He Knows What He’s Doing

Posted on January 24, 2012 by Carol

“I know what I’m doing. I have it all planned out—plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for.” Jeremiah 29:11 (MSG)

In conversations with two different friends today, I was reminded of how big our God is and how we often forget that He is the One in control. Because I used to be the poster child for “control freaks,” I understand when I see others who struggle to completely trust God with all aspects of their lives.

It has been a journey of over 10 years–and I’m not there yet–but I have come to see life at age 58, as an adventure. His mercies are new just as the day dawns and brings hope. We can’t live without either…His mercies and hope.

In today’s rapidly changing world, many of us live in fear. Unemployment is high and so are gas prices. People have lost their homes. Families are relying on relatives and the kindness of churches and other non-profits to help put food on the table. Some don’t know when they will eat again. Life is uncertain.

Ben Franklin was once quoted as saying “but in the world nothing can be said to be certain except death and taxes.”

I would add that there is one more thing of which we can be certain. Our God loves and has plans for each one of us. He will take care of us and will not abandon any of His sheep. Our future is in His hands.

He knows what He’s doing. Do you trust Him?

 

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Dear God: I have a problem. It’s me.

Posted on January 17, 2012 by Carol

“The man said, ‘The woman you put here with me—she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it.’”–Genesis 3:12 (NIV)

Have you ever blamed someone else for your mistakes or problems? I have. I wonder why we blame others. Is it to save face? Is it because we don’t want to take responsibility for our words and actions. As humans, I think we all have the tendency to blame someone else when things don’t go quite right.

Think about the first finger pointing in Genesis 3 when Adam blamed Eve and she blamed the serpent for tempting her to eat the fruit from the tree in the middle of the garden. What happened next? God expelled them from the Garden of Eden, but only after He had prepared them some clothes. God was disappointed the two had disobeyed His instructions but He lovingly covered their naked bodies before He kicked them out.
I think when we blame others for our mistakes or shortcomings, we disappoint God. We don’t want to take the fall, especially when it might have severe consequences. When people try to hide the fact that they messed up by blame shifting, they only dig themselves a little deeper into an ugly situation. I’ve been there. There is nothing new under the sun when it comes to human nature. Buck passing has been going on since the beginning of time. Can you see how this problem has affected our country? I can. What can we do, as individuals, to end this problem? We can admit that we messed up and learn a lesson from our mistakes, instead of pointing a finger of blame like some little school child. If everyone just admitted his/her mistakes and confessed, “I messed up,” wouldn’t the world be a better place? If you agree, let me hear from you at carolaround@yahoo.com.

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Everything You Need

Posted on January 13, 2012 by Carol

I wanted to share the following devotional by Max Lucado because he is one of the most inspirational pastors I know and I love reading his books. I have been blessed to hear him speak at a Women of Faith conference and hear him preach at his home church in San Antonio. At left is a photo of Mr. Lucado with our 2008 Rio Bravo, Mexico mission team. (I’m on the right of Max.) We spent the night in San Antonio and attended church services at Max’s church before continuing our journey to Mexico.
by Max Lucado

Are you hoping that a change in circumstances will bring a change in your attitude? If so, you are in prison, and you need to learn a secret of traveling light. What you have in your Shepherd is greater than what you don’t have in life.

May I meddle for a moment? What is the one thing separating you from joy? How do you fill in this blank: “I will be happy when ________________”? When I am healed. When I am promoted. When I am married. When I am single. When I am rich. How would you finish that statement?

Now, with your answer firmly in mind, answer this. If your ship never comes in, if your dream never comes true, if the situation never changes, could you be happy? If not, then you are sleeping in the cold cell of discontent. You are in prison. And you need to know what you have in your Shepherd.

You have a God who hears you, the power of love behind you, the Holy Spirit within you, and all of heaven ahead of you. If you have the Shepherd, you have grace for every sin, direction for every turn, a candle for every corner, and an anchor for every storm. You have everything you need.

How would you fill in the blank? Respond to this post below.

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Instantly Answered

Posted on January 6, 2012 by Carol

I wanted to share the following devotional by Margaret E. Taylor, Hemet, California, that appeared in “Guideposts,” to offer encouragement to my readers.

(I am always amazed when God answers a prayer. Sometimes a prayer is answered after weeks, months and years of prayers. However, sometimes my prayers are answered so quickly, I am in awe of HIS power. Has God answered one of your prayers quickly? Share them by clicking on the comment link at the end of this post.)

By Margaret E. Taylor

We all know that God always answers our prayers in his own way and in his own time. When he answers them immediately, however, we can’t help but be amazed. Even in the Bible, when Mary—the mother of John Mark—and her household were praying for Peter’s release from prison, they were astounded when Peter himself came to their door.

