Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | August 9, 2019

Unveiling His Truth

“Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.” 2 Timothy 2:15 (ESV)

Ever find yourself perplexed by a post on Facebook, a tweet or perhaps the text glaring before you? It was a quick read that led to a deep contemplation or an emotional stirring the sender had no intention of making. Words are powerful forces and the written word stares us straight in the face setting us up to draw our own conclusions if we’re not careful. We might think we understand the meaning or message, but communication only works when we receive what was intended. Perception is overrated if it is bent in the wrong direction.

Wonder if we ever handle God’s word that way? We read a verse or two and draw our own conclusions. We flip the pages to what we want to read. We flee the tough stuff, the “need to change stuff” and lean towards easy “feel good.” Zeroing in on just a few verses can easily lead us to unintentionally take His words out of context. When we remove the surrounding passages or story, we set ourselves up to distort its true meaning. Drawing our own conclusions when it comes to the very words of God was never His intention.

Now don’t get wrong, there are times when God leads us and reminds us of His very words – one verse at a time. There are moments when the journey we are on is so tough, we just simply open our Bibles and beg for a word from God. And you know, what He delivers! In those soul starved moments when we are clinging to promises and searching for truths, God soothes us with His very words. He will draw us in giving us a firm Rock to stand upon. And in those moments, we can choose to nibble or stay at the Father’s table and be filled, satisfied with truth.

Linger longer with Jesus today – circle that passage – read deep and watch as God unveils His truths one verse at a time.

“Father, help us to dig deep rather than skim the surface of Your word. And when we read things we can’t understand, shine Your light in our souls so we don’t confuse your truths.”

For His Glory

Janet Martin
TRBC Women’s Life

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Posted in Faith, Spiritual Growth, Wisdom

Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | August 8, 2019

Always Present

“Call to me and I will answer you and will tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.” Jeremiah 33:3 (NIV)

When I was 17 years old, I was the recipient of a Rotary Club Youth Exchange Program scholarship and came to the United States for my senior year in high school. I did not know the English language and was nervous about going so far away from my home in Brazil without my parents. Nonetheless, I knew that if anything were to go wrong, I could just call my parents, and everything would be okay.

There is a great sense of assurance in a young person’s heart when she hears her parents say that they will be right there if she needs them. In that situation, I was very aware that my parents would not be able to board an airplane and go rescue me at any little teenager issue I may be faced with, but to know that I could pick up the phone and call them was very comforting.

As classes began, I started to make friends and feel more comfortable in my new temporary home. I also got involved in the Yearbook Club and participated in my school’s newsletter, and both helped me to develop my language skills. I loved art, so I attached myself to my lovely art teacher like jelly to peanut butter. She was patient and kind, and though I was only in her classroom for one period, she became like a mother figure to me, someone I could call or visit if I needed to talk or just sit quiet for a chill.

Everything worked out well and my year in America was a success, after which I returned to Brazil. When I remember those days, I smile in gratitude for the opportunity that was given to me. What could have been a difficult situation that could culminate with my doom, was, in fact, one of the best experiences I’ve had in my life, because I trusted my parents’ promise.

When God allows us to go through the unknown, He promises us He is there. If we choose to trust Him and listen to His voice, we will reap the rewards that come with that trust.

“Abba, there is nothing better in the world than to know You are right beside us. Thank You for loving us that much!”

For His Glory

Luska Natali
TRBC Women’s Life

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Posted in Attitude, Encouragement, Hope

Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | August 7, 2019

Releasing The Weight

“Cast your burden on the LORD, and he will sustain you; he will never permit the righteous to be moved.” Psalm 55:22 (ESV)

The load looked heavier than she should dare carry, yet she bent down and picked up. The weight crushing as she began to slowly move from the car towards her house. Wedging herself between the doorway, she edged into the kitchen and just as she released the weight onto the table it toppled over onto the floor.

How many times have we been there friends? Yes, I’ve squeezed into the doorway of my home with hands overflowing with groceries. And I’ve sighed a huge relief when that load was released and safely on my counter. Unfortunately, I’ve also been a recipient of a huge mess when my load hit the floor and not the counter. Not sure what makes us think we’ve got to pick it all up and carry it as far as we can go, but we do.

Not surprising to realize we not only carry hefty bags, but we also tend to pick up and lug around other weights never intended for our shoulders. Something deep inside of us tries so hard to fix everything, do everything and be there for everyone. Loads we were never meant to carry. And what about all those heavy emotions we embrace every day? False guilt for what we have no control over. Worry and stress over situations we can’t change. Anxiousness, paralyzing fear, rage and unforgiveness – exhausts me just to write those words.

