Words of Faith: Positivity Inspires shares her story on trusting God's plan

A Test of My Faith
A Words of Faith story by Positivity Inspires 

Talking the talk and walking the walk are two very different things. I can say I have faith all day, but if I do not act on it, what good is that?

A Test of Faith

My faith has been tested at many points in my life – many, many, many times. And there was one time I distinctly remember when my faith was really tested. I was fresh out of graduate school and was planning to stay in the same city and state in which I graduated. Little did I know that in just a few months, the Lord would instead lead me to an area that was clearly out of my comfort zone. This area was new territory (literally). It was far from family and friends, and I knew no one there. What’s more is that although I knew God was guiding me to this new place, I did not know how I was going to get there because I was working with limited funds. When I considered the amount of money it would take for me to move (and then looked at the amount of money I had in my bank account at the time), what I had would not be enough to cover the expenses of relocating.

Departing from the Familiar

Whenever I tell this story, I think of two people and two stories in the Bible – Abraham and of course, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. In Genesis 12:1, God told Abraham to leave his father’s country and make his way to an area that He (God) had appointed so the Lord can “make of thee a great nation”. Abraham had to leave what was familiar to him because God had set up his (Abraham’s) blessings in a different area. In other words, Abraham had to leave his comfort zone. Abraham was obedient to God’s instructions, and because of his obedience, he was blessed.

Insufficient to the Normal Eye, More than Sufficient in God’s Eyes

Another story that comes to mind is the one in which Jesus feeds the multitude (approximately five thousand people according to what is recorded in the Gospels) with as little as five loaves of bread and two fishes. Although this story is recorded in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, I will refer to Mark 6:31-44 in this blog. In Mark 6, one can read how Jesus took what seemed to be an insufficient amount of food and fed a very large crowd.

Sometimes we look at what we currently have, thinking it is not enough to accomplish something. We make the mistake of looking at it with natural eyes verses our spiritual eyes. Sometimes we fail to realize that whatever God has given us (no matter how small of an amount we consider it to be), He can multiply it. He can turn what we consider to be a shortage into a surplus.

Walking the Walk…of Faith

Now, back to my story, it was time for me to step out on faith. I made plans to make the big move, despite how my bank account was looking and despite the fact that I was traveling to unknown territory (remember, new place, no family, and no friends). Now, if you read carefully, you will notice that I went ahead and made plans to move before I received the money required to make that move.

Okay, I must admit that I experienced a few moments of uneasiness prior to that move. There were a couple of times when I was thinking of how I was going to get to the place God was leading me with a very small amount of money. Our “flesh” will act that way at times, and we must pray, remember God’s promises, and be obedient to Him, regardless. So although I had a couple of “moments”, in my spirit, I was confident the Lord was going to provide for me, and He did. God made a way. He opened a door, just in time. I acted on faith. I walked the walked, and everything worked out wonderfully for me.

Now, you may be wondering what the significance of this “new territory” I often referred to in this blog is. Well, it was there where my relationship with Christ thrived and my ministry began. As with Abraham, I had to leave what was familiar to me and travel to an unknown land to receive my spiritual blessing (my ministry). I walked the walk of faith, despite how my finances looked. I was obedient to God, despite the few moments of fear I experienced, and because I did these things, I was blessed.

~*~
Author bio:  

Better known by her pen name, Positivity Inspires (trademarked) is a writer, speaker, and servant of the Lord. 

She was introduced to Christ at a very early age and was raised in the church. Her ministry focuses on encouraging Christians to continually strengthen their bond with Christ, study His Word, and live His Word daily. 

Although Positivity Inspires writes in more than one genre, she is best known for her Christian/Inspirational works. Her blogs can be found on several websites, including the “The Christian Post”, a major online Christian newspaper based in Washington D.C. She also is currently writing a couple of books with the hope of publishing them soon. 

Positivity Inspires has spoken at several churches and has been interviewed by the hosts of the “Morning Show” on Missions Radio. 

As a successful career woman who has earned a doctorate in her field, she also greatly understands the importance of placing God first and cherishes her relationship with Him. She is one who is appreciative of her career and passionate about her ministry, and she possesses a strong love for Christ and for others.

~*~

Connect with Positivity Inspires:
Twitter - twitter.com/pinspires
Instagram - Instagram.com/positivity_inspires
Facebook - Facebook.com/positivityinspirespage

Words of Faith: A Pastor's Journey from Corporate America to Jesus

From Corporate to Clergy: “Yes, Lord!”

A Words of Faith story by Pastor CJ Cousins

I was a very reluctant recruit. My journey of faith in Christ and His call on my life was one of denying the obvious. Jesus made it evident that He had a special plan for my life from an early age, especially through a dream and a near death experience He miraculously spared me from. As a child I was occasionally found preaching to stuffed animals. This would come as no surprise to my mother, who was a singing evangelist, whom I often accompanied as she sang in evangelistic meetings domestically and internationally. Therefore I developed not only a love for singing and music, but a deep passion for Jesus and the Seventh-day Adventist message. As a youth and young adult I was very active in ministry; singing, youth ministry, preaching and public campus ministry.

