As many of you know I took the summer “off”. I say that in quotations because I was still working my 9-5 and doing ministry work. My dog and the house didn’t get the memo, so off is a relative term. I was still writing blogs during my vacation, I just wasn’t posting them. What can I say? I did take some time off to get away from home; some personal and some ministry related and although I had a fantastic time, I was yearning for home. During my trip I got to spend great time with awesome friends, make some new ones, learn new things, see new places, but at the end of the day I missed home. As I think about it when we are home we are always looking for a place to go because we are tired of seeing the same things. As soon as we cross the door, something in us realizes that we don’t belong outside of those walls, we always belong home. You know how it is, that cup that you keep rinsing and using because it fits the right amount. You want to experience the curve in that sofa that you have made from sitting in the same corner every day. The joy of embracing your pillow that is used to the unique way that you curve your head at night. Even the dog that you step on when you go to the bathroom in the dark, it’s all a part of you. Ironically one of the central themes at the church conference was “Coming Home”. It was based on the Parable of the Prodigal Son; which is no different than what I’m talking about. How many times do we get annoyed with our church home and leave because someone said or did something we didn’t like? Did you find yourself complaining about the music, the message…Then we left God looking for something better. As you’re sitting away looking back, you know you miss it. You miss that spiritual food that you received. You missed the message of hope
inside your spirit. You even miss the sister screaming “hallelujah” right behind you, because you knew you were home. You knew that every time you crossed those lobby doors someone welcomed you with a smile. You knew that being in the presence of God was the best place to be and were you found true happiness. This was the place where you found peace. And by place I don’t mean XYZ particular building. I’m talking about returning to God. I’m talking about that place inside of you that you have abandoned for whatever reason: habits, addictions, relationships, laziness, lack of commitment, unforgiveness, pain. Yes, we call the church the house of God, so once our spirit has come home we need to assemble, to keep supporting each other and grow in our purpose. Pray about it. God has assigned you a particular place of worship. An imperfect place that is perfect for you. This is a place filled with imperfect people, just like you, to be in his perfect presence, receiving his perfect love. How long have you been away from home? C’mon, we’re all waiting for you.
First Encounter with Faith
I grew up in church. I heard about God all my life, but the God that was portrayed to me was not a loving God. To me he was this big eye in the sky
waiting for me to make a mistake and pulverize me at any minute. I was quite involved in church growing up, but it was out of the sense that I needed to keep that God happy to avoid the pits of hell.
I had gone to a retreat and I was pulled to the side and asked if I would take Jesus as my Lord and Savior. In my mind I remember saying: Lady what kind of question is that, are you trying to get me killed? So obviously I said yes, but nothing changed in my life. A few years later I felt the calling from God and I did give my life to Christ, but I was attending a church that didn’t explain about the journey of a born again Christian or the love of God; it was all about his wrath.
So as a human I sinned and I thought that I was already condemned for life, so instead of running to the arms of Christ, I ran to the arms of the world. I found more sorrow and pain than before. Eight years later (you can’t deny that God is patient) I came back home. I came just like the Prodigal Son, telling my father that I didn’t deserve to be back and that I knew I needed to sit in the back, that I was not worthy of serving him, but if he would only have mercy I would appreciate it.
He sent a young lady in my life to tell me that all those thoughts were claims from the enemy. She told me that God and the angels were rejoicing to have me home. From that point on I felt like I had met God for the first time. I was finally truly born again. God has never left me and has loved me more than I could ever imagine.
“I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there.’ And it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you. ” Matt 17:20
Share with us, What was your first encounter with faith? I’m glad to hear it.
If you are looking for a good read, The Road Home is for you. Find out what was Desiree’s first encounter with faith and see if you can identify with her.
Until next time, be blessed.
