Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | January 15, 2019

Conforming To Christ’s Image In The New Year

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” Romans 8:28 (NIV)

After days and weeks of planning, decorating the house, buying and wrapping gifts and meal preparation, the holidays are over. Christmas decorations have been put away and the New Year has begun. Left behind are sweet memories…and for some of us, maybe some painful ones tucked in there as well. Because despite all the careful planning to create the perfect Christmas, we fall short. It could be my expectations that were unmet or realizing that I failed to meet someone else’s. Maybe it’s a careless remark made by a family member, or something I said that I regret. Whatever the source of the sorrow, we can trust God’s ability to use that very thing for His good purpose of conforming us into the image of His beloved Son.

We see Romans 8:28 at work in the life of Joseph who says to his brothers who sold him in to slavery, “You meant evil against me, but God meant it for good” (Genesis 50:20). This does not mean that Joseph escaped the grief and sorrow caused by his brothers’ actions. Familial wounds are always painful. Not to mention the years he spent in prison as a result of their betrayal. But Joseph trusted God and his faith told him that God was using his plight for good. Romans 8:28 is also powerfully displayed in Christ’s crucifixion. The worst thing that ever happened, is also the best thing that ever happened.

When we are on the receiving end of insensitive remarks or when loved ones fail to meet our expectations, our emotions try to tell us they meant it for evil. But the reality is that God wants to use even that for good—His ultimate good, which Paul describes in the very next verse: “For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers” (Romans 8:29). This is the good God desires for us, and what I struggle to want most for myself. I do want to be conformed to Christ’s image, but sometimes I want other things more. To feel understood, to be right, or to feel appreciated by others. So, I cling to I John 1:9, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” And I trust. Trust that God will use all things to conform me to the image of Christ as I pray for Him to create in me a pure heart that desires this above all else.

“Lord, create in me a heart that wants what You want. Forgive me when I want other things more. Thank you for loving us enough to send Jesus to the manger and then to the cross. Help us to love you more than anything else.”

For His Glory

Ann Skalaski
TRBC Women’s Life

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Posted in Encouragement, Spiritual Growth, Spiritual Living

Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | January 14, 2019

Leaving Margin For Growth

“Surely the righteous shall give thanks to your name; the upright shall dwell in your presence.” Psalm 140:13 (ESV)

Got to admit, I’ve always been a follow the program girl. Give me a set of instructions and I’ll follow them explicitly. Show me a path to take and I will stay on course. Disciplined to the core. But sometimes simply following a program doesn’t leave margin for growth.

Repeat your exercise routine every day and your body gets accustomed to your pattern. Eat the same foods and your body doesn’t have to work hard to digest them. Drive the same route to work and you could coast into your parking spot. Doing the same things over and over again guarantees boredom will settle in, complacency is sure to follow.

Our minds are powerful tools geared to be challenged. We can’t just follow a ritual and expect new transformation. We need step out of the box moments to stretch us. We need intentional depth rather than skim to teach us. We need margins of quiet to think …..not just respond. And we need passion to fuel us in the right direction.

Expecting growth in 2019? What are we willing to forego to invite depth into our life? For me that means embracing a slow deliberate study of God’s word. Not my usual fast reads to accomplish a goal. Desiring wisdom, understanding and clarity rather than completing a checklist. Longing for His presence and revelation more than just “getting it done.” Deciding now to prioritize my schedule to ensure there’s room for His presence.

Seeking perfection…oh no, I’m sure there will be moments in my 365 where I will miss the mark. Cherishing His grace and patience when I fail to savor His truths and allow His Spirit to guide me. Aiming for what I know only God can enable me to do…..to draw near to Him because He is drawing near to me. Expecting growth rather than settling for less.

When December 2019 rolls around will our love for God and His Word be the same or will our hearts long for more and more of Him? Will we find ourselves overwhelmed by His presence or will we regret the moments we gave to lesser things? The flipping of a calendar happens ever so quickly – choose today to be captivated by the One who longs to have our undivided attention – it’s a goal worth pursuing.

“Father, so many things will attempt to steal Your place, but You alone are worthy of our worship. Free us from what holds us back so we can love you more and more each day.”

For His Glory

Janet Martin
TRBC Women’s Life

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Posted in Encouragement, Faith, Love, Spiritual Growth

Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | January 11, 2019

Whiter Than Snow

“Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.” Psalm 51:7 (ESV)

Clean out the fridge. Sweets eliminated. Clothes to the Goodwill. Closet clean. Papers shredded. Ready for Tax Season. It’s the acts of a new year. Getting rid of stuff that accumulates or attempts to sabotage our resolutions. Putting away the past and pushing forward to the new. Dumping excess in exchange for simpler less complicated.

