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.

~*~
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.

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

Devotionals for the Heart: When you're waiting on God for answers

Playing Your Triangle for God
A devotional by Ashley Martin

“Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth. Worship the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful songs. Know that the Lord is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.”—Psalms 100:1-3 (NIV)

There are moments when it is easy to shout, sing, or make a joyful noise to the Lord, but at other times, it is not so simple.

I vividly remember the first time my son got in trouble at school. He was in kindergarten. In music class, he refused to play the triangle. They were all assigned instruments. He was not thrilled with his triangle. He flatly refused even to pick it up. A triangle is not the first instrument a five-year-old boy wants to play. They want a drum or cymbal. The louder, the better. I am sure his first thought was that it was a “girly” instrument. His resistance was so strong that he was removed from the class entirely. While the office staff chuckled at the situation, I saw it as a valuable lesson. Sometimes, we must do things we do not want to do. When did God last ask you to do something painful or awkward?

That moment stuck with me and made me reflect on how God calls us to step outside our comfort zones. Sometimes, He asks us to do difficult or inconvenient things—like sharing our testimony, helping an aging parent, or serving someone we struggle to love. Sometimes, He even asks us to wait. When did God last make you wait for an answer or a blessing? For me, waiting is the hardest part. I am in that season, unsure of what God has planned for me. I am sitting in the corner, playing my triangle for Him. It may be uncomfortable sometimes, but I trust His plan is far greater than I can imagine. I look forward to seeing it unfold. Until then, I will praise God and wait.

David wrote the Bible book of Psalms to praise his Lord. He had a special connection with his Heavenly Father from an early age. It was marked by David’s deep faith and reliance on God. As a young shepherd, David demonstrated his trust in God through his courage in protecting his flock. For instance, he trusted God to deliver him from a lion and bear. His relationship with his Lord was rooted in prayer, worship, and understanding God’s presence in his life. When David met the prophet Samuel, God revealed the boy's future. David would be king. His life only grew more difficult after this prophecy. But David’s faith carried him through many challenges, including his famous victory over Goliath. He declared that his battle was the Lord’s. God showed up!

After David defeated Goliath, King Saul took notice of him and called him to speak (1 Samuel 17:55-58). Soon after, David formed a deep friendship with Saul’s son, Jonathan, and moved into the palace. His success in battle earned him a promotion to a high-ranking position in Saul’s army (1 Samuel 18:1-5).

However, David's rising fame did not bring him peace. Samuel’s prophecy and David’s military victories fueled Saul’s growing jealousy, driving the king to seek his death. Hoping the Philistines would kill David for him, Saul set a dangerous challenge: he offered his daughter Michal in marriage if David could kill 100 Philistines and bring back proof. Undeterred, David and his men went beyond expectations, killing 200 Philistines (1 Samuel 18:5-30).

Realizing that God was with David, Saul saw him as an enemy. Fearing for his life, David fled and went into hiding. Yet, even in exile and hardship, he continued to praise God (1 Samuel 19:11-17). Eventually, David was finally crowned king but lost his best friend, Jonathan, in the process. In sadness and in victory, David honored his Father (God) in Heaven. His reign was also tumultuous. Absalom, his son, tried to overthrow him, and David had to flee again. The king of Israel and Judah hid in a cave and still cried out to God. He told of his sorrows and fears and honored God’s steadfast love. So, David played his triangle (it was really a harp) in the corner, waiting for God to make the next move. Are you currently in a similar situation? Remember, if David can stay in a cave, you can wait in your comfortable home for God to answer your prayer. He will. God never lets us down.

The next time you feel uncertain about God’s direction in a major life decision, remember King David. His life was far from peaceful. He had to step out in faith every day. Yet, he continued to play his harp and praise God. My son has also learned to adapt, though in a different way. He has graduated from the triangle to the piano. He and his music teacher have built a wonderful rapport, adjusting and growing together along the way. As for me, I feel called to pursue full-time ministry. God continues to place people and opportunities in my path to affirm this calling. However, I have yet to see a clear way forward. So, what do I do? Like David, I choose to praise God while I wait for further direction.

Let’s Pray: Lord, when You call me to step outside my comfort zone, help me to trust in Your perfect plan. Give me the strength to obey, whether You ask me to act, to love, or simply to wait. As I sit in the corner, playing my triangle for You, may my heart remain steadfast in praise, knowing that Your timing and purpose are always good. In Jesus’s Name I pray. Amen.

Song of Reflection: “Hallelujah Anyway” by Rend Collective. Listen to it here.

~*~
Author Bio:

Ashley Martin is a history teacher who has transitioned into a being a professional Christian writer and speaker. 

She felt a calling to the ministry at the age of eighteen, having known God from a young age. However, her struggle with alcoholism hindered her from pursuing this path. For nearly twenty years, Ashley taught history while battling her addiction. In 2013, she entered treatment, and at that point, the barrier between her and God finally came down.

Since then, Ashley has been sharing her story and developing her ministry. For the last nine years, Ashley has been married to her husband, West. Together, they have an eight-year-old son named Grant, and Ashley has a fourteen-year-old stepdaughter named Cameron. They call Alabama home, and they enjoy traveling the world as a family.

Nowadays, Ashley continues to teach history to middle school, high school, and college students. She also works for an online women’s ministry named Called Creatives.

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Connect with Ashley:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ashley.klages.54/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ashleymartinministry/

My email: ashleyclairemartin@gmail.com

Devotionals for the Heart: Learning lessons in school and in life

When God is Your Teacher 
A devotional by Casey Wayne

“May God give you more and more grace and peace as you grow in your knowledge of God and Jesus our Lord. By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know him, the one who called us to himself by means of his marvelous glory and excellence.”

—2 Peter 1:2-3 (NLT)

My daughter and I sat down to do her Kindergarten homework.