I remember the day my husband, Stan, and I sold our car. We had been trying desperately to raise money for the surgery I was facing. We had gone from dealer to dealer, trying to sell our car, but most were offering far too little for it.

That evening as we sat in the parking lot of a fast food restaurant, we bowed our heads and I prayed aloud about it. Just as I said amen, a woman walked over, leaned down and spoke through the car window.

“Would you be willing to sell your car?” she asked.

“Wha-what?” I stammered in disbelief.

Then she related how she wanted to help a young college student who desperately needed a car. She and the student had been looking all afternoon, but couldn’t find one that was right, So they’d pulled into the parking lot to pray. She didn’t know why, but something told her to ask us.

Something, indeed.

 

Isn’t God awesome? Don’t forget to share your answered prayer stories by clicking on the “comment” link.

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Draw Strength from Jesus

Posted on January 4, 2012 by Carol

I wanted to share the following devotional with my readers. It was written by Judy Baer, Elk River, Minnesota. Thank you, Judy.

“Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times? Jesus said to him, ‘I do not say to you seven times but seventy times seven.’ ” Matthew 18:21–22 (NRSV)

Christians can be a topsy-turvy bunch. Sometimes we do things that the world has a hard time understanding. We do a lot of things others consider backward. When someone hurts us, we turn the other cheek, leaving ourselves vulnerable to even more hurt. We have to die to ourselves in order to live eternally. If someone needs our coat, we give him our shirt as well.

 Unlikely people take leadership roles in God’s kingdom, like Moses, who stuttered. We look back to what Jesus said and did in the past to know our own futures. God chooses us not because we are ready to serve. He takes the reluctant servant, equips them and makes them ready.

We are in this world but not of it—and Jesus gives us the strength to persist when we are backward in the world’s eyes.

Faith step: Do a backward thing today. Give more than you had planned to someone who needs it. Pay for a stranger’s groceries. Take the lead in something that frightens you just because you know God wants you to do it.

Jesus gives us the power to persist when we are seen as backward in the world’s eyes.

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A Prayer for the New Year

Posted on December 30, 2011 by Carol

“let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water.” (Hebrews 22:10 NIV)

The New Year is upon us. Read the  following story, which recently appeared in Guideposts, and ask yourself, “What steps do I need to take to draw closer to God in 2012?”

By Evelyn Olsen, Grand Blanc, Michigan

It was early January, and we were sitting around our friends’ fireplace when Ron brought out a stack of pine branches. Nancy explained that she had read of an old tradition where each person placed a pine branch on the fire and made a wish for the New Year.

We began talking of our wishes. We mentioned cars, color tvs–all sorts of fun luxuries. Then my thoughts flashed to the new meaning in my life since I had joined a prayer group. I wanted other people to know God as I did. And so as I placed my branch on the crackling fire, I quietly prayed, “Please let one person, just anyone, be drawn closer to the Lord because of me.”

I remembered the prayer often in the months ahead as I tried to be always available as God’s witness in church meetings, Sunday school and social activities.

In August the thought occurred to me–What if someone wanted to know more about the Lord and I didn’t have the answers for them? I began reading the Bible, studying lives of men whom God had transformed, and reading devotional classics. But nothing seemed to materialize.

Suddenly it was December 31. I remembered my prayer wish and tried to think who it was that I had brought closer to the Lord. I finally had my answer–no one!

I sat for a few minutes trying to understand. Then I said, “Lord, I know You answer every prayer. I believe. I trust You, but where is my answer?”

And in that next moment, the Lord spoke to me in words I could almost hear. “Don’t you know it is you and I who are closer?”

And, of course, He was right. Our friendship had deepened; I did know Him better. My New Year’s wish had come true.

(Note to the reader: In 2012, Westbow Press will release my new book, “Journaling with Jesus: How to draw closer to God.” If you are interested in learning more about my book or contacting me about being a speaker for your event, email me at carolaround@yahoo.com.)

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Ten Questions to Ask at the Start of a New Year

Posted on December 28, 2011 by Carol

“The plans of the diligent lead surely to advantage.”  Proverbs 21:5

A new year, for the majority of us, means setting goals or making resolutions. The top resolutions made each year include losing weight, paying off debt and saving more money.

The beginning of a new year is also a good time to seek the presence of our Heavenly Father and His guidance for our lives. I came across these ten questions, posed by writer Don Whitney, and thought I would share them with my readers as the New Year approaches.

  1. What’s one thing you could do this year to increase your enjoyment of God?
  2. What’s the most humanly impossible thing you will ask God to do this year?
  3. What’s the single most important thing you could do to improve the quality of your family life this year?
  4. In which spiritual discipline do you most want to make progress this year, and what will you do about it?
  5. What is the single biggest time-waster in your life, and what will you do about it this year?
  6. What is the most helpful new way you could strengthen your church?
  7. For whose salvation will you pray most fervently this year?
  8. What’s the most important way you will, by God’s grace, try to make this year different from last year?
  9. What one thing could you do to improve your prayer life this year?
  10. What single thing that you plan to do this year will matter most in ten years? In eternity?

