God's Amazing Intervention and Healing Power

Shared with permission from Rochelle Jones

This is the family of Tom and Rochelle Jones today, but several years ago, they faced a dilemma of possibly losing both of their twin girls, who are happy and full of life today! 

Click here to see their amazing story of God's amazing grace, and how they openly give Jesus Christ the glory!  Below are some photos seen in the videos.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=um6_-sJoHHY

A Bit of Transparency

by Rosanne Parker - Used by permission

In my youth no one would have tagged me as anything but an extrovert. My sister in love described me as a white tornado when I'd arrive for a visit....I loved life and enjoyed people. In particular, I loved my Campus Life community of friends.

Life has a way of affecting change. The joys and sorrows conform us and teach us some BIG lessons. In my twenties I seemed to have lots of easy answers. My thirties were a blur with kids, a home and amazing relationships. The answers were less than easy but I was growing in grace and compassion. My temper was easily ignited to my shame. Hurt and what I now understand as trauma became an unwelcomed house guest and left messes that stained our lives. Those stains are being used to form an amazing piece of art, our life, to reflect resilience and grace from God alone.

The anger was often a reaction to fear. Fear is debilitating. As a teen I watched my beloved mom struggle through the change of life. For her, crowds and florescent lighting often triggered panic. Dear mom would get red faced on one side and go pale as Casper on the opposite side. People would offer help but that only served to make it harder for her. I recall being in a huge bus terminal in Canada when it once happened. Poor mom. I learned a little about assisting panicked people quietly during those days.

Here I am now, looking in to groups of people with a different lens than when I was in high school or college. Those waves of panic well up sometimes and I just need to pause and get acclimated like you do when you come inside from the sun into a dim room. It takes a few moments to adjust.

Please friends, be patient with those who don't jump into the party with gusto. Please remember, you do not know the history nor the current circumstance. 

Panic is a hard enemy and while it can mask as anger or unfriendliness, it is neither. It just needs a safe place to fall and gentle tenderness to get acclimated.

How can you be a safe place for someone today?

Recall the Extraordinary in the Ordinary

Used with Permission by Michelle Gill
 

One day last week I was struggling with letting go of something I have been waiting for from God.  He had shown me and confirmed in many ways that I am to have more children.  I am forty-four years old and the world's ideas about age began to creep in and I am tired of waiting to be honest.  A common battle ensued of letting go and moving on versus believing, waiting, and battling through.

Then I heard this verse:  "Timothy, my son, I am giving you this command in keeping with the prophecies once made about you, so that by recalling them you may fight the battle well."  I Tim. 1:18 NIV

Paul tells Timothy to recall to mind the prophetic words spoken regarding him.  This can mean a promise God has given you or an actual prophetic word spoken over you that He has confirmed in your spirit.  First, recall it.  Remind yourself of it.  Then use it by fighting the good fight with it.  Believe. Stand firm.  Speak it.  Pray it.  Battle.

The following verse says that many have shipwrecked their faith by not standing firm, stepping out of the battle.  Waiting is a battle.  Believing when we can't see it is a fight.  It would be much easier to let go.  He has spoken to me to believe Him for a larger family.  He told me to buy a painting of a little boy and girl playing by the sea when I first lost my husband.  To me it made no sense at all but I did it purely out of obedience.  It hangs in my bedroom still.  He has given me confirmations time and time again.  Yet I still wait and it is easy to get used to the life you live and lose the want altogether.

My desire a long, long time ago was that my life would show that He still answers prayer on a regular basis and works in mighty ways in our ordinary everyday life.  I first heard of George Mueller, who fed ten thousand orphans through prayer only in his lifetime, as a child.  His reason for opening the orphanage was not primarily to feed and shelter orphans but to show the church that God indeed answers prayer, provides, and is the only answer we need.  So he never asked for money or provided it himself.

God is faithful.  Faithful to the ordinary everyday person.  He is faithful in the smallest needs and the largest.  He has extraordinary plans for your ordinary life.  So instead of letting go of His word to me, I let go of my reasoning, my waning desires and passion, and I recall His words to my mind and fight the good fight of my ordinary day.