She was tired from her first few days of school. Everything is new and different. Every word and action expressed how much she didn’t feel like doing this anymore.

We get to a point where she has to write the number five. It's hard and she doesn't get it right the first time. There is clear tension between what she wants to do and what her body is willing to do. Tears stream down her face and she just wants to quit. I think we can all relate to getting to a place like this at some point in our life. A place where we feel like our brain can’t process anymore and our circumstances are overwhelming. We are no longer interested in learning because it is too hard. Our instincts draw us back toward what is familiar or comfortable.

Learning isn't always easy. Sometimes it can be fun, and even feel like a game. Other times, it can be painful—stretching you outside your comfort zone. Whether it's easy or not does not make the lesson any less beneficial. As a matter of fact, the lessons learned that come through struggles or making mistakes are often the ones that teach us the most. They are the ones that ingrain perseverance and strength. How we learn and grow as followers of Jesus Christ is the same. There can be times being sanctified comes easily and filled with exciting intrigue for what God will do next. Other moments it feels like God is stretching us too far.

As we learn, grow, and allow The Holy Spirit to work in us, we become more like Christ to our broken world. It is how we shine God’s light through the darkness (Matthew 5:16).

Through every season of life, God calls us to have a willingness to learn. Our willingness to be sanctified and filled with the Holy Spirit is crucial for us to grow for God’s purposes. Every season of our life can be an opportunity for us to learn and grow our faith. Times of flourishing faith are an opportunity to learn how to share Christ with others more boldly with intention. During times of struggle there is opportunity to deepen your relationship with your Heavenly Father, growing your trust in God’s faithfulness.

Colossians 3:16 (ESV) says, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.”

Christ followers must be willing to be molded into a humble servant of the Lord through all life’s seasons.

Let’s Pray:

Heavenly Father,

Thank You for Your promise to provide us with wisdom and knowledge as we seek You. Give me a heart ready to learn and grow more like Christ. Sanctify me daily for Your purposes to bring You glory.

In Jesus’s Name I pray. Amen.

Song of Reflection: “Less Like Me” by Zach Williams. Listen to it here.

~*~
Author Bio:

Casey Wayne is a wife and mother of two children.

She enjoys time with her family doing simple things like movie nights and cooking together.

As a devotional writer, Casey strives to share her story with relatable honesty, showing how God is faithful throughout the big and small moments of life.

She has a heart for encouraging the faith walk of other moms, praying they gain a deeper connection with our Heavenly Father.

Her family lives in the suburbs of Atlanta, Georgia.

~*~
Connect with Casey:
Website: https://www.caseywayne.org/
Blog: https://peaceoffaith.org/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/caseylwayne
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Peace.of.FaithCaseyWayne

Devotionals for the Heart: Recognition

Seeking Recognition
A devotional by Kay Pflueger

“But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God's people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.” –1 Peter 2:9-10 (ESV)

In my family, I am in the middle of three sisters.

My older sister was two years ahead of me in school and thus, was starting her junior year in high school when I was a freshman. Because she was older and had an established place in the ranks of high school students, I became known as “Lynn’s little sister.” I am not sure any of her friends even knew my name for the first semester of my freshman year!

Lynn was quite popular in school as a member of the dance team. She was well-liked and outgoing. The youngest, Joanie, is five years younger than me and was the cute “baby” of the family who could charm anyone and everyone. And there I was, the middle one—introverted and shy and uncomfortable in my own skin. I felt as though there was no special place for me as I was not the favored first child or the cherished last one. I was the unnoticed one in the shadows.

Recently, while I was looking for a particular book on Amazon, I stumbled across a book by Amy E. Reichert titled Two Pairs of 6” Heels and One Comfortable Shoe. This could have been the title of my autobiography! I was the comfortable shoe between two pairs of 6” heels. Oh, how I wanted so much to be noticed and to feel I had significance other than just being the middle girl. I craved recognition for my accomplishments no matter how small or insignificant they were.

Our human nature leads us to want acceptance by our peers. We want to be noticed by others, so we fill our social media feed with the “best of the best.” We only show what we think will garner “likes” and want to hide the reality of our daily lives. Satan knows we crave that recognition and tries to convince us that our worth is tied up in how many of those “likes” we receive.

However, we don’t need to do anything heroic or mind blowing or spectacular to prove our value. Our worth is defined by who we are in God. If we take to heart what the verse above says, we can accept that we are chosen by Him and are part of His royal priesthood. He loves us and has given us significance just as we are.

In Psalm 130:13-14 (ESV), David reminds us: “For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother's womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well.” Remember who you are in Jesus Christ!

Let’s Pray: Why do we keep seeking significance in the opinions of others when we know that our worth is in You (God)? Turn our eyes toward you, Lord when we begin to doubt our value. Shed light on the lies that Satan is planting in our minds and fill us with your Truth. In Jesus’s Name I pray. Amen.

~*~
Author Bio:

Learning to read as a young child opened a world of adventure for Kay Pflueger. She came to realize that words can have a unique power and beauty.

Choosing to share those words in her devotional writings has become a joyful and rewarding experience for her. As a widow, she feels a special affinity towards those who are grieving or experiencing loss.

When she is not spending time with her married son and three grandchildren, she is either reading, cooking, writing, or working on pursuing her Copyediting Certification.

Kay is an avid baseball fan who looks forward every summer to following her favorite team, the Chicago Cubs.

She is an active member of Victory Lutheran Church in her hometown of San Diego, California.

Kay enjoys writing devotions to be shared on her church’s website and personal social media.

~*~
Connect with Kay:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kay.m.pflueger
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/irishsweetpea/

Devotionals for the Heart: How to survive when the waters swell and rage

Surviving the Flood
A devotional by Christa MacDonald

“When you pass through the waters,

I will be with you;

and when you pass through the rivers,

they will not sweep over you.” –Isaiah 43:2a (NIV)

My family lives in a small, 18th century, converted barn.

