Devotionals for the Heart: Why we need to choose our friends wisely

Why We Need to Choose Our Friends Wisely
A devotional by Leslie Bake

“The righteous choose their friends carefully, but the way of the wicked leads them astray.”—Proverbs 12:26 (NIV)

Who we spend our time with determines who we become.

Birds of a feather flock together. Those who share similar values are drawn to one another and will influence each other.

My social circle in sixth grade consisted of two girls. We will call them “Carrie” and “Grace.” In seventh grade, a friend I had known in elementary school transferred to my school. We will call her “Mary.” Grace came from divorced parents and her mother lived in another state. Carrie came from a turbulent home. The four of us always ate lunch together.

Eventually, our personality differences in our friend group emerged. Mary and I were academically better than the other two and she was better socially. By seventh grade, Mary and I were two peas in a pod. The summer before our eighth-grade year, she lost her mother to breast cancer. She drifted from me during eighth grade and spent more time with Grace. It made sense. They were both motherless.

I took her rejection personally because I lacked the maturity to realize what was happening. “Carrie” was furious at our four-some split and clung to me while demonizing the other two. I allowed Carrie to define me and followed her down an unfortunate path of bad choices during high school. During our sophomore year of high school, Carrie introduced me to her boyfriend, a short-lived relationship. I thought nothing of him at that time, but a year later, he and I landed in the same chemistry class.

As a junior in high school, I had yet to understand who Jesus Christ was or my identity in Him, even though I followed my parents to church on Sundays. Does any average American teenager know who he or she in Christ? Does he or she spend time reading The Holy Bible? Social relationships at that age are defined less by religious values and more by academics and extracurricular activities.

This guy and I dated, but for all wrong reasons and then said “I do” for wrong reasons. He mocked the Lord and I wanted to change his beliefs so that he would honor the Lord. That didn’t work so well.

We followers of Jesus need to remind ourselves in any stage of life and relationship forming that, as Scripture says in Psalm 1:1-2 (NIV), “Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night.” We will live blessed, joyful lives if we form deeper relationships with those who are also believers.

We need to walk away from the wicked. We need to remove ourselves from the company of those who mock the Lord. We must not walk in step with the wicked or entertain those with hardened hearts toward the Lord. They have no intention to repent to God and ask forgiveness for their sins. They enjoy their sins.

Does this feel judgmental? Perhaps stay in bad relationships because we think: What if they feel rejected? What if we make a bad impression? What if this costs us a job? If we are studying and meditating on God’s word, we will not want to be in the company of mockers or the wicked.

Our job as believers is to influence others for the Lord, not to allow others to influence us with their deception, false beliefs and bad attitudes. How do we discern if our time with those who don’t know the Lord is benefiting them or hurting us? It’s either one or the other.

Ask the Holy Spirit to guide you in discerning who to spend time with and who to avoid. Clarity will come when you have spent enough time with the Lord because He may remove individuals from your circle of influence. Godly friends will encourage you to draw closer to God rather than hinder your relationship with Him. The Holy Spirit in you will attract other righteous people and repel those with less than pure motives. It’s not a popularity contest. It’s protecting your peace.

Some of us have a tendency to form toxic relationships based on our own neediness and dysfunction. That’s why our relationship with Jesus Christ must be our top priority. Everything else in our lives flows from this source of our Savior’s unconditional, pure and enduring love for humankind.

The challenge, then, is to develop the discipline of consistent study and meditation. That’s not so easy, even for those who are actively pursuing a deeper relationship with the Lord. In an age of sound bites, headlines, Instagram reels, and social media scrolling, meditating requires reading, thinking, and reviewing what we are learning in God’s Word (The Holy Bible). It also means praying about how we must change and grow so we will live how God lead us and wants us to live.

Some relationships were never meant to be long term. The Lord brings relationships into our lives for a season—sometimes to test us, other times to minister to us. Proverbs 12:26 also reminds us that the righteous choose their friends carefully, but the way of the wicked leads them astray.

Carrie and I kept in contact during my undergraduate college years. She did not attend college. During a challenging period of my young adult life, she disappeared and I haven’t heard from her in 30 years. Grace disappeared after high school graduation. Mary lives in the Midwest, and I live in the southeast, but we message each other regularly and giggle like we’re in seventh grade again. Our “feathers” never changed.

The Lord also taught me a hard lesson in that first marriage: Don’t ever date or marry someone who does not already honor the Lord. Walk away from the wicked and don’t look back. I hope you can learn from my mistakes and make better choices for your own life as you strive to live for Christ.

Let’s Pray:

Dear Heavenly Father,

Help us make wise choices in who we surround ourselves with, who we choose to spend time with and who we date and marry. Help us to develop a hunger for Jesus as our Savior, first, before our relationships with humans. Help us make You a higher priority, even if that results in loneliness. Thank You, Lord, that You remain a safe place for us. Your unconditional love and faithfulness for humankind is endless. Thank You, Lord! Protect us from anyone trying to manipulate us into a friendship that benefits only them and leads us away from You. Build our circle of friends, Lord. Bless us with true friendships with people who genuinely love You and love us in a healthy and safe way. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.

~*~
Song of Reflection #1: “Friends” by Michael W. Smith. Listen to it here.

Song of Reflection #2: “Safe” by Alisa Turner. Listen to it here.

Song of Reflection #3: “Friend of God” by Israel Houghton & Churchome Music. Listen to it here.

Song of Reflection #4: “How Beautiful” by Twila Paris. Listen to it here.

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Author Bio:

Leslie Bake grew up Lutheran in Des Moines, graduated from the University of Northern Iowa with an undergraduate degree in English, and with a new understanding of what a relationship with the Lord could look like. 

She spent a few years reporting and editing in small town journalism and then began pursuing a master’s degree at Iowa State University in teaching English to speakers of other languages. Then she got married and later went through a divorce, which deepened her relationship with God and transformed her life.

Leslie taught English as a second language for three years at Kansas State University, then returned to writing and earned a master’s degree in creative non-fiction in Pittsburgh. Her memoir will eventually be published. It details the process of how the Lord created beauty from the ashes of divorce.

Pittsburgh is also where she met and married her second husband. They are now the parents of two wonderful children—one in fifth grade and one in first grade.

Leslie and her husband make their home in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia. Leslie has been a stay-at-home mom for the past 11 years and actively growing her writing career alongside her two growing children.

She now maintains a monthly blog of her own and is working toward expanding her writing ministry on Substack. Her heart’s deepest desire is to help others connect with God through writing.