It was while I was in college that Jesus placed a deep sense of calling on my heart. This was affirmed by several individuals who observed me in ministry. However I wrote off this calling since I was studying Business Administration, which I was being groomed for since high school in a special business program. I was enamored with the apparent prestigious life of the corporate world. I also wrote off this calling since I didn’t think pastors made much money and so I eventually started working at the bank. While witnessing to a co-worker at the bank, again the deep sense that I should be a pastor came over me, but again I ran from this calling and started doing my master's in Human Resource Management and becoming a recruiter for an international recruiting firm.

I ultimately found myself with a fairly large home and on my way to climbing the corporate ladder, when God dramatically pulled me out of my career. This was the biggest test in my journey of faith. While attempting to get back into my career, the Holy Spirit began to place a burden for souls on my heart, so I reasoned that I would start a ministry, called Living For Him, instead of going into pastoral ministry as a “half yes to the call of God.” However, the Lord mysteriously kept the door closed to all my attempts to returning to my career while subsequently enlarging everything I was doing in ministry. Preaching increased, bible studies became regular, small groups became a way of life and some people where baptized. The affirmation of church members and several pastors began to increase until the conference I served in was about to make me a lay pastor and church planter, when the call of God got louder than ever before! And after three years of wrestling with God and several providential events, I finally surrendered to the compelling, yet loving call of my Savior to go to the seminary and become a pastor.

Once surrendered to this call I had such a sense of peace and joy as I looked forward to the vision of ministry that Christ had given me. And I am happy to testify that not only has the vision been realized since coming to the Potomac Conference, but it is enlarging in ways that I could not have dreamed of myself. I am serving as an associate pastor at Restoration Praise Center SDA Church, a vibrant congregation full of young adults and young families. I oversee 24 small groups called Grow Groups and am the online pastor for our online campus, RPCtv. The Lord has used me to teach a baptismal Bible study class and to conduct several baptisms. I have had the opportunity to preach several times, not only in my local congregation, but also at other churches in the DMV area. I am seeing lives changed by the gospel, while my own is concurrently being transformed. I am humbled and honored that Jesus has called me to the pastoral ministry and am fully dependent on Him buy faith for what He wants to accomplish through me. I encourage you, when Jesus calls, do not delay. Just humbly respond in faith and say,“Yes Lord.”

~*~
Author bio: Claypole S. Cousins Jr., also known as “CJ," is simply a man who is in love with Jesus. His passion is to live, preach and teach the gospel of Jesus Christ and equip “disciples making disciples”. 

He is married to the lovely Deedre Nicole Cousins, who is a wonderful support and partner in ministry. Together God has blessed them with beautiful baby boy, Thomas Alexander Cousins. 

He majored in Human Resource Management from at Florida International University and received a bachelor's degree in Business Administration. He also has a Master's of Human Resource Management from Keller Graduate School of Management of DeVry University. 

He has a Master 's of Divinity degree with an emphasis in Church Growth and Evangelism from the Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary at Andrews University. He has served as Intern Pastor at One Place and Graduate Assistant for grow Groups at Pioneer Memorial Church on the campus of Andrews University. 

CJ currently serves as Associate Pastor at Restoration Praise Center in Bowie, Md. He is the pastor for Grow Groups and RPCtv. He is passionate about sharing God’s love as seen through the Gospel of Jesus Christ in the context of Revelation 14:6-12. 

In addition to preaching and teaching, CJ also loves to sing and write about Jesus.

~*~
Connect with Pastor CJ:
Website - www.iamlivingforhim.com
Twitter - https://twitter.com/PrCJCousins
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/livingforhimtv/
YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/user/lfhministries/about

Words of Faith: Rachel's story about waiting on the Lord

The Preciousness of Waiting
A Words of Faith story by Rachel Hauck

Sunday morning as we sang the song “Good, Good Father,” I was struck by the first line of the bridge which says,“You are perfect in all of your ways.”

How often I doubt God is perfect. I think He’s forgotten me or worse, ignoring me. Nothing could be further from the truth! He loves me! He’s for me! He has good plans for me. 

The other night I was talking to a musician friend who’s been waiting a long time to record an album. But the doors never opened. In the mean time, he learned to write better songs. He’s partnered with seasoned professionals. In the waiting, he became the songwriter he needed to become. We don’t like waiting. We want what we want…now!

But God is perfect in all His ways.

My writing journey happened fast compared to some. But I didn’t have immediate success. I was published but not very popular. I've been writing full time for 12 years and my career finally took a turn. How far or how long the turn I don’t know but God is perfect in all His ways. Over the years, I had opportunity to write for different publishers but the doors never opened. 

A few years ago my agent talked to me about co-writing as a way of helping another author while boosting my sales and earning potential. But I never had peace about it. Soon after I ran into a physical issue that slowed me down for about six months. Had I been in a co-writing deal amid my own deadlines...Shivers!

God is perfect in all His ways. In today’s world, it’s easy to become consumers of fear and anxiety, doubt and depression, envy and jealousy. But we are called to gaze upon Jesus and find our purpose and identity in Him.

Psalm 121:1-8 (NASB) says:

I will lift up my eyes to the mountains; 

From where shall my help come?

My help comes from the Lord, 

Who made heaven and earth. 

He will not allow your foot to slip; 

He who keeps you will not slumber. 

Behold, He who keeps Israel 

Will neither slumber nor sleep. 

The Lord is your keeper; 

The Lord is your shade on your right hand.