Whether we admit it or not, we simply can’t do it all, we can’t be all things for all people and control is totally elusive. There’s really only One who is equipped, prepared and fully capable of handling our load and the loads we attempt to carry for others. God’s shoulders are big enough, strong enough and wise enough to strategically handle the loads we think are ours for the taking. He longs for us to release our expectations and welcome His plan. He desires for us to resist the urge to take on loads not intended for us to bear. His Spirit welcomes an invitation to display the fruits of a surrendered life trusting completely in our God (Galatians 5:22). And for all those moments we forget, bend down and pick up those heavy weights again, God’s open arms offers His grace.

Tomorrow, we may be tempted to resume our “gotta do it all – carry it all” mantra. After all, we’ve been singing this song too long. So when loads and weights invite, let’s never forget not I but God can handle it all perfectly.

“Father, You patiently and lovingly remind us that You are our source and strength. Help us to lean on You and not self. Help us to release what’s not ours to bear and trust You with all the rest.”

For His Glory

Janet Martin
TRBC Women’s Life

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Posted in Freedom, Gratitude, Hope

Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | August 6, 2019

Ready To Shine

“You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors.” James 1:3 (MSG)

The word diamond comes from the Greek word “Adamas”, which means indestructible. “Natural” diamonds are formed by severe temperature and extreme pressure. Invisible about 90 miles below in the Earth’s mantle under tons of different kinds of sediment where the temperature is at least 2000 degrees Fahrenheit.

After years of being hidden during the transformation from carbon to a stone under the Earth’s weight and heat it’s hard to fathom that something of so much worth and desire comes out of the ashes. Once unearthed, the hardest naturally formed substance known to man reveals itself as a diamond in the rough. At first glance the chunk of rock might not look like much from the untrained eye. However, in the hands of an expert gem cutter something wonderful develops. With precise cutting, chiseling and shaping a precious, pristine and polished diamond comes to life. What was once thought of as useless with no value has developed into a priceless work of art.

Has the Lord allowed enormous pressure and heat to invade your life? Has the transformation taken longer than you anticipated? During the refining process have you felt hidden and alone?

Perhaps on some days it was a struggle to put one foot in front of the other as you journeyed in obedience towards the expectancy of God’s promises; building dynamic faith under pressure. All the while, whispering every step of the way…I trust and believe You Lord.

God has purposefully hidden you while He has been preparing and equipping you in the furnace of life. He’s been making a diamond out of you. At God’s appointed time you will be found. When you have been discovered its evident you are not what you used to be. Your life has been in the hands of an expert gem cutter. God has precisely cut and chiseled the rugged imperfections out of our lives. He carves away undesirable features and smooths rough edges. When it’s time for unveiling a flawless, indestructible and brilliant diamond is ready to shine illuminating His glory and His namesake.

For His Glory

Kim Lacey Schock(www.KimLaceySchock.com)
TRBC Women’s Life

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Posted in Encouragement, Hope, Spiritual Growth

Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | August 2, 2019

Without Compromise

“The land we (Joshua and Caleb) passed through and explored is an extremely good land.” Numbers 14:7b (HCSB)

Standing strong, firm and unmovable in the face of opposition requires incredible courage. Delivering a message that contradicts with the crowd in the midst of thousands requires godly boldness. Unwavering in the promises of our God even when others doubt requires holy trust.

Joshua and Caleb meet the test without compromising, shrinking back or going with the crowd. When Moses sent them with eight leaders to check out the Promised Land, these two men saw victory when the others saw defeat. The team of ten brought back the fruit of the land proclaiming God’s truth – the land was flowing in abundance. But then the report split with eight leaders filled with fear and warnings to the two who envisioned God’s deliverance. Only Joshua and Caleb were willing to look beyond what they could see. If God’s word was truthful about the good of the land then He was fully capable of handling the bad.

Easy statement to write – hard to digest. How often do we trust God for the good, visible and easy truths, yet abandon His abilities in our challenges? The enemy seemed larger than life to these leaders and often our enemies overwhelm our vision to the point that we minimize the largeness of our God. We shout His praise and faithfulness in the good, but lag and doubt when the battle gets hard.

Glorifying God, even in the face of the enemy, standing firm and strong will be the defining moment in our lives. Let’s be the one who doesn’t cave or give in – let’s prove to our world that we will not waver – God is able to do more than we ever imagined.

“Father, help us to be women who display incredible courage, godly boldness and holy trust – glorifying Your name always!”