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Connect with Leslie:
Substack: lesliebake.substack.com
E-mail address: Leslie.bake@yahoo.com

Devotionals for the Heart: What to do when you feel overwhelmed

Putting the Overwhelm on a Shelf
A devotional by Jessica Brodie

“Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.”—Matthew 6:34 (ESV)

Have you ever been so stressed out, overwhelmed, and anxiety-filled that you thought you were going to go mad with the turmoil?

I’ve been there! A lot of us have. My daughter recently started attending college as a freshman. I can only imagine how these kids feel having to deal with living in dorms and having all this freedom and yet also having to keep up with classes and not become overwhelmed.

Then there are the people who have just lost a job or a spouse, or been hit with a horrible health diagnosis, while life piles up around them. I imagine people living in nations overrun by war, famine, religious persecution, or political hostility. People who must worry about how to provide for their families in the midst of this turmoil. And then there’s the overwhelm many of us deal with just in regular, everyday life—the constant pressure of work and bills and family and responsibility. Maybe you’ve become weary in hearing all that talk about work-life balance, the need to be purposeful while also just getting through it all. It becomes overpowering at times and can make you feel like you’re drowning in the ocean.

It’s time for us to put the overwhelm on a shelf and trust that God is going to see us through it. This is all easier said than done, of course. Still, the metaphor of turning all that stress mess into a tangible item and placing it on a shelf, is a powerful one for me. I first learned how to do this about a decade ago when my young daughter who is diagnosed with generalized anxiety disorder, was being helped by a wise counselor who said exactly that: Visualize putting it on a shelf. Take all the stuff swirling through your mind, all the fears, and imagine taking it in your hands, putting it in a box, and just sticking it on the shelf. “Tell yourself you can always come back to it later,” she counseled. “Later you can take it out and deal with it if you really want to, but right now the best thing you can do is just put it on the shelf.”

Her counselor’s wise advice resonated with me on the soul level because it’s exactly what Jesus Christ spoke about in The Holy Bible. He taught his followers in chapter six of the book of Matthew not to be anxious about our daily needs, for God will provide for us just as he does for the birds. There’s no point in worrying because it won’t add even an hour to our lives. Rather, we need to fix our eyes upon God’s Kingdom—that’s our real priority.

“Do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble,” Jesus said in Matthew 6:34 (ESV). It’s a message repeated throughout Scripture: Do not fear. Trust the Lord.

Fear is not just concern for your mortality; it’s also that burning, soul-crushing worry about how we’re going to get through a situation, the sort of worry that consumes us, getting in the way of everything else. That sort of fear can be paralyzing. It becomes a wall between us and the Lord.

Maybe we think worry is harmless. Maybe we scoff, “How can I not worry?” But if we realize the wall it builds—the wall that stands between us and our Creator (God), how it interferes with joy and hope and God’s purpose for us—it might make it easier to stuff that fear in a box and put it on the shelf so we can focus on the truly important.

I’m not sure who needs to hear this today. Perhaps we all do. I know I certainly do. But I hope you’ll name the worry in your heart, visualize putting it in a box, and set it aside. When you strip it of its power over you, the Lord replaces that space with more than you can imagine.

Let’s Pray: Dear Heavenly Father, some days it all seems like too much. My mind swirls with the press of it all. Help me surrender and lean on You, to have true faith that You are sovereign and will get me through anything in front of me right now. Help me to be still and know in the depths of my soul, in the entirety of my being, that You are everything, You have all the answers, and there is nothing on this earth that outweighs this. I love You, Lord. Help me, I pray. I give all of this to you. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.

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Song of Reflection #1: “No Fear” by Jon Reddick. Listen to it here.

Song of Reflection #2: “Everything” by Lauren Daigle. Listen to it here.

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Author Bio: 

Jessica Brodie is an award-winning Christian novelist, journalist, editor, blogger, and writing coach. 

Her two Christian contemporary novels, The Memory Garden and Tangled Roots, are Amazon bestsellers and her third novel, Hidden Seeds, is out now and is a top release. Learn more about Jessica’s writing ministry and read her faith blog at http://jessicabrodie.com. 

She has a YouTube devotional, and you can also connect with her on Facebook, Instagram, and more. She’s also produced a free eBook, A God-Centered Life: 10 Faith-Based Practices When You’re Feeling Anxious, Grumpy, or Stressed. She is also the editor of the South Carolina United Methodist Advocate, the oldest newspaper in Methodism.

Devotionals for the Heart: How to trust God through the trials of life

Trusting God Through Life’s Trials
A devotional by Cherie Mendez

“So if you are suffering in a manner that pleases God, keep on doing what is right, and trust your lives to the God who created you, for he will never fail you.”

—1 Peter 4:19 (NLT)

Since August of 2020, my husband and I moved six times. We lost a parent to cancer, suffered the loss of a job, lost our home, and lost some of our most precious belongings during our last move.

Once the COVID pandemic hit our world, we left New York City (NYC) for North Carolina. January of 2022, my husband got a job in upstate New York and because of that we moved back to the Northeast Coast of the USA. In the Fall of 2022, my husband’s father passed away and his mother who was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, was left living alone in her NYC apartment. The family had to step in and help with her caregiving because due to her condition, she couldn’t live alone. At that point, my husband and I made a decision to sacrifice our home and his job in order to move in and take care of my mother-in-law.

Looking back, I now see that helping our family was the right thing to do. But leaving a good job and home in order to do it was probably not a wise choice. Essentially, we may have done the right thing the wrong way. Once the family was able to secure my mother-in-law with a good nurse, my husband got a new job and we moved into a great apartment. Sadly, he lost his job and that forced us into financial hardship. To add insult to injury, the company we hired to help us move lost most of our belongings.

It’s fair to say that some trials are the result of our own bad decisions, but if we suffer because of our loyalty to Christ, The Holy Bible tells us to expect “fiery trials.” 1 Peter 4:12 (NLT) says, “Dear Friends, don’t be surprised by the fiery trials you are going through, as if something strange were happening to you.” The “fire” referred to in this Bible verse represents the intensity and pain of the trial, while “trials” signify the refining process. Trials are meant to test the genuineness of our faith.

These trials are never meant to destroy or defeat us, but to deepen our relationship with Jesus Christ and prepare us for what He has in the future.

Here are five things to remember when going through a trial:

1. Expect Suffering. 1 Peter 4:12 (NLT) tells us to not be surprised when trials come. Persecution and suffering for Christ should not be viewed as abnormal. We live in a fallen world.

2. God will keep you. 1 Peter 4:19 (NLT) says that God will never fail us. His grace is sufficient for us no matter how hard things get. We can trust Him for our deliverance.

3. Suffering deepens our faith. 1 Peter 4:13 (NLT) says to be glad when we suffer because these trials will make us partners with Christ in his suffering. It may take careful thought or wise counsel to determine the real cause of our suffering, but if we focus on God’s Word and align with His will then we will be in the right place.

