Category: October 2011 (Devotions)

Answers to Questions

On By femmefuelIn FemmeBytes by Sasha Katz, October 2011 (Devotions)Leave a comment

By AbbyA

Do you find yourself almost wishing your life away as you wait for those Fridays or just live for special days like Christmas? 

A wise man once told me that every day is worth living.  He challenged me to enjoy each day and not to wish it was Friday every other day of the week.  That comes from my wise old dad whose days off were Sunday and Monday; who worked nights many days a week; and who always took a nap at around 3pm.  Yes, dad, every day is worth living.

What can you appreciate right now about your life? 

I appreciate that I have a mind to think, wisdom to understand and a heart to love.

While there are some things you can’t control, what can you change to improve your life so you enjoy it more? 

I’d like to learn to drain my expectations through a spiritual colander.  I figure if I deconstruct before I react, my communication will sound more like music than a broken record.  Help me Lord to express myself with clarity, truth and love.

We’re all consumed by life and the hectic chaos, but challenge yourself this week to be present in the Present and focus on the blessings in your life. 

Having lost a lot the last few years and suffered terrible pain, I am in a season of thankfulness and joy for what He has brought me through.  I pray that as mountains and valleys continue in my life, I would retain a spirit of thankfulness for the great work He has done on the Cross.  And, I pray that the prayer warriors in my life – – who interceded for me in my pain and suffering – – would reap a harvest for their prayerful sacrifice.  Among others, thank you Mom.  You will always be all that I am and all that I hope to be.  (Borrowed from President Lincoln, but from my heart).

FemmeReaders: I encourage you to ask yourself hard questions.  Seek deep answers.  For as you tredge through the darkness, Christ’s light becomes ever so bright.  Blinding your past, leading the way to your future and warming your Present.

He is Here. He is Now. He is Present.

On By femmefuelIn FemmeBytes by JMathis, October 2011 (Devotions)Leave a comment

By JMathis

I’m hurriedly walking on the wet sidewalk, doing my best to avoid the wind and sleet as it whips violently against my face. A cold, wet afternoon is often just part and parcel of a “bad day” for me—I worry that my suit is drenched, my laptop is getting soaked, and that my cold symptoms are worsened by the calamitous weather outside.

A fleeting thought hits me that I need to be grateful. Grateful that I have a heated car to run into, grateful that I am clothed and grateful that no problem is too big for my God.

But, it’s fleeting and my grumbling persists.

In the mayhem of this storm, in that fleeting thought, He was gently reminding me that He was there. The problem was, though, that I just didn’t want to listen.

The rain was overpowering, and kept flooding over into my very thoughts.

My problems seemed great, and He seemed far away.

Is that why we don’t see Him in the Here and Now? Why we cannot enjoy the Present?

While your heart is saying that the storm is temporary, is your head losing sight of Him when the elements come crashing in over you?

He is the safety of your Here and Now. He is the refuge of your Present.

What will it take for us to remember this Truth? Do we need a constant reminder of the holes in His hand? The blood pouring out of His sides? The bruises on His face and back?

He died for your Here and Now. He lives to be your Present.

See Him. Feel Him. Listen for Him. Breathe Him into your spirit.

He is Here. He is Now. He is Present.

Being Present in the Present

On By femmefuelIn FemmeFeatures by Bindu Adai-Mathew, October 2011 (Devotions)Leave a comment

By Bindu Adai-Mathew

Do you remember as a kid how excited you were for Christmas? As soon as Thanksgiving passed, my parents would pull the Christmas tree and decorations out of the attic and we’d start decorating the house. The local radio stations would begin playing all the traditional Christmas songs, and in my mind, I would start the countdown to Christmas. But I wasn’t alone…even the local paper would list the number of days left before Christmas, and all my friends and I would talk about what we hoped we’d be getting that year.

