Devotionals for the Heart: New Faith

In The Beginning
A devotional by Victoria Bylin

“Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.” –1 Peter 3:15 (NIV)

May is a big month for my family. We celebrate Mother’s Day, three family birthdays, plus my husband and I mark our wedding anniversary. That day always takes me back to the beginning of our faith walk, especially to a particular night at my parents’ front door.

Mike and I weren’t Christians when we started going out, though people were praying for us. We were just friends, and my then-boyfriend was out of the country. Mike, figuring I was bored, graciously (ha-ha!) asked if I wanted to see the new Star Trek movie. I said, “Sure. Why Not?”

Before we knew it, we were enjoying each other’s company far more than we expected. We went to more movies, grabbed a few dinners, and then that night happened. Mike knocked on my parents’ front door and said, “Vicki, I have to tell you something.”

“I have to tell you something too.” 

In unison we said, “I’ve been reading the Bible.”

Mike would tell you he experienced utter joy the moment he accepted Christ. The sun literally burst through gray clouds. Me? Not so much. Becoming a Christian wasn’t all sweetness and light. In fact, it was a tough, bitter decision, because I knew my life would change. But my parents were praying for me, and I finally cracked. “Okay, God,” I said in the dark. “If you’re real, I want to know You.”

In the Bible, the Greek word “dunamis” means power, strength, or ability. It’s used about 120 times in the New Testament and is the root for our word “dynamite.” With that prayer to know if God was real, I lit the fuse and—just like I thought—everything in my life changed, or more accurately, it exploded.

The decision to pray that first prayer took me down a road every bit as intellectually challenging as my time at UC Berkeley. The Bible came alive for me in a personal way, but faith needs to be grounded on more than emotion. One more question demanded an answer: Did Jesus Christ really rise from the dead?

The pastor of our church at the time approached the question as a skeptic determined to disprove the resurrection. During a series on Easter, he went down the list of possible explanations. Not one of them held up under logical scrutiny. The last theory—that the disciples stole Christ’s body to protect their lies—didn’t work any better than the others. The apostles all martyred, except John who was exiled, and they died horrible deaths. Who would do that for a lie, especially a lie that wouldn't pay off?

The argument that the resurrection didn't happen, because it couldn't happen, is circular reasoning. If we take a step back and ask, "What if it’s true?” all sorts of possibilities open up—but we're not done yet. I'm not advocating blind acceptance. We need historical verification and archaeological evidence—and it's there. How many times have you heard a news story about a fresh discovery that confirms Biblical history? The more we dig in the ground, the more truth we unearth.

Many years have passed since that night at my parents’ front door. Mike and I have lived in three states, owned or rented nine homes, and raised a family that’s grown into the next generation. We’ve had careers that have astounded us, survived heartache, and rejoiced at the small pleasure of birds nesting in our backyard.

We’ve lived through a lot of change, but one thing is certain: Our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ is on solid ground.

~*~
Author Bio:

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

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

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

Writing is a joy and a challenge for Victoria, but faith, friends and family matter to her far more. She’s a wife, mom, proud grandmother, and a dog-mom to a wacky Jack Russell Terrier. Originally from California, she and her husband currently make their home in Lexington, Kentucky. 

When she’s not writing, Victoria enjoys long walks, travel, and dark chocolate.

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

Thankful Thursdays: My thoughts on the power of prayer

It's Thursday and I'm thankful for the power of prayer!

Earlier today, I prayed for a woman in the parking lot of the grocery store. She asked me for money and shared her story of hardship. I told her that I didn't have money to give but I could pray for her. So then and there, I placed a hand on her shoulder, we both bowed our heads and I prayed. I asked God to send her people who could help her and to help her and her family through this tough time.

Hours later, I've already forgotten her name but I know that God knows her name and He heard my prayers for her and He'll answer those prayers according to His will because God loves ALL of His children so I am certain He will send help.

This Thursday, I'm doing something different with my routine "Thankful Thursdays" post. I'm going to share a video of a sermon by Dr. Tony Evans. The sermon is titled, "Prayer That Works." After you watch his message, I ask that you please pray for him and his wife Lois. She is battling a rare form of cancer. You can learn more about her situation by reading this article (click here).

I believe in the power of prayer and I believe that God always answers every prayer that we pray to Him. God's Word (The Holy Bible) advises us in Hebrews 4:16 (KJV), "Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need."

