Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | June 15, 2021

When Will You Come To Your Senses?

“When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired servants.’ So he got up and went to his father.” Luke 15:17-20

A sweet sister and I were recently talking about our Christian walks, and the walks of our respective spouses and children. Now, as believers, having done our best to raise our children to love and serve the Lord, it’s heartbreaking to watch a child (or spouse) turn off the narrow path and begin meandering down the wide road with the masses. Maybe, though, it’s the person looking back at you in the mirror who, like the young man in the parable of the lost son (Luke 15:11-32), was engaged in “wild living,” squandering everything you have.

As my friend and I shared hard-learned lessons with each other, it dawned on me that every one of us can be compared with the guy in that familiar lost-and-found story Jesus told the crowd made up of His followers and haters. The only difference among us stems from exactly when in the process we actually come to our senses (v 17).

When you read the parable, which has numerous profound teachings, you’ll see that the young man decided to do life his way, giving in to every fleshy whim and chasing momentary, hollow satisfaction. For him, it was only when he was literally and figuratively spent, starving, and working in a pigsty that he realized he needed to turn back to his father. He had, as we say today, hit rock bottom. This is the moment he came to his senses, knowing he needed to turn back (repent). But if you think about his path to the pit, from that first step taken off his dad’s property to standing with the pigs, the guy could have come to his senses at any time, curtailing his loss and pain the sooner he turned around.

If you’re already saved, whether it was at age 10, 20, 30, or 70, you were once walking in the ways of this world, pursuing self-pleasure and the idol of “me,” when at some point you realized you were lost. You turned back to the Father, and He ran to you with a compassionate embrace, welcoming you Home. (And when you did, there was a huge heavenly party in your honor.) The thing is, some of us took a few steps off the proverbial front porch and thought, “Nope, I know it’s better here, so I think I’ll stay under my Daddy’s roof.” Some of us started hanging out with other world-pursuing people, experienced the my-way life, and soon realized where that road would lead. Others of us, however, heartily pursued the “it’s-my-party” life, filling that God-shaped soul-hole with things, people, or substances that only made that hole wider and deeper. It was only when we found ourselves in the pit of despair and brokenness, that we had no other place to look for rescue than up. But, praise God, we came Home to the amazing grace and mercy of the Father.

If you’ve not made the decision to turn off the wide road and trust Jesus as Lord and Savior, where are you now? Are you walking with the crowds thinking everything is fine, not knowing the end of that road is destruction? Maybe you’re in the midst of a “good time,” with a plastered smile on your face but a hollow heart. Perhaps you’re sitting in the pigsty at this very moment. Friend, the Father is waiting for you to turn back. Come to your senses now. Set your eyes on Him…and He will run to you with a loving embrace and welcome you Home.

“Lord, what an amazing thing it is that You love us and are waiting with open arms. May we run into your embrace daily.”

For His Glory

 

Julianne Winkler Smith
TRBC Women’s Life

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Posted in Encouragement, Faith, Hope, Mercy

Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | June 14, 2021

When Encouragement Is Lacking

“To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul. Lead me in your truth and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; for you I wait all the day long.” Psalm 25:1, 5 (ESV)

Side by side we walked out of the gym. Her stride was right in step with mine despite a head full of beautiful silver hair.  The smile on her face was contagious.

“We’re doing pretty good aren’t we?” she asked.

“Yes,” I agreed.  “Great job in the gym today”

As we neared our cars, this sweet little lady asked me to guess her age.  My response was  70’s.

“No,” she responded, “I’m 90.  I try to do the best I can to keep moving.  If I don’t, I won’t be able to do anything.”

You could see her eyes gleaming as she said those words.  I was speechless.

What an inspiration this 90 year old was to me….I thought I want to be like her when I grow up. I want to be active and clear minded.  I want to keep doing the things I love despite the years on my birth certificate. So whenever I see her at the gym, I’m inspired to keep pressing through even when I don’t want to.

Who are we encouraging or inspiring?