If you choose one question a day for the next ten days and seriously seek the Lord in prayer to direct your steps in 2012, then share your replies by clicking on the comment link below. Happy New Year!

May you and yours be continually transformed by HIS love!

 

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Staying Practical in an Impractical World

Posted on December 27, 2011 by Carol

“Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, ‘Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.’”  Hebrews 13:5 (NIV)

I am a practical mother and grandmother. Both of my sons and my five grandchildren receive clothes and books for birthdays and Christmas. I also buy one toy each for my grandchildren. Even the toys are practical. What do I mean by practical?

  • I buy toys requiring no batteries. Instead, I purchase products to stimulate their creativity, like Legos and Lincoln Logs. Other items that end up in my shopping basket include watercolor paints, boxes of crayons and pads of paper. I have discovered that when the batteries die, the new toy loses its appeal while a fed imagination keeps a child engaged.
  • I make memories with my grandchildren. With sidewalk chalk and a large jug of bubbles, you can entertain youngsters without breaking the bank. You don’t even need these if you use your ingenuity to create fun they will recall when they look back on their childhood. Two of my grandchildren were spending the day with me several years ago. I had made them lie down for a nap. As I worked at my computer, I heard a noise outside. Looking out my office window, I saw one of the city fire trucks arrive to drain a fire hydrant across the street. Of course, my grandchildren heard the noise too. Peeking out the bedroom window, they begged me to wade in the water gushing down the street. I relented and joined them. Holding hands, we walked barefooted through the flooded neighborhood. Grinning, my grandson said, “We’re making memories, aren’t we Nana?”
  • Another way we make memories is by serving others. When my two oldest grandchildren were ages two and four, we started a tradition that has continued for five years. We bake cookies together and then deliver them to a local nursing home where the two enjoy sharing the baked goods with the residents. It not only puts a smile on the recipients’ faces but my grandchildren leave knowing, even at their young age, that they have made a difference.

With a society focused on the impracticality of having it all, I have found a way to remain practical. In 1Timothy 6:5-7, Paul writes, “But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it.” I plan to leave my loved ones a treasure chest full of memories not gold.

What legacy will you leave?

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Who Started This Christmas Stuff?

Posted on December 19, 2011 by Carol

In all this rush to find the perfect gift and have the perfect Christmas, it is so easy to forget that the only perfection was born in a dirty manger in a small obscure village over 2,000 years ago to peasants. He wasn’t born into a royal family but He is royalty indeed!  He is our Jesus, the One who came so that we might have everlasting life. But we have to accept the gift…God’s gift to us. If you have not accepted Jesus as your Savior, I pray that God will open your eyes and your heart to the real beauty of this sacred season.

I wanted to share the following story I received via email this morning. May it remind you WHO started all this Christmas stuff. Merry Christmas!


A woman was out Christmas shopping with her two children. After many hours of looking at row after row of toys and everything else imaginable; and after hours of hearing both her children asking for everything they saw on those many shelves, she finally made it to the elevator with her two kids.

She was feeling what so many feel during the holiday season time of the year – overwhelming pressure to go to every party, every housewarming, taste all the holiday food and treats, getting that perfect gift for every single person on our shopping list, making sure we don’t forget anyone on our card list, and the pressure of making sure we respond to everyone who sent us a card.

Finally the elevator doors opened, and there was already a crowd in the car. She pushed her way into the car and dragged her two kids in with her and all the bags of stuff. When the doors closed, she couldn’t take it anymore and she stated, “Whoever started this whole Christmas thing should be found, strung up and shot.”

From the back of the car, everyone heard a quiet, calm voice respond, “Don’t worry, we already crucified Him.”

For the rest of the trip down in the elevator, it was so quiet you could have heard a pin drop. This year, don’t forget to keep “the One who started this whole Christmas thing” in your every thought, deed and words. If we all did it, just think of how different this whole world would be.

“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son; that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16)

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Celebrating a Christ-Centered Christmas

Posted on December 10, 2011 by Carol

Consider some ways you can help others less fortunate this Christmas. Here are some ideas from Luci Swindoll’s book, “Celebrating a Christ Centered Christmas.”

• Help an elderly person decorate his or her home and take the decorations down at the end of the season.
• Give an anonymous gift of money to someone who lost their job or someone who you know struggles financially.
• Offer to do Christmas shopping for a disabled person.
• Purchase and deliver a gift for a child whose parent is in prison
• Pack a shoebox for a needy child overseas through Operation Christmas Child.
• Process toys for the Salvation Army.
• Volunteer to ring the bell for the Salvation Army.
• Work in a Soup Kitchen
• Visit someone in a nursing home who has few relatives.

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