Read more Bible verses about the power of prayer by clicking here.

As promised, you can watch the sermon by Dr. Tony Evans by pressing the play button on the video below. 

Be encouraged, friends! God loves you!

Love,

Alexis A. Goring
Founder of "God is Love" blog

Devotionals for the Heart: A word for those who are struggling in their faith

Lost and Wandering
A devotional by Christa MacDonald

“My brothers and sisters, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring that person back, remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of their way will save them from death and cover over a multitude of sins.” 
– James 5:19-20 (NIV)

“Don’t you know by now why the chosen are few? It’s harder to believe than not to.” This line from a Steve Taylor song resonated heavily with me when in college I began to question everything. I was trying to discover who I wanted to be and what I wanted out of life.

What I thought would be a philosophical exercise ended up a multi-year fight for my soul. Not everyone who enters adulthood asks deep questions that end up unraveling them, but all children of believers do face a similar challenge, taking the faith of their parents and culture and turning it into a real, saving faith of their own. It’s in that struggle that many end up lost.

Suffering is another test that separates churchgoers from believers with a saving faith. There are folks who show up every Sunday, go to all the meetings, sing all the hymns, do all the right things, but their hearts are still untouched. Then a loss, a sickness, a hit of some kind blows their life up. If they never truly repented and put their faith and trust in Jesus, then their faith can’t sustain them and they lose their way. They think God has abandoned them when they never really let Him in to begin with.

It’s not always a dramatic event either. Sometimes it is years of doubts that have been left to ruminate. It becomes easier to think of church as a building where you go if you’re a good person and not, instead, a group of people united by faith that should feed your soul or hold you accountable. People let church become a social club, a place to belong to, and over time, it becomes less important, less vital until it’s virtually meaningless.

It’s up to us to spot folks in our midst who are struggling or those who seem to be wandering. In our church families, we need to hold each other accountable, to check in with each other. We need to be real with those around us and not content to assume that just because someone is in a pew on Sunday morning that what they truly believe constitutes a saving faith. And for those that we can see wandering, we must be brave and seek them out. Have those tough conversations because it’s life and death. 

Grace truly does cover a multitude of sins and no one is beyond the mercy of God, but we’ve got to tell them that. People can hear a sermon in church every weekend and still not understand the Gospel.

God has placed us on earth to reach out to the lost and wandering and share with them the life-changing, earth-shattering truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Be bold, friends.

~*~
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.

Read with Audra: Blog tour stop for "She Dreams" by Tiffany Bluhm

Welcome to my blog's stop on the "She Dreams: Live the Life You Were Created for" book tour coordinated by Audra Jennings PR!

Today, we're featuring my review of this book by Tiffany Bluhm and other fun features related to her book like a special giveaway contest!

Enjoy!

~*~
My Review: 

This book, She Dreams: Live the Life You Were Created for, is a true gem! I read the entire book in one sitting and found so many shiny treasures within, from the author’s voice to the life lessons imparted and the beautiful inspiration of the content that shines forth on every page.

Tiffany Bluhm, the author, has a unique storytelling voice that really shines through in this book. The first example shone within the first few pages when the author said, “So if you are a painter, bust out the brushes. If you are a writer, sharpen that pencil or get out that computer. If you are a runner, grab those nifty running shoes. If you are a singer, then saaang, girrrl.” (She Dreams, page 8).

I love that the book editor didn’t require that the author spell the word “saaang” correctly as “sang” and didn’t require that she change “girrrl” to “girl” because it stayed true to the author’s unique voice. When I read that line, it made me think of my own friends who talk like that and it also sounded like I could actually hear the author speaking to me in the relaxed, flavorful manner in which a friend would speak to a friend. It warmed my heart and made me laugh because I could hear her humor in the way that she said those words. Her writing style makes you feel like she’s talking to you about life in person, as a she would with a good friend, while you each enjoy a cup of coffee or tea.

The author continues to drive her point home in the following sentences on page eight of her book. She wrote, “If you are a helper, start helping. If you are a giver, give generously. If you are a peacemaker, build bridges toward peace. Do what makes you uniquely you! You do you, friend. No one else can. You’ll never regret doing what you love—unless it’s illegal or harmful. That would be bad. Go ahead and regret that—or better yet, don’t do it. But if something sparks joy in you and blesses others, then go ahead and get at it! Because you, my darling, were created to pursue the dreams of your heart.”

