Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | September 26, 2018

Wheh Life Sends Us In Panic Mode

“In peace I will both lie down and sleep; for You alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety.” Psalm 4:8 (ESV)

Over the past few weeks, we watched in amazement as people devoured grocery stores and lined up at gas stations as though we were going to starve in a few days. Water was a high commodity – none on the shelves. People were buying snack foods and nonperishable items until some of the shelves were bare, empty in anticipation of another Walmart truck coming to fill them back up.

Now I say this as a planner but also as one who doesn’t freak out. If I lived on the eastern coastline, I would have definitely taken precautions: boarded up my home and headed inland. But the very threat of the storm dumping us with rain and high winds sent people into panic mode buying generators, extra food, gasoline, etc.

Reminds me of this quote from Priscilla Shirer: “The enemy’s voice will focus on the past and the future; the voice of our God will focus us on today and will point us confidently toward the future.”

Fear, worry and intimidation never serve us well. The trio blinds us to the One who holds the entire world in the palm of His hands. When we choose to allow Satan to zero our attention to what we can’t change, then we sabotage what God has in store for today. When we allow Satan to control our thinking and ostracize what could happen tomorrow, then we demonstrate our lack of trust in God’s sovereignty for today and become paralyzed.

Don’t get me wrong – preparation and alertness is crucial if you are in close proximity to a storm. But resting and trusting in God, leaning in close so we hear His voice for today – that’s empowerment. And sweet friends that’s exactly why the enemy seeks to cover us up in fear, worry and intimidation. He doesn’t want us to experience the joy of simply following Jesus moment by moment. Depending on self or listening to our inner voice overshadowed by our past or intimidating us by our future definitely steals away God’s best. The One who knows it all, controls it all and fulfills it all longs to bathe us in His peace and trust.

“Father, uncertainty will always attempt to cloud our perspective and rob us of peace. Teach us how to focus on “now” and resist the urge to get lost in our past or future.”

For His Glory

Janet Martin
TRBC Women’s Life

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Posted in Faith, Hope, Spiritual Growth

Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | September 25, 2018

When The Music Fades

“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.” Psalm 46:1(ESV)

526 days. That’s how long it had been since I sung in church. 526 days of silence. No humming, no mouthing. 526 days with arms folded and a blank stare toward the front of church. 526 days. Not one word.

Needless to say, this is a problem. Singing to God isn’t just part of the church service each week. It is a necessary component to our relationship with Him. When we sing, we are not just offering up praises to God; His promises are also being sent down to us through the words of the song. Even if we do not feel like we can sing, doing it anyway will bring hearts closer to God. Which is exactly what we need in times of struggle. When David was hiding in the wilderness, he sang to God regularly creating most of the entire book of Psalms.

As I’ve been trying to repair my relationship with God, I wondered why I still felt so distant. On day 527 the realization hit…I still wasn’t singing.

So, on day 527 I opened my mouth.

I know who goes before me, I know who stands behind, The God of angel armies is always by my side.

Even with trembling lips, tears streaking down, I sang out the words.

The one who reigns forever, He is a friend of mine, The God of angel armies is always by my side

It was barely a whisper, but I kept singing.

And nothing formed against me shall stand, You hold the whole world in your hand, I’m holding on to your promises, You are faithful

As the words soaked into my heart, I realized I missed this sweet time of fellowship with God. I understood how much I needed these words as a reminder. I knew by not singing I had made my situation worse. It was a terrible mistake that cost me 526 days of additional suffering.

If you are struggling today and find it impossible to sing in church let me encourage you…Do. It. Anyway. Sing even if you don’t want to. It just might make all the difference.

For His Glory

Jossey Bozzo
Women’s Life Devotional

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Posted in Encouragement, Hope, Spiritual Living, Wisdom

Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | September 24, 2018

When God Whispers

“I the Lord search the heart and test the mind so give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his deeds.” Jeremiah 17:10 (ESV)

On the verge of frustration, I remember many parenting moments when I lost my cool. Perhaps it was simply exhaustion from my single mom life. Maybe it was determination to have a perfect child. Could have been lack of patience after a hectic day at work or something brewing deep within me. Regardless of the reason exposing my child’s faults in public never served me or him well. No one wins when emotions overshadow loving discipline.

So grateful our God gets this one right every time. Scripture reminds us that He searches our heart and tests our mind. The Psalmist David invited, begged and pleaded with God to search and reveal any offensive ways in him. Gotta admit, self examination isn’t easy. Takes work. Takes courage. Takes releasing pride and embracing humility. Sweetest grace when God whispers in private; He longs for us to look deep so His transformation will keep us from blowing it loud in public.

Experienced this the other day. Praying these verses in Jeremiah for weeks. So many occasions where God revealed my selfish, envious heart. Pulled back the blinders and exposed wrong thoughts, lack of right actions, etc…..do I really need to go on? Found myself face to face with things I couldn’t deny.