We all need someone in our corner cheering us on – even when life is going great – especially when life is hard.  Visibly watching another person push through difficult challenges gives us a renewed perspective and energy to stay on course.

Don’t know about you, but I need daily inspiration to remind me that giving up is not an option. And God’s Word is full of encouragement.  The Psalms are my fave place to go.  Heartfelt words reminding me of God’s character, love and presence in my life.

The Psalmist David faced many challenges and discouraging moments in his life, but he always knew where to go and who to turn to – His God.  Holding back was not David’s default. He laid his soul bare before the Lord and as a result, David experienced an intimacy with God beyond his imagination.

Absolutely love the way God chose to include David’s words in the scriptures.  He knew, we like David, would need daily encouragement.  We would face disappointments and simple ordinary moments when our hearts fought against giving up.

So blessed to read page after page of how God inspired His children to keep moving forward.  So blessed to hear amazing stories of people who have intersected my life and shared of God’s redemptive work in their lives.  Grateful for the opportunity to see tangible proof of God encouraging my heart through His people.

What more could a girl ask for….we are lavishly loved by our God…..He truly is our inspiration.  Don’t miss out on an opportunity to share with others so they will be encouraged too!

“Father, You lift our spirits and strengthen our hearts.  You remind us of Your deep love and Your abiding presence.  When we are discouraged, overwhelmed or defeated, You raise us up to heights we could have never imagined.”

For His Glory

Janet Martin
TRBC Women’s Life

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Posted in Encouragement, Hope, Spiritual Living

Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | June 11, 2021

Glorifying God Through His Design

“Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin.” – Matthew 6:28b (NKJV)

Walking past a gardenia bush in full bloom, I am overwhelmed by its’ fragrance. Flowers captivate me. So many different varieties intricately formed by their unique petals and known by their colors and scents. Flowers can be used to help us celebrate, mourn, encourage or simply bring beauty. Isaac Watts, in his hymn I Sing the Mighty Power of God says this, “There’s not a plant or flower below, but makes Thy glories known.” Created by God, each flower points to the glory of the Creator by simply being what He created it to be. The daffodil never strives to be any color other than yellow, and the tulip doesn’t try to smell like a rose.

Like the rest of creation, we can bring glory to God and influence others for His kingdom when we trust Him enough to simply be who He created us to be. Charles Stanley writes, “The people who influence us the most are not those who detain us with their continual talk, but those who live their lives like the stars in the sky and “the lilies of the field”— simply and unaffectedly. Those are the lives that mold and shape us.”

What does it look like to live simply and unaffectedly? Isaiah 64:8 (NIV) offers this, “Yet you, Lord, are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand.” Live simply and remain unaffected by resting in the purpose and design of the Potter, our Creator. No comparisons, no striving to be like someone else. Never asking the potter, “What are you making?” but simply loving Him and loving others—in our own unique way. Encouraging others and pointing them to the Creator through our distinct design, and our colorful and fragrant gifts.

“Lord, we long to make your glory known. May we trust you enough to live simple and unaffected lives, resting in who you created us to be.”

For His Glory

Ann Skalaski
TRBC Women’s Life

 

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Posted in Faith, Spiritual Living

Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | June 9, 2021

Preserved In The Fire

“The fire had not had any power over the bodies of those men.  The hair of their heads where not singed, their cloaks were not harmed, and no smell of fire had come upon them.”    (Daniel 3:27) ESV

A long time ago there was a little girl who walked herself to church. Church was her safe place. She lived in a trailer park.  There wasn’t a lot of money for things.  She heard a lot of yelling when she was home.  She felt unloved and alone. Her needs were often neglected.

Fast forward many years and that girl has grown into a woman. She’s a counselor. Whose been asked to work with children who are living in abusive/neglectful home environments. Seems like a divine calling from God.

That little girl was me.

Imagine my surprise years ago, when my supervisor shared that she wanted me to take “poverty training” classes.

She felt that based on “the way I carried myself, the way I dressed, my education, that I wouldn’t be able to fully relate.”