I will report His extraordinary fulfillment to you when it comes.  So be watching for Him and may my life be an encouragement to you to believe and trust Him for your ordinary life. 

A Child's Sand Art -- A Lesson in God's Intricate Design

by Tiffany Bowles - Used with permission

My son, Sam, and his sand art!  He is just awesome!  I had no clue that as he was running around with this stick and his little brother, Dillon, was chasing him that it was turning into a picture.  I thought Sam was just running around making lines for Dillon to run on...but he had a plan and a design on his mind...and it was cool and fun.  

But to compare it to how God has a plan and a design, and to remember that we run circles and chase lines and we have smiles and falls and waves that wash away our lines...He still has a plan...a very big plan and a design that is much bigger and far-reaching and intricate than we can imagine.  He is the one who can take our lines and our washed-away efforts and dreams and our crumpled up selves and He makes us into something beautiful for His glory.  He is so good.

Mother's Day Grief and Graces

by Diane Fenlason - Used by permission
Note from Lois: I am so blessed to have Diane as my niece!

For every mother, there is a story. I know no mother who has not been through a battle while on her journey. For each mother, the journey is personal and unique, but she is not the first mother to have endured that type of journey, and will not be the last. I think I have been in many different motherhood shoes as I have walked through these years of my life, and I want to share some of my heart as it pertains to such a special day. A day that can be so PAINFUL to some of us.

I have been a young married woman who miscarried. I was hopeful that I was pregnant, and expecting a child. I could feel my body beginning to make some changes, even though it was very early in the pregnancy. The excitement was building. And then, very suddenly, he or she was gone. Devastated. Sad. Wondering if the baby would’ve been a boy or girl. 

I am a woman who would deal for years with infertility, finally being told by the specialist that I just couldn’t conceive, for reasons that were not apparent. I routinely and, with hope in my heart, went through several rounds of fertility treatments. I waited with impatience through weeks that seemed to last an eternity for the doctor to say “YES, you are pregnant! It worked!” But each time, I was met by a silent shake of the head from the nurse to say that I was not pregnant. The hope of having a baby died more each time it failed. 

I am a woman who came to terms with the idea that I would probably never have children. Maybe that wasn’t what the Lord wanted from me. I pleaded with God to take the desire away from me if He was calling me to do something different with my life than to be a mother. It hurt. No less than cutting out a piece of my heart.

I am a woman who became an adoptive mother. Twice! I remember wondering if I could love a child that I would adopt as much as I could love a biological child. As soon as she was placed in my arms, She. Was. Mine. The child of my heart, physically given life by another. The complete, crazy joy I felt somehow melded into one with the complete sadness that must’ve been within the birth mother’s soul that day. I wondered how it would be to be able to say “thank you” to that woman I would never know. How do you say thank you for such a gift?

The second time I became an adoptive mom, I was able to sit arm in arm with the birth mom. I was able to hear his heartbeat from inside the womb during her last OB appointment. I was able to spend a lot of time with her after she gave birth, and before bringing our new, tiny blue bundle home. Yes, I was joyful. But I was in awe of this woman who said she had prayed that God would provide a mother who would teach her baby, as he grew, about God. This woman who looked me in the eye and said, “You are the one I prayed for!”  As she and I dressed him for the trip home from the hospital, and we hugged one another, I whispered in her ear that I would always honor her, and that I loved her and he would grow up knowing his story. Her life choices had led her to this moment, and it was unbelievable the pain, sorrow, joy and hope that hit me all at the same time. And finally…….I knew what it was like to be able to thank the one who carried her child – my child – and placed him in my arms to raise. It was a moment I will never forget.