“This book certainly held my interest straight through to the very emotional ending. ”Mary Anne Benedetto
“With the ever-constant presence of her closest friend, Aimee, Desiree slowly makes her way to God and learns the greatness of His power and love. ”Cynthia
“A very engaging story about faith, love, and friendship, and the trials and tribulations that life can bring you. ”Jersey Gina
WF: I Will Follow
Just by looking at the title of this song you can tell that it is a praise in which we tell our Lord that we will follow him forever and under any circumstances. Those are beautiful words of praise, but the ones that have the deeper meaning for me are the following lines. They tell the truth of a life lived for Christ.
Who you love, I’ll love
John 3:16- For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
So He loved the world to the point of giving his son. Do we love those around us? Do we serve as an example of a holy life so that they can be open to the Good News?
How you serve, I’ll serve
Philippians 2:6-8 Who, being in very nature[a] God,
did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing
by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death—
even death on a cross!
Is our life a life of servitude or do we always expect to be served?
If this life I lose, I will follow you
Luke 17:33 If you cling to your life, you will lose it, and if you let your life go, you will save it.
Are we truly willing to die for the cause of Christ?
It’s a lot to think about. Pay attention and be conscious while you praise with me today. Happy Friday!
In Growth Lessons, I was reminded of this beautiful truth: Our walk with the Lord is a process of growing up into the image of Christ. P. Yates
I would recommend this book for anyone who would like some common sense and light added to their life. C. Cunningham
Great for meditations and daily devotions. N. Thames
Author Emma Right
Today we have Guest Author Emma Right talking to us about her new book Keeper of Reign.
Emma, tell us about you?
I’m a happy wife and homeschool mother of five living in the Pacific West Coast of the USA. Besides running a busy home, and looking after their five pets, which includes two cats, two bunnies and a Long-haired dachshund, I also writes stories for her children. I loves the Lord and His Word deeply, and when I doesn’t have her nose in a book, I am telling my kids to get theirs in one.
Wow, you are quite busy. Have you always been in the writing industry?
I worked as a copywriter for two major advertising agencies and won several awards, including the prestigious Clio Award for my ads, before I settled down to have children.
Why did you write Keeper of Reign?
I wanted to write an allegorical fantasy about the fall of man and the redemption story set in a fantasy setting that’s filled with danger and adventure. Something young readers can enjoy but still have a Christian message.
What do you hope Keeper of Reign will accomplish?
I hope my readers can see that with the power of the gospel, we can overcome our problems and difficulties. I want to empower young readers with this message, that if they seek the truth (the Ancient Books, in Keeper of Reign) they will find wisdom and answers to life’s problems. It doesn’t mean the answers are going to come easy, but persistence will pay off, and the Bible has the answers.
How readers can connect with you?
Please, do connect with me…
Please visit my webpage: http://www.emmaright.com, or my Facebook.com/ emma.right.author, and fanpage on http://www.facebook.com/keeperofreign and follow me on twitter. If you sign up for my newsletter on my http://www.emmaright.com page I will give you book and contests updates.
Thank you, it was a pleasure having you with us today.
Keeper of Reign
Books written in blood. Most are lost, their Keepers with them. A curse that befell a people. A Kingdom with no King. Life couldn’t get
more harrowing for the Elfies, a blend of Elves and Fairies. Or for sixteen-year-old Jules Blaze. Or could it?
For Jules, the heir of a Keeper, no less, suspects his family hides a forgotten secret. It was bad enough that his people, the Elfies of Reign, triggered a curse which reduced the entire inhabitants to a mere inch centuries ago. All because of one Keeper who failed his purpose. Even the King’s Ancient Books, did not help ward off that anathema.
Now, Gehzurolle, the evil lord, and his armies of Scorpents, seem bent on destroying Jules and his family. Why? Gehzurolle’s agents hunt for Jules as he journeys into enemy land to find the truth. Truth that could save him and his family, and possibly even reverse the age-long curse. Provided Jules doesn’t get himself killed first.
What did I do this summer?
Taking this summer off was a great decision. Some times you just need some time to take a step back and regroup. It is hard to hear the voice of God in the middle of noise. I needed a change of scenery in order to organize, a real vacation and some projects.
