?

In Christ’s love,

Stacy Davis and Brenda Harris
Delighting in the Lord Ministry
www.delightinginthelord.com

The Great I Am

There is nothing quite like finding a new insight into a well-known biblical passage.  When this happens, a new enthusiasm for scripture energizes me.  I am embarrassed to admit I have skimmed scripture too quickly, especially when it is familiar to me, as was the case this past week with the Christmas story in Luke.

Mary and Joseph go to Bethlehem to be registered.  Yup.

Mary gives birth to Jesus.  Mm-hmm.

Mary wraps Jesus up in swaddling cloths. Sure did.

Jesus is placed in a manger. 

Wait a second…

Slow down.

What did that say?  “…She laid Him in a manger.”

 God put His precious son in a feeding trough?  He could have placed Him anywhere. Why there? I had overlooked this detail for far too long.  Was there a deeper significance to God’s barnyard cradle?

 And while ruminating over my newly raised question, something Jesus said about Himself came to my mind. He said, “I am the bread of life.” This was His first I am statement recorded in the book of John.

 So, at His birth, Jesus was placed in a feeding trough only later to declare Himself to be food. Jesus’ mission for coming into our world was foreshadowed in God’s choice of a manger. If mankind would by faith “feed upon Him” (take Him in like animals do food) He would satisfy our hunger and give us eternal life.  New symbolism leapt off the page.  An unnoticed detail now discovered.

 Then I thought to myself, what about the other “I am” statements? Are they also symbolically connected to the narrative of Christ’s arrival on earth? I turned to the book of John and was astonished by what I found. The second “I am” statement Jesus made in John 8:12 is, “I am the light of the world.” 

 After Mary placed Jesus in the manger, an angel of the Lord appeared to some of the shepherds near Bethlehem. Luke 2:9 says, “And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them.”  The dark sky lit up with bright light from the shining presence of the angel and then “good tidings” (which literally means “to share the gospel”) were proclaimed to the shepherds. An angel, surrounded with light announced that the “Light of the World” had arrived.   

 The next two “I am” statements follow right along with the events of the Christmas story.  Jesus called himself “the door” and “the good shepherd” in John 10.  After the angel returned to heaven, the shepherds went immediately and found Mary, Joseph and the baby Jesus.  The shepherds entered through a doorway and found the Lamb of God.

 The fifth “I am” statement Jesus made was, “I am the resurrection and the life” (John 11:25). The shepherds were told they would find the Savior wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger. It is intriguing that at Jesus’ birth He was wrapped in “swaddling cloths” and at his death, He was wrapped in strips of linen cloth. He entered and exited our world wound in fabric.  However, the cloths that were meant to bind Him, could not contain Him!  He left the cloths of this world behind in His empty tomb signaling to the world He had resurrected to life.

 The sixth “I am” statement (John 14:6) says, “I am The Way, The Truth and The Life.”

At a much later time, perhaps as many as two years after the birth of Jesus, wise men followed a star that led them to the young boy.  By faith they believed Him to be the King of the Jews.  The star pointed the way…to the One who called Himself “The Way.”  During Christ’s ministry many would do the same, they would search for truth and find life.  All manner of mankind would search. The rich, the poor, the broken, the hurting, and the humble. But only some would find The Way, The Truth and The Life.

 The final “I am” statement was probably the toughest to connect to the Christmas chronicle. But with some help from Stacy, together we found a connection. 

 John 15:1, Jesus states, “I am the vine.” We know an umbilical cord connects a child to its mother, just like a vine connects to branches.  Christ’s umbilical cord made Him human.  Physical blood was supplied to Jesus through Mary in utero.  That blood would be essential to make Jesus fully God yet fully man. And that same blood was required as the atonement for mankind’s sin.

 Christ said that if we abide in Him, He would abide in us.  Emmanual, God with us.  He entered the world inside Mary so that by faith He could live inside all of us. Now we can be attached to Him, The Vine.

 After writing this devotional, while washing dishes, one of my favorite Christmas songs came began playing through my phone. As I listened, the last few lines of the song caught my attention.  These are the lyrics to the last lines of “Mary Did You Know?”

[Mary did you know] “that your baby boy was heaven’s perfect Lamb?

The sleeping Child your holding, is ‘The Great I Am.’” 

He certainly is.