I am a woman who was a single mom. When these two children were young, my first husband made the decision to leave the marriage. While I didn’t realize it at the time, at least not fully, he had left the marriage very early on. The divorce was a formality for him at that point, I suppose. But it was devastating. I didn’t get married for this. I got married for life. I was committed. I was faithful. I loved. But now, I was alone with two children. And I was angry at God. Angry that He allowed this to happen. Angry that now my kids didn’t have a father who was present in their life. At least not in the way I thought it was supposed to be. It was hard. I suddenly found myself not fitting in. Most of my close friends were couples. Now I was feeling like a 3rd wheel. I didn’t fit with singles, because I was older and had kids, and no singles group I knew then was comprised of 30-something women with kids. I didn’t fit at church. My church didn’t even know what to do with me. I still served. I was still faithfully attending. But there was a strange silence around me, like no one knew what to say. But I realized the answer was not to leave the church out of my discomfort. It was to stay and to allow God to grow and use me in ways that I never imagined. To model for my children what faithfulness and accountability looked like when life was hard. And, with time, healing came.

Then, the Lord brought an amazing man into my life. A single dad. We realized that this was a divine appointment for each of our lives, and he asked me to be his wife. I realized that this man 1)Truly loved the Lord and wanted Him to be #1 and 2) Truly loved me in a way that made me see Christ’s love for His church. We had our eyes wide open to the challenging road that lay before us in “blending” a family, but nonetheless, God led us here, and who were we to say no to His leading?

I am a stepmom. Like most blended families, we struggle with kids going back and forth between households, and the challenge of creating consistency along with helping the kids to adjust whenever they come back home, since rules and the way of life in the other households are so different. It’s hard when you are the mom of the household, but not everyone calls you “Mom.” However, my calling to be a mom to my stepson is just as real as my calling to be a mom to the other kids. I ask God for grace on this task every day, and ask Him to keep strengthening the relationship I have with every one of my kids. And, just as a bonus tip: I have learned that “Blended Family” is really a misnomer. Bringing two broken families together is more like taking pieces of two different shattered vases, and trying to create a whole new vase (or something that resembles it) out of all the shards. It is time consuming, messy, and doesn’t always look good. But the reward is to hopefully end up with a vessel that will be used for something beautiful. I pray that our “glued together pieces” will be that kind of vessel. 

And….I am a woman who, at 40, after believing my life was very full, and that God had made me mom to three great kids, found out that we were expecting. What?!?! We were so surprised, and recognized the fact that God does have a sense of humor, and a timing that is all His own. And, that timing is PERFECT. Our youngest is a constant reminder of God’s grace lavished on us. We borrow our children for a time, but they are all gifts from our Heavenly Father. Treasures from Heaven.

If you have gotten through today’s celebration of motherhood feeling some degree of hurt, disappointment, or with a reminder of what you feel that you are missing…..YOU ARE NOT ALONE. It is a lonely place. I recognize that. I have felt that. But never let the enemy convince you that you should continue to feel alone. 

One of the greatest things about God’s grace is that when we are weakest, His grace can lend us strength. When we think we are in a hopeless situation, He IS our hope. When we feel that we aren’t complete, we can find comfort that He alone makes us complete. 

Before I was a mother, I was a mother-at-heart. God put that deep desire within me to be a mom. Maybe that is where you are today. Perhaps your desire to become a mother has gone unfulfilled. Or maybe you are a dear mother who has lost a child. Or perhaps you are parenting in a difficult situation, or with a wayward child whose rebellion has broken your heart into a gazillion pieces. 

Take heart. Your journey is just that. A journey. You are not done, and your story is not finished being written. If the Lord has put within your heart the desire to be a mother, then go and do the work of motherhood. If you haven’t been gifted with children of your own at this point, be a woman who graces others with love for their children. Some of the most influential women in my life have actually been single women who have loved on my kids and have been role models of faithful followers of Christ. Do not become isolated in the false belief that you are on a road without companions. There are many of us. Some who are on that difficult road right now, others who have been for a long time and are tired and weary, and some of us who have gotten a little farther along and can remember well the hardships. And yet, we can see how God’s mercy and grace met us where we were. He can meet you there, too. All of us have our own story, but we are not meant to deal with these challenges alone.

I celebrate motherhood. Not all mothers have children standing beside them. But mothers do know within their hearts that the unwavering love of a mother is there. I applaud your courage. I acknowledge the depth of your hurt when this day comes and you find it excruciating. I get it. Reach out. Find a woman who can help you see God’s grace to bring you through and help you to thrive in His joy and His completion of you. There will come a day will you will be able to pour out into others, too. You will be able to say, “I was a woman who was there, where you are. Look what God did in me!” 