I was able to de-clutter some old things that I’ve been hanging on for too long. I was allowed to finally have a vacation, the last one I had was in 2006. I read a full book. Yes, writers love to read too, we just don’t have enough time.
I took a vacation from my healthy lifestyle and recovered some of the pounds I had lost, but I’m now back on track and decided to lose them with the plan to not find them again.
Finally I was able to get some writing work done. My new novel “A Brother’s Vow” is in the final stages of editing and the cover is being worked on. I started a new project, currently called “Second Chances”, which I was able to write the first five chapters and many more things to come.
It’s good to be back.
So tell me, what has your summer been like?
Still for 0.99 cents Season’s Greetings from Amelia
“This book is in a class by itself, you will not be able to put it down! The characters pull you in and you begin to feel their emotions. Excellently written. The title fooled me, the saying goes” never judge a book by the cover “and this is one of those books.” By Duezette
2 Corinthians 13:10
By Staci Stallings
One of the things I like to do is take a Bible verse and read different translations of it.
Confession: Sometimes reading the long version sheds very little light on what the author is trying to say for me. I prefer the easier to read versions. Not that I stick to those exclusively, but if I want to read the Bible, I’d much rather read The Message Bible than most other translations.
There is a verse in TMB that has become one of my personal guide verses. It is 2 Corinthians 13:10, and it goes like this:
The authority the Master has given me
is for putting people together,
not taking them apart.
What I’m learning is the breach in the Garden, which we call Original Sin, disconnected us from God. We got unplugged. It’s as if Adam and Eve took hold of the cord and yanked it from the wall socket.
Now this is very easy to see. What happens to your lamp if you disconnect the plug from the socket?
It won’t work, right?
I mean, you can stand there and click that little button or pull that little string or change the light bulb as many times as you want. That light is not coming on!
Cursing it out won’t help, and getting a new one if you don’t plug it in won’t do any good either.
Maybe that seems like a dumb example, but is it?
How many of us are limping along on our own power, in our own wisdom, with our own strength? How many of our fellow planet-dwellers are doing that?
See, I think God’s whole plan right now is to reconnect us to Him. He’s going around, pursuing us, trying to convince us to reconnect.
The problem is we’re still standing there trying to “fix” our lamp. Oh, we try lots of things… adding to our bank account, going to the right parties, creating the right image, getting the right clothes, and shoes, and car, and house. We try to find the right spouse, go to the gym to lose those extra pounds… Only to find our lamp is still not on.
The issue here is that we must re-plug in FIRST. Then all the other stuff will follow.
I believe THAT is the ministry of believers. And by believers, I don’t mean people who show up a couple times a month to church and check God off the to-do list.
I mean people who are ACTIVELY WORKING on strengthening their connection to the Master–God.
Once you are connected, you begin to see that the problems people are facing would be much easier handled, if not solved, by reconnecting.
But here’s the thing. I can’t just tell you to go to church and think that will reconnect you. Most of the time, it won’t.
To help people learn to reconnect, we have to be willing to share the journey, to share our journey with others. We have to be willing to get real about the struggles in our own life. Although it sounds great to just reach down and lift someone up, the truth is, even God didn’t do that.
He sent Jesus to be here, with us, walking with us, living with us, eating with us, being with us. When you take on the God mission of helping others reconnect, you don’t do it standing on the rock, holding up your staff so the waters part. You don’t get to stand there in perfect safety telling those who “follow” that it’s okay, you’re pretty sure they won’t drown.
No. You LEAD by example. You practice YOUR faith and let them walk closely enough to see it.
Nowhere is this more important than with your children. Your children will imitate what they see. If they see a parent yelling and freaking out, if they see a parent who hates going to church and makes excuses not to go, if they see a parent disengaged and self-centered… just what do you think they will turn out like.
BE the person you want others in your life to be. LEAD by example.
And become a person who believes in reconnecting people with God. That is the best way I know to change the world.