The front door is in a lean-to style addition tacked onto the original structure. It’s a funky space: narrow and long with a high, slanted ceiling and one wall made of rough-cut barn boards. It’s our mud room/home office/schoolroom and on the wall above the coat hooks hangs the white board that since the pandemic, we’ve been using to organize our life. It has the monthly calendar, important dates, various doodles, and a Bible verse that we change as the mood hits.

This week I changed it to Isaiah 43:2a. I love this verse. It reminds me that when I’m in it up to my ears, I am not alone.

Like a lot of families, we’re in various stages of back-to-school chaos. Our eldest is remotely attending college from his bedroom, our youngest is being homeschooled, and our middle child is about to start remote learning 11th grade and is not happy about it. In a long and heart-wrenching discussion of how to get through it, I said something I used to hate hearing as a kid “Have you prayed about it?”

I didn’t like hearing that advice because I didn’t think it worked. I wanted to pray and have an immediate, tangible result, like making a wish and having it granted. The middle kid’s reaction to the question was the same as mine would have been at their age, eyes rolled to the ceiling.

Being a few decades further down the path of faith, I was able to articulate what the point was of praying. Since C.S. Lewis said it better than I probably did at the time, I’ll quote him. He said, “I pray because I can't help myself. I pray because I'm helpless. I pray because the need flows out of me all the time, waking and sleeping. It doesn't change God. It changes me.” My kid heard this and said, “I never thought of it that way.” An answer that made my whole year.

In the middle of a trial I pray, I cry out to God and the answer isn’t an immediate change in my circumstances, it’s a change in me. Sometimes that change is the peace that passes all understanding. Sometimes the change is renewed strength. Sometimes it’s an overflow of tears held for too long and the exhausted relief that follows. Make no mistake, God is hearing me and He is at work, but I’ve learned to pin my hopes on His providence and not my desired outcome. Not my will, but His. There’s freedom in that. There’s peace to be found there too.

When the waters come, and they have, we are not alone. God is with us.

Standing knee-deep in the river it can feel like you’ve been abandoned. When one bad thing after another happens, it can feel like God has forgotten you. Do you feel like that right now? Like it’s all been too much? That you can’t take one…more…thing going wrong?

Have you prayed about it? Have you emptied your heart out to Jesus, admitted defeat, and asked for Him to take all the weight you’ve been carrying alone? He’s in it with you. The waters are swirling around His knees too, but He’s in control and He has his hand out for you.

The waters may swell and rage but they’re not going to pull you under if your faith is in Him.

~*~
Author Bio:

Christa MacDonald is a 2017 ACFW Carol Award finalist for contemporary Christian fiction. 

A native New Englander, she was inspired by her travels through the north woods of Maine to write The Broken Trail, which would become the first in the Sweet River Redemption series published by Mountain Brook Ink.

Christa's writing focuses on the real-life challenges of the modern world, love’s sometimes crooked path, and the redemptive power of Grace.

When not working or writing Christa can be found ferrying her kids around, reading, or attempting something crafty.

She and her husband live with their three kids, two cats, and one dog along the coast of New England. Connect with Christa at www.christamacdonald.com.

Romantic Reads: Smile for Me (book)

Welcome Jan Thompson to the blog! 

She's here today to talk about her book Smile for Me. 

Enjoy the interview!

~*~

Alexis: What inspired you to write an interracial romance novel for the Christian fiction book market?

Jan: As a Christian Asian American, I have felt for many years that interracial romance is under-represented in our current Christian fiction market. In the words of Toni Morrison, “If there's a book that you want to read, but it hasn't been written yet, then you must write it.”

Taking it a step further, as a Christian who is in a multiracial family, I think that the current Christian fiction market largely does not reflect my real world. While not all my books are multiracial, I have made an effort to do so whenever the characters fit the story. I have several multiracial romances in my Savannah Sweethearts, Vacation Sweethearts, Protector Sweethearts, and Binary Hackers series.

Alexis: How did you come up with title “Smile for Me” of this first book in your Vacation Sweethearts series? Explain how your book title plays into your storyline.

Jan: Before I write the first book in each of my series, I agonize over the titles until I have all the book titles ready to go. This way, it’s easier for me to send the branding specifications to my cover designer. Vacation Sweethearts has book titles that end with “for Me.” The seven books in this series are Smile for Me, Reach for Me, Wait for Me, Look for Me, Pray for Me, Care for Me, and Cheer for Me. Each novel focuses on a couple at a vacation location that is familiar to me, somewhere I have visited in real life.

In this series, I try to mention the title at least once in the book as part and parcel of the story. In Smile for Me, my Christian beach romance set in the Bahamas, I wanted to contrast careful Byron from carefree Tina. There is a scene in which Tina asks Byron to smile for her. At the end of the novel, Byron is all smiles. I’ll let readers read it to find out why.

Alexis: How did you research this story? Did you travel to the Bahamas where it’s set?

Jan: Yes, indeed. Many years ago, my husband and I went on a cruise to the Bahamas, and I had such a memorable time that I never forgot it. I can still remember the towns and people, beaches and hammocks, ocean and sky. Since I grew up on yet another tropical island in a former British colony, I was able to relate to Nassau and Freeport. We walked about the towns, visited nearby islands, and rested under swaying coconut trees. Smile for Me is a mix of my memories of this visit, plus the recollections of my childhood days in the tropics.

Alexis: Why is your story’s hero, Byron Moss, a “deadline-driven workaholic assistant school principal” and a meticulous planner too?

Jan: Byron is based on the planner side of me, which stemmed from my past career as a computer programmer. I meticulously plan everything and I even have plans for plans. I need deadlines to complete tasks or they would take forever if I let the perfectionism in me take over. So I decided that Byron would carry his iPad around his neck to show how tied he is to his planner.