4. We will share in God’s Glory. 1 Peter 4:13 (NLT) tells us that afterward, we “will have the wonderful joy of sharing his glory when it is revealed to all the world.” There is nothing more powerful than a changed life. When we allow the Lord to purify and refine us through trials then we will glorify God in this life and through all eternity.

5. Suffering enables us to comfort others. 2 Corinthians 1:4 (NLT) says, “He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us.”

God always has a purpose in every trial we go through, no matter how big or small. Rest assured that He will always provide grace and guidance and will never leave us to suffer alone.

Let’s Pray:

Heavenly Father,

Thank You for allowing us to go through trials so that we can know You better. Teach us to rely on You when hardships come. Enable us to trust You through the storms of life so we may walk closer to You.

In Jesus’s Name I pray,

Amen.

Song of Reflection #1: “Count it All Joy” by Bebe and Cece Winans. Listen to it here.

Song of Reflection #2: “I’ll Trust You, Lord” by Donnie McClurkin. Listen to it here.

~*~
Author Bio:

Cherie Mendez is a professional actress and photographer. 

Her passion is to help women understand their true worth and walk in their God-given purpose. After many years working as a Christian in the entertainment industry, she is thankful to be able to share all her learning experiences in her blog posts and on Instagram.

Some of the topics Cherie loves to write about are:

· Coping with rejection

· Finding your purpose and using your talent for God’s glory

· How God always looks at the heart and the meaning of inner beauty

· Understanding that we are all a work in progress and God is not done with us yet

Cherie’s TV credits include "The Equalizer", "Bull", and "Blue Bloods" (CBS). She also appeared in the PureFlix film "Revelation Road 3: The Black Rider".

Cherie and her husband Jimmy live in Texas. They are thankful to have been married for 30 years. In their free time, they enjoy traveling, photography, and movie night.

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Connect with Cherie:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cheriemendez/

Devotionals for the Heart: Perspective

Looking to the Interests of Others
A devotional by Aubrey Taylor

“Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.”

—Philippians 2:4 (ESV)

A new year has begun! A time when we re-evaluate our priorities and set goals which we hope will carry us through the next 12 months, making us better people than we were last year.

One of the goals I have prayerfully chosen for my family is to make a concerted effort to look more to the interests and needs of others, and not simply our own. I would love to say that our family has plans to get involved in service projects or go out and help the needy, but I’m afraid that the greater challenge is to learn to serve those within our own household.

Without singling him out, I will share the example I shared recently with my eldest son: I know that he would much rather be bent over his desk working on his model cars than putting away the dishes, but does he realize that this chore not only helps me, but helps the whole family? When he gets his work done, I can get my tasks done more quickly and efficiently—tasks such as cooking everyone’s dinner or packing everyone’s lunches. Furthermore, I can then sit down with the rest of the family and watch a movie, rather than doing dishes while they enjoy time together.

I know that it is especially difficult for children to see from a perspective other than their own, but I wonder how often I myself focus on my own desires and perceived needs. Because I struggle with chronic illness, it can be easy to use that as an excuse to avoid getting down on the floor and playing with my six year old. It would be much easier to sit in the chair, sip my tea and watch him play, but I’m starting to think that this year I need to search my heart and ask myself if it would really be that difficult to get down on the floor and make a little boy happy for just a couple of minutes.

To take this train of thought a little further, my husband and I recently prayed over the word complacent. Merriam-Webster online defines it this way: “marked by self-satisfaction especially when accompanied by unawareness of actual dangers or deficiencies.” When we are complacent, we believe things will never change, and we believe we don’t need to. Yet the world around us is constantly changing, and God wants us to be growing continually into people who are ready to face whatever lies ahead. This is not a time to focus on our own interests, it is a time to be aware of what He’s doing, ready to stand in His strength and proclaim His goodness to a world that is increasingly desperate.

Has God shown you something to focus on in the year ahead? Something you can improve in order to make you a little bit more like Jesus?

Let’s Pray: Dear Jesus, I pray that You will help me to see where I have been looking too much too my own interests, and perhaps even closed my heart off to the needs of others, as well as to what You might want to do in my life. Search my heart and show me if I have become complacent. This year, help me to be open and ready to do Your work, to become more like You, as well as the person You want me to be. In Jesus’s Name I pray, Amen.

Song of Reflection: “Just Like You Jesus” by CeCe Winans. Listen to it here.

~*~
Author Bio:

The only child of a single parent, Aubrey Taylor filled her younger years by creating characters and writing stories. This ended around age sixteen when music, friends and part-time jobs began to fill her time. After that came college, work, marriage, and children.

It wasn’t until the world was beginning to come out of the COVID pandemic that God led her back to her love for writing, coupled with a passion she’d always had for history. It was time to start a new adventure!

Along with writing devotionals, Aubrey is the author of the German-perspective 20th Century Fiction series, Gott Mit Uns. She lives in Upstate New York with her husband and three children. When she’s not writing or taking care of her home and family, she enjoys singing and dancing with friends from a German choir and a Bavarian folk dancing group. She is also a lover of Jesus Christ, The Holy Bible, history, German culture, tea, and cats!

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Connect with Aubrey:
Website: https://www.aubreytaylorbooks.com
Blog: https://www.aubreytaylorbooks.com/blog
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aubreytaylorbooks/
Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/aubtaybooks
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aubreytaylorbooks/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/21846520.Aubrey_Taylor
BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/aubrey-taylor
Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Aubrey-Taylor/author/B0973KWXV8

Movie Review and Giveaway for "An Unlikely Angel" on Pure Flix

My Review of An Unlikely Angel movie:

Today, I have another movie review for you and a giveaway contest at the end of this post! In case you didn’t know, Pure Flix is like the faith-based version of Netflix. It works the same way the difference is in the content that points you back to Jesus Christ and shows you how much The Creator of the Universe loves you!

Pure Flix is a one-stop shop for faith and family-friendly movies and shows where you can confidently stream in your home with the entire family. With new premium and exclusive original entertainment choices every week, Pure Flix streaming service has the largest variety of high-quality, curated, positive, encouraging, wholesome movies, series and kids' content in one service. Pure Flix is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Sony Pictures Entertainment, alongside AFFIRM Films.

Pure Flix VIP Ambassador program asked me to review the movie An Unlikely Angel. I watched this heartwarming movie twice in the month of August 2022 before it was made available for viewing on Pure Flix this August 26. I loved everything about this movie! I’m eager to share my review with you. First, I’d like to describe the storyline in the words of talking points from Momentum then I’ll share my thoughts (review).

This film is for parents who are trying to do it all and need to know they aren’t alone on the journey. “An Unlikely Angel” is a movie about second chances and prioritizing what’s truly important in life. The movie “An Unlikely Angel” helps bring us back to basics in an overcomplicated world. It’s okay to not control every aspect of your life.