 Could we determine that we will slow down long enough to appreciate the details this Christmas?  In the hustle and bustle, let’s stop long enough to look for God to show us something new about Himself.  Let’s ask Him to meet us in the hectic pace of this season. Let’s reflect and see the wonder and ponder the astonishing events that brought the Great I Am to us. 

The To Do List

Every day I have a to do list.

Sometimes that list is really long and other days it is relatively short.

I’m guessing you have one too.

My to do list often drives my actions. 

I consult it and derive great satisfaction when I cross items off my list.

Perhaps you can you relate?

And I think Jesus may have had a to do list too, and I base that on

Mark 1:35 which says:

35 Now in the morning,

having risen a long while before daylight,

He went out and departed to a solitary place;

and there He prayed.

What Jesus was praying about we are not told, but my guess would be He asked the Father what was to be on His “to do” list. I also believe there was a lot of affirmation and love expressed during those precious prayer hours. Jesus came to serve and to sacrifice yet all of His actions were based on His love. He had love for God and His love for humanity.  

The example Jesus sets for us in Mark 1:35 is an important one for us to follow as we too serve and sacrifice in Christ’s name. We need to be in prayer to deepen our relationship with God and to gain a greater understand as to what should be on our “to do” list.

In Mark 12:28-31, a man asked Jesus what should be on His to do list. And it went like this:

Then one of the scribes came and

having heard them reasoning together

perceiving that He had answered them well asked Him,

“Which is the first commandment?”

 Jesus answered him, 

“The first of all the commandments is:

 ‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. 

 And you shall love the Lord your God with all your

 heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’

This is the first commandment. 

 And the second, like it, is this: 

‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’

There is no other commandment greater than these.”

The first commandment or our first priority should be:

Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength.

Love Him with everything you’ve got!

The second commandment or priority should be:

You shall love your neighbor as yourself.

In everything else you do (after loving God) should be loving others the way you want to be loved.

Jesus gave this Scribe and each of us what should be our #1 and #2 for our “to do” list.  Love God, Love others. Do it in that order. 

Just as Christ gave Himself to us in love we are also to give back to Him our love and then allow that to flow to others.  Love for God never should stop on the vertical plane.  It should have an immediate carryover to the horizontal to all our human relationships (our neighbors). And when we seek Him first, that’s a whole lot easier to do.

You see if I study the Bible, go to church, memorize scripture, know theology and run a ministry but my heart is far away from God, then the things I do are vain and meaningless. If my private love for God and fellowship with Him isn’t what fuels my public actions, then my “to do list” will be purely done for selfish reasons like gaining praise, power, applause, identity or feeling good about myself. 

And I absolutely cannot love others without God’s love pouring though me. The vitality of my relationship with Christ will then extend outward to those around me.  As we know and love God (the first command) we are then able to fulfill the second commandment. 

All scripture revolves around these two responsibilities.  I read a quote on this topic which says this,

“The rest of scripture provides us with the means, manner, motive and method for loving God and others. Because when we obey God’s word, we are either loving God or loving people or both!”   

So, no matter what portion of scripture we are reading from Genesis to Revelation we still need to follow these two commands, in this order!  

 Paul wrote about love in 1 Corinthians 13. Notice verses 1-3 tell us what is looks like to act without love saying this:

13 Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. 

2 And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 

3 And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing.

So, this is what we are without Christ’s love: 

My actions profit me nothing. 

But if we love Him first and our actions flow out of that love, we

can love like He loves which is described for us in verses 4-8.

4 Love suffers long and is kind;

 love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up;

 5 does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, 

thinks no evil;

 6 does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; 

7 bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

8 Love never fails. 

This is a description of God’s perfect love.  And the more we encounter it, the more we can express it to others through the power of the Holy Spirit.

So, what’s been on our to do list?

Is it time to reorder some of the list?

I know for myself; it is not easy to carve out time to spend with God.  Oh, yes, I want to, no doubt! But I get distracted just going downstairs to get a cup of coffee!  But are we willing to push through and create the time so that we can sound less like a clanging cymbal and  then serve for the right reasons with His love flowing through us? 

So, my challenge is this, when we create our lists of things we have to do let’s be sure #1 and #2 are where they belong, before we try to tackle the rest of the list. 

A Tiny Fluff

“The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it,

but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes.

So is everyone who is born of the Spirit.” John 3:8

It was a beautiful morning, and I mean truly perfect.  There was a bright blue sky with no clouds.  It was warm and sunny but not humid.  It was breezy but not windy.  It was a simply glorious day, so I climbed into my favorite patio chair with my Bible and a freshly brewed cup of coffee.  The amazing weather was a gift to my spirit, but I admitted to the Lord my heart was restless with some of life’s circumstances.