The sun will not smite you by day, 

Nor the moon by night. 

The Lord will protect you from all evil; 

He will keep your soul.

The Lord will guard your going out and your coming in 

From this time forth and forever.

What comfort to know God is watching over us day and night! He is good. He is faithful. Don't lose patience with the journey. Take hold of the preciousness of waiting. He won’t forget you! 

Be blessed!

~*~
Author bio: 

Rachel Hauck is a New York Times, USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling author.

She lives in sunny central Florida with her husband and ornery cat. A graduate of Ohio State University with a degree in Journalism, she worked in the corporate software world before planting her backside in uncomfortable chair to write full time eight years ago.

Rachel serves on the Executive Board for American Christian Fiction Writers. She is a mentor and book therapist at My Book Therapy, a conference speaker and worship leader.

Rachel writes from her two-story tower in an exceedingly more comfy chair. She is a huge Buckeyes football fan. 

~*~
Connect with Rachel:

Website - www.rachelhauck.com
Twitter - https://twitter.com/rachelhauck/

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/rachelhauck/SaveSave

GoodReads - https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/257934.Rachel_Hauck

Words of Faith: Terry's story about finding what was missing in his life

One Man’s Forty-Year Itch
A Words of Faith story by Terry Dodd

For the forty years following high school I lived without the guidance of the Holy Spirit. I don’t mean I lived a life of crime or addiction, or even of randomness. No. It was worse than that. I was at the top of my profession. I had a wonderful marriage, my three grown children were all happily married, and my golf game was better than at any time since my early thirties.

What was the problem? All I knew was that I had an overwhelming feeling of something important missing in my life. In retrospect, I think of the Israelites who wandered in the desert for forty years. Moses did his best for them, but he may as well have been herding cats. In my case, other than for a rare wedding or funeral, I had not darkened a church door in forty years. One routine I rarely missed, however, was a Saturday golf game.

Although I did not know a lack of Christian faith was my problem, I was anxious to scratch the unrelenting itch in my life. One day, I received a flyer from a church I had driven past innumerable times over the previous sixteen years. It read: “Instead of watching Elvis re-runs this Saturday night, come as you are directly from the golf course at 6:30 to a new Saturday Sabbath service and hear about the true King.” From the golf course! I found that curious, but dismissed the idea. The following week a second flyer arrived. It, too, said to come from directly from the golf course. I thought, "Why not? I can then check that item off the list."

My first thought coming out the door of the church afterward was curiosity about having remembered the words to the hymns of my youth. I was certain the experience was nothing more than a fluke. I said as much to my wife of thirty-seven years, who I did not know had been praying for me since our first date in high school. I told her I would repeat the experience the following Saturday, but I doubted Jesus was my problem.

The second time I came out of the church my thought was slightly different: Have I come home? My wife and I began attending church on a regular basis. Sadly, however, I also had an ulterior motive. I had just shelved the first draft of a manuscript for a novel I had been writing during the previous year. It was built around conversational conflict through a casual golf match involving an atheist, an agnostic, a skeptic, and a Christian. The story didn’t work because I hadn’t a clue as to creating a fictitious resume for the believer. My veiled thinking was that perhaps if I better understood the “born again” concept, I might be able to salvage my manuscript.

Therefore, merely for the purpose of research (or so I thought) I would begin reading through the Bible. I was energized by the stories in Genesis, Exodus and the first ten chapters of Leviticus. But as the action slowed, I decided to jump ahead to the gospel. Things started out well in the book of Matthew. I only got as far as Matthew10:32-33, however, before I hit a stumbling block. Verse 32 was fine in that Jesus was saying, “Whoever acknowledges me before men, I will also acknowledge him before my Father in heaven.”

Verse 33 was the problem: “But whoever disowns me before men, I will disown him before my Father in heaven.” Disown? That person would be personally disowned by God? Guilt crushed me. That had come on the heels of absorbing the idea of man’s sin being so great that the sinless Jesus came down from paradise to be born of woman, to live among man, to give up His life for us, and be raised from the dead. All for me! The thought of being disowned by God was emotionally and spiritually overcoming. It was at that moment He revealed Himself to me. I realized I had to respond. What else could I do but go to my knees in surrender.

I shared the experience with my wife and then with a pastor at the church. A few weeks later, we joined the church. Two months after that, on Christmas Day of 1996, at my daughter and son-in-law’s home in Jacksonville, Florida with my wife, mother, and granddaughter present, at age fifty-eight I prayed aloud in publicly confessing that I was a sinner in need of forgiveness. I accepted Christ as my Lord and Savior and asked Him to come into my heart.

Not only had my itch cleared, but much more importantly I had become a new creation. Not only that, but through God’s having freed me from my captive state I was also enabled to rewrite my manuscript and independently publish it. Ten years later The Foursome would win for me the 2012 Eric Hoffer Book Award in the Legacy Fiction Category.

God tells us in His Word that He created us to worship Him. If we do not understand and accept that Jesus came down to Earth as man to save us from ourselves, then we are missing the single most important thing in life. 