Love God’s quiet whisper shedding light on dark places hovering in my heart. Grateful for His unveiling of thoughts replaying in my mind. Blessed to hear His still, small voice despite my overarching noise. Learning how to embrace His discipline versus ignoring His truth.

Only a patient, loving and kind God would draw us to repentance. He’s the One we can’t conceal anything from. He knows us inside and out and yet His love is undeniable. We can trust Him to search our heart and test our mind. We can be confident that He will leave nothing hidden but will expose what doesn’t serve us well. No emotional outbursts just simply loving discipline – strategic, intentional work transforming us to be more like Him.

“Father, how blessed we are to hear Your voice leading, guiding and convicting us. Sweet reminders that we belong to You!”

For His Glory

Janet Martin
TRBC Women’s Life

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Posted in Encouragement, Mercy, Spiritual Growth

Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | September 21, 2018

When Wantings Steal Our Joy

“But godliness with contentment is great gain, for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world.” I Timothy 6:5-7 (ESV)

Wanting what others have never serves us well. Why? Because wantings left unchecked can easily override our joy. They steal away contentment and leave us with a sense of rejection, unworthiness and emptiness.
You don’t have to go far into scripture before you see the devastation of wantings gone bad. Sarai wanted children like the other moms, so she allowed her wantings to led her away from God’s perfect plan. Plan B, giving her handmaid to her husband, seemed good for the taking but quickly backfired.

Leah and Rachel’s wantings drove these two sisters apart. Leah wanted Jacob’s love so birthing children became her cupid’s arrow. Jacob’s profound love for Rachel should have dazzled her eyes, but her gaze was fixed on Leah and envy consumed her. Contentment was nowhere to be found among these competitive sisters who longed for what the other had.

Joseph’s brothers wanted to be their father’s (Jacob) favorite. When those wantings weren’t fulfilled, jealousy convinced them to sell Joseph into slavery. Perceived rejection on their part resulted in deeply embedded family wounds.

The Children of Israel wanted freedom from Egypt but they didn’t want the discomforts found wandering in the wilderness. Complaints freely flowed from their lips because their wantings weren’t being met. Years later we find them wanting what everyone else had – a king – instead of trusting God to be their Deliverer and Redeemer.

We can blame our tendencies to covet others’ things to social media, but God knows it really started the moment we entertained the thought we’d been overlooked. We fixed our gaze on others’ stuff and found ourselves lacking. Or perhaps it wasn’t stuff but better jobs, cuter spouses or perfect children that drew us to reframe our lives in a nonfavorable way. We didn’t really need Facebook or Twitter to enlighten our senses – we just allowed “less than” thoughts to steal away our joy.

Contentment is a beauty worth seeking. It shouts gratitude, fulfillment and peace. It gives voice to trust, confidence and surrender. It embraces total freedom found in God alone. It overflows from the heart of one who is satisfied with the more than enough that God provides.

Nothing serves us better …nothing protects our hearts like the sweetness of contentment.

“Father, our view can easily distort Your goodness leaving us lacking and empty inside. Teach us the power of true contentment found in You alone.”

For His Glory

Janet Martin
TRBC Women’s Life

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Posted in Attitude, Encouragement, Gratitude, Hope

Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | September 20, 2018

My Little Turtle

“One who has unreliable friends soon comes to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.” Proverbs 18:24 (NIV)

When I was little, my parents had a few turtles that they set loose in the yard, and I loved going out there to play with their babies. Turtles are funny little animals, as they don’t do much to catch one’s attention, and will even hide their faces when faced with too much attention from those around them. Nonetheless, I loved playing with them.

Sometimes, when I would hold one of the little turtles, I would notice their little eyes would kind of blink slowly and their little mouths would open and close, as if in a yawn. I never really understood if that was a common thing that turtles did; if I was too boring for them, or if they were just tired of being treated as dolls.

Forget the baby turtles for a moment. I have this tendency (habit) of finding nicknames or “pet names” for my friends. If you are someone I really care about and interact a lot with, chances are I have already been calling you by something other than your birth name. One of these lucky people is named Romana Balarini, my prayer partner. Romana comes from way-back-when in my life, like Kindergarten days. In our late prayer nights, I find that my good friend sometimes reminds me of those baby turtles, as her eyes begin to blink slowly and her mouth flings wide open during prayer after a long work day. So, because of the coincidences mentioned here, I have nicknamed Romana “my little turtle.”

And I thank God daily for that little turtle named Romana. She has been a wind beneath my wings, prayer partner, accountability partner, sister, counselor, and above all, close friend without whom I would probably have had a hard time overcoming some of life’s hurdles. When I need her, I know exactly where to find her and the same goes for her regarding me. Whatever the name by which you call your best girlfriends, make sure you keep them close and give them all the love they deserve. Nurture that friendship and love. Good friendships are blessings from God and must be kept close.