As each day passed, my anticipation grew, and on Christmas Eve, I’d be so restless with excitement, I could barely sleep. Christmas Day was probably the one day where my parents didn’t have to wake me up to get me out of bed. Like most kids, I was the one waking them up that morning. At our house, we couldn’t just immediately open gifts though. We first had to eat breakfast. Then my mom would pull out the Bible and read the Christmas story. We’d sing a carol or two, and then pray. As soon as she or my dad said “Amen,” I almost dove under the tree, grabbed my presents, and mercilessly tore open the painstakingly wrapped gifts. Often more than naught, my Christmas gifts often consisted of clothes, which when you’re in elementary school, aren’t your biggest priority. But even those few times when my parents got me something I actually wanted, a few minutes later, with crushed, torn wrapping paper surrounding me, I couldn’t help but feel…well, disappointed. Christmas Day hadn’t even passed yet, but my excitement for the day had completely vanished. Of course, even as a kid, I knew the real reason for Christmas was to celebrate the birth of Jesus, but come on, who are we kidding…I was a kid, and I was all about the presents.  But then I’d comfort myself with…well, there was always next Christmas to look forward to…although that seemed so, so far away!

As I got older, I found myself doing the same thing, although the focus wasn’t just on Christmas. Often it was just waiting for my life to change. It was finding the right guy to marry/finding the right job that would fulfill me/ waiting to get published/ not being able to be happy until the “storm” in my life passed/etc. But just like opening the Christmas presents, even when I got something I had been praying for or waiting for, there always seemed to be something else. Something to rob me of my peace. Something to make me feel as if I were never meant to be completely happy or satisfied. And rather than enjoying what I did have, my focus was on the next problem.

Apparently, King Solomon struggled with contentment as well.

So I hated life, because the work that is done under the sun was grievous to me. All of it is meaningless, a chasing after the wind. 18 I hated all the things I had toiled for under the sun, because I must leave them to the one who comes after me. 19 And who knows whether that person will be wise or foolish? Yet they will have control over all the fruit of my toil into which I have poured my effort and skill under the sun. This too is meaningless. 20 So my heart began to despair over all my toilsome labor under the sun. 21 For a person may labor with wisdom, knowledge and skill, and then they must leave all they own to another who has not toiled for it. This too is meaningless and a great misfortune. 22 What do people get for all the toil and anxious striving with which they labor under the sun? 23 All their days their work is grief and pain; even at night their minds do not rest. This too is meaningless. Ecclesiastes 2:17-23

Sometimes life does seem like a never-ending struggle. Our efforts and work sometime feel meaningless, especially when despite our hard work, things don’t seem to change or improve.

But one day when I was being particularly whiny about my life and how frustrated and unhappy I felt that I was still struggling with finding that work/life/family balance, a wise friend reminded that I was living a good life. I didn’t have to wait for it to be perfect to enjoy it. It was perfect in its flawed way. And it would always be imperfect. Perfection only lies in heaven, she reminded me.

King Solomon, too, recognized that hard work and struggle were part of our lot in life on this earth. But he also realized that despite the struggle, we should also enjoy our hard work.

24 A person can do nothing better than to eat and drink and find satisfaction in their own toil. This too, I see, is from the hand of God, 25 for without him, who can eat or find enjoyment?  Ecclesiastes 2:24-25.

Although it is natural to look forward to the future to the “Fridays” of our lives and want to avoid the “Mondays and Wednesdays,” be careful that you’re not so consumed that you miss the gift of the Present.

Questions: Do you find yourself almost wishing your life away as you wait for those Fridays or just live for special days like Christmas?  What can you appreciate right now about your life?  While there are some things you can’t control, what can you change to improve your life so you enjoy it more?  We’re all consumed by life and the hectic chaos, but challenge yourself this week to be present in the Present and focus on the blessings in your life.

Verse:  So I saw that there is nothing better for a person than to enjoy their work, because that is their lot.  Ecclesiastes 3:22.

Flying Into Free-Fall

On By femmefuelIn FemmeBytes by JMathis, October 2011 (Devotions)2 Comments

By JMathis

The notion of jumping off of life’s cliff, closing your eyes and free-falling into His arms sounds very romantic and simplistic. Taking that belly dive into your destiny, though, requires really taking stock of the difficult and the perfect, the bitter and the sweet.

Embracing those perfect and sweet days of free-fall means challenging ourselves to examine the truth behind the difficult and bitter days of our journey.

Are there dark forces of the air that make this flight into free-fall so treacherous? Or, are we often the engineers of the difficult and the bitter?

Looking back, we see that the free-fall is slow and painful, often excruciatingly so, because of the baggage we carry with us. He tells us to cast our cares upon Him, but we insist to Him that there are things we cannot live without in our voyage: the makeup bag (our daily mask we wear in front of others), a set of clothes for every temperature change (our insecurities about leaving our comfort zone), shoes for every possible occasion (distractions that keep us away from our true calling).