I tried to place my concerns toward the back of my mind as I opened my Bible but shortly into my reading, a distraction floated by.  It was a small, white piece of fluff from a seedbearing plant, and it landed on the table in front of me.  I continued reading, not giving it too much thought. However, a gentle breeze picked the little bit of fuzz up off of the table and it blew it past my face. I gave the air a light swipe hoping the fluff would land in the grass. It didn’t. Instead, it swirled around me again. Finally, I wondered to myself, “Is God trying to get my attention and address my restlessness with this simple visual?”

So, I stopped reading and watched the fluff float effortlessly about. It moved simply at the impulse of the wind.  As I studied the gentle movement of the tiny seed dancer, God reminded me of the 123 John Bible study Stacy and I wrote.  Dandelions were the visual we used on the cover and throughout the study. I had learned a great deal about dandelions in the spring of 2022, including the scientific name for the seed fluff I was observing. It was a “pappus.” A pappus looks like fine hairs that attach to a minuscule seed.  This little creation was ingeniously designed by God and allows for simple dispersal of new seeds.  The wind is the transport system which allows it to colonize new plants apart from its parent plant.

But what caught my attention was the way the simple fluff traveled.  When it was released into the air, it did not anxiously ask the wind where it was going to ultimately land. It simply trusted the wind and carelessly floated. Oh, what faith the teeny seed had in the faithfulness of the wind. It didn’t try to steer itself or tell the wind where it thought it should go. It entrusted its safe landing to the wind knowing its maker knew where it would take root, grow and eventually bloom.

John 3:8 records a conversation between Jesus and a man named Nicodemus.  They had been discussing his need to be born again and Jesus said this,

“The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it,

but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes.

So is everyone who is born of the Spirit.”

Jesus said these words in the hope that Nicodemus would recognize that although he did not understand everything about the wind, he did understand the effect of the wind.  Likewise, he didn’t need to understand everything about the Holy Spirit to experience it.  Jesus wanted Nicodemus to put his faith in Jesus as the Messiah and be born again.  Similarly, I felt the Lord asking me to trust Him with my life circumstances.  I, like Nicodemus, do not understand where the wind comes from or where it goes but am I willing to trust the wind maker?  Would I, like the little fluff, place my faith in the knowledge that God was directing my future and life circumstances?  Would I choose to believe, even when I could not see, that He is taking me to places where I would thrive?

These questions challenged my restless heart. I could continue to battle the unknowns, or I could trust Him.  And so, on that perfect weather morning, I addressed the stormy weather in my heart.

I held the fluff for a while in my hand and prayed before releasing it into the gentle breeze that carried it far away from where I was sitting.  As it glided away, I decided to follow its example and trust the Lord for what is ahead, knowing He is guiding the wind that that is directing my future.

How about you?  Have you found your heart wrestling with what is ahead or unknown?  Do you honestly trust that God is guiding your path forward? What might you need to relinquish to Him? Do you need to acknowledge your lack of trust? Is there something uncomfortable you foresee on the horizon and wonder how it will work out?

Spend some time in prayer being honest with your worries and fears. Give them to the One who controls all things. Consider how you too can be more like the pappus who trusts the wind to move it to just the right place where it will thrive.

Late Bloomer

I stood looking at the trellis and the plant growing on it.  The late afternoon sun was shining strong and its bright pink blooms and vibrant green leaves were oddly obvious.  Fall colors surrounded me everywhere except for what was growing on the trellis.  As I stared at the unique plant, questions arose in my mind.  Frost was forecasted again tonight and I wondered with criticism, “Why didn’t this plant bloom earlier in the year? It would have been better for it to bloom when rain fell softening the earth and heralding spring.  Its pink colors would have been such a welcomed sight!  Or better still, why didn’t it bloom in the summer when its beauty would have been better appreciated alongside other plants blooming at the same time, and the flowers could have lasted longer?” 

Feeling satisfied with my observations and questions, I closed my eyes and let the sun soak into my skin.  I decided to take a moment to enjoy the sunlight, much like the plant before me. Very soon these warm days would be gone, so I gave myself the rare treat of sitting still. However, my serenity was quickly disturbed.  A soft buzzing sound forced me to open my eyes.   