Here’s the synopsis of the movie: Janie is a workaholic who is falling apart at the thought of becoming a first-time mom. She whispers a small prayer for help and it's answered in a very un- likely way when an angel intervenes and fast forwards her life. Will her second chance change how she approaches life? Janie is lucky enough to be given a second chance, but will she change before it's too late?

Now for my review: 

There’s nothing about this movie that I did not enjoy! Sometimes when I start watching a movie, I change the channel after the first five or ten minutes because the plot is too slow or feels corny. But that’s not the case with An Unlikely Angel. The story hooks you from the first scene and keeps it moving at a pace so fast that if you blink more than once, you’ll miss something!

The producers of this movie did an amazing job at paying close attention to all of the details. As storytellers, they covered all of their bases! They chose the right actors for each part of this story!

The actors for An Unlikely Angel include: Jillian Murray stars in this movie as Janie (the successful business woman who is struggling with becoming a mother). Robert Amaya stars as Gabe (the angel). Aaron Mees stars as David (Janie’s husband). Sam J. Jones stars as Buck (Janie’s dad). Brittany Goodwin stars as Kelly (David’s female friend) and Delyla de Castro stars as Samantha (Janie’s daughter). And they all really did “star” in this movie because as actors, they each brought their bright light to the movie. The main characters and supporting actors were so brilliantly played, I think they all deserve an Academy Award!

This movie is sweet and heartwarming. But it also tackles real-life issues that most people—especially ambitious women who are struggling with the thought of starting a family—can relate to and learn from. This movie is equally a teaching tool as it is entertainment. The viewers of this film will learn life lessons that will help them in the long run in their journey well after the movie is over.

Themes of this movie included:

· Children grow up too fast

· Fear over becoming a first-time parent

· Letting go of the need to control everything

· Balancing priorities and determining what’s more important in life

· Second chances

· Trust in God’s plan

· The impact and power of prayer

· Back to basics and simplify what we’ve overcomplicated

· Going back in order to move forward

An Unlikely Angel is a movie that will introduce you to Pure Flix, prompt you to join and watch it again and again! And once you’re a member of Pure Flix, you’ll find more content to view that will encourage your heart. So don’t delay, join today!

Here's the website link to where you can watch An Unlikely Angel:
https://www.pureflix.com/movie/an-unlikely-angel

See the movie trailer:
https://youtu.be/I_D2MxnmuPc

Watch the Momentum Influencers Interview conducted by Jean Thomason featuring Robert Amaya, who played an angel named Gabe in the movie here:
https://youtu.be/5f3d4w0hqWo

Before you go, enter this contest for your chance to WIN a FREE 3-month Pure Flix subscription!

Please note: This giveaway is limited to U.S. residents only. The giveaway starts today and ends on September 4, 2022. If you're participating in the giveaway for An Unlikely Angel, please note that we cannot accept winners that have won a Pure Flix subscription in the last six months.

Here is the Giveaway Contest link:
http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/f8dcb68c402/?

Disclosure: Many thanks to Pure Flix for providing a sample of the product for this review. Opinions are 100% my own.

#AnUnlikelyAngelMIN #MomentumInfluencerNetwork

14 Days of Love: Love Under Construction by Penny Zeller

Today, we're shining the spotlight on a book by my author friend Penny Zeller. 

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Book Blurb for Love Under Construction:

She builds websites. He builds houses. Together, can they build a family for two orphans? 

Irelynn agreed two years ago to help raise her best friend’s twins should anything happen. When she is called upon to fulfill that agreement, there is only one problem—Irelynn must share the responsibility with the arrogant but handsome Quinton Gregory.

Quinton takes the role of raising his niece and nephew with all seriousness. He will do anything for the twins, even if it means putting up with the beautiful but stubborn Irelynn Brady.

When forced to be in each other’s presence far more often than is comfortable, things slowly begin to change. Will the unexpected attraction between Irelynn and Quinton become a love under construction?

~*~
Author Bio:

Penny Zeller is known for her heartfelt stories of faith and her passion to impact lives for Christ through fiction. 

While she has had a love for writing since childhood, she began her adult writing career penning articles for national and regional publications on a wide variety of topics.

Today Penny is a multi-published author of several inspirational books. She is also a homeschool mom and a fitness instructor.

When Penny is not dreaming up new characters, she enjoys spending time with her husband and two daughters, camping, hiking, canoeing, reading, running, cycling, gardening, and playing volleyball.

She is represented by Tamela Hancock Murray of the Steve Laube Agency and loves to hear from her readers at her www. pennyzeller.com and her blog, random thoughts from a day in the life of a wife, mom, and author, at www.pennyzeller.wordpress.com.

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Buy Penny’s book on Amazon or Barnes and Noble

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Connect with Penny:
Website: https://pennyzeller.com/
Blog: www.pennyzeller.wordpress.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pennyzellerbooks
Twitter: https://twitter.com/PennyZeller
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pennyzeller/
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/zellerpenny/
Amazon Author Central: https://www.amazon.com/author/pennyzeller

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Enter this book giveaway contest for your chance to WIN a copy of this book by filling out the entry form on the Rafflecopter widget below:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Devotionals for the Heart: Obedience

A Lesson in Obedience: The Reason Why I Sing
A devotional by Heather Martin

“In fact, this is love for God: to keep his commands. And his commands are not burdensome, for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith.”–1 John 5:3 (NIV)

I grew up in a family of singers. 

My mom, brother, sisters, uncles ... everybody could sing!

I was in the second grade when I realized I could sing too. I went to a Christian school and every morning we had worship and sang songs. It was during one of those times that I could hear my own voice clearly and I liked the sound of it. My mother had a beautiful voice and a real love for music and encouraged us to sing and use our gifts daily. We had worship at home every evening and singing was a huge part of it. Neighbors would gather close to our screen door to hear the music coming out of our living room each day.

I sang at school, at home, and at church. I sang alone and in many groups and choirs. I loved singing, but we had grown up poor, and I had seen how hard it was to make a good living being an artist. So I had determined that when I went to college I would never study anything that had to do with music.

When I was a junior high school, two of my sisters were in school at Oakwood University and sang in a gospel girl group with two of their friends. Unbeknownst to them, a representative from a major record label was sitting in on their rehearsals and was very impressed with their music. She offered them a record deal and they became the first gospel girl group on the label. I was so excited and happy for them!

I enjoyed watching them work with, and record with artists I had listened to my whole life. I can still remember screaming when I heard them on the radio for the first time and loosing my mind seeing them perform on television. I am sure I was their biggest fan! Still I had no desire to be a singer, I was going to be a teacher first, and then maybe a speech pathologist or dentist. Being a singer was far from my mind.