I thought to myself –

“Lord, they don’t know.  They have no idea how well I can relate to those children.”

When the people looked at Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego they would have never known what they had just gone through.  They had been humiliated, traumatized and thrown into a fiery furnace.  Yet, there was no visible evidence of what they had endured.

Isaiah 43:2 also reiterates God’s ability to protect us when we go through difficult situations in life “when you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.”

Their obedience brought about deliverance for them.  Not only did Jesus preserve them in the fire but once they were released, they were promoted to higher offices in the Kings’ government. Knowing the danger of unchecked power in leadership- imagine the Godly influence they had for changing their circle of influence.

Dear sister maybe you see yourselves through the eyes of your past trials.  Maybe there was abuse in your past or a divorce or a heart ache that left you feeling inferior.  When we allow the transforming power of the blood of Jesus to change us – we become more than conquerors (Romans 8:31-39).

God doesn’t see us based on our past – He only sees His beautiful child capable of doing great things in His name. He has preserved you for a purpose. What will you do with it?

Lay that pain (and shame) at Jesus’ feet – walk away with the beautiful aroma of grace – no smoke.  Hold your head up and walk like the Princess you are!

“Father remind us that you don’t see our past and neither will others if we walk in the power of the Holy Spirit. With you by our side we can not only endure the trial but use it to grow to even greater heights for your Kingdom.”

For His Glory

Laura Holmes (www.ephraimministries.org)
TRBC Women’s Life

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Posted in Encouragement, Faith, Hope, Spiritual Living

Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | June 8, 2021

Wax-Free Living

“And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment,  that you may approve the things that are excellent, that you may be sincere and without offense till the day of Christ.” Philippians 1:9-10

The word “sincere” is defined as being free of deceit, hypocrisy, or falseness; it is to be genuine, real, and pure. Now, I’m pretty confident that most of us want sincerity to be an essential (and proven) characteristic of our spouse, children, friends, boss, etc. None of us secretly hopes that our best friend makes a habit of lying to us, or that our coworker smiles and chats pleasantly with us only to turn around and badmouth us to another team member.

Sadly, our culture today doesn’t blink at dishonesty—just watch the news. And social media is all about promoting falseness and “un-realism,” from filtered Instagram selfies to impossibly perfect Pinterest desserts. But what about us? As much as we desire sincerity from others (and detest their insincerity), do we live out pure authenticity ourselves?

God’s Word is very clear in exhorting Christians to live, love, and serve with sincerity (Philippians 1:10, Joshua 24:14, 1 Peter 1:22, Colossians 3:22). Modern dictionary definitions aside, there is an interesting oral tradition from antiquity that the word “sincere” actually comes from the Latin words “sine” and “cera”—which together mean “without wax.” According to commentary on Philippians 1:10 from John MacArthur’s Study Bible:

In the ancient world, dishonest pottery dealers filled cracks in their inferior products with wax before glazing and painting them, making worthless pots difficult to distinguish from expensive ones. The only way to avoid being defrauded was to hold the pot to the sun, making the wax-filled cracks obvious. Dealers marked their fine pottery that could withstand “sun testing” as sine cera.

Think about that. What a meaningful parallel that is for our life! Once we surrender to Jesus, we strive to be more like Him every day. (Of course, we only reach perfection once we are in heaven, but the goal on this earth is to more closely resemble Jesus as we become more mature in the faith.) So, as we walk out our salvation, our lives are to withstand not “sun testing” but “Son testing.” To ensure purity, truth, and sincerity, we can hold our thoughts, words, actions, and decisions up to the Light—Jesus (John 8:12).

Sisters, let’s make it a point to live wax-free. When the angel of light (Satan) tries to blind us with the shiny things of this world, may we prove strong and unyielding. When the blazing heat of tempting sin beats down on us, may our faith not melt away. And when we hold up our life to the glorious Light of our Lord and Savior, may it reflect His beauty back onto us.

“Lord, help me to walk in sincerity through this world that elevates lying, cheating, and hypocrisy. Let me live according to Your example.”