Wonder if we need anything cleaned out of our personal lives? What do we need to eliminate emotionally? Is there anything cluttering up our minds? What has crept in while we were busy or distracted? Maybe it’s time we got rid of the stuff that hasn’t served us well. The very things we are holding onto may be the exact things that God wants us to release, eliminate and put away.

Facing the reality of what needs to be changed takes honesty and courage. If we want revival in our hearts and the lives of those around us, then we must humbly admit what needs changing and confessing. It so easy to slide into a new year with the anticipation of new, better and great – but if we remain the same as 2018, we will only reap the same.

Personal revival only comes after deep cleansing. Love the tender mercies of God and welcome His grace in our places that need His washing. Cherish the tears that lead to repentance and the sorrows that drive sin away. Love the arms spread wide drawing us close to His heart filled with compassion. Clinging to the joy restored when whiter than snow covers us. Singing His praises in the breaking of another dawn knowing new, better and great awaits those who obey God’s commands.

“Sweet Jesus, You have covered all our sins so that we can experience the freedom of walking in your truth and grace – we praise Your holy name!”

For His Glory

Janet Martin
TRBC Women’s Life

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Posted in Faith, Freedom, Mercy, Spiritual Growth

Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | January 10, 2019

A Promise of Protection

“He will shield you with his wings. He will shelter you with his feathers. His faithful promises are your armor and protection.” Psalm 91:4 (NLT)

A farmer was walking his farm surveying the destructions of a devastating fire. He came across the carcass of a charred chicken and kicked it with his foot. To his amazement baby chicks ran from beneath the dead chicken’s wings. They had survived the heat, smoke and flames under the protection of their mother’s wings. Can you imagine this chicken lovingly corralling her chicks under her wings for protection.

In the very same way this chicken protected her chicks, you can be confident that your Father in heaven shields and shelters His children with His wings and feathers. Actually, it is His promise. Whenever you read the words “I will” in scripture it’s a promise from God. In this passage God does not say “I’ll see, maybe, perhaps or I‘ll think about it.” He says, “I WILL.” So He surely will do what He promises because He does not lie.

When life situations are too hot to handle, when you can’t see past the smoke and the flames of adversity are trying to consume you – remember you are even more precious to God than baby chicks. Imagine in your head God wrapping His loving arms as a shelter around you…safe and secure. You are shielded and protected by His promise as your armor.

“Father, how sweet to draw near to You, to rest in Your arms and know that we are safe. Your faithful promises are true – we can count on You to shield and protect us.”

For His Glory

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

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Posted in Encouragement, Faith, Hope

Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | January 9, 2019

Cultivating A Healthy Lifestyle

“The eye is the lamp of the body, so if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light.” Matthew 6:22 (ESV)

Squinting, I could barely read the fine print or so I thought it was fine print. Surprisingly to me around the age of 46, my eyes struggled to focus on anything upclose. Now all my friends had been using readers for quite a while, and I was convinced this aging event skipped over me. But then I found myself gradually holding paper further and further away – reading was becoming an issue. No need for alarm my eye doctor chuckled, “It happens to everyone.”

You see as we age, the lens inside our eye begins to harden and focusing becomes a bit more challenging. Those readers, we’ve learned to love, enable us to see upclose and avoid eye strain. Perfect solution – I’ve always got a pair with me – focusing is no longer an issue.

Wish I could say the same about my spiritual focus. Keeping my eyes fixed on God can be challenging. Don’t know about you, but I often find myself easily distracted. Facebook feeds, tweets, tv, people – seems like focusing on Him gets more difficult every day. Too many other things or people attractively attempting to capture our attention away from the One who matters most. And the sad reality is the more we allow our focus to become divided the more our hearts can become hardened to His truth. The tangible visible distorting our view of our invisible God never serves us well.

2019 ushers in a fresh opportunity to cultivate healthy eyes. Having a clear perception and understanding of God’s wisdom will not happen unless we determine to keep His Words in front of us. What will we do this year to ensure our eyes are fixed on God? Discipline and intense concentration will illuminate the very truths we need to maintain a healthy spiritual lifestyle. How will we avoid the distractions? What steps do we need to take to escape the trap of zeroing in on people versus fixing our gaze on God?

Lots of questions to consider as we head into another new year. Matthew 6:22 reminds us that it isn’t just about our gaze…. healthy eyesight positions us to reap the benefits of our entire being have spiritual insight. Now that’s a goal worth pursuing.

“Father, You have given us everything we need to succeed. Help us to embrace Your game plan and keep our eyes focused on You.”