Fast forward to a few months after my college graduation. One of the singers in my sister’s group decided to quit and they asked me to take her place and join. Without hesitation, I immediately declined and reminded them of all the reasons why I had no interest in being a singer. I was especially concerned about taking the place of such a phenomenal singer. That would be impossible! People would constantly compare me to her, and maybe I would not be good enough. I wanted to make a paycheck that I could rely on. My list of “why not’s” was so long! I was not taking this invitation seriously because my mind was already made up.

I discussed my decision with a friend who is a member of a Grammy awarding winning male acapella group. He had joined this group by replacing a member who had decided to quit as well. He encouraged me to take the invitation seriously by going to God in prayer. He told me to stop talking about it and not to let anyone know I was praying about it. So one weekend, I decided to do just that.

That same weekend, after church, I was in my room praying when my mother knocked on the door and handed me a book to read. I took the book, flipped through the pages and landed on a section that seemed as if it were written specifically for me and my situation. I was stunned!

I had told God that I didn’t want to sing, and gave Him all of my reasons and I was praying in hopes that He would confirm that I was right. But instead He told me not to be afraid, that He actually loves using people who have insecurities because they will be more likely to trust Him. He also said don’t worry about money, seek my kingdom first and all these things will be added unto you.

Wow! In that moment I felt like Jonah, a prophet in the Bible who God had called to deliver a specific message to a group of people. He was disobedient and ran in the opposite direction of where God told him to go. Consequently, he boarded a ship, got thrown overboard, swallowed by a whale and was in the belly of this big fish for three days and three nights before he finally obeyed. Anyway, just like Jonah, I couldn’t ignore the calling he’d placed on my life to sing and so clearly showed me that day in my room.

I accepted the invitation to be a member of the group Virtue, and now 20 years later, I still don’t regret saying yes to God’s calling on my life.

It has not been an easy, glamorous ride all the time, but every time I get up to sing, I have the assurance that it is where I am supposed to be because He told me so. Being obedient takes courage, faith, and a relationship with God that is renewed and strengthened daily.

What are you running from today? Has God called you to do something and you’ve been too scared to do it? Do you have a list of all the reasons you will fail?

I want to encourage you to seek His will and jump in. And for goodness sake, don’t make Him send a whale to swallow you before you obey!

Be obedient, and if you must, do it scared.

~*~
Author Bio:

Heather Martin was born the last of six siblings in New Orleans, Louisiana. She was raised by an amazing single mother (Rebecca Trotter) and was taught at an early age to love God and how to sing! 

She graduated from Oakwood University with a Bachelor's Degree in Language Arts Education and later received a Master’s Degree in Education from Kaplan University.

Shortly after graduating she followed God’s call to minister. She joined the Stellar, Dove, and Grammy-nominated gospel group Virtue, which was founded by her two older sisters Ebony Holland and Karima Kibble several years prior. Virtue has used their talents to spread the love of God across the world! They have recorded 7 studio albums and have been the recipients of numerous awards.

God has not only blessed Heather professionally, but personally. She met her husband, Dr. Colin Martin, and they have been married for 14 years. They have four children: Colin Jr. 11, Harper 10, Clark, 7, and Charleston 5. 

In 2016, Heather started an online blog and vegan and allergen-friendly cooking channel called “Chef Mommy.” Heather (Chef Mommy) has cooked with numerous celebrities and top chefs to spread the news of healthy cooking and lifestyle. 

In addition to this busy schedule, Heather enjoys, running, reading, writing and spending time with her family.

~*~
Connect with Heather:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HeatherTMartin
Instagram for Heather: https://www.instagram.com/thechefmommy/
Instagram for Virtue (Heather’s singing group): https://www.instagram.com/virtuegirls
Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/chefmommyhm

Devotionals for the Heart: Questions

Trusting God with the Hard Questions
A devotional by Carrie Del Pizzo

Jesus answered, “It was neither that this man sinned, nor his parents; but it was so that the works of God might be displayed in him.” –John 9:3 (NASB)

When life gets hard, we ask questions. 

Who is to blame? Where did I go wrong? Why is this happening?

Sometimes that’s pretty easy to figure out. You text and drive; you get in an accident. You argue with the boss; you get fired. You cheat on your spouse; you get divorce papers.

Other times, things aren’t so clear-cut. Why does a good employee get laid off? Why do hurricanes and earthquakes kill people? Why does a child suffer through cancer?

When our teenage daughter spent two years dating a non-Christian, my husband and I had a heap of questions. What does she see in this guy? How long will she drag this out? Why doesn’t she see that he’s so wrong for her? Where did we go wrong?

In John 9, the disciples asked Jesus this kind of question about a blind man. They supposed either God had given the man’s parents a blind child because they had sinned, or God knew the man would sin and so made him blind at birth.

Jesus’s answer shocked them. The blindness wasn’t caused by anyone’s sin. This man had been born blind so that Jesus could miraculously restore his sight and point to the Father.

Joseph knew something about this idea. His brothers threw him in a pit and sold him into slavery. Some four decades later, the brothers wisely asked forgiveness of the second most powerful man in Egypt. His answer was astounding. According to Genesis 50:20 (NIV), he said, “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good.” 

Of course, Jesus faced the granddaddy of all bad days. He was falsely accused, beaten, mocked, and crucified. And he did it while carrying the weight of our sin. He could have snapped his fingers and ended it, but he chose to suffer and die.

He knew the Father had a great plan, one that wasn’t obvious to the weeping, hiding, shaking-in-their-sandals disciples who only saw the bad situation before them.

We’ve also discovered that God has brought some good from our daughter’s poor choice of boyfriend. She’s learned what a bad relationship looks like, what she doesn’t want in a boyfriend, and what kind of good relationship she does want. 

We’re very pleased that her new boyfriend loves the Lord and they want to attend church together. They’ve even made a commitment to purity and have set up boundaries for themselves.

Best of all, she is now very open about her faith. Praise God!

What tough situation are you facing today? What hard fact of life are you trying to explain, reason out, or blame on someone? 

Ask God to walk with you through this trial and then reveal His glory at the end.

His plan may not be clear to you now, but that doesn’t mean He doesn’t have one. Look for ways to glorify Him.

~*~
Author Bio:

In this world of texts, memes, and emojis, slowing down to truly communicate can feel like straining a muscle you haven’t exercised in far too long.

Seventeen years of business experience across a variety of industries has taught Carrie Del Pizzo the fine art of professional communications. 

Partnering with corporate executives and entry-level employees alike, she has written and edited major project proposals, direct marketing pieces, sensitive client communications, employee handbooks, and user manuals.