Our hording of this baggage then makes us ill-prepared for the evil that surrounds us. We are slow and sluggish in our lack of faith and trust, making us susceptible to inclement weather, birds of prey and the darkness that abounds. The world smells our weakness, our fear, our vulnerability, and then pounces for the attack.

We dismiss that He is made strong in our weakness, and we attempt to scale life’s boulders using our own might and fortitude. We forget that He is our shield and our night-watchman, and we attempt to make navigational errors that often cost us dearly.

While there is no doubt that He is faithful and merciful to catch us before we plunge into oblivion, are we the ones that make this journey into free-fall even more troublesome?

Perhaps free-falling into the perfect and the sweet really could be so simple. Perhaps it is us who make our difficult and bitter days even harder.

Take stock of the difficult and the perfect, the bitter and the sweet.

Who is the architect behind your difficult and bitter days?

Could it be you?

Ally O . . . I hardly know you, but I love you

On By femmefuelIn FemmeBytes by Sasha Katz, October 2011 (Devotions)1 Comment

Ally O, I hardly know you, but I love you.  And, yes, we all know, your mama loves you too.  She greets us every morning with a smile and the truth wrapped around her heart.  It is all mixed up with sweat, but that’s what we’re here for anyway.  Aren’t we?  It is the sweat of the flesh and the sweat of the spirit.  That’s what we are here for anyway.

Ally O, you know your mama better than me.  But I can’t help but tell you how she beams for her three.  And breaks for any one of you who is suffering.  Like a roller coaster ride, she cares for you from afar – – going through your ups and downs with you.  Her pure, pure heart watches you grow.  And on her knees she intercedes for you.  And, every now and then, she leaks patches of your walk to us.

I know, Ally O, that He stripped you of all the confidence you gained for the 18 years before you left for college.  He took away the many athletic and academic successes you collected over the years.  He looked you squarely in face and asked you to trust in Him.  Your mama grinned and bore your pain.

I know, Ally O, that, just a year later, He’s teaching you more.  Seems like He’s taking you apart again.  Looking you squarely in the face and asking you to trust Him.  We are promised certain things.  Sometimes we are sinking in the mire of a dungeon.  Some days we soar on wings like eagles.  Isaiah 40:31.  But, mostly, He invites us to experience His Sufficiency.  BinduAdai

You will find Him, not in the occasional cold looks of your team mates, but in the security He provides to you as His daughter.  You will find Him, not in your swooning, lovesick study buddy, but in the grace He gives you to manage your friend’s crush.  You will find Him because the only reason He put you where you are is to do just that.  To find Him in the deepest way you were made to find Him.

Ally O, you have a mother who would move mountains to rescue you from your pain.  But you also have a mother who rather coach you to climb your own mountains.  As you face your mountains, I leave you with the very wise words of my dear friend . . . And do not forget, Ally O, that I love you.

Let those difficult days be the days where God reveals His true power to you. Where you experience the “Peace that Passes All Understanding” despite your circumstances. Where you experience His Power over the most hardest of hearts. Where He opens up the impossible doors of your life like the Red Sea so you can walk through them. Those difficult, stormy days that you are hating and wishing would just pass may end up being the most defining days of your Christian walk. Because it is there, through the haze and fog of the storm, where you will see and experience the Presence of your Maker.

Embracing Difficult Days

On By femmefuelIn FemmeBytes by Bindu Adai-Mathew, October 2011 (Devotions)Leave a comment

By Bindu Adai-Mathew

Challenge yourself to embrace both difficult and picture perfect days.  AbbyA

Embracing picture perfect days is easy, but are you, kidding me, AbbyA? Embrace difficult days, too? Surely you mean accept difficult days, right?  After all, who of us wants to embrace those dreary, overcast, “when is my life going to get better” days that we all have to endure? Have you not seen the economy or the job market? Embrace? Really?

Really. For AbbyA hasn’t just given us a challenge with those words. She has given us an invitation. She is inviting us to experience God at His greatest…when we are at our weakest. When He is our true sufficiency when we are at our most insufficient. When He is the only thing we can rely on, that is when we truly experience God.