“Lord, thank You for every friend You have placed in my life.”

For His Glory

Luska Natali
TRBC Women’s Life

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Posted in Encouragement, Hope

Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | September 19, 2018

When Fleeing Seems Right

“But Jonah ran away from the Lord and headed for Tarshish.” Jonah 1:3a (NIV)

We’ve all been there when God showed us exactly what to do and we ran in the opposite direction. Been there far too many times. My idea of where I needed to be or what I needed to do simply didn’t align with the leading of God. And I simply didn’t want what He had to offer.

Sound familiar? Jonah found himself in a hard place – one where he chose to flee rather than obey. The outcome – well, it wasn’t great. He took the first ship to Tarshish with escape in mind and ended up in the belly of a great fish. Three days and three nights in a pit of Jonah’s own making.

When we find ourselves face to face with the results of our decisions, God’s plan always looks sweeter. Amazing how quickly we turn to prayer when the mess we created overwhelms us and the results are not what we intended. Desperate for help and convicted of his sin, Jonah cried out to the One he’d easily cast aside.

God heard Jonah’s cries and delivered him from the belly of the fish. If that wasn’t incredible enough, God instructed that fish to spew Jonah not into the ocean but on dry land. Talk about grace and compassion! When God delivers, He lifts us up out of the mess and plants our feet firmly on solid ground headed in a new direction because our God longs to restore His people.

Note to self – we can’t outrun our God. He will pursue us. He will create circumstances to draw us back, and He will hear our cry for help despite our sin. And the best part – He does this for everyone!
Forgiveness births restoration and obedience paves the way for grace to transform our hearts. Grateful for lessons learned even in the pit of despair. Blessed to receive His mercy – fleeing is definitely overrated.

“Father, Your grace overflows us daily. Helps us to obey quickly and avoid the devastation of fleeing Your presence.”

For His Glory

Janet Martin
TRBC Women’s Life

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Posted in Attitude, Faith, Spiritual Living

Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | September 18, 2018

Unpacking What Really Matters

“He (Job) said, “I came naked from my mother’s womb, and I will be stripped of everything when I die…” Job 1:21 (NLT)

The life of Job provides us with an encouraging example of bravery in the midst of unbelievable adversity. Job in one day’s time went from prosperous to poor, from father to childless and from health to sick. Through it all Job never asked God “why,” he doesn’t blame God, he doesn’t curse God and he doesn’t doubt God. He actually praises God (vs.21).

Job realized we all come into this world with nothing, and we all are leaving with nothing. So, what really matters in life? Can our family, friends, neighbors and work associates say we have our priorities in the right order? Are our lifestyles keeping us at the office too long and too late? Are we missing family events, absent from the dinner table or traveling all the time? I doubt we’ll ever hear a person on their deathbed say, “I wish I had worked more.” But more importantly, I hope we never hear, “I wished I had spent more time with my spouse, children and grandkids.” Job understood being the wealthiest corpse in the cemetery doesn’t matter…everyone is still dead and takes nothing with them.

Fast forward thousands of years, Steve Jobs, CEO of Apple said, “Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart.”

Where our hearts are is where we’ll find what we treasure most and what matters most…loved ones, friends and people. May we leave a legacy devoted to God, family and pointing a lost and dying world to Jesus. If we want to know how we impact our families and friends, we can’t ask ourselves, but ask those impacted by our lives. May our presence in people’s lives be more valuable and enjoyable than our resources and assets.

“Father, may our legacies long outlive our physical lives with fond memories bringing tears to eyes, smiles to faces and joy to the hearts of family and friends. I hope our lives will be an example to the lost and hurting…modeling the unconditional love and grace You have shown us our whole earthly lives.”

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 | September 17, 2018

Carving In Margin For Rest

“Six days you shall work, but on the seventh day, you shall rest. In plowing time and in harvest you shall rest.” Exodus 34:21 (ESV)

Ever feel like you’re just trying to stay ahead of the game but the game is going faster that you dare imagine? Most days can feel like that – from sun up to sun down. Amazes me the speed of 24 hours, and the tasks that just keep getting carried over. I’m a planner kind of girl so I love checking things off my list even if I just added them a few minutes ago. Frustrating to hit Friday and the reality of what never was tackled is staring me in the face on Monday morning. To be totally honest that list can haunt me all weekend – releasing margin for catchup robs me of peace.

Love this sweet reminder from the One who knows how to carve in margin for rest. In awe of the example God set before us with creation – six days of creating and one day of rest. The One who holds it all together challenges us to let it go, to take on His yoke which is light and embrace margin for rest.

Wish it was ever so simple to release agendas, lists and busy. Ever find yourself in that trap – desiring rest yet resisting still?