Carrie’s love of literature and story has led her to develop and exercise her fiction writing skills as well. Aside from her personal creative efforts, she also edits for self- and traditionally-published authors and enjoys writing short dramas for church presentation.

Carrie is a wife, mom of three Americans and host-mom to numerous exchange students. Italian-by-marriage means she loves to cook and eat. She lives in Spokane, Wash., with her hilarious family, who keeps her in stitches and provides piles of material for great stories.

Devotionals for the Heart: Thoughts on why death is not the final chapter

Death is Not the Final Chapter

A devotional by Victoria Bylin

“O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?”

– 1 Corinthians 15:55 (KJV)

This devotional is dedicated to my Mom

Darlene Bylin McLeary

12/2/1933 – 7/21/2009

My husband and I recently spent a week with our grandchildren – twin girls about to turn five, and their two-year-old brother. As you might imagine, you never know what’s going to come out of someone’s mouth.

During an Amelia Bedelia bedtime story, one of the girls looked me very seriously in the eye. “Grandma, you’re just a little crunchy now. But you’re going to get a lot crunchy and then you’ll die.”

Great. Like Arnold Schwarzenegger says in Kindergarten Cop, “Thanks for the tip.”

I’ve told that story about dozen times now, and every time I have the same reaction. I laugh and then I choke up with bittersweet tears.

Death . . . no one wants to talk about it, or think even think about it—unless they’re getting “crunchy” and it’s staring them in the face. Yet this is where the rubber meets the road in Christianity. We don’t worship a prophet like Mohammed or an enlightened Buddha. We worship the all-powerful God who raised His Son, Jesus Christ, from the dead. As a result, those who believe in him will receive the gift of Heaven and eternal life.

May I be completely honest here? I believe in Heaven with everything in me, but I’m a little scared of death, the process of dying, and getting too crunchy to take care of myself.

I thank God for the words of Jesus in John 14:2 (KJV): “In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.”

We also have the promise of Hebrews 11:1 (KJV): “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” The resurrection of Christ is all the evidence we need of God’s love and power. Jesus Christ is Lord over all. He will never leave us or forsake us.

Those words comfort me. So does the experience of my mother’s passing. She was 75 years old when she lost her fight with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease. COPD is a combination of emphysema, chronic bronchitis and pneumonia. It’s a long battle with a slow decline, and she fought it bravely for many years. When the end came, she was in the hospital, surrounded by family, comfortable, and at peace.

I’ll never forget her last breath. God’s grace rained down on us all through our tears, and love flooded through the hospital room. There have been a handful of times in my life where I’ve felt the tangible presence of God. This was one of them—the biggest one by far. I can only describe the moment as sacred.

My granddaughter is right. Someday I will die, but hopefully not too soon! While I am in the land of the living, I intend to live well and love people as best as I can. The hope of eternity gives us that desire and the strength to do it. 

Knowing that I’ll see my Mom, Dad, and other loved ones again makes that sacred passage all the more powerful. There will be no more suffering—only perfect peace. No one will be crunchy in Heaven, and that’s good news indeed.

~*~
Author Bio:

Victoria Bylin is the author of 18 traditionally published romances. Known for tackling difficult subjects with great compassion, she delights in stories that shine the spotlight of God’s love on ordinary men and women facing realistic challenges.

Writing has always been a part of Victoria’s life. As a child, she wrote hundreds of letters and scribbled in journals. As an adult, she worked as a freelance journalist and editor before taking on the challenge of fiction.

She had one goal when she started her first novel: to finish a book-length manuscript, good or bad. That first effort will never see the light of day, but it led to a second manuscript and a sale to Harlequin Historical. Since then, she has written westerns and contemporary romances for both mainstream and Christian publishers, with Together With You winning the 2016 Inspirational Readers Choice Award for Best Contemporary.

Writing is a joy and a challenge for Victoria, but faith, friends and family matter to her far more. She’s a wife, mom, proud grandmother, and a dog-mom to a wacky Jack Russell Terrier. Originally from California, she and her husband currently make their home in Lexington, Kentucky. When she’s not writing, Victoria enjoys long walks, travel, and dark chocolate. 

~*~
Connect with Victoria:
Website: https://www.victoriabylin.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Victoria.Bylin.Author
Twitter: https://twitter.com/VictoriaBylin
BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/victoria-bylin
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/568102.Victoria_Bylin

Devotionals for the Heart: The Joy of God's Grace for His Children

A Bad Day at McDonald’s
A devotional by Victoria Bylin

“Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” 
–Matthew 7:1-2 (NIV)

How often have you heard this statement: “If a person is really a Christian, we’ll see evidence of it.” I’ve heard these words many times—in churches and on the radio, through social media, and out of the mouths of friends and fellow believers.

On one hand, I believe these words without question. When the Holy Spirit moves into our hearts, we change. Becoming a Christian is a little like picking up a lit stick of dynamite. Something is going to happen. At the same time, that explosion isn’t always pretty—at least that’s been true in my own life.

I’ll never forget a particularly embarrassing visit to McDonald’s. My oldest son was four years old, and he’d spent the day in pre-school while I was at work. Rather than go home (exhausted) and cook, I took him to the new McDonald’s with a play area. My son inhaled his Happy Meal and ran off to the hamster tubes and ball pit.

The clock in my head started to tick. Did I mention I was exhausted? I just wanted to go home, but those hamster tubes were one of his favorite things in the world. While I was bone tired and wanted quiet, my sweet son had spent the day following rules and being a good boy for his teachers, holding in every emotion that his four-year-old self had.

He needed to burn off some steam. I needed to lie down.

How long do I let him play? Five minutes? Ten minutes? After about ten, I did the mom thing and blew the whistle on his good time. He wasn’t happy about it. In fact, he threw the one and only tantrum of his preschool days.

I think of that now and cringe—not because of his behavior. I cringe because of mine. I didn’t lose it completely, but anger burned through me as I hauled him kicking and screaming to the car. That’s when it hit me. He needed to play as much as I needed quiet. Essentially, I’d given him cake and snatched it back before he finished it.

Anyone witnessing that scene at McDonald’s would have seen strife and anger—not the fruit of the spirit listed in Galatians:

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.” Galatians 5:22-23 (NIV)

My humanity leaked all over the place in that moment. I didn’t look at all like a Christian. But I was . . . a struggling Christian mom in need of grace and forgiveness.

Years later, I’m still sorry we didn’t stay until he’d had burned off the tension of his own day. But something else important happened. I saw my own failings and came to a deeper understanding of grace—both my own need for it and the need to extend it to others.

Anyone watching the incident at McDonald’s would have seen strife and struggle as I carried my son kicking and screaming to the car. I didn’t feel at all like a Christian—but I was. Period. Christ did the work of redemption for me. He paid the price for my sin and selfishness, and for that I am beyond grateful.