A slow-moving bumblebee flew past me and landed on the plant I had been disparaging moments earlier.  As I watched the little insect bop from flower to flower, I imagined the bee was likely quite happy to find flowers blooming during this time of the year when many others were not.  When the bee moved on, so did my thoughts, and as is typical for me, they turned spiritual.  What did God want me to take away from what I had just witnessed? Was life mimicking nature? In the stillness, I sensed, indeed it was.

The term late bloomer typically holds a negative connotation and indicates there is a delay or an atypical development has occurred.  But if we believe all things occur in God’s perfect timing, is there ever a situation that is late in blooming? If we trust all things truly work together for good, then even things that appear to be late to us, are not late to God but rather perfectly timed.

I find it difficult at times, to embrace this truth, particularly when it plays out in the lives of the people I love.  I wait longingly for things to fall into place and when they don’t go according to my timetable or expectations, critical questions often come to mind and I question God’s timing.

Do you have a “late blooming” situation?  Are you waiting on God to divinely orchestrate something? Perhaps you are waiting for Him to unfold beauty in a circumstance which is not yet in bloom?

What if you and I chose to trust God while waiting?  What if we considered the timing to be absolutely perfect and will be beneficial to someone else when it does unfold, like the plant was for the bumble bee in early November?  Maybe if we did this, we could release our expectations over to God who alone knows the beginning from the end? 

 He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end. Ecc. 3:11

Brenda’s garden trellis (below)

Sneak Peek at new DITL Bible study

We are so excited to share our new study on the book of James. A Proven, Active, Faithful Walk will be available on Amazon the first week of August. We will be using this study locally at Calvary Chapel Chester Springs in PA beginning Thursday, September 9, 2021. All local women are invited to attend. If you aren’t local, you can join us remotely as the teachings each week will be recorded and available on our website. The study is designed to be done individually or with a small group of women.

The book of James has been called “the how-to” for the Christian life. Touching on almost every aspect of life, James speaks plainly and pointedly to Christian believers about a life that lives what it believes. James will challenge us regarding how we speak, go through trials, handle conflict, and esteem things in this world. He stresses that a true saving faith will reveal itself in a proven, active, and faithful walk with Christ Jesus.

Now more than ever, the world needs to see Jesus lived out in the lives of believers.

Hope you can join us as we dig into this small, but mighty book.

Blindsided Series - Post Four

 “This is my doing…”

A situation developed in my life and nothing about it appeared good to me.  As I began my quiet time on July 24, 2020, a section of text from The One Year Bible jumped off the page and straight into my heart.  It was from 2 Chronicles 11:4. 

“This is what the Lords says,

‘Do not go up and fight against your fellow Israelites,

go home, every one of you, for this is My doing.’”

I reread the text again and with great bewilderment asked the Lord, “Are you serious?  How can this [the not so good-looking situation in my life] be Your doing?”

And yet, it was very clear to me in that moment, He was asking me to trust Him with what I didn’t understand and what doesn’t look like Him.  I paused, underlined the verse in my Bible, jotted a few notes in the margin and for the next year, continued to pray God would change the situation.  Then in May 2021, I was blindsided by what He had told me was “His doing.”

To say I was confused remains an understatement. How can something so unlike God, be God at work? When something doesn’t look good to me, I have a hard time believing it could possibly be good or from God.

But what if it was quite good and quite God? What if we could fast forward months, years or decades and see into the future to get a glimpse of the very thing we believed to be “bad” play out in a way that was undeniably “good?”  Would we be able to trust God with what we don’t understand today?  When we doubt our all-powerful, sufficient, omniscient, loving God and we turn Him into a small, weak, angry, powerless god. 

Consider this, what if the thing that blindsided us was allowed by God for a very important reason and may become the turning point for change?  Would it alter how we viewed the situation today? How would it change the way we wait for God to reveal His plans? Would trusting Him allow our joy to return, our hope to be rekindled and our mind to become peaceful?  

I recently read a quote which, although very simple, has become a daily reminder for me as I pass through this confusing season.

“God is good.

God is good to me.

God is good at being God.”

-Lysa TerKeurst

 The word of God confirms these three simple lines as truth. 

 God is good.  Nahum 1:7

“The Lord is good,
A stronghold in the day of trouble;
And He knows those who trust in Him.”

God is good to me.  Psalm 145:9

“The Lord is good to all,
And His tender mercies are over all His works.”

God is good at being God.  Romans 11:33

“Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! 

How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out!”