Throughout this book, the author maintained an encouraging tone of voice and captivating storytelling style. She wasn’t afraid to wear her heart on her sleeve by sharing a few personal stories from her own life experience in dealing with everything from racism to heartbreak and she didn’t hold back in sharing valuable life lessons that she picked up along the way.

This is a book written by a woman for the hearts of women. The author, though only in her early thirties, has been seasoned by life in ways that sometimes take a lifetime for others to experience.

The author is a dreamer and throughout her book, she encourages her target audience to dream not only for the sake of whimsical wonders but for the fact that God placed a dream in their heart and it is their duty to fulfill it.

She Dreams is written in a way that helps women push for courage, grace and grit—all factors that are necessary to making their God-sized dreams come true.

I love how the author brought God into the picture in almost every chapter, showing the reader that faith in God plays a major role in making the dreams that He’s given you come true. In the summary of her book, the author writes, “God in His goodness breathes new dreams within our hearts and revives the dreams that have died, inviting us to trust Him as we dream impossible dreams that only He can bring to pass—because God not only gives dreams; He fulfills them.” And to that, I as the reader, said “Hallelujah, Amen!”

The messages in this book are adequately supported with Bible-based examples as the author dares the reader to “dream the impossible dreams the Lord is stirring in your heart, reclaim any broken dreams, and trust God for the victory.” She touches on how to pray to God about your dreams, how to obey God as you pursue what He has in store for you, reasons why your God-given dreams are not just for you but are to bless others, and she talks about how your failures can be the catalyst to helping your dreams come true. Most of all, she directs her readers to God as the wise Dream Giver.

I believe that the author achieved her goal of helping her readership discover their dreams and walk into their destiny as they trust God to help them achieve the impossible. I’d recommend this book to every woman with a God-given dream on her heart.

*I (Alexis A. Goring) received a complimentary copy of She Dreams: Live the Life You Were Created for from Audra Jennings PR. My opinions in this honest review are my own.

  

~*~

About the book:

Say yes to the dreams God has planted in your heart.

Every woman was born to dream—to live a life of beauty, passion, adventure, and purpose. No matter how big or how small they are, our dreams push us to become women of courage, grace, and grit. God in His goodness breathes new dreams within our hearts and revives the dreams that have died, inviting us to trust Him as we dream impossible dreams that only He can bring to pass—because God not only gives dreams; He fulfills them.

In this six-week study we will look at Moses’ journey to live out the God-sized dream given to him, exposing the ancient wisdom and truth God offers for every woman with a dream beating in her heart. With timely truth and encouraging accounts of God’s heart and hand in the life of Moses as well as in the lives of ordinary women, author Tiffany Bluhm will dare you to dream the impossible dreams the Lord is stirring in your heart, reclaim any broken dreams, and trust God for the victory. Throughout the study you will identify:

- The role of prayer as you grow into your dreams.
- The importance of obedience as you pursue what God has for you.
- Why your dreams are a blessing not only to you but also to others.
- How your failures can be a gift that help your dreams become a reality.
- The life-changing love, power, and wisdom of the Dream Giver.

Get ready to discover the role you are designed and destined to play as you partner with God for the impossible!

In addition to the book, there is a Bible study guide with leader helps and DVD available.

Links to purchase

Read chapter 1 for free.

Download chapter 1 of the audio book for free.

~*~
About the author:

Tiffany Bluhm, author of the She Dreams trade book and Bible study, is a speaker and writer who is passionate about helping women come to know their value and purpose because of a loving, redeeming God.

In a style that speaks to women right where they are, she shares insights from a life spent chasing after Jesus while walking alongside women from suburbia to the inner city, jails and brothels, and the slums of Kolkata.

Tiffany speaks regularly at conferences and events, and writes for a number of websites, print publications, and popular blogs, including the YouVersion Bible app, Deeply Rooted Magazine, and ScaryMommy.com.

She lives in Tacoma, Washington, with her husband and two sons, and blogs at TiffanyBluhm.com.

Learn more at www.SheDreamsBook.com.

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Connect with Tiffany:
Website - www.tiffanybluhm.com
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/TiffanyABluhm/
Twitter - https://twitter.com/TiffanyBluhm

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A Video about the book:

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Enter the Giveaway Contest:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Devotionals for the Heart: Fenced In

Don’t Fence Me In
A devotional by Amanda Wen

“Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think.” –Ephesians 3:20 (NLT)

When I was about eight years old, my family adopted a chinchilla named Herbie. Chinchillas, if you’re not familiar, are some of the most adorable little creatures you’ll ever meet. Usually a silvery gray, they have the body of a small rabbit, the ears and tail of a squirrel, and the thickest, softest fur imaginable.

