Friday, October 5, 2012

A Grand Highway RJD October, 2012


 

 

“Every valley shall be filled. . .” Luke 3:5 (NIV)

 

January 3, 1998

{Devotional Book: Morning and Evening, by Charles Spurgeon}

A valley, we know, is a low place between two or more higher places. As Christians we experience spiritual valleys. Some of us go through emotional valleys. Pastor Mike, a pastor we had for seven years, sang “God of the mountain is still God in the valley,” a comforting statement for me during this time.

Luke tells me every valley shall be filled. All, each one of them will be leveled out and we will go forth with our lives, with our families, and especially with Jesus.

 

I had some very trying times during my life. But the comfort I received from the Lord brought me through each of them. I learned from a dear saint of God that when I was “in a valley” I was the most teachable because being brought down made me look up to God. Sometimes I could find comfort only through prayer, Bible study, devotional reading, and journaling.

Back in 2000, when a relative emailed me that her son-in-law was diagnosed with Esophageal Cancer, I suggested she purchase a spiral-bound notebook and just write about her feelings. I also mentioned she could write a letter to Cancer. Telling it what she thought of it. (She wasn’t a Christian at the time; I told her she could use explicit words, if she felt she had to.) I don’t know if she did but I tried to give her an outlet for her emotions.
As I sit here trying to sort through some essays, I find myself in frequent fervent prayer for a family who has been faced with the serious illness of a loved one. All I can do is pray and write about God’s presence when we face trials and tribulation.

Wednesday, October 3, 2012

Help and Hope


upword_jpg_18.jpg

“Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob,

whose hope is in the Lord his God.”

 Psalm 146: 5 NIV)

 

From time to time in our lives, we find ourselves in circumstances that we can’t do anything about. All we can do is lean on the Lord to bring us through the trial. We come through the time of hardship, no matter how long, with a new outlook about the foibles of life.

Around the middle of last month, I tried to call a friend of mine twice one day. The first time I reached her answering machine. I left a short message. The second time, I reached the answering machine again and decided not to leave a message. The next morning, her husband called me to let me know that she was in the hospital. It sounded serious and the complications started again. This was her third time in the hospital in recent memory. One of her doctors chose to transfer her to ICU; three days later they had to put her on a ventilator. Her daughters and anyone who knew the situation were scared. I found myself mentally down because of what I knew and what we all feared.

I finally went to my journal and wrote. I asked God a series of questions, then tried to answer them as best I could.  What I went through caused me to change my blog topic for this month to “trust”. I needed to explore this term in depth.

At the end of last month, my friend had to go to a nursing home to receive therapy to help her regain her mobility.

Monday, October 1, 2012

Book Review: Grace-by Max Lucado


 

 

In his latest book, Grace-more than we deserve, greater than we imagine Max Lucado teaches of the deep quality of unmerited love. In twelve chapters, he gives special new meaning to the presence of God in our lives.

This book saturated with scripture and examples of grace in our daily lives, Max brings freshness to Bible reading and study.

The book held my interest. It inspired me to show more grace to others in my life. At the end of this book Max Lucado includes a study guide. This feature is a plus for me. I intend to re-read this work and spend time studying grace.

Max always holds my attention. (I have read several of his works over the years.) He uses metaphors of modern life to allow the reader to identify with the topic. This style of writing quickly draws the reader into the ‘discussion’, making him or her feel at ease.

Max conveys Biblical truth in a way that the concept stays with the reader. He includes scripture throughout this book. The study guide, written by Kate Etue, follows a form for each in-depth chapter study, one section of which is a scripture review. Each of these sections is saturated with scripture readings and or questions to ponder.

I would highly recommend this book to believers wanting to grow in their faith. There is a participant’s guide available for small group use. The publisher has made this book available in DVD form for small group. It comes in an unabridged audiobook, as well as e-book forms.

============================================

I was given a free copy of this book by Thomas Nelson through Booksneeze. In return, I was asked to give an unbiased and honest review.

God Alone

  Jesus and the children at our church's prayer walk.          I will both lie down in peace and sleep;  For You alone, O LORD make ...