~*~
Author bio:
Bullet Biography – Terry Dodd

· Survived life-threatening burns to ten per cent of his body at age seven

· BA degree in Geology from Florida State University

· Forty-year career as an advertising executive and entrepreneur

· Fifteenth year editing a bi-monthly Christian newsletter

· Author of a dozen Christian novels and inspirational narratives

· 2012 Eric Hoffer Legacy Fiction Award Winner for The Foursome, a golf novel of one man’s faith matched against doubt, ignorance and pride

· Lifetime member of Northside Hospital-Forsyth Auxiliary and former auxiliary board member and V.P. of Orientation & Placement

· Current active volunteer with There’s Hope for the Hungry, a 501(c)(3) food-and-faith outreach to the needy of north Georgia

· Juggling hobby led to a two-year Christian ministry to north Atlanta metro area assisted living facilities, which formed the basis for his book, Journey with Outstretched Hands

· Served as president of Georgia Association of Promotional Products Practitioners

· Married, with blended family of four adult children and seven grandchildren

· Active member of First Redeemer Church in Cumming, GA

· Leader/facilitator of a small men’s Bible study group

· Member of Atlanta Writers Club and American Christian Fiction Writers

~*~

Connect with Terry:
Website- terrygdoddbooks.com
Email - dodd@bellsouth.net

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Words of Faith: Juan-Jose's story about childlike faith in God

Material God
A Words of Faith story by Juan-Jose Garza, a.k.a. Zay Heron

As a writer of speculative fiction, my mind regularly travels to a domain of make believe (or what philosopher Alexius Meinong’s contemporaries called Meinong’s Jungle), my own self-created universe of discourse. Because I travel there so frequently, I question many times: Are the beings and worlds in my “jungle” and my own understanding of God one and the same? Or does some line of demarcation exists determining the difference? For that, my faith is not only questioned, but simultaneously, I believe, it finds new strength.

Since before I ever knew sight-words or number facts, God and my imagination existed to me. Ironically, as a child, I knew they both were not tangible entities. Down the middle of my mind, a single line grew. On one side, I understood what classifies as the material world (things I can see, touch, taste, smell, or hear) and on the other exists things that are of the immaterial (things that cannot be observed as such). Among the immaterial, I understood my own jungle to be pretend and God was very much real.

As the vertical wall split the material and immaterial world, simultaneously, a horizontal line segmented my immaterial side into two halves. I wondered, does there exist a horizontal line on my material side as well? I would answer, yes. There are fir trees and plastic ones, as there are living chickens and rubber ones. In the material world, determining what is real and fake is simple and unquestionable. So since there is no denial in the material, why are there questions about the immaterial?

So when my teen and early adult years came, I naturally found that I was physically capable to care for myself if I wanted to. Thus, like many around the world, I decided what from my childhood to peel away and rationalize why to keep others, and like many, I began to ponder do I keep God? Since God fell into the category of immaterial, then my horizontal line needed to dissolve and He be pretend like my jungle residents. Like the tooth fairy, He was supposed to be for kids, but I could not let Him go.

Thus, I found myself in a place where the question became how can God exist in my logical and rational adult mind? Did God practically bring anything of value to adulthood?

The narrative goes, in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth, yet the American religious tradition claims God is personal. How can this God, who manages solar flares, relate to me? Logically, that is impossible, as kings not personally know the price of milk or the taste of poverty. The hypothetical connection was impossible.

Then, I reread what Christians call the “Gospel in a nutshell,” John 3:16 (KJV): “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

For this verse was not new to me, but at the reread, the repetitive story no longer became just data. It revealed that God became material, allowed himself to die, and did it all so I can have greater access than what my reason hindered me. But as I thought about this, I could not help but wonder that since God is not tangible any more how can I believe? To still believe in this God that I have never seen is irrational and belongs to the mind of children.

And in Matthew 18:3 (KJV), Jesus speaks to me: “And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.”

For it was the mind of a child, upon which faith is fueled. The greater one uses their mind as children, the more their faith allows God to be real beyond reason, but in the life of the believer. It is the faith of a child that gives us access to more than what we currently conceive, and it is that faith that allows our fears to be conquered. Thus, I believe, our courage and faith is then strengthened.

~*~
Author bio: 

Juan-Jose Garza is a writer of speculative fiction. His penname is Zay Heron. He is a native of Washington, D.C.. He works as a learning coach at Gifted Academy, working with youth from the ages of 3 to 17. 

He is a graduate of Washington Adventist University. He is also a Christian and drummer. He and his wife live in the Washington Metropolitan Area. Connect with Juan by following him on Twitter, www.twitter.com/ZayHeron

Words of Faith: Bonita's story about family matters and a Savior

Faith in the Family
A Words of Faith story by Bonita Y. McCoy

“I am reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also. For this reason, I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands.”
~2 Timothy 1:5-6 (NIV). 

It was 1975. I was ten years old, and my mother had passed away from cancer.

To say my world had been rocked would be an understatement.

My Aunt Jeanne, who had been one of my mom’s dearest friends, helped my dad by letting me stay with her. If my world had been rocked, his had been decimated.

My Aunt Jeanne a few years earlier had accepted the Lord as her Savior. She in turn, led my mother to the Lord during her illness. I didn’t know this then, but it is a comfort to me now.

While I was in her care those months, she taught me about God and my own need for a relationship with Him. She taught me to pray by praying with me at bed time and before school and at meals.

She taught me about his compassion when she would let me cry, even when I didn’t know myself why I was crying.