Alexis: Why is your story’s heroine, Tina MacFarland, an “easygoing art teacher and studio potter with no sense of time” who likes to live life season to season?

Jan: Tina is based on the artistic side of me. In my life, I have done wheel pottery as Tina does, and like Tina, I have painted in many mediums and enjoyed art. These days I’ve been writing more than I’ve been painting (though I hope to get back to that soon). When I did a lot of painting, I rarely looked at the clock. I could paint all day long if given the chance. I thought that as a contrast to Byron, Tina would have “no sense of time” not because she doesn’t care, but because she finds the clock limiting to her artistic side.

Alexis: What role does Summer by the Sea Day Camp play in bringing the hero and heroine together? Paint a picture (with words) of Summer by the Sea Day Camp.

Jan: Sponsored by the Chapel by the Sea Christian School in Nassau, the Summer by the Sea Day Camp run by assistant principal Byron Moss provides schoolchildren of all grades an opportunity to enrich their hobbies and interests that they might not be able to do during the regular school year. The students can go beyond their regular academic curriculum. There are actually more than just art and music camps, but in Smile for Me, I only focus on the art camp because that’s where Tina interacts the most with Byron. The two cannot avoid each other, and they must confront the friction carried over from two summers ago.

Alexis: What happened the first time that Tina and Byron met that made them at odds with each other? Is there hope for a better, healthier and happier working relationship now that they’re in the same place again?

Jan: When Tina first went to Nassau to teach in the summer camp two years ago, she and Byron didn’t get along. Tina likes to say that Byron made her cry that summer because he kept a very strict schedule in the summer camp and she could barely keep up. Byron would roll his eyes over that accusation and say that she needs to learn to be better organized.

Alexis: Does Tina think that things will be different between her and Byron as she agrees to be an art teacher for his students this second time around? Why or why not?

Jan: Now that time has passed, and each has grown spiritually and gotten wiser when my novel begins, both of them have hopes that they can work together. After all, it’s for just one month to begin with. After four weeks, if they still can’t stand each other, Tina would go home to Savannah, and that would be the end of it.

Alexis: What role does Tina’s faith in God play in her giving Byron a second chance?

Jan: Tina and Byron discover that God is always loving and ever forgiving. Once they own the truth of God in their hearts, they begin to see the special love that God has in store for them. I loved writing about how they come together this time and how God’s love conquers all. As in all my other fiction books, I often include scripture verses that my characters learn as they travel along in life.

Alexis: Why is Byron so uptight?

Jan: Byron’s family makes its fortune in the hotel and cruise industry. His brother, Donovan, enjoys his yacht, for example. His mother, Nancy—the matriarch of the family—has to run their family business alone after Byron’s father passed away suddenly. Byron has chosen the career path of an educator, earning a lesser salary than his jet-setting brother. I think Byron feels that he must be the best in his chosen profession and rise to the top, not only because he is in ministry for the Lord at a Christian school, but also to show his family that he has made the right decision for his own career.

Alexis: What are Byron’s greatest dreams for his career path and how does that goal affect how he operates?

Jan: His aspiration to become the principal (aka headmaster) overrules all else in his life. When the opportunity comes sooner than he expects, Byron plunges into more work. At the same time, he falls more and more in love with Tina, and begins to wonder if running a Christian school, with its many details, is something he wants to do for the rest of his life.

Alexis: What is it about seeing Tina again that hints to Byron’s heart that his adverse feelings for her are transforming into something more … romantic?

Jan: I think that deep in Byron’s heart, he finds Tina fascinating because she is so carefree. His work at the school is demanding, and the big shoes he has to fill as acting principal carries with it a heavy burden. When Byron is with her, he lets his guard down and he can be himself. He doesn’t have to perform or keep up protocols. He is free to seek God’s perfect will for his life without putting preconditions on himself. As he grows spiritually, his attitude towards Tina changes. Tina’s view of Byron as the taskmaster also changes, and her heart softens toward him.

Alexis: What’s the moral of the story?

Jan: There are several Bible verses in this novel, but two would probably describe the main themes of Smile for Me:

“A man's heart deviseth his way: but the Lord directeth his steps” (Proverbs 16:9 KJV).

Only God has the perfect plan, and I would do well to seek His perfect will for my career and life, rather than plan it however I want and then ask God to bless whatever I purpose. Instead, may His perfect will prevail.

“Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord: looking carefully lest anyone fall short of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by this many become defiled” (Hebrews 12:14-15 NKJV).

The Bible admonishes Christians to be at peace with one another so that we don’t cultivate the destructive “root of bitterness” that can defile our testimony. When Byron and Tina start understanding each other, they are able to encourage each other in their walk with the Lord.

Alexis: If you could step into this story as a professional counselor for both Byron and Tina, what advice would you give to each person in a private session? Why?

Jan: I would discuss the two Scripture verses above, and pray with them for God’s wisdom to guide their lives professionally and privately. I’d also remind Byron to recall his conversations with his friend, Pastor Diego Flores, who has given him some good advice about balancing his personal life and professional career. As for Tina, I would counsel her to consider adding some structure to her productivity by putting herself on a flexible schedule that allows for her creativity to flow without losing track of time. Above all, I would encourage them to keep studying God’s Word and drawing closer to Him every day.

Alexis: Thanks for the interview, Jan! Would you like to share closing thoughts?

Jan: Thank you very much for inviting me to your blog website. These are wonderful questions, and I appreciate your taking the time to prepare them. To me, writing is a calling. I have been writing for a long time, and I am thankful to God for the opportunity to be able to fulfill His calling for my life. Sometimes it takes me years to write one book. Sometimes it takes months. Either way, my ultimate goal is to glorify God!