For His Glory

Janet Martin
TRBC Women’s Life

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Posted in Encouragement, Hope, Spiritual Living

Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | January 7, 2019

When Messy Invites Beauty


“Do not let your adornment be merely outward – arranging the hair, wearing gold or putting on fine apparel – rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit which is very precious in the sight of God.” I Peter 3:3-4 (ESV)

My house is a mess – a real mess!  I’ve been off from work since Christmas Eve, and I’ve cleaned out my pantry, cleaned out our “clutter” room and my office.  And right in the midst of my clean, white space….hubby decided to tile our living room wall where the tv and fireplace hang.  Now I’ve been waiting on this project to happen over a year so I silenced my urge to scream – “the house is clean are you kidding…you want to start this project now?”    Instead, I watched as he cautiously thought through this project and danced around it all morning before getting started.  And now well there is messy everywhere. Dust on the floor and rug, tiles throughout the living room.  A saw lining my sidewalk…..the list goes on and on.  But my hubby is almost done and it is absolutely beautiful!
 
Easy to see beauty now that “the project” is done. Not so easy to see it when the mess is cluttering up my clean!  Life can often be that way.  Don’t know about you but 2018 offered us some messy situations and/or people in our lives.  No one is perfect even us so it’s easy to see how messy happens but not always easy to see the potential beauty God longs to birth in us and the people in our circle. 

Patience is definitely one of those virtues that seems to slip through our fingers, but I’m so thankful our unchanging God is still patient, loving, kind, full of mercy and grace.  And that is just the beginning….His character is flawless, and we can trust Him to create lasting beauty in us despite the reappearing mess surrounding us.

So sweet friends let’s embrace 2019 expecting His beauty to transform our mess and be committed to seeing others’ messes as an opportunity for us to grow to be more like God. Let’s devote ourselves to daily interactions with His word and not just read them but ask God to show us how we need to apply His instructions.  Let’s spend more time on our knees seeking His face then time on our feet going in a multitude of directions.  Let’s intentionally choose to not allow another year escape us without allowing God to transform us into absolute beauties.

“Father, You are the only One who can cultivate real change in our lives.  Strengthen us and encourage us to walk in obedience with Your purposes in 2019.”

For His Glory

Janet Martin

TRBC Women’s Life

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Posted in Encouragement, Spiritual Growth

Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | January 4, 2019

Bookends & The Stuff In-Between

“I remember the days of old; I meditate on all You have done; I reflect on the work of Your hands.” Psalm 143:5 (HCSB)

The end of 2018 and the dawning of 2019 – the closing of one chapter and the unveiling of another. This week is always a time when I reflect on all that God has done for me in the past year and a prayerful time of seeking what He has for me in 2019. I call it my bookends – the period of time between old and new. Seems to come ever so quickly anymore – I’m sure you feel the same. If only we could get time to stand still long enough to drink deep and take in all that God does for us even in a moment.

What have your God moments been in 2018? If you don’t keep a list of those things God has done, I would challenge you to do so in 2019. Why? Because it’s that list of His unending blessings that propels us through hard places, complacency, discouragement and lukewarm days. I was talking with a friend a few months ago who was overwhelmed with life and couldn’t even see a glimpse of God’s goodness. So together we started her list and that ongoing list has carried her through many more days….enabling her to see His goodness despite the darkness.

The word “remember” is sprinkled throughout scripture; isn’t that just like God to challenge us to not forget what would so easily get misplaced in our crazy, distracted world. When I reflect on 2018, I remember most of all that He has never left my side. That God has enriched my journey with dear friends who have encouraged and inspired me in many ways. I remember little things jotted down on ragged, tear stained pages that lifted me through weary days and convicted me on grumbling rants. So thankful for the grace of God that covers my forgetfulness overshadowed by daily life.

What will our moments in 2019 bring? So glad, I can’t answer that – instead I take joy in knowing that God has it all covered. I can rest confidently in Him and yes, continue to keep the list of His blessings and faithfulness in my journey. Praying you do the same.

“Father, life evaporates right before our eyes – Your goodness is too easily forgotten. Help us to write down our blessings and teachable moments– living proof that You are intimately involved in all our days.”

For His Glory

Janet Martin
TRBC Women’s Life

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Posted in Encouragement, Gratitude, Hope, Spiritual Growth

Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | January 1, 2019

Strong Foundations Serve Us Well

“The wise woman builds her house, but with her own hands the foolish one tears hers down.” Proverbs 14:1 (NIV)

Navigating a new design to an old pattern – wow that’s just too much work. You see, we are great purchasers of new when old is no longer appealing. But what happens when the exchange involves people?
A hammer and nails we will not find in our designer purse but building, constructing, reinforcing and repairing is often on the agenda. Life gets messy. Differences and preferences separate even the closest of friends. No one is perfect – we’re simply frail human beings defaulting to our natural desires – looking out for “us.” Erecting a barrier, condemning the space and blocking grace can be favored rather than re-building a relationship. Perhaps there’s a bridge of forgiveness to be extended, but ending that relationship seems sweeter.