She taught me about worship by taking me to church, and she taught me about faithfulness by being there whenever I needed her.

Her faith in God was the comforting blanket that I needed during that time.

It is a blessing to have family members that are also members of the family of God. There are several in my family that fall into that category, and I am so grateful.

Like Timothy in our opening verse, it is my family’s faith in God that has directed me in my own relationship with Him and has strengthened me along my journey.

Because of my aunt’s strong faith, I knew I was in need. So, during that time with her, I accepted the Lord. I have been walking with Him ever since.

The family of faith is awesome, but to have family that walks with you in the faith, is a beautiful thing.

Remember, the faith that is in you can be shared with those you love, pass it on.

“One generation shall commend your works to another, and shall declare your mighty acts.” ~Psalm 145:4 (ESV). 

~*~
Author bio:

Hello! I’m Bonita Y. McCoy. I hail from the Great State of Alabama where I live on a five-acre farm with three horses, two dogs, two cats, and one husband who I’ve had for over twenty-five years. I am a mother to three mostly grown sons and one beautiful daughter-in-law who joined us from Japan.

I love God, and I love to write. My blog is an expression of both these passions. Drop by and visit! Here's the address,
www.beautifulpiecesofgrace.blogspot.com
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Words of Faith: Sandy's story about how to trust God in difficult times

A Lesson from a Difficult Time
A Words of Faith story by Sandra Barela

One day, I was talking to a friend of mine and she asked me some difficult questions. At the end of our conversation, she said I should share my thoughts with others. I immediately put up a wall. There were things that I shared with her that I would be more than happy to keep in my closet. I could share with her because she has known me for nearly 29 years and loved me through all the ugly parts of it, but to share with others? No way! Doesn't pride have a way of doing this to us? When Alexis asked me to share, I decided to share my heart and how God has changed it through a difficult time in my life. It is my prayer that these thoughts encourage you; that they lead you to the Cross and the Truth of the Gospel.

Beginning in April of 2011, I started to have some health issues. In the beginning it was an old ailment acting up. However, that changed at the beginning of May, when I had what was to be the first of many "episodes." At first, these episodes were thought to be seizures but now having a pre-diagnosis of atypical migraines with seizure like activity. These episodes come on at any time, day or night. After these episodes, I have a severe headache and lose most of a day to sleep and fatigue. Many days, I don't have the energy to move from the couch. Since the episodes come on so quickly, my driver's license had to be suspended. The episodes also wreak havoc with my mind. I cannot think straight. I will mix up my words for days, even weeks, and sometimes stutter because I cannot form simple words. I knew it would be detrimental to the school I worked for to continue working so I went out on personal leave. I am unable to make definite plans.

So back to the questions my friend asked me: "How are you dealing with it all? Are you getting depressed?" She was concerned because I have struggled with depression and it is very easy to spiral down that road. However, this time was very different for me. This time I know that God is sovereign – nothing happens outside of his sovereignty. All that happens is for my good and His glory (Romans 8:28-30). This caused me to be thankful. 

I am thankful that God in His providence has shown me the truth of the Gospel. I am thankful that God in His providence has put wonderful people in my life that bring me closer to him. I am thankful that this disability has allowed me to minister to others. I am thankful that God in His Providence, gave me a husband who seeks Him with all his heart; who was patient and shared the Gospel with me even when I didn't want to hear. I am thankful for God's mercy and His grace. Each day that I have is a gift from Him. He could have, and rightly so, judged me on the day I first sinned. I am thankful that God has given us His Word  (The Holy Bible) to learn more about Him. Now I have been given the time to read His Word and do so. God. Thankfulness. His Plan. His Providence.

Before this ailment, I was on what I thought was the high of my life. I had been promoted at work, had a great school year and was beginning to start the next one. My kids were all healthy and doing well in school. My husband and I had a great relationship and even got to get a way by ourselves a few times. By the world’s standards, I was successful. However, I was doing nothing that was for God’s kingdom – nothing that would last eternally. I am thankful that God has shown me that I had put my work before all else, allowing it to become an idol. God has used this illness greatly in my life to bring me closer to Him.

If there is something you are struggling with in your own life – something you don’t understand. Can I encourage you to cling to the Gospel? Cling to the knowledge that God has planned your steps and knows what is best for you. May God bless you richly!

~*~
Author bio: 

Sandra Barela, wife and the mom of three teenagers, received her bachelor’s and master’s degree in Education at the National University and will soon be awarded her master’s in English with a focus on Creative Fiction from Southern New Hampshire University.

During her program there, she took a publishing class and fell in love with the industry.
That infatuation sparked Celebrate Lit Publicity Group! The avid Christian fiction reader and author enjoys helping other great Christian authors succeed, one book at a time.

She lives with her family in beautiful sunny Southern California.
For more information on Celebrate Lit Publicity Group, visit celebratelit.com.

~*~
Connect with Sandy:

Company sites: www.celebratelit.com, www.celebratelitpublishing.com, 

https://www.facebook.com/CelebrateLit/, https://twitter.com/Celebrate_Lit

Join the Celebrate Lit Community Forum to meet great authors, learn about wonderful books, post reviews, and hear about giveaways: https://www.facebook.com/groups/441946782665904/

Words of Faith: Bethany's story about prayer and a God who hears you

Wrapped Up in a Moment
A Words of Faith story by Bethany Kaczmarek

As a mother, I’m learning the importance of prayer. Certainly, I pray for my children—for myriad things: their salvation, their character, their compassion, their discernment and choices. Every parent knows how long that list could go on.