~*~
Author Bio:

USA Today bestselling author Jan Thompson writes clean and wholesome multiethnic contemporary Christian romance with flavors of women’s fiction, Christian romantic suspense with elements of mystery, and inspirational international thrillers with threads of sweet Christian romance. 

Her books are for readers who love inspiring stories of faith, family, and friends. 

~*~
Smile for Me blurb:

She is laid-back. He is uptight. Never the twain shall…kiss?

A deadline-driven workaholic assistant school principal who meticulously plans his schedule months in advance meets an easygoing art teacher and studio potter with no sense of time, living her life as the seasons come and go. When they cross paths again at the Summer by the Sea Day Camp sponsored by his church in Nassau, Bahamas, how can they get along if they cannot see eye to eye?

From USA Today bestselling author Jan Thompson comes Smile for Me, book 1 in her Vacation Sweethearts collection of inspirational Christian travel romance novels. To start off the series, we travel to the Bahamas in the Caribbean, where the waters are clear, skies are blue, hammocks sway under coconut trees, and hearts are in love…

Tina MacFarland is laid-back…

When invited back to the Bahamas for a second time two years after a disastrous mission trip there, potter and art teacher Tina MacFarland isn’t sure she wants to face the obnoxious assistant principal of the Chapel by the Sea Christian School again. The last time she encountered Byron Moss, he found fault in everything she did. It seems that nothing she ever does is good enough for Mr. Uptight, as attractive as he may be to her.

Regardless of her personal concerns, they need art teachers at the Summer by the Sea Day Camp, and Tina answers the call to go. Surely God will help her last for four short weeks. What can possibly happen in a month? Nothing she can think of.

Byron Moss is uptight…

Assistant Headmaster Byron Moss is at a crossroad in his career. On the one hand, he has worked very hard to get to this position at the Chapel by the Sea Christian School. One more step up from this assistant principal position, and he’d be in charge of the entire school.

On the other hand, when Tina returns to Nassau, Byron suddenly feels hemmed in by his career choice. He is restricted from showing his transforming feelings for Tina. He fears he has taken a wrong turn in his career, and that if he keeps going on that route, he may lose his chances with Tina. More importantly, what is God’s will for his life? Somehow, he knows that Tina is part of all that. But she’s so…chaotic! And it drives him nuts. For the first time in his life, Byron is confused about what he needs to do.

Never the twain shall…kiss?

Ah, Byron and Tina. How will they navigate the super-conservative work environment where office romance is frowned upon? Can they change the old rules? Or will the old rules change them?

~*~
Buy Smile for Me on Amazon

~*~
Connect with Jan:
Website: JanThompson.com
Book News: JanThompson.com/newsletter
Amazon USA: JanThompson.com/amazon
Goodreads: JanThompson.com/goodreads
BookBub: JanThompson.com/bookbub
Facebook: JanThompson.com/facebook
Twitter: https://twitter.com/thompsonauthor

~*~

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: 

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Devotionals for the Heart: Weakness

What’s Your Weakness?
A devotional by Amy Odland

But He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. –2 Corinthians 12:9 (NIV)

How many of us would be quick to raise our hand if we were asked the question “Who would like to have Christ’s power rest on them?”

How quick would we be to raise those same hands if it was mentioned that in order for that to happen, we need to immediately start boasting about our weaknesses? And to do it gladly? I don’t know about you, but I for one don’t like to run around “gladly” mentioning my shortcomings to everyone I interact with each day. As a matter of fact, I am not happy at all to volunteer that I have a quick temper or am short on patience most of the time. How about you? Do you enjoy confessing you struggle with anger or addiction or are eyeball-deep in pride and self-absorption?

None of us like to look bad in front of others. While some of us find it easy to not care what others think, most of us spend a great deal of time and energy keeping up appearances to those around us. We cover our sins as best we can until we can’t anymore and they sneak out. Our kids definitely do this (as we did before them); they can keep up appearances for the most part while at school or with the grandparents, but as soon as they get home with us, the “real” kid shows up pretty quickly.

We learned fairly early on as parents to use the “Ask the Teacher” trick to point out this discrepancy between public vs. private behavior: when they’ve been misbehaving at home – whether by not doing chores, fighting with siblings, or just generally not listening to me or my husband – we ask them if we should talk to their teacher about getting some advice on what we could do to get them to listen better at home. We ask, “What would your teacher say we should do? Your teacher doesn’t ever say you act like this at school, so maybe we need to get some suggestions from your teacher.”

Once the threat of tarnishing their “perfect” reputation with the teacher is out there, they shape up awfully quick at home.

The fear of what others think of us controls us whether we realize it or not. What we maybe don’t even realize is how it also affects if Jesus Christ’s power can work through us or not. If we’re listening to the opinions of those around us and spending our time worrying about our image more than we are listening to and spending time with God, the power of Christ will not rest on us as it should. If we’re focusing more on outward voices and input, we have less energy and time to focus on the inner influences of the Holy Spirit. We have less of Christ’s power to get us through our day.

So how do we boast more about our weaknesses and allow God’s grace to be sufficient in all we do? Here are a few ideas:

We should admit when we’re wrong.

Apologize when we’ve messed up.

Give the benefit of the doubt more than we do.

Be slow to judge.

Be quick to forgive.

Be able to say “I don’t know.”

Focus on the needs of others.

Find ways to make others feel important or special.

Look for opportunities to help the oppressed or hurting.

Seek counsel for help with addictions or strongholds.

We don’t have to shout our weaknesses from the mountaintops for all to hear. We can share with trusted friends or trained counselors, those we know are safe and helpful. What we definitely aren’t supposed to do if we want Christ to overlook and forgive our weaknesses, is walk around with an attitude of unwillingness to overlook and forgive the weaknesses of others. His power will rest on us in great ways if we humble ourselves, pray, and seek His ways.