A little Construction 101 reminds us that a house is only as stable, strong and unshakeable as its foundation. Same principle applies in relationships. A weak foundation is easily disturbed and the crumbling underneath is devastating. If we are not careful, we will tear down, cast aside and discard a priceless treasure. It takes supernatural strength to repair, re-construct, reinforce and repair lives dangling by a thread.

But isn’t that where God found us? Isn’t that where God empowers us? Relationships built upon the rock of grace reflect a strong foundation – a wise woman. I love the way Proverbs challenges us to build up our own relationships, our own home and our own work environment. It’s the Restorer, Redeemer and Reconciler inviting us to react and live wisely. It’s the Sovereign One compelling us to weigh the cost of foolish emotions that tear down and destroy. How we long to be wise women whose house and relationships are built daily upon the truths of God’s word.

“Father, I am so thankful that You build up my life with Your wisdom and grace. How I need You to navigate all the relationships in my life.”

For His Glory

Janet Martin
TRBC Women’s Life

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Posted in Attitude, Encouragement, Success, Wisdom

Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | December 31, 2018

Look Back & Remember

“Remember the things I have done in the past. For I alone am God! I am God, and there is none like me.” Isaiah 46:9 (NLT)

“We’re still the worst, but I think we’re getting better.” This is the nearly identical quote I hear every night after swim team practice. My two sons have loved the water from a very young age, but have only just tackled swim team. They have worked diligently to develop better techniques in their strokes and dives, as well as a higher level of endurance, but they are newbies in a pool full of veteran swimmers.

Two months into preseason swim, our family traveled out of town, staying at a hotel with a pool. “Let’s see what you’ve been learning at practice,” I suggested in order to get their blood moving in the chilly pool water. Kaden took off, performing flip turns and strokes he had not even known existed two months before. Not to be outperformed, Josiah showed off his strokes and flip turns. I was thoroughly impressed. I reminded them of where they were two months ago—struggling to dive properly, possessing no speed or endurance. What a difference two months has made!

Satisfied grins showed me that my words had penetrated, increasing their confidence in their abilities. They needed an outside observer to point out the difference in their past and present abilities. The repetition of daily practice kept them from noticing improvements.

Our daily struggles can feel that way. Same old, same old. Taking a step back may be just the encouragement we need. Looking back at old journal entries to remind us of the incredible work God has already done in our lives can give us the strength we need to trust God with our current circumstances. Seeking the honest observations of a trusted friend can help us to be reminded of where we were just a few months or years before–far less mature than today. Asking God to remove the blinders caused by worry and stress so we can clearly see all that He has done in our lives may be just the confidence-builder we need.
He alone is God. There is no other like Him. He can do immeasurably more than what we may think or imagine. “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)

Let’s take the time to look back and remember the amazing work God has done in our lives.

“Lord, You alone are God and there is none like You! Thank You for Your grace and mercy in working in our lives.”

For His Glory

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

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Posted in Encouragement, Success, Wisdom

Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | December 28, 2018

A Chance of A Lifetime

“Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee: And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing.” Genesis 12:1-2 (NIV)

Genesis 12 introduces us to Lot, a man who held onto the curtails of his uncle, Abram’s, faith. Wealth, possessions and favor followed in Abram’s footsteps, so it’s a no brainer as to why Lot wouldn’t want to tag along. He was eager to follow and experience the benefits of Abram’s faith walk. Leaving his homeland of Ur for a great adventure

What about us? Have we found ourselves eager to grab a hold onto someone else’s faith because success characterized their journey?

Anytime, we hold onto someone else’s faith walk, we will always shortchange our own. God has a unique growth plan for each of His children’s lives, and He desires to deepen our level of trust in Him. Basing our decisions on what God is leading in someone else’s life without His clear direction for us will land us outside the will of God.

So whose curtails do we tend to hold onto? Maybe’s it’s our parent’s faith. Or perhaps we’ve placed our trust in results evidenced in the lives of others rather than the One who sovereignly orchestrates the events in our lives.

God is the Rewarder of those who place their faith in Him – don’t miss out on the journey – embracing the life He has for us is more than we can ever imagine.

“Father, empower us to step out in faith and pursue the journey You have for us.”

For His Glory

Janet Martin
TRBC Women’s Life

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Posted in Faith, Spiritual Growth, Wisdom

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