But I mean something different.

I’m learning—as a mother—how it is to be on the receiving end of so many requests. I am finite, and my hands are full. As a busy mom (I homeschool, teach, and work as an author and professional editor), there are moments when my little ones come to me with questions, and I am busy. I have to say, “Just a minute.”

Last week, my two-year-old reached for my face and turned my chin toward her. “You are my mommy,” she said, bright-eyed and hopeful. “And I have a kreshen.”

Everything stopped. I set my work aside, thankful for the gentle reminder of one of my most important roles. I knelt at her little feet, and I looked her in the eye. “What’s your question, Sweet?”

“I can have a granilla bar?” Little Girl actually batted her eyelashes at me. Precious.

I met her needs, kissed her on the head, and then I pulled down my grandmama’s old, worn Living Bible. The Holy Spirit put a verse in my mind, and I’ve always loved that translation of it the best.

Psalm 116:1-2: “I love the Lord because He hears my prayers and answers them. Because He bends down and listens, I will pray as long as I breathe.”

I remembered, all down and level with my littlest, how it feels to receive that kind of attention. So in focus and special. It’s worth more than the “granilla bar” itself.

Oh, how good it is to have a God that’s not too busy to bend down and listen. We’re never interrupting when we call out to Him. He’s busy, always at work around us, but He’s infinite.

Certainly, I have asked Him for simple blessings like my daughter asked of me. Most other translations say he turns his ear to me, or inclines his ear to me, and that image is enough in those moments. He hears me, He listens, He cares. But there are moments when—if I could just see Him face-to-face like those little children who came scrabbling up to Him as He taught their parents—I would feel so seen. So known. So precious.

In moments of utter grief and brokenness, in seasons of loneliness, in times of trial—he bends down and listens to me. He wraps me up in moments of Himself.

Right now, it’s the busyness that’s getting to me. I want to slow down, carve out space for a different life, a better pace. I want to stop and hold still and stare at Jesus with blinders on. Just Him and me.

I want to model that for my children, the holding still, the listening, the being. I’ll have to learn how to do it again myself. But oh, I know it’ll be worth it.

Because the minute that I ask for help with it, you know what Jesus will do?

Bend down and listen.

And right then, I’ll be reminded that it’s possible to lose yourself in a moment with someone. To have complete confidence that you are seen and known and heard. He’ll tell me to breathe. I’ll remember that He’s the One who gives me life and breath. And as long as I have it, I want it all to be for Him. He is enough.

He.

Is.

Enough.

“I love the Lord, because He hears my prayers and answers them. Because he bends down and listens, I will pray as long as I breathe.”

When I wear my little girl’s shoes and call out, “You are my God, and I have a question (need, fear, longing, concern, anxiety, problem),” He focuses on me. In those moments, I am seen, understood. I am precious to Him, and I know it.

And that’s worth more than the answer to the prayer itself.

Because He is enough.

~*~
Author bio: 

Bethany Kaczmarek is a sojourner. So far, she’s just explored Earth, but her love for adventure and old stories makes her yearn for a chance to wander in other realms in the not-too-distant future. 

Author of Strains of Silence (Summer 2017) and ACFW finalist for Editor of the Year, she enjoys tales that take a guess at what's out there. And she loves to add her own ideas to the mix. 

Other job titles: Wielder of Red Pens, Grammar Ninja, Wiper of Tears and Milk, Indie Music Connoisseur, and Friend. 

You can connect with her on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or at www.bethanykaczmarek.com

Words of Faith: Jessica's story about walking by faith and trusting God

Maker of My Dreams
A Words of Faith story by Jessica Alyse

“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.” ~Jeremiah 29:11 (KJV)

I went to church. I did my homework. I attended college. I pursued a degree in psychology because that’s what everyone told me to do. It wasn’t until my sophomore year of college that it became clear to me that I was only doing what was expected of me.

I didn’t want to be a psychologist or an “art therapist,” as I referred to my future career. I picked it because it sounded awesome, would no doubt bring in a paycheck, and would help me transition into the real world.

Because that’s what you do.

I was all of four weeks into my second year when I realized this wasn’t for me. This wasn’t what I wanted. I had no interest in it. I had no interest in college, for that matter. I was there for the wrong reasons and I was miserable. I was there because that’s what you do. You go to college. You work. You make a living.

Because I’d spent my entire existence doing what everyone told me to do, I put a lot of prayer into that period of my life, trying to figure out which way was up and who I was as a person. I didn’t want to do what everyone else told me to do. That’s not me and those aren’t the desires of my heart.

When it all came down to one decision, stay the route or chart a new course, I chose the latter. Some might fault me for my decision to leave college and move back in with my parents. But what others think doesn’t matter, you know why?

Because it’s not about what everybody thinks you should do, it’s about what God planned for you to do.

The beauty of being a child of God is having an untarnished view of the purpose He created you for. Life isn’t a maze in the dark and we’re not fumbling around trying to find our own graves—no, not at all. Life is an adventure that should be based on bliss, peace, hope and wonder.