Copyright Staci Stallings, 2013
Staci Stallings, the author of this article, is a stay-at-home mom with a husband, three kids and a writing addiction on the side. She is a #1 Best Selling Christian author and the founder of both Grace & Faith Author Connection and CrossReads–a site where Christian readers and authors can connect.
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Summer Break
To all my readers,
I will be taking off from blogging during this summer. This year has been a little bit more challenging than anticipated and I have not been able to be true to my promise to provide you with new good reads. I will be focusing on the following stories: “My Promise To Keep”, “Breaking Free” and the first draft of a new novella “Hope”
This has been one of the challenges. My computer has broken down several times and as I type this is barely allowing me to work. It is my hope to get that problem resolved in the next few weeks.
I have been very involved in too many projects and for the first time in three years I will be going on vacation. Although I’ll be writing during my time away, it will be great to focus on it in a new environment. It is awesome when you are writing fiction and your story is just as good as your reality.
So enjoy your summer, be safe, be blessed and see you all back on August 5th
WF: East to West
I think one of the things Christians, especially new Christians struggle the most is condemnation. We live in the world of “forgive and not forget” and we have the tendency to look at God in the same light.
I have said many times that understanding God’s mercy was hard for me. How could he forgive the things I had done when his Word said that those things were against his will? Then I discovered Grace. That favor that God gives us that covers all our sins. That which brings to life the sacrifice of the cross.
Even after salvation we are not perfect, and there are times when we life in this fear of when will be the day when he will say enough, you’ve crossed the line of unforgiveness. But lucky for us that day will not arrive. As long as we repent we will be covered once again by the blood of the lamb, because Jesus died for ALL our sins. The ones we did and the ones to be done.
1 Peter 1:18-20
For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake.
Let’s Praise God for that!
The Unknown
In a conversation the other day someone said that they got irritated when they didn’t know something. It reminded me of who I was before I actually surrendered my life to Christ and how I can be when I forget who master’s my life. I have a theory, that the unknown affects us due to our need for control. We want to know everything that’s going on around us just to make sure that we will know how to handle it. In that we forget a few things.
· Luke 12:25-26 “Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?”
· Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. (Matthew 6:34)
· Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.
The other part of the unknown is lack of trust. It’s that feeling that
tells you that you need to know exactly everything around you, because if you lack information you will be caught with your pants down and end up in trouble. But actually my life experiences have taught me that sometimes ignorance is bliss and I do not need to know everything. There is a reason why God doesn’t reveal everything to us in our time but in his time.
Think about it, as parents, do you tell your kids everything or do you shelter them from certain information until you know that they are prepared to handle it? Our heavenly father does the same with us. But as the bratty children that we can be, we too think we know better than God about what we can or cannot handle.
I’m not a parent, but my 9-5 requires me to manage people. As a manager there are details of the operations that my staff doesn’t need to know. There’s no point in burdening them with certain situations that are for me to deal with, situations that are out of their control and that I will resolve before it affects them. That’s imperfect, knuckleheaded me. Don’t you think that our God, first of all, doesn’t need our help and then that there are things that we don’t need to worry about because it is something that HE will work out. The question is do we really trust Him to come through? With our mouths we usually say yes, but do our actions reflect that level of trust? Just food for thought.
My challenge today is that we really surrender. That we allow God to decide what information we should be privy off and for him to tell us how to handle it. I challenge us to release our need of control, because at the end of the day we truly have none.
Until next time, be blessed.
In Growth Lessons, I was reminded of this beautiful truth: Our walk with the Lord is a process of growing up into the image of Christ. P. Yates
I would recommend this book for anyone who would like some common sense and light added to their life. C. Cunningham
Great for meditations and daily devotions. N. Thames
WF: Lord I need you
If there’s something that we can’t say enough is how much we need God in our lives. We wouldn’t even have a life without him. We wouldn’t have a future if it wasn’t for his Grace and Mercy.
Let’s rest in his bosom, just like a newborn child; in total abandonment and filled with peace. Only in the presence of the Lord we can find happiness .
Be blessed.
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