For His Glory

Janet Martin
TRBC Women’s Life

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Posted in Faith, Spiritual Growth, Success, Wisdom

Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | August 1, 2019

A Valuable & Irreplaceable Part of the Whole

“Just as our bodies have many parts and each part has a special function, so it is with Christ’s body. We are many parts of one body, and we all belong to each other. In his grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well.” Romans 12:4-6a (NLT)

It was a gorgeous day outside. My son Kaden rode his scooter up and down the driveways in our cul-de-sac with his cousins. As the afternoon wore on, fatigue combined with carelessness resulted in a heart-stopping scream. I ran outside, fearing the worst. As my eyes took in the scene, I felt my lunch threatening to make a reappearance. Limbs and scooter lay mangled at the bottom of our driveway. Gingerly holding up Kaden’s arm, I noticed one too many elbows.

With a Tarheel-blue cast to set the bone properly, Kaden tried performing his normal tasks. He was thrilled to have a pass for school for the next few weeks, but struggled to brush his teeth, eat with a fork, and shower. Everything was difficult. Before the end of the first day, he was miserable and frustrated. “I never realized how much I use my right arm,” he moaned.

The Bible refers to the church as the body of Christ. Just like Kaden struggled to do everyday tasks without his right arm, our churches struggle when individual believers neglect to serve in their own unique ways. Without a valuable and irreplaceable part playing its role, the church limps along laboring to perform normal tasks.

We don’t have to be good at everything. (Did I just hear a sigh of relief?) All we need is to be connected to a local church–a body of believers that we can serve with our gifts and talents … and be served with their collective gifts and talents.

I am so thankful for our church. I’m grateful that I can rely on others in their unique giftedness as they rely on me in my unique giftedness. Are you underestimating your value to the church?

“Father, thank You for the way You have uniquely gifted each one of us. Create in us a longing to serve our churches in the way that only we can.”

For His Glory

Tammy Randlett (http://staletoast.com)
TRBC Women’s Life

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Posted in Attitude, Encouragement, Hope, Spiritual Living

Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | July 31, 2019

Ready For Action

“Therefore, with our minds ready for action, be serious and set your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” I Peter 1:13 (HCSB)

Don’t know what your early morning is like, but I can guarantee it takes me too long to get ready and out the door. And if for some odd reason I dismiss my alarm, the scene gets very interesting. Even a little crazy if I have to admit it. Between straightening or curling my hair and putting on my face – let’s just say its quite a production. And the older I get, the more I seem to think I need to do. Just doesn’t make sense.

While I may find myself in high maintenance mode, I wonder how many times I cruise down the road without a single thought to what’s bouncing around in my head. Lots of things to do often clutters my brain within moments of getting into my car. Thousands of jumbled up thoughts attempting to steal away my attention for the day. Maybe you’ve experienced the same. Mindless chatter dominating a runaway conversation headed nowhere leaving us me vulnerable to the enemy’s attacks. Not exactly the best way to start our day.

Perfect solution – prepare our mind for action. That’s right – disciplining our thoughts protects us. When our list gets overwhelming rather than allow stress to defeat us, we can lean into the wisdom of our God. We can ask Him to help us prioritize our day. When those reoccurring thoughts of “I’m not good enough,” seek to sideline us, we can chose to confront Satan’s lies with the truth of God’s word. “We are fearfully and wonderfully made.” When emotions loom large and clarity escapes us, we can rest in God’s peace by focusing our minds on Him and not our challenges.

I think we get the picture. The one who exercises healthy thought patterns will be equipped to defeat the enemy. We will be ready for whatever comes our way, and we won’t be an easy target for the one who seeks to devour us. Defeated is not the way I want to start my morning….I want to be alert, prepared and ready – it’s the best way to face a new day.

“Father, when my thoughts tend to take me down a not so kind path, reel them in and help me to discipline my mind so I will be ready for whatever a day brings.”

For His Glory

Janet Martin
TRBC Women’s Life

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Posted in Encouragement, Hope, Spiritual Growth, Spiritual Living, Wisdom

Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | July 30, 2019

Let Him Use You Wherever You Are

“There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord.” 1 Corinthians 12:5 (NIV)

God formed us and entrusted us with talents and gifts we can use to bless others and to bring glory to His name. We should, as often as possible, utilize those gifts as well as hone them in order to be able to do what we do well and efficiently.

I believe that whatever we do, we should do it as unto the Lord, because it is He who enables us to do it. Even when we deal with opposition such as envy and spite from people who are supposed to be on our team, we should look to God for grace and continue to honor Him with our gifts and talents, because it is His approval we seek, and not man’s.