Christians don’t always look and act like Christians. I wish we did. But the good news is that we have a God who is far more consistent—a God who never fails to love us just as we are. 

~*~
Author Bio:

Victoria Bylin is the author of 18 traditionally published romances. Known for tackling difficult subjects with great compassion, she delights in stories that shine the spotlight of God’s love on ordinary men and women facing realistic challenges.

Writing has always been a part of Victoria’s life. As a child, she wrote hundreds of letters and scribbled in journals. As an adult, she worked as a freelance journalist and editor before taking on the challenge of fiction.

She had one goal when she started her first novel: to finish a book-length manuscript, good or bad. That first effort will never see the light of day, but it led to a second manuscript and a sale to Harlequin Historical. Since then, she has written westerns and contemporary romances for both mainstream and Christian publishers, with Together With You winning the 2016 Inspirational Readers Choice Award for Best Contemporary.

Writing is a joy and a challenge for Victoria, but faith, friends and family matter to her far more. She’s a wife, mom, proud grandmother, and a dog-mom to a wacky Jack Russell Terrier. 

Originally from California, she and her husband currently make their home in Lexington, Kentucky. When she’s not writing, Victoria enjoys long walks, travel, and dark chocolate.

~*~
Connect with Victoria:
Website: https://www.victoriabylin.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Victoria.Bylin.Author
Twitter: https://twitter.com/VictoriaBylin
BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/victoria-bylin
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/568102.Victoria_Bylin

Devotionals for the Heart: Rainbows

Rainbow Remembrances
A devotional by Sharon Musgrove

“And God said, “This is the sign of the covenant which I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all future generations: I set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth. When I bring clouds over the earth and the bow is seen in the clouds, I will remember my covenant which is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh. When the bow is in the clouds, I will look upon it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is upon the earth.”” – Genesis 9:12-16 (RSV)

When I was a senior in high school, I took Physics. I was blessed to have a teacher who thoroughly enjoyed science and sought to share the understanding and joy of the laws of nature. In hindsight, the timing of that class, that teacher, and the struggles of that teen girl with her father, was like the pulling together of many ribbons to form a spectacular bow.

My father grew up in a house of boys and wanted boys of his own. Three girls were the gifts he received. Today I can have pity on my dad for not knowing what to do with all that estrogen, but that was not the emotion I had at the time. What my father did really well was pitching in and helping with school projects. Maybe he did it a little too well.

In Physics class, we were learning the Law of Refraction of Light and were asked to construct a poster-sized visual to demonstrate how white light disperses into a color spectrum when it passes through a new medium. In simpler terms, the assignment was to create an image that explained the science behind how rainbows are formed. To increase our excitement in the project, there was to be a contest and the winner would get an automatic 100 percent score on one test that term.

My dad was very excited about that project. He rented an artist’s spray gun and created the most authentic rainbow in the history of 12th grade science projects. I merely added to the poster, the mathematical equation in my neatest, black sharpie hand. Dad won, for his daughter, an “A” (grade) on the exam. All year long that poster was pinned to the front of the class, reminding me of what my father did for me.

Only the year passed. I graduated. The poster came down. Angry words and painful actions were exchanged between my father and me. Silence and distance grew between us. Enough years passed that my own children were nearing the age I had been when I was educated to the bending of light.

One rainy spring afternoon, I was driving through the valley when a rainbow appeared. In an instant, I remembered that rainbow painted poster. I pulled my car over and wept. In all of the years of not forgiving my father, I failed to remember the love of my dad. I’d only been keeping record of pain.

Centuries before, God the Father and man, His child, were separated by pain, anger and ugliness. In response, God intervened. He washed away that which was wicked and caused grief. Clouds carried a fresh medium to the sky in the form of rain. Light reached out to the rain and was not extinguished by it. The light touched rain and the light bent…curved in the tension…and became divided into something even more spectacular! God Himself, separated, and the parts became more spectacular! What a privilege to see in the physical Light divided into a spectrum of love! God saw that something was not good and He intervened. He changed the laws of nature to accommodate Himself!

Genesis 9:15 tells us that God looks at those rainbows too. Like a pinned poster, they are created for His remembrance as well as ours. To think that God and I can look on a rainbow together and be united in our love is truly a bow on a gift!

A rainbow from an aerial view is a full circle. Similarly, I’ve experienced the 360 degree, full-spectrum turning of relationship. I talked with my dad about the rainbow I saw that day and the reminder of the rainbow he painted for me, all those years ago. The relationship that had been moving apart, curved under a new tension, and has been returning to a place of unity all because God so loved the world.

~*~
Author Bio:

Sharon Musgrove is a self-proclaimed sociologist. The opportunities opened to her, over the years, have led her on a fascinating journey observing human behavior. 

She has a diverse background in business, fitness and health industries. This background led her to a unique position writing curriculum and teaching for two private, Christ-based, residential recovery programs. Both recovery programs served women primarily from the homeless community.

Sharon has traveled multiple times to Kenya, serving on medical teams and teaching in the rural Maasai communities. She's been privileged to participate in Leadership camps for maturing young women. These annual camps have a mission of encouraging and empowering the impoverished, underprivileged, and often abused young Maasai girls.

Easily identifying personally with the brokenness of the women she's served, Sharon now sees all people as needing more encouragement regardless of cultural or socioeconomic status. Within these ministries, Sharon has witnessed the transformative power of loving words spoken to the broken-hearted. Sharing God’s love and witnessing its transformative power has become her passion.

In her leisure time, Sharon enjoys her garden, health food, travel, and a good story. She and her husband, Jeff, make their home in Oregon’s Willamette Valley. They have two grown children. Currently, Sharon is writing her first Christian historical fiction novel utilizing her study, experience, and understanding of self-destructive behaviors.

Devotionals for the Heart: A Challenge to Remember Who You Are in Christ

Whose Are You?
A devotional by Kristy Horine

“Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.” –1 Peter 5:8 (NKJV)

Momma tells the story of how I got my name from time to time.

“I always liked the name Kristine and we knew Robinson was a long last name. So one night when I was sound asleep, your Dad woke me up and said, “Eva! Eva Kristine Robinson!”

“We both liked it, so that’s what we named you,” Momma says.

Eva Kristine.

It just sounds fine, doesn’t it? Perhaps it’s fine because I’ve lived with it for so long that I’m resigned to the name. Perhaps it’s fine because I was named after one of the grandest women I knew growing up: Eva Cundiff Melvin. She was my great-grandmother on Daddy’s Momma’s side. All the grandkids and the great-grandkids called her Ebie. My grandfather Robinson called her Lady Eve.