Chinchillas are known for their active and inquisitive nature. Although they spend most of the time in large cages, these adorable little fluffballs do best when allowed some free roaming time to investigate and explore. However, being rodents, chinchillas also chew. On everything. All the time.

In an effort to both keep Herbie safe from chewing on something she shouldn’t, and to keep at least some of our stuff free from chinchilla-tooth autographs, my dad constructed a wooden barrier to keep her hemmed in during her explorations. My dad is quite the handyman, and this was a serious, well-crafted fence, complete with hinges, finished edges, and protective varnish.

However, we had woefully underestimated our new pet’s jumping capabilities. The first time we tried it, Herbie bounced straight for it, effortlessly leaped on top of it, and gave us a twinkly-eyed chinchilla-grin before hopping down to the outside of the barrier, free to roam to her little heart’s content.

Oops.

I laugh at this story, but I also find it convicting, because I know I tend to do that with God sometimes. “Okay, God,” I tell Him. “Here are the parts of my life I’m willing to give You. Here are my plans, my goals, my dreams, and my schedule, all within this nice little fence I’ve constructed for You. As long as You stay within that, all is well.”

But an infinite God cannot be contained by my pathetic attempts to box Him in. His ways are higher, and His plans are greater. He who created the universe from nothing, who causes the sun to rise and set, who has numbered the days of our lives and the hairs on our head, He who sent His very own Son to redeem us all…Do I really think I know better than He does when it comes to what my life should look like? Do I really think, even with my active imagination, that the plans I come up with are better than His?

As a certified, card-carrying control freak, letting God have control of my life scares me. I don’t like not knowing what’s ahead. I don’t enjoy the feeling of not being in charge. But looking back on my life and remembering all the times He’s been faithful, all the times I can agree with Him that His plans were indeed better, even though at the time I would’ve chosen mine, helps keep me secure in the knowledge that His plans are indeed best.

Fellow believers, we have a choice. We can try to contain God, to erect silly boundaries that He is more than capable of leaping over…or we can allow our Loving Father to have free reign in our lives, knowing that everything He does is for our ultimate good—though not always our temporary good—because He is good.

I pray we will always choose the latter.

~*~
Author Bio:

Amanda Wen is an award-winning writer of contemporary inspirational romance and split-time women’s fiction. 

A first place winner in the 2017 Indiana Golden Opportunity Contest, she also placed first in the 2017 Phoenix Rattler Contest, the 2017 Great Expectations Contest, and the 2016 ACFW First Impressions Contest, among others. In addition, she was a finalist in the 2018 ACFW Genesis Contest.

Amanda is a member of the American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW) and regularly contributes author interviews for their Fiction Finder feature. She’s also been spotted onstage with the worship team at recent ACFW conferences. Amanda is represented by Tamela Hancock Murray of the Steve Laube Agency.

In addition to her writing, Amanda maintains an active and rewarding career as a freelance cellist, frequently performing with symphony orchestras, string quartets, and her church’s worship team. She lives in the Midwest with her amazing husband and their three adorable and hilarious Wenlets.

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Connect with Amanda:
Facebook: www.facebook.com/authoramandawen
Twitter: www.twitter.com/authoramandawen
Instagram: www.instagram.com/authoramandawen
Website: www.amandawen.com

Devotionals for the Heart: Vanity

Vanity Plates: Inspiration or Indictment?
A devotional by Chaplain Paul Anderson

One of the most thrilling experiences of my life was catalyzed by a bumper sticker. It asked a simple question, “What ever happened to the dreams of your youth?”

I passed the car and began cataloguing some of my youthful dreams that I had allowed to slip into the recesses of my mind. By the time I arrived at home, I had chosen one to fulfill. Skydiving. I did it.

Recently, I was similarly riveted by a vanity license plate, on a car. It simply read “NMYHRT!” I don’t know what the driver had in mind when she chose that tag. My mind immediately began searching for cognates in my memory. Songs from youth began to resonate in my mind. There’s within my heart a melody…”, “I’ve got the joy, joy, joy, joy, down in my heart…”, But the song that goes, “Lord, I want to be a Christian, in my heart…” resonated in my being. My car became a sanctuary as I rehearsed those songs in my mind.