Do you have a weakness you feel God calling you to gladly boast about today?

~*~
Author Bio:

Amy Odland has been serving in church ministry as a volunteer leader for over 16 years, in various worship, prayer and women’s ministry roles.

Her passion for helping women stems from her own struggles and lessons learned in her journey as a Christian since first deciding to follow the Lord in 1994.

Amy’s priorities after her faith include her family — husband Rick, and their four kids — as well as extended family who all live close in proximity and the many friends she’s made over the years.

In addition to a love of teaching and helping her husband with the bookkeeping for their many businesses, Amy has recently expanded her stay-at-home work to include leading author’s book launch teams for publishing companies like Baker, Revell, Barbour, and Lifeway.

She also enjoys teaching new authors about platform building, self-launching, and online marketing.

~*~
Connect with Amy:
Facebook: https://facebook.com/amyodland
Instagram: https://instagram.com/amy_odland
Twitter: https://twitter.com/amy_odland
Website: https://amyodland.com

Devotionals for the Heart: Compassion

Transformational Compassion
A devotional by Chaplain Paul Anderson

“Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 

When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’” 

–Matthew 25:37-40 (NIV)

Recently, I was introduced to a phrase that caught my attention and has stuck with me: “transformational compassion.”

When I heard it, my mind was stimulated to imagine stories or scenes of compassion that transformed a life. My first thought was a song published by Ray Boltz. 

His song talks about a man who dreamed that he went to Heaven. While there he met many people, he heard angels sing. Then one day he heard someone call his name. When he turned around he saw a young boy approaching him. The boy thanked him for giving himself as a youth mentor and for his consistent invitation to accept Christ. The boy said that he responded to his appeal and God changed his life. He said, “Thank you for giving to the Lord. I am a life that was changed.”

My mind leapt to a story I read years ago about a teen boy walking home from school. On his way, he saw a younger boy walking home with an enormous amount of stuff. 

Uncharacteristically, he offered to help. The younger boy accepted his offer.

As they walked, they talked. Something clicked between them. Upon arrival at the home of the younger boy, the older boy said to the younger boy, “I will see you tomorrow.” Years went by and their relationship grew. On the day of the younger boy’s graduation, he thanked his friend profusely. As the older boy demurred, the younger boy told him that on the day that they met, he was carrying so much stuff because he was taking everything he had at school, home.

He intended to kill himself that evening, but the kindness of the older boy and the last words that he said (“I’ll see you tomorrow”), transformed his gloom into hope.

Jesus spoke of transformational compassion in Matthew 25:34-40 (NIV). He paints a word picture of socio-economic disparity and the moral imperative of individual responsibility:

“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’

“Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’”

The twist in this story is that the transformational effect of compassion was meaningful to the recipients and salvific for the giver. In this story, Jesus Christ was teaching His followers not only that doing right is its own reward, but also that there is a cosmic accounting of the smallest acts of kindness.

In my first example, the life of a child was changed eternally because of the consistent prayer of a mentor. The second example demonstrates how a simple, spontaneous act of kindness, saved a life, created an undying relationship and changed at least two lives.

The object lesson of the Christ is that acts of kindness to the poor, hungry, downtrodden, addicted, imprisoned or different, are really declarations of the giver, into the cosmos, of the caliber of one’s character. In that parable, the purveyors of compassion were ushered into the presence and fellowship of God.

Today, I pray that you may feel challenged to make an investment of kindness into someone’s life. Your deed of kindness may be the catalyst that catapults someone else from doom and gloom to hope and purpose. Your investment of kindness will be noted and affirmed in this world and the next. May dividends flow upon you from the storehouses of heaven in such abundance that you become a greater conduit of grace and kindness than you ever dreamed!

~*~
Author Bio:

Chaplain Anderson served for 20 years as a U.S. Navy Chaplain. Over 26 years of active duty, he was promoted through the ranks from Seaman Apprentice (E2) to his final rank as Commander (O5) in the Chaplain’s Corps. 

Prior to his Naval career, Chaplain Anderson pastored in the Allegheny East and Potomac Conferences of Seventh-day Adventists. His undergraduate preparation for ministry was completed at Washington Adventist University in Takoma Park, Md.

He has subsequently earned four graduate degrees: a Master of Divinity from Andrews University in Michigan, a Master of Education in Counseling and Personnel Services from the University of Maryland in College Park, Maryland and a Masters of Sacred Theology in Religion and Culture from Boston University. His Doctor of Ministry degree was conferred by Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington, D.C.

Chaplain Anderson also completed four units of Clinical Pastoral Education at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. He also holds certifications in Suicide Awareness and Prevention, Civil Mediation, Alternative Workplace Dispute Resolution, Temperament Analysis, Marriage Enrichment, Workforce Diversity, and is a certified Life Coach.

Devotionals for the Heart: Battles

Choose Your Battles
A devotional by Malinda Fugate

Key Scripture:

Ephesians 6:10-18, Matthew 5:13-15, Matthew 5:43-48 (NIV)

“I may never march in the infantry…. But I’m in the Lord’s army!”

Our young voices rang out on Sunday mornings or in summer Vacation Bible School, declaring our allegiance to a holy cause. Stories of Joshua, Gideon, and King David filled our imaginations with the glory of war. Before graduating elementary school, we were ready to be all that we could be in God’s military.

Youth group lectures warned of the dangers of public school and pending adulthood as we emerged into a world that did not love Jesus Christ the way we did. Our loins were girded with preparations of encounters with those who would challenge the Word of God. We were called to be set apart as God’s holy people and ready to defend against rejection while being on the offense, boldly declaring God’s truths in a sinful world. The imagery of battle was often used to illustrate this modern Christianity.