 

For His Glory

Julianne Winkler Smith
TRBC Women’s Life

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Posted in Encouragement, Spiritual Growth, Spiritual Living

Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | June 4, 2021

When Threats Surround Us

“And Hezekiah received the letter from the hand of the messengers and read it; and Hezekiah went up to the house of the Lord and spread it before the Lord.” Isaiah 37:14 (NJKV)

Ever found yourself in a place of great intimidation? Have the threats of the enemy filled your soul with overwhelming, paralyzing fear? That’s exactly where King Hezekiah landed. His enemy was coming against him and not just with force but with words. “Do not let your God in whom you trust deceive you,” echoed from the king of Assyria. His game plan was to plant a simple seed of doubt in the heart of the people of Judah. In simpler terms, ‘Hey guys your leader King Hezekiah is leading you astray. You can’t defeat us.”

Familiar tactic wouldn’t you say? We may not have a band of warriors headed our way, but Satan is alive and well seeking to devour us. Our enemy barks the same threat, “Your God can’t be trusted. He’s holding out on you. Look around you see the destruction – your God can’t protect you.”

Wow how many times have we bought into that lie? And unlike Hezekiah we don’t go running to the feet of Jesus, we often cower in a corner as if Satan’s truth trumps our mighty God! Even worse we allow doubt, dread and hopelessness to settle in dragging us to a deep pit of despair. We run away as if we can escape the uncertainty totally disillusioned to all we once believed. And that sweet friend is how the enemy seizes control -one doubt, one lie at a time.

Love the way Hezekiah resisted the urge to believe the words haunting him. Love the way he goes immediately to the Lord and spreads it all out before the only One who can change his circumstances. Shows a girl a lot about what do when the enemy shouts loud – run into the arms of Jesus. Take him the very words of intimidation and release them there. Leave the negativity and threats. Pour out our heart and then watch our God move on our behalf.

Hezekiah’s God showed up in a big way annihilating the Assyrians (and when the people arose early in the morning there were corpses everywhere Isaiah 37:36). He’s got us covered too, so when the enemy deceives us with lies of defeat let’s remind him – we serve a Mighty God!

“Father, You are our powerful warrior. We can rest in Your promises and Your word. Help us to defeat the lies of the enemy and stand firmly on Your truth.”

For His Glory

Janet Martin
TRBC Women’s Life

 

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Posted in Faith, Freedom, Spiritual Growth, Spiritual Living

Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | June 3, 2021

Route 66

“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” Psalm 119:105

Do you love to travel? Most of us probably do (at least we did, when we were allowed to move about freely). We love to visit unfamiliar places, discovering what’s special about that town, state, or country. But no matter where our adventures were taking us, we had to create a travel plan and map out the route to our destination. This used to entail reading paper maps (then figuring out how to refold them—can I get a witness?). Then, it evolved to looking up directions on the computer and printing them. Now, our smartphones not only pull up maps for us, but a programmed voice of our choice will tell us step-by-step turns until we arrive.

But, at the end of the day, we still need some sort of routed directions.

Life itself is like that as well. The distance between our original location (birth) to our final earthly destination (death) is one long journey. And it’s not too far into the trip when we start hitting forks in the road—choices to be made as to which direction to take. Try weed with your middle school friends or not…say “no” to the sexualized status of today’s teen years or go along with the crowd…choose among colleges to attend—or choose not to go…job A or job B…live together (because who needs a piece of paper?) or get married in purity…you get the point. Our life maps are as complex as those paper-map insets of large cities—every few steps, there seems to be another directional choice.

But, friends, there is a clear and definitive roadmap for life—the Bible. And it comes directly from the One who created life itself (not to mention your unique purposeful life). From Genesis 1:1 to Revelation 22:21, there are 66 books filled with inerrant, God-inspired truth and guidance for the journey. The Bible is not some outdated, irrelevant antiquity. It’s archeologically proven, scientifically sound, and morally unblemished. It rigorously defines the safest, surest, more joy-filled route to take. You could call it “Route 66.”