Later in the day, I thought about the biblical line in Proverbs 23:7 (KJV) that says, “For as a man thinketh in his heart so is he.” Building upon that refrain, I remembered a paragraph that I had memorized from the book by James Allen “As a Man Thinketh.” The quote was, “The outer conditions of a person’s life will always be found to be harmoniously related to his inner state…Men do not attract that which they want, but that which they are.”

Flowing from that stream of consciousness, I then reflected on another biblical line from the Gospel of Matthew 12:34 (KJV). It says, “Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.” It means that what ever thoughts reside in the recesses or forefront of your consciousness, will eventually be manifest in your speech, deeds and maybe even subconscious/reflex actions.

I then remembered a line that my father reiterated in my youth when he exhorted me to clean up my room. He would say, “People can tell a lot about your character by looking at your horizontal spaces and your closet.” My suits, sport coats, pants, shirts and ties are hung in an orderly manner. The suits and shirts hang from light to dark, left to right and my shirts similarly. Old clothes in good shape are donated.

Recently, I found a suit and a few shirts that had small holes in them. Moths? I discarded them. My desk, well, I know where everything is, most of the time. Regularly, I must clear my desk, file what is important and discard what is not.

All of this ruminating was prompted by those 7 characters on the rear bumper of a car. Now I think, was it inspirational or indicting? I think both because it forced me to think about my thought life and how badly I need to attend that closet. What is on the horizontal spaces of my consciousness? What is on yours?

If what is in my heart is reflected by who I am, what I have and if what I am experiencing is the product of my thoughts, I have some work to do. We all do.

Join me in a new quest! Let’s examine and if necessary, reorder the closet and horizontal spaces of our interiors. Discarding old, tattered or destructive mindsets may give us more spiritual and emotional energy.

Embracing and exploring some of the ideas and dreams that lie as eggs in the ovaries of our souls, may restore fertility, verve and productivity in our lives.

Enthusiasm is catalyzed in the uncluttered soul. What’s in your heart?

~*~
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 Columbia Union College (WAU) in Takoma Park, Maryland. He has subsequently earned four graduate degrees–a Master of Divinity from Andrews University in Berrien Springs, 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.

Thankful Thursdays: Perfect Timing

It’s Thursday and I’m thankful for God’s perfect timing!

There are many ways that God’s timing is perfect.

Today, I want to talk about situations where God prompts you to do something for someone and that someone says that your timing was perfect because you sent exactly what he or she needed, exactly when they needed it.

Such a situation happened to me earlier this week. While spending “quiet time” with God through prayer and studying The Holy Bible, I read a side note in my True Identity Bible that talked about how God is deep. Here is what the side note said…

He is Deep: The psalmist was in deep despair as his enemies mocked, “Where is your God?” Though in a time of depression, he wisely reminded himself that God isn’t only in the heights; he is also in the depths. “Deep calls to deep…” Perhaps you, like the psalmist, have felt waves of despair sweeping over you, threatening to take you under. Perhaps you feel so down you can’t look up. Learn from the psalmist to remember God and share your feelings with him. When your thoughts take you to deep, dark places, let God take you deep into himself.

Inspired by this message, I typed it into my phone and sent it as a text message to several friends and family who were on my heart. One of my friends wrote a reply to me saying, “Alexis your timing is perfect. Needed this. Thank you! Deep calls to deep.”

As believers in God, both my friend and I know that it wasn’t my timing that was perfect—it was God’s perfect timing!

This is not the first time that God has impressed me to send a message, song, quote or note to someone and they responded saying that the timing of that content was “perfect.” Each time that happens, I thank God for using me to help that person and I remind that person to give glory to God because it was Him who prompted me to send that content in perfect timing.

I’ve also been reminded of the importance of diving into God’s Word (The Holy Bible) on a daily basis because each time I study His Word, He either has a message for me or someone else (or both) and when I share it with the people He’s placed on my heart they often said that the timing was perfect.

I don’t ever want to miss an opportunity to share a message that God’s given me with someone who needs it. I am grateful for God’s perfect timing.

Aren’t you?

Share your stories about situations in your life when God’s timing was perfect. Your testimony will encourage others!

God bless you, dear friends.

Love,

Alexis A. Goring
Founder of “God is Love” blog