We may have been blindsided, but God was not.  He knows all, sees all and controls all and therefore we can choose to allow that knowledge to reign over our situation instead of fear, doubt, confusion and anxiety. Perhaps you also stand on a road that looks very crooked and are wondering how “this could be His doing…” but let’s choose to take God’s words to heart and patiently wait on the only One who does all things well.

Blindsided Series - Post Three

Accident Forgiveness

 Some auto insurance companies offer what is known as accident forgiveness.  This coverage allows for an accident to be “forgiven” even if it was the fault of the insured person.  Should a mishap occur, it will be pardoned, and the insured person’s auto insurance premium will remain the same.  In some cases, the insurance company may lose money by offering this benefit, but it is available regardless of the potential cost the company may incur. 

 I see forgiveness, after being blindsided by an offense, a bit like auto accident forgiveness. As a follower of Jesus Christ, we have a responsibility to forgive as we have been forgiven (Ephesians 4:32 “And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.”).  Therefore, when forgiveness is needed, we must extend it. This, however, does not mean it will be free of cost. When we forgive a person who has injured us, an amount will be withdrawn from our emotional, mental, financial, and/or physical resources. We may think it unfair to have to pay to forgive and yet, that is exactly what Christ did for us.

Christ understood firsthand what it felt like to be betrayed, abandoned, falsely accused, mocked, forsaken, and beaten.  He forgave all these sins and more when He willingly went to the cross to die for all the sins humanity ever committed.  Because of His sacrifice, we are the beneficiaries of the most incredibe act of love known to mankind. 

It cost us nothing to receive His forgiveness

but in order to offer it to us,

it cost Him everything.

If we accept His gift of grace, He does ask us to offer it to others.  Jesus made God’s expectations very clear for us in Matthew 6:14-15.

14 “For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.”

When we consider how much we have been forgiven, it will hopefully make it a bit easier for us to forgive others.  It will likely cost us something, but it will never cost us as much as it cost Christ.  When we forgive the one who has blindsided us, may we do it generously, lovingly, and sincerely just as Christ does when we ask Him to forgive us.

Blindsided Series - Post Two

 Trusting the Specialist

The car had been blindsided.  The driver’s side door was completely crushed and inoperable.  The car’s paint was marred, and the window would not close.  It could not be driven.  Sadness and shock prevailed as I stared at the beat-up little car.  There was nothing I could do to fix it; a specialist was needed who knew exactly how to repair the car to its optimal condition.  The first step in the restoration process would require a tow truck to take the car to the autobody shop. Once it arrived there, it would be examined by a specialist and work would commence. 

I was anxious for the car to be repaired and wished I could speed the process up by doing something tangible, but the work was way beyond my capability.  This job could only be completed by someone with very specific skills, knowledge, and tools; none of which I possessed.  The one thing I could do was entrust the car to the best autobody shop and then wait for the work to get underway.  Patience would be required on my part because it would likely take a while. 

When an event blindsides us, we may quickly recognize we have no tangible way to fix our unexpected circumstances.  We don’t own a tow truck and we don’t specialize in autobody repairs.  We must entrust the situation to a specialist.  The really good news is this, as a believer in Jesus Christ, we know The One who specializes in restoration and it is God Himself.  He alone knows exactly what each person needs, and He has everything at His disposal to correct the situation.  Nothing is beyond His ability to rebuild and restore and most importantly, His work is flawless.  

The Gospel of Mark chapter 7 tells about a man who was deaf and mute.  His condition was desperate and perhaps some may have thought impossible to heal.  However, he was still brought to Jesus, The Specialist, and this is what happened in verses 32-37.

32 Then they brought to Him one who was deaf and had an impediment in his speech, and they begged Him to put His hand on him. 33 And He took him aside from the multitude, and put His fingers in his ears, and He spat and touched his tongue. 34 Then, looking up to heaven, He sighed, and said to him, “Ephphatha,” that is, “Be opened.”

35 Immediately his ears were opened, and the impediment of his tongue was loosed, and he spoke plainly. 36 Then He commanded them that they should tell no one; but the more He commanded them, the more widely they proclaimed it. 37 And they were astonished beyond measure, saying, “He has done all things well. He makes both the deaf to hear and the mute to speak.”