Psalm 119 (the longest chapter in the Bible) is dedicated to explaining why to follow God’s Word—from the benefits of doing so to the consequences of going off-course. Here are just a few truths from this Psalm describing the results of going God’s way:

We will not be unjust.

We will not be ashamed.

We will walk in purity.

We will be joyful.

We will find counsel.

We will be comforted.

We will be strengthened.

We will walk in liberty.

 

And that’s just in verses 1-45. There are another 131 to go.

Of course, even when we follow God’s Word through life, we’ll still have choices—lots of them—along the way. But because the Mapmaker is our perfect, holy, loving, all-knowing God, you cannot make a bad turn if you follow Route 66.

“Thank You, Lord, for Your Word. May I be always intentional about making it the light to my path through this world.”

 

For His Glory

 

Julianne Winkler Smith
TRBC Women’s Life

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Posted in Faith, Spiritual Growth, Spiritual Living

Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | June 2, 2021

Tears Are A Language

“The eyes of the Lord are toward the righteous and his ears toward their cry.”  (Psalm 34:15, ESV)

“I don’t like to cry.”

That’s a sentiment I often hear in my office.  For many women tears mean weakness or a lack of control, something they want to avoid.

As women we cry when we’re angry, sad and even when we’re happy.  Tears are a language that God gave us to communicate the many facets of our emotions.

Throughout scripture people cried their heart out to God for various needs.  Never do we see God say that tears are a sign of weakness.  In fact, we see people in the Bible that God thought very highly of and tears were a large part of their character.

Jeremiah was the prophet for the southern kingdom of Judah in the Old Testament right before it fell to Babylon and was led away into captivity.  God sent him to warn a crumbling nation on the brink of disaster – a warning they didn’t heed.

Yet instead of becoming complacent with the situation and saying things like “they got what they deserved” – he wept over them.  Jeremiah is known as the “weeping prophet” for his wish to have a fountain of tears (Jeremiah 9:1). He wept over the self-destructive behavior of a rebellious nation. When judgement came – he wept for those who were slain. He wept for the pain he saw people endure. He’s credited with writing two books in the Bible focused on weeping/lamenting (Jeremiah/Lamentations).

How much strength does it take to do the easy thing in life?  The easy thing is very seldom the right thing.  It takes a lot of strength to do the right thing. The right thing in Jeremiah’s situation was to grieve his people.  He cried out to God on their behalf continually asking for mercy. How often have you cried out to God for someone who is not walking with the Lord? When was the last time you wept for someone who has done you wrong?

Tears are powerful.

David was known as a “man after God’s own heart” (1 Samuel 13:14). It wasn’t because he was perfect.  In fact, he messed up quite a lot. So, what made him a man after God’s own heart?  I think it was his willingness to be vulnerable with God.  He wrote a good portion of the book of Psalms.  Many of them his personal prayers to God in times of distress.  He cried and expressed his sorrow for his mistakes and failures.  He repented.  He didn’t pretend to be in control or have it all together.

Tears are prayers – God listens!

“Father we thank you that we can be vulnerable with you.  That crying in your presence is one of the safest and healthiest things to do.  You don’t expect us to have it all together.  You just expect us to trust you – the One who does!”

For His Glory,

Laura Holmes (www.ephraimministries.org)
TRBC Women’s Life

 

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Posted in Attitude, Encouragement, Hope, Spiritual Growth

Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | June 1, 2021

A Change of Nature

“In love He predestined us to adoption as sons and daughters through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, with which He favored us in the Beloved.” (Ephesians 1:4b-6)

When we adopted our son, he was grafted into our family forever. Of course, we loved and adored him the moment he entered our lives as a foster child, but it was when the judge’s gavel struck the bench that he officially became a Smith. From that moment, because he was no longer part of the state’s system, there was no difference between him and our older son in terms of privilege, resources, protection, discipline, and (as small or nonexistent as it might be) inheritance.