My sister, it is ALL God’s grace. It’s all for His glory. If I had never had any children, I would hope that God’s grace could be seen through me, and that He would have me poured out into little lives somehow. But for now, I pray that as I get up each morning and my feet hit the floor, I would be a better momma to my four kids. That I would be more patient. That I wouldn’t get mad at the kids when they start to bicker with each other. That I would still want to serve them breakfast, even when I don’t feel thanked or appreciated. That I would take every opportunity I have today to teach and train these precious children that God has entrusted to my love and care.
I pray for you, wherever you are in your journey. I don’t understand why but one thing I do hold to: The Lord has a plan and purpose in everything He allows. Good and bad, joyous or heart wrenching; He can use it all for His honor and glory. He has a perfect and good plan for you! He really does! Jeremiah 29:11 says “For I know the plans for you says the Lord; plans to prosper you, not to harm you; plans to give you hope and a future.”

So, dear sister, if you are looking down at your feet today, discouraged at where you are, realize that the Lord sees the many steps ahead of those feet, and He is there to walk with you. We can’t see very far ahead. But we can trust the One who does. Grip His hand, and hold tightly!

Have a blessed day, to all the mothers and mothers-at-heart! You are amazing!

Diane Fenlason
Email: BusyMami@msn.com

Personal Testimony Regarding Scripture Memory

by Madeline Trotman - Used by permission

Note from Lois about Madeline: Madeline has faithfully been ministering to international students at the University of Virginia for about twenty-eight years.  Because of her great love for them, as well as her gospel witness, many internationals have put their faith and trust in the Lord.  Many have also gone back to their native land as a witness for Jesus.  She keeps in contact with quite a few international graduates after they leave, as they continue to look to Madeline for mentoring in the faith.  She's an amazing lady!

Recently I was discussing with a friend the benefits of fixing the Word of God in our hearts.  We were e-mailing, and I decided to put my personal experience into my communication with this person.

I wanted to share it with you, because I want to encourage you and be open about my own experience regarding Scripture memory.

"Dawson has started the book, Borden of Yale...from the 1800's.  He read a thought to me last night, which has really grasped my attention.  Borden said he wanted to be God-governed, not self-governed.  This hit me between the eyes -- because the upshot of Scripture memory brings about the changing of our thought patterns.  To me, to be God-governed...the bottom line is the way we think.

For example, at one time in my life, I deeply lacked His peace, because of accusing thoughts from the enemy...to drag me down and keep me from experiencing God's love and the renewing of my mind from His Truth.  When I was younger, even in elementary school, any little party I went to, or a group I would be around, I always thought I was not as good as the rest of the girls, or that I was unimportant.  I never saw myself as an equal, and I always felt other girls didn't like me.  This may have resulted because of being raised in a poor family, and a family where my papa never hugged me or showed affection, or praised me, or cheered me on.  And he was angry most of the time.  So I lacked peace within.

Consequently my Heavenly Father had a big job to do in my mind and my thoughts...to change my thought patterns and teach me to think according to His love, the way of His Spirit, His love upon me, His call upon me, His purpose and worthiness of me because He dwells in me.

So I learned to repent of thoughts that were not Scriptural...and the enemy seems to know how to get us to focus on ourselves, rather than to think according to what He has said to us, revealed to us, and taught us.  Deeply I had to seek God about my thoughts.  I claimed Romans 8:1 in the King James.  There is now NO CONDEMNATION (putting self down) to those who are in the Spirit.  So God showed me that to be following the Spirit I was to repent of thoughts that were evil (down on myself), and claim, believe, and stand on the proclamation of His love, His heart for me, His substance within me.  So. you can see that I had plenty of warfare to see the enemy defeated.  And God tells us the Sword of the Spirit is His Word.

Praise HIM!  It was reviewing, hiding, fixing His truth in my heart...and meditating on this, believing it, digesting, applying it, that changed my thought patterns and my life!!

WOW!  How I praise HIM for the beauty and power of His Word."

"Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds." ~ Deuteronomy 11:18
"Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly..." ~ Colossians 3:16
"...the Word is very neat you; it is in your mouth and in your heart so you may obey it." ~ Deuteronomy 30:14
"Be renewed in the spirit of your mind." ~ Ephesians 4:23
"...be transformed by the renewing of your mind." ~ Romans 12:1
"I have hidden your Word in my heart, that I might not sin against You." ~ Psalm 119:11

A Quote from a Subscriber's Widower

Used by permission

Only GOD can turn a MESS into a MESSage,

      a TEST into a TESTimony,

            a TRIal into a TRIumph,

                  a VICTim into a VICTory!

Thanks to Larry, the widower of a former Heart to Heart subscriber, Michelle, who recently shared the following quote with me.  He had written to have his dear wife's e-mail address removed from the Heart to Heart e-mailing list, because she had passed away after losing a battle with cancer. 

 

Larry said, "It was Michelle's wish that God be glorified by her life and death.  God has been so good to us! The cancer hit Michelle pretty hard back in 2010.  I wanted you all to know that she was an amazing woman.  It was the hardest thing that I ever did but I felt compelled to stand up at her funeral, and read portions from Proverbs 31.  Our children and I applauded her and it turned into a standing ovation!  You can read more about my virtuous wife at http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/michellelanham/journal "

 

Larry said how he remembers Michelle telling him about some things that she had read in the Heart to Heart newsletters.  She leaves behind her husband, Larry, and two precious young daughters.  Please lift them up to the Lord in prayer.  Thank you!

A Divine Appointment While Shopping

by Annetta Elgie in Arkansas

When I got to Walmart today, there were tons of people shopping for school...lots of families.  While I was shopping I felt God tell me to give the $20.00 cash I had (leftover from vacation) to someone to help with their expenses.  So while shopping I was kind of on the lookout for someone I thought might need help. 

Well, while I was waiting in line, there was an older lady patiently waiting for her turn.  In front of her was a lady with four girls and tons of clothes and school supplies.  I thought maybe I should help 'her' ... but the poor lady (I noticed her old T-shirt and skirt, straight gray hair, and a little old purse) next in line caught my thoughts.  She only had a pair of shoes she was planning to buy.  So we both stood there what seemed forever.

When she put the shoes on the conveyor belt, she looked at me and said, "I'm only buying these shoes."
I said, "They look nice."  They were actually black canvas work type shoes - sturdy work type shoes.

She said, "Look at my old shoes." pointing down at her feet. 

I looked and could see the sole had worn off the front of her left shoe and said, "Wow, good thing you didn't stub your toe or step on anything sharp."

She: "Well, I have been careful the past month."
Me: "Has it been that long?"
She: "Been saving" ( Couldn't really understand but I think that's what she said.
So, I knew God was answering who I should help.

 
When she got up to check out, the clerk rang up her shoes ... $14.96.  I said to the clerk, "Here!...I want to pay for this little lady's shoes!''

 
She turned to me and just said, "Thank you."  And then she got her shoes and turned back and said, "I've got to tell my husband!"... with a smile on her face.  Blessing her had blessed me!

Why tell you? To encourage you to look for someone you can help this weekend or next week. There are so many people living on little Social Security checks or unemployment or no money at all...that a $20.00 bill will bless their socks off....or in her case, "her shoes!"

Some Things I've Learned Over 34 Years of Marriage

Some Things I've Learned Over 34 Years of Marriage

http://www.guardyourmarriage.com/apps/blog/
by Eileen Rife - Copyright June 18, 2010 - Used by permission

Freshman year. Southeastern Bible College, 1973. I sat in a wingback chair during a Welcome New Student Tea. The young man sitting on the floor began to ask me one question after another. I'd never been asked so many questions. Turned out that young man was Chuck Rife. The last question he asked me that day was, "Do you have a ride to church tonight?" It was Wednesday. I didn't have a car; he didn't have a car. But he knew a married couple on campus who did and were willing to give us a ride.

 

Thus, a friendship began which deepened into a love relationship. Three years later, I was walking down the aisle toward my valiant prince who had ridden up on his noble steed and swept me off my feet into everlasting bliss.