So is it any wonder, in our current climate of political divisiveness and high stakes, that our approach becomes oppositional?

Young Christians who prepared for war are now adults, armed and ready at our keyboards, slinging charged words with the rest of the world. Scriptures become weaponized and targeted for impact. We march in protests, speak out against those who disagree, and often train our children to do the same. But when our humanity creeps into good intentions, do our words become mean-spirited? Do our efforts focus on outwitting our neighbor and winning arguments? Are we now trying to score points for the Lord in a religious war we spent our childhood preparing for?

In our zeal, we’ve forgotten something very important. In our fervor, we turned our neighbor into our opponent and it was never meant to be that way.

Let’s start with a familiar call to battle, the description of the Armor of God in Ephesians. Our preparations include a belt of truth, breastplate of righteousness, feet equipped to share the gospel, helmet of salvation, shield of faith, and the very crucial sword of the Spirit – the Word of God. The spiritual conflict is very real, so we need to prepare ourselves appropriately. Clearly, there is a raging battle and we were called to fight.

But Ephesians 6:12 shares with us an extremely vital piece of information: “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”

In the frenzy of the fight, we took the target off the true enemy and placed it on our neighbor.

Jesus knew that it was difficult to live in a sinful world and there would be people who opposed us, just as they opposed Him. Yet, He instructed us in Matthew 5:44-45a, “But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven.” We have been commanded by our God to love both our neighbors and our enemies. We are not fighting them, but instead taking on Satan and his forces.

We were not called to combat with violence and anger, but to live as Christ, actively demonstrating the love of God. Every action and word should reflect His character. Should we be bold in telling the truth? Yes, but with kindness and compassion.

God’s Word stands firm and speaks loudly without our attempts to use it forcefully or manipulate verses to match our own perspectives. In Matthew 5:13-16, Jesus tells us that we are salt and light. We are here to be positive, Christ-like influences on the world around us with hearts so full of love that they spill over and bless our neighbor. How much more profoundly does His truth speak when delivered with that love rather than shouted with insults? A battle plan executed with God’s love is astronomically more effective than any strategy we create on our own.

As we log on to social media or engage in conversations with our brothers and sisters, let us meet each perspective with the love of God. Friendly discussions examining our differences are a gentle yet powerful testimony. Following up with loving actions is even more impactful as we pray for and meet the needs of our neighbors who are different than we are.

Let’s aim to be like Christ as we speak truth and stand firm against the spiritual forces of evil while simultaneously loving our neighbors. May we truly be a light in the world, humble servants used by the Lord for the glory of His kingdom, vessels of His love.

~*~
Author Bio:

Malinda Fugate writes from the heart.

Though she serves full time as the Children’s Education Director at a church in Southern California, she is also a crafter of words published in books, including The Other Three Sixteens (May 2020 release with Ambassador International), Bible Time for Active Kids, which is an activities-based devotional that is available for purchase on Amazon, and The Pen and the Sword: Connecting With the Word of God, which is an interactive creative writing journal.

Malinda earned a communications degree with a theatre emphasis from Azusa Pacific University, then worked behind the scenes at the Los Angeles Salem radio stations, including The Fish and KKLA.

Her writing includes children's faith resources, commercial copywriting, and various faith-based stage and screenplays. Malinda lives by the beach with her pup, Yoshi.

When she's not writing or working at church, she might be creating art, reading, or exploring the many adventures to be found in the Los Angeles area.

~*~
Connect with Malinda:
Website: www.malindafugate.com
Blog: https://malindafugate.wordpress.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/malthestar/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/malthewriter/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/malthewriter/

Devotionals for the Heart: Discipline

God Disciplines Us
A devotional by Amy Odland

Moses saw that the people were running wild and that Aaron had let them get out of control and so become a laughingstock to their enemies. So he stood at the entrance to the camp and said, “Whoever is for the Lord, come to me.” And all the Levites rallied to him. Then he said to them, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘Each man strap a sword to his side. Go back and forth through the camp from one end to the other, each killing his brother and friend and neighbor.’” The Levites did as Moses commanded, and that day about three thousand of the people died. Then Moses said, “You have been set apart to the Lord today, for you were against your own sons and brothers, and he has blessed you this day.” 

– Exodus 32:25-29 (NIV)

“Your name is going on the board.”

If you’re as old as I am, you probably remember the dread you felt when your teacher said this.

Back in the 1980’s, if you were acting up or, as was the case with some teachers, if you were just talking when you weren’t supposed to, the teacher would write your name on the board. Your next infraction resulted in getting a check behind your name, and if you got enough checks behind your name, you “won” a trip down to the principal’s office.

If you were like me, you tried to avoid getting your name on the board at all, if ever. I think I could count on Mickey Mouse’s hand how many times I got my name on the board in elementary school. I was a hardcore people pleaser and usually did my best to stay out of trouble.

Nowadays, teachers don’t use such “barbaric” methods of keeping their classrooms on task. Writing kids’ names on the board for ALL TO SEE is apparently too damaging to the self-esteem, too harsh, or too whatever other excuses we’ve come up with over the years. Which explains why my kids responded the way they did – with eyes wide and gasps of horror – when I was trying to explain this concept to them on the way to school one day.

I imagine the Israelites’ response to the Levites going through the camp randomly killing people would’ve been similar to my kids, but turned up a notch or two (or ten). I also imagine there was a bit of chaos until everyone in the camp found out what was going on.

I think we sometimes get so caught up in the love and grace and forgiveness of God that we forget about His wrath and punishment. But the times when God unleashed His discipline are right there in the Bible, written in black and white (and bloody red). There are many examples of God disciplining His followers in the Bible, but especially so with the Israelites and their journey into the promised land. One may ask, WHY did God discipline them? Does God discipline us today?