To me, she was the gourmet chef of burgers cooked to perfection in an iron skillet. She was the dispenser of Fig Newtons that were too expensive for our family to buy. She was the generous giver of “just thinking of you” greeting cards with silver wrapped sticks of Wrigley’s gum tucked inside. She knew all the right forks to use and in what order. She drank her tea in delicate china cups with matching saucers.

And I – the first girl in a long line of grandsons and great-grandsons – had her name. I carried that name everywhere I went. I carried it to family reunions and country church suppers. I carried it to Momma’s homemaker meetings and the occasional trip to the grocery store. I carried it to the garden when I pulled weeds or picked green beans. And, I carried it through the fields I tromped across in search of a lost halter or a stray bunny that might need a home.

I carried it to school with me when I was old enough to go. It was there that I learned how a little girl’s fingers could tremble.

It was a five-mile bus ride from our family farm to the local elementary school. Our bus had to cross two rickety bridges to get to its final destination. When the teachers called roll, they used our full names. When I heard my Ebie’s name, I shot my hand straight as an arrow toward the ceiling. The boys noticed it, too. On the way back home, they sat in the back of the bus, bouncing on the brown plastic seats to the rhythm of the bumps across each rickety bridge. They chanted as they bounced.

“Eva! Eva! Igor! Eva! Eva! Igor!”

Igor? That hunched assistant in Dr. Frankenstein’s laboratory?

My face burned with shame. The name of that beautiful woman united in a phrase with a wretched, ugly being? The boys hurled the insults at me and I caught every single one of them. I lost sight of the wonderful woman and focused on the twisted ugliness. I carried those barbs for a long time.

Today, over forty years later, I sometimes struggle just like I did when I was a child. I sometimes forget the reminder that I am adopted through faith into the family of God, because I have repented, believed, and do trust in Jesus Christ as my Savior and my Lord.

“For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.” The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together.”
– Romans 8:14-17 (NKJV)

God calls me “daughter”. I call Him “Father”. I have Jesus Christ in my heart. I live by the witness of the Spirit. How, then, can I have this roaring lion in my head? Why do I feel the hot breath of that mangy beast on my neck?

It’s because life on this earth is very much like riding the bus. The bully bouncing on the seat doesn’t want to simply hurt my feelings, he seeks to destroy me and all my adopted sisters and brothers in Christ.

Here is where the Good Father comes in with 1 Peter 5:8 to help us on this ride:

“Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.” –1 Peter 5:8 (NKJV)

In the Greek, sober means to be calm and collected in spirit. Likewise, the Greek word vigilant means to watch, be cautious, take careful heed. One day, this bus ride of life will stop and we will get off to go to our eternal home.

My Prayer: Abba Father, we still have a ways yet to travel through this life. I pray that for the duration of the ride, You will help us remain sober and vigilant. When the roaring lion makes us forget who and whose we are, give us courage to replace our fear and remind us of the assurance of adoption in Christ Jesus. Impress on our hearts we are truly children of the King!

~*~

Author Bio:

Kristy Horine is a Kentucky writer, freelance journalist by trade and creative by God’s grace.

She writes a little bit of everything including poetry, fiction and creative non-fiction. Her professional and creative work has been published in newspapers, magazines and anthologies in Kentucky and beyond.

Kristy founded 3rd Letter Christian Writers in Lexington, Kentucky in 2015. Read more of her work at www.kristyhorine.com.

Devotionals for the Heart: God's Plans

Is this the plan, Lord?
A devotional by Carrie Del Pizzo

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future.” –Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV)

I find great comfort in the fact that the great big God of the whole wide universe has a plan for me. My husband and I love that verse so much that we put it on our wedding invitations. Twenty years later, we’re still watching His plans unfold.

But let’s be honest, sometimes I wish God would tell me the plan. I don’t need the whole story with every detail. But an outline would be nice. Maybe a course syllabus or possibly Cliff’s Notes. I haven’t seen any outlines so far, which means some days I wonder.

Last spring, when our exchange student returned to his home country, we began discussing how best to use the spare bedroom. Get another exchange student? Rent to a local college student?

After much prayer and discussion with the family, we felt God’s call. We decided to open our home to an unwed young mother. Our city is home to a fantastic ministry working with young women who become pregnant when motherhood isn’t part of the plan. Well, not their plan anyway.

And so we began preparations for a young lady and her child who need a family to love them unconditionally. If you’ve participated in the foster system at all, you know there are heaps of hoops to jump through for licensing: training, home repairs, CPR certification, etc. We’ve been on a 90-day journey to check all the boxes and we’ve recently hit a brick wall.

With only seven days before our deadline, we learned that we needed to get all five cats to the vet for current vaccinations. (Yes, five cats. Yes, I’m the crazy cat lady.) Even if it were logistically possible to get all the cats to the vet in a week’s time, how could we ever afford the bill?

I’ll be honest—I felt disappointed and confused. Why would God lead us all this way, only to be denied just so close to the finish line? This is your plan, God … right?

In the Jeremiah passage, the next two verses go on to make an important point.

“Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” – Jeremiah 29:12-13 (NIV)

Did you catch that? When we pray, He will listen. When we look for Him, we will find Him … when we look with all our heart. That means we have to be serious about the praying and the looking. Not just, “Ok, God, you can step in or whatever.” No, we have to intentionally go to God.

And so we did. Once again, my husband and I prayed about it and sought wise council.

Our licensor checked with her state director to get the complete details on getting our cats “up to code.” Turns out, only rabies vaccinations are required, which is significantly less expensive than all the many cat vaccinations available. Also, we are allowed to get our license while still in the process of dealing with the cats as long as all rabies vaccinations are done before a child is placed in our home.

What felt like a brick wall was just speedbump and we are once again days away from being fully licensed.

What about the plans God has for you? Do you ever double check with Him the way I do? I encourage you to ask Him—He’s listening. And look for Him—you’ll surely find Him.

~*~
Author Bio:

In this world of texts, memes, and emojis, slowing down to truly communicate can feel like straining a muscle you haven’t exercised in far too long.

Seventeen years of business experience across a variety of industries has taught Carrie Del Pizzo the fine art of professional communications. Partnering with corporate executives and entry-level employees alike, she has written and edited major project proposals, direct marketing pieces, sensitive client communications, employee handbooks, and user manuals.

Carrie’s love of literature and story has led her to develop and exercise her fiction writing skills as well. Aside from her personal creative efforts, she also edits for self- and traditionally-published authors and enjoys writing short dramas for church presentation.

Carrie is a wife, mom of three Americans and host-mom to numerous exchange students. Italian-by-marriage means she loves to cook and eat. She lives in Spokane, WA, with her hilarious family, who keeps her in stitches and provides piles of material for great stories.