Plowing time and harvest were busy seasons for farmers. No Walmart or Target around the corner. Critical times to plow, plant and tend the fields. Doing the next thing from sun up to sun down – maximizing daylight to the fullest. And when the crops come in, you can’t just ignore harvesting, picking and storing up for tomorrow.

Yet God commands, invites us to a better way – a day of rest. Right in the midst of crazy, chaotic and endless lists, He knows rest soothes the soul, rejuvenates our spirit and clarifies our mind. Pulling away gives us a clearer perspective – a God perspective – trusting His agenda and His plans. Even when urgents seek to steal away still, we can resist the tendency to cast aside rest. Awesome moments without a list and totally free to relax, reflect and receive the sweetness of His presence.

Won’t you join me? Carve in white space for rest. Resist the urge to keep doing. Enjoy a prayer walk. Read a great book. Remove distractions. And when Monday comes, we’ll be amazed how much gets done.

“Father, You have set the pace now help us to obey and receive the blessings of rest.”

For His Glory

Janet Martin
TRBC Women’s Life

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Posted in Encouragement, Spiritual Living, Wisdom

Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | September 14, 2018

When Urgent Collides With Slow

“Better is the end of a thing than its beginning, and the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit.” Ecclesiastes 7:8 (ESV)

Ever find yourself getting lost or better yet overwhelmed in the urgent trap? If we don’t respond fast enough on our phone or with an email, someone will instant message us and that flashing light on our computer won’t go away until we respond. If someone needs anything – it’s urgent.

Get the picture – so what happens when our urgent mentality collides with slow? I don’t know about you, but when I have to wait for anything my patience slides right out the door. I’m so used to people pushing my urgent that I can easily perceive others should do the same for me. Waiting rarely is an option in our get to the next thing mode.

Flip back through the pages of scripture and we will find that Jesus did not allow others’ urgents to dictate His agenda. In fact, some who loved Him the most thought He was late in responding to their miracle. Those who walked the closest to Him often thought He should stay put, heal more and not retreat.

Love the patience of Jesus because He sought not the ease of people’s situation but the character development of those involved. Love the patience of Jesus when He sought the greater glory at the best time rather than ease the discomfort or sorrow of the immediate. Love the patience Jesus demonstrated to us as an example of how we are to respond in His image. Seeking God’s timing, accepting God’s sovereignty and yes, waiting for the greater glory to be revealed.

So, what can we do to embrace patience? Maybe it’s a coworker pushing all our buttons – how about relying on God’s Spirit to infuse us with a patient response. Maybe it’s slowing down our response rather than spewing out random thoughts. Maybe it’s simply refusing to let the sense of everyone’s urgency reflect anxiousness in our spirit. Resting close to the heart of God and clinging to His words rather than worrying, fearing, and attempting to meet everyone’s demands.

When urgent collides with slow, we can guarantee God’s up to something miraculous that only He can do!

“Father, transform my urgent moments into opportunities to trust You completely – waiting on Your timing and not my own.”

For His Glory

Janet Martin
TRBC Women’s Life

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Posted in Attitude, Encouragement, Hope, Spiritual Growth

Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | September 13, 2018

When Sleep Is Not Our Friend

“Keep a cool head. Stay alert.” 1 Peter 5:8 (NIV)

Healthy sleep is something everyone needs in order to live a healthy, productive life. Sleep helps the body get invigorated and balanced. Lack of sleep, on the other hand, is something that can jeopardize one’s ability to function properly and be alert.

I recently watched a funny video that was forwarded to me, in which people of all ages were falling asleep in all kinds of awkward positions. Children and adults alike would succumb to sleep in the middle of regular activities, such as while eating, studying, and even standing up. While watching that video made me laugh, it also made me think of the consequences of falling asleep during something more dangerous, such as while driving. Falling asleep at the wheel is one of the biggest causes of automobile accidents. As a matter of fact, The Gallup Organization, a statistics company, surveyed 4,000 drivers in the U.S. in 2002 and 37 percent of those drivers admitted to having dozed off while driving at least one time.

The Bible tells us about a time when Jesus was at the Garden of Gethsemane with His disciples to pray, and they kept on falling asleep. That was a really crucial time for Jesus and He really needed their prayers, but they could not keep their eyes open. (Matthew 26).

Sometimes in life, we go through situations that can exhaust our capacity to function and to stay focused on what is important. During those times, we must persist and stay focused, so we don’t end up weak and unable to keep faith alive. God is by our side and He will help us; all we need is to call out to Him.

“Dear Lord, You are our strength and our shield. Please help us to stay focused and to believe that all things are possible through You.”

For His Glory

Luska Natali
TRBC Women’s Life

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Posted in Hope, Prayer, Spiritual Living, Wisdom

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