I love that “they brought” him to Jesus believing He could do the work necessary to heal the man. We too can bring whatever may have blindsided us to Jesus knowing He holds the power to accomplish whatever is needed.  As we pray asking God for His intervention, may I encourage all of us to plead with Him like the people in this story, even to the point of begging.  We beg not because He is hardened toward us but rather because it demonstrates our persistence and desperate need of His help.  Next, allow God to heal the way He sees best.  In the account from Mark, Jesus took the man aside and healed him privately in ways that may have seemed odd or unnecessary to a bystander, yet the result was nothing short of miraculous. The man was restored and made whole.  That is what God does!  We can entrust The Specialist with our circumstances and await the day when we can proclaim, “He has done all things well.”

Blindsided Series - Post One

Blindsided

Definition of blindside

transitive verb

1: to hit unexpectedly from or as if from the blind side

2: to surprise unpleasantly

If you have ever been in a car accident that caught you off guard, you may have used the word “blindsided” to describe the event to other people.  The entire incident took you so by surprise that there wasn’t even time to brace yourself for the impact coming straight for you.  You were obeying the law, driving the speed limit and the next thing you knew your air bags deployed, glass was shattered, there was a horrible crunching noise and your car became undrivable.  Thankfully your body was unharmed, but your vehicle was a mess.  As you surveyed your surroundings, your body’s emotions caught up with your brain and instantaneously your legs began to feel like Jell-O.  You were all shaky inside when you realized the seriousness of the situation and fully understood what had just occurred.

A car accident can be a good analogy for how we may feel when something unexpected unfolds in our life.  In a moment, life can take very unforeseen turns.  When this happens glass shatters and bad crunching noises are heard.  As we push back the deployed air bags and survey the damage, we feel all shaky inside.  

Some car accidents leave us unharmed while others leave permanent injuries.  Both are shocking but some have more long-lasting effects than others.

In our most vulnerable and unexpected moments of feeling blindsided, there is hope. If we call upon the Lord, He will empower us to respond in ways we could never have believed possible.  

Psalm 145:17-18 says this,

“The Lord is righteous in all His ways,
Gracious in all His works.
The Lord is near to all who call upon Him,
To all who call upon Him in truth.”

For those of us who have a relationship with Christ, we have the privilege of calling upon Him at any time for help and He will draw near to us.  I didn’t see my blindsided moment coming, but God did.  As I silently cried out to Him for help, He filled me with His presence. He was there to overshadow me and when I finally spoke, His words were my words, my actions were His actions.  Perhaps you have been blindsided and are still picking up the shattered pieces that lay around trying to make sense of what happened. In your shock and surprise, turn toward God and not away from Him.  Allow Him to enter your pain and unexpected.  He will meet you, comfort you and give you His peace if you call upon Him.  He is not far away as we may think, but rather very near.  Call upon Him and enter into a calm that cannot be explained except for His presence.  He will steady and sustain you.

Not the mountain, but the sand in my shoes

We are over a month into our “shelter in place” mandate and I’m sure many of you, like me, are asking the question, “How much longer will it be before we can begin to return to ‘normal’ life once again?”  I think to myself, “Surely it cannot be too much longer!” but then before I know it another full week has passed and still no end in sight.

I am quick to admit I am enjoying having my family at home (a rare and unusual time) but this time has not been without its challenges too. Tears have been shed, tempers have flared, and irritations have been expressed. When these emotions have occurred, a phrase my Mom used to say when I was younger came to mind,

“It isn’t the mountain ahead that will wear me out but the sand in my shoes." 

When frustrations and disappointments have arisen, it wasn’t the mountain of COVID-19 that was wearing us out but the sand of silly things rubbing us raw in our shoes. Unknowingly, and sometimes knowingly, one of us poured sand into someone else’s shoes.  The weight of that sand made it difficult to walk through the day and blisters were beginning to develop.

Thankfully, my family is pretty quick to apologize so the sand was shaken out of the proverbial shoes eventually, however it required extra kindness and humility in order for peace to be restored. 

This past week I was reading 1 Corinthians 13 which is a well know chapter to most of us but what stood out to me were the behaviors that love demonstrates.  Take a look at verses 4-8:

“Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, 

hopes all things, endures all things.

 Love never fails.”

I felt these were a good reminder on how to demonstrate love, especially right now while we are all confined together.  The Holy Spirit empowers us to live out His attributes to those around us each day.  In the midst of all this, it is my prayer that we will be especially loving, kind, humble, other centered and patient. May we be the first to say we are sorry and demonstrate compassion.  In doing these things we will not only please God but have less sand in our shoes. This will make the road before us easier to walk no matter how long it lasts. 