He is our child in every way imaginable.

The one thing, however, we could not give him was our nature—our DNA-driven features (good or bad). I could not pass on my Italian olive complexion or hazel eyes. His skin is a gorgeous brown, but it differs markedly from mine and his dad’s. And within the ever-present medical debates about nature vs. nurture, I can tell you that, on the side of nurture, he picked up plenty of characteristics (and character) growing up Smith.

Sister, when you give your life to Jesus, accepting salvation by grace through faith alone, you become a child of God, adopted into His family (John 1:12-13, Gal 4:4-5, Rom 8:14-17)! When we are born again into this new forever family, Christians become co-heirs with Christ, given every privilege, resource, and inheritance from God the Father. This is an amazing, glorious thing, especially looking forward to our heavenly future with Jesus.

But, unlike the limitation of human adoption to share DNA characteristics, when we are grafted into God’s family, He also miraculously bestows on us His very nature. We are given the righteousness of Jesus to replace our unrighteousness. We are made a completely new creation, transformed into the very image of Christ! Given the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit—the same power that raised Jesus from the dead—we are able to live out (albeit not perfectly in this world) the “nurture AND nature” characteristics of our Lord. As we walk closer with God through His Word, we look more and more like Him.

And what’s more awe-inspiring, is that when our Heavenly Father looks at us, He doesn’t see our fallen, sinful nature. To Him, through our adoption, we are wholly and perfectly righteous, transformed by the blood of Jesus. Our adoptive Abba (Daddy) not only gives his everything He has…He has given us the proverbial DNA of Christ.

“Lord, thank you for the privilege of being called Your child. Help me to always remember who I am in You and glorify You through my words and action.”

For His Glory

Julianne Winkler Smith
TRBC Women’s Life

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Posted in Faith, Hope, Wisdom

Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | May 31, 2021

When The Rains Came

 

“The rains came down, the streams rose and the winds blew and beat against the house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock.” Matthew 7:25 (NIV)

The foolish man built his house upon the sand and when the rains came it fell with a crash. I can still remember those hand motions from Sunday School – just loved this song. But then again I was probably 4 years old the first time those words came out of my mouth. Life is pretty good for a 4 year old. Easy to sing words about rain, wind and storms crashing down when the weight of your world revolves around Sesame Street. And the foolish man, well he was beyond my little thinking just seemed like a fun part of the song to crumble to the floor, especially since we had no trouble getting back up for a re-do.

Definitely past my 4 year old self now and totally get God’s message. In life, we will experience drenching rains, rising streams and strong winds aimed at tearing us down. Doesn’t matter if we are wise or foolish – storms don’t discriminate – they will come. Difference maker is really what we are standing on when it arrives – will we crumble or will we remain firmly planted?

Blessed to watch several friends going through the storm and standing strong. One was homeless and yet never gave up hope her God would come through. One is diagnosed with a rare cancer yet trusting her God for the impossible to come true. One is helplessly watching her son struggle yet clinging to the source of her strength. Brave courageous women and my list could go on and on.

Seem unreal, unlikely – no wise women are authentic emotion filled women who have built their life upon the solid rock of our God. Yes, there have been tears along the way and moments of desperation. There are certainly days when strength is gone, hair is lost and questions rank high. There are moments when depression and wrestling settle in. But the wise woman knows her God – she has planted herself firmly in His word and promises long before the storms began.

Unexpected happens every day. We’re moving through life unaware that rain is coming. And then the wind begins to pick up. The downpour comes and beats against everything we ever knew. It’s in these moments when unexpected offers us the opportunity to lean on our Rock, who is unmoveable, unshakeable and has unmistakeably proven His love for us. If our faith and trust is firmly planted in Him, we will not crumble or fall.

“Father, You have taught us well to preserve, press through and hold on tight to You. We may appear to be losing our grip, but You are cradling us in the palm of Your hands.”

For His Glory

Janet Martin
TRBC Women’s Life

 

 

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Posted in Encouragement, Faith, Hope, Wisdom

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