I pray daily that God will place me where He wants me to be and use me according to what He has for me to do. One day, I was at Walmart in Lynchburg, VA to get some shampoo, and right there in the shampoo aisle I overheard a young men speaking with one of his friends about his need to make a decision on where to attend medical school. He needed to take several things into consideration, including cost to attend school and distance between his school and his home.

I happened to recognize that young man from interview day at LU College of Osteopathic Medicine (LUCOM), where I used to work. I asked if I could help him sort through his thoughts and make a decision that was best for him. We conversed for about one hour right there in the shampoo aisle, and then I prayed with him. That young man ended up choosing LUCOM as his school and each time he saw me after that day, he would smile and wave.

I did not do anything out of the ordinary to help that young man; I simply made myself available to speak with him, and practiced some good listening skills to help him weigh the pros and cons of both schools and make his decision wisely.

“Father, thank You for giving us ways to help others.”

For His Glory

Luska Natali
TRBC Women’s Life

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Posted in Encouragement, Hope, Spiritual Living

Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | July 29, 2019

What We See In Us

“Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror and after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like.” James 1:23-24 (NIV)

I couldn’t believe my eyes. The panoramic view of self was more than I could take in. Standing in an aerobic room filled with mirrors it only took one look for me to cower. My instructor moved with ease as I stood in shock consumed with all my angles. Interesting how I convinced myself those few extra pounds really didn’t matter. Probably because I wasn’t seeing self from all those angles.

Ever find yourself seeing you from a different angle? Sometimes the very thing we detest in someone else is the big enormous fault we hide in self. We wouldn’t dare consider “us” from so many different angles. Perhaps the trait we deny the most is simply the one we need to confront head on.

Perspective changes when angles unveil all. We see those attitudes and character mishaps which elusively we denied. All it took was one look in the mirror for me to know my fave food group “chocolate” must go. Now I could have continued to ignore its effects on the reflection I saw, but that would never serve me well. Best plan was to seize the moment to acknowledge the truth staring me in the face.
Love this caution from James warning us to not ignore or deny what we see in self. Great wisdom in knowing God sees exactly who we are and gives us His words to transform us from the inside out. He doesn’t need a mirror or an aerobic room to get the panoramic view of our lives. God is fully aware of our tendencies to overlook His instructions and settle for a quick glimpse of self. Don’t know about you but when I tend to excuse away what I see in me, God seems to shine His light the brightest in that exact spot.

Let’s be wise women who don’t settle. Let’s seize the moment to allow God’s truth to change us so we reflect more and more of Him in our lives and less of us. Let’s be quick to obey rather than seeing obedience as optional. Let’s resist the urge to forget what we see and actively apply the truth of God’s word – it’s the best view of self ever.

“Father, I could probably tell You the number of every wrinkle on my face but the view of me You see is so much deeper than the surface. Real beauty unveils itself in obedience and surrender. That’s what You desire to see in me.”

For His Glory

Janet Martin
TRBC Women’s Life

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Posted in Spiritual Growth, Spiritual Living

Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | July 25, 2019

On Mission With God

“This is my request. I will ask one of them for a drink. If she says, “Yes, certainly, and I will water your camels, too!” – Let her be the one you have appointed as Isaac’s wife…” Genesis 24:14 (NLT)

What an important mission! Abraham’s servant was given the authority of selecting just the right woman to be Isaac’s wife. Imagine choosing the spouse for your children? Even though it’s customary in some cultures around the world, I personally would never want the responsibility of such a major assignment. Envision the marriage going awry and the blame is directed towards you…what a liability! Instead, I’ll keep praying for the Lord to bring the right person for my last child to marry; and that is exactly what Abraham’s servant did…he prayed.

The servant was aware the future of a whole nation populated with Abraham’s descendants was at stake. He prayed asking the Lord for success, kindness and accomplishment. Then he devised a plan to stand near the spring where the young women of the village came to draw water. His request of the Lord was not only would the right woman give him a drink but offer to water his camels too. Then he would know which lady the Lord had chosen to be Isaac’s wife.

Have you ever wondered why the servant put a clause in his request about watering both him and his camels?

By Abraham servant’s request, he wasn’t looking for just any girl. He was looking for a kind, giving, caring and compassionate woman. A lady who puts others before herself. Most of the girls would have offered the servant a drink, but which girl would realize the camels need to drink too. Because Rebekah put others needs before herself the servant knew she would make a wonderful helpmate for Isaac.

“Father, like Rebekah, we pray to be sensitive to the needs and feelings of others; always being compassionate and understanding with a heart that mimics Your loving kindness.”

For His Glory

Kim Lacey Schock (www.KimLaceySchock.com)
TRBC Women’s Life

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Posted in Faith, Spiritual Growth, Spiritual Living

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