It’s about sunsets and mountains. It’s about oceans, acres, rain that falls from the clouds and snow that blocks our driveways. It’s about a baby’s first cry, a couple’s first kiss, a song that makes your heart skip a beat. It’s about finding strength on your knees (in praying to God) and conquering obstacles despite your fears. It’s about being loved and loving others. It’s about loving the person that God created you to be, a person He is already deeply in love with.

A lifetime is too short to spend doing what everybody else is doing—or what everybody thinks you should be doing. Don’t get caught up in the world’s definition of life. Seek a definition of your own. Build a castle on the foundation of your passions and dreams.

Look inside yourself and figure out what makes you truly happy. There you’ll find your passion. And when you find what you’re passionate about then you’ll find that your definition of living might be a little different from everybody else’s—but all in all, it gives you peace.

Your passion makes life worth living.

At the age of twenty, I quit doing what everybody else was doing and I started doing what He created me to do. I’m a writer. I tell stories. I discover healing in words and I find a way to share that with as many people as possible. I make people smile and laugh and cry. And through that, a little bit of life’s beauty rains down on all of us.

Some people don’t see my blessings the way I see them. That’s okay. Because, if this is where He wants me, then this is where I’ll rest. You should, too.

“For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts.”~Isaiah 55:8-9 (KJV)

~*~
Author bio: 

Writer, Dreamer, Daughter of the King. Jessica Alyse was born a dreamer. She used to tell stories about a bicycle that traveled to the moon and back. Her imagination has always soared beyond the expectations of reality and has brought her to a career in creative fiction. 

A storyteller, hopeless romantic, and follower of Christ, she encompasses the appropriate traits to create romantic Christian fiction, embellishing every story with southern charm and wholesome love. Dreams of becoming a professional screenwriter dance through her head each time she sits down to tie together characters and plot.

A Louisiana girl with a heart for Texas, when she's not writing, you can find her dreaming about the day her books get adapted into movies, practicing for her would-be singing career, or in the event of a football game, cheering for the Green Bay Packers.

~*~

Connect with Jessica:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/writer.jessalyse/
Twitter: @writerjessalyse
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/writerjessalyse/

Words of Faith: Sara Ella's story of heartbreak and hope

Brokenhearted Faith
A Words of Faith story by Sara Ella

“The Spirit of YHWH is upon me, because He has anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed;” (Luke 4:18).

Let’s get real here. Because at this point in this year I don’t know how else to be. In some ways, this has been the greatest year of my life. My debut novel recently released, a dream come true. I had the opportunity to go to Nashville to see my friends, attend a writer’s conference, and visit my publishing house. My kids are thriving in homeschool and I’ve gotten to see my out-of-state family more than usual.

But, in many ways, this has also been, by far, the worst year of my life.

I won’t go into all the gory details. But I will say this year has shattered my heart in every way imaginable. I’ve experienced betrayal, loss, feelings of worthlessness, and depression, to name a few. It got to the point at which I felt my Creator had abandoned me. Why was He letting this happen? How could He watch as my heart was trampled, and beaten, and thrown away?

And then that still small voice whispered, “Read Job.”

Of course. I knew exactly what that meant. I knew Job’s story. I didn’t need to read it again to recall what that man went through. I ho-hummed my way to my Bible and opened it. Then I began to read. And here’s the verse that stuck out to me:

“. . . Shall we accept good from Elohim, and not trouble? . . .” Job 2:10.

Just wow. Isn’t it amazing how we can read something we’ve read before, but it has a totally new meaning when set in the current context of our lives? This verse was for me and it’s stayed with me through this horrible, no-good year. Because who am I to say I will only accept the best from my Creator? Am I not his child? And does He not put those He loves through trials only to make us stronger in the end? To sharpen our faith and draw us closer to Him? It’s all a matter of perspective, really. I can look at this year and think, “Wow. God must really hate me.” OR I can choose to “rejoice in all things” and praise Him for molding me. For allowing me this trial, which in the future could even turn into a ministry opportunity. My experience may help others. How can I not be grateful for that?

My heart is still on the mend. I’m healing, hour by hour, and day by day. But through it all, my Messiah has loved me. He’s held my broken heart in His hands and carried me through the storm. And that’s the thing, my friends. The storm. Because for the longest time, I stood on the shores of my situation, afraid to really go through it. But then my King nudged me and I felt Him asking me if I trusted Him to be with me in that storm. It took a while, but I finally stepped off the shore and into His arms. The waves chopped and crashed, my heart nearly drowned, but at last I am beginning to see the beautiful light on the other side. Not once has my Creator abandoned me. As broken as I’ve been, He’s kept me intact. Because that’s what brokenhearted faith is—giving your heart and life over to the One who heals the broken hearted. To the one who carries you through.

Are you experiencing a tragedy or heartbreak? Is your life a storm today? If you’re willing to share in the comments, I would love to pray for you.

~*~
Author bio: 

Not so long ago, SARA ELLA dreamed she would marry a prince (just call her Mrs. Charming) and live in a castle (a.k.a. The Plaza Hotel). Though her fairy tale didn’t quite turn out as planned, she did work for Disney—that was an enchanted moment of its own. 

Now she spends her days throwing living room dance parties for her two princesses and conquering realms of her own imaginings. 

She believes “Happily Ever After is Never Far Away” for those who put their faith in the King of kings.