Most of us who are parents don’t want our kids to grow up to be entitled, spoiled, and/or selfish non-contributors to society. God is the same in that He wants us to grow into the wise, giving, loving, discerning people He sees us to be, the creation He designed us to be. He needed the Israelites to enter into the promised land by HIS might, not by their own. He needed them to do it a certain way so they didn’t take all the credit and have their egos blow up. They were acting like knuckleheads and God wasn’t going to have it. His discipline doesn’t always make sense when it’s happening to us, and it may seem super harsh at times. But, just as we want our children to trust us when we say the stove is hot, God wants us to trust His ways and thoughts.

Lets read Isaiah 55:8-9 (NIV): “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”

God needs us to learn to live by HIS might, by HIS ways, not by our own.

So yes, He still disciplines us today. God disciplines us because He loves us, because He wants us to experience a little of Heaven while we’re still here on Earth, just as we did in the garden.

God does it so we don’t “burn ourselves on the stove” or worse, make Him a laughingstock to our enemies. Now, HOW He disciplines us is also a whole ‘nother post for another day...stay tuned!

~*~
Author Bio:

Amy Odland has been serving in church ministry as a volunteer leader for over 16 years, in various worship, prayer and women’s ministry roles. 

Her passion for helping women stems from her own struggles and lessons learned in her journey as a Christian since first deciding to follow the Lord in 1994.

Amy’s priorities after her faith include her family — husband Rick, and their four kids — as well as extended family who all live close in proximity and the many friends she’s made over the years.

In addition to a love of teaching and helping her husband with the bookkeeping for their many businesses, Amy has recently expanded her stay-at-home work to include leading author’s book launch teams for publishing companies like Baker, Revell, Barbour, and Lifeway.

She also enjoys teaching new authors about platform building, self-launching, and online marketing.

~*~
Connect with Amy:
Facebook: https://facebook.com/amyodland
Instagram: https://instagram.com/amy_odland
Twitter: https://twitter.com/amy_odland
Website: https://amyodland.com

Devotionals for the Heart: Defeat

A Beautiful Defeat
A devotional by Mirachelle Canada

“He existed before anything else, and he holds all creation together. Christ is also the head of the church, which is his body. He is the beginning, supreme over all who rise from the dead. So he is first in everything. For God in all his fullness was pleased to live in Christ, and through him God reconciled everything to himself. He made peace with everything in heaven and on earth by means of Christ’s blood on the cross.” 

– Colossians 1:17-20 (NLT)

Why are we afraid to fail in front of others?

Recently, I found myself in a situation where the fear of failure stalked me.

It began during a lunch break at teacher conference a few days before the start of school. I had received an email message with evidence that I had relayed wrong information to a parent. I had thought a glitch in our new registration system was the culprit, which would have been easy to fix, but the harsh reality was I had made the mistake. It had occurred months previous to this, when a grade point average minimum policy removed the student and I had missed officially informing the parent.

To make matters worse, I was nowhere I could call the parent or talk to my colleagues in person. The only alternative was to email them with the news, but it was late in the day so I knew I wouldn’t hear anything back until morning. That night as I lay in bed, I played out every scenario in my mind: From my boss’s condescending lecture, to the look of disappointment on the head of counseling’s face, and the yells of anger spewing from the parent on the phone.

I was in mental hell, wrapped in steal blankets of imagined humiliation and defeat. I prayed but felt nothing. No peace. No alternative answer. No way out.

That morning, I resolved to call the parent immediately, then to face my boss and so on. In the parking lot I sought God. His question rose, “Are you done striving in your own defeat?” I surrendered everything over to him. “Now that you have placed me between you and the world, I can fix this,” He replied, then prompted me to text my church life group and ask them to pray for me. After they positively replied, I went into work feeling unburdened.

A half hour later, after I had told the parent the truth, I waited for the yelling, but it never came. Instead I was met with a calm voice of understanding and acceptance. Afterward, my sense of failure washed away on a morning tide of forgiveness. I opened my email anticipating my boss’s curt response, but my inbox was empty. My self-inflicted moments of anticipated humiliation dissipated like a vapor. The outcome of my failure was nothing I had imagined it. I’d been ready to face my failure and defeat but had forgotten that His cross had already done it for me.

So often we forget the power of the cross. We get comfortable among the world when things are going right and seek to fix our problems with the world by our own actions and words when they aren’t. Then we wonder why we are tormented by the spirits of humiliation, anger, and fear of failure.

God is the ultimate overcomer, but He is also a gentleman, which is why His word tells us to ask of Him. When we ask Him for help and surrender our situation to Him, we place the power of the cross and His blood between ourselves and the world.

As we lay everything down at His feet the tormentors are ceased, and the battle is won by our Savior through the victory of His blood that He shed for us. He washes us clean once again and lifts us back up rich in hope and acceptance.

We are made humbled and reconciled, but it is a beautiful defeat wrapped in the freedom of His love as we face the world again; this time, with His cross before us.

~*~
Author Bio:

Mirachelle Canada is a writer, playwright, screenwriter and theatre director/producer from Northern Virginia. She teaches television production at C.D. Hylton Senior High School. 

She earned her Master of Fine Arts in Script & Screenwriting from Regent University and is a member of Act One: Hollywood Film & Television Writing Program, American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW), ACFW Virginia Chapter, The Jerry Jenkins Writers Guild, and Your Novel Blueprint.

Mirachelle is passionate about awakening creativity and the gifts of God in everyone. She is currently working on her first historical fiction novel set during WWII, inspired by her time studying theatre education in London, England.

In her spare time, she also writes and directs Christmas and Easter passion plays at Christ Chapel Assembly of God in Woodbridge, Va.

~*~
Connect with Mirachelle:
Website: www.mirachellecanada.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mirachellecanada/
Instagram: https://instagram.com/mirachelle77/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/miracan

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.