 

It wasn't long into our marriage when I realized my valiant prince had a few chinks in his armor and his helmet was a bit askew. Even more disconcerting was the fact that his lovely princess had a few flaws of her own, and marriage only seemed to accentuate them.

 

We moved into our first apartment--campus housing--for $75 month, furnished with Rescue Mission finds and family/friend wedding gifts. Life was sweet. We would come home at night and flip on the kitchen lights. Chuck would grab one of my brand new kitchen towels and smack roaches on the walls and counters. Enter one of our first marital conflicts--I detest bug guts all over my counters.

 

But it gets better--Chuck told me he would do the bills for a year, then he would like for me to do them, which meant for the rest of my life. Needless to say, in those first few years, there were many bounced checks. Again, marital conflict.

 

Reflecting on our years together, I sat down, pulled out my journal and began to note some of the things I've learned over 34 years of marriage.

 

Stuff like:

 

1) If I want to have any cover, I have to nail the sheets to my side of the bed.

2) That a raised toilet seat is not a personal affront.

3) That we actually do have several things in common, like which way the toilet paper rolls.

4) That silence means "I'm thinking" about that.

5) That when my husband walks into the kitchen wearing goggles and with jackhammer in hand, I'd better prepare to call 911.

6) That when I can't find Chuck, he's either playing golf or hidden in a hole out front (he'll have to tell you about that some time).

7) I've also learned that marriage really is like a three-ring circus--first comes the engagement ring, then comes the wedding ring, and then comes the suffeRING. But that God intends to use the suffering to make me more like Jesus.

8) I've learned that marriage will test every fiber in my spiritual fabric.

9) I've learned that the NO.1 problem in marriage is selfishness.

10) That the chief end of marriage is not my happiness, but my holiness.

11) That the greater the difficulties, the more opportunity I have to become like Him.

12) I've learned that marriage can last a lifetime, 'cause I saw it modeled by our parents.

13) I've learned that Chuck can't be "God" to me. The LORD must be God--my number one Husband, Provider, and Protector--my security. This has been a growing process and still is. And God has used sexual difficulties, children's issues, family background differences, and financial stressors to consistently bump my focus back to Him.

14) I've learned that the closer we grow to God, the closer we grow to one another.

15) I've learned that words can wound or heal.

16) I've learned that marriage is a primary forum for practicing forgiveness.

17) I've learned that the 7 hardest words in the English language are "I was wrong, will you forgive me?"

18) I've learned that marriage is my NO.1 Ministry, because a strong marriage makes a strong family. Strong families make strong churches; strong churches make strong communities; and strong communities make a strong world.

19) For this reason, I've learned that marriage is on Satan's number one hit list.

20) I've learned that our marriage is a reflection of Jesus and His Bride, the Church.

 

So I ask myself? What kind of picture am I offering to those around me?

 

My son-in-law, Nathan, surprised me the other day with mounted pics he had taken of Sri Lanka and Washington State.  He enjoys photography and these shots showed it! He knows just the right way to angle the camera, the right light exposure, the right equipment to use to capture the desired effect. All with clear, sharp focus.

 

That's my aim: to grow a godly marriage with clear, sharp focus--intent on one purpose: becoming like Christ and offering the world a picture of His relationship with us.

Lemonade and Angel Food Cakes

by Lois Breneman - May, 2012 - Heart to Heart

You have all heard the story that if life deals you lemons, you can turn a bad situation into something good by making lemonade.  Well, I was surprised to learn half a year ago that I have a food sensitivity to many foods, after going to a holistic doctor to get relief from widespread nonstop inflammation in the form of fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue.  One of those foods to avoid is egg whites.  I have always loved eggs, but have found ways to improvise by adding egg yolks to oatmeal and cooking it a minute longer, as well as adding yolks to casseroles for added flavor.  Omelets don't really work too well without egg whites, since it is the whites that act as binding agents in cooking and baking.