~*~
Connect with Sara:
Website - http://saraella.com

Twitter - http://twitter.com/saraellawrites
Instagram - http://instagram.com/saraellawrites/
GoodReads - https://www.goodreads.com/saraella
Pinterest - http://pinterest.com/joellesa
Tumblr - http://saraellawrites.tumblr.com
Facebook - http://facebook.com/writinghistruth

Google+ - http://plus.google.com/+SaraElla

Words of Faith: Shannon's story about dating and marrying her husband

The View from the Second Pew
A Words of Faith story by Shannon Taylor Vannatter

When I was a child, I went to church sporadically. We’d followed the housing booms far from my parents’ rural Arkansas home. My mother taught me about God and Jesus, while my dad worked from dusk to well after dawn as a carpenter. When I was twelve, we returned to rural Arkansas and the Methodist church they’d grown up in. We attended church regularly, but somehow I got the idea that if I went to church and was a good person, I’d go to heaven.

Until I started dating my future husband—a Baptist preacher’s kid. He mentioned being saved and I had no clue what that was until he explained that I had to put my faith and trust in Jesus and ask him to be my savior. This was totally crazy, because at the time, my husband was a pothead – I just didn’t know it yet. He’d been saved at nine years old but went wild after his parents ended up divorcing. While we dated, he went to church with me sporadically. But after a while, I figured out that all the rumors I heard about him were true. We broke up.

Finally, the salvation sermons I heard began to sink in and I committed my life to Christ in my bedroom. A few months later, my future husband told me he was quitting all his meanness and I could tell he was different. He started going to church with me regularly and recommitted to Jesus. Our relationship completely changed for the better, we dated the rest of high school and married a year after graduation.

About fourteen years later, he dipped his toe into ministry and became a youth director at my parents’ church which had changed to nondenominational. We had about thirty unchurched, unruly teens. It was difficult for me. While Grant was just glad they were coming to church, I’d get frustrated because I could tell they were only coming to get out of the house and they took advantage of his generosity with them. Out of those thirty – only one is still in church that we know of, and one is in prison for murder.

Three years later, the wonderful, loving, Godly man I’d married morphed into a preacher on me. Yes, I’d been in church consistently since the age of twelve. Yes, I accepted Christ at fifteen. Yes, I had that deer in the headlights look when he told me he’d answered the call to preach. Me? A preacher’s wife? I wasn’t qualified.

My thoughts and deeds weren’t holy and pure enough. My actions weren’t selfless enough. I couldn’t play the piano and had no desire to teach a Sunday school class. I didn’t have a pedestal to stand on and I’d stunk as a youth director’s wife. I searched the scriptures. There were no verses giving guidelines for a preacher’s wife. I knew that before I searched, but I checked just to make sure. There were guidelines for the preacher, the deacons, even the deacons’ wives, but nothing specifically for the preacher’s wife.

So what did I do? I supported my husband. I baked a horrible cake and had a nice reception after his ordination. The cake was an inch thick and tasted hideous because I used my aunt’s recipe for carrot cake from scratch, which I’d never attempted before. It said to use self-rising flour and mine had been in the canister long enough I’d forgotten it was all purpose. Let’s just say I don’t cook many things from scratch, another reason I wasn’t a good candidate for a preacher’s wife. The Proverbs 31 woman just isn’t me when it comes to housewifey stuff.

Though I felt completely unqualified and slightly overwhelmed at the sudden preacher’s wife title, I adjusted with help from my husband. At each church he’s pastored, he’s made a point to tell members that I’m for him. Not the church. I’m his wife and I’m there to support him. Talk about taking the pressure off.

For the last fifteen years, I’ve fumbled my way through three Baptist churches as the pastor’s wife. I’m much better and more patient than I was as a youth director’s wife. He’s been pastoring our current church for ten years and I’m there every time the doors are open, unless our son is sick or I’m really sick.

I don’t play the piano, teach Sunday school class, head up any ministries, or work in the nursery. Once a year, during VBS, I’m the craft lady. Once a year, I help pack shoeboxes for Operation Christmas Child. When we have a death and feed the grieving family, I bring food, help serve, and clean up afterward.

The rest of the time, I sit on the second pew, smile at my husband while he preaches, keep him pumped up, listen to his concerns, and tell everyone he’s the best preacher in town.

~*~
Author bio: Shannon Taylor Vannatter is a stay-at-home mom/pastor’s wife/award winning author. She once climbed a mountain wearing gold wedge-heeled sandals which became known as her hiking boots. Shannon writes inspirational contemporary romance and it took her nine years to get published in the traditional market. 

Shannon and her husband, Pastor Grant

Shannon hopes to entertain Christian women and plant seeds in the non-believer’s heart as her characters struggle with real-life issues. Their journeys, from ordinary lives to extraordinary romance through Christ-centered relationships, demonstrate that love doesn’t conquer all—Jesus does. In her spare time, she loves hanging out with her family, flea marketing, and doing craft projects. 

~*~

Connect with Shannon:
Website - http://shannonvannatter.com
Blog - http://shannonvannatter.com/blog
Facebook - http://facebook.com/shannontaylorvannatter
Goodreads - https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/29672798-shannon-vannatter
Pinterest - http://www.pinterest.com/stvannatter/
Twitter - https://twitter.com/stvauthor