I am convinced that the Children of Israel had the desert experience not as a punishment, but it was an invitation to have the most intimate experience with their maker. During their desert experience, God provided them with manna for food, but every time they tried to hoard it for the next day, it became filled with maggots. God was inviting them to experience His Sufficiency. He was trying to tell them to trust that He would provide them with their morning manna every day. Trust that he would continue doing what He promised.  He didn’t want them focused on the manna…He wanted them focused on Him.  Because He would take care of all their needs.

Yes, my friend…embrace your difficult days…It may be during those days, where like Children of Israel, you have the chance to be fed by His Manna by day and warmed by His Fire at night.  Let those difficult days be the days where God reveals His true power to you. Where you experience the “Peace that Passes All Understanding” despite your circumstances. Where you experience His Power over the most hardest of hearts. Where He opens up the impossible doors of your life like the Red Sea so you can walk through them. Those difficult, stormy days that you are hating and wishing would just pass may end up being the most defining days of your Christian walk. Because it is there, through the haze and fog of the storm, where you will see and experience the Presence of your Maker.

 

The First of Many . . . Devotions

On By femmefuelIn FemmeFeatures by Sasha Katz, October 2011 (Devotions)Leave a comment

By AbbyA

I have never surfed before.  But just once, my first boyfriend Gordon McKennon lifted me up belly side down onto his surf board.  I rode the wave leaning on my elbows into shore …. and I felt like I was flying on the water.

It was one of those early independence days.  I was probably about 13.  Dropped off at the beach by mama with the same three other girls and four boys I did everything with.  There were perfect blue skies, shiny reflective waters, warm sand.  Very big smiles.  Constant laughter.  Between talks about the depth of friendship and how it would never end.  Thirteen.

I take a snap shot of thirteen in my mind.  I think that is what God is asking of me.  Take a snap shot of riding a wave into shore where everything around you is perfect.  But everything around me is really not perfect.  There are days when insecurities rise up in me.  Days when I am speaking, teaching and directing and no one appears to be listening.  There are days when I haven’t had a good night sleep . . . for days.  Dull and dreary days.  Days that I fall short.  When I can’t reach.  When there is no ladder around to lift me up.  When stuff is upside down.  And I figure it’s not too hard for onlookers to tell.  Days like this . . . when riding a wave into shore is more likely a teary, wet question to God about how I am supposed to ride a wave under circumstances such as these?

God showed me poor Jeremiah who preached to the Israelites for forty years to no avail.  No one ever listened or took his advice.  No one believed that God would use Babylon to judge Israel’s sin.  Because of his message, Jeremiah spent days sinking in mud in dungeons.  His life was regularly threatened.  Even so, God kept pressing him on to speak.  Pressing him on until there was a day when, I think, his entire life’s ministry was affirmed.

Now Jeremiah remained in . . . prison until the day that Jerusalem was taken . . . And the captain of the [Babylonian] guard took Jeremiah and said to him: The Lord your God has pronounced this doom on this place.   Now the Lord has brought it, and has done just as He said . . . And now look, I free you this day from the chains that were on your hand . . . See, all the land is before you; wherever it seems good and convenient for you to go, go there.  Jeremiah  38: 28; 40:2-4.

Jeremiah’s prophecy came to pass and, on that same day, he was offered freedom.  No doubt Jeremiah experienced freedom in His relationship with the Living God, but his days were filled with bouts of insecurity, wisdom rejected by deaf ears, exhaustion and feelings of failure.  We get those difficult days, but we also get other picture perfect days.  Like Jeremiah’s day.  The day the person – – you thought was your enemy – – approaches you, tells you that your ministry has been in truth, takes off your chains and sets you free.  Picture perfect days.

Take a picture of your day.  Take a snap shot of riding a wave into shore where everything around you is perfect.  Despite everything, ride your wave.  See the perfection around you that only He can provide.  Ride your wave and know that your life shall be as a prize to you, because you have put your trust in Him.  Jeremiah 39:18.

Questions: Can you remember a picture perfect day in your life?  Have you ever felt like you were flying?  Have you ever felt like you were sinking in mud?  Do you believe that He will be with you always, even to the end – – until you ride into His shore where everything is perfect?  Challenge yourself to embrace both difficult and picture perfect days.

Verses: Jeremiah  38: 28; 40:2-4; Jeremiah 39:18; Matthew 28:20; James 1:2-4