With love

Brenda

I Pursue You

Knowing I like visual reminders, or rather, need them; a dear friend of mine gave me this framed saying this past year.

I Pursue You.

I think we all like to be pursued. We want to be wanted. We want to know others care; that they see us hurting and pursue our hearts pushing past self-protective boundaries and pressing into the brokenness. It was my heart's cry one day as I was walking through some relational fractures and talking to the Lord.

As the Lord always does, He turns things upside down and inside out. He quietly spoke to my heart, "I pursue you." His gentle voice reminding me of His heart. His voice grabbed me in the moment. Yes, His pursuit is enough. I want others to pursue me, but He pursues me on my broken road each and every day if I let Him. His pursuit turns my vision from others to Him.

He pursued Haggar into the barrenness of Beersheba telling her to "fear not."

He pursued Moses into the wilderness meeting him in a burning bush telling him He's heard the cry and seen the oppression. He will deliver His people.

He pursued Saul on the Damascus Road telling him to stop resisting Him. God saved his soul that day, opened Saul's eyes showing him His eternal promises and plans. Saul became God's mighty messenger known as Paul.

I Pursue You. Maybe you need to hear that today. That the God of the universe, your Creator, sees you and will meet you on your broken road when no one else might. He is enough. Even more, when we turn to Him He changes our perspective. He meets our need, but then encourages us to be the pursuer of others in their hurting. Who can you pursue today?

The Hearing Aid

Summer is my favorite time of the year, hands down.  The days are longer, the temperatures are warmer, and I love having my children off from school. My life takes on a much slower pace and I find myself resting more.  However, if you know me, you also know I can only sit for so long before my need for productivity kicks in and I must find something tangible to accomplish. 

A few days ago, I had enough lazing about and I decided to trim up the bushes in my yard. They were definitely overgrown and due for some love.  My mom was visiting and graciously offered to help me. We headed out to the yard armed with garden gloves, hand clippers and pruning scissors.  We looked like warriors embarking on a great mission to civilize the jungle. 

My mother is a remarkable lady. At 78 years of age, she works as hard as I ever recall her working when I was a child.  Her physical body is humming along pretty well overall but, her hearing has diminished. As a result, several years ago, she decided to invest in some high-tech hearing aids.  These little sound-enhancing marvels are nearly undetectable when in her ears, but wow, do they make an incredible difference in her ability to hear. She wears them every day to do nearly everything, so it was not at all unusual that she would wear them to do one of her favorite activities, gardening. 

After a full and productive day of yard work, my mom prepared to retire for the night and as is her custom, she reached into her ears to remove her hearing aids.  She reached into one ear and pulled out one hearing aid but as she reached into the other, much to her surprise, one of them was missing! She felt again, nothing.  She searched around room, the bathroom, the hall but the only thing that turned up was a sinking feeling in her stomach.   She began to think back on her day and asked herself, “Did it fall out when I was working in the yard?”  

My entire family began searching for the lost hearing aid as if it were Easter Sunday and we were on an egg hunt.  My husband used a large hand-held flood light as we scoured the bushes for the mysterious little sound bite magnifier.  As we rummaged around the neatly trimmed bushes, the scene became filled with irony as I thought about how our daytime work results had been so satisfying compared with our unsatisfactory nighttime search and rescue mission.  

I began praying from the moment I realized the hearing aid was missing despite my initial twinge of hesitation.  I didn’t want to “bother God” with such a small detail.  Certainly, the missing hearing aid was minor on the scale of life problems!  My dialog with God began with a quick and desperate, “God, please help me” prayer. You know, the one that sounds like, “Hey, sorry to bother you, I know you are really busy doing important big God stuff, but a little help would be great.” prayer.  It’s the prayer I pray sometimes when I approach Him as if He is too busy for me and I am annoying Him.  However, as the hunt for the hearing aid wore on my dialog deepened with Him.  I reminded myself that God loves to hear from His children, so I stopped praying like I was pestering Him and started praying as a beloved daughter of His.  I praised Him for being omniscient. I told Him I believed He alone knew exactly where the hearing aid was hiding (Deut. 29:29).  I asked Him to be the Husband to the widow (my mom) and the Father to the fatherless (me) (Psalm 68:5).  I even thanked Him that my mom had the resources to buy a replacement hearing aid if we did not find it.  As I prayed, I sensed God’s listening ears which certainly did not need a hearing aid.  As, I prayed on, a strange peace fell upon me considering the circumstances.  We eventually called off our pursuit of the wandering hearing helper until we could see more clearly in the morning. 