During the first few months I had thrown the egg whites down the drain, which was hard to do!  Although I had always looked for ways to save money in the home, having studied economics for the home, it was just too much to handle at the time with being on such a restrictive diet (food sensitivities, plus a yeast free and gluten free diet, as well as other food restrictions) that the holistic doctor advised me to follow.  As I concentrated on this new way of eating with so many limitations and tried to find new recipes, as I followed a diet for relief, saving those egg whites just wasn't a top priority at the time.

After I recently began to feel a tad more energy, I thought again about those wasted egg whites, and began saving them to make angel  food cakes - not for us to eat, but to give away to bless others!  It has been a real joy to bring smiles to busy moms by giving them an angel food cake from time to time.  Sometimes I am able to make two cakes at a time, and with "Heart to Heart" being the name of this ministry, it is appropriate that one of my angel food cake pans is heart-shaped! <3

You can find the recipe for Angel Food Cake on the Recipes blog.

It is my husband's and my prayer that the Lord will bring me physical relief through the holistic doctor I am going to (two hours from home).  I've been told that the process will take years.  If you feel led to add me to your prayer list, I would be most appreciative.  Thanks so much! 

Pick A Child, Any Child

Pick a Child, Any Child by Mary Rice Hopkins - www.maryricehopkins.com - Used by permission

Southern California, early 1960s:
Most of my teachers didn’t know what to do with me. According to one report card, I lacked attention and self-control. Teachers tried to ignore me, but I made it difficult because I could never sit still. My second-grade teacher noted that I would rather make up stories and sing songs than do my other school subjects.

Thankfully, I had another teacher. Her name was Mom. If I hadn’t listened to my mother during my school days, I don’t know where I would be today. With tenacity, love and lots of prayer, Mom encouraged me to use my songs, gifts and talents. She made me aware of the wonderful truth that there is nobody else in the world like me. She encouraged me to be myself and to use whatever God put in my hands for His glory.

Thirty Years Later:
My mom developed a brain tumor and, at first, they thought it was inoperable. As she started sorting through the family heirlooms, my mom handed me a treasure chest of memorabilia from my childhood. In it were all my report cards that I had never seen, all the struggles of my childhood that were so difficult. When I asked her about it, she said, “Mary, I knew you were gifted and God would use your gifts to His glory.”

So it wasn’t until I was married and had my own children that I realized the extent of the challenges I had faced growing up. Funny how the report cards showed my problems, but my mother showed me my possibilities. And God showed me how to use both to become a committed musician and family-oriented minister.

Now:
After several strokes and a removal of the tumor, I praise God that Mom is with us today. My Mom was even featured with her homemade quilt on one of our weekly TV episodes. Because of her love, now I have our own weekly program that teaches good character through music and puppetry. I'm so glad she never gave up on this little child.

Will you be that one person who picks a young girl and helps her to believe she is very special and that God has a great plan for her life? Will you be willing to find that broken, wounded little boy who simply needs one person to show him God’s love and give him hope? Will you be there for the inner child of the mother who needs someone to remind her that she has the most important job in the world raising children to be all God wants them to be?

Pick a child, any child.

Forgotten Pocketbooks, Broken Dryers and Affairs of the Heart

by Betty, a friend in Virginia, who gave me permission to include this article in "Heart to Heart."  Betty told me, " It it helps someone else in their walk with the Lord, then to Him be the praise.  My prayer is that others would find peace and contentment in the Person of Christ."

If you have seen my status updates over the last week, you may have noticed a trend relating to Trials.  I have always been one that can pretty well accept the big, out-of-control trials such as the tragic ordeal Mom endured as she was physically and mentally violated, or the death of a loved one.  But for all of my life, I have struggled with the little, ankle-biting, day-to-day trials that are sent my way.  Give me the Rottweiler, just don't sic the Chihuahua on me!  In the last week, my daughter caught the flu; my back decided to “go out” (and not take me with it!); my son's truck broke down requiring many, many dollars to fix; the dryer quit; I worked on our taxes only to learn that we will have to pay thousands (yes, there is an “s” on that!) more on April 18th;  in the midst of all of this, we moved my mother-in-law from the retirement community she had been living in for the last year back into her own house.  When I opened my email this morning, there was a message from my husband telling me that he found my pocketbook in the van when he got to work this morning.  I will be without it all day.  (Ladies, I know you understand how lost you feel when you don’t have your purse!)