I went to bed perplexed but oddly hopeful.  Around 4 am I heard thunder rumble in the distance and I asked God to push the rain somewhere else. By 5 am there was a steady rain pelting against my bedroom windows and I prayed “Lord, You know where the hearing aid is and You can even miraculously protect it from rain.”  I must admit, even as I prayed the words, I realized how ludicrous they sounded.  Did I really believe He would keep the hearing aid dry from the deluge of water falling from the sky? I eventually drifted back to sleep contemplating how water and electronic devices don’t mix well.

At 6:45 am, with a full mug of coffee in my hand, I walked to the front yard to find my mom had already resumed raking through the bushes, limb by limb.  As I joined her efforts, our conversation took a spiritual turn.  We dialoged about why we thought the Lord had allowed this set of circumstances to unfold.  What was the lesson we could learn from it?  What did He want us to understand about Him or ourselves through this? We tossed around some ideas but generally came up as empty as our search efforts for the hearing aid.  

Finally, in a last-ditch effort, there was one last place we had not looked.  We agreed to look in the backyard where my son had dumped the debris from our bush whacking efforts the previous day.  There in the woods was a large, deep, twisted pile of plant remains staring at us.  The task of searching through them seemed insurmountable and quite daunting.  As we waded through the thick weeds to reach the discarded pile of plant parts, the parable of the lost coin Jesus told in Luke 15:8-10 came to my mind.  

Luke 15:8-10 says this, “Or what woman, having ten silver coins, if she loses one coin, does not light a lamp, sweep the house, and search carefully until she finds it? And when she has found it, she calls her friends and neighbors together, saying, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found the piece which I lost!’ Likewise, I say to you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”

The lost coin parable is sandwiched between the story of the lost sheep and the prodigal son, but the message is the same in all three parables. Jesus communicated to His listeners how much He loves them and will stop at nothing to find them, save them and delight over their return to Him.  I shared my thoughts with my Mom as we delicately lifted leaf by leaf and branch by branch to see if we could locate the hearing aid.  We discussed how God often allows things for reasons we cannot understand, and I shared some thoughts from an apologetics book I was reading.  As I rambled on a lengthy discourse about God and His sovereignty, all of a sudden, I heard something drop that most certainly was not plant based.  I looked down and there it was, the mischievous, little hearing aid.  “I found it!!” I shouted at my mom, at a decibel that any deaf person could hear, to which my Mom shouted back, at similar volume, “Praise God!” 

The experience of losing my mom’s hearing aid has caused me to ponder two things; the importance of prayer and God’s incredible love for me (and you).  When we realized something significant was missing we began searching for it with abandon. We looked inside and outside.  We searched in the dark, damp night and the bright morning sun.  We traipsed into the bug infested woods and dug through the rubbish.  We did not stop until we found the prized lost possession and when it was found we rejoiced.  This is a way to picture the kind of love God has for us.  He loves us enough to pursue us because we are so valuable to Him. Do not believe you are not worth searching for or that God has given up on a relationship with you.  He will not abandon looking for you and when you are reunited all of heaven will rejoice with Him.  You are loved beyond measure.

Additionally, I was reminded of the importance of prayer.  I have always known God hears my prayers but when He answers me I am often caught off guard. I so appreciate that God is not offended by my lack of faith nor my resistance to approach Him for fear He is too busy for me.  He is always there, ready to help me, and I believe whenever possible it delights Him to give me what I ask for as long as it is in accordance with His will.  He knows I am just dust and knows from time to time I need to see my faith strengthened by what I can see.  God even answered my seemingly crazy ask and kept the hearing aid safe from the rain because it was buried deep in the pile of debris. It was protected and dry when we found it and worked immediately.  

God loves us and hears us. These two statements when experienced first-hand are mind bending and life altering.  May your faith be strengthened as you ponder them for yourself.

Much love, Brenda

Bridget's Blog

Today I spoke about our precious and beautiful friend Bridget as we began our study on the book of Esther.  I had an overwhelming response from many of our ladies asking for the web address for Bridget's blog.  

Bridget wrote a journal on a site called "Caring Bridge."  Here is the link to her posts however you will need to register your name and e-mail with a password in order to read her blog. 

Here is the link to caring bridge  https://www.caringbridge.org/visit/bridgetmichener.

With much love

Brenda