I could be very tempted to be discouraged by this list of difficulties/annoyances/irritations or whatever you want to call them.  However, last night I was reminded in a book  that I am reading that “Contentment is a state of the heart, not a state of affairs.”  I have to ask myself, will I choose to dwell on all the blessings that God has so richly poured out on me?  Do I really believe that He is working out all things for my good and His glory?  Are His mercies never ceasing?  Will I trust Him in the day-to-day difficulties?

I have to say a resounding “Yes”!!!  Not because I am able to do this in my own strength - I have none. I am puny, negative and prone to grumbling.  But in Philippians 4, Paul talks about “learning” to be content.  It doesn’t come naturally; it has to be learned.  So how do I “learn” to be content?  Obviously, I will not learn much if everything is going smoothly.  The trials that are sent from my loving Heavenly Father are designed to teach me contentment.  Paul follows up his statement about learning to be content with a verse that we often take out of context.  When read  in context, what an encouragement it is - “I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.”  In His strength, I CAN be content despite a forgotten pocketbook or a broken dryer. 

Practically, what does that look like?  Well, by dwelling on the promises and blessings that have been given me I see how there are new mercies everyday.  

• I am making a list of all the blessings of the last week.  They far outnumber the difficulties.  It is good to have something in writing to look at and remind myself how God has been faithful in the big and small circumstances of my life.
• I am making a list of verses that encourage me to “press on” to the end.  Verses like II Cor. 4: 17-18 “For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen.  For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.”  If I thought this life was all there was, I would be in despair.  But it is not!  And somehow these trials are preparing me for heaven.
• I am speaking truth to myself rather than listening to the litany of discouraging thoughts that want to take over in my head.  In his book, The Cross Centered Life, C.J. Mahaney says, “ On a daily basis we’re faced with two simple choices.  We can either listen to ourselves and our constantly changing feelings about our circumstances, or we can talk to ourselves about the unchanging truth of who God is and what He’s accomplished for us at the cross…Is it any wonder we’re so often unhappy?  We’re listening to ourselves.  We need to start talking to ourselves instead.”
• And finally, I am examining my heart to see where I have been putting my trust.  For example as I think about the amount of shekels we will have to give the IRS, I am considering my own attitudes about money.  Is my security in having a comfortable emergency fund saved or is my security in the One Who owns the cattle on a thousand hills AND the hills!  When I do not respond to trials with the fruit of the Spirit, then I need to see what is going on with my heart.  I need to be thankful for the wake-up call on some heart issues.
  
  

Today I can truthfully  say that I am content with my present circumstances and I am not afraid of what new trials may be in store.  When I hear myself say this, I am amazed.  This is all of God’s grace - I cannot do it in myself.  To Him be the praise!

 

A Testimony of God's Love for Me

by Lois Breneman - 2010 

In 2006 while our entire family was enjoying a week together at the beach, our son, Jeff, his soon-to-be wife, Rachael, my husband, John, and I were going to sail on the ocean on their catamaran and ours.  I didn't want to spoil their fun, plus I wanted so much to go sailing with them, but every muscle and joint in my body was hurting so badly from fibromyalgia.  I  asked John if they could pray for me before we left the house.  

Jeff prayed for me in our bedroom as the four of us formed a circle with our arms around each other.  He prayed such a loving and heartfelt prayer for me as tears flowed down both of my cheeks.  I wasn't the only one with teary eyes afterwards.  And you know what?  The Lord completely took away my pain in less than a half hour - before we left the house!  

In Jeff's prayer he also prayed that I'd be encouraged by something special in nature that day.  As we were setting up the two boats, suddenly Rachael pointed to the sky and said excitedly to me, "Look at that!"  In the sky was a fluffy cloud that was green, bright pink and yellow, against the blue sky!  It was breathtakingly beautiful and something neither of us had ever seen before!  The Lord knew how much I love color and that was just another way of showing His great love toward me!   I felt so loved by the Lord, as we saw both of those prayer requests answered for me in such a special way that morning. 

Thank you, Lord!